Democracy for New Mexico

Griego Campaign Hosts Independence Day Barbeque 7/3

From the Eric Griego for Mayor campaign:
Please join us for an Independence Day "Independent" Potluck Barbecue at the new Eric Griego for Mayor headquarters!

WHAT: Barbeque

WHEN: Sunday, July 3, 2005 from 4 PM - 7 PM

WHERE: 1020 Coal Ave SE (corner of Coal & Mulberry)

WHO: Join Eric Griego and friends, family and supporters!

For more information about this event please Molly at 224-9042 ext 2#. See you there!

Thank you,
Eric Griego
Our City. Our Mayor.

email: info@ericgriego.com
phone: 505-224-9042
web: https://www.ericgriego.com 

Bingaman Measure Approved to Expand Use of Renewable Energy

From the DPNM Victory Line:
Right off the bat, the U.S. Senate adopted a measure written by U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman that ensures electric companies will generate more of their power from renewable sources such as the wind and the sun.

In a 52-48 vote Bingaman’s amendment was added to the Senate version of the energy bill.  The Bingaman provision calls on electric utilities to generate 10 percent of their power through renewables by 2020; that requirement is called the “renewable portfolio standard.”

“Our country is growing increasingly dependent on coal and natural gas to generate electricity.  In my view, we must seek ways to diversify our sources of energy.  We can and we must find ways to adopt new technologies such as wind, solar and biomass power. That is exactly what this provision does,” Bingaman said.

Bingaman’s measure allows for a gradual transition into the renewable requirement, beginning with 1 percent of the company’s sales base in 2005 and increasing to 10 percent in 2020.

One major benefit to Bingaman’s amendment is the fact that it likely will spur rural economic development and create tens of thousands of jobs nationwide in the manufacturing and construction of renewable energy facilities.  And it sets the United States back on a course to being the world leader in renewable technologies.

“The United States was once a world leader in the manufacture of renewable technologies.  This provision will help create a robust domestic market for the technologies that will help U.S. suppliers to recapture their former dominance in these markets,” Bingaman said.

Bingaman pointed out that New Mexico has is its renewable portfolio standard at 10 percent by 2011. 

“Our state has embraced renewable energy and it is leading our country in finding ways to rely more heavily on renewable resources and less on imports,” Bingaman said. 

The Energy Information Administration estimates that the Bingaman amendment would result in a $22.6 billion savings for consumers. 

Also, see the Albuquerque Tribune's coverage, which leads off by saying: “The Senate finished its first week of work on the energy bill by handing a big victory to Sen. Jeff Bingaman.”

Editor's Note: A Senate vote on its version of the energy bill is expected Tuesday morning. Here's an assessment of the bill by the American Council for An Energy-Efficient Economy with links to detailed analyses of both the Senate and House versions of the energy bill. The Natural Resources Defense Council provides analysis of the more damaging aspects of the bill and a link to its complete text.

You can contact Senator Bingaman at his website. 

INVITATION: Progressive Caucus Planning Meeting Set for 7/9

From Charlotte Roybal and Steve Fettig:

Dear Progressive Democrats:

We are asking you to mark your calendar and join us on Saturday July 9th! Please also send this out to your email lists of other progressives who may be interested.  RSVP to Charlotte by e-mail or phone (930-0563).

Now is the time to form a Progressive Caucus within the New Mexico Democratic Party.  Progressives are making great progress around the state on many Democratic issues.  We are active at the local, state, and national levels.   We are formed by the interests of many organizations and individuals across the state. As we build momentum and plan for future action, we are asking you to join us for a Steering Committee meeting to develop the Progressive Caucus.  We will be discussing the following:

1. Recommendations for Mission and Purpose
2. Recommendations for structural/organizational options
3. Report and recommendations on work to rebuild the DPNM.
4. Appointments to state committees.

The meeting will be on Saturday July 9, 2005 at 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM in Albuquerque at the Peace and Justice Center (202 Harvard SE) at the SE corner of Harvard and Silver

If you cannot come and would like a copy of our documents to be presented, let us know. We are looking toward having a meeting at the end of August to present these recommendations to a larger group.

Peace and Solidarity,
Charlotte Roybal (croybal@aol.com 505-930-0563 in Santa Fe)
and Steve Fettig (osprey@cybermesa.com 505-662-6785 in Los Alamos)

Editor's Note: Those who attended the Democratic Party's State Central Committee Meeting in Socorro in April will recall the initial planning session for a Progressive Caucus that was held at the end of the meeting. The DPNM has invited us to form a Progressive Caucus that will join other caucuses in the Party structure, including Young Democrats, Democratic Women, Veterans, Native Americans and Hispanics. All progressive Democrats from around the state are encouraged to attend this initial steering committee meeting. You don't have to be a member of the SCC or hold any office in the Party. Now is the time to share your views on what the focus and structure of the Caucus should be. Come on down!

All Day Conference to Commemorate 60th Anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings

Editor's Note: DFNM is an endorsing organization for this event and we hope that many of our members and others around the state will volunteer to help the Los Alamos Study Group, donate funds and attend the main and related events. If you're a member of other progressive groups, encourage them to endorse this program. You can also sign up as an individual endorser at the Los Alamos Study Group website (see below).

August 6th: DAY OF REMEMBRANCE AND ACTION
It Started Here – Let’s Stop It Here!

On Saturday, August 6, 2005, the Los Alamos Study Group and endorsing organizations will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings with an all-day conference and teach-in at Ashley Pond Park in Los Alamos.

The day’s events will begin at 10:00 AM and continue all day at Ashley Pond Park and in adjacent public buildings.   You may want to come earlier for the Pax Christi calendar demonstration; check the for this and other related events occurring in the same time frame.

In the morning there will be welcomes, introductions of participating groups, speakers and musicians, and the first of our main speakers. At noon we will all take part in a symbolic pageant with thousands of sunflowers, the international emblem of nuclear disarmament. (Sunflowers became the symbol of disarmament after they were ritually sown into the earth at a Russian missile silo destroyed after the Cold War.) We’ll have lunch in the park and at local restaurants. After lunch there will be more music and two solid workshops on nuclear history and on positive economic and social alternatives for New Mexico. These will be indoors; we have reserved seating for about 600 people for these two workshops, which will repeat so everyone can attend both. We’ll break for dinner, then return to the park to set hundreds of candle lanterns a float on the pond.

For more information please visit our website or call us at (505) 265-1200. Click to download a brochure.

In Solidarity,
Claire Long
Outreach Coordinator
Los Alamos Study Group
2901 Summit Place NE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
(505)265-1200
(505)265-1207 (fax)
clong@lasg.org
www.lasg.org

LEAD UP EVENTS
Prior to August 6 we and allied organizations will host a series of educational, artistic, and community-building public events, announced by email and at our calendar, including the weekend of, July 16th, which marks the 60th anniversary of the world’s first nuclear explosion at the Trinity Site in New Mexico.

(Click through to continuation page for more information on events and endorsing groups and businesses.)

On July 15th and 16th, the Los Alamos Study Group will host two literary events in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, “Mightier Than the Sword: Writers Address the Nuclear Age.”  Make sure you give us your email address or check our web site often!  Let us know if you want to help with these very important events. 

July 15: Mightier Than the Sword: Writers Address the Nuclear Age (60th  Anniversary of Trinity Test Explosion)
Where: James A. Little Theater, Santa Fe
When: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Who: Judyth Hill, William Witherup, Karen Jones Meadows, John Bradley and Elaine Maria Upton.

July 16: Mightier Than the Sword: Writers Address the Nuclear Age (60th  Anniversary of Trinity Test Explosion)
Where: Lobo Theater, Albuquerque
When: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Who: William Witherup, Karen Jones Meadows, John Bradley, Mary Oishi and Maisha Baton.

July 29 – 31: Seminar on Nuclear Weapons Law and Policy
Where: University of New Mexico Law School Room 2405
When: Friday 7/29, 5:30 pm to Sunday 7/31, Noon
More: Authoratative short course in the legal status of nuclear weapons for activists, students, journalists, and laboratory personnel. Modest tuition; continuing legal education credit may be possible.

WHY LOS ALAMOS?   WHY NOW?
Los Alamos designed and assembled the bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Sixty years later, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is the largest facility for so-called weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the world in dollar terms. Sandia National Laboratories, just 60 miles away, is next in size. These institutions are anything but static; in the past decade, LANL's nuclear weapons budget more than tripled over average Cold War levels, after correcting for inflation. Almost half (49%) of U.S. nuclear weapons spending now occurs in New Mexico, where WMD are the second largest source of income (after oil and gas extraction). More actual nuclear weapons are kept here (in Albuquerque, about 2,500) than any other single place in the world. New Mexico arguably has the most influential (Pete Domenici) and most enthusiastic (Heather Wilson) proponents of nuclear weapons in Congress, and lobbyists from this state's two labs carry their self-promoting nuclear agenda into every nook and cranny of government. For all these reasons, New Mexico is without question the world capital for nuclear weapons.

In making completely new nuclear weapons, fabricating the plutonium cores (pits) is the most difficult step. LANL is the only site in the U.S. that does this, a role slated to greatly expand over the next decade or more years. We want to make this mission impossible.

LANL also has the largest active nuclear disposal site in the Southwest, where millions of drums and boxes of nuclear waste are to be permanently disposed over the coming decades. There is no permit involved or external regulation of any kind.   

Politically and demographically speaking, New Mexico is a small state. Here far more than in, say, Washington, DC the voices of citizens, experts, and moral authorities count for a great deal. On-the-ground organizing efforts, continuing public and media education, and respected policy analysis will multiply the value of your August 6 investment.

This nation is now engaged in a bloody war of occupation which had caused the deaths of at least 100,000 people by September 2004 and possibly twice this number, according to a careful Johns Hopkins study. U.S. military units are now operating in and above Iran as well in preparation for possible attacks. All this and more is being done in the name of counter-proliferation. Yet right here in New Mexico, nuclear weapons are almost a way of life for thousands of people. New Mexico's nuclear labs provide a uniquely persuasive platform from which to condemn the hypocritical folly of U.S. security policy.

It is important to speak out now because this year is a pivotal, make-or-break year for controlling nuclear nonproliferation.  The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) is under tremendous pressure from several fronts, with U.S. intransigence undercutting most fruitful dialogue. U.S. noncompliance is deeper and more systemic than can be blamed any single administration, party, or iteration of doctrine, and LANL is its most physically symbolic manifestation. The NPT signatories met in May in New York for formal review of the treaty, to very little effect, which makes our job all the more important!

Although the outcome of these efforts is not in our hands, we do need, and we are working in several ways to create, a political breakthrough this year on nuclear disarmament, leading toward a sane security policy.

PROMOTING A POLITICAL CULTURE BASED ON THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON
At this event we will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. We also seek to make visible a portion of the very strong support which polls show is now present in the United States and around the world for nuclear disarmament ( 84% in one large recent poll). We want to bridge issues; regionally, we hope to build bridges between organizations as well. In this we aim to assist in the gradual emergence of a political culture based on the dignity of the human person, as opposed to an ever more pervasive politics of fear, hate, greed, and war.

Any such political movement and platform must include from the outset the vigorous rejection of weapons of mass destruction as instruments of state power.   

The public purposes of this event as well as the organizing effort involved in it are intimately tied to The Call for Nuclear Disarmament. We are just beginning "The Call" campaign but it has already been endorsed by some 200 regional businesses, organizations, and political leaders. We will soon publicly link this small but growing groundswell with what are literally dozens of related international efforts, in effect globalizing resistance in New Mexico.   

In "The Call" we ask for new security priorities: affordable health care for everyone, better education, renewable energy, and economic opportunity for those who have none. We call for investment in people and families, in our economy and environment, instead of in preparation for war -- especially nuclear war. Please join us. 

WORLDWIDE SOLIDARITY
We are working in solidarity with organizations hosting similar and parallel events at other U.S. nuclear weapons facilities, including Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, the Nevada Test Site, the Y-12 Plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and the Pantex nuclear weapons plant in Amarillo, Texas. We are also working very closely with a worldwide network of scholars, activists, and civic leaders who are mobilizing this year to stop nuclear proliferation and restart the stalled disarmament process.

Click to see lists of endorsing local organizations, businesses and national and international organizations.

THE TONE OF THE AUGUST 6 EVENT
In this event, we will be firm on the basic questions of nuclear weapons and disarmament, which are moral and legal in nature as well as matters of policy. We will develop and present positive alternatives to current (in)security policies and positive alternatives for economic and social development in New Mexico. We will not be personally confrontational and we will be nonviolent in both word and deed. We ask that all participating and endorsing organizations agree to this core principle of nonviolence and to the broad policy goals of the event as stated in "The Call."  We also hope the event will be physically beautiful and are already working to that end.   

Humanity now faces an unprecedented combination of challenges involving climate, security, poverty, environment, energy, and health. We understand that we need a breakthrough -- that we need new thinking, inspired career choices, and a deeper personal commitment to be part of the solution. If our social and political commitment to nuclear weapons and all they imply remains intact, no breakthrough will be possible, and the torch of humanity may dim or even fall. Especially in New Mexico, we will regress unless and until we are able to free ourselves from the stranglehold of militarization and embrace policies which are just, humane, secure, and sustainable.

Caliente!

(Above: Mayoral Candidate Eric Griego with his team's First Place Ribbon in the traditional Red Chile category, and Governor Richardson.)

By all accounts the First Annual Chile Cookoff to benefit the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County was a huge success and netted more than $2700, as well as a fax machine (and a crisp $100 bill) donated by Governor Bill Richardson. Read all about it and see a list of the winners at the DPBC website (scroll down on the main page). Also check out coverage on the new local political blog, SoyBlue, and be sure to click on the Cookoff Photo Album on the right-hand side of the page there.

What a terrific effort by all the organizers, volunteers, sponsors, bands, chile teams, judges and tasters! Those in attendance included Governor Richardson, Ex-Sen. Richard Romero, Public Regulation Commissioner Jason Marks, Councilman and Mayoral Candidate Eric Griego, State Party Chair John Wertheim, Mayoral Candidate Judy Espinoza and DPBC second Vice Chair Daniel Ivey-Soto. Congratulations and thanks to all who participated!

(Above: Ward 28A's Shay Rose [left], of the True Blue Chile Team that won 2nd place in the Chile Verde category, with the Guv and participant. Click photos for larger images.)

DNC Releases Long-Awaited 2004 Ohio Election Report!

You can download a copy of the DNC's Voting Rights Institute report at the DNC site and read Chair Howard Dean's comments. Dean quote:

"The results show that our election system failed the citizens of Ohio in 2004, and in particular failed African Americans, new registrants, younger voters and voters in places using touch screen machines.

"More than a quarter of all Ohio voters reported problems with their voting experience.

"Twice as many African American voters as white voters reported experiencing problems at the polls."

TheBradBlog has the full text of comments made upon its release today by Voting Rights Institute Chair, Donna Brazile. Brazile quote:

"African American voters were far more likely to have their registration status challenged and to report experiencing intimidation at the polls than other voters. 16% of African Americans reported experiencing intimidation at the polls as opposed to 5% of whites.
...
Counties using touchscreen machines had far more problems than voters in other counties."

The report also lays out a series of 23 recommendations for improving the voting process nationwide. What's your take on these?

WOW: Senator Edwards Set for ABQ Living Wage Rally Next Tuesday!

We just got back from DemocracyFest in Austin, but I wanted to get this posted:

On Tuesday, June 28, there are two very important events featuring former U.S. Senator and Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards.  First, at 4:15 PM, on Civic Plaza, Sen. Edwards will lead a rally in support of raising Albuquerque's minimum wage.  We expect good media attention at this event will bolster the current petition drive.  Bring your friends, family, and co-workers for this exciting rally!

Then, after we've all delivered new petitions to the City Clerk, if you or your organization want to help fund the petition drive, please join Attorney General Patsy Madrid and State Senator Dede Feldman at a fundraiser for the minimum wage campaign.  Information for the fundraiser is listed below.  Please feel free to call me on my cell (463-8499) if you have any questions about either event, and please forward this to all appropriate email addresses (public employees should try to send to private email addresses). 

Finally, please go to www.abqlivingwage.org to download your own copy of the petition and proposed ballot initiative, so you can bring signatures to the rally.  Thanks!

Carter Bundy
Political Action Representative
AFSCME New Mexico

P.S.  For unions or other organizations that are planning to make a contribution anyhow, this would be a terrific place to make your donation!

Hon. Patricia Madrid
New Mexico Attorney General

Welcomes

Hon. John Edwards
former U.S. Senator & Vice Presidential candidate

and

Maude Hurd
ACORN National President

to an event benefiting the

Albuquerque Campaign to Raise the Minimum Wage

Tuesday, June 28, 2005
5:30 p.m.

At the home of State Senator Dede Feldman
North Valley of Albuquerque

General reception: $250 individual; $500 supporter
Private reception:  $1000 patron; $2000 benefactor (give/raise)

To RSVP, for information or to become a benefactor, please contact A.J. Goodman:  phone: 1-877-277-1011  fax: 505-244-1090; ajg@ajgoodman.com

To donate to the cause even if you can't attend, please send contributions to:

Albuquerque Campaign to Raise the Minimum Wage
c/o ACORN, 411 Bellamah N.W., Albuquerque, NM 87102
phone: 1-877-277-1011; fax: 505-244-1090; email: ajg@ajgoodman.com

Contributions to Albuquerque Minimum Wage Committee are not tax deductible.

Support Santa Fe's Living Wage at Appeals Hearing

From the Santa Fe Living Wage Network:

*  Hear the Court of Appeals argument at 9:30 AM on June 22nd. A three judge panel of the New Mexico Court of Appeals will hear the appeal of the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce from Judge Daniel Sanchez's June, 2004 ruling that the Santa Fe Living Wage Ordinance is legally valid. The panel consists of Judges Lynn Pickard, Michael Bustamante, and Cynthia Fry. Come and show your support by listening to the argument. The Courts of Appeals is at 237 Don Gaspar in Santa Fe.

*  Celebrate Economic Justice at 6:00 PM. Join us at 6 PM on Wednesday, June 22nd at the National Education Association Building, 2007 Botulph Road, for a festive celebration of the first anniversary of the living wage in Santa Fe. The NEA Building is across St. Michaels Drive from St. Vincent Hospital.

The Program will show a sneak preview of the new film by Thunder Road Productions about the Santa Fe Living Wage campaign, funded by the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. We will also be awarding certificates of appreciation to all the volunteer lawyers who defended the Living Wage Ordinance in Court, including those arguing in the Court of Appeals the morning of June 22nd. There will also be music, door prizes, and food donated by Walter Burke Catering, Santa Fe Baking Co., Rt. 66 Sandwich Shop, El Tesoro Cafe, Tribes Coffee House, Aztec Cafe, and other dishes from more restaurants.

Tickets: You need to buy tickets in advance so that we know how many are coming. Tickets are $8.50 per person (tickets are free for children under 10). To get tickets contact Sheila at 983-9563 or  info@santafelivingwage.org. If you can, get a book of 10 and help us sell tickets.

Sponsors: We would like people to sponsor the evening, so that we can keep down the expense of tickets and also raise funds for the work of the Network. Therefore, we invite you to be a supporter. In recognition of this support, you will be named in the event program book (including a short message for the "Visionary" and "Organizer" categories). We have four levels of sponsorship: Visionary,($1,000 and up); Organizer, ($500); Activist, ($250); and Believer, ($100). To become a sponsor make out your check to "Santa Fe Living Wage Network" and mail it to P.O. Box 23764, Santa Fe, NM 87502. Questions?  Contact simon@santafe-newmexico.com

Stop Global Warming: Join the Virtual March on Washington

THE STOP GLOBAL WARMING VIRTUAL MARCH ON WASHINGTON is a non-political effort to bring all Americans together in one place, proving there is a vast consensus that global warming is here now and it is time for our country to start addressing it. With the support of leading scientists, political and religious leaders, prominent Americans and concerned citizens, the Virtual March on Washington will move across the United States via the Internet from one town to the next, showing the evidence of global warming's alarming affects, and highlighting real people's concerns and real solutions along the way.

Please join the march and make your voice heard too. Click for my march page or to create your own and invite your friends to join.

Current marchers include Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Senator John McCain, Walter Cronkite, NY Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, Al Gore, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Wesley Clark, SEIU President Andy Stern and thousands of ordinary people.

DNC Funds Used to Strengthen County Parties in NC

Editor's Note: Here's a piece on how the the North Carolina Democratic Party is using its money from the DNC to strengthen its state party and, perhaps even more importantly, its county parties. I think it raises some issues we would do well to ponder here in New Mexico, with the DNC assessment visit happening later this month, followed by an anticipated investment of DNC funds in the DPNM.

My name is Jerry Meek, and I'm the head of the North Carolina Democratic Party. I'm the one spending your money.

Many of you have given money to the DNC recently to go to state parties. Giving is not always easy in the Bush economy. Thankfully, my job is not to give, but to spend what you have sacrificed to build a better party. North Carolina was the first state to be 'assessed' by the DNC, and we're about to receive our first slug of money to spend on organizing. As someone who's spent years in the party, and who has given my fair share to candidates, I don't see giving money as a 'gift', actually, but as an investment. And since this time I'm not giving, but spending, I owe you a report on how we're using the resources you provided.

The money you gave is helping us organize our state. We are hiring three regional organizers -- an Eastern, Central, and Western Political Director. The Western Political Director is on staff, and the others will come on board in the next few weeks. All three of them are on the DNC payroll. The goal is to address some longstanding weaknesses that we've had in the North Carolina State Democratic Party.

First, I need to give you some background on Democratic party politics here in my state. The last several years have been spent rebuilding our party infrastructure and building a strong state organization. The fruits of this showed in 2004 when North Carolina was the most successful state in the South for Democrats--we re-elected a Democratic Governor, the Democrats captured control of state House and increased our majority in the state Senate. These are proud achievements and show that North Carolina has all the makings of a "Blue" state. But we can do better. Like the national party, the North Carolina Democratic Party is challenged by the need to move the party outside of Raleigh and go back to the grassroots. For the last several decades, county parties have been starved of resources, talent, training, and data. This is showing up in a lack of effective outreach, poor lists, and a sense of alienation from the party among grassroots activists. I ran to become the North Carolina Party Chair earlier this year on a platform of changing the culture of centralizing political power in this state, and moving it out to the people on the front lines. This was the first competitive election for the party chair position in recent memory, and grassroots activists made their concerns very well known. We have been successful at the state level, but with strong grassroots organization, we can make North Carolina a state that the Democrats carry in presidential elections -- something that hasn't happened since 1976!

This is not pie-in-the-sky thinking. North Carolina is a state that could go Democratic in a few years in Presidential elections. Despite our cultural conservatism, the electorate is slowly shifting away from the Republican party because of demographic trends. The "research triangle" is attracting out-of-state residents who vote Democratic on a national level, and I believe that with hard work, effective outreach, and a strong identity, we can make this a swing state.

What we're going to do with the organizers you paid for is work on upgrading the county organizations so that they can become the focal points of political activity. Many of these organizations do not have a good technical infrastructure, or the knowledge of how to use data to contact voters. The people who staff them are great volunteers, dedicated, and eager to work hard -- I want to make sure that when we push resources and data out to them, they are prepared to use those resources and data to maximum effect. The organizers will spend a great deal of time on training. First, they will help us assess what each organization needs, and then will help create training platforms around the unique needs of each county. As we build the party, we will modify the training programs accordingly, and swap best practices around the state.

What you gave will have real, tangible effects in organizing North Carolina. There will be more Democratic Board of Education members, Mayors, Legislators, and Governors. More people will be involved in politics because of the investments you made. The greatest change that you are helping foster, however, is not just electing Democrats in North Carolina. That is an outgrowth of what you are really paying for, which is allowing people who never thought they mattered to come into politics and prove that it is the people that make this country run. That's what the Democratic Party stands for in North Carolina, and that's what all of us are helping to build.

Thank you for your investment, and we here in North Carolina hope to steward it wisely.