A lot of Republicans went to jail during the Watergate affair. Remember? They served their time in cushy special resort type jails where tennis and other amenities were offered.

Not so for Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, accused of shooting an illegal alien drug dealer and put in jail on January 17, 2007 pending appeal of their convictions.

Not just any jail, however. Read on.

Now it materializes that our Republican President and his poodle Justice Department have decided that one of the two convicted border control agents, Nacho Ramos, should be put in a Yazoo City, Mississippi prison with a general prison population which includes illegal alien criminals.

Danny Smith of American Freedom Riders on February 5th reports the following:

"I just talked to George Ramos (Nacho's uncle) on the phone. It appears that Nacho has a concussion, some broken ribs and other injuries. He will never get out of that Mississippi prison alive!!! Is this really America? Are you not furious beyond words???"

Here was the 2/5/07 email that Danny got from Nacho's uncle:

"Dear Everyone,

"This e-mail goes out to all of you with deep anger!!! Nacho just got off the phone with Monica, Nacho was assaulted Saturday night around 22:00 by about five illegal immigrants. He has multiple and severe injuries. They put him in Isolation for now, he has not been allowed to see a doctor since Saturday. They were yelling at him in Spanish, Maten a la migra. which means kill the Border Patrol Agent. If he recovers from this, they will put him back in general population. This is what the Justice Department wants, including George Bush and Johnny Sutton. They figure if these two Agents are killed, then they don't have to worry about all of us any longer. We must rally together now more then ever to put pressure on our gov't to release these to agents NOW!!!! In the mean while we must DEMAND that they be protected and treated with respect. Please forward this to as many people as you can. WE NEED TO UNITE AS AMERICANS NOW, AND DEMAND JUSTICE!!!!!"

I cannot fathom the cruelty and vindictiveness behind our government's behavior.

This case deserves immediate attention. But so far Bush and his Attorney General have been mute.

As Emile Zola cried in his 1898 letter to the French President in the infamous Dreyfus case, "J'Accuse" ( I accuse). Zola's open letter to the President of France, a 4000 word masterpiece of polemics and literary achievement provoked such huge public debate that this falsely convicted and imprisoned French officer was at last vindicated. [Text in French| English Translation]

Can any American now writing or in a position of authority can reach "The Decider"? This is a frightening miscarriage of justice. Both these agents could have been allowed to remain free until their cases are appealed and decided in the courts. Now it appears that neither may survive this incarceration long enough to see definitively if there is guilt and punishment to assess!  Remember The OxBow Incident? [Vdare.com note: NRO is on the case, predictably supporting the Bush Administration. Support for the Administration's actions comes from Andrew McCarthy, a former prosecutor, and John J. Miller, an Open Borders lunatic. John Derbyshire, predictably, has more normal reactions.]

There are many examples of American justice miscarrying. But the political agenda of this Administration apparently means it is prepared to sacrifice all, including habeas corpus, in its drive to teach our faithful Border Patrol Agents a lesson by example. Apprehend and we will give you dangerous jail time—with no chance to appeal your case in safety.

We all accuse The Decider and his henchmen of many things. Failing to secure our borders by our government offers enough blame to go around. But to put these men in common jail is a crime that demands redress.

2008 is a long way away. These Agents could well be long dead before the Decider's term ends and we get a new Attorney General who heeds the requests of many in Congress for a quick review and an early pardon. Dreyfus survived years of horrible conditions on Devil's Island. But these Agents may very well not, unless immediately moved elsewhere.

We are moving into dangerous ground. More and more Americans feel there is no way to stop this insane Iraq War or the massive invasion of our country by illegal aliens, or the growth of dangerous gangs in and out of US jails committing heinous crimes—or now, in this sad travesty, of doing right by the men designated to guard our borders against these miscreants.

J'Accuse, Mr. Bush!

Donald A. Collins [email him], is a freelance writer living in Washington DC and a former long time member of the board of FAIR, the Federation for American Immigration Reform. His views are his own.