<p>I don’t even know how I feel about this. For the last two years, I have been so angry with George Bush because of his intervention in this case. </p>
<p>[The</a> Associated Press: Court Backs Texas in Dispute With Bush](<a href=“http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i0V7A97KgoY8Goz9la5CWe8bm7ewD8VKK2DG3]The”>http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i0V7A97KgoY8Goz9la5CWe8bm7ewD8VKK2DG3)</p>
<p>This was one of the most horrific crimes in our city. The details of the torture, rape and murder of these two teenage girls will cause nightmares, so I won’t share them here. A graphic description of the crime can be easily found by googling the victim’s names: Elizabeth Pena and Jennifer Ertman. I’m torn between the idea that the details should be known to appreciate the pure evil of these killers and the wish to spare everyone. So I’ll leave the decision to google to you all. Personally, twice a week, I drive into the very Spring Branch area where these girls were brutalized and though it has been more than a decade, I still get upset when I think of them and their still heartbroken families.</p>
<p>Jose Medellin is a Mexican citizen who had lived in the US since he was a young boy and who attended Houston public schools. After his arrest for the rape, torture and murder of these girls, he confessed, bragging about what he had done to the girls and showing absolutely no remorse. My strongest memory of him is his attempts to kick nearby police officers as he was doing the ‘perp walk’ into the courthouse. During processing prior to trial, he did indicate to HPD he was born in Nuevo Laredo, but did not ask for assistance from the Mexican Consulate. He was not denied access as has been reported by the AP, rather there was no notification of the Consulate by HPD. That HPD did not notify the Mexican Consulate of his arrest was determined to be a procedural error by the International Courts of Justice in 2004. The International Court ruled these cases must be reviewed at a new hearing. But, according to Texas state law,a person must raise an objection to these errors at trial, and forfeits that right if he does not. </p>
<p>Though Bush, when he was Governor, gave personal assurances to the families of Jennifer and Elizabeth their killers would be punished; as President, ordered the State of Texas to submit to the will of the International Court and give Medellin a new hearing. Ironically, as governor, when a similar case presented itself, he deferred to the State of Texas rather than international law, so the hypocrisy is sickening.</p>
<p>[CNN</a> - Federal judge orders stay of execution for Canadian - December 9, 1998](<a href=“http://www.cnn.com/US/9812/09/texas.execution/]CNN”>http://www.cnn.com/US/9812/09/texas.execution/)</p>
<p>Two days ago, SCOTUS ruled in favor of Texas. Great victory for states’ rights. And some small amount of mercy for the Ertmans and Penas. </p>
<p>And of couse, Bush is whining about how difficult this makes it for him to effectively conduct his foreign policy. I swear…I do not know who makes me more ill. Medellin, sitting in prison, inviting the public to become his pen pal and join with him in marveling how far he has come since his “adolescent decision” to butcher two young girls, or George Bush.</p>
<p>[ABC</a> News: Bush Overruled in Death Penalty Dispute](<a href=“Bush Overruled in Death Penalty Dispute - ABC News”>Bush Overruled in Death Penalty Dispute - ABC News)</p>