Democracy for New Mexico

Sound Off: National Guard on the Border a Bad Plan

This Sound Off was submitted by Terry Riley:
When politicians want to look like they are dealing with a problem they throw some money at it. This knee-jerk response is almost always wrong and in the President's plan to send reservists to our border with Mexico it seems more wrong than usual. The really sad thing is that the "spin machine" has generated a lot of public support for this effort. I would like to ask anybody who supports this plan a couple of very serious questions.

The first question that I have is about the part of the plan that will have 6,000 reservists serving two weeks at-a-time along the border. How can we deploy 6,000 reservists along a 10,000 mile border every two weeks and have ANY success? Do you have any idea how expensive the transportation costs alone will be?  Will there be overlap periods while outgoing reservists are packing up and incoming reservists are unpacking? Will there be training? How much training can be done in two weeks?

My second question is about the description of the work the reservists will be doing. The president said that the reservists will be training the Border Patrol! Just who will be training who? Can there be any work being done if there is all of this training of the trainers who will be training the people who were already doing the job? I believe that our reservists are trained in the jobs that they are currently assigned to. I don't believe that we have more than a couple of reservists who are trained at Border Patrol, and their "regular job" is probably BORDER PATROL!

I fear that the immigration issue becoming such a hot topic has a lot to do with things that the administration is doing behind our backs again. I wonder if it is being trumpeted so that we will lose interest in wiretapping, or the investigations of so many Bush Administration "hit men," or the possibility that President Bush is launching a nuclear attack on Iran, or something else entirely. 

Please stand up for civility, thoughtfulness and compassion as we consider the problem of illegal immigration. The problem has been with us for a very long time and we need to solve it. We need to find a way to stop the illegal flow without killing people or destroying the lives of people who have become so desperate. Study the problem so you can solve the problem. Quick fixes are very expensive and NEVER fix anything.

This Sound Off was submitted by Terry Riley. Sound Off is a regular feature of this blog, and allows readers to post their opinions on any and all issues. If you'd like to take part, email your Sound Off post to me by clicking on the Email Me link on the top left side of the main page.

Big Win: NM Recount Law Declared Unconstitutional

According to an Associated Press article in the Albuquerque Journal, New Mexico's 2005 vote recount law was declared unconstitutional in a unanimous decision yesterday by the NM Supreme Court. The law allowed the state canvassing board to require candidates requesting a recount to pay the estimated full cost of the recount up front as a deposit.

Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb and Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik had filed suit when the NM Canvassing Board abruptly required them to pay more than $1 million up front if they wanted a presidential ballot recount in the 2004 election. Although they had already deposited $114,400, Cobb and Badnarik were suddenly informed they'd have to put up a deposit covering the entire cost, not just the smaller amount normally required by a state election law formula.

Later, in early 2005, the NM Legislature passed a law giving the canvassing board the specific right to require a deposit to cover the whole cost  of a recount. It was this law that was declared unconstitutional yesterday. In addition, the court said the canvassing board in 2004 had no authority to demand an estimated full cost of a recount in order to grant the request for one by Cobb and Badnarik.

The Canvassing Board that required the large deposit was made up of Governor Bill Richardson, Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron and then-NM Supreme Court Chief Justice Petra Maes. Since Justice Maes removed herself from the case, Richardson and Madrid made the decision to significantly raise the deposit requirement on their own.

According to the Journal article:

Richardson spokesman Jon Goldstein said, "All the state canvassing board was trying to do was protect the taxpayers from the costs of frivolous recount requests."

Cobb and Badnarik said they wanted a recount due to numerous reports of documented problems with voting machines and the counting of provisional ballots. Hardly "frivolous," these serious problems, most of which deducted votes from the Kerry column, may well have caused New Mexico's electoral votes to go to Bush. Bush won New Mexico with 49.8 percent of the vote, only 5,988 votes more than Kerry received. Because of the legal dispute over the cost, however, no recount ever occurred.

Also in the Journal article, John Boyd, the Albuquerque lawyer for Cobb and Badnarik, is quoted saying, "I think the canvassing board is going to have to apply the letter of the law in the future and that's important." You might say. Too bad that didn't happen with the requested 2004 recount.

Many Democrats here and around the nation were flabbergasted and angry when New Mexico's Democratic Governor, Bill Richardson, and Democratic Secretary of State, Rebecca Vigil-Giron, suddenly required the huge sum before they would permit a recount. Since it was well known that electronic voting machines were causing problems and that provisional ballots were being tossed left and right, it seemed unconscionable that two Democrats were putting outrageous barriers in the way of a recount in a race that was decided by around 5,000 votes. At least we know that will never happen again. Or at least we hope not.

If you want to retrace the history of posts on the requested recount and the lawsuit by Cobb and Badnarik, go to the Rollyo search tool on the upper right-hand side of the main page here, type in the word recount and select "search this blog."

Voter Action has a complete rundown on the numerous serious voting problems uncovered in New Mexico that pertain to the 2004 election.

Communities United Hosts Open House and Press Conference on "Middle Class Squeeze"

Communities United to Strengthen America
Cordially invites you to attend our Open House
May 18, 2006, 3:30 - 7:00 PM
Albuquerque Community Resource Center
2111 Wyoming Blvd NE
Featuring a 4 PM press conference on the
“Middle Class Squeeze” with guests:The Honorable Martin Heinrich,
President, Albuquerque City Council
Carter Bundy,
Political Action Representative, AFSCME
Rose Peters,
President, New Mexico Alliance for Retired Americans
Gerry Bradley,
Research Director, New Mexico Voices for Children
Charlotte Roybal, Director Health Action New MexicoRSVP 505.237.0120

Communities United to Strengthen America is a 501(c) 4 organization. Contributions made to Communities United to Strengthen America are not tax deductible.

If You Care About Your Drinking Water:

From Citzen Action:
If you wonder why toxic waste predicted to contaminate Albuquerque’s drinking water is simply being covered with dirt . . . Please attend this public meeting!

NM Environment Department Public Meeting
Sandia National Labs’ Mixed Waste Landfill
Thursday, May 25, 2006, 9 AM – 4:30 PM
Los Griegos Health and Social Services Center
12th and Candelaria, Albuquerque

Members of the public have 14 days to submit comments on the plan outlined at the meeting! Your comments count! (Note: You can read more about the Sandia landfill in an earlier post on DFNM.)

Agenda 

9-9:30 AM
Explanation of the overall plan for the Mixed Waste Landfill and what members of the public have to say about it. 

9:30 – 10:30 AM
Overview of Sandia’s model that predicts the landfill will contaminate Albuquerque’s drinking water by 2010 – is the model thorough? What do members of the public have to day about it?

10:30 – 10:45 AM BREAK

10:45 – 11:30 AM  (topic cont’d)

11:30 – 12:00 noon 
Questions, comments, and recommendations from members of the public

12 noon – 1:15 PM  LUNCH

1:15 – 1:45 PM
Overview of remedy for the landfill – what is it and what do members of the public have to say about it?

1:45 – 2:45 PM
What happens after the landfill is covered and how will it be monitored to prevent contamination from occurring?

2:45 – 3:00 PM BREAK

3:00 - 4:00 PM
Keeping an eye on the landfill over the long-term: can it really work as long as it will be dangerous?

4:00 – 4:30 PM
Comments, questions and recommendations from members of the public

4:30 – 4:35 PM
Closing remarks: 14-day public comment period to make your voice heard! 

For more information contact Citizen Action New Mexico at: (505) 262-1862.

Meeting agenda with explanation of the Citizen Action lawsuit filed against the NMED for issuing a permit to Sandia to cover the dump with dirt is posted on the Citizen Action website at www.radfreenm.org.

Citizen Action is a project of the New Mexico Community Foundation and a member of New Mexicans for Sustainable Energy and Effective Stewardship (NMSEES), an organization promoting a shift at Sandia and Los Alamos National Labs from nuclear weapons programs to renewable energy technology and effective clean up of waste sites – like the Mixed Waste Landfill.

HEADS UP: Palast on Randi Rhodes Today

5/17 UPDATE: ChoicePoint gave Randi Rhodes hell yesterday, but she stood up well. Then Greg Palast joined in and demolished ChoicePoint's arguments. Read about it here.
*********************

Investigative journalist Greg Palast will be interviewed for a second day on the Randi Rhodes show. Yesterday, he discussed ChoicePoint's involvement with the NSA phone records scandal and ChoicePoint will be responding to his comments today. Randi says she'll speak with Greg again to get his reaction. Tune to Air America (KABQ AM 1350 in Albuquerque) today at 2:30 PM Mountain Time to hear the dust-up.

Red State Road Trip to Screen Thursday at Peace & Justice Center

Filmmaker Chris Hume in Crawford, TX

People before Profit Film/Lecture Series presents Red State Road Trip, advertised on Democracy Now - the movie you've been waiting for! America 2005: A nation bitterly divided. In the aftermath of the presidential election, and the deepening crisis in Iraq, it seemed like a good time for a road trip. So on Inauguration Day, filmmaker Chris Hume (TRUTHOUT.org) set out on a 6,000 mile journey in search of America's soul. He interviewed hundreds of regular citizens in the forgotten corners of the country to find out how they felt about America. This is their story. Guest speakers: representatives from Democracy for New Mexico (Mary Ellen and I will be speaking before the film.)

Thursday, May 18, 7:00 PM
Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice
202 Harvard SE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
Free

REQUEST FOR FEEDBACK: Ethics Reform Push for 2007 Legislature

This was originally a post on NM State Senator Dede Feldman's blog. Campaign finance and ethics reform may well be the most important issue today in terms of preserving and nurturing our democracy, both at the state level and nationally. The only way genuine reform will take place is if citizens keep the pressure on, pay close attention to how elected officials treat this issue and actively participate in grassroots action to ensure real change.

Senator Feldman is requesting your feedback on this issue, as well as recommendations for achieving effective reform. Please comment either on this post, or the original post on Senator Feldman's blog.

From Senator Feldman's blog: New Mexico, like many states and Washington, D.C., is experiencing an ethics scandal that seems to grow by the day.  Despite an attempt on my part, and on the part of some of my colleagues in the state legislature, the vast majority of ethics reform legislation introduced during the 2006 legislative session failed to pass.  We simply cannot let another opportunity to enact real reform pass us by during the 2007 legislative session. 

In an attempt to build momentum for ethics and campaign finance reform during the 2007 session, Governor Bill Richardson formed an ethics reform task force last week (click for more information).  The task force convenes an able group of New Mexicans who bring a diverse set of views and experiences to the table.

Governor Richardson and task force co-chair Garrey Carruthers (a former New Mexico Governor) have said that all options for reform are open (see Albuquerque Tribune article).  I certainly hope that’s the case. 

I believe the task force must consider the following reforms, as outlined by Common Cause New Mexico in a recent Albuquerque Journal opinion piece. 

“First, our state must ban gifts to public officials from persons having a financial interest in their official duties. Campaign contributions could be exempted from a ban because they are disclosed to the public. 

Second, New Mexico must develop an independent ethics oversight commission to ensure full compliance with ethics laws and rules. 

Third, campaign reports should be filed more often and should disclose more information such as the employer of every donor.  Independent expenditures, including those coming from outside of New Mexico should be reported.  Current law does not require this kind of disclosure and is the main reason the national Campaign Disclosure Project gives New Mexico disclosure laws a failing grade every year.”

“There is substantial room for improvement in the area of lobbyist disclosure.  A good start would be to require lobbyists to disclose what bills they are interested in influencing each session.”

I would add full public financing of all statewide and legislative offices, like we have for the PRC and Albuquerque city races, to the list of needed reforms. 

What do readers of this blog think are necessary steps for ethics and campaign finance reform in New Mexico?  Stay tuned for more information about upcoming meetings of the ethics reform task force.

Campaign Fundraiser Set for Letitia Montoya for Secretary of State

(Click on image for larger version.)

From the Letitia Montoya campaign for Secretary of State:
Please attend this very important fund raiser for my campaign. If you can't make it, please consider mailing in your contribution of any amount to the address below; or logging onto our website below and making a donation from $5 on up through our secure Pay Pal server with your credit card. I need your financial support in any amount to take this campaign all the way to victory. Also, please look out for our campaign TV commercials that will premiere later this week on Comcast Cable STATEWIDE. 

Thanks a million for your support!

Letitia Montoya for Secretary of State
P.O. Box 32960
Santa Fe, NM 87594-2960
505.820.0445
www.letitiamontoya.com

VOTE JUNE 6TH !!!

TONIGHT at 8 PM: KUNM Airs Analysis of Bush's 6PM MT Address on Immigration

From Javier Benavidez:
Check out Espejos de Aztlan on KUNM 89.9 tonight, Monday May 15th, at 8:00 PM for an analysis of President Bush's 6:00PM MST national address upon the issue of immigration. I will be interviewing local community organizers Tomas Garduno of the Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice (SNEEJ) and Rachel Lazar, Director of El Centro de Igualdad y Derechos.

Espejos de Aztlan has been on-air since 1979 and is part of the Raices Colectiva which conducts programming on news, culture and music from a Latino perspective on KUNM 89.9. For more information or to submit input about the Espejos de Aztlan, please visit the "Espejos de Aztlan" link at .

Listeners to tonight's show will also have an opportunity to win tickets to "Frida K," a presentation by Teatro Paraguas and El Museo Cultural, running Thursday, May 18th through May 28th (Thursday through Saturday at 8:00PM and Sunday matinees at 3:00PM) at El Museo Cultural, 1615 Paseo de Peralta. For more information and reservations about the show, please call 473-0143.

Investigative Journalist Greg Palast to be in Albuquerque 6/17

This is an important chance for New Mexicans to hear directly from Greg Palast. Please pass this information to your friends and your networks. Democracy for New Mexico is one of the community sponsors for this event, along with the Albuquerque Center for Peace & Justice, KUNM-FM, the League of Independent Voters and Voter Action.

(Click on image for larger version)

On June 17 investigative journalist Greg Palast is coming to Albuquerque to promote ARMED MADHOUSE, the long-anticipated follow-up to his bestseller The Best Democracy Money Can Buy.

ARMED MADHOUSE goes on sale June 6 at local bookstores, but can be ordered now at Bookworks (344-8139), or online through Amazon or www.GregPalast.com. It can be read non-sequentially, so readers can browse the table of contents to find new information Greg has uncovered about issues that concern them most, whether it is Iraq, domestic disasters (from Katrina to Social Security to the national debt), globalization or voter fraud and theft.   

Greg will give a talk and sign books in Albuquerque (his only New Mexico stop) on Saturday, June 17, 2006, 7 PM, St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, 318 Silver Avenue, SW. Tickets are the price of one book ($25.95 plus tax) purchased from Bookworks by phone or in person. Ticket/book purchasers can buy a companion ticket for $10—which can be used for a $5 discount on the book at the event only.

BOOKSTORE SPONSOR: Bookworks, 4022 Rio Grande Blvd. NW, Albuquerque, NM 87107   PHONE: 505-344-8139

COMMUNITY SPONSORS: ; Democracy for New Mexico; KUNM-FM; ; Voter Action

ARMED MADHOUSE uncovers even more stories Americans won't hear on their Fox-i-fied news channels:

• the titanic battle between neo-cons and Big Oil, and Ground Zero as a profit center
• the 3 million ballots that weren’t counted in 2004 and Republicans’ caging lists, felons of the future, rotting ballots, the undead, and more tricks on voters
• how much money floated in from the busted New Orleans’ levees and where it landed
• how Bush is planning to have China save our Social Security system
• the truth about globalization, from the vaults of the IMF, the World Bank, and the WTO
• and, the coming assassination of Hugo Chavez

"I am reading the book. I consider myself to be ‘well informed’ about the War on Iraq. Everyone knows about the oil, but I didn't know that US corporations are also stealing food from the Iraqis. I am so furious, I am practically shaking. Everyone should read this book."   --Barbara Grothus

Note: Greg Palast was here in May of last year, and held an fundraiser for Voter Action's New Mexico voter lawsuit. Click to check out photo album of the event.

Greg's Bio (pdf).