Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 122, No. 209 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
US LACKING FOREIGN SUPPORT FOR SYRIA STRIKE - PAGE A3
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
August 31, 2013
SATURDAY
www.rdrnews.com
Syrians brace for possible US strike WASHINGTON (AP) — Edging toward a punitive strike against Syria, President Barack Obama said Friday he is weighing “limited and narrow” action as the administration bluntly accused Bashar Assad’s government of launching a chemical weapons attack that killed at least 1,429 people — far more than previous estimates — including more than 400 children. No “boots on the ground,” Obama said, seeking to reassure Americans weary after a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. With France as his only
major public ally, Obama told reporters he has a strong preference for multilateral action. He added, “Frankly, part of the challenge we end up with here is a lot of people think something should be done but nobody wants to do it.” Halfway around the world, U.S. warships were in place in the Mediterranean Sea. They carried cruise missiles, long a first-line weapon of choice for presidents because they can find a target hundreds of miles distant without need of air cover or troops on the ground. In what appeared
increasingly like the preattack endgame, U.N. personnel dispatched to Syria carried out a fourth and final day of inspection as they sought to determine precisely what happened in last week’s attack. The international contingent arranged to depart on Saturday and head to laboratories in Europe with the samples they have collected.
Video said to be taken at the scene shows victims writhing in pain, twitching and exhibiting other symptoms associated with
See SYRIA, Page A3
AP Photo
Followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr chant slogans against the U.S. and wave Iraqi and Syrian flags during a demonstration in Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday.
NM GOP seeks to block gay marriage
Prepping for paint
WEAK CONSUMER SPENDING PULLS STOCKS LOWER
- PAGE B5
INSIDE SPORTS
Tomas Barrientos of Dean Baldwin Painting preps a C-130 for a new paint job, Friday.
CAVEMEN SPOIL LYNN’S COYOTE DEBUT - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• Erminia “Minnie” Licon Garcia • Ruby Whitman Davis
- PAGE A2
HIGH ...98˚ LOW ....67˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B4 ENTERTAINMENT.....A8 FINANCIAL .............B5 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
Mark Wilson Photo
SANTA FE (AP) — A group of Republican legislators has brought the first lawsuit to try to block gay marriage in New Mexico since six counties began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in the past week. The lawsuit targets one southern New Mexico county — Dona Ana — but could provide another route for the dispute to reach New Mexico’s highest court for a final statewide resolution. The New Mexico Association of Counties and county clerks statewide have said they plan a separate appeal to the state
State campaigns for 2 linked to immigrant smuggling water conservation SANTA FE (AP) — New Mexico’s top water official and the state Envir onment Department ar e launching a water-saving campaign. State of ficials announced the campaign Friday, unveiling a list of ways residents can use less water as the state deals with a third year of exceptional drought. State Engineer Scott Verhines says making small changes can have a big effect on water bills and the amount of water
that is lost. Officials say homeowners should check for leaks and limit outdoor watering to early morning and late evening hours. They also suggest short showers over baths. Officials pointed to the villages of Maxwell and Magdalena, saying water conservation practices can help ease the problems that arise when supplies ar e low. The two small communities ran out of water earlier this summer.
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — Two men, including an active member of the U.S. Army, have been linked to a “transnational criminal organization” involved in smuggling immigrants through New Mexico, according to federal court documents.
A criminal complaint recently filed in U.S. District Court said Carlos Vives Feliciano and Albuquerque resident Gerald Espinoza helped transport groups of Mexican immigrants suspected of being in the country illegally from Columbus, N.M., to other locations.
See GOP, Page A3
Court documents said the men participated in different stages of the smuggling operation. According to court documents, Feliciano is an active member of the U.S. Army and is stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, and admitted to helping at least five groups of immigrants for $2,500 a trip. The documents didn’t identify Feliciano’s rank in the Army. The criminal complaint said Feliciano was recruited by a known smuggler whose “transnational criminal organization” specializes in smuggling immi-
grants based in Palomas, Mexico. The documents said the men participated in different stages of the smuggling operation. Documents show that Feliciano was arrested by Border Patrol agents in June after being stopped at a checkpoint in Truth or Consequences, N.M. Authorities said Feliciano had with him three immigrants who were in the country illegally. Feliciano identified Espinoza as the man who connected the immigrants to their final destinations, according to the complaint.
Redman: Sharing the gift of gospel to glorify God AMY VOGELSANG RECORD STAFF WRITER
His eyes close, his entire face portraying the emotion he feels in the music and words he sings. This performance isn’t just for the audience, but also for himself and for the Lord. For Lance Redman, singing is a blessing and a gift he uses to touch people, although he tells it differently. “I can’t touch people; the Lord can touch you,” he says. “I don’t see me doing that. I see the Lord using what I’m doing to touch people.” It wasn’t until college that he suddenly realized
he could sing, but ever since, Redman has taken the gift and run with it. He mostly does gospel music, or at least takes songs and adds a religious twist. “Music was originally heavenly,” Redman explains. “(Music) started as love songs directed to glorify God.” So he returns songs to those roots. Some “middle of the road” songs, as he puts it, can be taken in many ways: a simple love song
can be heard and remind one of either a sibling, parent, child, spouse or, as Redman sees it, God. One such song might be Rod Stewart’s “Have I Told You Lately That I Love You.” Other songs that may not have been meant as Christian songs can still hold a message, like the song “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas. See SPOTLIGHT, Page A3
Amy Vogelsang Photo
Lance Redman sees his singing as a blessing and a talent God uses to touch people.