Rocky Chastises Beauprez

The Rocky Mountain News took a shot at Congressman Bob Beauprez today for grandstanding on the illegal immigration issue:

When it comes to grandstanding, it looks as if Rep. Bob Beauprez has been taking lessons from the master, colleague Tom Tancredo. Beauprez recently introduced an amendment that would cut off U.S. aid to any country (read: Mexico) that refuses to extradite suspects in cop-killings should they face the death penalty or life imprisonment...

Beauprez first proposed this legislation two weeks ago, in response to the killing of Denver police detective Donald Young. At the time, Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey boldly, and correctly, told him and the rest of the Colorado delegation to back off. He didn't...

Beauprez's amendment seems to be aimed primarily at helping him get the Republican gubernatorial nomination next year. We can only hope it doesn't hurt Morrissey's attempt to extradite and prosecute Gomez-Garcia.

It's curious that the News would run this editorial today when the vote on the bill was more than a week ago, but it's also a testament to the fact that the immigration issue is going to be front and center for a while.

Comments

[Bip Boodle]

Bam! Even the conservative Rocky comes around to the reasonable point of view: Beauprez isn't taking his responsibilities to the 7th CD seriously. Instead, BB is using his position any way he can to try and steal the guv's mansion. By the look of the fundraising numbers, Holtzman supporters understand exactly what's going on.

[Impeach Tancredo]

I think its notable to also mention the not-so-subtle dig at Tancredo right in the first sentence.

They have him pegged.

[Donald E. L. Johnson]

So the Rocky doesn't believe in the rule of law when Vince Caroll is away!

John Temple worries about the appeal of newspapers, and this is a prime example of why fewer people read the Rocky and Post---no editorial integrity. The Rocky is promoting the violation of our borders and insecure borders with this editorial. Shame.

So who's grandstanding, the ineffective DA, who comes across as a finger-pointing wimp, or Tancredo and Beauprez, who are not going to stand still for Mexico's corruption and protection of those who kill in our country?

Would be interesting to learn how many illegals are employed by the Denver Newspaper Agency and its carriers and its advertisers. Probably hundreds.

Tancredo and Beauprez should attack the Rocky for its lack of editorial integrity, but I doubt they have the guts to do so.

Don

[[email protected]]

So the Rocky doesn't believe in the rule of law when Vince Caroll is away!

John Temple worries about the appeal of newspapers, and this is a prime example of why fewer people read the Rocky and Post---no editorial integrity. The Rocky is promoting the violation of our borders and insecure borders with this editorial. Shame.

So who's grandstanding, the ineffective DA, who comes across as a finger-pointing wimp, or Tancredo and Beauprez, who are not going to stand still for Mexico's corruption and protection of those who kill in our country?

Would be interesting to learn how many illegals are employed by the Denver Newspaper Agency and its carriers and its advertisers. Probably hundreds.

Tancredo and Beauprez should attack the Rocky for its lack of editorial integrity, but I doubt they have the guts to do so.

Don

[yellowdogdem]

"So who's grandstanding, the ineffective DA, who comes across as a finger-pointing wimp, or Tancredo and Beauprez, who are not going to stand still for Mexico's corruption and protection of those who kill in our country?"

Well seeing as how the DA in question is actually the DENVER DA, and the crime was committed in DENVER, the victim was a DENVER police officer, and the perpetrator lived in DENVER I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the Reps from Aurora and Littleton are the ones who are grandstanding.

[Ron Mexico]

Hmmm...an elitist editorial writer takes an unpopular or erroneous political stand? Tell me when this is news. My money is that the working stiffs who go to church, pay taxes and vote probably don't think Beauprez's bill is very far off base.

[Ron Mexico]

Hmmm...an elitist editorial writer takes an unpopular or erroneous political stand? Tell me when this is news. My money is that the working stiffs who go to church, pay taxes and vote probably don't think Beauprez's bill is very far off base.

[BA]

Last time I checked Salazar supported this amendment as well-hmmm...

[peterco]

Did anyone even read the damn article? The family agreed to the charges because they wanted him charged and tried in Denver. Doesn't the victim's family get a say? No, because politicians know better.

[JJLefty]

Unbelievable. Legislation requiring Mexico to extradite cop-killers is grand-standing??? The Rocky is suprisingly out of touch with the main-stream Coloradoan. Kill our cops and haul ass to the Mexican border to escape punishment? My bet is that Bob Beauprez's legislation seems pretty common sense to the average Colorado citizen.

[Coloradem]

Snark warning: Too bad the shooter wasn't one of the illegals remodeling Tancredo's basement. It would have been much easier to catch him then. Tancredo would have extradited him to Denver just as soon as he finished painting the drywall!

Serious comment: We in the US cannot dictate foreign policy to other countries. Mexico is not the only other country to refuse to exradite criminals who may face the death penalty. Beauprez is only grandstanding on this issue because he is running for governor and you'd have to be blind not to see it. If Beauprez were serious about this issue, he would not have waited for the police officer to have been shot--or his announced candidacy for governor--the Mexican policy is not new.

[Phoenix Rising]

Aside from that, most of the foreign aid to Mexico goes to fighting the drug war - a war which this week captured a cartel leader in Mexico, if you've been following the news.

We can spend our foreign aid as we will, if we do it at all. But countries like Mexico would rather see $63 million in conditioned aid money disappear than to rewrite their constitutions.

Beauprez isn't that dumb, is he? He does know he's asking countries to re-write their constitutions, right? When you've eliminated all other choices, what remains is the answer: Beauprez is grandstanding.

[Defero Veritas]

Phoenix - time out for a fact check.

No, this has nothing to do with rewriting anyone's constitutions. It seems like Beauprez's bill sends a strong reminder to Mexico that they should live up to their treaties - existing extradition treaties, mind you. The Denver DA does not have a lock on dealing with international negotiations by himself. To think so would be egotistical. Congress should apply pressure as well, and if you've been following the news lately, four of the other six members from Colorado backed Beauprez up, even if the Rocky's Littwin special doesn't.

[maryland]

The Beauprez amendment was actually supported by over 300 of his colleagues in the house - including a majority of House Democrats.

[Hugo O'conor]

Mexico had signed a treaty spelling out when they would or would not extradite criminals. Then their supreme court determined that a life sentence is the equivalent to the death penalty. That is highly hypocritical since in Mexico they sentence people to hundreds of years in prison. I support BB's amendment. If other countries want my money, they need to abide by my rules, especially rules to which they had already agreed.

[Phoenix Rising]

DV and Hugo:

Beauprez' proposal calls for denial of foreign aid for failure to extradite in cases of
1. The death penalty: against the Constitutions of many nations
2. Life in prision: against the ruling of the Supreme Court of Mexico.

Yes, the latter violates the technical provisions of our treaty with Mexico, but it's a Supreme Court decision, not Mexican Law. Look at it as though this were the U.S. system: the Congress cannot overturn a Supreme Court decision - only a change in the Constitution or a second Supreme Court decision can overturn it. A treaty has the force of Law; a Supreme Court decision trumps that.

We have every right to pass this piece of legislation. And Mexico has every right to look at us and go 'WTF?'

[YoungDem]

Hugo, DV and all the other Hate Mongers--

Its called being a sovereign nation. Whatever Mexico decides to do on its side of the border is it's business. What we do on ours is our business. Obviously no one on here has taken a civics or comparative politics classes.

Beauprez certainly doesn't speak for me, or a whole lot of Coloradoans. Whoever suggested that the majority of us as citizens of this great state of are hate mongers is sadly mistaken.

Thousands of crimes are being comitted each day, with a handful of their perpetrators fleeing the country to escape prosecution. Why didn't Beauprez bring this piece of legislation at the beginning of his tenure. Because he's grandstanding. He's taking a tragedy and making it work for his own personal interest.