Democracy for New Mexico

Support Evacuees at ABQ Musical Event

Editor's UPDATE: This morning's Albuquerque Journal lists a new time for this event:

Everyone is invited to "Hospitality Jam," a free musical concert from 4 to 7 p.m. today at the Civic Plaza. Albuquerqueans can meet and welcome evacuees. The New Mexico African American Alliance, the city of Albuquerque and several businesses are sponsoring the event. Cash donations for hurricane victims will be accepted. Call 275-0050 for more information.

FYI passed along by Robb Chavez:
ACTION ALERT: In response to Hurricane Katrina, evacuees have come to Albuquerque. It has been  reported by program organizer David Harris that a musical concert will be given to entertain them and make them feel at home.

It is considered a Black Community Outreach presentation (all ethnic groups  welcome) to show our love and give comfort to those who survived this horrendous natural disaster. It will also be a time for everyone to welcome them personally and to continue donations and gifts to the evacuees.

The event will be from 3 PM to 6 PM at the Civic Plaza,
Thursday, September 8th, downtown Albuquerque.

Everyone is invited and the concert is FREE.

Contact 275-0050 with questions.

Council Candidate Forum for Districts 1 & 3 TONIGHT

From SWOPblogger:

ABQ City Council Candidate Forum for Districts 1 and 3
When: September 6, 2005, 6:00 PM
Where: Alamosa Community Center, 6900 Gonzales SW, Albuquerque NM 87121
Send Questions to Victoria(at)swop.net

Official candidates for:

District 1

Miguel A. Gomez
2804 El Tesoro Escondido NW
Albuquerque, NM 87120
839-6638

Ken Sanchez
6007 Central Ave. NW
Albuquerque, NM 87105
836-0000

District 3

Isaac Benton
204 Gallup Avenue SW
Albuquerque, NM 87104
764-9487

Diana Dorn-Jones
1108 Edith Blvd. SE
Albuquerque, NM 87102
842-5726

Victoria Rodriguez

SouthWest Organizing Project
211 10th St. SW • Alburquerque, NM 87102-2919
(505) 247-8832 • fax: (505) 247-9972
victoria@swop.net www.swop.net

YOU'RE INVITED: Mixer for Marianne Dickinson

Click image for larger version.

Marianne Dickinson is a Democrat running for ABQ City Council in District 7. You can support her with donations and volunteer hours regardless of where you live! Find out if you can vote for her .

Latest Endorsements:
Conservation Voters of New Mexico
The Green Party of Bernalillo County

*Go to www.MarianneDickinson.com to read the press releases that CVNM sent out about Marianne.

Signs are here! If you are interested in putting a Marianne Dickinson sign in your lawn please call us and we'll get one to you right away. And if you can help put some up at intersections in the district let us know.

Forum: The District 7 Coalition is hosting a forum for the candidates this Thursday at 7:00 PM at the Sheraton Uptown. If you can make it, please get out there and support your candidate!

With just 4 weeks until the October 4 election we need your help now.

• If you can come to a phonebank,
• If you can go door to door for Marianne,
• If you can help put up signs or help in any other way...

Call us at 385-8760 / 842-5539 or at www.MarianneDickinson.com.  Thank You for your continued support!!

On 'We The People' This Thursday

WE THE PEOPLE: Thursday September 8th
TAPE the program if you cannot be present

GUESTS:
Mayoral Election and Distribution of Voters' Guides
Josephine Porter, League of Women Voters Albuquerque/Bernalillo County

How our neighbors react to tragedy
Claire Luna, Organizer and neighbor         

HOSTS: Mickey Bock & Judith Binder

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 on Community Cable Channel 27, Albuquerque, NM. CALL-IN: 346-1633 (the number will also be flashed on the TV Screen). Kindly forward to Albuquerque area friends.

www.1776wethepeople.com
mickbo@earthlink.com

THANKS FOR WATCHING: Mickey Bock/Judith Binder

Timeline to Hell

Think Progress offers an instructive timeline on the Katrina disaster and the responses of FEMA and BushCo.

Left, Bush takes time for a photo-op with Sen. McCain and his birthday cake near Phoenix on the morning New Orleans Mayor Nagin reports water is flowing over the levees in New Orleans. That same morning, Bush spoke with Homeland Security director Michael Chernoff about immigration and gave a speech on Medicare.

When you're finished with that, you can consider the sobering account of the Bush record by the numbers recently compiled by the Democratic Policy Committee on everything from the Iraq War to Homeland Security to Veterans.

Another good piece to contemplate is provided by Reasononline in "The Deadly Bigotry of Low Expectations? Did the rumor mill help kill Katrina victims?" Remember those shots at the helicopter that kept relief from hospital workers and patients? According to the FAA, it didn't happen. Remember those rapes in the Superdome? According to New Orleans Police superintendent Edwin Compass, there were none. Remember when journalists sought documentation and confirmation about rumors before printing or airing them? Not in today's media circus.

Local blog NM Politics: Cutting Through the Clutter has an intriguing item about Rep. Heather Wilson's husband getting a $100,000 contract with FEMA. He's "an attorney who works on personal injury suits on behalf of insurance companies." Wow.

Finally, an article in the New Mexican focuses on Sen. Domenici's role in the budget cutting for New Orleans flood control measures, as well as statements from Senator Bingaman and Rep. Udall on Katrina and its aftermath.

Make Levees, Not War

Get yours.  Profits benefit the New Orleans/Baton Rouge Foundation, Direct Relief International and the American Friends Service Committee. PASS IT ON.

Important Info on 10/4 ABQ Election

From Eleanor Bailey, "From the Horse's Mouth":

For your information re the Oct. 4, 2005 Municipal Election: When I went to the City Clerk's Office to pursue details I was invited to speak to Judy Chavez, the City Clerk herself. These are her words.  (Feel free to share them with anyone you wish.)

Procedures for Voting Absentee

1. A Request for Absentee Application must be filled in and delivered or mailed to the City Clerk's office.  The address is on the form. This form may be obtained from the web site
   www.cabq.gov.  Click on City Clerk.  It may be copied at will. The City Clerk will mail to the registered voter and Albuquerque resident the Application for an Absentee Ballot.  Copying of this form is prohibited.
2. The voter mails the application back to the City Clerk or delivers it there.  Processing will take place immediately upon receipt and an Absentee Ballot will be mailed to the voter.
3. To cast your vote, mail or deliver the Absentee Ballot to the City Clerk by 7:00 PM on Oct. 4, 2005.

Office hours that day will be from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM.  Otherwise the office is open Monday thru Friday from 8:00 to 5:00 PM.  The mailing address is: P.O. Box 1293, Albuquerque, NM 87103. The City Clerk's office is on the 11th floor of the City/County Building on the corner of 5th and Marquette in downtown Albuquerque.

Early Voting

Between Sept. 14 and Sept. 30, 2005 any currently registered Albuquerque resident may vote early at one of two sites:

• The City Clerk"s Office (location above)
• City of Albuquerque Records Center at 604 Menaul NW (corner of 6th
  and Menaul)

During that period both will be open from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.  In addition they will be open on only two Saturdays, Sept. 17 and 24, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Anyone who already has received an absentee ballot my vote in person at an early voting site.

On What Will We Vote?

Mayor and City Council members from odd-numbered Districts
Ten Bond Issues
Three Propositions on:

• Voter ID
• Raising the Minimum Wage
• Election Reform (voluntary limits on campaign spending and equal public financing of campaigns for elections)

You may get a sample ballot starting Sept. 7. 2005 at the City Clerk's Office.

The full text of the issues will be published as follows:

• Albuquerque Journal, Sept. 11, 18, 25 and Oct. 2, all Sundays.
• El Hispano (in Spanish), Sept. 1, 8, 15 and 22, all Thursdays
• Albuquerque Tribune, Sept. 3, 10, 17, 24, all Saturdays.

The text of the Bond Issues will be published separately in the Albuquerque Journal and the Albuquerque Tribune on a Friday, probably soon.

REMINDERS: Comedy Event to Benefit Living Wage & Voter Registration Training

TODAY (TUESDAY):

Comedy Show to Benefit Living Wage Campaign
with Special Guest Eric Griego
Gorilla Tango Comedy Theater
Downtown ABQ, $20, 8-9PM
More info

Bernalillo County Clerk's Voter Registration Agent Training & Signup
Plumbers Hall, ABQ, 6-8PM
Please RSVP
More info

Bush Family Quote of the Day

. . . on the surge of evacuees to Houston, Barbara Bush said: "Almost everyone I’ve talked to says we're going to move to Houston."

Then she added: "What I’m hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality.

"And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this--this (she chuckles slightly) is working very well for them."

From

Katrina Evacuees Welcomed at ABQ Convention Center: How We Can Help

9/7 UPDATE: All listed organizations have requested at least a temporary stop in people dropping off clothes, food and other items. Many need volunteers to sort and process what they have already received. Financial donations are still being sought. Please call the city information number at 311  or the organization BEFORE taking any items over there in person. Reports are that evacuees in the ABQ Convention Center now number about 40, with most having success in finding other housing.

9/6 UPDATE: The Salvation Army isn't taking any more clothing donations. The number of evacuees at the ABQ Convention Center is down to about 60 and it is unclear whether any more will be arriving, or when. Please DO NOT take donations directly there. Please call 311 to see if anything else is needed. Roadrunner Food Bank still needs volunteers but please call or email them BEFOREHAND.

As of late Sunday, 93 evacuees from Hurricane Katrina had been welcomed at the Albuquerque Convention Center downtown. It's expected that about a thousand people will eventually he housed temporarily at the facility, with a total of about 6,000 expected throughout the state. Governor Richardson has declared a state of emergency and released about a million dollars to assist help hurricane victims here in New Mexico.

How We Can Help

According to the Albuquerque Journal, you can call the City of Albuquerque info line at 311 for information on how to help, to find out what items are needed or to offer housing to those who need it. Call the state at 1-800-610-7610 to find out where to drop off diapers, baby food and baby formula needed for disaster relief.

The NM Human Services Department at 1-866-638-6819 is coordinating donations of other goods and services.

Call the NM Department of Children, Youth and Families at 1-800-610-7610 to find out what they need.

Also, Roadrunner Food Bank needs food donations and volunteers to sort and process the food and other items they're receiving.

TO VOLUNTEER: After 8 a.m. Tuesday, call 247-2052 ext. 101 or go to www.rrfb.org to e-mail availability.

TO DONATE: Send checks to Roadrunner Food Bank/Katrina Disaster Relief, 2645 Baylor S.E., Albuquerque 87106. Baylor Drive is off Gibson a few blooks east of Yale boulevard on the South side of GIbson. In addition to regular food items, they're also now accepting baby food, formula and diapers.

Donations for the Roadrunner food bank are also being collected at the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority, 444 Fourth St. SW.

American's Second Harvest is coordinating nationwide food support for hurricane relief.

SALVATION ARMY offices in Albuquerque are accepting: Blankets, Pillows, Towels, Toiletries, Clothes (especially men's), children's toys. Bring them to 411 Broadway SE (a couple blocks south of Central) or 6821 Academy near Jefferson and Osuna area.