Democracy for New Mexico

Veteran's Day War Stories

Editor's Note: I've posted a rather long story about my memories of veterans in my family. If you have any you'd like to share on this Veteran's Day, post them in the comments section below.

As I was having my coffee this Veteran's Day morning, memories of family members who served in the military came bubbling up. Many of the men in my family served in the U.S Navy.

My grandfather, Max, was a Navy diver during World War I. He wore one of those unwieldy metal helmets and bulky dive suits of the era, and ended up with a severe case of the bends. According to doctors, this shortened his life considerably, and he died at 45 from liver and kidney problems. I never knew him, but always heard that he never spoke much about his service. By all accounts he returned from the war a changed man, prone to a world-weary wildness during the Roaring Twenties and beyond in a speakeasy-filled Chicago that slid into the brutal throes of the Great Depression.

My Uncle Bob served as a radar man on a Navy destroyer at the tail end of the Korean War. Although he saw some heated shelling and combat on the seas, most of his service consisted of traveling around the globe on post-war good will tours to foreign ports. He would show up back in the old immigrant neighborhood in uniform, on leave, when I was very young. I thought he was the most handsome man in the world in his Navy whites. He never spoke much about the war itself, but was full of yarns about exotic ports of call, characters he had met around the world and rowdy Navy traditions that accompanied nautical events like crossing the equator for the first time. When the winter windows would frost up, he would show off his radar man skill of writing backwards, like radar techs used to do on glass to communicate with those on the other side. He made us giggle and imagine, to lust for travel, for history, for adventure.

My Uncle Vito was a Navy cook during WW II, which instilled in him a lifelong love of cooking. The only problem was he always cooked massive quantities, as he had in the service. This irked my Aunt Esther no end. After all, she was the one left to handle the cleanup mess detail. Uncle Vito's specialities included huge pots of Italian delicacies like snails and clams and dandelion greens and spaghetti sauce made with pigs' feet or chicken necks. I never heard any battle stories out of him. He, too, died young. Of a heart attack, while tending his garden, with his tiny grandson toddling nearby. Just like Brando's Godfather in the movie.

My uncle Artie served in the WW II Army infantry in Italy. He had some fingers blown off when he grabbed a live grenade and tossed it away from himself and his fellow soldiers, no doubt saving lives. He had little feeling in that hand and was always suffering unexpected cuts and burns on it during his factory work. Looking at the mashed results of the grenade always scared me. He'd just laugh and say, "oh, it's nothing. I'm alive!"

Iwo Jima beachhead

I know the most about the military service of my late father, Bill, who joined the Navy during World War II and was quickly attached to the Marines as a medical corpsman. He was 21 years old. After a short course of rushed medical training, he eventually ended up in the truly horrific beach landing and battle for Iwo Jima in the Pacific. He, too, was very reticent to talk about his service, but over the years I managed to piece together some facts about it. Most of his fellow corpsmen didn't make it out alive. The Japanese forces had a strategy of wounding Marines in order to draw out the medics to come to their rescue. Then they'd proceed to kill the medics.

At Thanksgiving, the smell of the turkey being prepared somehow reminded my dad of the smell of flesh during the Marine's long "mop-up" of the labyrinth of caves and underground tunnels on Iwo, using flame throwers and explosives to destroy the Japanese military survivors who wouldn't surrender. He always got slightly sick with memories for a time on this day and could never stay in the kitchen for long.

On rare occasions my dad would allow us to examine some of the souvenires he brought home from the war. Wrinkled Japanese paper money and darkened coins, an ornate Japanese comb, his medals, photos from bootcamp and of servicemen playing volleyball on Hawaiian beaches and standing outside their tents on Okinawa, a Marine yearbook, a small Rising Sun flag, a thick piece of window glass from a downed plane made into a heart with a piece of metal down the center that created a rainbow effect when held up to the light. As a child these things always smelled ancient to me, with a strong undertone of ruin and mystery. My father always handled them with sad reverence rather than joy or pride. Melancholy would seem to overwhelm him, and he'd quickly put the memorabilia away and become silent.

When I was older, I'd sometimes question him about his war experiences, and once in a great while he'd speak about them quietly. About the feelings of extreme helplessness when he had been unable to do much when Marines he knew were dying in incredible pain in his arms. Of the intestines erupting from live bodies and missing, bleeding limbs and atrocious head injuries and other serious wounds he had to try and patch with only a yeoman's level of medical experience and knowledge. Of the strange fungi that latched onto Marines on Iwo, eating their flesh during the 36-day battle on hot, ashy, lava soil, with no chance to wash or change your clothes or socks. Sometimes Marines endured holes caused by fungus that went right through their torsos. My dad, himself, had a permanent case of fungus on his feet from the battle. I can still see him soaking his feet every night in a basin of hot water and epsom salts.

The only time I heard any happy war stories from him was when we once paid a visit to one of his fellow corpsmen from Iwo Jima in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Corpsman Wright was more than 6 feet tall and kept his Jack Daniels in the Frigerator and his bad memories at bay. When the adults had a few whiskey highballs on our first night there, funny stories about youthful escapades in the Marines tumbled out one after another. We were fascinated with tales of my dad being rowdy and risque, a sharp contrast to the straightlaced and responsible father we knew, loved and sometimes even feared. I remember clearly how my father blushed during the retellings.

As the night wore on, however, both my father and his Marine buddy became more and more morose and depressed. After that first night, no more war stories were shared. It became so powerfully clear to me, as a 14-year old, how many intense and conflicting emotions were connected to their war experiences. I'm sure many veterans are in the throes of similar emotional knots on any Veteran's Day, including this one. As are their families.

This conflict came to a head for many vets during the Viet Nam War. I remember so many angry and volatile discussions between my brother and I and my dad about Viet Nam and what true patriotism demanded from Americans. So much division in the nation and in its families. Yet, as the war progressed, my father changed his mind. I thought it showed alot of courage. He and my mom ended up traveling to Washington to participate in one of the huge antiwar marches in the late 60s. My father carried one of his medals when he marched. And a large American flag.

Corpsman Wright died young at 56 from chronic alcoholism. My dad died at 55 from stomach cancer. I can't help but think that their painful and profound war experiences were a primary cause of their early deaths, and of their often uncomfortable emotional lives. As my father grew closer to death, he insisted that only one person he knew would be right for the task of conducting a service when he passed. He was one of his surviving friends from the medical corps -- a man who was unable or unwilling to deal with the rough and tumble of the business world after Iwo, and who had become a missionary of sorts after the war.

The reverend and his wife served in various missions built to minister to street people, the poor, alcoholics and vets down on their luck. My father wasn't a religious man, though his spiritual and humanist tendencies were strong. He wanted his old comrade to conduct the memorial service not because of the minister's religious standing but because, even after all the intervening years, he felt closest to those who had intimately shared his service and suffering during the war.

The reverend did conduct the memorial service, and gave quite an eloquent speech about what the medics had witnessed and the confusing emotional aftermath that unfolded afterwards. It was held in one of those well-used missions filled with stories of woe and redemption. My brother and his musician friends performed George Harrison's 'My Sweet Lord' after the speech. My dad's old friends sang the Marine Hymn. Like the convoluted feelings of vets and their families, like the coexisting pain and pride of service caused by war, like the continuing conflicting views about using force or not, the memorial service was a juxtaposition of opposing elements. A jumble of contrasting traditions. A metaphor for another Veteran's Day mired in another grinding war and rememberances of the wounds gone unhealed from the ones that came before. War is over if you want it. Peace.

REMINDER: Forum On Election Reform Sat. 11/12

Find out all the things you didn’t know about the 2004 election and how we can improve our NM election system. Great panelists. Check it out: Click for flyer

Sponsored by the American Association of University Women West Mesa Branch and the Social Action Committee, First Unitarian Church.

So Happy Together

Now that we know Gov. Richardson is alive and well (despite reports to the contrary), we can quote him on the Dem gubernatorial victories in Virginia and New Jersey and the defeat of Arnold's propositions in California. Here's an excerpt from a Globe and Mail article that includes coverage of a joint appearance in Washington by DNC Chair Howard Dean and Democratic Governors Association Chair Bill Richardson:

"The Democratic Party is back. This is a good omen for 2006 and 2008," crowed New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association.

At a news conference yesterday, he said he is looking forward to congressional elections in 2006 and the presidential race two years from now.

"Voters don't like the abuse of power, they don't like the culture of corruption," said Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee and unsuccessful candidate for his party's presidential nomination in 2004.

Dem victories are always a cause for celebration, and a rare appearance together at the same podium by Howard and Bill is always a cause for putting up some photos. Happy days are here again (and let's hope they continue).

Oily

As you probably know by now, the provision to allow oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) has been removed by House Republicans from their humongous budget bill. One small step for moderate Republicans. One giant leap for Mother Nature.

According to an article in the Washington Post, 25 moderate Republicans signed a letter asking Repub leaders to strike the provision. Since virtually every House Democrat is hanging tough and planning to vote against the budget bill, the Repubs had to capitulate in order to try and save the bill. Given the unpopularity of many other parts of the spending bill, there's still no guarantee it will pass even with the ANWR provision stricken.

Here's what Senator Pete Domenici's spokesperson had to say about the move:

Marnie Funk, a spokeswoman for Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., said that Domenici considers the ANWR provision, which the Senate approved, "one of the most critical components" in the budget package. "He is committed to coming back to the Senate from the conference with ANWR intact," she said.

I wonder if ol' Pete also believes the Scroogelike cuts in spending on Medicaid, student loans, prescription drugs and more also included in the Senate version of the BushCo budget are "critical components" in the weak effort to offset, at least a tiny bit, the transfer of $70 BILLION more dollars in tax cuts to our wealthiest citizens.

Click if you'd like to let Pete know what you think about his priorities as the official oil boy of the Bush administration.

The Senate passed their version of the budget bill with a provision to drill in ANWR. If the House version passes, we can expect a lively fight to achieve a unified conference committee version of the bill, with Pete leading the effort to reinsert the ANWR drilling provision.

To refresh yourself on what is at stake here, check out our earlier post on the ANWR photos of Subhankar Banerjee.

It's a Start

For a change, it's heartening to wake up to headlines of Dem election victories being reported as stinging Republican defeats. The wins by Jon Corzine (53-44%) in New Jersey and Tim Kaine (52-46%) in Virginia in their races for governor are certainly good news for us and bad news for BushCo, Inc. Bush's last-minute campaigning for Kilgore, Kaine's opponent, apparently didn't help him and may even have lost him some votes. Our own Gov. Richardson, head of the Dem Governor's Association, will be taking a victory lap before the media with DNC Chair Howard Dean this afternoon. As they say, politics makes for strange bedfellows.

It does give me serious pause that these races were some of the most expensive in U.S. election history, however. In New Jersey, Corzine and his opponent, Doug Forrester, spent an estimated $72 million of their own money on this election. In Virginia, Kilgore raised more than $21 million, while Dem Kaine came up with more than $18 million. An ugly precedent, despite Dems coming out on top. Is this now a nation where only candidates with massive personal wealth or those hooked into big dollar donors can win an election? That both races were characterized by extremely negative campaigning on the part of Republicans (surprise) is also a major turnoff.

Almost better than the Dem's capture of the VA and NJ statehouses was the defeat of every single one of Arnold's ballot propositions. I guess the Terminator has lost his star status with California voters, now that his true colors are showing. No victory cigars for Schwarzenegger now, and perhaps ever again.

I guess Repubs can revel weakly in the reelection of Dem turned Repub mayor Bloomberg in NYC (59-39%), who spent more than $70 million on this race. Oh, and they managed to preserve the "purity" of heterosexual civil marriage in Texas (76-24%), though they lost in their effort to get rid of legal protections for GLBT citizens in Maine (55-45%). Distinctly mixed results in their faux morality crusade.

In an unfortunate victory for business as usual, Ohio voters rejected a package of election reform measures including strict new limits on campaign contributions, a bipartisan board to oversee elections and the creation of an independent panel to redraw legislative district lines. I guess voters from both parties want to preserve their rights to mess with elections should their side be in power. Or maybe it's just that the very well funded opposition to these measures confused voters enough to stop the reform effort.

USA Today provides a handy summary of 2005 election results and info on 2006 races around the nation.

Many pundits are claiming yesterday's Dem victories are evidence that we'll do very well in the 2006 mid-term Congressional elections. We'll see. That seems a long way off at the moment, but hope is alive in the Dem camp these days. It's a start.

ACTION ALERT: Call Heather Wilson NOW on Budget Cuts

From MoveOn:
In just 48 hours the House of Representatives will be voting on the "budget reconciliation" proposal to make $54 billion dollars in permanent cuts to vital services for the nation's poor and middle class. Their plan would rob $50 billion from services like Medicaid, food stamps, and student loans—only to fund $70 billion in tax cuts for the rich. Rep. Wilson is one of the few swing remaining votes who could make the difference. Please call today:

Congresswoman Heather Wilson
Phone: 202-225-6316
Albuquerque District Office: 505-346-6781

Then, please report your call by clicking here.

Here are just some of the impacts the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated will result from the Republican budget plan:

* Millions of poor and elderly patients would loose health care services and have to pay more for the treatment they need

* Hundreds of thousands of needy families would be cut off from food stamps

* Tens of thousands of hungry children would be cut off of food stamps

* Hundreds of thousands of families would be cut off of from day-care assistance, making it difficult or impossible for them to stay employed

* Millions of students looking to peruse a higher education would have to pay an average of $5,800 dollars more in interest payments alone

The Republican budget proposal is so bad even Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, no friend of social services, has publicly criticized the budget plan for going way too far.

In the next 48 hours we have a real chance of stopping this budget proposal once and for all. And if it does survive Thursday's vote and go through to the final round, we can make sure all our representatives know that we are counting them to do what it takes to defeat it in the final vote.

ACTION ALERT: Attend Kickoff Wed. 11/9 of Campaign to Raise NM Minimum Wage

No one who works full time should live in poverty
New Mexicans For A Fair Wage

Minimum Wage Increase to $7.50 in New Mexico Called for by New Mexico Legislators, Broad Coalition

WHAT:  Press Conference

WHO:  Representative Ben Lujan, Speaker of the House and New Mexicans For A Fair Wage

Speakers:
• Speaker Ben Lujan
• Allen Sanchez, Executive Director, New Mexico Catholic Conference
• David Coss, Santa Fe City Councilor
• Frank Montano, Santa Fe School Board Member and Businessman
• Gerry Bradley, Economist, New Mexico Voices for Children
• Martin Heinrich, Albuquerque City Councilor

Also in Attendance:  Representative Peter Wirth; Senator John Grubesic; and members of the New Mexicans for a Fair Wage coalition.

WHEN:  Wednesday, November 9, 2005 at 2:00 PM

WHERE:  Roundhouse Rotunda, Santa Fe

WHY:  To announce support for increase of state minimum wage to $7.50 per hour, with annual indexing to inflation, and no preemption of local wage ordinances.

We need a big turnout for this event to show the widespread support that exists for raising the minimum wage in NM. If you can swing it, you're urged to join activists from all the coalition groups at the Roundhouse tomorrow to kickoff the campaign!

New Mexicans For A Fair Wage Coalition Members Include:

New Mexicans For A Fair Wage Coalition Members Include:

ACORN
Albuquerque Musicians’ Association
American Federation of Teachers New Mexico
AFSCME
ARC of N.M.
Community Action N.M.
Democracy for New Mexico
Empowering Our Communities in New Mexico
Enlace Communitario
Green Party N.M.
Grey Panthers
Health Action N.M.
Hispano Roundtable of New Mexico
Hogares, Inc.
Homeless Advocacy Coalition
Lutheran Office of Governmental Ministry
MANA
Mountain West Regional Council of Carpenters
National Education Association
N.M. AFL-CIO
N.M. Alliance for Retired Americans
N.M Catholic Conference
N.M. Building Construction and Trades Council
N.M. Center on Law and Poverty
N.M. Conference of Churches
N.M. Council on Crime and Delinquency
N.M. Federation of Labor Retiree Council
N.M. Human Needs Coordinating Council
N.M. Voices for Children
N.M. Pediatric Society
N.M. Public Health Association
Parents Reaching Out
Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office
Santa Fe Living Wage Network
Somos Un Pueblo Unido
Southwest Organizing Project
UNM Law and Society

Be Part of New Mexico Wildlife Grassroots

Calling all Wildlife    advocates in New Mexico! Help save endangered wildlife in New Mexico and across the nation. Find out how you can get involved! Upcoming events in northern New Mexico: November 12: San Diego Feast Day; Pueblo of Jemez-Walatowa Visitor Center 7413 Hwy 4, Jemez Pueblo, NM 87024 November 18 - 20: Booth at the Festival of the Cranes @ Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge; 1001 Highway 1, San Antonio, NM 87832 Forward this e-mail to family, friends and neighbors...

From Defenders of Wildlife: Defenders of Wildlife is committed to establishing a pro-wildlife grassroots movement in New Mexico.

That is why I am so pleased to introduce you to Lisa Hummon, the new grassroots organizer in the state. Lisa’s job is to keep you informed on important battles we face for wildlife conservation and help you to get involved…

To find out how you can help, e-mail Lisa today!

Our first big fight will be to save the Endangered Species Act.  As you may already know, the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a bill sponsored by Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA) that would dismantle this crucial law.  Pombo’s “Wildlife Extinction” bill would gut protections for wildlife habitat, exempt pesticide application from abiding by with the law, and use taxpayer dollars to pay the private sector not to harm endangered species (instead of providing incentives to do the right thing). 

Unfortunately, New Mexico Representatives Heather Wilson (R-1st) and Steve Pearce (R-2nd) voted for the Wildlife Extinction bill.  Our one champion, New Mexico Congressman Tom Udall (D-3rd), stood strong for wildlife conservation and voted against it. Now, the battle turns to the U.S. Senate.

We have a tough fight ahead to save endangered species, and New Mexicans can help.  E-mail Lisa today to find out how you can help!

If you have an interest in getting involved, Lisa would love to hear from you. She is looking for wildlife advocates who are interested in attending events, hosting Meet Ups and house parties, writing letters to the editor of local newspapers, organizing outdoor adventures, and much more. Defenders looks forward to hearing from you.

Please drop Lisa a line to get involved in protecting wildlife -- you can make a difference!

P.S. If you'd like to speak with Lisa directly, feel free to call her at: 505-248-0118, extension #5.

Join Common Cause for a Presentation on Election Day Registration

Editor's Note: Also please read previous post on next meeting of Election Reform Task Force.

From Common Cause NM:
We all know the problems with decreasing voter turnout in federal elections, not to mention even lower turnouts in state and local elections.  At Common Cause, one of the most important issues for us is increasing voter turnout and making it easier for citizens to express their views.  That's why we're putting together a presentation/discussion about Election Day Registration (sometimes referred to as "same day voter registration") in Albuquerque.

On Wednesday, November 9, at the University of New Mexico Student Union Building, Ludovic Blain from Demos will explain the concept of Election Day Registration (EDR), talk about how it is currently working in six states and discuss the prospect for implementing EDR in New Mexico.  There will be plenty of time for discussion about EDR, as well as other election reform issues like voter verifiable paper trails, voting machines, voter education, following up on current election legislation and poll worker training.

Here are the details on time and location for the event:

Date/Time/Location: Wednesday, November 9, 7:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. at the University of New Mexico Student Union Building in the Acoma Rooms (on the second floor).  Please see this link for a map of the University of New Mexico.  The Student Union Building will be number "60" on the map, and the parking structure will be number "198".

The Election Reform Task Force Committee, called together by Governor Bill Richardson, is contemplating a recommendation for Election Day Registration.  The November 9th presentation will allow activists and the public to learn about EDR.  Common Cause, Demos, the League of Women Voters, student groups and community organizations are scheduled to attend.  Please join us for this important presentation.

Thank you and I look forward to seeing you at the EDR presentation on November 9!

Sincerely,
Matt Brix
Executive Director, Common Cause New Mexico

ACTION ALERT: Next Election Reform Task Force Set for Nov. 10-11

From United Voters of NM:
The next meeting of the interim legislative Election Reform Task Force will be held on 10-11 November 2005 in Room 307, State Capitol, Santa Fe. The meetings begin at 9 AM on both days.  Click for a copy of the tentative agenda (pdf).

There will be two presentations, one on state compliance with federal consent decrees and one on election day voter registration.  The latter one is an important new initiative, and is being promoted by Common Cause NM. (Editor's Note: See next post about Common Cause event on 11/9 regarding same day registration.)

Beyond those two presentations, the rest of the agenda is on "Discussion of Legislative Proposals".  Presumably, these discussions will be to develop guidance for the development of legislation in the next legislative session next spring, and probably, in later legislative sessions.

The Task Force clearly respects our views. So it will be really important to have a good showing from the election reform community at the Task Force meetings. Please make every effort to be there.

To subscribe to the listserve of United Voters of NM, send an email from the address that you wish to subscribe to, to update-subscribe@UVoteNM.org.