Democracy for New Mexico

What Will You Do to Mourn Third Anniversary of Iraq War?

UPDATE: An audio link is up at KUNM radio of Jim Williams' discussion on Iraq yesterday with independent journalist Zelie Pellon, Colonel Richard Rael and Marine Tony Garcia. 

Go to today's march and rally in Albuquerque mourning the third anniversary of the Iraq War. Then read this article by a Time war correspondent about the latest fiasco in Iraq: "On Scene: How Operation Swarmer Fizzled - Not a shot was fired, or a leader nabbed, in a major offensive that failed to live up to its advance billing." BushCo just keeps on lying and lying and soldiers and Iraqis just keep on dying and dying. When will it end?

It will only end if we keep doing more of this:

Above photo of Judith Hovetter of Taos (center foreground) helping to deliver 100,000 signatures to the Whitehouse in Code Pink March in Washington, DC

Continuing Hullabaloo: State Dem Platform Process

More on the controversy about the State Democratic Party's platform process at New Mexico Matters, and followed up at Live From Silver City here (Part I) and  here (Part II). Wedges, wedges!

Meanwhile, the release of the NM Party's proposed platform for 2006 has prompted criticism about its mushiness and avoidance of controversy. Clearly the 2006 platform mimics the one produced in 1996, in both content and format. You might think many issues and positions would have changed significantly in ten years' time, but you'd be mistaken. Virtually eliminated from the platform were a significant number of specific positions passed by large margins in the form of dozens of resolutions approved by County Parties and the State Central Committee over the past year or so. The proposed DPNM platform will be voted on at the State Pre-Primary Convention this Saturday. Normally, the platform passes without much discussion, but this year may well be different with many Dems up at arms about the Party's lack of backbone on major issues.

The Process that Produced the Platform: A motion was duly passed at the November SCC meeting directing the Party to hold platform hearings in each congressional district, as the Party bylaws require, and a day-long platform meeting the day before the Spring SCC meeting. The motion was aimed at involving as many Dems as possible in the process and providing opportunities for those charged with writing the platform to hear what rank and file Democrats believe on the issues.

Unfortunately, the result instead was a truncated process that produced mostly bland platitudes. I guess it's not surprising considering the platform was produced by only a handful of committee members and others at a meeting in Albuquerque on the same day as the Taos County convention. Moreover, although Party officials termed the meeting "statewide," I heard about it only because a committee member shared their email with me. Not exactly what the SCC-passed motion required.

Could it be that the weak platform process is really designed to be that way -- to keep the street urchins of the Party quiet while "moderates" decide on positions based mostly on the lastest polling results?

Take two examples. By overwhelming margins, a significant number of County Parties passed very similar resolutions on the Iraq War and a strong resolution on this passed almost unanimously at the State Resolutions Committee and before the SCC:

Resolution: Support our troops. Oppose the continued military occupation of Iraq, and urge the government of the United States of America to plan immediately for the withdrawal of its military forces from Iraq, specify a target date for the completion of the withdrawal which is no later than June 2006, initiate the withdrawal process as soon as possible to signal our good intentions and announce that the U.S. has no plans for a long-term presence in Iraq, except for that associated with normal diplomatic relations between countries.

Yet, the 2006 platform states only:

Platform: We support the strategic redeployment of troops from Iraq, in 2006, if possible. We believe that this country should use more diplomacy, as a deterrent to future wars.

Regarding civil rights for GLBT citizens, the 2006 platform says only

Platform: The Democratic Party recognizes that families and communities come in all shapes and sizes. We believe that government should not dictate family values, but rather value all families equally.

All discrimination must be eliminated in housing, employment and public services; including discrimination based on race, religion, mental and physical disability, national origin, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

However, both the State Resolutions Committee and the SCC passed resolutions with this language:

Resolution: Oppose any definition of civil marriage that restricts eligibility based on sexual orientation. Also the State Democratic Party will work to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and support the right of all citizens to civil marriage.

Resolution: Support the rights of all citizens to be treated equally under the law by supporting legislation which guarantees every citizen equal rights, regardless of their sexual preference and by supporting legislation which outlaws discrimination against persons on the basis of their sexual preference.

What happened between the passage of these resolutions and the writing of the platform? Imposed mushiness from those apparently so scared of the neo-con and Christian right that they prefer weasling over clarity and specificity. Haven't you heard? If the Party stands up for equal rights for ALL citizens and for bringing the troops home, the right-wing noise machine will kick into high gear and label the Dems "extremists." Sorry, but the voters already know the Dem Party is full of people strong on civil rights and against this war.

What will voters learn from watered down platform planks? That Dems don't believe strongly enough in their values to take an honest, principled stand. Our fear and gutlessness will be out there for all to see. Since we're already called "extremists," why not take the strong stands we believe in and fight for our values? Why not persuade, educate and lead on the issues? What do we have to lose?

If we can't have our candidates run on a strong, passionate and courageous platform now, with BushCo's approval ratings hovering in the low 30s and a majority of the public against the war, when can we do it? As has been said at virtually every Dem gathering I've attended, and on millions of places all over the web, we need more passionate patriots and fewer meek apologists. And we need them NOW. Let's beef up the platform and run on what's right, not what's status quo.

Feingold On Charlie Rose Tonight

Senator Russ Feingold is scheduled to be on the Charlie Rose show on KNME tonight, Friday, March 17, 2006 at 11:00 PM MST. (Topics subject to change.) Click for an updated show schedule.

Health Action NM: Two Important Events

From Health Action NM:
Citizens Health Care Working Group Meeting
Monday, MARCH 20, 2006
5:30 to 8:30 PM / ABQ Convention Center

HANM invites all advocates to go to the Citizens Health Care Working Group Meeting on March 20, 2006. Meetings are being held across the country. This is our chance to tell Congress what we believe are the solutions to the crisis in health care delivery in the USA. See details below. Make copies and encourage everyone to come. We need your voice at the meeting!

Register now to participate in the Albuquerque Community meeting! On line at www.citizenhealthcare.gov, by phone at 505-880-8882

HANM Monthly Meeting
Thursday, APRIL 6, 2006 / 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM 
(brown bag - bring your lunch - drinks provided)
An important update on what passed the legislature and what did not!!
OUTCOMES INC., NASW Conference Room
1503 University NE, Albuquerque
(just north of Indian School on the west side of University- take service road immediately south of the Blood Bank, first parking lot on the left)

The Citizens Health Care Working Group has been established by Congress to:

ENGAGE Americans in a public debate about shaping a health care system that would provide every American with the ability to obtain quality, affordable health care; and

PRESENT Recommendations to Congress and the President in the fall of 2006 followed by Congressional Hearings in 2007.

The Citizens' Health Care Working Group is asking the American public to respond to the following questions:

• What concerns you most about the health care system in America today?
• Our current way of paying for health care includes payments by individuals, employers, and Government. Are there any changes you think should be made to the system?
• What trade-offs do you think the American public is willing to make in either benefits or financing to ensure access to affordable, high quality health care coverage and services?
• What is your single most important recommendation to make or improve health care for all Americans?

These questions can be answered on line at www.citizenshealthcare.gov (available in Spanish). Versions available to print out and mail in.

Nationally, the Making Health Care Work for all Campaign, of which Health Action NM is a part, is organized to:

1. maximize effective input into the Citizen’s Health Care Working Group Process;
2. IMPACT the recommendations of the Working Group with thousands of voices across the country advocating for prompt comprehensive reform that leads to equal access to quality, affordable health care for all Americans; and
3. provide strategic information, ideas, and support for local, state and national organizations to effectively engage their members, allies and the public in the Working Group’s process.

At a minimum we want to tell the President and Congress that:

• Quality affordable health care for all is a moral right, and both a medical and economic necessity for our nation.
• We can afford health care for all by making health care more efficient, more effective and less wasteful.
• The American public wants prompt attention by our political leaders to achieve this goal and will respond accordingly. We affirm the 2004 recommendations of the Institute of Medicine that our federal government must lead in developing a strategy to achieve universal coverage by 2010.
• To fulfill our nations commitment to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, we have a shared responsibility to ensure that all people have the health care they need, when they need it, and at a fair and reasonable cost.

For more information go to: www.uhcan.org

HEALTH CARE IN NEW MEXICO MUST:

• Be seen as an individual right for all New Mexicans regardless of ability to pay
• Be the responsibility of the community to ensure these rights for all New Mexicans
• Provide universal and equitable coverage for everyone
• Be accessible to the whole community in both rural and urban settings
• Be comprehensive, including the choice of a full range of services and providers to promote and maintain physical, behavioral and mental health
• Provide high quality and appropriate care in a timely manner
• Be affordable to avoid financial hardship on individuals and families and be equitably funded based upon ability to pay
• Be publicly accountable, both to the communities it serves and to the government and/or other entities which provide much of its funding
• Provide culturally specific, culturally diverse, and linguistically appropriate services
• Ensure a strong public health system organized to integrate the health care delivery system with community, preventive and social services, and maintain a safe and healthy environment for all
• Have simplified administration so that individuals and providers are not burdened with administrative and logistical obstacles to the receipt or provision of care
• Ensure that government plays a key role in containing costs, eliminating waste, maximizing efficiency of resources, and in all cases, put people before profits

NM Public Health Association Annual Conference
APRIL 5-7, 2006
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, Albuquerque
For registration details go to: www.nmpha.org or contact Melissa Maez at 505-260-0993.

Following Feingold

Today's assignment: Go read the transcript of his press conference today about his censure resolution. Then keep pressing your Senators.

Democratic Senators have no excuse. Look at this:

Do you favor or oppose the United States Senate passing a resolution censuring President George W. Bush for authorizing wiretaps of Americans within the United States without obtaining court orders?
3/15/06	Favor	Oppose	Undecided
All Adults	46%	44%	10%
Voters	48%	43%	9%
Republicans (33%)	29%	57%	14%
Democrats (37%)	70%	26%	4%
Independents (30%)	42%	47%	11%
Based on 1,100 completed telephone interviews among a random sample of adults nationwide March 13-15, 2006. The theoretical margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points, 95% of the time.

Evocative Trudell Movie Opens at Guild Friday

The film 'Trudell' will open at the Guild Cinema in Albuquerque this coming Friday, and will run through March 23rd. Check out the movie's terrific website that includes music/poetry and video from the film. The movie follows the life work of legendary Native American poet and activist John Trudell. You can also download a PDF press kit that provides more info on the film and on the life of Trudell.

Filmmaker Heather Rae has spent more than a decade chronicling his travels, spoken word and politics, combining archival, concert and interview footage with abstract imagery mirroring the coyote nature of Trudell himself. The documentary begins in the late 1960s when John Trudell and a community group, Indians of All Tribes, occupied Alcatraz Island for 21 months, creating international recognition of the American Indian cause and birthing the contemporary Indian people’s movement, and giving Trudell what he referred to as his “birth”.

From Alcatraz we follow John’s political journey as the National Spokesman of the American Indian Movement (AIM), this work making him one of the most highly volatile political ‘subversives’ of the 1970’s with one of the longest FBI files in history (over 17,000 pages). But in 1979, a tragic (and suspicious) fire would spark a new creative direction for Trudell, and in 1983 he began to put his words to music with the help of Kiowa guitar legend, the late Jesse Ed Davis, and Jackson Browne.

Even his early recordings reflect an articulate sensibility and eloquence about the state of the world, moving him into the realm of social theorist and philosopher. Trudell does not adhere to a dogma or school of thought but has created his own diatribe based in experience, having lived through and taken part in some of the most turbulent American political events of the past century.

In an interview with Native actor, Gary Farmer (DEAD MAN), he referred to Trudell as “the Native people’s prophet of these times, our Socrates.” Trudell’s musical and film careers have led him to work with the likes of Robert Redford (INCIDENT AT OGLALA), Sam Shepard and Val Kilmer (THUNDERHEART), Kris Kristofferson, Bonnie Raitt, Amy Ray and more recently Angelina Jolie, who produced his current album, Bone Days.

TRUDELL is intended to be a film that steps outside of traditional forms, even for Native films, and explores a figure of our contemporary history in a way that fairly represents the evocative nature of his work and significance.

“I'm not looking to overthrow the American government... the corporate state already has.” -John Trudell

One Earth : One Mother : We Are The Seventh Generation...

Get the music

Help With "Stop the Reverse Robin Hood Budget" Letter Delivery

MoveOn Project on Reverse Robin Hood Budget
Office of Heather Wilson
Third Street and Marquette
Albuquerque, NM 87107
Thursday, 23 Mar 2006, 12:00 PM

To sign up for this event, click .

Video of the Day

This one fits right in with all the kvetching about the Democratic Party and its message or lack of. Click for , courtesy of One Good Move. (A nod to John for this one.) After laughing at that go read here and weep. By the way, Senator Tom Harkin (who was a Dean supporter in the last presidential election cycle) has signed on as a co-sponsor of Sen. Feingold's Censure Resolution. If you'd like to thank him, go here.

Meet the Candidates This Thursday

From the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County:
The Democratic Party of Bernalillo County is hosting an evening dedicated to our Pre-Primary Convention Delegates getting to know the candidates and all other interested Democrats.  It will be held on Thursday, March 16th from 6:30 PM until 8:30 PM.  We are offering fun and information, no speeches, just a social evening where your candidates will have a chance to answer questions and convince you to vote for them  It will be held at Plumber's Hall - 510 San Pedro SE.  We hope that you will be there!!!! All Democrats are welcome.

Terri Holland, Executive Director
Democratic Party of Bernalillo County
O-505-256-1855

Pass Out Cost of War Receipts Saturday

United For Peace and Justice has produced a new resource for use during local activities around the 3rd anniversary of the war. This educational piece looks like a receipt you get when you go food shopping. But instead of grocery items, the breakdown covers the monthly costs of the U.S. war in Iraq since it began three years ago. On the flip side is text and more figures, all explaining the costs of the war and how our tax dollars could have been put to better use. There is a space at the bottom for you to add your group's name and contact information.

Go ahead and   and make copies for widespread distribution at Saturday's antiwar events. You can also download a sign image. In Albuquerque, marchers will gather at the UNM bookstore at 11:00 AM, and the march will step off at 11:30 AM, stop by the offices of Rep. Wilson and Sen. Domenici, and end at Robinson Park at 8th and Central for a rally.