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The best news since Flight 1549’s sucessful landing
Posted by civil truth on January 19th, 2009
Multiple sources including Fox News are reporting that President Bush, in perhaps his final offical act, this morning commuted the sentences of Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean, whose unjustly lengthy convictions have stirred bipartisan calls for their release for many months now. The two are scheduled to be released from prison on March 20th.
While some believe the two should have been pardoned, several conservative commentators whose judgment I respect have made a reasonable argument for their having faced some kind of legal culpability (although I do continue to find the federal prosecutor’s actions quite questionable on substantial matters).
However, given the horrendous challenges we will face from the oncoming Democratic hegemony over the Federal government and the certainty that Barack Obama (he’s not President until tomorrow, so I don’t need to address him with that honorific yet) will not issue a pardon, further debate over commutation vs. pardon would seem to just be a waste of energy that would be better spent elsewhere.
This action by President Bush is long overdue, but the old saying still holds true: better late than never.
So let’s rejoice and count our blessings, as good news will likely be very scarce (in the polical arena, that is) for the next couple of years at least.
January 19th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
I believe that a commutation of the sentences was completely justified versus the complete pardon, though I would not have argued against a pardon per se. The sentences were extra long because Sutton, the Assist. US. Attorney who prosecuted the case used the add-on sentence of using a firearm while committing a crime, an extra five years mandatory I believe. I know there is a push to make law enforcement officers immune from this law because due to the nature of their jobs, there is an increased probablilty that a fire arm will be used, as opposed to the average citizen. Basically, this laws was meant to target felons who used firearms, not law enforcement officers….
I agree, better late than never….