God Bless President Bush for Releasing Ramos and Compean
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honeybee
Jan 19, 2009, 3:48:28 PM1/19/09
to Bob Brinker Moneytalk and Marketimer discussions with The Beehive Buzz
INVASION USA
Bush cuts sentences of Ramos, Compean
Agents convicted of shooting smuggler will be released from prison
March 20
Posted: January 19, 2009
1:01 pm Eastern
President Bush commuted the prison sentences of former Border Patrol
agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean today.
The announcement came on the last full day of Bush's presidency. The
sentences for Ramos and Compean are scheduled to expire March 20 but
there was no immediate explanation for the time period between today's
announcement and that date.
Two years ago, Ramos and Compean began serving sentences of 11- and
12- years respectively for a 2005 incident in which they fired on a
drug smuggler as he fled back into Mexico after bringing 750 pounds of
marijuana into the U.S. near Fabens, Texas.
As WND reported last week, the Department of Justice's pardon
attorney, Ronald Rogers, opened a file on the case and was considering
recommending that the president commute the sentences.
Rogers said at the time the former agents apparently were not eligible
for a pardon, which would nullify the punishment. But they might be
eligible for a commutation, he said, which would result in a reduction
of their sentences.
"Thank God for this commutation," said Joseph Farah, editor of WND,
who launched a petition and letter-writing campaign that re-energized
the Ramos-Compean issue in the last 30 days of Bush's term. "This will
end the sleepless nights for their wives and children. This is the
first step toward making these families whole, again."
His petition collected more than 40,000 signatures by the time today's
announcement was made, and the letter campaign produced more than
3,000 FedEx letters to the White House.
"We can only thank Joseph Farah, Jerome Corsi and the staff at
WorldNetDaily because from the beginning you have been with us and you
never gave up on the case," Joe Loya, Ramos' father-in-law, said
today. "Your reporting had a lot to do with the decision today by
President Bush to commute the sentences."
The petition had described how the agents "are now serving
outrageously long prison terms for shooting and wounding, in the line
of duty, a fleeing illegal alien drug smuggler trying to bring almost
800 pounds of marijuana into the U.S."
The smuggler was granted immunity for his illegal activities in return
for testifying against the agents. After the trial, it was revealed
the smuggler participated in another drug run into the U.S. while he
held immunity.
The law under which the agents were ordered to serve minimum 10-year
sentences for using a firearm in the commission of a crime never had
been applied to law enforcement officers.
Monica Ramos embraces her husband, former U.S. Border Patrol agent
Ignacio Ramos, two days before he was sentenced to 11 years in prison
(Courtesy El Paso Times
Farah's letter also noted several jurors complained they had been
intimidated into voting "guilty" while they actually believed Ramos
and Compean were innocent, yet the trial judge refused to set aside
the verdict.
Among other factors raising public concern was the prosecutor's
statement that the sentences were too harsh.
The agents had attracted the support of a members of Congress, too.
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., recently asked U.S. Attorney Johnny
Sutton, the prosecutor in the case, to support a commutation in their
sentences.
"As Johnny Sutton said in his own words, this punishment is
excessive," Rohrabacher said. "Millions of Americans, members of
Congress, Republicans and Democrats have spoken."
"It becomes a debate about punishment," Sutton said on the CNN
Headline News Glenn Beck Program May 18, 2007. "I have a lot of
sympathy for those who say, look, punishment is too high, you know, 10
years. I agree."
More than 150 members of the House of Representatives, including both
Democrats and Republicans, have signed onto various resolutions in
support of either a full pardon or a commutation of sentence for Ramos
and Compean.
On the Senate side, John Cornyn, R-Texas, had released an open letter
to the president pleading for their freedom. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-
Calif., also joined the effort.
The burden of the sentences fell heavily on the families of the
agents. Ramos wife, Monica, reported just this month that there was an
attempted hit on her life and that of her children when someone broke
into their El Paso home and filled it with gas, trashing photographs
and pummeling their dog.
The attackers, while she was away, stole various items, ripped
cherished wedding pictures and family photographs and even left the
gas turned on.
"It was very intentional in that somebody was trying to hurt us," she
said on a radio program.
"He's in there because he was stopping a drug smuggler," she said.
"And yet my kids have to go through an extensive search when we see
him. ... We're not able to have any physical contact with him while
we're there."
In a special letter released to WND before the commutation was
announced, Compean thanked his supporters, especially for the cards
and letters during his incarceration.
He said he feared being forgotton.
"I truly believed people would forget all about us. Once we reported
to prison, I was very happy to see how wrong I was. I have received
thousands of letters from people all over the country. I have also
received letters from other countries such as Italy and even a few
from soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan."
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=86533
.
Bush cuts sentences of Ramos, Compean
Agents convicted of shooting smuggler will be released from prison
March 20
Posted: January 19, 2009
1:01 pm Eastern
President Bush commuted the prison sentences of former Border Patrol
agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean today.
The announcement came on the last full day of Bush's presidency. The
sentences for Ramos and Compean are scheduled to expire March 20 but
there was no immediate explanation for the time period between today's
announcement and that date.
Two years ago, Ramos and Compean began serving sentences of 11- and
12- years respectively for a 2005 incident in which they fired on a
drug smuggler as he fled back into Mexico after bringing 750 pounds of
marijuana into the U.S. near Fabens, Texas.
As WND reported last week, the Department of Justice's pardon
attorney, Ronald Rogers, opened a file on the case and was considering
recommending that the president commute the sentences.
Rogers said at the time the former agents apparently were not eligible
for a pardon, which would nullify the punishment. But they might be
eligible for a commutation, he said, which would result in a reduction
of their sentences.
"Thank God for this commutation," said Joseph Farah, editor of WND,
who launched a petition and letter-writing campaign that re-energized
the Ramos-Compean issue in the last 30 days of Bush's term. "This will
end the sleepless nights for their wives and children. This is the
first step toward making these families whole, again."
His petition collected more than 40,000 signatures by the time today's
announcement was made, and the letter campaign produced more than
3,000 FedEx letters to the White House.
"We can only thank Joseph Farah, Jerome Corsi and the staff at
WorldNetDaily because from the beginning you have been with us and you
never gave up on the case," Joe Loya, Ramos' father-in-law, said
today. "Your reporting had a lot to do with the decision today by
President Bush to commute the sentences."
The petition had described how the agents "are now serving
outrageously long prison terms for shooting and wounding, in the line
of duty, a fleeing illegal alien drug smuggler trying to bring almost
800 pounds of marijuana into the U.S."
The smuggler was granted immunity for his illegal activities in return
for testifying against the agents. After the trial, it was revealed
the smuggler participated in another drug run into the U.S. while he
held immunity.
The law under which the agents were ordered to serve minimum 10-year
sentences for using a firearm in the commission of a crime never had
been applied to law enforcement officers.
Monica Ramos embraces her husband, former U.S. Border Patrol agent
Ignacio Ramos, two days before he was sentenced to 11 years in prison
(Courtesy El Paso Times
Farah's letter also noted several jurors complained they had been
intimidated into voting "guilty" while they actually believed Ramos
and Compean were innocent, yet the trial judge refused to set aside
the verdict.
Among other factors raising public concern was the prosecutor's
statement that the sentences were too harsh.
The agents had attracted the support of a members of Congress, too.
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., recently asked U.S. Attorney Johnny
Sutton, the prosecutor in the case, to support a commutation in their
sentences.
"As Johnny Sutton said in his own words, this punishment is
excessive," Rohrabacher said. "Millions of Americans, members of
Congress, Republicans and Democrats have spoken."
"It becomes a debate about punishment," Sutton said on the CNN
Headline News Glenn Beck Program May 18, 2007. "I have a lot of
sympathy for those who say, look, punishment is too high, you know, 10
years. I agree."
More than 150 members of the House of Representatives, including both
Democrats and Republicans, have signed onto various resolutions in
support of either a full pardon or a commutation of sentence for Ramos
and Compean.
On the Senate side, John Cornyn, R-Texas, had released an open letter
to the president pleading for their freedom. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-
Calif., also joined the effort.
The burden of the sentences fell heavily on the families of the
agents. Ramos wife, Monica, reported just this month that there was an
attempted hit on her life and that of her children when someone broke
into their El Paso home and filled it with gas, trashing photographs
and pummeling their dog.
The attackers, while she was away, stole various items, ripped
cherished wedding pictures and family photographs and even left the
gas turned on.
"It was very intentional in that somebody was trying to hurt us," she
said on a radio program.
"He's in there because he was stopping a drug smuggler," she said.
"And yet my kids have to go through an extensive search when we see
him. ... We're not able to have any physical contact with him while
we're there."
In a special letter released to WND before the commutation was
announced, Compean thanked his supporters, especially for the cards
and letters during his incarceration.
He said he feared being forgotton.
"I truly believed people would forget all about us. Once we reported
to prison, I was very happy to see how wrong I was. I have received
thousands of letters from people all over the country. I have also
received letters from other countries such as Italy and even a few
from soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan."
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=86533
.
mitelo
Jan 19, 2009, 7:29:18 PM1/19/09
to Bob Brinker Moneytalk and Marketimer discussions with The Beehive Buzz
Great news, Del! A man of courage and principle does the right thing
again. Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Lincoln are smiling.
Lincoln would NOT approve of spending 170 million for inauguration
partying (four times the previous high spent for an inauguration)
during a national economic crisis! Lincoln would be appalled at the
regal coronation tone being set by Obama and the Democrats during this
time.
again. Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Lincoln are smiling.
Lincoln would NOT approve of spending 170 million for inauguration
partying (four times the previous high spent for an inauguration)
during a national economic crisis! Lincoln would be appalled at the
regal coronation tone being set by Obama and the Democrats during this
time.
Pig
Jan 19, 2009, 9:14:51 PM1/19/09
to Bob Brinker Moneytalk and Marketimer discussions with The Beehive Buzz
On Jan 19, 2:48 pm, honeybee <mshoneyr...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> INVASION USA
>
> Bush cuts sentences of Ramos, Compean
list.
honeybee
Jan 19, 2009, 9:44:57 PM1/19/09
to Bob Brinker Moneytalk and Marketimer discussions with The Beehive Buzz
Right Mitelo.....And I guess that Obama (and all of the media) forgot
that Lincoln was a Republican.
Are you going to watch the coronation tomorrow, or as Rush says, the
"emaculation." LOL!
.
> > .- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
that Lincoln was a Republican.
Are you going to watch the coronation tomorrow, or as Rush says, the
"emaculation." LOL!
.
>
> - Show quoted text -
Pig
Jan 19, 2009, 10:12:49 PM1/19/09
to Bob Brinker Moneytalk and Marketimer discussions with The Beehive Buzz
On Jan 19, 8:44 pm, honeybee <mshoneyr...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Are you going to watch the coronation tomorrow, or as Rush says, the
> "emaculation." LOL!
Netflix.............so we had something other than cheap propaganda to
watch for the next LOOOOONG 4 years.
mitelo
Jan 20, 2009, 8:41:44 AM1/20/09
to Bob Brinker Moneytalk and Marketimer discussions with The Beehive Buzz
I've switched to sports talk and just plan to savor the last two weeks
of the Cardinals' fairytale run.
of the Cardinals' fairytale run.
honeybee
Jan 20, 2009, 10:36:48 AM1/20/09
to Bob Brinker Moneytalk and Marketimer discussions with The Beehive Buzz
Well, Mr. Pig and Mitelo,
You know about the old saying about "keeping your enemies close."
I'm actually intrigued at what I'm seeing on Fox News Channel. I can't
believe the audacity of the way the media (even Fox) is presenting B.
Hussein Obama emasculation as opposed to President Bush's
inauguration.
And for the first time in my life, I am seeing in living color how
one individual can take over a whole nation of sheeple -- like Hitler
did... The millions who are worshipping this guy is astonishing. The
looks on their faces and the total lack of any logical thought or
reasoning is frightening -- to say the least.
And this mantra about the racial aspect of it this APPALLING! I guess
race does matter after all....
.
> > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -
You know about the old saying about "keeping your enemies close."
I'm actually intrigued at what I'm seeing on Fox News Channel. I can't
believe the audacity of the way the media (even Fox) is presenting B.
Hussein Obama emasculation as opposed to President Bush's
inauguration.
And for the first time in my life, I am seeing in living color how
one individual can take over a whole nation of sheeple -- like Hitler
did... The millions who are worshipping this guy is astonishing. The
looks on their faces and the total lack of any logical thought or
reasoning is frightening -- to say the least.
And this mantra about the racial aspect of it this APPALLING! I guess
race does matter after all....
.
honeybee
Jan 20, 2009, 12:25:55 PM1/20/09
to Bob Brinker Moneytalk and Marketimer discussions with The Beehive Buzz
Here's how this wonderful thing happened:
INVASION USA
Congressmen lobbied for agents at 11th hour
Diffused attacks on prosecutor in effort to free Ramos, Compean
Posted: January 19, 2009
9:25 pm Eastern
By Jerome R. Cors
Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa
Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle lobbied White House
counsel and President Bush personally on behalf of border agents
Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean in a series of phone calls and face-to-
face conversations that continued through the 11th hour of the
administration, WND has learned.
A key meeting in the lobbying effort leading up to President Bush's
decision to commute the sentences was an hour-long phone conversation
Jan. 9 orchestrated by Rep Steve King, R-Iowa.
The conference call included Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, who was recruited
by King because of his extensive career as a judge and prosecutor in
Texas.
Participating for the White House were Kenneth Lee, legal counsel
assigned to review recommendations from the Department of Justice
Pardon Attorney, and Jeff Lungren, special assistant to the president.
Ramos and Compean have been in solitary confinement in federal prison
since Jan. 17, 2007, serving 11 and 12 years respectively for a 2005
incident in Fabens, Texas, during in which they fired on a drug
Compean were given under U.S. Code Section 924 (c) was severe.
WND has learned a key final-hours strategy coordinated by many of
Ramos and Compean's congressional supporters was to defuse attacks on
Johnny Sutton, the El Paso U.S. Attorney whose office conducted the
prosecution. The lawmakers, instead, focused attention instead on the
unfair nature of the 10-year mandatory minimum sentence.
Last week, 31 of the 34 current members of the Texas congressional
delegation, including both senators, sent a letter to President Bush
asking for him to commute the prison sentences.
As WND reported last week, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., issued a
press statement detailing several statements in which Sutton himself
expressed concerns that the 10-year mandatory minimum sentence was
severe. The trial prosecutor in Sutton's office, Debra Kanof, decided
to charge Ramos and Compean under 924 (c) after the agents rejected
her plea bargaining offers.
Sutton served as the criminal justice policy director for then-Texas
Gov. George W. Bush from 1995 to 2000.
USC Section 924(c) imposes a mandatory minimum 10-year sentence for
the use of a firearm in the commission of a federal crime, a statute
Ramos and Compean have argued on appeal was never intended to be
applied to law enforcement officers in the performance of their
duties.
"We asked the White House for a commutation because Ramos and Compean
have now served two years and the prosecution in plea bargaining had
originally asked for a one-year sentence for Ramos and a two-year
sentence for Compean, if they would plead guilty," Poe explained to
WND. "Ramos has now served twice that time, and Compean has served his
two years."
"We argued with the White House counsel that if the president
disregarded the gun charge under 924 (c), then Ramos and Compean have
already served more than enough time," Poe said.
"Without the gun charge, Ramos and Compean would have gotten one- and
two-year sentences, not the 11- and 12-year sentences they got. So we
wanted their sentences commuted."
King confirmed to WND that he asked Poe to join him on his phone call
to White House legal counsel.
"I didn't want to see the Bush administration end and have to look
back and think that I could have done something more or to think that
I had never talked to the White House pardons counsel directly about
Ramos and Compean," King told WND. "So I bypassed the idea of somebody
else doing this and I thought, 'Well, I will.'
"I looked for Judge Poe to join me in the call," King said.
"Congressman Poe thought it was a good idea, so away we went."
King told WND that he had a hard time knowing last week if he and Poe
had made any impact on Lee in their conversation with the White House.
"I didn't know if we had hit any pay dirt with that conversation,"
King admitted, "but I thought it was a conversation that had to
happen."
King recalled he and Poe emphasized to Lee that the 10-year mandatory
minimum sentence imposed on Ramos and Compean was unfair.
"I just hammered the point home that President Bush came into the
national arena as a compassionate conservative and compassion demanded
Ramos and Compean be free," he said. "The punishment was out of
proportion to the crimes Ramos and Compean were convicted for
committing.
King emphasized Ramos and Compean "were acting in their best judgment
on the day of the incident, in reaction to a stressful, dangerous
situation."
"If you have fellow officers who are watching their fellow officers
being locked up in federal prison for 11 and 12 years as a result of
pulling and using their service weapons in the course of doing their
jobs, then that means that some day, some time, some officer leaves
that weapon in their holster and it may cost them their lives," he
said.
As a historical note, in the last speech given in the House of
Representatives during the Bush administration, Poe spoke last Friday
for 40 minutes asking President Bush to commute the Ramos-Compean
sentences.
A text of the speech and a video are available on Poe's congressional
website.
"It's ironic, I spoke last Friday night, and I was the last
congressman to speak on the House floor in the Bush presidency, and I
spoke for 40 minutes asking the president to commute the Ramos and
Compean sentences," Poe commented. "So, in what is virtually the last
act of the Bush presidency, he has now commuted the sentences. I'm
glad.
"I have spent most of my life as a prosecutor and judge putting people
in the penitentiary," Poe told WND. "I've never been so pleased to see
two people released from the penitentiary as Ramos and Compean."
Yesterday, the last full day of the Bush administration, many
congressman who had fought to see Ramos and Compean free issued
statements sharing Poe's enthusiasm for Bush's decision.
"Our prayers have been answered!" Rep. Dana Rohrabacher said in a
statement. "This is not just a day of celebration for the families,
but it is a victory for all Americans.
"We are grateful at long last that President Bush has done the right
thing by these men and their families and the president should be
included in our prayers of gratitude," Rohrabacher said. "I am humbled
by the sincerity of support I saw over the last two and a half years
for Ramos and Compean from both sides of the political aisle and
everyday Americans throughout our country."
Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, was equally pleased at the news.
"I am thrilled that President George W. Bush took the opportunity, on
his last full day in office, to commute the sentences of wrongly
imprisoned Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean,"
Culberson said in a statement.
"This long overdue commutation is a blessing to the agents and their
families, and it will instantly improve the morale of our Border
Patrol, which will help make our nation more secure," Culberson said.
The drug smuggler in the case, Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila, is currently
serving a nine-and-a half year sentence in federal prison for bringing
a second load of approximately 750 pounds of marijuana across the
border in 2005 while he had immunity from Sutton for testifying
against the officers.
In a controversial ruling, Ramos and Compean trial judge U.S. District
Judge Kathleen Cardone denied the agents' motion to question Aldrete-
Davila about the second load of drugs. Aldrete-Davila was allowed to
testify at trial that he was an inexperienced drug dealer who only
committed the offense involving Ramos and Compean because his mother
was sick and needed medicine he could not afford because he had lost
his Mexican commercial drivers license.
WND previously reported Aldrete-Davila lied at trial. He actually had
a valid Mexican drivers license the day he committed the offense
involving Ramos and Compean.
http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=86609
INVASION USA
Congressmen lobbied for agents at 11th hour
Diffused attacks on prosecutor in effort to free Ramos, Compean
Posted: January 19, 2009
9:25 pm Eastern
By Jerome R. Cors
Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa
Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle lobbied White House
counsel and President Bush personally on behalf of border agents
Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean in a series of phone calls and face-to-
face conversations that continued through the 11th hour of the
administration, WND has learned.
A key meeting in the lobbying effort leading up to President Bush's
decision to commute the sentences was an hour-long phone conversation
Jan. 9 orchestrated by Rep Steve King, R-Iowa.
The conference call included Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, who was recruited
by King because of his extensive career as a judge and prosecutor in
Texas.
Participating for the White House were Kenneth Lee, legal counsel
assigned to review recommendations from the Department of Justice
Pardon Attorney, and Jeff Lungren, special assistant to the president.
Ramos and Compean have been in solitary confinement in federal prison
since Jan. 17, 2007, serving 11 and 12 years respectively for a 2005
incident in Fabens, Texas, during in which they fired on a drug
smuggler as he fled back into Mexico after bringing 750 pounds of
marijuana into the U.S. near Fabens, Texas.
King and Poe argued the mandatory minimum 10-year sentence Ramos and
marijuana into the U.S. near Fabens, Texas.
Compean were given under U.S. Code Section 924 (c) was severe.
WND has learned a key final-hours strategy coordinated by many of
Ramos and Compean's congressional supporters was to defuse attacks on
Johnny Sutton, the El Paso U.S. Attorney whose office conducted the
prosecution. The lawmakers, instead, focused attention instead on the
unfair nature of the 10-year mandatory minimum sentence.
Last week, 31 of the 34 current members of the Texas congressional
delegation, including both senators, sent a letter to President Bush
asking for him to commute the prison sentences.
As WND reported last week, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., issued a
press statement detailing several statements in which Sutton himself
expressed concerns that the 10-year mandatory minimum sentence was
severe. The trial prosecutor in Sutton's office, Debra Kanof, decided
to charge Ramos and Compean under 924 (c) after the agents rejected
her plea bargaining offers.
Sutton served as the criminal justice policy director for then-Texas
Gov. George W. Bush from 1995 to 2000.
USC Section 924(c) imposes a mandatory minimum 10-year sentence for
the use of a firearm in the commission of a federal crime, a statute
Ramos and Compean have argued on appeal was never intended to be
applied to law enforcement officers in the performance of their
duties.
"We asked the White House for a commutation because Ramos and Compean
have now served two years and the prosecution in plea bargaining had
originally asked for a one-year sentence for Ramos and a two-year
sentence for Compean, if they would plead guilty," Poe explained to
WND. "Ramos has now served twice that time, and Compean has served his
two years."
"We argued with the White House counsel that if the president
disregarded the gun charge under 924 (c), then Ramos and Compean have
already served more than enough time," Poe said.
"Without the gun charge, Ramos and Compean would have gotten one- and
two-year sentences, not the 11- and 12-year sentences they got. So we
wanted their sentences commuted."
King confirmed to WND that he asked Poe to join him on his phone call
to White House legal counsel.
"I didn't want to see the Bush administration end and have to look
back and think that I could have done something more or to think that
I had never talked to the White House pardons counsel directly about
Ramos and Compean," King told WND. "So I bypassed the idea of somebody
else doing this and I thought, 'Well, I will.'
"I looked for Judge Poe to join me in the call," King said.
"Congressman Poe thought it was a good idea, so away we went."
King told WND that he had a hard time knowing last week if he and Poe
had made any impact on Lee in their conversation with the White House.
"I didn't know if we had hit any pay dirt with that conversation,"
King admitted, "but I thought it was a conversation that had to
happen."
King recalled he and Poe emphasized to Lee that the 10-year mandatory
minimum sentence imposed on Ramos and Compean was unfair.
"I just hammered the point home that President Bush came into the
national arena as a compassionate conservative and compassion demanded
Ramos and Compean be free," he said. "The punishment was out of
proportion to the crimes Ramos and Compean were convicted for
committing.
King emphasized Ramos and Compean "were acting in their best judgment
on the day of the incident, in reaction to a stressful, dangerous
situation."
"If you have fellow officers who are watching their fellow officers
being locked up in federal prison for 11 and 12 years as a result of
pulling and using their service weapons in the course of doing their
jobs, then that means that some day, some time, some officer leaves
that weapon in their holster and it may cost them their lives," he
said.
As a historical note, in the last speech given in the House of
Representatives during the Bush administration, Poe spoke last Friday
for 40 minutes asking President Bush to commute the Ramos-Compean
sentences.
A text of the speech and a video are available on Poe's congressional
website.
"It's ironic, I spoke last Friday night, and I was the last
congressman to speak on the House floor in the Bush presidency, and I
spoke for 40 minutes asking the president to commute the Ramos and
Compean sentences," Poe commented. "So, in what is virtually the last
act of the Bush presidency, he has now commuted the sentences. I'm
glad.
"I have spent most of my life as a prosecutor and judge putting people
in the penitentiary," Poe told WND. "I've never been so pleased to see
two people released from the penitentiary as Ramos and Compean."
Yesterday, the last full day of the Bush administration, many
congressman who had fought to see Ramos and Compean free issued
statements sharing Poe's enthusiasm for Bush's decision.
"Our prayers have been answered!" Rep. Dana Rohrabacher said in a
statement. "This is not just a day of celebration for the families,
but it is a victory for all Americans.
"We are grateful at long last that President Bush has done the right
thing by these men and their families and the president should be
included in our prayers of gratitude," Rohrabacher said. "I am humbled
by the sincerity of support I saw over the last two and a half years
for Ramos and Compean from both sides of the political aisle and
everyday Americans throughout our country."
Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, was equally pleased at the news.
"I am thrilled that President George W. Bush took the opportunity, on
his last full day in office, to commute the sentences of wrongly
imprisoned Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean,"
Culberson said in a statement.
"This long overdue commutation is a blessing to the agents and their
families, and it will instantly improve the morale of our Border
Patrol, which will help make our nation more secure," Culberson said.
The drug smuggler in the case, Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila, is currently
serving a nine-and-a half year sentence in federal prison for bringing
a second load of approximately 750 pounds of marijuana across the
border in 2005 while he had immunity from Sutton for testifying
against the officers.
In a controversial ruling, Ramos and Compean trial judge U.S. District
Judge Kathleen Cardone denied the agents' motion to question Aldrete-
Davila about the second load of drugs. Aldrete-Davila was allowed to
testify at trial that he was an inexperienced drug dealer who only
committed the offense involving Ramos and Compean because his mother
was sick and needed medicine he could not afford because he had lost
his Mexican commercial drivers license.
WND previously reported Aldrete-Davila lied at trial. He actually had
a valid Mexican drivers license the day he committed the offense
involving Ramos and Compean.
http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=86609
mitelo
Jan 20, 2009, 7:18:47 PM1/20/09
to Bob Brinker Moneytalk and Marketimer discussions with The Beehive Buzz
Many of the talking heads are showing their bias by reporting that the
drug dealer was killed by the border agents. He was shot in the
gluteus maximus and is alive and well. I suppose many fools in the
country are buying the false reports. Pavda would be proud.
drug dealer was killed by the border agents. He was shot in the
gluteus maximus and is alive and well. I suppose many fools in the
country are buying the false reports. Pavda would be proud.
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