"Osvaldo Aldrete Davila, a Mexican national, was arrested this week on federal drug charges at an El Paso border crossing. This is the same man who was shot in the rear end in 2005 by U.S. Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean after a botched smuggling attempt. A jury convicted Ramos and Compean of using a firearm in the commission of a crime, and they are serving 11 and 12 years in prison. U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, who brought the charges, pushed for immunity for Aldrete Davila in exchange for his testimony against the agents. But while Aldrete Davila was under immunity, he helped smuggle another large load of marijuana into the U.S. This was obviously in violation of his immunity deal, but Sutton's office moved to seal all records relating to the incident. In other words, the grand jury and the trial jury in the Ramos/Compean case were kept in the dark about the criminal actions of the government's star witness. This case should send a chill down the spine of all Americans who cares about our justice system and border enforcement. Agents Ramos and Compean languish in prison, in isolation 23 hours a day. This must not stand."

Laura welcomed two people who are intimately familiar with the convictions of agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean. First, Congressman Duncan Hunter urged President Bush to get personally involved. "I sent a letter to the president today," Hunter said, "asking him to pardon them right now. You have the families of these two agents waiting for them, so let's send them home for Thanksgiving." Congressional aide Tara Setmayer, who has visited the agents in jail, agreed that they should be released. "Johnny Sutton has continued to insult us, saying these two men were convicted by a jury of their peers. But evidence was withheld, and I don't know anyone in the country who would have found these guys guilty by taking the word of a drug smuggler over law enforcement." Laura wondered how this case has affected morale among other agents. "Who in his right mind would want to be a Border Patrol agent? These two guys are being treated worse than the detainees at Gitmo."

News Link: Drug runner shot by border agents arrested again

In the so-called "People's Republic of Cambridge," a Boy Scout troop placed boxes at voting places to collect items for soldiers posted overseas. But the effort was called off when the city deemed it a "political statement." Attorney Geoffrey Nathan vigorously endorsed the city's decision. "You can't make a political statement within a certain distance of voting booths, and this was absolutely a political statement because if you say you support the troops, that means you support pre-emptive wars." Laura accused Nathan of defending the indefensible. "I've heard a lot of crazy things coming out of Cambridge, but this one takes the cake. These are Boy Scouts wanting to do something nice, and Cambridge says no!"

News Link: Cambridge boots boy scouts over troops fundraising

According to author Courtney Martin, young girls who abstain from sex may be more prone to developing eating disorders. She entered the No Spin Zone to explain her theory. "We live in a culture where the pop messages are sex, sex, sex," Martin said. "On the other side, we have this federally funded abstinence-only sex education that tells girls your body is dangerous, cut off all desires. My conclusion is that we're struggling to decipher these two extreme arguments. A young girl has to know what her options are and what safe sexual exploration means." Laura put forth her own hypothesis. "If you abstain from sex during your high school years, you'll be less likely to drop out, less likely to commit suicide, less likely to use drugs. But you're telling young girls, if it feels good, do it."

Before leaving on assignment, Bill spoke with actress Shirley MacLaine about her belief in space aliens. "They prefer to be called 'star beings' rather than aliens," MacLaine declared. "I'm sure that military intelligence knows and they have proof about UFOs. It has been suppressed because they think we might panic, but I think we can handle the truth." The Factor was politely skeptical. "If you know of any proof about aliens, give it to me and I will get it out."

Featured Book: Sage-ing While Age-ing by Shirley MacLaine

One day after the Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas, Laura spoke with political observers from both sides. Conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt argued that Hillary Clinton continues to look vulnerable. "She has been living in a cocoon of privilege and deference for 15 years, and she does not take well to any criticism. She's going to find herself in a lot of these situations, and I saw last night that she does not have the temperament. She is not ready for the rough and tumble of a campaign." But Democrat Jennifer Palmieri, not surprisingly, reached a different conclusion. "I worked for the Clintons for a long time, and I'm sure Hillary Clinton does not feel like she's been living in a cocoon for 15 years; she feels like she's been under incredible scrutiny. She has taken a lot of slings and arrows and knows how to handle it."

News Link: Democrats spar at Nevada debate

Brian De Palma's anti-military movie "Redacted," the subject of much recent debate in the No Spin Zone, has been slammed by film critics. Author James Hirsen, who saw the movie, called it downright slanderous. "This film, in addition to being dangerous for our troops abroad, is libelous. It puts forth the idea that atrocious criminal behavior is typical for our military. It's going to be used to recruit people on the enemy's side. This is unprecedented to release these kinds of films during a war, and the box office for these films is measly." Laura urged Hollywood to produce at least one film with American troops as the good guys. "People don't want to pay good money to see America trashed. If you want to see America trashed, you can flip over to the other cable news channel or read the New York Times editorial pages."

News Link: Critics pan Redacted

Finally, Laura introduced a conversation Bill had with TV Icon David Nelson, the older brother on the long-running "Ozzie and Harriet" show. Nelson looked back at his early stardom with fondness. "It was healthy and natural because Rick and I, prior to being on the show, watched my parents on the air. People who talk to me now come up and say very nice things. Many say they didn't have a mother and father like I did, but they were always glad to see our family." Bill closed with some kind words of his own. "My life was affected by 'Ozzie and Harriet' in a good way. There was chaos in strife in my own family and yours was comforting."