Democracy for New Mexico

REGISTER NOW: 2006 New Mexico Wilderness Conference

From the NM Wilderness Alliance:
The Future of Wilderness
November 11, 2006
Sunrise Springs Inn and Retreat
242 Los Pinos Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Map, Directions

Registration will begin at 8:00 AM
Conference runs from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Wild Reception and Auction from 4 to 6:00 PM
Please Pre-Register Space is limited

Advance Conference Registration Fee: $40 including a tasty lunch from the Blue Heron Cafe and entrance to the Wild Reception.

Featuring:

Michael Soule, the Father of Conservation Biology, presenting his grand vision of the “Spine of the Continent”

Roger Kaye, Wilderness Specialist, Author and Conservationist presenting “The Last Great Wilderness:  The Campaign to Establish the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge”

Ken Madsen, award-winning writer, photographer and conservationist from the Yukon, giving a Slide Show "The Arctic Connection"

Arturo Sandoval,  President of the Coalition for New Mexico Wilderness, presenting “Diversity in New Mexico”

Dave Foreman, Director of The Rewilding Institute and Founding Father of NMWA, presenting "The Future of Wilderness"

Additional Workshop Sessions Include:
Saving the Gila: New Mexico’s Last Wild River by Dutch Salmon
Wilderness & the Human Spirit by Roger Kaye
The Mexican Wolf by Michael Robinson
Volunteer Workshop by Christianne Hinks and Nancy Morton
Arctic Workshop by Erik DuMont and Ken Madsen
Saving Otero Mesa by Nathan Newcomer and Stephen Capra

Join us for a Wild Reception and Auction following the Conference with Auctioneer Extraordinaire Dave Foreman.

Bid on Wilderness Trips including:
Stay at Bear Mountain Lodge in the Gila; Llama Trek and Lunch near Taos; Guided tour of Otero Mesa; Ladder Ranch Private Tour and Stay; Backpack with Wolf Expert Dave Parsons in the Gila Wilderness; and more.

Silent Auction: Bid on artwork, gear, books, gift certificates and more.

Please pre-register to hold your place, space is limited.

You can register in three ways.
1.  On-line at: https://secure.ga1.org/05/nmwild_2006conference
2.  Call us at: 505/843-8696
3.  Send a check to:
New Mexico Wilderness Alliance
PO Box 25464
Albuquerque, NM 87125

Meet Gov. Richardson at 10/23 Open House

Governor Bill Richardson
Invites You
To An Open House On
Monday, October 23,2006, 4-6:00 PM
at the Richardson for Governor Headquarters
111 Lomas NW, Suite 120, Albuquerque

Sunday Bird (Dog) Blogging: Balloon Fiesta Edition

No birds today, but we do have Terry Riley's dog, Ed (above).  As Terry writes, "Everybody talks about how beautiful the balloon fiesta is, and their pictures are filled with the color and the calm beauty of it all. There is another side -- the dogs and horses that are upset by the balloons and the noises that come with them.

"My dogs Ed and Lucy work hard to keep our property safe from invading balloons. Saturday morning I happened to almost catch a picture of Ed rushing to the other end of the yard to protect it.  A balloon had started descending until Ed convinced them otherwise." (You can see a tiny bit of the balloon retreating at the upper left-hand corner of the photo.)

Not many balloons from the Fiesta ventured into the NE Heights where we live, but we did get one floating right over the house with that distinctive whoosh - whoosh sound. I ran out to see it and then checked to see if our lovebird, sun conure or parakeets were alarmed. Absolutely no response, which I found surprising. I guess in the avian world whoosh - whoosh sounds are no big whoop.

PS: I'm still experiencing problems with images and sidebar material loading properly. I've heard from several readers who are having the same problem, yet TypePad insists when they load the page all is well. Are any of you reading this now having any problems loading the page properly or entirely? If so, please write and let me know in the comments. I have to say that TypePad has been very slow in responding and has offered very little useful info about fixing the problems, perhaps because they keep insisting there are none. Such is cyber-life in the 21st century. 

Take It Easy and Vote by Mail

The easiest way to vote in the November 7th election is to vote by mail, or what is otherwise known as voting via absentee ballot. You don't have to be absent or away to vote by mail. All you have to do is request a mail-in ballot by filling out a form and sending the request in to your county clerk, who will then send you a ballot to complete at home and mail back.

You can get the application for a mail-in ballot by contacting your county clerk or either the Madrid or Richardson campaigns. Some other local campaigns or Dem Party offices can also provide you with the application form. Easy ways to get your application:

Madrid for Congress Campaign:
https://www.madridforcongress.com/action/votefromhome
Or call the Main Office at 505-242-6000 or the South Valley Office at 505-452-2006.

Richardson for Governor Campaign:

Or call 505-828-BILL

Find contact info on your county clerk:
https://www.sos.state.nm.us/main/elections/Clerks.htm

TypePad Problems

Since early yesterday there have been ongoing problems with the TypePad application I use to produced this blog. You may have noticed pages, images or other elements failing to load properly or at all. The problems are spotty and inconsistent and sometimes things load OK. I've found that if you click into comments, a post continuation or the permalink for a post, there's a much better chance of the sidebars and images loading properly. I've been working with TypePad to solve the problems, but it has been slow going. I hope to get things resolved soon but there's no guarantee. It's a drag.

More NM Swiftboating: Bibb Tries to Smear Dem AG Candidate Gary King

With at least $150,000 in campaign contributions coming into New Mexico from Houston's Bob and Doylene Perry, the key funders of 2004's despicable Swiftboat Veterans for Truth, it's no wonder that the campaigns for many Republican candidates in New Mexico are resorting to disreputable tactics as we close in on election day. I examined some of this in a earlier post.

Now a post on , Gov. Bill Richardson's blog, explains how Swiftboat tactics are being employed by Repub candidate Jim Bibb in his latest ad against his Dem rival, Gary King. It's clear that the long knives of the worst of the Republican Party have been drawn here in New Mexico. I've always thought the best response to irresponsible and dishonest campaigning is to donate time or money to the candidate who's getting Swiftboated. Click to visit and lend a hand. The Swiftboaters won't like it.

Native American Voters Alliance Hosts Candidate Forum This Saturday

From Sage Council, NAVA:
The Native American Voters Alliance (NAVA) is hosting a candidate forum this Saturday, October 14, at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (2401 12th Street NW) in Albuquerque from 6 to 8 PM. Speaking will be candidates from the 1st Congressional District race (Heather Wilson v. Patricia Madrid), the Attorney General race (Gary King v. Jim Bibb), the Secretary of State race (Vickie Perea v. Mary Herrera), the Land Commissioner race (Jim Baca v. Pat Lyons) and the State Treasurer race (James Lewis v. Demesia Padilla).

Swiftboating James B. Lewis: Is Repub Treasurer Candidate's Mailer Racist?

Controversy has erupted in the race for NM Treasurer, where Democrat James Lewis is running against Republican Demesia Padilla. The latest mailer by Padilla features this graphic:

(Click on image for larger version)

According to an Albuquerque Journal article,

State treasurer candidate James B. Lewis says a new campaign mailer by opponent Demesia Padilla is racially charged, while Padilla says it's not racist and is just a cartoon.

... "It's borderline ... (it) almost seemed racist. It's just bad they're going to the bottom of the barrel," said Lewis, the Democratic candidate.

... Richardson re-election campaign Chairman Dave Contarino called the caricature "racially tinged" and "trash politics."

... Lewis said a family member told him about the new Padilla mailer Wednesday evening. He described the relative as "livid."

"This image here reminds me of somebody hanging somebody, really," Lewis told the Journal Thursday. "It's in very poor taste."

You can send the Padilla campaign a message by voting in a poll at the Albuquerque Journal website that asks whether the image is objectionable or not. Scroll down on their main page to the poll on the right. If you'd like to contact the Padilla campaign, click here. Click to visit the James B. Lewis Campaign website and lend your support.

Repub Money from Swiftboating Supporters
Like almost every Repub campaign in NM this election season, Padilla's has moved into sleazy territory. In the September Journal polling in the race, Lewis led Padilla 40-26. I guess it's not surprising when two of the most generous contributors to NM Republicans this cycle were Bob Perry and Doylene Perry of Houston. As reported in the Santa Fe New Mexican,

Perry was a major contributor to the controversial Swiftboat Veterans for Truth, which in 2004 attacked Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's military record.

In fact, according to MSNBC.com, Perry was the CHIEF financial backer of the so-called Swifboat Veterans for Truth, who ran all those smear ads against Kerry during the 2004 election.

Contributions by the Perrys to state Repub candidates here include:

Republican State Treasurer candidate Demesia Padilla:
Her biggest donations were $25,000 each from Bob Perry and Doylene Perry of Houston

Republican Attorney General candidate Jim Bibb:
$25,000 from Houston businessman Bob Perry plus another $25,000 from Perry and his wife, Doylene

Republican Secretary of State Candidate Vickie Perea:
Her biggest contributors were Bob Perry and Doylene Perry of Houston, at $25,000 each

Click for the Wikipedia entry on Perry.

Open House with Sen. Bingaman Set for 10/16

Senator Bingaman as a Silver City Cub Scout, back in the day

From the Binagaman Campaign:
Join U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman for an open house:
Monday, October 16th from 4:30 to 6 PM
At the Bingaman Re-Election headquarters
5555 Montgomery NE, Suite 8
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Light refreshments and snacks will be provided.
Download the flyer (doc)

We hope that you will be able to join us! If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Anna Wadsworth at 505-881-0042 or anna.wadsworth@bingaman2006.com.

Democratic State Auditor candidate Hector Balderas (left) with Sen. Bingaman

BREAKING: New NM-01 Poll Shows Madrid Up 8 Points Over Wilson

Go read about it at NM FBIHOP !