Democracy for New Mexico

Stay Tuned to WakeUpWalMart for Big Annoucement

From WakeUpWalmart:
We are going to have a big announcement the last week of July which will involve every single one of you. So stay tuned, get excited and continue to build the movement to change Wal-Mart by clicking here to recruit your friends.

In the mean time, I wanted to take a moment and update you on 3 breaking news stories in our campaign to change Wal-Mart into a responsible, moral corporation.

1) Wal-Mart’s response to our crime report
As reported by the New York Times, Wal-Mart has significantly changed its shoplifting policy and abandoned one of Sam Walton’s principles for success. Sam Walton considered shoplifting “one of the biggest enemies of profitability” and even linked employee’s bonuses to reducing the amount of shrinkage in each store. Not surprisingly, Sam Walton insisted that Wal-Mart adopt a zero-tolerance policy for shoplifters.

But, now, under new leadership, Wal-Mart has decided to not stop shoplifters for items under $25. We believe Wal-Mart’s changes are a direct response to our crime report published in May which showed a high number of police calls being generated from Wal-Mart stores. In addition, we believe Wal-Mart’s change in policy is consistent with the company’s efforts to drastically reduce labor costs by cutting workers.

Please click here to read the New York Times article.

2) Wal-Mart - still charging the wrong price?
Last week, the Attorney General in Arizona filed a lawsuit against Wal-Mart for failing to address scanner error problems which resulted in consumers being charged the wrong price. As you may recall, the investigation in Arizona produced similar results to our own studies conducted by the University of Illinois and the University of California Berkeley. Those studies, done in 4 states, showed Wal-Mart failed to meet the federal standard for charging customers the right price.

Please click here to read the Arizona Republic article.

3) Stop the Wal-Mart bank
Recently, two leading members of the U.S. House (one Democrat and one Republican), introduced a bi-partisan bill to close the loophole which Wal-Mart is trying to use to obtain a bank. In addition, the Federal Reserve testified before Congress in support of closing the loophole. As you know, the bank of Wal-Mart would be a dangerous concentration of capital in the hands of any one single corporation and would be detrimental to consumers, small businesses and community banks.

Please click here to read the article on the Fed’s testimony and here to read the article on the new legislation.

As you can see, our campaign to change Wal-Mart is in full gear and gaining tremendous momentum. Now think about this, if we can do all of this with 245,500 supporters, imagine what we can do with 1 million supporters. In the next few weeks, help us continue to build our movement by sign up five more friends, neighbors, co-workers and family.

Together, we will change Wal-Mart and change America for the better. Thank you for all that you do,

Jeremy Bird
WakeUpWalMart.com

Heather Wilson Votes for Rightwing Gay Marriage Ploy

Standing in the shadows of love...

NM Rep. Heather Wilson has again shown what she's really made of. She voted on the side of right-wingers who believe it's critical to go on the record against gay marriage once again, even though it's a "time of war" and more important issues languish on the sidelines. As expected, the call for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage was defeated in the House by a margin of 236-187, but provided another opportunity for grandstanding by "conservatives." Talk about priorities. And whatever happened to the core Republican belief in state's rights and their opposition to the federal government pushing its way into people lives?

Wilson has worked hard to create an "independent" facade to fool voters into thinking she's just a polite, cloth coat, 1950s style moderate Republican. However, politically expedient votes like this one demonstrate how phony her independent pose really is.

Wilson apparently had no qualms about participating in a dog and pony show designed to appeal to the lowest common denomenator within the Republican base. We get you Heather. You're on the side of extremist conservatives like Dan Burton (IN), Marilyn Musgrave (CO), Richard Pombo (CA), Dana Rohrabacher (CA), James Sensenbrenner (WI), Jeff Sessions (AL), Tom Tancredo (CO) and our own Steve Pearce (NM). On the other hand, the genuinely moderate and independent members of Congress from your Party voted against this transparent attempt to make political hay and stir up the howlers.

A similar bill was defeated recently in the Senate and there was never any real hope of passage in either House of Congress. Republicans went ahead with the charade anyway, on direct orders from Bush-Rove. With all the horror stories erupting each day related to their failed foreign and domestic policies, I guess they have to offer some sort of red meat to the pond scum at the bottom of their voting bloc. Heather was right there dishing it out along with the others, falling in line to please the president and his political advisor. Independent my ass.

Outrage of the Day: U.S. Charging Americans to Get Out of Lebanon

This statement issued by the U.S. Embassy in Beirut takes the cake:

The Department of State reminds American citizens that the U.S. government does not provide no-cost transportation but does have the authority to provide repatriation loans to those in financial need. For the portion of your trip directly handled by the U.S. Government we will ask you to sign a promissory note and we will bill you at a later date. In a subsequent message, when we have specific details about the transporation arrangments, we will inform you about the costs you will incur. We will also work with commercial aircraft to ensure that they have adequate flights to help you depart Cyprus and connect to your final destination.

Since when does the U.S. government charge its citizens for rescuing them from war zones? This is what's happening with our citzens stuck in Lebanon as Israel continues its air and rocket attacks there.  I guess the feds have to get money somewhere to help cover the massive cost-plus invoices submitted by Halliburton and Blackwater, not to mention all those billions "lost" in Iraq without a paper trail. This is not the America I grew up in. This is not America, period.

Bipartisan Support for Impeachment a Welcome Sign of the Times

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From Leland Lehrman of Northern NM's Mother Media:
New Mexicans may recall that the overwhelming majority of Democrats who showed up this Spring to vote on the Party's Platform want to impeach George W. Bush. Ask anyone who was there, the noise was thunderous. If you were not aware of that very relevant fact, you will soon be reminded when an official flyer describing the platform of the Democratic Party of New Mexico starts making the rounds as we approach Election Day. Under the heading "Election Issues," along with important voting system watchdog provisions such as "Support the requirement that electronic voting machines have open source code" and "Support automatic recounts of paper ballots and machine rechecks in a randomized sample of precincts in each election," stand the brave words of New Mexico's Democratic Party faithful: "Support the impeachment of President George W. Bush."

Sadly, on this and other issues, the men and women who make up the party have had to fight with the leadership to make their views known and have them officially recognized. And although I'm sure there are many who deserve the credit for making sure that the will of the people gets put down in black and white, Terry Riley, a veteran and activist from Albuquerque gets my thanks for his courage and tenacity in the face of officialdom.

Terry Riley talking to NM Sen. Linda Lopez at
the 3/5/06 signing of the paper ballot bill

Mr. Riley, a friend and colleague from recent Legislative Sessions where we both worked on voting system reform, is the man who put together the nicely designed brochure entitled Issues of the Democratic Party of New Mexico, now available for download and distribution. Check out these other gems from the broadsheet:

• "Support the preservation of Otero Mesa, Valle Vidal and rejoin the Kyoto Treaty."
• "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 December, 2006..."
• "Call for an immediate repeal of the Patriot Act."

New Mexico's Democrats are not alone in wanting accountability, and as Chris Hassell of Santa Fe Beeswax Candle recently commented, Americans must beat the divide and conquer strategy of partisan politics and take on criminal behavior with one voice. Republican House leader from Texas, Representative Ron Paul has also called for Bush's impeachment. In a recent radio interview on the GCN radio network, Rep. Paul stated "President Bush has presided over a system wide doctrine of violating the Constitution at every turn and that he should be impeached..." Amazing as it sounds, other Republicans may follow suit. Randi Rhodes recently reported on Air America that as many as five Republican candidates for State Assembly as well as the Republican candidate for Attorney General in Kansas have switched to the Democratic Party, either from genuine conviction or from a desire to be able to win.

Rep. John Conyers, whose office produced the excellent documentation of voter disenfranchisement and possible fraud in Ohio in 2004, will move to the Chairmanship of the House Judiciary Committee if Democrats win back the House in November. Rep. Conyers has stated, albeit very obliquely, that in that event, and given he finds impeachable offenses during his investigation of Administration criminality, he "would forward that information to the Judiciary Committee," read: begin impeachment proceedings. Any real investigation of this Administration will find impeachable offenses. Let's get him in position and then hold Conyers to his word.

With the Middle East rapidly descending into total chaos, courtesy the international neoconservative militants, time is of the essence, and Americans must weigh in loudly to drown out the blaring wartime propaganda from the media establishment. The next election, and those immediately following, will have an enormous impact on the safety of our world, and all its people, so get busy. Whether conservative or liberal, right wing or left wing, make sure your voice is heard and support leaders who represent you accurately.

Note: To subscribe to Mother Media's email newsletter, contact leland.lehrman@gmail.com. Leland Lehrman also has a blog and a Mother Media website.

Health Action NM Community Meeting Set for 7/26

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Big Mouth Bush

You've probably already seen something about Bush's gruffly sophomoric commentary on the situation in the Middle East caught by a still-on microphone at a G8 event. He's making one of his signature tough guy faces and chomping on a big ole cheekful of hard roll. Nevertheless, I wanted to post it here, if only to keep the buzz going, or document history, or something. It can still be hard for me to believe that this shallow, vulgar, ignorant, reckless bully is the President of the United States of America in the 21st century.

Bush's summary of what needs to be done about the Middle East crisis, between chews, amounts to this:

See, the irony is what they need to do is get Syria to get Hizbollah to stop doing this shit and it's over.

If only the world would listen to The Decider, eh? This is what passes for penetrating analysis and effective strategy in BushWorld. And he chews like a pig, to boot. Here's a transcript of the entire exchange by the Washington Post. It omits the chomping sounds. Here's a video of a segment of the conversation from Reuters that includes the chomping. Funny but not surprising that the mainstream media is hung up on the fact Bush uttered the word "shit." Out here in the real world, we're more concerned about how offhandedly shallow he is about this crisis.

The always measured and factual Juan Cole provides commentary on Bush's statements, which ends with this chilling observation:

It is a little window into the superficial, one-sided mind of the man, who has for six years been way out of his depth. I come away from it shaken and trembling.

I can relate. And I can also think about what our world might be like right now if someone with this writer's sensibilities were in charge. (Be sure to savor the quotes by conservatives with a drooling WW III jones.) I hear the train a'comin and it isn't any kind of peace train....

You're Invited: Grand Opening of Madrid Campaign's South Valley Office

Patricia Madrid at local 4th of July parade.
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South Valley Office Opening Party
You're cordially invited to the Patricia Madrid campaign's South Valley office opening party! Please, join us for fun, food, friends, music and conversation with Attorney General Patricia Madrid. Event details are as follows:

When? Sunday, July 23, 3 - 5 PM
Where? 1220 Isleta Blvd. SW, Albuquerque

Volunteer Opportunities
The Madrid campaign always needs volunteers! Whenever our offices are open, there are opportunities to volunteer. Please, call us at our main office, 505-242-6000 or our South Valley office, 505-452-2006, and we'll make sure to get you involved! Our offices are open as follows:

Main Office: 200 Oak St. NE #4, Albuquerque, 505-242-6000
South Valley Office: 1220 Isleta Blvd. SW, Albuquerque, 505-452-2006

Office Hours:
Monday-Thursday, 9 AM - 8 PM
Friday, 9 AM - 5 PM
Saturday-Sunday, 12 PM - 8 PM

Saturday Canvasses
Every Saturday, the campaign runs volunteer canvasses from 10 AM to 2 PM out of our main office. Please call 505-242-6000 to sign up and make sure to bring your walking shoes!

Yard Signs / Bumper Stickers
Yard signs and bumper stickers are available at both offices. Please, drop by to pick them up!

Now is the time to kick our campaign into high gear. The best way to win an election is through people talking to people about the importance of voting. Together, we can talk to tens of thousands of voters and win this election for Patricia Madrid!

I look forward to seeing you on the campaign trail. Thank you so much for all your support.

Sincerely,
Cory Medina, Field Director
Patricia Madrid for Congress
www.madridforcongress.com

Snickers

Okay, since it's getting to be the dog daze of summer and the news of late has been mostly of the depressing kind, I thought I'd provide you with a few silly snickers at George's expense. I figure since he spends so much time snickering regardless of what's going on in the world, we have a perfect right to snicker at his expense, even with World World III underway. And when you're done with that, visit the ever popular falling Bush. Click on him with your mouse and you can toss him all over the place. Go ahead, indulge, even if you've done it a hundred times before. You'll feel much better....

Dendahl Follies Continue

Republican gubernatorial candidate John Dendahl likes to portray himself as a sophisticated, true-blue muckraker and maverick gunslinger, but he's neither. Instead he comes off as a blatant race baiter and hypocrite. And he's definitely not ready for prime time, even on an Albuquerque radio station.

During a recent appearance on KKOB radio, he blamed New Mexico's DWI problems on the Legislature for not taking "adequate" action because most offenders are folks who "just happen to have Hispanic last names." It's ironic, isn't it, that his own (Anglo through and through) stepson was arrested this month for making lines of cocaine in his van and being in possession of an open liquor container, as reported in an article in the Santa Fe New Mexican:

A state police officer reported he saw Timothy McKinley, 37, making lines of cocaine on a metal clipboard inside a minivan. The officer reported he drew his weapon after McKinley threw the clipboard to the floor and tried to start the van. In addition to cocaine possession, McKinley was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and having an open container of alcohol.

If Dendahl really believes his own "get tough" rhetoric, shouldn't he be calling for the maximum sentence for his stepson so that he's "adequately punished"? I mean, he wouldn't want the authorities to go light on Mr. McKinley and sentence him to treatment or some other swishy "liberal" sentence, would he? Long jail terms represent the sentence of choice of "conservatives" like Dendahl -- at least when they themselves or relatives aren't involved.

Dendahl, of all people, should know that locking people up for years isn't always the best solution to substance abuse problems. After all, in the past he's been a strong supporter of decriminalizing drugs and offering more voluntary treatment and counseling instead of jail time. He can't have it both ways now that he's running for governor.

In another exchange on the radio show about immigration, Dendahl used the phrase, "dark-complected, brownish-looking guy" to describe job applicants who might cause employers problems complying with the law. Meanwhile Dendahl has claimed his rhetoric isn't "anti-Hispanic." Right. And those in the South so concerned about "states rights" in the civil rights era were in no way being anti-African American. Racial innuendo is racial innuendo no matter the phony labels used by baiters like Dendahl.

Maybe Dendahl should drop the phony sermonizing on radio stations and attend to his own family sins. Johnny joins the ranks of an abundant group of rightwingers and their children who've been caught in hypocrisy's crosshairs. They include druggie Rush Limbaugh, numerous fundie "preachers" caught with their pants down in motel rooms, the underage drunken children of George Bush, the holier than thou "conservatives" like Duke Cunningham and Tom DeLay, who've been caught in bribery schemes, and white-collar corporate criminals like the late, great Ken Lay.

Then there's Christian Coalition co-founder Ralph Reed's involvement with a plot to steal from Native Americans in a lobbying scam and the recent DWI arrest of one of the Coors beer scions who has, ast least in public, been a strong supporter of tightened DWI laws. You can find info on more seedy behavior by right-wing Republican criminals here. Quite a rundown.

So many of these pseudo-moralists like to talk the talk, but they and their children often can't seem to walk the walk. Maybe they should spend less time moralizing in the media and more time devoted to actually solving problems with fairness and focus. I know that's asking alot.

Sunday Zinnia Blogging

No birds today. They told me it's summertime and the living should be easy, so they don't want to pose for photos today. Go figure. Instead I'm showing you our zinnias. We planted them from seed and they're blossoming in abundance now. I've read that zinnias are the easiest flowers to grow from seeds and it seems true if our yard is any indication.

Zinnias are members of the daisy family and they come in a wide variety of colors and forms. They're perfect for our New Mexico climate because they're natives of Mexico. They grow naturally in the form of a purplish wildflower in an area stretching from the American Southwest all the way down to South America. All the current varieties have been hybridized from those. Zinneas love full sun and hot weather. And they'll reseed themselves each year. Butterflies like them alot, even if our birds refused to pose with them this morning. Who can tell what's really going on in a bird brain? (Click on images for larger versions.)