On Mon, 19 Jan 2009 10:49:54 -0800, "Joel Koltner"
wrote:

"Jim Thompson" wrote in
message ...
Bush just commuted the sentences of the two Border Patrol agents who
shot the unarmed drug dealer in the ass.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090119/...h/bush_pardons : "Bush's
decision to commute the sentences of Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, who tried
to cover up the shooting, was welcomed by both Republican and Democratic
members of Congress. They had long argued that the agents were merely doing
their jobs, defending the American border against criminals." -- Wow, covering
up a shooting is part of doing your job as a border patrol agent? That's sad.
(And AFAICT they really were being punished primarily for trying to cover up
the incident, not for the actual shooting itself.)

A ten year prison sentence does sound a little extreme when the guy they shot
wasn't killed or apparently even permanently injured, though -- Bush's
commutation seems reasonable here.

It shouldn't be any surprise that those who have to deal with scummy drug
dealers are often themselves not the most upstanding citizens.

---Joel

Note that Bush commuted their sentences (rather than giving them
pardons), so they are left with serious criminal records. Seems
reasonable enough.