Thanks for visiting this site, but it is no longer being updated. I've moved on over to http://www.mediapundit.net/ and I invite you to join me over there from now on. Thanks for your understanding.
According to the AP, 29 Congressmen have sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, requesting that the United States deny treaty partner Mexico a request to extradite fugitive Duane 'Dog' Chapman for trial. The situation stems from a trip to Mexico that Chapman took several years ago in his quest to corral fugitive Andrew Luster. Luster was tried and convicted in absentia while hiding in Mexico. When Chapman caught up with Luster, Chapman was arrested by Mexican authorities for refusing to hand Luster over to their custody.
Chapman was released on bail pending a hearing in a Mexican court when he fled back to the United States, becoming himself a fugitive from justice.
It seems that Mexican authorities are pressing this case only because they are so stung by the embarrassment of failing where Mr. Chapman succeeded," Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, chairman of the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus, said in the Sept. 26 dated letter signed by 28 other congressmen.
Bounty hunting is a crime in Mexico, and here we have 29 legislators mocking another country for trying to enforce its own laws regarding kidnapping -- for a reality TV actor. After Luster was found by Chapman, he was transfered to the United States via the very same extradition treaty our Congressmen now mock and seemingly wish to repeal.
The letters author and primary advocate, Tom Tancredo, is in the midst of a tough reelection battle during this falls mid-term elections. Tancredo was blasted last month for attending what Denver Pastors called a hate group rally in South Carolina, and they have called for his resignation.
Tom Tancredo is known by many as the number one defender of the US borders in the US Congress and he is not pleased that an American citizen may be extradited to Mexico for something that is legal to do in this country. (nationalledger)
What Tancredo is doing is essentially calling for the United States to break its extradition treaties with Mexico, and quite possibly every other country as well. The entire point of an extradition treaty is for a country to regain physical control over a wanted fugitive living in another country. It works both ways so you get the people that you want, and the other country gets the people that they want, and as I have said, without that treaty, Andrew Luster would still be sipping margaritas in Puerto Vallarta.
Somehow this administration has plenty of time to track down a Mexican drug smuggler and give him immunity so he can testify against our Border Patrol agents,” said Tancredo referring to the prosecution of two Border Patrol agents facing 20 years in prison for wounding a Mexican smuggler during the course of their normal duties earlier this year. (from the letter)
That case has nothing to do with Chapman or Luster. Tancredo is citing it in order to upset anyone who would listen to his blathering. It doesn't suddenly make what Chapman did legal in Mexico. It doesn't magically alleviate the United States from its treaty obligations that often benefit us far more than it does our partners. It is, in essence, a speech on border security by a man running for reelection on the very same platform. This is nothing but an abuse of the State Department by corrupt Republicans for personal political gain.
Americans are apparently supposed to happily accept presence the roughly 100,000 criminal aliens inside our borders – a number that is growing every year – while the Marshals use their resources to track down ‘Dog’ Chapman on orders from a foreign master for successfully brining a convicted rapist to justice. (from the letter>
Now it's clear. With the November elections coming to the forefront, Republicans are taking hits right and left form lobbyists, sex scandals, and Iraqi deaths that may now have been revealed to be over 600,000. The latest field poll shows Tancredo in an absolute dead heat with his rival Bill Winter, in a contest where immigration has become a focus of both campaigns.
Appearing at a joint rally with Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold at the Oriental Theatre in North Denver, Winter lashed out at Tancredo's immigration stance, asserting that 63 percent of Coloradans agree with the more comprehensive approach championed by Sen. John McCain. (yourhub.com)
Republicans are desperate to change the headlines to something that they can control, something that will favor them heading into the mid-terms, but all it has done is show Americans that these 29 Republicans have absolutely no respect for the rule of law.
1. A state of order in which events conform to the law
Duane Chapman violated the law in Mexico, and then fled the country when facing a court hearing. The very crime he committed in Mexico, fleeing justice, is what has made him a reality TV star. He went on the run, and the real American heroes that hunt down fugitives in a way that conforms to the law -- Federal Marshals -- arrested him in Hawaii.
Chapman will share the fate of all his captured prey: facing justice in a court of law.
And the Republicans? Well, they'll do whatever they have to in order to hold on to the only thing that matters to them; their power. It doesn't matter if it's beating the war drum with Iran, covering the ass of failed House Speaker Dennis Hastert by blaming Democrats for a Republican cover up, or calling for the United States to abandon all extradition treaties with foreign nations that benefit us more than it does anyone else.
Chapman broke the law in another country, and he will answer for his actions. Republicans have done far, far worse in the past six years. Will they be held responsible for their crimes this fall?
Like this post? Subscribe to RSS, or get daily emails:
Got something to say? Post a Comment. Got a question or a tip? Send it to me. If all else fails, you can return to the home page.
