Democracy for New Mexico

Lupe Valdez: Democrat, Hispanic, Female, Openly Gay and Sheriff of Dallas County

We were incredibly impressed with Sheriff Lupe Valdez, who was a speaker at several events held during DemocracyFest, the DFA-related event hosted by Democracy for Texas that we attended in Austin last month.

She's interviewed in the summer issue of Equality, the magazine of the Human Rights Campaign. This link has excerpts, but the entire interview is well worth a read. You can get a copy by joining HRC.

Lupe is a Democrat and the first Hispanic to serve as Sheriff in Dallas County. Also the first woman. And undoubtedly the first lesbian. How did Sheriff Valdez win in DALLAS County, TX of all places? By going directly to the people, looking them in the eyes and convincing them she was for THEM instead of the special interests of monied contributors. That she had integrity. That she would change the scandal-ridden, business as usual, good ol' boy network that was in control of the post for several decades. She reached out to people who hadn't been approached for their votes in decades. She brought thousands of people back into the process and reaped the benefits of their votes. How refreshing. And successful.

Here's a profile of Sheriff Valdez from the Washington Post. My favorite quote:

"What have we come to when we can't say 'elected official' in the same sentence as 'interest of the people' or 'honesty' or 'trust'?" Valdez asked.

Cottrell Named Dickinson Campaign Treasurer

Longtime Dean supporter and DFA-Democracy for New Mexico member Marion Cottrell has been named the treasurer of Marianne Dickinson's campaign for a City Council seat in District 7. Marion is a former Albuquerque City Councilor and Bernalillo County Commissioner and has this to say about Marianne Dickinson:

“I think that I have some ability to judge the qualities of a Councilor that our neighborhoods in District 7 need, and I am excited about what Marianne could do for District 7 and the entire City of Albuquerque.”

Click to read endorsing Dickinson.

If you'd like to work for an excellent and honest candidate to replace Sally Mayer on the Albuquerque City Council -- and what Democrat wouldn't? -- consider volunteering some time or making a donation to Marianne Dickinson's campaign today. According to her campaign, they are about 95 % of the way toward their signature petition goal thanks to the hard work of all their volunteers. But they still need to give themselves a buffer and need a big push this weekend.

If you can help, please call Keegan at 385-8760 or email him at keegan@mariannedickinson.com for more information.

You can donate to Marianne's campaign at her website:

https://www.mariannedickinson.com/

(Above, Marianne Dickinson, courtesy of her website.)

Roberts' Disturbing Record

People for the American Way has issued a , Bush's new Supreme Court nominee. Meanwhile, Salon offers the John Roberts Dossier and The American Prospect has Meet John Roberts, which includes a nugget on Roberts' wife, Jane Sullivan Roberts, who "served for a time as an executive of the cleverly named group Feminists for Life," an anti-choice group that targets college-age women.

In the I Don't Know if This is Really True Category: the Swift Report reveals that Judge Roberts is the brother of movie star Julia Roberts. A Santa Fe connection!

Bum's Rush

Is anyone surprised that Bush has suddenly decided to rush into releasing a pick for the Supreme Court? On prime time TV to boot? No, I didn't think so.

With the horrors of Rove and Iraq dominating the headlines and airwaves and BushCo stonewalling nonstop in a Nixonian panic attack, suddenly it behooves Bush to toss another bone to the media lickety-split. Of course he and Rove want the media and public to take their eyes off the crimes and get caught up in Supreme Court nominee politics and ignore the rest.

While it's critical to focus on how we can get the best out of Bush on his Court pick, it's also important to keep the Rove story going. Here's one suggestion on how to do that.

By the way, Bush's pick just came over the wires. It's federal appeals court judge John G. Roberts Jr. (see photo below), described in the article as having

... taken positions in cases involving free speech and religious liberty that endanger those rights. Abortion rights groups allege that Roberts is hostile to women's reproductive freedom and cite a brief he co-wrote in 1990 that suggested the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 high court decision that legalized abortion.

Apparently, we're in for a fight.

Rep. Picraux on We The People This Thursday

WE THE PEOPLE

JULY 21, 2005 -  Albuquerque Channel 27, 7-8 PM. CALL-IN:  346-1633. Please, TAPE the program if you cannot be present.

GUEST:    Representative Danice Picraux, New Mexico District 25
HOST:    Mickey Bock

WE THE PEOPLE is an innovative call-in television show looking for TRUTH and TRANSPARENCY in local, state and federal governments. We hope to remind viewers of their legacy and heritage coming from the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. It is our country's government--based on law and not tyranny--that grants us FREEDOM.

Watch us every Thursday 7-8 PM, Community Cable Channel 27, Albuquerque, NM. Call-in (the number will be flashed on the TV Screen) or e-mail us and we will try to answer your questions and concerns. Kindly forward to Albuquerque area friends.

www.1776wethepeople.com
mickbo@earthlink.com

THANKS FOR WATCHING
Mickey Bock/Judith Binder

The Real Tragedy of RoveGate

Quote of the Day on the Rove scandal:

"This case is about Iraq, not Niger. The real victims are the American people, not the Wilsons. The real culprit. . . is not Mr. Rove but the gang that sent American sons and daughters to war on trumped-up grounds and in so doing diverted finite resources, human and otherwise, from fighting the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11. That's why the stakes are so high: this scandal is about the unmasking of an ill-conceived war. . . "

Frank Rich, New York Times, in Follow the Uranium

REMINDER: Living Wage Press Conference This Morning

From Matthew Henderson of ACORN re Living Wage Petition:

We topped 33,000 signatures!

Don't forget to celebrate with us on Monday, July 18, at 11:00 AM for our press conference in front of City Hall on Civic Plaza!

To receive updates on ACORN's work every two weeks go to https://acorn.org/getinvolved.

Editor's Note: Just under 14,000 valid signatures of voters registered in Albuquerque are needed to get the living wage proposal on the October 4th ballot. Unfortunately, there is talk of the NM Restaurant Association seeking to hire lawyer-lobbyist Mickey Barnett to challenge the petitions and create legal problems to keep this issue off the ballot. About 70 percent of the public supports a living wage according to polling. Click for a copy of the proposed ordinance, which would raise the minimum wage to $7.50 an hour ($4.50 an hour for restaurant employees who receive tips) and includes a provision for future indexing.

Linda Joyce with Senator John Edwards at the recent Living Wage Rally on Civic Plaza:

Robb Chavez shaking Senator Edwards' hand at the Rally:

(Photos courtesy Linda Joyce. Click on images for larger versions.)

All Dems Welcome at DPBC Events

The Democratic Party of Bernalillo County has scheduled the following events and all Democrats are welcome:

Monday, July 18
Voter Registration Workshop
UNM Law School Room 2401
6:30 PM

Thursday, July 21
Third Thursday Meeting
UNM Law School Room 2401
6:00 PM

Tuesday, July 26
What We Inherited, Where We Are,
& Where We Go From Here
Plumbers Hall, 510 San Pedro SE
6:00 PM

Saturday, July 30
Voter Registration at Summerfest
Civic Plaza
Meet in front of the County Clerk’s Office
5th & Marquette
5:30-8:30 PM

Saturday, August 6
Grassroots Campaign Training
Plumbers Hall, 510 San Pedro SE
Registration 9:00 AM
9:30 AM-1:00 PM

For the lastest news, check out the DPBC website . For more information, please contact Terri Holland at 505-256-1855 or info@BernalilloDems.org.

Sunday Bird Blogging on the Conejos

Bosco the peach-faced lovebird really enjoyed our four-day camping trip to the Conejos River in Southern Colorado over last weekend. So did we! Bosco travels in vehicles in a small cage specially designed for that purpose, but when he gets to his destination, he returns to his regular large cage:

He came out often to perch on our hands, shoulders and even our heads, but mostly he hung out in his cage greeting the multitude of hummingbirds that were attracted by his bright colors, and driving out flies and bees with zeal:

By the way, the parakeets held down the fort at home while Bosco was out camping with us and did just fine. And remember the runt of the baby parakeets that hatched earlier this year? The one we didn't think would make it and who was very slow in its development? Take a look at Peanut now, snoozing on the swing with his albino mama, Whitey:

Peanut is still the smallest of the three surviving babies, but is the most assertive of the bunch and generally bosses the other two around. And he or she is the closest to mom as well. We won't know if it's a mama's girl or boy until some months down the line when the baby birds' ceres, at the top of their beaks, turn blue or pinkish brown.

(Click on photos for larger images.)

Note: You can see the entire series of Bird Blogging posts by clicking here or clicking on the topic in the list down below on the right-hand sidebar under Categories. You can click on other topics to revisit posts on those subjects, or view any month of posts under Archives.

Rove, Manipulated Intelligence & Downing Street Minutes: Invitation from Rep. Conyers

July 23rd House Parties
with
Ambassador Joe Wilson, Randi Rhodes

Dear Friend,

July 23rd is the 3-year anniversary of the drafting of the Downing Street Minutes. I am organizing a series of house parties on this date throughout the country in order to broaden public understanding of how Karl Rove and the Bush Administration have manipulated intelligence, deceived the American people, and misled our nation into war.

Given that we learned in the past few days that Karl Rove served as a source for Robert Novak in his column outing Ms. Plame, it is becoming increasingly clear that we need to learn not only what and why Rove told the press, but what the president knew and when he knew it. If Rove is willing to spin this issue with the press, as today's New York Times story appears to show, he ought to be willing to come clean with the American people.

Today, 91 of my Democratic colleagues joined me in a letter to the President , demanding that Rove either explain his role in the outing of Valerie Plame or that he resign. I was also joined by 12 Democratic Members of the Judiciary Committee asking Chairman Sensenbrenner for hearings on the growing scandal. I believe these hearings will help illustrate how Rovegate is a part of the puzzle of the ongoing Iraq War deception.

Our country is slowing beginning to confront the truth about the about the Bush Administration's deceitful rush to war in Iraq. This has only happened because of people like you are determined to make a difference by getting personally involved. Over 560,000 people to date have signed our Downing Street Minutes letter to the president . Through this effort, and because of the June 16 th hearing I held in the basement of the Capitol, the mainstream media has been forced to recognize that the American public does care about how we ended up in Iraq.

The house parties I have organized for next weekend provide a platform for people to come together and express their strong opposition to the Bush Administration's conduct of war. Please join us at a house party near you. If you can host a party, click here to sign up. We will provide media kits and other materials to assist with the event. If you would rather attend an event, click here.

I will be conducting a special conference call for house party hosts featuring Ambassador Joe Wilson and Randi Rhodes as my special guests.

Additionally, I would to keep in touch with you through news updates and additional action items. If you would like for me to keep you updated on events here in Washington, sign up for my email updates .

Thank you again for your help and support.

Sincerely,

Congressman John Conyers, Jr.

Sign up to host a house party.

Sign up to attend a house party.