Author: mopress

Dear Friends:

Ramsey and I have just shared a most powerful and profound visit after all these years of confinement, and we will be visiting for the next 2 days. I continue to be amazed and impressed with his persistence for his freedom and the freedom of all humanity.

We will be praying that President Barack Obama will consider and grant his application for commutation of sentence (pardon) which we recently submitted. Nevertheless, we will be in the process of scheduling appointments with attorney Dick DeGuerin from Houston, Texas and Roy Barrera, Jr. from San Antonio, TX, to begin the legal process of reopening his case.

We will prove not only his innocence, but the injustices and unusual cruel punishment that Ramsey has suffered for the last 16 and a half years.

Within the next 2 months we will seek congressional support from your U.S. congressman to have Ramsey transferred to Three Rivers FCI or Bastrop FCI which will place him closer to our family and to those who continue to support his freedom.

If you wish to relay any messages, please do so since I will be with Ramsey until Monday.

May God bless you, and I will stay in touch!

Sincerely,
Irma

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Editor’s Note: the above email was received from Irma Muniz on May 23, 2010. Below is an email from May 15, 2010–gm

My Ultimate Spiritual Power is to Die Fighting for my God-given Freedom

Dear Friends:

Ramsey Muniz, who was at the forefront of the Chicano Civil Rights Movement, has been incarcerated for nearly 17 years of his life, for a crime he did not commit.

Evidence clearly shows that government attorneys withheld the evidence which showed the identity of the actual culprit. It was kept from the defense attorney, the court, and the jury until it was too late. What does it take for an innocent man to be given his freedom? When will Mexicans ever get the same justice given to others?

* * * * *

“Ramsey, your humility, your suffering, your innocence and poverty in your present imprisonment has transformed you into the most powerful symbol of human salvation and freedom.”

–The late Dr. Salvador Alvarez
Father of Irma Muñiz

“If I should die in this imprisonment, it is my ultimate spiritual power to die fighting for my
God-given freedom. The eternal freedom becomes a spiritual dimension of human desire for all humanity.”

–Ramsey Muñiz

* * * * *

May 10, 2010

The time has come! Yes, we have suffered for a long time and it is time for the world to know. Please understand that the world itself is going through drastic changes as if this were a message from God.

In my dreams, the messages received from all the spirits is that our time as a people, as a raza, as a nation of Mexicanos has come. It is as if the great giant has finally awakened from a long sleep. Please believe me when I tell you that the issue of who we are, why we are, when we are, and where we are going will eventually include our case for freedom.

Amor,
Ramsey Muñiz – Tezcatlipoca

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Editor’s Note: one more email gratefully received late night May 23–gm

The messages below represent a profound awakening of spiritual consciousness pertaining to humanity.

Ramsey:

“Freedom is not handed to you. You must make it, and you make it by searching for it.”

“God does not want to do everything, so as to take free will from you and part of His glory that falls to you.”

“We must embrace the cultures of others so that others may embrace our own. Let us remember, at the dawn of this new century, that our history is not over. We live in a continuous incomplete history.”

“The lesson of our unfinished humanity is that when we exclude, we are made poorer and when we include, we are made richer. Will we have time to discover, touch, and count the number of brothers and sisters that we can say we have embraced and counted among us? None of us will ever be able to find the humanity within us unless we are able to find it first in others. The place where the different races come together is the source of the greatest cultures.”

–The Late Dr. Salvador Alvarez
Father of Irma Muñiz

Dear Editor,

I am the branch president of one of the Spanish language congregations in Mesa, Arizona to which you made reference in your recent article on Mormons and profiling. I can tell you that there are many in this area (including much of the Anglo population) who truly abhor the things that Russell Pearce is doing and saying to this most vulnerable of people.

I have been the branch President for just about 18 months and we have had over 100 convert baptisms in that period of time. Pearce and his acolytes give the church unwelcomed attention as did ex-governor Evan Mecham. Utah has Chris Buttars and we now have Russell Pearce to thank for giving Arizona Mormons another PR challenge to overcome.

I attach a letter I wrote to Governor Brewer which outlines the shortsightedness of the recently passed legislation. I believe my letter represents the views of the majority of right thinking Mormons in Arizona. We clearly still have some knuckle dragging closet racists in the Church. We pray that they will recognize the evil in their ways.

Thanks,

William R. Richardson
Mesa, AZ

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Law Offices
Richardson & Richardson, P.C.
1745 South Alma School Road
Mesa, Arizona 85210-3010

April 23, 2010

The Honorable Jan Brewer
Governor of Arizona
1700 West Washington
Phoenix, Arizona 85007

Re: Senate Bill 1070

Dear Governor Brewer:

I am a fifth generation native Arizonan, father of six children and a confirmed Republican.
I have been a member of the State Bar for over 26 years and have practiced in the area of
commercial and bankruptcy litigation. I am active in both my religious community and in the
community at large. I have worked with the youth here in the Valley for over 30 years in both
church and youth athletics. I have first hand experience with many, many children of the immigrant
population.

My wife and I had the great opportunity to have in our home a lovely young lady whose
family immigrated from Sinaloa, Mexico. After over approximately fifteen years of residence in
Arizona, her father, who was a productive worker and homeowner, was deported. Because he was
deported, this two earner family could no longer afford to pay the mortgage on the house they were
buying. Thus, the mother who remained, ultimately took her young son (who knew next to nothing
about Mexico) and moved to Mexico.

The father could not find work in Mexico and the mother
could find work that only paid 25¢ an hour. She has had to work 12 hours a day for about three
dollars a day to survive. That meant, naturally, that she was unable to care for her seven year old
son to any reasonable degree. The young lady who lived with me and my family, attended Dobson
High and we paid everything for her including medical, dental, orthodontia, school fees, clothing,
etc. This was a great blessing to us as we saw this young girl blossom with, at last, a little hope in
her life. Oh yes, she’s an American as are most Arizonans – not by virtue of the national origin of
their parents, but by virtue of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.

This underscores the difficulty that I, and many other right thinking Republicans have with
Russell Pearce, Joe Arpaio and Andrew Thomas and those who espouse their policies. The passage
of Senate Bill 1070 will further a policy that has damaged and will continue to damage the great
State of Arizona. My concerns are as follows:

ARIZONA CHILDREN

By most estimates, there are approximately 400,000 undocumented immigrants in the State
of Arizona. According to the estimates of FAIR, an anti-immigrant website, there are about two births for every undocumented immigrant. That suggests to me that there could be in the
neighborhood of 800,000 young American children who are going to be affected by these policies.
While I am certainly in favor of legal immigration, I think we need to tread lightly when we adopt
policies which will clearly harm the well-being of our most vulnerable of citizens.

I suggest to you that if CPS were to find Arizona children living in Arizona, as they will undoubtably have to live
if their parents are forced to flee to Mexico, the children would be removed and given up for foster
care. In Mexico and other Latin countries, they will have little chance for a decent education, for
proper nutrition, and the list goes on. My personal example is testimony enough for me.

Nobody is focusing on the children. As it is, many American children are not getting
benefits to which they may be entitled because of other recent legislation that requires the parents
to demonstrate their immigration status when approaching state agencies. Parents are simply afraid
to seek the help their children may need.

It seems a foolish thing to create a situation where parents
are not allowed to care properly for their American children. The assumption has always been that
anyone who works hard, studies hard and is a good citizen, should have at least an opportunity to
succeed in our country. Apparently, that supposition does not apply if your parents were not born
here. Perhaps these immigrant parents should drop their children off on the steps of the Capital
Building on their way south so that the tax payers can REALLY take care of them.

ALIENATION OF THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY

It is against my nature, and perhaps yours too, to pander to any group to achieve my personal
goals. However, in the case of the Hispanic population here in Arizona, no pandering is necessary.
Any survey will demonstrate that Hispanics are by and large conservatives to the core. They believe
in hard work and in earning what you receive. They are fiscal conservatives. They have learned to
be so because of their economic situation. If they do not have the cash to buy something, they do
not buy it. Although a certain amount of this attitude stems from the fact that many Hispanics have
little in the way of credit and that many have no bank accounts, the principle of “pay as you go” is
firmly rooted in our Hispanic neighbors.

Hispanics are very family oriented and hold tight to their
religious teachings. They have large families and are taught the values that come from tightly knit
family units. They are firmly in favor of traditional marriage as well and recognize the value of a
father and a mother in raising children in these days of licentiousness and depravity.
The question is why would we alienate such a constituency that supports our Republican
values.

The legislation that is before you will do just that. It will alienate a population that in very
short order will carry a very strong and influential voice in Arizona as children of the immigrant
population reach voting age. Adoption of Senate Bill 1070 will drive away an otherwise
conservative constituency that the Republican party needs if the Republican agenda is to be
implemented in Arizona in the future. We need to address immigration problems but not this way.

COST

Our police officers and our cities are already burdened financially. There is hardly enough
money to keep them going let alone impose additional costly procedures.

IMPRACTICALITY AND UNFAIRNESS

My family and my children have many Hispanic friends. The way the current bill reads, I
must now act as an undeputized immigration officer or risk arrest or impoundment of my vehicle
if I transport an undocumented immigrant – even a friend.

I note that this provision applies to anybody who is “in violation of a criminal offense.” This
language could ostensibly apply to one who has violated a city building code by installing sprinklers
without a permit. The statute does not limit itself to c
rimes that relate to transportat
ion. Moreover,
this statute will allow impoundment of vehicles if, for example, someone has committed speeding
and other traffic offenses which may arise to varying degrees of “criminal” activity but which most
citizens would not think serious enough to have their cars impounded. This is simply a punishment
that does not fit the crime.

Am I now required to investigate the
immigration status of anyone to whom I give a ride? There are exclusions for emergency vehicles,
but what about all of the Valley’s bus drivers and the light rail? How about the little league and
softball coaches in some of the poorer areas of town? Do they now need riders to provide proof of
citizenship before they can give a ride to a kid?

VAGUE AND OVER ENCOMPASSING LANGUAGE

My dad is a former Senator from Graham County, a former County Attorney and a member
of the State Bar since 1940. He is 92 years old. Under the bill in question, he could only be
presumed “not [to] be an alien who is unlawfully present” in Arizona only if he can show
identification. He has none of the required identification. While the reverse presumption is not
stated, the application of the statute will no doubt require the opposite assumption. The same
difficulty will arise for all of our northern winter visitors who have none of the four required forms
of identification.

VIOLATION OF FEDERAL LAWS

New section 13-1509 will surely be voided by the federal courts. It imposes on immigrants
requirements that are far beyond what can be required under federal immigration law. The federal
courts that have decided this issue have universally held that such requirements are pre-empted by federal law. See, e.g., Villas at Parkside Partners v. The City of Farmers Branch, No. 3:08 CV-1551-B (March 24, 2010, N.D. Tex.)(requirement of local residential occupancy license which
could only be issued to citizens or legal residents).

MEAN SPRIRITEDNESS

Despite what the polls say, those in my social and economic sphere do not believe there is
any reason for this legislation other than to make Arizona unfriendly to undocumented immigrants
and their families. This very factor was one of the considerations of the Texas Court seized upon
in invalidating that city’s not so veiled attempt to enforce immigration laws in their own unfriendly
way.

What is being practiced here is nothing more than bullying – and bullying with undertones
of class and racial bias. One need only look at the websites of FAIR and other immigrant bashing
organizations to see a clear bias for all but the white middle class. Indeed, many of these sites
argue as did the “Know Nothings” of the nineteenth century, that the goal was less about
immigration, and more about thwarting any unwelcome change in the culture of the era. The Know Nothing Party was especially hostile to the Irish and to the Catholics.

THE ECONOMY

I live in an upscale neighborhood in West Mesa. A short five minutes north of where I live,
there are many, many apartments. The apartments are largely unoccupied due the flight of many
immigrants who used to live and shopp in the area. Basha’s had to file for bankruptcy relief
because the sales in its Food City stores suffered due to all the immigrant bashing and the
consequent movement of many immigrants to other states.

Even the conservative CATO institute has (for at least the second time) determined through an extensive study, that immigrants are a net
boon to our economy. This is so even though they do use some educational and medical services. See: “Restriction or Legalization? Measuring the Economic Benefits of Immigration Reform,” by Peter B. Dixon and Maureen T. Rimmer, Trade Policy Analysis no. 40, August 13, 2009.

CONCLUSION

I am sure that this letter is too long for you to read personally. However, the hope that a
staffer might read it and convey even a portion of my thoughts, is enough for me to make the effort.
I will fight with my time, my voice and my money those who, for no other reason that they can
bully others, continue to oppress the parents of so many American children.

Close the borders. Seek sensible resolutions to the immigration mess that we have. But please do not frighten the children any more and don’t let a bunch of insensitive knuckleheads at the legislature intimidate you.

There is a large part of the Republican party who is tired of Pearce and his acolytes and that number is
growing.

Thank you for considering my thoughts.

Very truly yours,

William R. Richardson

cc: Senator Jay Tibshraeny
Representative Warde Nichols
Representative Steve Yarborough

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Editor’s Note: Letter posted with permission of author; formatted for web presentation from pdf original; some paragraph breaks added for readability; and notes incorporated into text.–gm

Texas Governor says Arizona approach not Right for Texas

I fully recognize and support a state’s right and obligation to protect its citizens, but I have concerns with portions of the law passed in Arizona and believe it would not be the right direction for Texas.

For example, some aspects of the law turn law enforcement officers into immigration officials by requiring them to determine immigration status during any lawful contact with a suspected alien, taking them away from their existing law enforcement duties, which are critical to keeping citizens safe.

Our focus must continue to be on the criminal elements involved with conducting criminal acts against Texans and their property. I will continue to work with the legislative leadership to develop strategies that are appropriate for Texas.

–Excerpt from statement by Texas Gov. Rick Perry (April 29, 2010)

Unsustainable Contradictions in Immigration Law

CounterPunch / DissidentVoice / TheRagBlog

By Greg Moses

What’s up with the Mormons? Orem, Utah legislator Stephen Eric Sandstrom last week pledged to follow the lead of “my friend” Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce and expand the number of states with show-me-your-papers bills aiming to criminalize, jail, and deport irregular migrants.

Rep. Sandstrom, who is a graduate of Brigham Young University and a former Mormon missionary to Venezuela, takes credit for co-founding a state’s rights organization called the Patrick Henry Caucus.

Sandstrom’s “friend” Sen. Pearce of Arizona, sponsor of the recently signed SB-1070, hails from the Mormon stronghold of Mesa and claims to be the mastermind behind Maricopa County’s infamous Tent City Jail.

For Pearce and Sandstrom, the crucial issue of liberty in the 21st Century would appear to involve the rights of states in relation to the federal government of the USA–never mind the rights of individual people who reside in those states.

What’s curious about this particular Pearce-Sandstrom movement for state’s rights over individual rights is how it seems to contradict the interests of the Mormon family itself, which has been witnessing an increase in Spanish-speaking congregations.

Last summer, Salt Lake Tribune writer Peggy Fletcher Stack reported increasing fears among Spanish-speaking members of the Mormon Church of Latter- day Saints (LDS) who were concerned about travel restrictions they were facing for missionary work and then-impending implementation of Utah’s anti-migrant law, SB-81. “People are very scared,” said one woman via translator.

“Other than for its missionaries, the LDS Church takes a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ approach toward the immigration status of its members,” reported Fletcher Stack. “But some estimate between 50 percent and 75 percent of members in Utah’s 104 Spanish-speaking congregations are undocumented. That includes many bishops, branch presidents, even stake presidents.”

Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank declared that Utah’s SB-81 would require illegal racial profiling, so he openly refused to enforce the self-contradictory statute. Last week Chief Burbank “blasted” Arizona’s SB-1070, telling KSL NewsRadio talk-show host Doug Wright: “This sets law enforcement back 30 to 40 years.”

Mormon Times Columnist Jerry Earl Johnston shook his head last year in dismay over the unwisdom of the Utah anti-migrant legislation:

“I can only speak from my own LDS experience here, but I hold Utah lawmakers responsible for breaking up good LDS families and forcing young American citizens out of their native land,” wrote Johnston, predicting that victory would not reward the shortsighted anti-migrant forces.

“I could see these Hispanic brethren were going to win,” wrote Johnston. “I could see their faith, resilience and strength. They wanted to be in Utah more than Utah lawmakers wanted them out. They had weathered tribulations with good humor and without malice toward those who persecuted them.”

Meanwhile, in the Mormon stronghold of Mesa, Arizona, represented by SB-1070 sponsor Sen. Pearce, the number of Spanish-speaking LDS congregations had grown from five to 13 between 2002 and 2007 according to East Valley Tribune reporter Sarah N. Lynch.

Last fall, official LDS printing presses in Salt Lake City ran off an approved Spanish-language edition of the Mormon Bible–“The Santa Biblia: Reina-Valera 2009 (Publicada por La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días Salt Lake City, Utah, E.U.A.)–with an initial press run of 800,000 copies.

“It is one of the most significant scripture projects ever undertaken by the Church,” proclaimed a notice of Sept. 14, 2009 posted at lds.org. “The volume contains new chapter headings, footnotes and cross-references to all scriptures used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” Announcement of the volume was reportedly shared among “thousands of Spanish-speaking Latter-day Saints congregations.”

Mormon political leaders, like everyone else in today’s global economy, are confronting a real crisis in human welfare. Maricopa County in particular is a frontline disaster zone for the crisis in real estate values, mortgage defaults, unemployment, and revenue shortfalls.

“In Maricopa,” according to an April report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Q3 2009 unemployment, “every private industry group except education and health services experienced an employment decline, with construction experiencing the largest decline (-32.2 percent).”

Crisis reveals character. So when Mormon political leaders campaign for agendas of states’ rights according to Patrick Henry rhetorics of “liberty or death,” perhaps their Spanish-speaking LDS brethren can remind them that there are millions of people of goodwill in need of actual freedom-loving legislators in whatever state they have freely chosen to congregate and build up.

On the Mexico side of the international boundary, the Rio Grande has historically been called the Rio Bravo. In this appeal, we refer to this 1885-mile long international river as the Rio Grande-Rio Bravo.

The watershed of the Rio Grande-Rio Bravo covers eight states in our two countries. In the United States, that would include Colorado, New Mexico,and Texas. In Mexico the watershed includes Durango, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas.

For their agricultural, industrial, commercial,and residential existence, millions of US citizens and millions of Mexican citizens have historically relied on the natural hydrological flows of the Rio Grande-Rio Bravo and its tributaries, from its headwaters in the Colorado Rockies all the way to its mouth as it flows into the Gulf of Mexico.

Due to drought, just a few years ago, the waters of the Rio Grande-Rio Bravo dried up before it could reach the Gulf.

In this era of global climate change, the likelihood of more drought seems imminent. In this past year Texas just came out of a period of the worst drought on record. Yet, new threats are looming on the horizon for the Rio Grande-Rio Bravo, especially on the Texas-Mexico portion of the river.

The Mexico side of the border is the fastest growing region in Mexico. Similarly, the Texas side of the Rio Grande-Rio Bravo is the fastest growing region in the United States. Such growth will continue to put a lot of added pressure on the waters of the Rio Grande-Rio Bravo, both in the terms of consumption as well as contamination.

As it is, according to American Rivers, the Rio Grande-Rio Bravo is one of the most endangered rivers in North America. According the World Wildlife Fund, the Rio Grande-Rio Bravo is the seventh most endangered river in the world.

The newest endangerment to the Rio Grande-Rio Bravo is upon us. This threat is somewhat stealth, as it is under the radar of most state, federal and international agencies and organizations. For over a century, the State of Texas has regulated its waters based on the archaic “rule of capture,” or “right of capture.” Essentially, the biggest pump and pumper owns the water that can be extracted.

Based on this “rule”, an application has been made by a private party to extract 47,000 acre feet per year out of the Rio Grande-Rio Bravo watershed. An acre foot is equal to roughly 326,000 gallons of water.

The application is from Clayton Williams, Jr.’s Fort Stockton Holdings to the Middle Pecos County Groundwater Conservation District (MPGCD). The application proposes to extract 41,000,000 gallons of water a day, or about 15,000,000,000 gallons of water per year–for 30 plus years–out of the Rio Grande-Rio Bravo watershed.

If approved, the permit would allow 45,000,000,000,000 gallons of water to be taken out of the Rio Grande-Rio Bravo watershed as a result of this one application alone. Others will follow. The preliminary hearing will be held this coming Tuesday, April 20, 2010, in Fort Stockton. The final decision will be rendered on May 18, 2010.

With all this in mind, the Rio Grande International Study Center (RGISC), a non-profit organization based at the Laredo Community College on the banks of the Rio Grande-Rio Bravo, along with our sister organization in Mexico, el Centro Internacional del los Estudios del Rio Bravo (CIER), has allied with the City of Fort Stockton.

We are also allying with not only the citizens of Pecos County but also the millions of citizens of the international community who reside within and depend upon the Rio Grande-Rio Bravo for their existence. On their behalf, we are appealing to US Congressmen to help us prevent such an unprecedented action that would be taken without adequate science.

We request that Congressmen please utilize your office and position of authority to call for a moratorium on any extraction of waters from the Rio Grande-Rio Bravo watershed. Approval of such extraction of billions of gallons of water a year should NOT be granted.

There is a need for time, time for an adequate hydrological study to be performed that would reveal what impact such a diversion away from the international watershed would have. Our concern is that there is insufficient science that would show the impact on the natural hydrological cycle of the Rio Grande-Rio Bravo watershed, on which millions of bi-national citizens downriver depend.

Under the 1944 Treaty with Mexico, the waters of Fort Stockton and Pecos County, Texas, are within the geographical boundaries of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC). Never before has a massive amount of water been extracted and transferred out of the watershed and IBWC boundaries. This is a precedent-setting case. How would this impact the spirit and intent of the 1944 treaty?

The City of Fort Stockton is a small community of some 7,500 population. The total population of Pecos County is about 20,000. Alone, they are hard-pressed to handle the magnitude of this challenge. The residents there already have a historic natural spring, Comanche Springs, that is dried up most of the year due to high impact pumping of the aquifer for irrigation by the same businessman who now wishes to export water out of the watershed to Midland, Texas, for profit.

Find below a resolution drafted by the City Council of the City of Fort Stockton. Together , the City Council and RGISC appeal to you to intervene and prevent, this dangerous hydrological precedent. If this permit is allowed, others will follow. Diverting Rio Grande-Rio Bravo waters away from almost ten million inhabitants within the IBWC boundaries would be to divert water away from the fastest growing region in our two countries that already depends on this river.

This action is being done for one entity’s profit. It is also being done so that other areas outside the Rio Grande-Rio Bravo watershed region could experience economic growth. That such an action would jeopardize the growth along the border seems discriminatory against those who live on the US-Mexico border.

We are also writing the IBWC, the Council on Environmental Quality-Office of the White House, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Interior, US Fish and Wildlife, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the Texas Water Development Board, and Texas Parks and Wildlife.

We are writing all the members of Congress who have border districts. We are writing the Governor of the State of Texas as well as all the members of our Texas Legislature that represent the border.

In Mexico, we are writing the Comision Internacional de los Limites y Agua, Comision Nacional del Agua, Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturals, and the governors of the five states within the Rio Grande-Rio Bravo watershed.

Editor’s Note: Article adapted from letter to Congressman Cuellar from Jay J. Johnson-Castro, Sr., Executive Director of the Rio Grande International Study Center–gm

RESOLUTION NO. 1O-111R

A RESOLUTION BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT STOCKTON JOINING FORCES WITH THE RIO GRANDE INTERNATIONAL STUDY CENTER IN ITS PLEA FOR A MORATORIUM & INTERVENTION TO PREVENT WATER FROM BEING TRANSPORTED, EXPORTED OR PUMPED FROM THE PECOS RIVER AND RIO GRANDE RIVER WATERSHEDS & REQUESTING THAT A HYDROLOGICAL STUDY BE PERFORMED OF THE SUBTERRANEAN WATER FLOWS OF THE EDWARDS-TRINITY AQUIFER TO DETERMINE WHAT UNFORESEEN ADVERSE IMPACTS COULD OCCUR ON THE FLOW OF WATER INTO THE INTERNATIONAL BODY WATER OF WHICH MILLIONS OF INHABITANTS IN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY DEPEND ON FOR EXISTENCE.

WHEREAS, The Pecos River is an integral part of the Rio Grande watershed, which is an
international body of water under the 1944 treaty between the United States and Mexico; and

WHEREAS, Downriver from the mouth of the Pecos River in confluence with the Rio Grande is
an internatio
nal comm
unity of some 6-10 million inhabitants that solely rely on the Rio Grande as
a source of existence; residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural usage; and

WHEREAS, Pecos County is confronted with an enterprise that is attempting to extract
approximately 15 billion gallons of water per year from the Pecos watershed under the Texas “rule
of capture”; and

WHEREAS, If successful, that would become a precedent for other water marketing enterprises;
and

WHEREAS, The Rio Grande International Study Center is a non-profit organization with the
stewardship of protecting the Rio Grande watershed; and

WHEREAS, The board of directors of the RGISC has voted unanimously to support Fort
Stockton in attempting to protect the Pecos River watershed; and

WHEREAS, RGISC and the City of Fort Stockton will jointly submit correspondence to the
International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), Environmental Protection Agency,
Comision Internacional de los Lirnites y Agua (CILA), CONAGUA (Comision Nacional del
Agua), SEMARNAT (Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturals), Texas Water
Development Board (TWDB), Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), along with
the four Congressional representatives from Texas bordering Mexico; Congressman Silvestre
Reyes (Dist. 16), Congressman Ciro Rodriguez (Dist. 23), Congressman Henry Cuellar (Dist. 28)
and Congressman Solomon Ortiz (Dist. 27); and

WHEREAS, A request will be sought for a moratorium and an intervention regarding plans to
transfer, export or pump water out of, along with the protection of, the Pecos River and Rio
Grande River watersheds until additional hydrological studies of the subterranean water flows of
the Edwards-Trinity aquifer can be made to determine what unforeseen adverse impacts could
occur on the flow of water into the international body water of which millions of inhabitants in the
international community depend on for existence; and

WHEREAS, Input will also be solicited from the Texas Parks and Wildlife, National Parks
Service, US Fish and Wildlife, as well as other local, state, national and international organizations
and agencies; and

WHEREAS, A joint press conference will be held to inform the media about our request for
intervention; and

– – NOW THEREFFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE FORT STOCKTON CITY COUNCIL,
THAT IT HEREBY ENDORSES:
JOINING FORCES WITH THE RIO GRANDE
INTERNATIONAL STUDY CENTER IN ITS PLEA FOR A
MORATORIUM & INTERVENTION TO PREVENT WATER
FROM BEING TRANSPORTED, EXPORTED OR PUMPED
FROM THE PECOS RIVER AND RIO GRANDE RIVER
WATERSHEDS & REQUESTING THAT A HYDROLOGICAL
STUDY BE PERFORMED OF THE SUBTERRANEAN WATER
FLOWS OF THE EDWARDS-TRINITY AQUIFER TO
DETERMINE WHAT UNFORESEEN ADVERSE IMPACTS
COULD OCCUR ON THE FLOW OF WATER INTO THE
INTKRNATIONAL BODY WATER OF WIllCR MILLIONS OF
INHAB1.TA.””I!TS IN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
DEPEND ON FOR EXISTENCE.

PASSED AND APPRGYED by the Fort Stockton City Council on this 23rd day of February,
2010.