To: George W. Bush
President of the United States
White House

Dear Mr. President:

I need to take some of your time and bring an important issue to your attention. This issue concerns Henri D. Kahn (the insurance man) who is a contributor to a monthly circulator known as LareDOS. Mr. Kahn began his space with monthly articles about how life and health issues affect us, then about how property and casualty insurances are affecting us, and as of about four months ago I have to admit he was doing a pretty good job.
Well, Mr. President, our outspoken, free-speaking ex-Marine has done it again -- this being his third time tossing out a call urging those who read his column "to vote this bad news guy into political retirement when you cast your vote during the next presidential election." He is an extremist to say the least -- he is not a happy camper and seems to be unhappy being free and unhappy with the fact that we have freed a depressed society that has been clenched in the grasp of a tyrant.
You see, Mr. President, one who is using his space for venting his political views instead of educating life and health insurance buyers isn't really what people want. Mr. Kahn "the insurance man" is bashing you, which is a freedom we all enjoy, but lacks the "right time and right place" of it all. I think that comes from his being knocked on the head sometime back while standing embassy guard on a long lost island. Mr. Henri claims that you lead this country to whip Iraq's former leader because of "revenge for trying to kill papa, perhaps," then he continues "but military action to flush out a hot bed of terrorists, liberate the people of Iraq, and save the U.S.A. from mass destruction delivered by Saddam Hussein -- uh-uh!" leads some of us to believe that maybe he believes and has accused you of lying to us. That lacks respect.
As smart as our vocal Seguro is, Mr. President, do you think he knows that the air's pressure is caused by the weight of the air pressing down on the Earth, the ocean, and on the air below? And that the earth's gravity causes the downward force that we know as "weight?" As you know, since the pressure depends on the amount of air above the point where you're measuring the pressure, the pressure falls as you go higher. So I wonder, has Henri gone so high or is the mass of weight causing him to earn the wrath of comments circulating because of his opinions? Perhaps he should read science fiction stories in which the hero, fed up with an increasingly polluted and disgusting earth, hooks his life support pod to a gigantic silvery plastic sail out beyond the orbit of Mars, and sails off to the far reaches of the solar system, powered by the pressure of sunlight. Henri quotes formulas (E=Mc2), brilliant! But I believe, Mr. President, that Henri should leave politics alone and go back to what he claims he knows.
While reading this, you will be happy to know that again I am telling Henri that I will personally cancel out his vote against you and that your support here in Laredo, Texas is as strong if not stronger than it has ever been.
Thanks for a great job, great leadership, and the restoration of our confidence in America, Mr. President!

Sincerely,
Glen S. Jackson
A.K.A. Glenco

My name is Victor Feliciano and I'm a U.S. citizen living in Eagle Pass for the last three years. I work at El Indio, Texas. I will describe myself as your average law-obeying person. I don't drink or smoke and my time is spent either at work or at home. I have to travel to work on a daily basis using FM 1021 to and from El Indio and since I work different shifts this means at odd times also.
One June 2, 2003 at 11:45 a.m., I was coming to work when I was ordered to stop by the flashing lights of a Border Patrol vehicle behind me. I slowed down to a stop on the road since the side of the road has high grass, rocks, and an odd angle that could damage my Mustang. At this time I was ordered to pull to the side of the road and that I could not stay there. I told the officer that by pulling in there I could damage my car, but if he could let me drive a few feet in front of us there was a clearing. Officer D. Ramirez became raged and in a demanding tone of voice told me that I had to do what he was ordering thus denying my request to protect my private property. My only option was to shut my car off and show him the keys.
Officer D. Ramirez stepped off his truck and ordered me to give him my driver's license and to step off my vehicle and go to the side of the road. Another truck came and boxed my car so that I will not get away. (I'm off the vehicle and the car is off.) A third Border Patrol truck with officers was invited to the party and proceeded to search my vehicle. I was raged and demanded for them to explain what was going on. I had not given them permission to search my vehicle, neither did he ask if I was a U.S. citizen. Officer Marshall searched me and ordered me to drop on the grass. I tried to explain that I was going to work at the U.S. Air Force Aerostet Base and did not want to get dirty, that I would sit on the road. At this time he grabbed me with one hand by the back of the neck and forced me to the ground. I was handcuffed and detained there while they searched my vehicle and ran a check on me for about 1/2 an hour. I was screamed at, searched, and treated like a common thief by these people with no excuse at all. I was degraded and felt humiliated. What to do, I could not defend myself. I was at the mercy of these "Desperados" in search of glory.
I was given my freedom after a while and sent on my way, but not before getting their names. Upon arriving at work, I told my boss why I was late and also showed him the handcuff marks. I proceeded to file a report with the Border Patrol Office at Eagle Pass with the shift supervisor Victor García for harassment and excessive force. The report was updated to me by the head manager in charge at U.S. Border Patrol in Eagle Pass and was found to be a real complaint by the head office in Del Río and sent to Washington.
I understand the importance of the mission of the Border Patrol and the power that the law appoints to them, but nowhere gives them the right to violate the civil rights of a U.S. citizen as appointed by the Constitution. Now I see a Border Patrol and become afraid of what might be the outcome.
My report may become a dust collector as many others. I ask to please read my story and make it public so others could read it and try to put a stop to those rotten potatoes out there.

Victor Feliciano
Eagle Pass, Texas

To: The Honorable Senator John Cornyn
United States Senate

Dear Senator Cornyn:

Mexico is destroying our lake, our fishery, and the businesses built to service a lake economy. This water terrorism is no less of an attack than was 9/11 and our response should be equally strong. I wrote to you several times in your previous capacity of AG-TX, but in your new position hopefully you are in a position to effect action that was not within your power previously. We have sent letters to the State Dept., the President, Secretary of State, Congressman Ciro Rodriguez, and all state legislators in our district. We are soliciting your and Senator Hutchison's help in following through on this serious South Texas issue.
A task force set up to help focus resources so as to provide for natural spawn at Falcon Lake this year has been unsuccessful due to the fact that Mexico continued to pillage our lake by releasing inordinate amounts of water during the height of the spawn. In the process, all of the eggs that were in shallow water were left without water cover and were destroyed. The fish that had hatched already were subjected to predation due to the water level falling below the weed cover line. Three species have now been reduced to below fishable quantities and three additional species are near extinction.
Tournaments have been vacating Falcon in record numbers, numerous Winter Texans that once spent the winters here have abandoned Zapata as their home base, and Falcon, which in the nineties was frequently voted the best bass lake in Texas, has been transformed to one of the poorest. Lodges have closed, as have fish camps, stores, and eateries. The lake economy is less than 25% of its once viable status, and loss of habitat caused by excessive diversions by Mexico, compounded by rampant illegal commercial netting by Mexican netters, has decimated our fishery. We need your help now before it is too late to reverse the damage.
Instead of working for approval of the guest worker immigration program for which you have introduced legislation, we should be using this issue as fodder for the cannon to force Mexico to come to the table and negotiate a new water treaty. They should be notified that their violation of the 1944 treaty has rendered it void and they should be required to negotiate a new one. We should use the threat of force to bring them to the table and start by threatening to stop the flow of the Colorado River water to Mexico if the pay back of the existing 1,500,000 acre-feet owed is not paid immediately.
We then need to negotiate a new treaty that takes into consideration the tenets of revised population and agricultural changes since 1944. We need to project these tenets into the future, at least 50 years, and not rely on numbers developed in a treaty that is 59 years old. Other issues on the table that are important to Mexico such as NAFTA trucking should be used as well as immigration. Agricultural products such as water-sensitive sugar cane and other crops should be embargoed and/or boycotted. We need to stop rewarding Mexico for stealing our water immediately.
Mexico is destroying our lake, our fishery, and our businesses. We need help now.

Sincerely,
Larry E. Bridgeman,
Owner,
Falcon Lake Tackle

PS: I tried to e-mail you again as I have previously and after completing the form on your website and submitting, it gives me an error message, "There was a problem submitting your comments, please try again." This has been the same problem for several months.