WASHINGTON (CNN) -- There was an unusual spectacle in the nation's capital Tuesday, downright rare, in fact: U.S. Senators seeking truth, and justice, and taking action. And they deserve great credit and thanks.
The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, led by Dianne Feinstein, focused on the reasons for the prosecution of two Border Patrol agents now serving long sentences in federal prison. Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean were given terms of 11 and 12 years respectively on their convictions for shooting an illegal alien drug smuggler.
Senator Feinstein, and Senators Jeff Sessions, John Cornyn, Jon Kyl and Tom Coburn demanded answers of U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, who chose to prosecute Compean and Ramos and give that illegal alien drug smuggler blanket immunity to testify against the men.
Sutton's decision to prosecute the agents, to file attempted murder charges against them and seek harsh mandatory prison sentences was simply an outrage. Senators Feinstein, Sessions and Cornyn took Sutton to task over what they clearly see now as a blatant abuse of prosecutorial power and strongly questioned the decision to give immunity to a known illegal alien drug smuggler. Sutton's office gave the smuggler immunity in order to prosecute the two agents who had pursued him in a high-speed chase, which ultimately resulted in the wounding of the drug dealer who had ditched his van, loaded with hundreds of pounds of drugs, and ran from the agents.
---Just yet another example of when an illegal scumbag gets more rights.....I dont think these 2 agents should be imprisoned for doing their damn job.---
17 comments:
Eric... First, to differentiate the article from CNN's news reporting, I think we ought to attribute the article to commentator Lou Dobbs.
Second, there's more to the story than Dobbs' version. There is ample evidence that the agents did not act appropriately. The conservative National Review, with which I am inclined to disagree on most issues, published an article (link to article) about this case. Here is a paragraph from the article:
The rogue duo had two easy opportunities to arrest Aldrete-Davila: First, when he attempted to surrender and Compean decided it would be better to smash him with the butt of a shotgun than to put cuffs on him, as it was his duty to do; and then, when the “heroes,” having felled the unarmed, fleeing suspect with a bullet fired into his buttocks, decided to leave him there so they could tend to the more important business of covering up the shooting.
That said, the issue of granting immunity to the drug smuggler, whose hands in this matter were not exactly clean, is a mite troubling...
maybe I should have better qualified myself when posting the original story. I wasnt here to say the agents did right or wrong but more to bring up the point that this illegal scumbag piece of filth has more rights than 2 US citizens.
and they shouldnt be imprisoned anyways...no one knows what they were up against that day. I am certain that some of these agents face some pretty hairy stuff on a daily basis. Its a job I wouldnt want and they dont get paid nearly enough for protecting our borders against this type of scum. Thats all an illegal is....scum.
and what the hell is wrong with Lou Dobbs? He is a very well educated man with a very strong opinion.
Eric,
Trully, I know plenty of people of questionable legality who I would not classify as scum, far from it, the ones I know are hard working, respectable family guys who are taking HUGE risks to come to the good old USA in order to get a taste of a liveable life.
Like any group of people there are some that make the whole look bad. Not all catholic priests molest little boys. Not all republicans are for the war in Iraq (or even the current President). Not everyone with a tattoo is white trash scum.
I know, I just get all fired up when I hear talk of some illegal getting more rights than someone who has lived their whole life here. In this case, I do see this illegal as scum because he was a drug dealer. I just have a big problem with those who come here illegally and try to take advantage of what this nation has to offer.
Wait a minute, I dont see how you could call someone who is here, possibly illegally as "respectable". They are fucking criminals and should be treated that way. They should not get respect. They should not have ANY rights. They should be looked at as law breakers because thats what they are...law breakers. If they wanna come to the US to starta life they should do it like so many people have, the legal and just way. It cant be that hard, weve all had ancestors that have done it the right way.
I have NO respect for someone who comes here illegally and takes advantage of what this nation has to offer, I dont care what they are doing for a living.
They should not have ANY rights.
...Eric, this country was founded on the principle that all men have certain inalienable rights. It's right there in the Declaration of Independence. Criminals do have rights. I believe one of those rights is to not get shot in the ass by law enforcement officers when you're unarmed, even if you're caught doing something illegal.
Eric,
It's true that an illegal imigrant is in fact doing something illegal. But... the fact remains they work hard, and conduct themselves as honestly as posible under the circumstances.
When a cop stops inforcing the law, and inforce their own concept of justice they should no longer be a cop.
I'm confused about something, and I am choosing not to leave my questions unanswered anylonger.
Why do you have so much disdain for illegals?
Are they taking your job?
Are they harming you or your family directly?
Have you been physicly or mentaly abused by an illegal?
What's the deal. Cause I would have to guess that most middle class white guys from Iowa have very little interaction with illigals.
Let's put some teeth in this issue.
You seem to have a very Polar opinion about this issue. I would like to know the story. the real story.
Since 2003, over the past 4 years, I have had 2 (yes 2) stints in rehab for a pretty serious drug addiction...Im talking in the gutter, stealing from anyone to get my fix kind of addiction. I blew off my kid, lost a wife and damn near lost my family because of it. Certain tattoos of mine hide track marks, yeah, that bad.
Im clean now and have been for some time.
While in rehab I befriended all kinds of people from all walks of life. My rehab was state funded, my work insurance wouldnt cover rehab for the period of time I needed to go in. While in rehab I met some people who openly admitted to me that they have had and do have illegals within this country here for nothing more than the money. They didnt give a shit about the laws, or didnt give a shit about becoming a legal US citizen...to make a long story short, this whole thing really got me thinking about how most illegals come here without caring enough to go through the due process of becoming US citizens. Here I was in a state funded program because my health insurance wouldnt cover me, yet some border jumper gets to come in and take full advantage of what this country has to offer?
No way. Not where I sit. This wasnt just a one time thing either, Ive heard the stories from many people within the recovering community that this is the way it is...people coming here taking advantage of this country while it's citizens get crapped upon.
Going through rehab completley changed my life. It changed the way I look at things, the way I look at my daughter and the way I look at politics. I am a very narrow minded person now because of what I went through and becasue of what I saw while being in the gutter. When I say "narrow minded" I mean, I am set in my ways and I am happy with it. I know a lot of times I sound like a crochety old timer when I rant the way I do, but thats who I am now. None of you really know the real me now. I am a different person. Im not the Offmen I was, I am a new Offmen, one who has been totally forced into being reprogrammed to think a different way. If I dont look at life in this new light, Ill become a junkhead again and Ill end up dead or in prison. Im happy being ultra conservative now. Im happy not wanting to listen to the left if I dont have to.
Maybe from now on, I will just post little nothing to do posts about jokes or other things and keep politics totally off the board.
Im sick of feeling like my personal character is in question just because I have the guts to stand up for what I see as right even though I am not saying it is right or wrong. If rehab taught me one thing it was to stand up for yourself and your feelings regardless what someone thinks of them.
You guys are brothers to me and I enjoy having you in my lives, but if we cant do politics because my views are seen as too far right or whatever, then I just wont post things like that anymore. Ill leave politics totally off the board all together.
So all in all, Im not the same person I think some of you think I was adn secondly, yeah, the immigration thing is huge with me and will be a big deciding factor as to who I vote for come next election.
Whew!, E, I think you might just win the 2007 rant award hear on the old OMI blog. Right or wrong I think that was simply the longest rant of the year.
Thanks Scott, it feels good to have that off my chest. Yes within the ranks of The Offmen there is a serious life long addict. I will always be an addict. The only thing that keeps me off the junk now is my daughter. I dont want her growing up with a father who is a junkie. If I didnt have her, Id still be a junkhead, I know that for certain. The shit controls your life and once you recover it still has a major hold on you. Im proud of who I am now. Im pretty much clean (well, im clean of the hard street drugs but I still struggle with pills). I cant even drink because alcohol is a gateway drug for me, and lets all face it, alcohol is a drug, its just legal. Ive fallen of the wagon a couple times in the past few months but I look at my kid and I get right back on. I can say I am clean now though. Pills are what do me in nowadays. Sometimes I would get so desperate when I couldn't get a fix, I would grind up and snort muscle relaxers just for the high. I used to grind up darvocet and vicodin and shoot them up too on top of my drug of choice, heroin, black tar heroin. The shit runs wild here in DSM. When I couldnt afford heroin, I would buy 10 dollar bags of crack. I lived on the streets for a while too. Ive had to have HIV tests done every 6 months for the past 4 years now just to be sure Im free of that, which I am, thankfully.
God has a plan for all of us, Im just glad I havent pissed mine away yet. I got a 2nd chance at life and now my life is totally different. Sure, Im now ultra conservative, but I also have lots of qualities that you guys might enjoy. I share such a small amount of my life on this blog just because Im a private person, but getting this out in the open has helped. Now you kinda know the "new me".
If any of you have questions, feel free to ask me and maybe Ill answer them.
Im gonna be 34 next month and im still piecing my life together. Its gonna take me a while. My mental illnesses were not helped at all by the fact that I was junkie. Now I have to deal with that everyday too on a much more realistic, yet intense level. Im on a lot of meds.
So yeah, I guess im not ashamed to admit to you guys that im a junkie, just a recovering one. Im kinda special in a sense. Ive seen some seriously fucked up shit while being into the junkie scene. People stealing from one another, people being stabbed, all over drugs.
Thats what I would LOVE to see, a PResidential candidate who has the balls to speak up on drugs. IM not talking about "The War on Drugs" either, that is total b.s. in my mind, but Id like to see a President offer more to addicts than just 3 hots and a cot. Really show the recovering community that he cares. Our inpatient program for addicts is a joke here in Iowa and im sure it is elsewhere. The real addicts cant afford anything, let alone a trip to one of these rehab resort settings that the stars go to to kick their habits. I was in rehab for 30 days at a time, that was what is required herein Iowa. 30 days is about enough time to get you through the detox and have a few good group discussions buts thats about it. I don't think President Bush has said one word about helping addicts the entire time hes been in office.
Being an addict shows you a lot of shit in life.
And lastly to add to my rant, these 2 border patrol agents should not near 15 year sentences for what they did. Should they be disciplined? maybe so, but person term seems a little outrageous.
maybe others could post political stories too that don't have me ranting and raving from the get go?
I know, I know, we all have lives. some busier than others, but maybe someone else could contribute for once.
Just an idea guys....there is stuff you can find literally everyday that is worthy of becoming a topic here on the blog.
Anyone, anyone??? Maybe please?
I for one appreciate your candor. At least we can understand where your point of view comes from.
Good luck.
thanks PJB, its nice to hear that.
thanks for the insight brother. i do respect you and want to hear more of what you have to say even if i don't agree with it. as a former law enforcer(however brief my stint was) i have to say that i believe we need to hold our police to a higher standard than the average citizen. to uphold the law you have to obey it. if we give them free reign than what stops them from becoming gestapo? not all of the people drawn to police work want to make the world a better place. some of them just enjoy the power they wield over other people. they are the scumbags we need to weed out and hold accountable to their illegal actions. as for drug addiction i have always believed that it should be treated as a medical issue instead of a criminal issue. and if we had a civilized health care industry (p.s. see sicko by mr. moore even if you dislike him. it is not his usual ambush documentary and presents some very interesting information.) we could get a handle on this problem even if we never beat it. the last thing i want comment on is that in my experience a closed mind can no longer grow and growth is the meaning of life. a person can only take responsiblity for his own actions and cannot place his blame on anyone else. keep healing with love.
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