Posted on 10/07/2007 5:32:32 AM PDT by Clear Rivers
WASHINGTON - To put it bluntly, Texas wants President Bush to get out of the way of the state's plan to execute a Mexican for the brutal killing of two teenage girls.
Bush, who presided over 152 executions as governor of Texas, wants to halt the execution of Jose Ernesto Medellin in what has become a confusing test of presidential power that the Supreme Court, which hears the case this week, ultimately will sort out.
The president wants to enforce a decision by the International Court of Justice that found the convictions of Medellin and 50 other Mexican-born prisoners violated their rights to legal help as outlined in the 1963 Vienna Convention.
That is the same court Bush has since said he plans to ignore if it makes similar decisions affecting state criminal laws.
"The president does not agree with the ICJ's interpretation of the Vienna Convention," the administration said in arguments filed with the court. This time, though, the U.S. agreed to abide by the international court's decision because ignoring it would harm American interests abroad, the government said.
Texas argues that neither the international court nor Bush has any say in Medellin's case.
Medellin was born in Mexico but spent much of his childhood in the United States. He was 18 in June 1993, when he and other members of the Black and Whites gang in Houston encountered two teenage girls on a railroad trestle.
The girls were gang-raped and strangled. Their bodies were found four days later.
Medellin was arrested a few days later. He was told he had a right to remain silent and have a lawyer present, but the police did not tell him that he could request assistance from the Mexican consulate.
Medellin gave a written confession. He was convicted of murder in the course of a sexual assault, a capital offense in Texas. A judge sentenced him to death in October 1994.
Medellin did not raise the lack of assistance from Mexican diplomats during his trial or sentencing. When he did claim his rights had been violated, Texas and federal courts turned him down because he had not objected at his trial. Mexico later sued the United States in the International Court of Justice in The Hague on behalf of Medellin and 50 other Mexicans on death row in the U.S.
Willie Horton all over again?
The great state of Texas needs to tell Bush to go pound sand, in no uncertain words.
There is a lot of info here.
Wow, thank you.
The Bush-Mexican connection is blatantly obvious. His attempts to roll the USA under the NAU with Mexico and Canada are blatantly obvious. Instead of confronting him for his blatant disloyalty, many people bury their heads under the carpet in fear of hillary, rather than to deal with both problems. The only question is how long can a country survive when most of its leadership has no fear of personal accountability.
I have long pondered that, and just what does the mexican secret service have on Bush. His motivation for how he has dealt with mexico has always been a mystery to me.
Jorge once again, doing what’s WRONG for americans....imagine how the families of these girls must feel?
Could the president read of the girl’s gang rape and murder and then look their parents in the eye and still defend the murderer?
I'm thinking,,,,,hell yeah.
how come he didn’t step in where the other executions were taking place in Texas? Move out of the way President Bush. You have done so much against us this year.
‘His motivation for dealing with Mexico’ — I always think the missing pieces are: We get oil from them; We do NOT want a revolution/ Marxist government happening down there.
President Bush considers himself a Christian, let him emulate Christ and take Medellin’s place in the death chamber, if he feels so strongly about sparing the life of this rapist and murderer.
Hello President Dick Cheney.
I could live with it.
His brother Jeb is married into one of the wealthiest Mexican families and hobnobs with the Mexican elite. There is much more, but if you understand Mexico and the Bushes blatant support of all things Mexico, then their tie to the Mexican leadership should answer more than does speculation about the Mexican secret service files on Bush. It is not illogical for one to speculate that the Bushes have direct relationships with that secret service. However, this is of no interest because they are wagging the dog with hillary (In this case, its wagging the hag who is a dog).
If this international law crap gets into the system, every psychopath on the planet will head this way.
Easy pickings and no death penalty.
Do the country a favor and resign!
A new low for president Jorge as he leads a race to the bottom.
Bush’s true colors are showing brightly -— he is a traitor. His whole WOT is a front to hid his connections to international interests. His failure to take any meaningful action to close our borders to illegal invaders, and now this... it is blatantly obvious.
I think I am about ready to buy one of those “Goodbye Bush” calendars I saw in WalMart the other day - it gloriously celebrates the countdown GW’s departure from office.
And the way things are starting to look with the GOP nomination, I am ready to tell the Republican Party to go pound sand with GW.
President Bush needs to come before the American public and explain himself. I'd love to ask him one question. Mr. President, if Jenna and Barbara were orally, vaginally and anally gang raped by five men before being strangled with a belt and shoelaces, would your defense of the convicted illegal perpetrator be as strong? As an American father of two American girls I think he needs to answer that question.
I did vote for him and I was proud that he became president. I have come to believe based upon his actions towards Americans that he does not see himself as president of the US.
I have always thought of President G. W. Bush as an Eastern liberal elitist projecting a "Good Old Boy" persona - he may drive a pickup truck but his greatest legislative achievements after all have been in cooperation with Ted Kennedy.
You thesis makes more sense though. Temperamentally the Bush's are more like members of the Mexican power elite than their American counterparts.
If I was arrested in a foreign country, my FIRST phone call would be to the American consulate. I would loudly insist on it. I could care less WHAT the local police tell me one way or the other.
If Jose "forgot" to do this, too bad.
It looks like this is Bush pushing the NWO for Pappie. Expect more of it.
Bush is yet again kissing the ass of the Mexican gov’t. That’s all this is really about.
Apart from the war on terror and lower taxes I am hard pressed to think of anything this guy has done that I agree with. But I’m confident that the GOP leadership will see to it that we get more spineless backstabbers in the future. Honestly, I have completely given up on the Republican party.
This is OBCENE. That SOB can find another state to hang his fake hat.
Texas Gov Ricky will probably pardon the peon per GW’s wishes. IMO were I one of the fathers of these young victims I’d want the killers on the streets where I could find them anyway. But that wouldn’t need to be had this murdering trash been tried fairly, been given one state and federal appeal to ensure they were truly guilty and then put to death within 6 months of that last appeal / review. All conducted within one calender year of the initial verdict.
Piss on the legal system. It’s broke. There’s no polidiot with the balls to fix it running for office. Street justice has it’s place if events such as this are the alternative. If the electoral, the executive and judicial branches of goobermint continue to shove such shit and shinola down the throats of good law abiding Americans....... they will come up with solutions those three branches of goobermint will not like at all.
Just my opinion of course........
Stay safe Ya’ll
I think where I read that he bought his Texas ranch as an attempt to tie himself to the Reagan aura. The PR folks played it up like he had the Reagan flair for hard ranch work as a form of relaxation. It tells a lot that we haven't heard much since.
Until it happens to their own, it’s someone else’s problem.
Texas should tell Bush the scumbag’s been sent to Gitmo. Then the Prez will forget all about his “rights”.
jorge bush more concerned about mexican illegals than US citizens (dead or alive)!!!!
jorge get your head out of your culo!!!
Bush sounds a lot like a liberal these days.
Wow. What an embarrassing disappointment the pandering Bush has turned out to be.
I am sick of Bush. This is a disgrace.
Bush taking Mexico’s side on illegal alien criminals. Now there’s a surprise. /sarc
Nothing to see here, just move along. Let's go post on the "Pray for President Bush" thread or the "Day in the Life" thread. Ooh, look at the President's dog Barney! He's swuch a widdle sweetheart!
I agree. This makes no sense to me. None.
Texas Gov Ricky will probably pardon the peon per GW’s wishes.
Doom on me....my bad....commute the sentence was what I should have said.
Doom on me....my bad....commute the sentence was what I should have said.
I remember that crime. I was in Houston then. Put the scum to DEATH.
Ok I give up.....:o)
thanks for the lesson.
Stay safe !
He was sentenced to deasth in 1994, nearly 14 years ago...
why is he still breathing?
The two girls, age 14 and 16 are long dead...after a brutal gang-rape...
They were not given leniency...
bttt
Here is a compromise, send their dead bodies back to Mexico for burial. ;)
IF it was anyone but a Mexican Bush would let them fry. What is it with him? He is selling America down the river because of his love of Mexicans/Mexico. They need to tell Bush to kiss off and zap this murderer.
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