Bright Spot in a Frustrating Week

Amid the endless fanfare of the Inauguration and more announcements of useless bailouts, President George Bush has finally, finally...f I n a l l y, at the last possible moment, commuted the sentences of U.S. Border Patrol Agents, Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean.

The long list of injustices perpetrated against these agents by the Federal Prosecutor, Johnny Sutton, the Inspector General, Border Patrol Chief Aguilar, and others reads like a conspiracy novel. And President Bush's loyalty and faith in long time friend, Sutton, and reluctance to pardon the agents, has been a black mark on his presidency since this fiasco was brought to light by Sara A. Carter of the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. If not for the remarkable investigative reporting she conducted shortly after the Ramos/Compean trial, we might never have seen the public outcry and political momentum that made this commutation possible.

As the wife of a police officer this story has long troubled me. Law enforcement officers are all too often the pawns of public officials who wish to progress any number of political agendas. When I see the Ramos & Compean families, I see my own and all the horrible things that could happen if the wrong politician wants to "make a point" at our expense.

The most amazing part of this story is the strength of the Ramos & Compean families. They never gave up, they never stopped fighting.

And the second most amazing part is that we as Americans never forgot about them. In this day and age of news cycles that last a few days to a week, at most, memories are short and causes temporary. Through the ongoing work of The families, Sara A. Carter, House Republicans, Grassfire.org, talk radio, and many, many other grass roots efforts, the American public stayed informed and put ongoing pressure on Congress and the President to free these unjustly tried, public servants. Considering how loyal and unchangeable President Bush can be to issues, this is by no means a small feat...in fact it's quite monumental.

Being visible, vigilant, and vocal can make a difference. Keep your Congressman's number on the refrigerator, write letters to the editor, blog, wear your t-shirts, and put stickers on your car. Let "them" know you are out there.

And say a prayer for the Ramos & Compean families.

Live the Golden Rule

It's been a while, sick kids, Holidays, you know how it is! But I haven't stopped following events at home a abroad.

Which brings me to The Golden Rule. We all learned it as kids and it just never stops being meaningful. All major world religions have their own version. Norman Rockwell created the MOST beautiful painting on the topic. But as adults I think its often a lost philosophy. It's so easy to get into a cycle of self-protection that the perspective of others is lost...and sometimes intentionally.

Take recent actions of our benevolent House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi. According the Connie Hair at Human Events, "... Pelosi plans to re-write House rules today to ensure that the Republican minority is unable to have any influence on legislation...Pelosi’s rule changes -- which may be voted on today -- will reverse the fairness rules that were written around Newt Gingrich’s 'Contract with America.'"
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=30143

I guess only House Democrats are supposed to be heard. So much for Democrats being the party in inclusion and tolerance. But we know this is just one in a long, long laundry list of inconsistencies, hypocrisies, and down-right injustices handed out by Dem party leadership. We know that the "Fairness Doctrine" is on it's way soon as well. I doubt most average-Joe Liberals leading their normal lives would be very proud of Pelosi's iron-fisted move.

I think most folks who TRULY live by the Gold Rule are actually Conservatives, whether they realize it or not. Tolerance, live-and-let-live, love thy neighbor (or at least leave him alone!), these are all underlying principals of Conservativism. Everyone has a right to live their own lives according to their own faith, dreams and goals. I'll respect your rights as long as you respect mine.

With all the turmoil in the Middle East and battling in Washington, I know The Golden Rule might seem like a simple, idealistic topic. But we have to stick to our roots. We can't let "them" distract us from what we are.

I have a new design for the occasion...which will make most Libs say, "Huh?" Which is the whole point. Live the Golden Rule