Issue date: 2/26/09 Section: Editorial/Opinion

Editor's note: This editorial contains references to a column published in the April 19, 2007, issue of The Spectator

In Scott Hansen's column entitled, "Bounty hunter was right," Hansen argued that Duane "Dog" Chapman, an American "bounty hunter" charged by Mexican authorities with a number of crimes for apprehending fugitive Andrew Luster in Mexico, should not be extradited, and that Mexico was merely trying to "(push) the buttons of the American government as if to flaunt how they can compete with us."

Hansen also accuses Mexican officials of not recognizing "that despite breaking the law, Dog's actions helped put many victims and American citizens at ease" and that in so doing, they show a "lack of respect" for Americans and, more specifically, the victims of the crimes.

These assertions are astounding for their bold and proud declaration of ignorance. To be clear, the argument's logical end is that, so long as we believe "good" is being done, American proxy agents should be allowed to act in violation of the law in any foreign country. The basic thrust being "we know what we're doing, to hell with your laws, if you complain, it's only because you're being vindictive." Astounding!

I wonder if Hansen and the 29 GOP Congressional officials who excuse Mr. Chapman's behavior would be equally as comfortable if this same rule were applied to foreign agents acting within the United States.

Let us take the example of Luis Posada Carriles. Carriles is currently being held on minor immigration charges, but the Venezuelan government has repeatedly requested his extradition.

You see, Carriles helped mastermind the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner. The United States has repeatedly protected Carriles, denying any and all extradition requests. Why would we do this? As it turns out, the CIA trained Carriles.

Wouldn't the return and trial of Luis Posada Carriles bring justice and considerable comfort to the families of the victims murdered in this terrorist attack? Will, then, those who support Duane Chapman be willing to support Cuban hired thugs infiltrating the United States, kidnapping Mr. Carriles, and smuggling him back to Cuba or Venezuela? Would U.S. protests over such actions show a "lack of respect" for the victims?

Or, perhaps, we should take the case of Henry Kissinger, who is alleged to have conspired with members of the Chilean military (and possibly involved the CIA) in the assassination of Chilean Orlando Letelier and his American attaché Ronni Moffitt. Orlando was a Chilean dissident speaking out against the brutal military junta of Augusto Pinochet.

It is logical that Kissinger would want Orlando silenced as much as Pinochet, given his role in involving the United States in the coup that brought Pinochet to power, and the subsequent cover-ups which hid the Pinochet regime's war crimes from the American public.

The question is, should Kissinger be indicted by the Chilean Supreme Court (which many speculate is likely) and should the United States choose to refuse extradition (as is equally likely), would Chilean "bounty hunters" have free reign to kidnap the former diplomat, and smuggle him back to Chile?

An astute reader may make the claim "hey, these cases aren't the same; it's not a fair comparison!" They would, indeed, be correct.

While Andrew Luster committed heinous crimes against three women, Luis Posada Carriles's bombing claimed 73 lives and the crimes of the Pinochet regime (with help from Kissinger) include the murder of over 3,200 people, the imprisonment of 80,000 without trial, and the torture of another 30,000. Also, in both cases, the government either has refused, or would inevitably refuse extradition, something the Mexican government never did in the case of Andrew Luster. These facts, of course, further illustrate my point.

It is fairly ironic that the aforementioned editorial ended with a rousing invocation of justice. To most, the Western concept of justice is based on the rule of law. The idea is simple; no one is above the law, not the president, not the police, and certainly not a born-again ex-con reality T.V. star.

Hawkins is a senior political science major and guest columnist for The Spectator.

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