HOW SENATORS GET REELECTED
Senator Diane Feinstein has been in office for nearly 16 years. She's very effective as well as being married to a super rich guy. I wrote to her concerning the Border Patrol Agents. She replied:
Thank you for writing me about the sentencing of U.S. Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose A. Compean for the shooting of Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila. I appreciate hearing from you and welcome the opportunity to respond.
Like you I am very concerned about the severity of their sentencing and about the adverse impact on the Border Patrol. Border Patrol Agents have a dangerous job in guarding our nation's borders. I am aware of the difficulties and dangers that Border Patrol agents face every day, and I respect their professionalism and work ethic.
On February 6, 2007, I sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) urging him to continue the Committee investigation into the circumstances surrounding the prosecution and sentencing of Border Patrol Agents Compean and Ramos. In that letter I also expressed my strong concerns about the report that Agent Ramos was beaten while in Federal prison.
Additionally, on February 8, 2007, I sent letters to: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales; Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Harley G. Lappin; Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff; and Commissioner of U.S Customs and Border Protection, Ralph Basham. I have asked each of these gentlemen to provide the appropriate information relating to their agencies' involvement in this case as quickly as possible so the Committee can conclude its investigation.
Please know that I am extremely concerned about this situation and that I will continue to monitor this case closely.
Again, thank you for writing. I have enclosed copies of the letters I have sent for your review. I appreciate hearing your views and I hope that you will continue to keep me informed on issues of importance to you. Best regards.
HERE'S A COPY OF THE LETTER SHE SAYS SHE WROTE:
The Honorable Patrick Leahy
Senate Judiciary Committee
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Chairman Leahy:
At my request, last Congress then-Chairman Specter began a Committee investigation into the case involving Border Patrol Agents Jose Alonso Compean and Ignacio Ramos. However, to my knowledge it was never completed. I am writing to you now to request that you continue the investigation and complete the Committee's work.
As you may know, Agents Compean and Ramos were convicted in March 2006, and sentenced in October 2006, to 12 and 11 years in prison, respectively, for shooting at Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila. Mr. Aldrete-Davila was a drug smuggler who had driven a van containing 743 pounds of marijuana across the Mexican border into Texas. He was shot while fleeing from the Agents in an attempt to cross the border back into Mexico and avoid apprehension. Additionally, Mr. Aldrete-Davila was not seriously injured.
I strongly believe that the sentences in this case are too extreme given the criminal nature of the defendant and his possession of large quantities of drugs, and given the fact that Mr. Aldrete-Davila had physically resisted at least one attempt by Agents Ramos and Compean to bring him into custody.
In addition, to my knowledge, neither of the Agents had prior convictions or any other aggravating circumstances to warrant particularly harsh treatment under the law. Yet, these men were given sentences that some individuals who are convicted of murder wouldn't receive.
Even more disturbing, I have recently learned that Agent Ramos was beaten by other inmates in prison this past Saturday while serving is term. Along with examining the sentencing of the Agents, I urge the Committee to look into why these Agents are not being protected while in the federal prison system. It is not hard to predict that two Federal Agents would be targeted in a prison population and that special precautions should be employed to ensure their safety.
Border Patrol Agents have a difficult and often dangerous job in guarding our nation's borders. I believe that aggressive prosecution of Border Patrol Agents has a chilling effect on their ability to carry out their duties and on the morale of all agents. I also believe that if wrong doing does occur, ensuring fair and safe treatment is essential. I am extremely concerned about how this case continues to unfold and I hope you will finish the Committee's work investigating this case.
Sincerely yours,
So THERE Ricky Bobby....and that's how to get reelected.
