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BUSH COMMUTES SENTENCE OF BORDER PATROL AGENTS!

On now on Fox. Googled for story but not up yet in print. Stand by for link....

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Corrected the title for accuracy

Senior Anandtech Moderator
Common Courtesy
 
Originally posted by: spidey07
No pardon, sentences were commuted. Still awesome news.

Yes, they were still in the wrong, I believe, for some of thier actions. But you have to look at the situation they were in. Just like some soldiers in Iraq. There are some who are guilty of some heinous acts. For many others they get caught up in a split second life or death decision and end up on trial for murder.
 
Well, it took him long enough....

Lets just hope that the rest of the "midnight pardons" are of people as deserving. I better not get my hopes up though.
 
I'd pardon them too, they shot a guy smuggling drugs across the border. I'd have to think someone doing that is taking their life into their own hands. Keep the drugs out, kill the drug smugglers, we all win
 
Hmm... reading the wikipedia entries and the various articles I wouldn't exactly portray them as deserving the pardon. The things that the border agents did don't exactly make their actions heroic:

1) Shooting unarmed suspect.
2) Destroying evidence.
3) Covering up what happened.
4) Not reporting the incident.
 
Originally posted by: sarotara
Hmm... reading the wikipedia entries and the various articles I wouldn't exactly portray them as deserving the pardon. The things that the border agents did don't exactly make their actions heroic:

1) Shooting unarmed suspect.
2) Destroying evidence.
3) Covering up what happened.
4) Not reporting the incident.

Except that they didn't get a pardon. They just got their sentences shortened.
 
OK it was commuted not pardoned (thanks mods)...just posted too quickly and didnt add commentary. I think a reduction is perfect. I have a fairly low tolerance for illegal immigration, although the shooting in the back is a little disturbing. Although I can live with it. IMO you come here illegally you get whats coming.
 
Originally posted by: blackangst1
OK it was commuted not pardoned (thanks mods)...just posted too quickly and didnt add commentary. I think a reduction is perfect. I have a fairly low tolerance for illegal immigration, although the shooting in the back is a little disturbing. Although I can live with it. IMO you come here illegally you get whats coming.

I think we're way too soft on immigration. At the same time, I have little respect for those who betray our nations laws, particularly if they wear our nation's uniform or are in a position that should command respect, and demand honor from those in service.

No compassion here for the illegal criminal, but I don't think they deserved a break.
 
I see the edit now. Commutation? meh. At least it is something. Boarders should be taken seriously. I'm starting to believe that the boarder patrol is something that is really only useful for peaceful boarders. Mexico's boarder is proving to be too much for them. Time for the NG to step in to stop the smuggling and illegal immigration. The BP has done a crap job the past few decades.

[Disclaimer: I do not claim that this is THEIR fault as they most likely aren't given the proper amount of men and materials to do their job effectively. Also, red tape FTL.]
 
Originally posted by: Kadarin
Originally posted by: sarotara
Hmm... reading the wikipedia entries and the various articles I wouldn't exactly portray them as deserving the pardon. The things that the border agents did don't exactly make their actions heroic:

1) Shooting unarmed suspect.
2) Destroying evidence.
3) Covering up what happened.
4) Not reporting the incident.

Except that they didn't get a pardon. They just got their sentences shortened.

You are right on the commuted vs pardon part. What bothers me the most is why would the border agents cover up the incident, destroy evidence, and not report this. As one of the posters above said, we should demand a lot more from those who wear the uniform and serve this country. Breaking the laws that you are responsible for upholding puts the border patrol in a very bad light.
 
Originally posted by: sarotara
Hmm... reading the wikipedia entries and the various articles I wouldn't exactly portray them as deserving the pardon. The things that the border agents did don't exactly make their actions heroic:

1) Shooting unarmed suspect.
2) Destroying evidence.
3) Covering up what happened.
4) Not reporting the incident.

-Don't let a silly thing like 'findings of fact' get in the way of the celebration ...
 
Originally posted by: MovingTarget
Time for the NG to step in to stop the smuggling and illegal immigration. The BP has done a crap job the past few decades.

Using the National Guard for a role that they weren't trained to perform is a step in the wrong direction and brings up very important Constitutional and human rights questions into the light. The National Guard is a branch of the US military and, under US laws, the use of military agencies in civilian and domestic missions is strictly regulated and actually forbidden in most cases.
 
Originally posted by: ironwing
How many folks cheering this decision are affected by it? How many live here near the border?

Illegal immigration & illegal drugs effect every community!

This a national issue

When you consider the cost of healthcare, education, welfare and lost jobs - you soon realize illegals and drug addicts who have access to cheap drugs are a drain on society.


 
Originally posted by: Fmr12B
Originally posted by: ironwing
How many folks cheering this decision are affected by it? How many live here near the border?

Illegal immigration & illegal drugs effect every community!

This a national issue

When you consider the cost of healthcare, education, welfare and lost jobs - you soon realize illegals and drug addicts who have access to cheap drugs are a drain on society.

Illegal immigration is a national issue and you are correct in that affects everyone, but I would say that you are making some pretty interesting correlations here. You're linking illegal immigrants and drugs and dropping them both into the same bucket.

In general, illegal immigrants are a convenient scapegoat for many of the problems in the US. IMHO, the real issue is the loss of political and economic power by the working and middle classes. If you do some research on this you will see that middle class wages actually declined over the past few decades. You could make the argument here that the US states is in economic decline or that the country has become economically imbalanced. I would say that poor economic, social and industrial policies are a much bigger problem than illegal immigration.
 
Originally posted by: Fmr12B
Originally posted by: ironwing
How many folks cheering this decision are affected by it? How many live here near the border?

Illegal immigration & illegal drugs effect every community!

This a national issue

When you consider the cost of healthcare, education, welfare and lost jobs - you soon realize illegals and drug addicts who have access to cheap drugs are a drain on society.

None of which has anything whatsoever to do with commuting the sentences of murderers; murderers who used their official positions to attempt to cover their crimes. Bush just sent a strong message to BP and federal agents everywhere: "If you murder people, don't worry, your ass is covered."
 
Originally posted by: sarotara
Originally posted by: MovingTarget
Time for the NG to step in to stop the smuggling and illegal immigration. The BP has done a crap job the past few decades.

Using the National Guard for a role that they weren't trained to perform is a step in the wrong direction and brings up very important Constitutional and human rights questions into the light. The National Guard is a branch of the US military and, under US laws, the use of military agencies in civilian and domestic missions is strictly regulated and actually forbidden in most cases.

True, but boarder defense is a traditional military activity. Any military can be trained to handle this task. I agree that using the military domestically is wrong and should be illegal, but I wouldn't consider this domestic if along the actual boarder.
 
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