Washington – President George W. Bush has commuted the prison sentences of two former Border Patrol guards whose convictions for shooting a Mexican drug dealer ignited debate about illegal immigration.
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Bush’s act of clemency on Monday for Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean was a victory for Democratic and Republican members of Congress and others who pleaded with the president to pardon the men or at least commute their sentences.
Ramos and Compean are each serving sentences of more than 10 years for shooting an unarmed illegal immigrant as he was fleeing an abandoned marijuana load in 2005, then trying to cover it up.
The prison sentences of Ignacio Ramos and Joe Compean will now end March 20.
how about pollard? mr. bush, here’s your chance for eternal reward…seize the moment!!!
I am so glad for them,, BH,, no one should have to sit in jail for doing their job,, and government messing up….. Now if he will just pardon pollard,,,,
He should have done this 2 years ago.
does this mean pollard wont be pardened bec bush is leaving office
whats with pollard?
we have to do anything to free him
free Pollard now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOW Michael Savage will be real happy to hear this news.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said President Bush will not be granting any more pardons or commutations
It is unfair to compare these 2 to Pollard. Pollard clearly did something very very wrong. We are hoping that Bush or Obama will be merciful. These 2 were fully innocent and didn’t deserve this in the first place.
i don’t know how any jew can condemn pollards actions. he clearly saved jewish lives and continues to pay a great price.i love pres. bush but he really blew it on this one.
over and over again, why only pollard??? what about the rest of the heimishe chevra shomrei torah umitzvois that should also be pardoned. We never hear anyone being oisek on their behalf to the presdient, WHAT GIVES????????? are the people on this website not heimish?????
we should still daven for his release “yeshios hashem keharaf eyan”
Wow, I was waiting for this pardon. I’m sure the boys on “the rant” are happy 🙂
they should have never been siting in jail to begin with.they were doing their job.
With all the good things that I admire Bush, I must say that he has no feelings for human beings! in his mind there is no Rachmonis whatsoever for someone who may have made a mistake in his life, and with all the harsh sentences that people get for white collar crimes is ridiculous, people are treated sometimes worse that murderers, what a system we have lately in America, in Oatisville prison there are yiden who were sentenced nebach for a very long time, from 15 yrs. to 27 Years!!! one of them in his seventies, I was there with other volunteers to visit jewish inmates there and all I can say its mind boggling to say the least! my heart goes out for them & their families! perhaps Obama will change these crazy laws!
With the state the economy is in, I would be very surprised if anyone tries to lessen the penalties for “white collar” crimes.
For that matter, I’m hard pressed to understand why someone who (for example) defrauds people out of their retirement savings should get less of a sentence than someone who mugged them and got some cash, credit cards, and jewelry.
The issue is not whether white collar criminals who have stolen the life savings of innocent victims should get only 10 years in prison, nor the sad reality that there are people who seem frum sitting in a few prisons for crimes. The Talmud has examples wherein our Tanaim were happy when criminals were dealt with by the proper authorities at the time. Some people truly are a menace to society, and some deserve serious punishment for serious crimes. Granting widespread amnesty might be dangerous and would have to apply to tens of thousands of criminals, not just those wearing tzizis beneath their prison garb in upstate New York.
The issue is whether the U.S. President shoud have granted clemency to Jonathan Pollard, whose spying for Israel may have contributed enormously to the bombing of the Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981 (which benefitted the U.S. when it subsequently attacked Iraq a decade later–and Iraq did not then possess the nuclear weapons it would have probably had, if Israel had not acted).
Former President Clinton says he granted clemency to Mark Rich after Ehud Barak personally asked him to do so.
Since PM Olmert has boasted publicly of his ability to sway Pres Bush (and get him to instruct Condi Rice to abstain on a recent UN Security Council resolution about the Gaza war), one would have imagined that Olmert asked Pres Bush to free Polard. If he recently asked and Pres Bush said no, it might be because of how he publicly humiliated Condi Rice. If he did not recently ask, which seems more likely, then the question remains: Why is Olmert still the Prime Minister of Israel?
I had hoped for a full PARDON for these two guys. They are out free, but still keep their convictions. This is not enough. They should have been pardoned.
Pollard is another story. He WAS a spy for another country. How can a president justify freeing one spy and not freeing all other spies. Though as a Jew, I would love to see this fellow Jew, Pollard, free, I am not angry about it, and do understand the President’s position.
These two men were wrongly charged.
These two men were wrongly convicted.
These two men were wrongtly sentenced.
And all for doing their jobs defending the borders of the United States of America.
Pollard was spying Against the United States. A bit different as I see it.
But, still, I would WISH, DAVEN, and LIKE for every Jewish convict to be freed.
But…. hold it …. we do not all seem to agree on this, do we?
I have heard, right here, the same people screaming for Pollard’s release, screaming for another Jew to be locked up!!!!
We can’t have it both ways, folks. If you want xxxxxxx in prison, and you want xxxxxx in prison, why do you want Pollard out?
Oh, so you vary in opinion depending on the crime.
If the crime is against Children, you say “LOCK HIM UP AND THROW AWAY THE KEY!”
If the crime is against Jewish investors and Jewish institutions, among others, you say “LOCK HIM UP AND THROW AWAY THE KEY!”
If the crime is against the United States of America, MY Country, you say, “Pardon him!”
Again, I WOULD like to see him and all Jews free…. but I am not blind to the dicotomies, and conflicts in our words and actions. And, I DO understand a president who does not agree, and does not give in.
Pollard should have his sentence commuted (like the two agents, and scooter libby), not pardoned. He has served enough time, and isn’t a security risk anymore. Besides, they can put him on the next flight to Zion, now that they made him a citizen.
I didn’t want to point this out while Pollard had a chance with Bush. Please keep in mind that he was convicted of trying to sell information to more than one country. According to some Republican senators (many very pro Israel) in the late 90’s they were very against him being freed as they saw information that you and I don’t get to see. I wished the Bush would be merciful to him as a fellow Jew, but don’t say that he deserves to be free.