In keeping with tradition, President Bush has begun issuing pardons in advance of leaving office in January 2009. Today fourteen people received pardons from President George Bush, while the sentences of two others were commuted.
Noticeably absent among the pardons and commutations President Bush issued today was any news of a pardon or commutation of the sentences of Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean, two former Border Patrol agents who many feel were wrongly convicted of discharging a firearm during the act of a crime, a criminal offense that carries a mandatory 10-year sentence under federal law. Lawmakers from both parties have called for leniency for Ramos and Compean, so it will be interesting to see if the two end up being pardoned or having their sentences commuted by President Bush.
I’ve read a report issued by the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security, and while I’m no legal expert, it seems pretty clear to me that Ramos and Compean did engage in a coverup of the shooting they were alleged to have been involved in, and in my experience, innocent people don’t go to the lengths Ramos and Compean did to cover up their involvement in the shooting they were ultimately convicted of. I think these guys got what they deserved for the crimes they committed, and while some may paint Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean as heroes, they’re far from heroes.
Recent Comments