The Jose Medellin case Brenda Walker wrote about recently, in which George Bush is defending a murderer from the state of Texas, in the name of better international relations, turns out to be something I wrote about in 2005. This from "The Fulford File", May 26, 2005 Bush Caves To Mexican Murder Lobby, Orders Retrial For Jose Medellin Here's Medellin in his own words:

"My name is Jose Medellin, I am currently being held on Death Row, in the State that is at the top of the list for Death Row population, 453, executions this year: 26, as of 9/14/99. The State and government that also executes its children, its retarded, its poor. This state is the Lone Star State of Texas!

"I am a Mexican national. I came to Texas as a young boy along with the rest of my family. Not like many that are not proud of their country and want to get away. But just took a chance and opportunity at a brighter future. I am a Mexican through and through!... "I dropped out of school in the 9th grade, not because I couldn't handle the work, because if you give me the time of day, you'll see that I've quite intelligent.

"I had a plan, get my GED and go home to join the Mexican military, would have joined here, but I'm a Mexican, not a traitor :- ) I had everything in order, but as I said, the world takes twists and turns when it gets ready to, no matter if you are ready for the move. "Don't feel sorry for me. I'm where I'm at because I made an adolescent choice. That's it! "Then after that I'll be willing to tell you who the boy was that got himself arrested for capital murder. That way you can have a clear understanding of how far I have come."

Here's what Medellin did:

"On the evening of June 24, 1993, Jennifer Ertman, 14, and Elizabeth Pena, 16, left a social gathering at a friend's apartment in Houston. They were taking a shortcut home through the woods, when they encountered Jose Medellin and other members of the so-called 'Black and White' gang. All six gang members were engaged in a gang initiation rite for Raul Villareal. The gang had spent the evening drinking and "jumping in" Villareal, requiring him to fight all the other members until he lost consciousness. After stumbling across the Black and White gang, each girl was repeatedly raped by the gang for the next hour. The girls were then strangled, beaten, and kicked to death.

That crime, which he doesn't deny, is the "adolescent choice" he made, and why he was sentenced to death.