‘The biggest sham’: Sheriffs fume at mass release of 6,000 federal inmates

Local sheriffs across America are voicing concern for the safety of the citizens they've sworn to protect after the biggest one-time release of federal inmates in U.S. history -- though advocates of criminal justice reform maintain the release is being handled responsibly. 
The 6,112 inmates were released from federal prison at the beginning of November in response to a decision by the U.S. Sentencing Commission to reduce sentences for most drug trafficking offenses and apply them retroactively. It coincides with a broader and bipartisan push for rethinking federal sentencing.
But the mass release raises immediate practical questions about how the ex-inmates can adjust.
“There's no transition here, there's no safety net. This is the biggest sham they are trying to sell the American people,” Sheriff Paul Babeu of Arizona's Pinal County told FoxNews.com.
“On average these criminals have been in federal prison for nine years -- you don’t have to be a sheriff to realize that a felon after nine years in jail isn’t going to be adding value to the community. A third are illegals and felons so they can’t work. What do we think they are going to do?” said Babeu, also a congressional candidate.
The government is in fact trying to guide the transition for many. The Justice Department says 77 percent of exiting inmates are already in half-way houses or home confinement.
But local law enforcement officers have deep reservations, as the initiative ramps up quickly.
The November inmates are the first of approximately 46,000 who may have their cases reviewed. Of those released in the first round, the Department of Justice says 1,764 were to be turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation proceedings.
Sheriffs on the border front-lines were skeptical of the deportation claim.
“The promise is they’re going to be turned over to ICE and deported. Anyone who thinks there’s any likelihood of them leaving the U.S. … think again,” Babeu said, before saying the president should be held responsible for any crimes committed by those released.
Other sheriffs also challenged the claim that those being released are not a risk to communities.
“If [the Obama administration is] not capable of making honest and prudent decisions in securing our borders, how can we trust them to make the right decision on the release of prisoners who may return to a life of crime?” Sheriff Harold Eavenson of Rockwall County, Texas, told FoxNews.com.

'I’d be amazed if the 6,000 ... being released are non-violent.'
- Sheriff Harold Eavenson

While the average number of inmates being released to any one state is 80, Texas is slated to receive 597 inmates.
The inmates in question had been incarcerated on drug offenses, but the severity of the cases ranged broadly. An Associated Press review last month found while many were low-level drug dealers, some had prior convictions for robbery or were involved in moving serious drugs like cocaine and heroin. WGME in Maine also reported that the group includes a former "drug kingpin" previously listed as one of "America's Most Wanted," after his 20-year sentence was reduced.
“For them to tell me or tell citizens that they’re going to do a good job and these inmates are non-violent, when in many instances drug crimes, drug purchasing, drug trafficking are related to other, violent crimes – I’d be amazed if the 6,000 ... being released are non-violent,” Eavenson said.
A Justice Department official told reporters at an October briefing that the DOJ was conscious of public safety when granting each inmate early release, adding that every prisoner who applied under these new guidelines underwent a public safety assessment. The DOJ says that the reductions were not automatic, and that as of October, judges denied approximately 26 percent of total petitions.
RELATED VIDEO: Will release of thousands of inmates lead to more crime?
Advocates for criminal justice reform disagreed with the sheriffs, saying the Sentencing Commission handled the release very well from a public safety standpoint.
“I am sure many of the 6,000 prisoners would have loved to be able to leave prison as soon as their amended sentences were complete. But the Commission delayed implementation for a year so that as many inmates as possible could get to halfway houses, complete re-entry programs, and begin job searches before actually being released,” Kevin Ring, director of strategic initiatives at Families Against Mandatory Minimums, told FoxNews.com.
“Tens of thousands of inmates leave federal and state prisons every week and so there is no reason to be particularly worried about this group. Anyone who says otherwise is appealing to the public’s worst fears,” Ring said.
However, the executive director of the National Sheriff’s Association, which represents the more than 3,000 sheriffs across the country, says the feeling of unease is widespread and often has to do with the Obama administration’s attitude toward law enforcement.
“I think it’s a larger feeling of unease related to a lack of a plan as it relates to criminal justice, criminal reform and criminal release and I think that’s what you’re really sensing here,” Jonathan Thompson told FoxNews.com. “There are many sheriffs feeling as though the administration will go through the motions of asking the questions but really not care what the opinion or expert advice of law enforcement is.”

Intel on 'two-hour timer' uncovered in Russian jet crash investigation

Investigators analyzing the deadly crash of a Russian jet in Egypt uncovered intelligence about a “a two-hour timer,”  though it is not clear whether the reference came from intercepted communications between known terrorist operatives, or physical evidence, a source familiar with the investigation told Fox News.
A separate source, also not authorized to speak on the record, said that based on the facts so far, one of the working theories is that a bomb was planted at or near the fuel line or where it attaches to the engine, with the fuel burning off the explosive. This theory would explain the apparent lack of residue immediately found, the source says.
Fox News was told both scenarios point to an "airport insider."
"If proven accurate, if ISIS did put a bomb on this aircraft which I believe to be true, it's a new chapter with respect to ISIS," Texas Republican Rep. Mike McCaul told Fox News. McCaul -- who receives regular briefings -- cannot discuss classified information, but said the Obama administration has consistently underestimated ISIS by emphasizing its focus on gaining territory, rather than expanding its reach to global plots.
"We always assumed Al Qaeda had this capability but now if ISIS has this capability, the threat to American airlines as well and our homeland, I think is very significant."

More on this...

• Rep. McCaul on downed Russian jet, growing terror threat

Fox News was told that Metrojet 9268 disintegrated approximately 23 minutes into the flight, and investigators are now focused on a “90-minute window” before the flight took off and who had access.
These new data points explain why investigators are interviewing ground crews and those with access to the departure lounge, as well as reviewing surveillance camera video.  The review of surveillance images was first reported by ABC News.
The jet crashed in the Sinai Peninsula shortly after takeoff from Sharm el-Sheikh en route to St. Petersburg on Oct. 31. The crash killed all 224 people on board, most of them Russian tourists returning home.
The Defense Department was asked Tuesday whether C-4, an explosive provided to the Iraqi military by the U.S., had been obtained by ISIS.
"We don't have any reason to believe that any U.S. munitions were involved in whatever transpired with the crash itself,"  Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said. "We're still waiting for the investigation to run its course."
A third data point that goes to the airport insider theory is that ISIS has claimed responsibility, though it has been reluctant to explain how it brought down the jet, leaving the airport mole in place.
The U.S. government and the intelligence community continue to emphasize that no firm conclusions have been reached about the cause of the explosion and crash.

America

To All Our Veterans Thank You.

US Marine Corps celebrates 240th anniversary

The U.S. Marine Corps, which formed less than a year before America declared its independence, celebrated its 240th birthday Tuesday.
The Marine Corps was established after a decree from the Second Continental Congress called for "two Battalions of Marines" that would fight for independence on land and at sea.
At least 250,000 Marines have joined since the attacks of September 11th, following the slogan, "The Few, The Proud."

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Celebrations aboard the USS San Antonio. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

A celebration was held on the USS San Antonio at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia. Col. Bradford Gering used a sword to cut a cake.
Secretary of State John Kerry was there, and said it was "a great day" for the Corps.

Veterans Day: It's time to let our military focus on character not political agendas

I flew the A-10 Thunderbolt II (known as “the Warthog”) in the first Gulf War, and on each mission I had to trust my wingman with my life. That is not something that most people experience on a day-to-day basis, but the chance of something bad happening to either of us depended upon whether we worked as a team and looked out for each other.
The essence of that relationship is called esprit de corps – a commitment to each other and our goals based upon character.
These are the things our military should embrace. But as we approach Veterans Day, I see a disturbing trend emerging that limits our military’s ability to accomplish its mission. I am not referring to the cutbacks in military spending that have resulted in reductions in our personnel and equipment to levels we have not seen since World War I.  Our military leadership has done wonders doing more with less.
I’m referring to the recent political movement to divide our society into more and more categories and sub-groups by sex or religion, the impact of which is destroying our military’s effectiveness and morale.  Social engineering should never be a part of military planning.  It is always a recipe for disaster.

Social engineering should never be a part of military planning. It is always a recipe for disaster.

The success of any mission depends on putting the best possible people in position to accomplish the mission. If the goal is to achieve a political outcome, hit a desired quota or erase millennia of tradition and beliefs that have unified our military, the mission will not be achieved and worse, honorable soldiers may die.
Our politicians need to have the character to push back against activists whose mission isn’t to secure freedom but to promote political agendas.
Aside from professional sports, the military provides the best example of what a meritocracy should be. Its effectiveness is based upon setting a strategic goal or directive, developing the tactics to accomplish the mission and carrying it out successfully. Nothing more, nothing less. That requires maintaining not only a high standard of mental and physical excellence but also demanding a high level of character from every individual serving in our military, especially our leaders.
Character is one of the building blocks of our military.  As a former member of the Air Force, I took to heart its core values: integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do.  That was our identity as fighter pilots.
I served with men and women of all faiths, all demographics and all races and I know that the values instilled in us by our training were the “why” that we needed to willingly put ourselves into harm’s way, knowing that it might one day cost us our lives. As philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said: “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”
The character that we strove to exemplify was functional as well as moral.  Functional character means actions that display a positive attitude, grit/determination, perseverance and resilience.  Moral character includes the personal qualities of courage, humility, honesty, integrity, selflessness and self-discipline.
American military veterans and ordinary citizens should demand that our elected officials stop these needless social policies with our military. Nobel laureate Milton Friedman said it best:  “One of the greatest mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results.”
To continue to be the best fighting force in the world, our military needs to focus on the one thing that can unify it.  And that is its character.

Vietnam veterans' bond forged again with kidney donation

Serving together in Vietnam, John Middaugh and Henry "Bill" Warner forged an Army-brothers bond they knew was profound and lasting.
A world and nearly a half a century away from the war zone where they'd counted on each other, Middaugh put himself on the line for Warner this month in a new way: by giving one of his kidneys.
"He had my back many times," Middaugh said as they awaited surgery last week at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, across the country from his home in Port Orchard, Washington. "So this is payback time."
Both are now 73. Warner, of Brightwaters, New York, had been through a health wringer since his kidneys failed after heart bypass surgery in June 2014, abruptly thrusting him into dialysis.
But "we got through Vietnam. We'll get through this," Warner said.
"Hey, Bill," Middaugh joked, "we got a PT formation tomorrow."
Their connection goes back to March 1968 in Fort Carson, Colorado, where C Company, 1st Battalion, 11th Infantry, 1st Brigade, 5th Infantry Division, was training to go to war.
Middaugh was a high school dropout from Detroit who had enlisted; he'd already completed a tour in Vietnam. Warner was a draftee who had grown up on New York's Long Island and gone to Southern Illinois University. Both had completed officer candidate school, and Middaugh was the company commander. Warner would be a platoon leader and, later, the company's executive officer.
By summer 1968, they were near the northern border of what was then South Vietnam. During ensuing months of fighting, when they got a respite, they passed the time talking: about what they'd do after the Army, about the countryside around them, about the world.
"When you live through those experiences, you have that bond," Warner said, and it lasted after their service together ended in January 1969.
Warner was discharged that year as a first lieutenant and went on to a career in the computer industry. Middaugh did a third tour in Vietnam, retired as a major in 1979, got his college degree at Pacific Lutheran University and had a second career in civil service before retiring for good in 2007. Each married, and each raised two sons and a daughter.

  Over the years and miles, they stayed in touch and got together for reunions. They carried with them their memories and wounds — both are Purple Heart recipients — from Vietnam. And Middaugh kept in mind a leadership principle the Army had taught him: "Know your men and look out for their welfare."

So when Warner needed a kidney, and a relative and some other would-be donors proved incompatible, Middaugh didn't hesitate to jump in.
"He would do the same for me," he says.
Once rare, kidney transplants among senior citizens are becoming more frequent. Eighteen percent of U.S. recipients last year were over 64, compared with 2 percent in 1988, according to federal statistics. Only 3 percent of all living donors last year were 65 or older, but their ranks and percentage have grown in recent decades.
In a nation where the kidney transplant waiting list tops 101,000 and 4,200 people died while awaiting a kidney last year, there has been some debate over the ethics of allocating scarce organs to older people — and, on the flip side, the ethics of determining access to the treatment by age. To NewYork-Presbyterian transplant surgery chief Dr. Sandip Kapur, the two veterans' agreement was "a compelling, appropriate situation" that stood outside such questions.
Middaugh was released Saturday, while Warner remains hospitalized in good condition. Recipients generally have longer recoveries than donors.
They've gotten encouragement from men they served with, proud to see them "still helping each other after all these years," Warner said.
"Needless to say," Middaugh said, "they weren't surprised."

Navy veteran nears completion of Mississippi River swim to honor Gold Star families

If all goes according to plan, Chris Ring, a 28-year-old Navy combat veteran, will become the first American to swim the length of the Mississippi River when he reaches the Gulf of Mexico early next month. 
But for Ring, the achievement would be secondary to his larger goal: To raise awareness of so-called Gold Star Families, the designation given to loved ones of soldiers killed in combat.
"We all have what we have today because of these families and their loved ones," Ring told the Clarion-Ledger of Jackson, Miss. during a break from his exertions near Vicksburg. Ring said he had heard of people unknowingly congratulating families of fallen service members when hearing of their Gold Star status.
"And the [families are] like, 'Do you even know what that means?'" Ring told the paper. "And then they tell them and everyone's like, 'Oh, it's awkward,' and they want to walk away."
Such stories prompted Ring to partner with Legacies Alive, a nonprofit to support Gold Star Families. He began his swim on June 6 of this year at the source of the Mississippi River, Lake Itasca in Minnesota. By the time he reaches the Gulf, Ring will have swum 2,552 miles by the time he reaches the Gulf. Accompanied by a support team in a kayak, Ring averages 6.5 miles and 14 hours in the water each day, though he can make it up to 30 miles depending on the current and weather conditions.
At stops along the way, Ring is greeted by members of Gold Star Families, whom he encourages to sign the support team's kayaks.
"Every time I've had the opportunity to meet a family, it hits home more and more, and it makes me more steadfast and more dedicated to this cause every single day," he told the Clarion-Ledger. "They make me a part of their family, they invite me into their home, I stay with them, I hear their stories, and they have other children that really bond to us. It's so moving and powerful that they accept us and are so thankful for what we're doing."
A spokeswoman for Legacies Alive told Reuters that Ring has been delayed on occasion by bad weather, but has otherwise persevered through illness, exhaustion and a shoulder injury. After he reaches the mouth of the river, Legacies Alive says Ring will be recognized at the Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia on Dec. 12.