Posted on 01/20/2009 7:38:42 AM PST by SmithL
On his way out of office, President Bush used his power of the pardon to commute the sentences of former U.S. Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, who had been sentenced to 11 years and 12 years respectively for shooting and wounding a fleeing drug smuggler in 2005 and then covering up the incident. It was the right move.
Ramos and Compean supporters no doubt would have preferred it if Bush had pardoned the agents - which would have cleared their criminal records. In that Bush had stood by U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton's prosecution of the agents, as well as the jury verdicts, this is the best outcome that was to be had.
When Bush commuted the 30-month sentence of Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, he did not fully pardon Libby. He let a $250,000 fine and two years of probation stand, although he did override the prison sentence, because it was "excessive."
No better word could describe the Ramos and Compean sentences.
Ramos and Compean say they thought Osvaldo Aldrete Davila was armed as he evaded arrest, but because he got away, there is no way to know if he was carrying a gun or just a shiny object. Sutton argued, and a jury concurred, that the agents realized they were shooting at an unarmed man. If Sutton is correct, their crime largely occurred in the heat of the chase - and never warranted sentences exceeding the usual plea bargain punishments awarded to crooked Border Patrol agents.
The reason for the long sentences - dumb laws. The federal mandatory minimum system, enacted by Congress in 1986, tacks 10 years onto a federal crime committed with a firearm.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Nope,,, the Bushes talked one way, and governed another. They waved the flag for us,,,and then worked non-stop for internationalism in banking and governance.
The Bushes are nothing but the worst of the Conspriacy theory types worst dreams. They DELIBERATELY undermined our independence financially and politically.
yeah you are right....shooting a suspect in the back, cleaning up the scene, lying to your supervisor, falsifying official reports, nothing illegal or immoral there...and the fact that they did not know the dope was there until after they cleaned the scene.....if these two are your kind of hero............
His life is ruined.
Yes it justifies it,,, but only down on the border. It’s a damned lonely place that city cops wouldnt like much. And LEGALLY, a lot of rules are different in the border zone,, they USBP can enter private property without permission,, profile,,, and conduct searches that a city cop would never be legally allowed. Quit being so hard on these guys.
And i don’t see what their astrological sign has to do with it! So what if they are LEOs?
The part of the scenario you and others of your kind keep proposing simply did not exist ~ it couldn't and everyone can see that.
Obviously, another pro-illegal alien poster. You do not know the facts of the case. Maybe you work for the Mexican government?
Far more than the dumb laws, little Debbie, the reason was a crooked prosecutor and other BP, and Federal agents in league with foreign national Mexicans to clear the route for drug and illegal alien smuggling into the US.
Crooked prosecutors and cops and a STUPID predisposed Jorge Bush, that's all it took.
This entire case has been based on "after the fact" reconstruction of "could'a beens".
Toss in a few misapplications of law, and there you have it.
As I have said time and time again Sutton's life as a Republican politician, if not as a lawyer, is ruined.
You watch a lot of cop movies and CSI, huh?
In the back doesnt matter a whit in the first place, (except in movies) but the testimony clearly showed that the CRIMINAL was hit by a quartering shot as he ran away, aiming back towards the agents. It came in at a 45 degree angle (*and* it was a nice shot, in the dark, from bad footing).
Agent saw his partner fall.
Also, It was widely known by every agent at the scene, including a supervisor what had occurred.
Also,, hate to ruin your perfect police academy world, but unreported shots and exchanges are COMMON along the border.
And the dope,,, i never heard them say anything about shooting him because he had dope.
And yes,, they are hero’s.
And this is where we disagree. If the use of their firearms in the line of duty was justified...and I believe it was...then what occured with the shooting was not a crime, so there was no crime to cover up.
What they did in not filing the reoport properly and then not coming clean with it on first blush was administratively wrong, and certainly could have led to disciplinary action.
But if they were justified in shooting...and, again, I believe they were...then they did not cover up a "crime", they covered up a justifiable shooting because of the politically charged environment they were in and that is what should have been recognized and addressed.
But, the powers in place up the line did not want that little truth to come out, so, in my mind, the whole ardent prosecution of two men riking their lives in the line of duty, in the process of which they drove off a criminal alien from these shores, was itself a cover-up for the real truth driving the whole thing.
And so, I hope their conviction is overturned and that the real truth of the matter some day comes out. Until it does...we will not be able to protect our borders the way they should be...our own agents will fear for their careers...and their own very lives...too much and it will impact how they respond to threats.
Suttons life is ruined? hahahahaaaaaa
That is total Bee Ess that they covered up the crime scene...their supervisors were on the scene immediately after the shooting, and the supervisors were the ones who told the two to pick up their shells...there was no “cover up” as the pro-illegal alien media would have many believe
Republican ruined.
Well that is surely old news.
I have always been hesitant to use that label for myself. Though I have always voted a straight GOP ticket here in TX. Back when RWR was prez I at least sort of thought of myself as a Republican.
Now I will never ever again value the term in any sense.
Then the Supervisor should be a convicted Ex-cop as well.
Problem is the Democrats were running Congress and one thing Fur Shur about the Democrats is when they can get a cop or a Mexican tossed into jail they are not gonna' let him out ~ 'cause then they'd have to give him a subsidized house and early retirement.
One and only one reason.
To protect his slime-ball friend Johnny Sutton.
However the pressure was so great and the trial so obviously a railroad job that W caved.
Easily fixed with two words. "You're Fired!"
They went up with me. He’s now at a solid 27% positive.
i am pro border fence, and for deportation of all illegals...what does that have to do with criminals wearing a badge commiting felony after felony. not only do i know the facts of the case, i have also read teh entire case file and know both sides thoroughly. not only do i know they are criminals, it would appear 12 people on a jury knew it too....perhaps you work for the socialists that are yearning for a police state....
City cops and academy instructor types will never understand the realities along the Mexican border.
Exchanges of shots are common, usually 70 miles from the nearest paved road, with a shadow in the dark, who vanishes across the fence. Often Mexican Army,,or was it dopers dressed like Mexican army? Either way,, those are sometimes covered up too, for political reasons. It’s just immature to insist on a traditional city “crime scene” response to such exchanges. The real world is such a pain sometimes.
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