Texas Civil Rights Review

Author: mopress

  • Welcome to Texas All you Presidential Candidates

    By Greg Moses

    And while we’ve got your attention, please see if you can help with any of the suffering that federal actions are causing here.

    In the matters of the Ibrahim family, Rrustem Neza, Ramsey Muniz, and the Suleiman Twins we could use less crackdown and more humanity from the federal face of power. In these four cases, immediate federal relief is possible and therefore necessary.

    What sort of nation provides prisons as solutions to immigration? The T. Don Hutto prison for mothers and children is a mean-spirited sign of the times. We think you should all go there, and we think you should all issue statements that the facility is offensive to your conscience. Agencies created in Washington have not only conjured the prison, but have refused to let UN inspectors onto the premises.

    The Rolling Plains prison of Haskell and the human warehouses of Raymondville are two other examples of the prison state you are funding here. Go smell what you are doing.

    While many of you have been working in Washington, we’ve been worn thin by your contradictory border policies which legalize all manner of movement for commodities and profits while criminalizing migrant workers whose lives have been uprooted. And today, as you speedily enable even faster velocities of trade across the border, your federal agents intensify their maddening contradictions by taking land to build a more people-impervious wall between families and neighbors.

    We can see why it makes sense from a party planning standpoint that Texas issues were scheduled to be addressed at a time in the primary cycle when the races might be winding down. But history is exhibiting its creative talent for truth, and therefore, in order to become President you must first wade right into the policy mess of Texas and tell us how you are going to bring some clarity of mind, some justice, some leadership.

    Before primary election day, here is what you can do: stop the wall, shut down Hutto, and stop hurting the Ibrahim family, Rrustem Neza, the Suleiman twins, and Ramsey Muniz. With these accomplishments on the record, we could be assured that you are competing for something more important than a popularity contest in Texas; you could actually change history.

    Good luck to you all. May justice be the cause of your success.

    Note: Previously posted in the announcements section of the Texas Civil Rights Review.

  • Good News for Rrustem Neza?

    Feb. 28 email from John Wheat Gibson, attorney for Rrustem Neza:

    Kevin Czechowitz just telephoned to say that Rrustem Neza will be released from detention on payment of a $25,000 bond. The family is at this moment trying to raise the money. I believe this is the result of the diligence of Dr. Pettifer, Ms. Vickers, Congressman Gohmert, Genc Krasniqi, Greg Moses, and everyone else who has shown concern for Rrustem and his family. I will keep you posted on developments.

  • Rrustem Neza is Home with his Children

    We are crying for joy over this email from John Wheat Gibson, and, dear reader, we thank you so much for your witness to the spirit of civil rights in Texas–gm

    Feb. 29, 2008, 6:33 p.m. CST

    To whom it may concern:

    I spoke to Rrustem Neza on the telephone a little while ago. He is at home with his family.

    John Wheat Gibson, P.C.

    Dallas, Texas

  • Once You've Heard the Best

    Back when George Jones was a fresh-faced 59-year-old king o’ country, he did Zell Miller a favor and hosted a singing party in Atlanta to celebrate the Governor’s election. It was January, 1991 and the missiles were about to launch into Iraq. My friend and mentor Geri Allen was assigned to represent The King Center at the Governor’s inauguration party, and she took me along with her, since it was King Week in Atlanta and I did pretty much everything she asked. I remember that she wore an anti-war button which attracted a television camera or two.

    Along with George came Marty Stuart, Alan Jackson, Dickey Lee, and I believe Ricky Skaggs. Was Randy Travis there, too? Anyway, it was quite a lineup.

    What I remember clearly is that it was the first time I’d seen George Jones live and his voice was bigger than life. I simply could not believe the sound that came from that man’s living voice. I went home and scooped up every Jones cassette that I could find and listened to them over and over during my 90 mile commutes from Austin to College Station and back.

    Some singers you need the recordings for, because that’s the best they sound. Not George. As great as he sounds in the studio, there is something about his voice that just doesn’t get adequately captured by any amount of electronic wizardry.

    At the 2008 Austin Rodeo on Sunday, Jones was 17 years down the road from the Atlanta glory days, and who can take issue with the things nature does to a man. But still, there was a sweetness to the voice, and a slow-hand soul that still brings out the goose bumps, the tears, and the sheer joy of grinning at what’s beautiful to hear.

    God bless you, George Jones, and the truck you rode out on. As you waved from the window of the official rodeo truck that spun you around the arena, we kinda wondered, did you get a call from Willie warning you not to ride in the back of that damned thing?–gm

    NOTE: these reflections on George Jones were originally posted in the “announcements” section of the Texas Civil Rights Review. The reference to Willie Nelson should be better explained. At the March 4 Rodeo, after Willie performed an encore song with great-grandson Zach, “Take Back America,” the two Nelsons climbed into the back of the official Rodeo pickup truck for the usual lap around the arena. Only, what happened was that when the the truck came to the “speed bump” of wooden planks that was laid down over the concert wiring, the truck threw both Nelsons back on their backsides. Sure enough, they both jumped right back up, so the incident didn’t break the mood of jubilation that was alive in the crowd. But the more you thought about it later, the more it made you sore. And come to think of it, Willie was not able to focus his eyes very much on the people after that, although he kept waving and smiling to the cheering crowd. It was real rodeo work for the Nelson boys that night, and that’s for sure.

    PS: What else would account for the fact that our busiest hour in history fell on Tuesday afternoon, March 11? It had to be the rodeo report that was added to the “announcements” section, with mention of two talented Texans, George Jones and Willie Nelson. We reported, you decided. After all, amigo, this is the Texas Civil Rights Review!–gm

  • Time Raises Questions about Judicial Appointment for CCA Attorney

    See: Scrutiny for a Bush Judicial Nominee
    Thursday, Mar. 13, 2008 By ADAM ZAGOR IN /WASHINGTON

    “Now, a former CCA manager tells TIME that Puryear oversaw a reporting system in which accounts of major, sometimes violent prison disturbances and other significant events were often masked or minimized in accounts provided to government agencies with oversight over prison contracts.”