0001| SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 23
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0002| 43RD LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 1998
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0003| INTRODUCED BY
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0004| ROMAN M. MAES III
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0005|
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0006|
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0007|
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0008|
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0009|
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0010| A JOINT MEMORIAL
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0011| IN SUPPORT OF A PRESIDENTIAL COMMUTATION OF THE SENTENCE OF
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0012| PETER MCDONALD OF THE NAVAJO NATION.
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0013|
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0014| WHEREAS, Peter McDonald, former chairman of the Navajo
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0015| nation, is now in the sixth year of serving a fourteen-year
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0016| federal sentence; and
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0017| WHEREAS, Mr. McDonald was sentenced pursuant to his
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0018| convictions for instigating a riot, accepting bribes, fraud
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0019| and racketeering; and
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0020| WHEREAS, while in prison, Mr. McDonald has suffered a
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0021| heart attack and a broken wrist and due to these problems has
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0022| been housed at the federal medical center at Fort Worth; and
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0023| WHEREAS, the people of the Navajo nation have a tradition
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0024| of forgiveness and respect for their leaders and are in
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0025| agreement that Mr. McDonald should be allowed to return to his
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0001| home in the Arizona portion of the Navajo nation; and
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0002| WHEREAS, the people of the Navajo nation remember that
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0003| Mr. McDonald was a code talker during World War II and that he
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0004| was an electrical engineer by profession before returning home
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0005| to enter into positions of leadership of the Navajo nation;
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0006| and
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0007| WHEREAS, the Navajo nation council, the legislative
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0008| branch of the Navajo nation, has adopted a resolution
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0009| forgiving Mr. McDonald for his crimes; and
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0010| WHEREAS, the president of the Navajo nation is in support
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0011| of obtaining an early release for Mr. McDonald; and
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0012| WHEREAS, the people of the Navajo nation are concerned
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0013| for his health and believe that his absence from his homeland
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0014| will cause Mr. McDonald to wither, causing his health to fail;
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0015| and
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0016| WHEREAS, through petitions and letters, Navajo nation
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0017| members, national political figures and many others have
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0018| requested that the president of the United States provide an
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0019| early release for Mr. McDonald;
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0020| NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE
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0021| STATE OF NEW MEXICO that it express its support for an early
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0022| release for Peter McDonald, former chairman of the Navajo
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0023| nation; and
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0024| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the president of the United
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0025| States is hereby requested to commute the sentence of Peter
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0001| McDonald and the New Mexico congressional delegation is hereby
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0002| requested to support the commutation of Peter McDonald's
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0003| sentence so that he can return home to the Navajo nation; and
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0004| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
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0005| transmitted to the president of the United States, the New
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0006| Mexico congressional delegation, the president of the Navajo
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0007| nation and the speaker of the Navajo nation council.
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0008|
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