Democracy for New Mexico

Sunday (Dirty) Bird Blogging

Given all the political corruption that's increasingly being laid bare here and around the nation, Bosco the peach-faced lovebird has been spending alot of time cleaning his feathers:

After all, he doesn't want to feel like a dirty bird, despite living in a place and time where crooks and liars of every stripe populate the positions of power. Can't blame him, can you?

After getting all cleansed, Bosco then insisted that we allow him to again plug the mayoral campaign that focuses on clean government and representing the ordinary people vs. the interests of the powerful and the wealthy:

You've gotta start somewhere! (Click images for larger versions.)

Click to see Eric Griego's excellent new tv ad. If you'd like to see this ad run as many times as possible between now and the October 4th election, Bosco urges you to contribute $25 or as much as you can afford to the Griego campaign TODAY!

Phew!

No more parking on 23 miles of roads around Bush's faux ranch. See .

You. Yeah, You.

I mean YOU.

If you're reading this blog, chances are you consider yourself in possession of at least some degree of political saavy. You may even see yourself as a grassroots political activist of the progressive persuasion. Note that the root of the word "activist" is ACTIVE, one definition of which is "marked by or involving direct participation."

So what are you ACTIVELY doing to support progressive candidates and causes with only a few weeks left before the October 4th Albuquerque municipal election? With the future direction of Albuquerque in the balance, NOW is the time to put your money and your body on the line for positive change. Yes, I'm guilt-tripping YOU!

Liberal circles are constantly buzzing about the growing power of grassroots campaigning and activism. But it's only talk if you do nothing ACTIVE to support the candidates and causes that depend on small donations and volunteer hours from many people to win.

As they used to say back in the day, you're either on the bus or off the bus. Get on board:

Progressive candidates for mayor and city council, as well as groups advocating on behalf of the living wage and clean elections ballot referenda, need your help NOW. You can volunteer to phone bank, door knock, deliver signs, enter data and more. And think of what a boost it would give campaigns if each of you reading this would kick in a few bucks in donations!

It doesn't have to be much -- a few hours of volunteer time each week and $10 or $20 to a couple campaigns. If many of us do this, our power multiplies and gains in clout, and our candidates and causes gain the tools they need to fight and win!

Check out the links under Coming Events on the right-hand side of this page for fundraisers you can attend in support of our candidates. Call the campaigns to find out how you can volunteer THIS WEEKEND and beyond, and click on the names below to visit websites to make donations or learn more:

MAYORAL RACE:

Eric Griego: Call Melanie @ 224-9042

CITY COUNCIL RACES:

Miguel Gomez (District 1): 839-6638

Ike Benton (District 3): 268-0310

Marianne Dickinson (District 7): Call Keegan King @ 385-8760

Chris Catechis (District 9): 271-9876

BALLOT INITIATIVES:

Living Wage: Call Acorn @ 242-7411

Clean Elections: Call Matt Brix, Common Cause NM, @ 323-6399: Sign up to help:

The Alibi has a terrific resource for learning more about these candidates and initiatives in their just published Election Guide. Read it and ACT!

Interfaith to Hold West Side Mayoral and City Council Accountability Session

A very important community event will take place this Sunday, September 18th on Albuquerque’s West Side. Albuquerque Interfaith will host an ACCOUNTABILITY SESSION with the candidates for Mayor of Albuquerque / West Side City Council Districts 1 & 5 from 3:00PM to 4:30PM at Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, located at 5415 Fortuna Road (East of Coors Blvd. and approximately one mile north of Central Ave.).

The session will focus on the stories of those affected by many of the critical issues facing West Side families, neighborhoods and whole communities: parents camping out the night before to enroll their kids in before/after school programs only to find out that slots are severely limited, elementary schools busting at the seams due to explosive sprawl development, immigrant families afraid to access basic services because they live in fear, grandparents holding families together while young parents cope with substance abuse and a jail that has become dangerously overcrowded and in need of preventative/intervention services.

If you’ve ever been to one of Albuquerque Interfaith’s "accountability sessions," you know that they mean business. When Albuquerque Interfaith got involved in the school bond election two years ago (just after the school bonds failed in 2002), 600 of their community leaders knocked on 16,000 doors around the city and the bonds passed decisively, providing $144.9 million for the building and improvement of schools in our community.

Translation and child care will be available.

Music will begin at 2:30PM, peformed by El Grupo Amor Eterno and Holy Rosary’s Spanish Choir. For more information, call the Albuquerque Interfaith office at 268-3991.

Must Read: Dean on Roberts

DNC Chair Howard Dean shreds Supreme Court nominee John Roberts in an email to Dems and an op-ed piece that will be appearing in newspapers across the nation. Read them and act by writing a letter to the editor of your paper. Excerpt:

The consistent mark of Roberts' career is a lack of commitment to making the Constitution's promise of equal protection a reality for all Americans, particularly the most vulnerable in our society.

He has opposed laws protecting the rights of girls and young women to have the same opportunities in sports as boys and young men. He has argued that politicians, not individual women themselves, ought to control women's reproductive health care. He has opposed various remedies for the racial injustices which have occurred in America since slavery and which persist today. He has consistently joined the radical right in seeking to weaken voting rights protections, in essence attacking the rights of black and Hispanic voters to cast their ballot without paying poll taxes or being subjected to intimidation or gerrymandering. He fought against protecting all Americans from workplace discrimination. Most worrisome, he refused to answer questions on his limited view of the right to personal privacy that most Americans take for granted.

It will be enlightening to see which Dems will vote according to core Democratic values on Roberts and which ones will collapse in spineless surrender, won't it?

SEED-PAC Endorsements for ABQ Municipal Election

From SEED-PAC:
As you surely know already, SEED-PAC was founded by Miles Nelson, after his historic campaign for Congress in 2004, to support progressive candidates and principles in the electoral arena.

For the October 4 City Election, our Board has decided to support:

Eric Griego for Mayor
for District 1 City Council
Marianne Dickinson for District 7 City Council
Chris Catechis for District 9 City Council

(We favor no candidate in District 5 and favor Ike Benton and Diana Dorn-Jones equally in District 3 City Council.)

We also endorse the "Open and Ethical Elections Code" referendum and the "Living Wage Ordinance" referendum and oppose the "Voter ID" referendum.

We urge you to vote for these candidates and the first two referenda, and against "Voter ID", and to encourage your family, friends, and neighbors to do so as well. We can help some of these campaigns with money, but our funds are very limited.  We feel that SEED-PAC should be doing more.

These City elections are very important and these candidates and referenda need our help.  Please call Ted Rocafort, the SEED-PAC volunteer coordinator, at sterling53@hotmail.com or 823-2166 to help achieve these important goals.  You may also offer the individual campaigns your assistance directly*.

And, of course, we are always glad to receive financial contributions, which we will use for mailings and radio spots for this election, and for our other progressive projects.

Yours very sincerely,
Marvin Gladstone and Ted Cloak f
or the SEED-PAC Board of Directors
_______
*Candidates' Contact Information

Miguel Gomez @ 839-6638
Marianne Dickinson - Call Keegan King @ 385-8760
Chris Catechis @ 271-9876
"Open and Ethical Elections" - Call Matt Brix, Common Cause, @ 323-6399
"Living Wage Ordinance" - Call Acorn @ 242-7411
Eric Griego - Call Melanie @ 224-9042

Artists for Eric II This Friday

From Eric Griego for Mayor:
Join us once again for an evening of music, food & spirits and great art!

We will once again be auctioning off a wonderful selection of art donated by New Mexico artists and nationally recognized artists. We hope you will join us in supporting Eric Griego for Mayor and our talented artists!

What: Silent Art Auction
When: Friday, September 16, 2005
Where: Eric Griego Campaign Headquarters, 1020 Coal SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106
Time: 6:00-9:00 PM

ERIC GRIEGO
Our City. Our Mayor.
www.ericgriego.com

All proceeds from the art auction will benefit the Eric Griego for Mayor campaign. To donate a work of art or for more information please call Alicia Lueras Maldonado at 224-9042 Ext. 4# or email alicia@ericgriego.com.

Click for flyer.

Join Living Wage Efforts

From Albuquerque Living Wage Campaign:

21 Days until the People's Voice Is Heard!

As the Chamber of Commerce launches its expensive attack ads, spreading lies and generating fear about the Albuquerque minimum wage increase, we will be on the doors, telling voters the truth and getting them to the polls to approve the wage increase to $7.50. Come join us!

GOTV canvassing begins this Saturday, September 17, and we will kick it off with a door-to-door blitz across Albuquerque.  Join us for 1, 2, or 4 hours.  You can rendezvous with us at one of three locations at 10:00 AM:

Valley: the ACORN office at 411 Bellamah NW, between the Mexican Consulate on 4th Street & the Friends Meeting House on 5th Street.

Southeast Heights: the home of Virginia McFadden, 514 Valencia SE

West Side: Truman Middle School at the corner of 98th Street & Benevides in Westgate.

Refreshments will be provided.

Please RSVP about Saturday to matthew@abqlivingwage.org or call 242-7411.

Other Volunteer Opportunities
If you want to volunteer as a Precinct Captain, sign up for GOTV canvassing another day, phone bank, fund raise, or help out on Election Day, email us at matthew@abqlivingwage.org or call 242-7411.

An Evening of Comedy to Benefit Hurricane Relief

Please Join

Eric Griego

for

An Evening of Comedy

To Benefit
Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts

at

The Golden West Saloon
620 Central Ave. SW

7 PM, Sunday, September 18

Tickets are $20

For Tickets,
Call the Golden West Saloon at 242-2353
Call Molly at 224-9042

Join the NMAS AIDS Walk in ABQ on 9/24

From Equality NM:
Come join the fun, support a great cause and get some excercise!

Saturday, September 24th, 2005 is the 14th Annual AIDS Walk hosted by New Mexico AIDS Services and EQNM is participating. The cost for registration is $25.00 for adults, $10.00 (12 and under).

Yes, it's early but LOTS of fun!

Equality New Mexico is recruiting folks to join our group for the 5k walk from

9:30 AM – 11:00 AM at Johnson field on the SE corner of UNM campus.

Contact Charisse for more info if you would like to join the fun at charisse@eqnm.org or call (505) 224-2766.

Please join us on Saturday morning!