When citizens are denied!

The Bill of Rights states in Article I "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."  and in Isaiah 10:1,2 "Woe to those who decree unjust statutes and to those who continually record unjust decisions, ...."

I am but a humble donkey, who is heart broken because I know my cousins are dying unjustly, and I know my human friends are hurting so.  It is my nature to worry about my human companions, (link) and I know my friends are mourning deeply the loss of so many innocent wild hearts, gunned down and left to rot in their desert home.  I have seen them cry, as they cried with me.

Home!  It is a place of safety for most.  But, my burro cousins who live in Big Bend Ranch State Park do not feel that safety, as helicopters fly over-head killing all the wildlife around them.  They are forced to watch as their family members are gunned down at their feet.  They watch as the aoudad, elk, and hogs are riddled with bullets coming from the helicopter.  They know, the predators whom they keep an eye on for the safety of all who share the desert with them, are being slaughtered too.  They must witness the snaring of these great cats of the desert as they struggle in the snares only to have their lives ended by a bullet when the Texas Parks and Wildlife killing personnel arrive.  It is pure carnage.  The desert is awash in the blood of the innocent who have lived peacefully together for millions of years. We evolved together here on this continent, (link) and we need each other.  Sure, the aoudad are exotic, but they are globally critically endangered unlike the bighorn the TPWD is trying to introduce to the park.  And, if one wants to be really picky, the bighorn originated in Siberia.  But, being the wise donkey that I am, I also know they have been here long enough to have a place in our ecosystem too.  It is not their fault that humans want to kill them for their beautiful crown of curly horns.  They too are victims, in the end.  And, no trophy hunter wants to blemish their trophy with a head shot, so they do suffer greatly from the body wounds that drop their regal lives to the ground.

I am a simple domestic donkey, but burned into my memory which goes back thousands of years was the time we were in our glory.  Jesus loved us.  He loved us so much that we were ordained to be with him from birth to death.  We represent peace, humility, loyalty, courage and sacrifice and we are mentioned in the Bible 444 times.  In fact, the donkey is the only animal who speaks in the Bible!(link)  We witnessed the King of Kings as he rode a white donkey foal into Jerusalem the week before he was crucified, (link) and we would have gladly given our lives in His stead, but He would not allow it.  His shadow of the cross on which He died is burned forever in our backs.  I, Miss Abby, proudly wear mine.  I thought that Governor Perry, who professes to follow the Lord, would have wanted to touch my lovely cross to be close to Christ.  I was wrong.  Instead, his office required that we send a fax requesting authorization to deliver the petition signed lovingly by over 100,000 caring souls.  He then did not reply.  This essentially denied our delivery access.

Instead of being welcome, we discovered that there is an agency in Austin that has so much power it can revoke the rights of citizens to ask for a redress of their grievances.  That agency is the State Preservation Board, (link) whose Executive Director John Sneed (1 512-463-5495) scared me so badly, I tried to run away, because I could see he scared Marjorie too.  She backed up a step because his face was contorted and his body language was very aggressive.  He was a really rude, and scary man.  More on that in a minute.  The State Preservation Board has been the topic of controversy  over numerous complaints about ethics.  They have the power to override previously authorized events, which they did to our League as we attempted to deliver the Wild Burro Protection League Ride For Life signatures which were provided by concerned citizens all over the world. People love us, and I am overjoyed with learning how much.  But, these wonderful people have been ignored.(link)  The State Preservation Board got Marjorie very upset when on the morning we were to deliver our petition as promised from a wagon pulled by Miss Abby, to the Governor's office, our approved parking was denied.  The director of the State owned parking lot, said she received a phone call that morning saying our authorization was revoked.  I watched Marjorie calling, and running around to try to straighten this out, which she did, but it took its toll on her.  Thank goodness Red Horse Nation (link) came all the way from Alpine to support us.  Rachael Waller Rondeaux (link) and her family Rod, (link) and Chey (link) were there to comfort and take on duties Marjorie was now unable to handle.  They did it without question, for we stood in solidarity with our wild hearts, all of them, together.  I am really good friends with Chey's donkey Penelope too.

The next thing that happened was that the police were ordered to tell us (they were wonderful to us, and did Austin proud with their respectful, and kind treatment ) (link) that we could not enter the State Capitol grounds with our wagon, because it would not fit through the bollards.  HOWEVER, the bollard was down on the right as attested to by the posted photograph.  They blocked it with a car, keeping us out with the wagon.  It is interesting to note that horses, donkeys and mules are frequent visitors to the Capitol.  Check out last years' photo of a Christmas tree delivery!!!

Melinda Eppler, who is with the State Preservation Board, had stated in her e-mail, that they could not lower the bollards to accommodate the wagon.  However, the bollard was down, so we should have been allowed to enter.  Here is the correspondence from Melinda Eppler of the State Preservation Board:

From: Melinda Eppler 

Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2012 8:46 AM

To: 'donkeys.can.do.@gmail.com'

Subject: January 18 Capitol Visit

Good morning,

We spoke last Friday about your January 18 visit to the Capitol. I was looking over your website and after seeing the photos, I have a few concerns.

The primary concern, is that the donkey/wagon will not fit through our security bollards and therefore, it will not be able to come onto the Capitol grounds. 

I would suggest you consider pulling the wagon up to Brazos - outside the Capitol's east gate, in the bus unloading area. 

Here is a map indicating the location of the bus unloading area:

http://www.tspb.state.tx.us/spb/plan/FloorPlan/Complex.htm

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Thank you!

Mindy Eppler

State Preservation Board

Miss Abby

Jan 17 (3 days ago)

to Stephanie, Karen, Melinda 

It will fit, it is very narrow, and much smaller than appears in the photo. What is the distance between the bollards? This is a wagon reduced in scale to replicate a buckboard. It is miniture. I fit through a 4' wide opening at the Artwalk in Alpine. 

Marjorie Farabee

Miss Abby

Jan 17 (3 days ago)

to Johnny, Melinda, Karen, Stephanie 

I just went to the ranch and measured. It is exactly 4' 1" between the wheels.

Melinda Eppler Melinda.Eppler@tspb.state.tx.us

Jan 17 (2 days ago)

to me 

Good afternoon,

Thanks for the information on the measurement. If it will not fit through the bollards, please keep in mind that we cannot lower them to accommodate access. 

Also, as we discussed, please be sure the animals stay on the asphalt and do not venture on to the grass or limestone walkways.

Thank you!

Mindy Eppler

State Preservation Board

512-463-3051

As you can see, the bollard WAS down, and did not have to be lowered. They blocked my access with the police car.

Marjorie had to make a choice then.  She asked volunteers who were unprepared to make a statement to Dewhurst or Perry to take the petition to his (Dewhurst's) office.  Amazingly, Gayle-Suzanne Barron and Tammie Hillis winged it well!  Way to go League!  (link)

Marjorie and I had to drive our wagon back 3 blocks, unhitch, and return which kept us from the media and making our prepared statement to Lt. Governor David Dewhurst.  I, Miss Abby, helped her with this delivery statement that we unfortunately were kept from making, but we learned for our up coming protest, that we cannot trust Austin.  We wanted to tell him that we have a dream.  We have a dream that wildlife will be protected and that burros will be respected and left un-harassed in Big Bend Ranch State Park.  We have a dream that studies will be conducted, and the people who live in the area will be able to at last promote their wild burros. We dream that the local people's wishes will be respected.  People love them, and if they are allowed to promote the wild burro the people will come.  We have a dream that if Texas Parks and Wildlife will accept that the burros belong, and they start to practice holistic range practices,(link) the ecosystem will flourish.  We will all benefit from the health established by using science.  We dream of the day when observation stations are constructed, and the people's wishes to see these remarkable animals living wild were they have always lived, will be respected.  We are not giving up on that dream.  Donkeys can do.

We were required by Perry's office to provide a fax of our request to deliver the petitions to his office, which we did.  His office ignored the request, thereby denying our ability to deliver to his office.  This letter asked for mercy for our burros.  We asked him to work with us, and we got no response.  The State Preservation Board who is directly in touch with the Governor stood in opposition to our efforts to save this magnificent, rare herd of wild burros for future generations.  The governor continues to defer to the "wisdom" of TPWD to make the "right" decisions, when we have demonstrated that they are making a mockery of land stewardship. No scientist worth his salt would approve the removal of any species, much less half a dozen, without conducting comprehensive studies.  Yet, TPWD is doing exactly that which means they are playing Russian roulette with our lives.  This is too important to ignore, and the good people of Texas, our Country and around the world are asking you to put a stop to it.  Governor Perry, it is a coward who leaves controversial decisions to be made by others.  The buck stops with you, sir.  We are not going away, because our planet is ultimately at risk by the loss of this ecosystem that encompasses 5 million acres.  The burros are complementing these lands on which they have traveled for millions of years.  They belong, they are needed for the health of these precious lands.  It is time to take selfish out of government, and start looking at governance for the people, not for the few.

Our treatment by your government appointed personnel was appalling, and culminated when John Sneed who heads the State Preservation Board, came out of the building and verbally attacked my friend Marjorie.  He frightened me, and I wanted to flee.  But, he told Marjorie that if she could not control her animal she would have to leave.  He was so mean, but when he said that, I knew I had to be brave and stand by her side.  She was so scared she backed up a step from him.  His face was contorted, and his body language was aggressive, as he told us to clean up the poop.  He, he, he, he I had to laugh when Marjorie said "Well, sir, the poop bucket was on the wagon you would not let in!  Ha!  He got more ugly, and Marjorie then said, "Hey, this man is harassing me, is anyone getting this on film?"  When the cameras turned on him, he turned and left, what a coward.  But, of course, cowards attack women and donkeys, don't they?
Showdown at the Capitol~NPR
(When you listen to this clip you will hear a remark about Nancy, who they stated was "being stubborn".  The fact was, that she was waiting for Marjorie, and when we both returned she moved right along, after remaining stuck in place for 30 minutes.  Loyalty is often overlooked when people discuss our marvelous traits.)

WILD BURRO PROTECTION LEAGUE RIDE FOR LIFE!!

Oh look what I will be doing with all of my friends on Wednesday! I am so excited that I finally get to work and help my cousins! I wanted to cry when my friends told me how many humans had signed a petition showing their love. Truly, tears creased the fur on my face. I keep whispering to my friends that there are lots of jobs we donkeys can do, and do better than any horse in the desert! Sorry Windy, but it is true. I still love my ear-challenged horse friends, but when it comes to rough, deserts we rule. Period. TEXAS IS SHOOTING THE LAST HERD OF WILD BURROS IN THE STATE!  ALL OF THEM.

Dear Wild Burro Supporters:

The Wild Burro Protection League Ride For Life is taking place on January 18th in Austin TX, at the Capitol. We are delivering the 103,000 signatures and comments to Governor Rick Perry and Lt. Governor David Dewhurst at 1:00 PM. At noon we will head out with the petition signatures and comments loaded on the back of a small buckboard wagon which will be pulled by a donkey named Miss Abby (thats me!). Our staging area is at the Day Care Center (Rosewood Oaks, 1507 Lavaca Street, Austin, TX 78701-1610 which is next to the Capitol Grounds Complex. We will travel up Lavaca Street turn left on 16th and right on Congress. We will then go to the South side of the Capitol bldg. At that time, Marjorie Farabee will disembark from our buckboard, and go to the north entrance up to the offices and make the delivery.

In the meantime, our members and supporters will be speaking to those interested about what is happening to the last herd of wild burros in Texas, as well as other wildlife located in Big Bend Ranch State Park. In an effort to restore bighorn sheep who are not threatened globally, TPWD is killing all the aoudad (who are threatened globally), elk (native) wild burro (native) and any bobcat or cougar found near bighorn habitat. It is a recipe for a complete ecosystem collapse. What is equally alarming, this important region is a globally recognized precious biosphere, and uniquely blessed with water in a desert region. In fact, there are over 250 springs, and the Rio Grande river blessing this desert region with water. Also of interest is the role played by Mexico and the International Peace Park which is visited by our wild burros who migrate to their locations across the Rio Grande River.

We will be accompanied on our Ride For Life by several other people with equine, including Rod and Rachael Waller Rondeaux and their daughter Chey. They represent both Red Horse Nation and the local people who live where the burros are being shot. Rod, who is also a well known stunt horse rider, will be riding a mustang named Windy, and nine-year-old Chey will ride a mammoth donkey named Hannah. We also have the support of Christopher Gill who owns Circle Ranch which is 32,000 acres next to Sierra Diablo Wildlife Management Area near Van Horn, and also has a blog. www.circleranchtx.com. He says he will have an article coming out soon which talks only about the burro. We initially met because he was outraged that TPWD started shooting all the elk next door to his ranch on the WMA and on all state-managed property in far-West Texas.

He is a holistic rancher who believes the burros (and horses) fill an important niche in the ecosystem (in fact, a 10,050 year old horse tooth was found in a cave on his ranch in 2011 and is also documented on his blog) We feel very fortunate that he is supporting our cause. He has proven through his holistic methods that timed grazing HELPS the ecosystem, and he can prove it by comparing his ranch to all the holdings of TPWD. Not surprisingly, they refuse to share data with him, even though he shares all of his with them. This is because they know their method results are dismal compared to his. Look at their land and look at Mr. Gill's. None compare, and he has huge numbers grazing his land.

We made attempts to work with TPWD. We offered to help manage the burros live in the park, and offered to procure the grants needed to do the job correctly. We met with directors and attended and commented at Commissioners meetings. We have reached out to ASPCA and HSUS, hoping they would work with us to find a legal stop to the killing. We have worked on this full time for almost two years now, and have amassed an enormous amount of information during the process. We can define the burro as native, and we can prove their place in this globally recognized precious ecosystem to be an important one. In fact, we believe (and have the science to back our claims) that the burros (and horses) are helping to stave off the desertification which is rampant throughout the west. To rescue them is extremely short sighted as it does not serve the ecosystem well, nor does it address the burros who will refill the place of those rescued. Obviously, TPWD will simply start shooting them again. In addition, it is important to address the concerns of the people who live there. They want the burro to remain. The burro is a part of their cultural history, from mining, to taking the children to school to building the Pacific Southern Railroad, the burro is deeply woven into the fabric of who they are as a people. It is important to note that they have a history that goes back further than the established towns. It was the burro who was hardy enough to make the first journeys with exploration expeditions. In fact, it was burro trails that first led to roads and then later to towns. Without question, the people of these border towns respect the burro who is indeed a part of their history.


We are excited that so many reached out with love for the burros. At the town hall meeting in Alpine, it was clear the residents see them as part of their cultural history, an avenue for tourism, and want them to remain where they have been for 500 years. They have come home to the place of their origination 53 million years ago. They were only gone (and this complete die out is oft disputed) from our continent for a brief period of time 6,500 to 10,000 years ago. There are some who believe equus never really completely died out, others who believe they were reintroduced by the Asians and Vikings before the Spaniards. What is clear is that there is a gap in the history which is unfairly being used by TPWD to justify destroying all of these rightfully belonging native species who are wrongly tagged as "exotic".

Miss Abby feels the love from all the people who signed their petition.  She wants to thank all who care. 

Of interest too, is the fact that federal dollars are being used to kill this federally protected species. I wonder about the legality of these Draconian measures? It is clear that we need funding to mount a legal campaign to stop the killing of so many species at this park, and we need to prepare for legislation for the 2013 Texas Legislature to support. This is the first step toward that goal.

FREE TO DREAM, FREE TO LIVE

I am impatient for Marjorie to return from England.  I have missed her, and her fingers in my fuzzy ears.  There is a rumor going around the ranch that soon we will ride to Austin!  I am ready.  I am a brave donkey on a mission, and Hannah has said she is joining me.  She has made a special friend in young Chey, and she cannot wait to see her again.  Soon.  Very soon we go.  I hope it is not raining, but it won't matter, we will ride still for my cousins.  I heard from Marjorie who spoke with Rob Nichols at the Donkey Sanctuary in Devon UK.  She said he kept a poker face while she made her case before him.  Finally, she had to come out and say, "Well...?"  He answered finally that he is convinced that they need to make a formal statement against the killings, but needs the approval of all on the team, to do so.  They will return this coming week, and we will know soon.  We are ever so hopeful.  This along with the Circle Ranch, and Red Horse Nation and others is really growing in size.  Never doubt what one curvy, smart donkey girl can do when she sets her mind to it!  I have been most persuasive with my friends, Johnny, Marjorie and Karen.  And, they have been the best of friends to me.

The next big hurdle is trying to get an interview with BBC before returning from England.  I would call BBC for Marjorie but somehow don't think they will quite understand me as my friends do.  If only people could learn to slow down, to listen, to feel.  If they could learn to step back from the rush of their contemporary lives.  It is this rush that overwhelms their senses and causes their loss.  They need to walk with donkeys for a while to make the world right.  The birds are chirping and the hay smells so sweet.  I love my moments with my friends, and I know we have so much we can share with humans if they would just slow down long enough to learn the power of time.  Time slows down when you walk with us.  We like for things to happen quietly and methodically.  Calm instillS calm and allows for dreams.  It is good to daydream, for when you do while with us, you are in the present.  They are dreams of your making.  My dreams these days are of a successful ride with many people cheering us on as we hand these signatures written by beautiful loving people who love us.  My dreams are of seeing my wild cousins running free, in the desert that is their home.   Free from bullets, free from harm, free to dream.  FREE TO LIVE.