He once ran for Texas Governor - now in prison life w/o parole. (San Antonio: rental car, appointed)

[ocean2026]

It's time to free Ramsey Muniz » Corpus Christi Caller-Times

This is my guest editorial in today's Corpus Christi Caller Times.

Ramsey Muniz is now 70 years old - should he be released?

[HtownLove]

Nope. Let him rot in jail

[CptnRn]

Was this thread started for your own self promotion?

You do us a disservice by not providing more facts about the case.

According to this newspaper article Muniz was indicted by separate federal grand juries on a variety of drug smuggling charges. He posted $7,500 bail and skipped to Mexico where he was arrested and returned to the U.S. He plea bargained and confessed to two separate conspiracy smuggling charges, one involving 832 pounds, the other 1100 pounds of marijuana. He drew a maximum of 10 years in Federal prison. Ellensburg Daily Record - Google News Archive Search

18 years later, this news story from 1994 says:

According to Lewisville police, Juan Garcia Gonzales, 43, of Mathis, and a second man who identified himself as Ramiro Richard Muniz, 51, of Brownsville, were caught with 40 kilos of cocaine in the trunk of a rental car. Muniz had the trunk key in his sock, according to authorities.

San Antonio Express-News, Archives | mySA.com

This web page by Texas Civil Rights Review suggests that Muniz was the subject of entrapment in the cocaine bust, which the judge ruled against when it went to court. Federal Entrapment of Ramsey Muniz | Texas Civil Rights Review

It seems appropriate to leave this in the hands of the courts rather then to try and second guess this in an internet discussion forum where scant evidence is available.

[Bo]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

Was this thread started for your own self promotion?

I'll address this publicly to end this part of the discussion in the thread. Members are allowed to link to their own writing on other sites, as long the site isn't a competitor, and they aren't selling something or linking to their own site. This passes all three of those tests AFAIK.

[KerrTown]

I thought this is Rick Perry!

[ocean2026]

Umm Captm I write a lot of editorials - across the state. How would something on City-data benefit me? I put it here because I was curious to see how people felt ( that's why i wrote it). I write when I'm interested in a topic and I'm interested in the opinions of others. I probably should have just posted the article here instead of the link. So...


In the 1972 election for Texas governor, Ramiro "Ramsey" Muniz, a Corpus Christi and Waco attorney, and his La Raza Unida Party won 214,000 votes (6 percent) versus Dolph Briscoe (Democrat) and Henry Grover (GOP). In Nueces County 13,813 people voted for Muniz and he garnered another 1,388 voters in San Patricio County.

On this 40th anniversary of that election Mr. Muniz celebrates his own 70th anniversary at the Federal Penitentiary in Beaumon.Muniz, a college football star and a Baylor law graduate, is serving life without parole for his third strike against our drug laws. He was sentenced in 1994.

I am certainly not the first to write about this. The Internet is replete with editorials, most by leftist and/or ethnically motivated organizations such as The Prison Abolitionist and Chicano Mexicano Prison Project that proclaim Muniz's innocence and denounce those who "framed" him, demanding his release. It's hard to discern the actual facts when they are obscured by hate and covered with venom.

According to his supporters, his 1994 and final conviction was a government setup. "Three strikes you're out" means there were two other drug offenses, so was every pitch a "foul"?I've been both an elected district attorney and a defense lawyer and although anything is possible, it's hard to believe that Muniz was never guilty as charged. Muniz can't claim he had an ineffective court-appointed attorney, as Dick De Guerin defended his last case.

In 2012 where many, including a presidential candidate, are advocating drug legalization; past drug offenses shouldn't be shocking. Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama and scores of others admit to such. Muniz however, in his last conviction was said to be in possession of a trunk full of cocaine. I wouldn't expect this from a successful attorney, but who really knows?

Even if guilty, so what? According to a Texas Criminal Justice Policy Council Report, the average time served for conviction of an aggravated violent offense in 1994 was 5.85 years. Nonviolent offenders served less, an average of 3.74 years. In other words, of the majority of 1994 convicts, even violent offenders were free in 2000.

Is Muniz a risk? A United States Justice Department Study "Trends in Parole" found that age is among the most reliable predictors of recidivism. Whereas more than 50 percent of 18- to 29-year-old offenders return to prison, among those older than 55 the rate was 2 percent.

Muniz didn't live the life of a criminal. He was active in the "Model Cities' program, Head Start and dropout prevention programs.While many in prison promise they will do good deeds if released, Muniz spent his pre-prison career working on youth programs. I cannot imagine why someone who tirelessly advocated for youth education would also be involved in the drugs that destroy them.

What I do know is Ramiro Muniz turns 70 in this, his 18th year of incarceration. Society is safe from Muniz and further prison is a waste of our money.I never voted for Muniz for governor, but I do acknowledge his place in Texas history. Let Ramsey Muniz out of prison to live his remaining years with his family and those who believe in him.

President Obama –This decision isn't about re-election polls, it's about time.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by ocean2026

Umm Captm I write a lot of editorials - across the state. How would something on City-data benefit me? I put it here because I was curious to see how people felt ( that's why i wrote it). I write when I'm interested in a topic and I'm interested in the opinions of others. I probably should have just posted the article here instead of the link. So...

Since you asked, and the reason I questioned it, is that that editorial prominently features your name and that you are an attorney as well as a photo of you in front of your business sign, which could be construed by some as self promotion. Which is why I asked. The mod says that is OK, so that is fine. I can appreciate the fact that this may not have been your intention, but it made we wonder.

I still don't feel like we have enough information to promote an opinion regarding whether or not this person should be given parole. Perhaps if you could share more information regarding the relative amounts of time that convicted people have to serve for violent crimes as opposed to these drug crimes it could help.

Personally, I'm concerned that the Mexican gangs have seemingly legitimate business men on this side of the border who are helping them launder their drug profits, smuggle money and weapons back into Mexico. So I'm opposed to doing anything that could help strengthen that network here on the U.S. side of the border.

When you look at these statistics http://www.diegovalle.net/drug-war-map.html Its both amazing and alarming that we don't already have bigger problems then we do.

[annie_himself]

All people in prison for drugs need to be released. Save us a couple hundred million dollars.

[Lee W.]

Oh no, annie_himself! They'd unlease a wave of illegal drug sales and violence across this country which could only be compared with what's happening in Mexico!

[ocean2026]

NO problem CaptRn- I really can't even take most of the cases offered. As for the picture I didn't sent one until Tom Whitehurst of the Caller-Times send "Send Picture" I walked into a court today in Sinton and Judge Hatch made comments about the column and soon everyone in the court offered an opinion. I do like making people think and now and then I publish some columns in different parts of the state but they don't pay - and I get nothing from it from pleasure. On the other hand if we right a wrong - and perhaps Ramsey gets released -- I'm sure Ill get a lunch out of it.
I like your posts Captrn so I gave you a detailed answer.