CNN: House Democrats were planning "Rescue" of Convicted Murderer Jose Medellin!!!

L

LanceOregon

Moderator
This latest revelation regarding the Medellin case is the most amazing and perhaps outrageous of them all. For it involves our own United States Congress!!

CNN reported tonight on the details of the last minute appeal that Medellin's attorneys made today to try to get his execution stayed. It turns out that their legal appeal was based on the argument that both the Texas State Legislature and the United States Congress should be given time to pass legislation that would have allowed for his case to be reviewed, with the chance of him getting a new trial!

Well, you would naturally think that would certainly not be at all possible for the Congress to do, no? Well, guess again folks!!

It turns out that House Democrats already had a bill introduced to exactly do that!!

In fact, a total of three Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee had written Texas Governor Perry to have him postpone the execution, so they could pass such a bill. They said that the execution should be delayed, "in order to provide Congress with the time needed to consider this situation."

Can you believe that? Our own US Congressmen were in favor of writing new laws to impose something that the Supreme Court had said just a few months ago was unconstitutional!!

I wonder if this could become an issue in the election campaign? Are the Democrats perhaps pandering for Hispanic votes by making this attempt??

Here is the CNN news story:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/05/scotus.execution/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

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What is even more amazing is that the Congress could not stay in session and allow a vote on drilling, which the vast majority of the American public want, but considering coming back for this!

I renew my call for the impeachment of Supreme Court justices John Paul Stevens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, David Souter and Stephen Breyer. They voted to stay Medellin's execution because of the World Court order, which is a violation of the Constitution, Article III, section 1,

“The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. ”

They have clearly violated their oaths of office to “uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States” by this vote.
 
I wonder who these 3 Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee are, who made this appeal to Governor Perry to halt Jose Medellin's execution??

I sure hope that their names are eventually released by someone in the press. Voters should be made aware of who they are.

I guess Perry must of had his mind made up. For he even rejected the efforts of these 3 United States Congressmen, as well as the United Nations Secretary General.

I wonder why no Republican members of the Judiciary Committee joined with these 3 Democrats to make this appeal?? I bet you anything that Chairman John Conyers was one of the 3. It is really frightening when you consider that such a man as Conyers is now in charge of that powerful committee.

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In some regard I wish they'd been successful in debating the legislation while a firestorm is raging around them regarding drilling for our own oil. It would have been one more piece of evidence that congress is working an alien agenda.
 
I wonder why no Republican members of the Judiciary Committee joined with these 3 Democrats to make this appeal??
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President Bush supported this bill, and would have signed it. He is a Republican. I don't think it is fair to blame this all on Democrats, considering that the Republican President tried to intervene.
 
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Supreme Court has concluded Texas can execute a Mexican man sentenced to death for murder, ending an unusual capital appeal that pitted President Bush against his home state in a dispute over federal authority, local sovereignty and foreign treaties...

Bush made that demand reluctantly after an international court concluded Medellin was improperly denied access to his consulate before his original prosecution, a violation of a treaty signed by the United States decades ago.
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Not just Dems on this one. The Republican President Bush tried to stop this execution as well.
 
Whether Bush would sign any legislation is irrelevant, if the legislation fails. Bringing up Bush (once again) in this is a nothing more than a bash and is off topic. The thread is not about the President, it is about the Legislature.

Is it too much to ask that the two of you stay on topic?
 
Antipitas, I would respectfully disagree that Bush's opinion was irrlevant.

The reason for bringing up Bush was to point out that this issue was not partisan. Giving the murderer a stay of execution was a concerted effort on the part of both parties, and we can thank the Supreme Court for siding with justice. The title of this thread is misleading... House Democrats were trying to rescue this guy, but that is only part of the story... republicans were just as guilty. Indirectly, Bush is responsible for the execution going ahead, as his two justices sided against him (and on the side of the US constitution). It is a little ironic really. An incomplete truth is just as dishonest as a lie. I believe it is fair to point this out.

Bush's opinion is very relevant. If the house bill gone forward, Bush's support would have been incentive for other Republicans to join in. As Theodore Roosevelt pointed out the Presidency is a Bully Pulpit. The president's opinion carry's weight in the House and Senate.

I hope I don't get banned for disagreeing with a moderator.
 
Antipitas, I would respectfully disagree that Bush's opinion was irrlevant.

The reason for bringing up Bush was to point out that this issue was not partisan.
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Well said and I think the fact that Bush lobbied for the stay of the execution points that this isn't / wasn't just a stunt to pander to the Hispanic voter. Bush's inclusion into the thread adds to the discussion without the intent of turning it into a "bash."
 
The cited CNN story, does mention Bush. Granted. But the thrust of the OP was the Congress and some proposed legislation.

That is why Bush is off topic, regardless of your opinion to the contrary.
 
I don't care which party it is anyone who goes to bat for a rapist and killer
should join him in his cell. Special interest groups/lobbyist have all but
destroyed our government.
 
Antipitas

I am going to have to disagree with you too.

The OP was not about legislation. The OP was about blame and pointing fingers. Bush deserves as much of the blame as anyone else. Pointing out that fact is very much in line with the OP. Since when has it been considered off topic to point out an omission by the press?
 
Of course my post was about this legislation, and the efforts to put it forward. Bush has not commented in any way on this legislation, as far as I can tell.

The fact remains that 3 Democrats hoped to stay the execution specifically so that Congress could work on legislation to help Medellin and the other convicted Mexican Nationals. And that was the very same argument that Medellin's attorneys used yesterday, to try to get the execution put off.

Obviously the courts must have rejected these arguments, as the appeal failed.

I've done some checking in the media, but so far have not been able to come up with any further details. With so much bias in the media, I wonder if this is not going to simply be quietly ignored.

I'll do some searching and see if I can at least locate this bill.

But I would also like to know which three Congressmen sent this letter. CNN should have made that clear in their report, but they didn't. Instead, it was they who were the ones who left it at a vague mention of 3 Democratic Congressmen.

I'm not the one that came up with that description. It was CNN who described it that way in their news report.

Doesn't everyone agree that the public has a right to know which specific Congressmen made this request???


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OK, here are the details on this bill that has been introduced in the current Congress.

Here is a link to the text of the bill:

http://frwebgate3.access.gpo.gov/cg...ISdocID=04688332274+0+1+0&WAISaction=retrieve

Note that the Bill is RETROACTIVE in nature. So it can be applied to old cases, such as that of Jose Medellin.

Note also that the bill is specifically targeted at article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. That is the very article of that Convention that was invoked in the lawsuit that the government of Mexico made against the United States in the World Court of Justice regarding these Mexican Nationals that have been convicted of murder.

So it would sure seem to me that this legislation has been crafted specifically to help these convicted killers.

The two sponsors of this Bill are both Democrats. No co-sponsors are listed at this time.

The first sponsor is Congressman Howard Berman from California. Mr. Berman's Congressional District includes much of Los Angeles, and thus has a huge Hispanic population.

Mr. Berman is a gradudate of the UCLA School of Law, and worked as a lawyer for 7 years, with a specialty in labor law. He has been a politician since 1973, when he was first elected to the California State Assembly. He has been a United States Congressman since 1982. His seniority has won him several key appointments on committees, including being the Chairman of the powerful Foreign Affairs Committee.

Here is a photo of Mr. Berman:

Congressman_Howard_L_Berman__2008_03_20_h14m8s40.jpg



The Second sponsor is Zoe Lofgren, who represents a district in and around the Silicon Valley in California. It also has a high Hispanic population. She is a graduate of the University of Santa Clara Law School and has both practiced and taught law. When she taught law school classes at the University of Santa Clara, her specialty was in immigration law.

Here is a photo of her:

lofgren_zoe_CA.jpg



I apologize that no Republicans are listed as sponsors of this Bill. But this is a simple fact, and not any sort of unfair finger pointing. It is the plain and simple truth that it has been Democrats promoting this legislation.

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And how is this different from Terri Schiavo? Except for Medellin still being alive that is?
Congress passes laws, it's what they do.
 
And how is this different from Terri Schiavo?
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I don't believe that Terri Shiavo ever raped, tortured, beat, mutilated, and murdered little girls.


Except for Medellin still being alive that is?
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Sorry Dude, but Medellin bought his granja last night at 10pm Central time.

Are you trying to say that you are in favor of giving all of these convicted murderers reviews? Many of them have already had a dozen or more years of appeals at this point.

Why not start all over and go back to square one with all of them, and given them all new trials?? I'm certain that the taxpayers of Texas would be willing to pay for all the cost of doing that.

I wonder if we deported them all back to Mexico, if Mexico would be willing to pay to keep them in their prisons??

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The Mexicans would have been done with this piece of filth years ago.
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Actually, we are also now done with Mr. Medellin at this point, as he was executed by the state of Texas last night. His last minute appeal to allow Congress time to pass new legislation was rejected by the courts. But there are a lot more cases just like his in Texas, of Mexican Nationals facing the death penalty for murder. In fact, Texas is planing to execute another Mexican National, Heliberto Chi Acheituno, tomorrow night.

Your observation is actually probably correct, as Mexico still had the death penalty back when Medellin's crimes were committed. However, Mexico has since then outlawed the death penalty.

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First I'd like to say I generally don't get involved with politics. Usually these subjects bring out a lot of bickering and name calling. But if the Democrats think they are going to win over the Hispanic vote with this garbage, they're grossly confused...at least from a Texas viewpoint. The US Hispanics will open season on on illegals now a days. They not only take jobs, they take what they want and screw you. The State of Texas now has the border flooded with DPS officers and you can't go a mile without seeing one...yeah, they really are that thick. They have pushed the traffic into the brush and ranches. What most of you don't hear is that they will kidnap local kids for food and keys to a vehicle. Sometimes the kids are turned loose down the road, sometimes the body is found on the side of the road and sometimes the body is never found. The illegals will kill you for your vehicle keys and ranchers have been paying the ultimate price. And just a reminder, the Hispanics on this side of the border are also land owners/ ranchers. The illegals at one time where considered a poor soul just looking for a job so he could care for his family in Mexico. Not anymore. If they kill a rancher and the law finds the murderer, they put him on a bus and sent him back to Mexico. No trial, no fine, just a bus ticket. As far as Mr Medillin, welcome to hell scumbag! FWIW, did you know that the body will buried on prison grounds and the family can request the body at a later date. The body is also in handcuffs and chains in a sealed coffin. At least that's the way it is in Texas. No faking death and no survivors.
 
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