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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 19, 1997)
The Battalion Thursday - June 19,199! mm / -y ■! iYJh Gov. Bush refuses reprieve; Texas executes 24th inmate Protest Continued from Page 1 Smooth Move Photograph: Pat )ames Anthony Arnold of Victoria dives for a save while par ticipating in the A&M Youth Soccer Camp. HUNTSVILLE (AP) — A Mexican citizen was executed in the Texas death chamber for a 1985 murder Wednesday amid pleas from his coun try’s government and outrage among supporters who blocked an international bridge in protest. Irineo Montoya, 30, was pronounced dead at 6:16 p.m. CDT, six minutes after the lethal injec tion was administered. Montoya’s final words were in Spanish and di rected to his father and a woman who claims to be his wife, although the two are not legally mar ried. The inmate smiled and nodded to the pair as they watched through glass a few feet away. “Goodbye. I will wait for you in heaven,” he said. “I will be waiting for you. I love my parents. I am at peace with God. Fight for the good.” Officials later released a handwritten state ment left by Montoya. “May this sacrifice be for the good and bring jus tice to all who deserve justice and not for the use of evil,” he wrote. “I apologize and beg for forgiveness to whomever I had offended, hurt and disrespect ed. God bless you and see you in heaven.” Montoya was condemned for the 1985 stab bing and beating death of John Kilheffer, a Rio Grande Valley man who had given Montoya and a companion a ride. Kilheffer’s sister told The Associated Press by telephone Wednesday that Montoya’s execution “is justice.” “We feel he deserves it," said Jean Hess, of Lancaster, Pa. “He deserves it. It’s been very frus trating. ... What got us was he was so cocky and arrogant. He’s not shown a bit of remorse.” Less than 11/2 hours before the execution, Texas Gov. George W. Bush refused Montoya’s re quest for a 30-day reprieve, clearing the way for the punishment. His decision came shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Montoya’s 11 th- hour appeals. “Gov. Bush ... concluded all appropriate courts, including the United States Supreme Court, have had ample opportunity to address all of the issues involved in this death penalty con viction, and therefore there are not grounds to delay it,” Karen Hughes, a Bush spokeswoman, said in a statement. “Gov. Bush assures the people of Mexico that Mr. Montoya had fair trial, ample op portunity to be heard and the full protec tions of the constitution and laws of the United States of America.” Montoya was the third Texas inmate put to death this week and the 24th this year, extend ing the state’s record number of executions for a single year. Several of Montoya’s relatives, eluding brothers and uncles, pi ipated in the demonstration but dined comment after the exei One brother, Dario Tristan toya, earlier said Texas was “ an innocent man.” Montoya’s supporters claimi was wrongly convicted. They sail signed a confession in English thaj did not understand, had no attoi at the time ofhis arrest and wasdei the right to contact Mexico’s consi They were joined in protest!) Mexican governmental official who opposed the execution i, cause Mexico does not have a deal penalty outside of military courts.^ Prominent Mexicans includii/ Tamaulipas Gov. Manuel Cavaj Lerma and Nobel Prize laureate^ f tavio Paz had urged Bush to grj Montoya a 30-day reprieve. This week, the Mexican embas in Washington delivered a dip! matic note to the U.S. State Depai ment asking for intervention. Despite all the pleas, Bush fused to delay the execution, saji all appropriate courts, including! U.S. Supreme Court, had consi ered the case. Texas Monthly releases annual legislators list Campus Calendar AUSTIN (AP) —The timing could not have been much worse for Sen. Drew Nixon, R-Carthage. On the same day Nixon’s court case on a misdemeanor charge of soliciting sex from an undercover Austin police officer was set for a pretrial hearing, Texas Monthly magazine released its annual list of the 10 best and 10 worst legislators for 1997. Surprise. Nixon was one of the 10 worst. “I understand that the problems in my personal life earlier this year would pre clude me from making anyone’s list of model sena tors,” Nixon said Wednesday in a statement. Texas Monthly’s annual report card takes a tongue-in-cheek look at House and Senate members who pushed, of ten unsuccessfully, issues ranging Wilson from property tax relief to same-sex marriages during their biennial 140- day stay in Austin this year. To make the 10 best, the magazine said it looked for lawmakers with “in tegrity, fairness, a desire to solve prob lems ... and a commitment to put pol icy ahead of partisanship.” Those making the 10 best included Rep. Ron Wilson, D-Houston, who successfully navigated through a leg islative mine field a bill requiring col leges that use grade point averages in admissions to set the same standard for athletes and non-athletes. As for the 10 worst? “They don’t care about solving problems, they don’t have a willingness to compromise and they don’t put pub lic policy ahead of jockeying for politi cal advantage,” the magazine said. “... It’s not their ideology that we deplore; it’s their methodology.” Titled “The Worst of the Worst” was Rep. Arlene Wohlgemuth, R-Burleson, who single-handedly killed 52 bills in what has become known as the Memorial Day Massacre. Here are the legislators selected by Texas Monthly magazine as the 10 best and 10 worst of the 1997 legislative session. Also included are previous years they made the list. 10 Best 10 Worst — Sen. Teel Bivins, R-Amarillo, — Rep. Kent Grusendorf, R-Arling- first time ton, first time — Rep. Toby Goodman, R-Arling- — Sen. Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville, ton, first time first time — Rep. Hugo Berlanga, D-Corpus — Rep. Arlene Wohlgemuth, R- Christ!, 1993,1995 Burleson, first time — Rep. Steve Wolens, D-Dallas, — Sen. Drew Nixon, R-Carthage, 1983, 1991, 1993 1995 — Rep. Paul Sadler, D-Hender- — Rep. Charles Finnell, D-Holliday, son, 1995 1973,1991 — Rep. Ron Wilson, D-Houston, — Rep. Kevin Bailey, D-Houston, first time (worst list, 1985) first time — Rep. Allen Hightower, D- — Rep. Frank Corte, R-San Anto- Huntsville, 1993 nio, 1995 — Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, — Rep. John Shields, R-San Anto- first time nio, first time — Sen. Bill Ratliff, R-Mount Pleas- — Rep. Charlie Howard, R-Sugar ant, 1991,1995 Land, first time — Sen. David Sibley, R-Waco, — Sen. Michael Galloway, R The 1993 Woodlands, 1995 Friday Study Abroad Programs Office: There will be an informational meeting for stu dents who wish to study abroad at the A&M Santa Chiara Center in Italy Spring ’97 from 3:45 - 4:30 p.m. in 358 Bizzell Hall West. For details call 845-0544. College Republicans: There will be a Campaign Rally for Rick Perry for Lieu tenant Governor at 3 p.m. at Easter- wood Airport. For more information con tact Eva Darski at 846-3376. Monday The Writing Center (Dept, of English, Texas A&M): The Writing Center in 249 Blocker will consult with anyTAMU student who needs help with his or her writing projects for Summer I. Hours are 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Come by or call 862- 4181 for more information. Tuesday Study Abroad Programs Office: There will be an informational meetingforsl dents who wish to study abroad all A&M Santa Chiara Center in Italy Spfii '97 from 5 - 5:45 p.m. in 358 BizzelH West. For details call 8450544. TAMU Waterski Team: There i a general meeting at 8:30 p.m.f Fitzwilly’s. For more information a Mike Coyle at 268-2076. The Writing Center (Dept, of Englisl I Texas A&M): The Writing Centeri 249 Blocker will consult with any TAM “ student who needs help with his orlie - writing projects for Summer I. Hour are 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Come by or call 86!| 4181 for more information. Campus Calendar is a Battalion sem that lists non-profit student and feed events and activities. Items should 1 i submitted no later than three days ina n vance of the desired run date. Applta tion deadlines and notices are not event and will not be run in Campus Calerda If you have any questions, please calltli f newsroom at 845-3313. Perry announces run for lieutenant governor He willface fellow Aggie John Sharp in the race if they win their parties' nomination Weather Outlook SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY AUSTIN (AP) — Texas Agriculture Commissioner Rick Perry, who visited his son’s school Wednesday to announce his candidacy for lieutenant governor, said education will be a top priority as he defines his cam paign in the coming months. The Republican joins Democrat and fellow Ag gie John Sharp, the state’s comptroller, in seeking to succeed Democratic Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock, who isn’t running for reelection. If the former Texas A&M classmates win their parties’ nomination, they’ll face each other in the November 1998 election to become the Senate’s presiding officer. In broad terms, Perry said his priorities for Texas are effective schools, safe streets and economic opportunity. Asked about the abortion issue, he said, “We’re against abortion except in the cases of rape, incest and the life of the mother. We’ve always had that position, and we’ll always keep it.” Perry said he would support legislation to require parental notification before an abortion is performed on a girl under 18. The measure passed the Senate but died in the House this legislative session. Surrounded by his family and supporters in the O. Hen ry Middle School library, Perry said, “We’re going to have 16 months to lay out, I think, a very clear plan for this state. “I intend for this campaign to be conducted about is sues and... the difference between the Democrat philos ophy and the Republican philosophy,” he said. “There’s a clear philosophical difference between empowering gov ernment and empowering individuals. The Republican position is to empower individuals.” Sharp spokesman Ross Ramsey cited Sharp’s pro posal to provide state-paid college tuition, fees and books to students who maintain a 2.8 grade-point av erage on a 4-point scale. “One of the fastest ways to empower individuals is through education,” Ramsey said. In another high-profile position, Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Morris Overstreet said he plans to chal lenge Attorney General Dan Morales for the Democra tic nomination to be the state’s top lawyer. “I’m running because we can’t depend on our present attorney general to take a stand and do his job,” said Over- street, who became the first black elected to statewide of fice in Texas when he won his court seat in 1990. Overstreet, who planned a news conference in Amarillo Thursday to formally announce, said he would do a better job than Morales on collecting overdue child support from non-paying parents and prosecuting bad nursing homes. 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