[SOLVED] Repeating Backround Image for Menu Bar

I am trying to make a faux bullet for my page menu items using a background image. The image is showing in the background of the menu item and then REPEATS right at the beginning of the the list item, like there are two layers happening.

this is my code. adapted from juggledad's cheat sheet. My site is in maintenance mode, so you will not be able to view it.


/* ================================================ */
/* Page Menu item */
/* ================================================ */
ul.rMenu li a:link,
ul.rMenu li a:hover,
ul.rMenu li a:active,
ul.rMenu li a:visited,
ul.rMenu li {
background: url('http://www.terralingua.org/wp-content/themes/atahualpa/images/bullets/bacata.gif') !important;
background-repeat: no-repeat !important;
letter-spacing: 0.3em !important;
padding-left: 25px;
padding-right: 25px;
}