From Pine View Farm

Watchful Waiting 2

No pardons yet, just a clemency for ICE agents who shot a brown person in the back. Had he been a white guy sneaking over the border into North Dakota from Canada, I guarantee, no clemency.

I expressed my thoughts on pardons yesterday over at Noz’s place.

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2 comments

  1. Karen

    January 20, 2009 at 9:28 am

    A professional drug smuggler was shot in the butt after he dumped his load & was trying to get back to Mexico. His wound was treated free of charge, he was given a “temporary visa for entry back & forth to the US” & he’s filed a 5 million lawsuit against the US, saying his civil rights were violated. He has been arrested numerous times for smuggling.

    Not just a “brown person”.

    They should have had full blown pardons.

     
  2. Bill

    January 20, 2009 at 5:03 pm

    There are gray areas and inconsistencies in the case (as there always are).

    The “victim” is an admitted drug smuggler who was apparently fleeing from his van load of weed. The two agents, who happen to be “brown people” themselves, failed to report the shooting and tampered with evidence. They are far from clean in this case. The two agents received sentences of 12 years and 11 years in prison. Each has served about two years. Under the terms of the commutation, their prison sentences expire on March 20. Their three-years of supervised release and their fines remain. Their careers as border patrol agents are over as well as any meaningful career in law enforcement in general. They could not make it through the background check.

    During his presidency, Bush has granted a total of 189 pardons and 11 commutations. That’s less than half as many as Clinton who issued 457 pardons and commutations. As far as controversial, this commutation pales in comparison to some of Clinton’s (Marc Rich, the FALN 16, Edgar and Vonna Jo Gregory, Almon Glenn Braswell).