Thread: Look who's prison-bound, and who's sitting pretty

Lynn Woolley, guest column: Look who's prison-bound, and who's sitting pretty


Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Very rarely do you see conservatives rally around convicted criminals demanding they be set free.

That’s what makes Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and José Compean so special. That, along with the fact that so many people who should be behind bars are free.

Ramos and Compean made the mistake of shooting a Mexican drug smuggler named Osvaldo Aldrete Davila in the butt as he was trying to get away.

Good for them, you might say, but U.S. Attorney and Bush-buddy Johnny Sutton threw the book at them.

Even if the agents overreacted when they shot at the drug smuggler — and that’s subject to dispute — the president must realize that the Mexican border region is a war zone infested with hardened drug criminals for whom killing is a way of life.

Recently, the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld prison time for the major counts behind the respective 11- and 12-year prison sentences for Ramos and Compean.

Justice System? We don’t need no stinkin’ Justice System. That paraphrase from the Bogart movie The Treasure of the Sierra Madre rings all too true when you look at who isn’t doing jail time.

Sandy Berger isn’t doing time. The former national security advisor to Bill Clinton pleaded guilty to unauthorized removal of classified documents from the National Archives. Berger was fined $50,000, given two years of probation and was stripped of his national security clearance for three years.

Scooter Libby isn’t doing time. The chief-of-staff to Vice President Dick Cheney was convicted of obstruction of justice and perjury and was sentenced to thirty months in federal prison. But President Bush thought the sentence was too harsh. He commuted the jail time and Mr. Libby never served a day.

William Jefferson isn’t doing time. The Louisiana congressman was indicted last year on 16 charges relating to corruption.

The FBI found $90,000 in cash, wrapped in aluminum foil and stuffed in the freezer — allegedly part of $400,000 in bribes. Jefferson continues to serve in the Congress.

John Murtha isn’t doing time. The Pennsylvania congressman and pork king came close to indictment in the 1980s in the Abscam investigation. He was offered a $50,000 bribe as a hidden camera taped the proceedings. He responded, “I’m not interested . . . at this point. [If] we do business for a while, maybe I’ll be interested, maybe I won’t.â€

William Jefferson isn’t doing time. The Louisiana congressman was indicted last year on 16 charges relating to corruption.

The FBI found $90,000 in cash, wrapped in aluminum foil and stuffed in the freezer — allegedly part of $400,000 in bribes. Jefferson continues to serve in the Congress.

This one still ticks me off. The guy was caught red handed and is still serving in the U.S. Congress. Absolutely outrageous!