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Dear Friends: Enclosed is the first of several letters written by Ramsey Muniz while in solitary confinement at the Oklahoma Transfer Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Conditions there were torturous, as described by Ramsey. Please distribute.–Irma L. Muniz
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5/11/06

Writings from Solitary Confinement

The writings come from the depth of my Mexicano spiritual corazon. Even though I find myself in this cold dark hole of America, the spirit to rise and share with my people that the time has come for us to seize. I see no faces. I only encounter the concrete walls and steel beds of oppression and injustice. Yet I’m not saddened because my mind and Mexicano corazon are filled with the spirituality of our liberation here in America once and for all.

I’m filled with the spirits of our sisters and brothers from our Holy Land (Mexico) who took to the streets in millions like never before. The entire world viewed with amazement that maybe the United States was not a country of the free. Why should I have to be constantly confined in the dark cold holes of this system? The faces I saw on the national TV news were the majority of young faces, which means the struggle for justice and freedom can take as long as it has to. Those same faces in the streets will be there for a long time to come.

When one struggles for justice, liberation and spirituality, you never truly become old. One becomes
younger at heart and mind, simply because you are seeking the truth and the truth this very day is setting our people, la raza, los Mexicanos/Mexicanas free.

And why has the Bureau of Prisons denied me medical care and treatment for the last eleven years? Why? For the first time, we Mexicanos have become a national presidential issue in the United States. Hispanics, Latinos, and national Hispanic organizations
should take a strong position in favor of amnesty for
our sisters and brothers of our Holy Land. Please do
not allow these politicians or the congress to think
that we are different. Our roots, our most powerful
ancient God-given roots all go back to the same source.

We were not in existence only yesterday. We were
here long before the creation of the United States.
We are not strangers to this land. We must learn to
be patient with each other. We have been physically,
mentally, and spiritually divided for almost 500
years. There is a lot of self-hatred and ignorance
in our hearts and we must overcome the latter in
order to win. At this point, we as a people are the
only ones that can be destructive to each other.
Families must bond once again. Blood and heart are
the strongest elements in mankind. We must set aside
all the petty differences and not become a soap
opera destructive force. La familia must rise once
again. La familia must reunite. La familia must
embrace again!

I decided to express my constitutional right,
and petitioned the court to direct the federal medical
facility to provide medical care and treatment.
Instead, the staff in Springfield, Missouri took my
body in chains and shackles and tonight I find myself
in solitary confinement in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

They stated that on one, especially a Mexican like
myself, would file any petition against them. Is
this the true meaning of American justice?

Even tonight with the token lighting, as I share these
words from my heart, I can feel the spirits of our
Mexicano revolutionary hero, Ricardo Flores Magon,
who also suffered in the dungeons of Leavenworth and who died there – or is he really dead? I live within
all the spirits and love of our past revolutionary
Mexicanos and Mexicanas. They never permit for me
to feel alone, lonely, or isolated from those close
to my life. I only become stronger in my beliefs,
convictions, and principles because the Oppressor
continues to violate my human rights by any means
necessary. I only feel for my wife, my family, and
those close to my heart after so many years of
suffering and sacrifice.

The nights are extremely cold and painful to
my body, yet they refuse to give me a blanket. I
will survive because it is written in our ancient
past that we must sacrifice to the end. Why is it
so cold and dark in this hole, and why must I suffer
in this cruel fashion?

We must learn to openly communicate with our
Holy Land of Mexico and its governing body. For too
long the Holy Land has separated itself from its own
people who lived in Aztlan (Southwest). A national
delegation of Mexicanos and Mexicanas should be
organized for the purpose of presenting its agenda
to the president and Congreso de Mexico. Remember
and don’t ever forget that we are all the same people.
Todos somos uno! The day that we as a people accept
each other as one is that day that we shall be free
in this world of today and tomorrow.

Forgiveness: We as a people, as a Mexican race
are in the immediate process of recognizing and
accepting who we are once again. For decades the
oppressor has made us believe we are different,
simply because a border divided us for many
years. We must learn to forgive each other for
the blindness and/or acceptance of thinking we
were different. We are one and shall be one
forever! Nothing can change that. It is part of
our nature and most importantly it is God-given.
“Todos Somos Uno” will be our new cry to the
world and to those around us. We are in for new
ideas, philosophies, thoughts, action, and
organizing and we must come with an open heart
and love for our people.

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the
world: The unreasonable one persists in trying
to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all
progress depends on the unreasonable man.”

–George Bernard Shaw

One could say that I’m an unreasonable
Mexicano. Be it so, especially since I have
witnessed and experienced oppression, discrimination,
and injustices. If some doubt my words, then tell
me why I am confined in this cold dark hole and
will be in this hole until who knows when. My
sisters and brothers from our Holy Land of Mexico
have also suffered for coming into the land which
was once ours. Some are even confined in the holes…

I will never surrender the love and devotion
I have in my heart for the freedom of our people.
We must forever sacrifice and endure the
suffering it takes for liberation and justice
within mankind. History throughout the world
states that some will have to sacrifice and carry
the cross of freedom, love, and spirituality. I
have accepted that part of history from the t
ime of my birth. My mother, Hilda, was a Mexicana
freedom fighter to the day of her death. I continue
to carry that cross in my heart and body, for she
is with me this very night sharing these words with
all our people!

In exile,
Ramsey (Tez)
Libertad y Aztlan!!
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http://www.freeramsey.com

Following the spaghetti trails of binational and international policy groups in the Americas, we find a “Declaration of San Carlos” adopted on March 24, 2006 by the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE). Venezuela’s footnotes to the declaration suggest some discomfort with the emerging anti-terrorism category of “emerging threats.”
This is an international, rather than multinational initiative, since it falls under the Organization of American States (OAS).

Interesting to find are three objections in the form of footnotes from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

The first objection concerns wording of a paragraph that connects terrorism to “illicit drug trafficking, illicit trafficking in arms, money laundering, and other forms of transnational organized crime.” Such wording, says Venezuela, “is geared toward pointing out a direct and permanent connection between terrorism and transnational organized crime, as that entails a repudiation of the norms of due process and the presumption of innocence—universally recognized principles in the area of human rights.”

The second objection concerns the category of “Emerging Threats.” Venezuela refuses to support the framework of this category, “because no common definition is given of emerging threats and because it introduces elements that are not consistent with the realities of the Hemisphere and that are disproportionate with regard to one another, by their nature and according to the provisions of the Declaration on Security in the Americas.”

Concerns embraced by the category of “emerging threats” do seem to be “disproportionate to one another” if you compare security for the 2007 Cricket World Cup alongside weapons of mass destruction. As for its reference to “elements that are not consistend with the realities of the Hemisphere” it is more difficult to see what Venezuela intends. Perhaps this is a reference to the category’s preoccupation with cyberterrorism. Perhaps it has more to do with the issues that surround nuclear materials (see below).

One interesting phrase under “emerging threats” defers to “each state” to define “emerging threats” according to its own laws. We read in this language the influence of the USA.

In objection three, Venezuela returns to the category of “emerging threats” in order to single out disapproval of the reference to UN Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004). The resolution pertains to “proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons”. This category rings familiar as a motivation (or pretext) most vigorously applied by the USA to Iraq and Iran. Does Venezuela worry that such powerful linkages between emerging threats, nuclear and chemical materials, and pre-emptive warfare may soon go South?

Instead of viewing nuclear issues in terms of “emerging threats”, Venezuela’s footnote encourages a framework established in 1967 by the nations of Latin America and the Caribbean in the form of the Treaty of Tlatelolco, a self-adopted prohibition of nuclear weapons from the region.

Dear Friends:

This letter from Ramsey Muniz describes the
violation of his constitutional rights for
the past eleven years. We continue to make
this information known, and have received
encouraging support from congressmen.
Please distribute. — Irma L. Muniz

4/7/06

Violation of my Constitutional Rights Under the Eighth Amendment – Cruel and Unusual Punishment

Before reading this constitutional opinion,
it is important that you first examine the attached
medical narrative (exhibit A), sent by
Dr. Pete E. Garcia, in charge of the Orthopedic
Surgery and Sports Medicine Clinic, to the Warden
at the United States Penitentiary in Leavenworth,
on February 1, 1995. If necessary, one will be able to find in
my federal sentencing transcript where
unmistakably I be confined in a Federal
Correctional Institution (FCI), and not in a
hard core federal penitentiary. The Bureau of
Prisons and the United States Marshall’s Office
disregarded the legal intentions of the federal
judge, and instead confined me in the Leavenworth
Federal Penitentiary.

From the commencement of my incarceration,
I was suffering from my physical disability and
medical conditions. I constantly complained to
the institutional medical authorities about my
physical condition to the conclusion that I could
not levitate from my bunk bed for days, suffering
extreme spasms, arthritic pain, inflammatory
rheumatism, distress, agony, and affliction.
This cruel and unusual punishment continued for
a period of over eleven (11) years.

On or about 1996, due to the weakness and
physical disabilities of my knees, I incurred a
most drastic fall and injured my left hip. After
various days confined to my bunk bed, several
inmates provided assistance in carrying me to the
institutional medical facility. The result was the
same as before. X-rays were not taken, a full
medical examination was not provided, and the only
remedy was aspirin and a cane, which I use to this
very day. The continuous denial of proper medical
attention and care for the last ten (10) years
pertaining to my hip was a violation of my
constitutional right – cruel and unusual punishment.

On August 22, 2005, I became extremely ill to
the point that I was carried on a stretcher to the
institutional medical facility in Leavenworth.
After four hours of examinations, they finally
decided that I be submitted to St. John’s Hospital
in Kansas City, Kansas. What was to be a simple
overnight operation resulted in a near death
medical situation. From St. John’s Hospital I
was transferred to Pawnee Hospital, and In turn
I was transferred to Providence Hospital for
surgery once again. Only five days after the
operation, I was chained, shackled, and transferred
to this present medical facility for federal
prisoners in Springfield, Missouri.

I continue to complain about my existing
physical condition – knees, left hip, and back
condition due to a large herniated disc. I persist
with the assistance of my family and attorney that
x-rays be initiated of my left hip and knees. After
performing an x-ray of my hip, they found that it
had to be replaced and should have been medically
attended to years ago.

Since my severe illness of August 22, 2005,
I have been on a liquid diet because of my dentures.
Only two weeks ago I began to eat properly, but
I continue to be extremely physically weak and not
in a medical position to undergo an immediate hip
surgery.

An attorney, my family, and others have
respectfully requested that my hip operation be
delayed for a reasonable time so that I may recover
my physical, emotional, and mental strength.

It is of record that the Springfield medical
staff authorities have not yet shared with me the
medical evaluation report submitted by Dr. Pete Garcia, Orthopedic Surgeon of Corpus Christi, Texas, nor have they taken x-rays of both my knees. To continue denying full medical evaluation and proper professional care at this medical facility is a continuous violation of my eighth amendment — cruel and unusual punishment.

As a graduate of Baylor School of Law and a
practicing attorney for many years (prior to my
unjust confinement), it is my legal opinion and
position that I be remain confined to this United
States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in
Springfield, Missouri, until I am medically
examined and treated for both my knees. To do
otherwise or attempt to confine me once again
in a United States penitentiary instead of a
low level institution (FCI) would be a blatant
violation of my constitutional rights pertaining
to cruel and unusual punishment.

How much more must I suffer after more than
ten years of extreme and severe punishment. I am
63 years old and in pursuit of justice in the
United States of America’s constitution.

In exile,

Ramsey R. Muniz

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www.freeramsey.com

The Syracuse University public information project TRAC has just released a pair of articles about deportation of immigrants for “aggravated felony” charges. This process applies to legal immigrants only.

TRAC says sometimes an “aggravated felony” under immigration law can be quite a low-level crime. Two cases cited by TRAC involved shoplifting. Yet the consequences can be severe: the immigrant loses rights to contest deportation before immigration authorities or courts, may not apply for other legal immigration status, is subject to mandatory detention, and may be permanently barred from the USA.
Although the frequency of “aggravated felony” determinations has fallen in recent years (from a high of 25,842 in 1998 to 11,133 in 2005) TRAC says record-keeping practices make it difficult to determine the basis of “aggravated felony” charges. About a third seem connected to some sort of drug charges. Pending legislation may further expand the net of this category, further eroding human rights of migrants in the USA.

View the TRAC reports online.