Obama tries to stop execution in Texas of Mexican killer

[Juliuscaesar]

President Barack Obama is attempting to block the execution in Texas on Thursday of a Mexican man because it would breach an international convention and do "irreparable harm" to US interests.

The White House has asked the US supreme court to put the execution of Humberto Leal Garcia on hold while Congress passes a law that would prevent the convicted rapist and murderer from being put to death along with dozens of other foreign nationals who were denied proper access to diplomatic representation before trials for capital crimes.

The administration moved after the governor of Texas, Rick Perry, brushed aside appeals from diplomats, top judges, senior military officers, the United Nations and former president George W Bush to stay Leal's execution because it could jeopardise American citizens arrested abroad as well as US diplomatic interests.

Leal, 38, was convicted in 1994 of the rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl in San Antonio. Few question that he was responsible for the killing but the Texas authorities failed to tell Leal, who was born in Mexico and has lived in the US since the age of two, that under the Vienna convention he was entitled to contact the Mexican consulate when he was arrested.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/05/obama-stop-texas-mexican-execution

 

[Hot Mega]

Another dumb, unnecessary overreach by Obama.

There are times when it is up to the president to intercede in such affairs. This ain't one of them....ESPECIALLY on the grounds he's put forth....ESPECIALLY for a POS who raped then murdered a 16 y/o girl.

 

[guitarnnblack]

Doesn't Obama have better things to do?
economy sucks, national debt is out of control... WTF.

 

[Lost999.]

He's not about to lose a vote to the Texas Judical System.

 

[Ace Boobtoucher]

Pandering for the Latino vote. Fry that pinche verga.

 

[Trident1]

Otrauma go back to Oval Orifice.

 

[Petra]

Yet Mexico and the other foreign countries that have capital punishment don't give our citizens on trial the same rights as they want for their own citizens.

Double standard much?

 

[meesterperfect]

oops

 

[meesterperfect]

Pandering for the Latino vote. Fry that pinche verga.

youre right, but don't confuse latino with mexican ok.
Its the mexican votes hes trying to get.

Not only should Rick Perry say no but he should put out a photo response of him giving Obamer the bird while holding a photo of the 16 year old who spent the last moments of her life being raped, beaten and murdered by the mexican.

Carrying out Leal's execution would cause "irreparable harm" to US interests abroad, the administration added.
What harm? Pissing off a mexican?

executing rapist murderer of a young girl .........and their worrying about what mexico thinks?
Fuck mexico and any mexican who has a problem with it.
See where their values lie?
I hate Obama and the dems even more now.

 

[Trident1]

Isn't all Mexican food just vomit with cheese on top?

 

[YumiYumi_1988]

If he's lived here since the age of 2, he's pretty much American. It's not like he crossed the border then subsequently murdered someone.

 

[Facetious]

He's just pandering to his hopeful 2012 electorate.....

All said, this is stupid, Seize (caesar), criticize the president on the issues, not on his actions...
damn you trouble makers.... we might be able to connect the dots of this administration with guys like you around. :hammer:


:sarcasm:



Let's not kid ourselves.... B.O. is going to need the latino constituency.... oh yes he will!

 

[Jagger69]

Yet Mexico and the other foreign countries that have capital punishment don't give our citizens on trial the same rights as they want for their own citizens.

Double standard much?

There's no death penalty in Mexico, Petra. It was banned in 2005.

Any nation who signed the protocol at the Vienna Convention pledged to follow the stipulations they agreed to. However, the Bush administration (GW) renounced the protocol (also in 2005) and therefore we are not currently bound to the obligations of the agreement. We were bound to it when the crime took place however so I believe that we are technically obligated to adhere to the covenant in this particular case whether we like it or not.

By "irreparable harm", I believe he's referring to possible actions on behalf of foreign authorities who may deny basic rights to American citizens as a means of exacting a measure of reciprocity for us denying those same rights to their citizens under arrest here in the USA. Do we really want that to set that example?

Not defending what this scumball did....just saying that we need to live up to our obligations with the international community if we expect to receive the same in return. If anything, we should all be pissed at the arresting authorities who fucked this up to begin with. They are aware of the rights of the Vienna Convention. What the hell were they thinking when they arrested this asshole? :dunno:

 

[TheOrangeCat]

Isn't all Mexican food just vomit with cheese on top?

Cheese and red or green sauces.

 

[Bloodshot Scott]

Obama Obama Obama. Is Eric Holder rambling in his ear? God I can't stand this administration.

 

[El Perro Mayor]

Yet Mexico and the other foreign countries that have capital punishment don't give our citizens on trial the same rights as they want for their own citizens.

Double standard much?

Mexico has no capitol punishment. I say fry the SOB, but at the same time I could see why the US government would not want him put to death. There are many American citizens arrested overseas, most for drug trafficking violations, and in some countries that is punishable by death.

 

[TheOrangeCat]

just fry the raping, murdering piece of shit and be done with it.

Tacos, anyone?

 

[El Perro Mayor]

How about the Mexican government asks for a straight up trade, you get to put to death all the Mexican nationals currently on death row, as long as you send them all those involved with the horribly failed Fast and Furious operation. They allowed over 2,000 weapons to cross the Mexican border “just to see where they would end up". I'm sure that action is involved in many more deaths than the Mexican nationals on death row.

 

[Jagger69]

Well, it appears that you who would deny this guy his rights (under the terms of the Vienna Convention) that were in effect and of which we were a participant when he was arrested and charged with the crime have gotten your way. He was killed by lethal injection at Ellis Unit One in Huntsville shortly after 6 pm local time.

Before all of you shout "hip...hip...hooray!" at this development, I would really ask you to think twice about traveling abroad as an American citizen from now on.....especially if you have the misfortune of being arrested for any reason. It's likely that you will now be denied access to assistance from the US consulate just like this individual was. It is incredible to me that here in the "land of the free and the home of the brave" that such basic rights would be so easily dismissed by those of you here who have made statements like "let him fry" or making references to "tacos" (racist beyond question) without any regard to the due process to which he should have been afforded by international agreement and yet denied nonetheless.

I wonder how many of you who might find themselves in similar circumstances and be denied access to help from the American consulate should you somehow find yourself in legal trouble abroad would still maintain your position on this issue in retrospect. This is an incredibly defiant and incomprehensible statement for this nation to make to the international community when it comes to individual human rights.

Before you spit-roast me about my views understand that I am in no way exonerating this man from the crime for which he was convicted. The issue in question has nothing to do with that. The more salient point is that he was obviously denied his rights under international agreement and this country (the USA) just decided to throw those rights in the toilet regardless for reasons that I am unable to understand.

I hate to say this but tonight I am ashamed to be an American.

 

[Little Red Wagon Repairman]

I hope that fucker gets turned into a crispy churro by midnight.