Democracy for New Mexico

REMINDER: Tune in Saturday to ABQ's 1350 AM Insight NM Radio Show

Photo montage of last week's show by Suzanne Prescott (click photo for larger image)

, the weekly progressive call-in talk radio show with Eric Griego and Suzanne Prescott, will be on the air again this Saturday from 3:00 to 4:00 PM. This week's guests will include:

• Danice Picraux, who serves in the New Mexico House from District 25. Representative Picraux is Chair of the Legislative Health & Human Services  Committee and Vice Chair of the Appropriations & Finance Committee
• Steve Terrell, who is a political reporter at The Santa Fe New Mexican, has two shows at KSFR, Santa Fe Public Radio and has several local blogs
• Lisa Grover, who is the Executive Director of the New Mexico Coalition for Charter Schools. She's a founder of Moreno Valley Charter School, recognized in 2006 by Newsweek Magazine as the 34th best high school in the USA

You can hear a rebroadcast of the show on Sunday morning from 7:00 to 8:00 AM on 1350 AM. You can also listen to podcasts (mp3s) of material from past shows at the podcast page of the program's website.

We need to tune in weekly if we want this show to stay on the air. For sponsorship opportunities, email Suzanne Prescott at and help support progressive talk radio in Albuquerque!

Iraq Occupation Quotes of the Day

From an article by Michael Hirsch, Newsweek:

Under Petraeus’s plan, a U.S. military force of 160,000 or more is setting up hundreds of “mini-forts” all over Baghdad and the rest of the country, right in the middle of the action. The U.S. Army has also stopped pretending that Iraqis—who have failed to build a credible government, military or police force on their own—are in the lead when it comes to kicking down doors and keeping the peace. And that means the future of Iraq depends on the long-term presence of U.S. forces in a way it did not just a few months ago. -- [emphasis mine]

Meanwhile, Politico.com lays out the new strategy planned by Senate Dems to call for a U.S. troop exit by the end of March 2008 and limit Bush in other ways. The proposal by Biden and Levin would also:

... restrict U.S. military efforts in Iraq to training and logistical support for the Iraqi army, counterterrorism operations and securing the Iraqi borders, especially with Iran and Syria, said the Democratic insiders, who would speak only on the condition of anonymity as the drafting proceeds.

Senate Democratic leaders have not decided when to formally introduce the new measure, which, if enacted, would restrict the president's authority to conduct military operations inside Iraq.

... The Biden-Levin resolution would supersede the use-of-force resolution for Iraq passed by Congress in October 2002. And it would require Bush to seek new authorization from Congress to send more combat troops to Iraq, or make any other dramatic changes in the nature of the U.S. military mission there.

It's seems clear that Bush will try to get as much of the escalation in place before Congress can act to stop him. Let's hope Dems in Washington start acting decisively more than talking endlessly ....

ATTENTION: Next Hearing on NM Impeachment Resolution Set for Sunday

The NM Senate Public Affairs Committee will consider SJR 5, the New Mexico resolution calling for the U.S. Congress to begin impeachment proceedings against Cheney and Bush, in Room 321 at the Santa Fe Roundhouse on Sunday, February 25th at approximately 2:00 PM.

If we want this bill to move forward it's critically important that we have a large turnout of supporters this Sunday, as we did at the bill's first hearing before the Senate Rules Committee. If you possibly can, please come to Santa Fe for the hearing this Sunday. There will also be opportunities for citizen lobbying with legislators and rallying outside with signs before the hearing. Bring your digital camera and I'll be happy to post your photos or videos on the blog.

Whether you can make it on Sunday or not, PLEASE CALL the state senators listed below RIGHT NOW. Be polite, be persuasive and make a personal appeal from your own point of view.

If the resolution passes Public Affairs, it will go next to the Senate Judiaciary Committee. There are several "swing" Democrats on each committee that have not yet shown support for SJR 5. Please contact them and urge them to support the resolution:

• Mary Kay Papen (D-Dona Ana), 505-986-4270 (Public Affairs)
• David Ulibarri (D-Cibola, Socorro, Valencia), 505-986-4265 (Public Affairs)
• Michael S. Sanchez (Valencia), 505-986-4727 (Judiciary)
• Richard C. Martinez (Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Santa Fe), 505-986-4389 (Judiciary)
• Lidio J. Rainaldi (Cibola, McKinley) 505-986-4310 (Judiciary)

One good talking point is to remind Democratic legislators that a very large majority of the 1200 or so delegates to the March 2006 convention of the Democratic Party of New Mexico voted to adopt a platform resolution in favor of impeaching Bush (see front page of Albuquerque Journal above). The resolution is a part of the official platform of our State Party. You can read more about the Party's passage of the impeachment measure in a Daily Kos diary from March 2006.

Another good idea is to call your State Senator and urge them to support the resolution and talk to the Senators listed above to gain their support. To find your Senator, click here. Visit Leland Lehrman's Mother Media website for more detailed information about Sunday's activities in Santa Fe, as well as additional suggestions for gaining more support for this bill.

Double Check
Finally, you probably should call the NM Legislature on Sunday morning at 505-986-4300 to make sure there has been no last-minute rescheduling of the hearing on SJR 5. At this point in the process, agendas have a habit of being changed with short notice.

To read our previous posts on the NM impeachment effort, visit the DFNM Impeachment Archive.

Attend Hearing in NM on Dangerous New Nuclear Plan

From the Union of Concerned Scientists:
The Bush administration’s controversial Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) would resume U.S. commercial reprocessing—the extraction of weapon-usable plutonium from commercial spent fuel from nuclear reactors—for the first time in over 30 years. The resumption would make it easier for terrorists to obtain the material needed to make a nuclear bomb, and would seriously undermine nuclear non-proliferation efforts by encouraging other countries to begin reprocessing programs that would produce weapon-usable plutonium.

I am writing to encourage you to attend an upcoming Department of Energy (DOE) hearing on the proposed GNEP. Your community is near a potential site for a new GNEP reprocessing facility and an experimental nuclear reactor known as an “advanced burner reactor” that will use plutonium fuel. The plan would entail bringing nuclear waste from nuclear reactors all over the country to your community for processing and long-term storage, exposing you and your neighbors to serious environmental and health risks. A safer and more secure approach is to store spent fuel at each reactor site in robust casks that are protected from terrorist attack.

There are several upcoming meetings in New Mexico, including:

Monday, February 26, 2007, 6 - 9:30 PM
Lea County Event Center, 5101 N Lovington-Hobbs Hwy, Hobbs, NM

Tuesday, February 27, 2007, 9 AM - 12:30 PM
Pecos River Village Conf. Center (Carousel House), 711 Muscatel Avenue, Carlsbad, NM

Tuesday, February 27, 2007, 6 - 9:30 PM
Best Western Sally Port Inn & Suites (Ballroom), 2000 N Main Street, Roswell, NM

Thursday, March 1, 2007, 6 - 9:30 PM
Hilltop House Best Western (La Vista Room), 400 Trinity Drive (at Central), Los Alamos, NM

By law, the DOE has to conduct a Programmatic Environmental Impact Assessment (PEIS) of the GNEP proposal. The hearing is part of this PEIS process, providing the public with an opportunity to present comments or concerns, ask questions, and raise a range of issues including the overall purpose and need for the GNEP program, the risks of nuclear terrorism, potential environmental risks/ implications, and economic considerations.

I encourage you to go to the hearing and ask the DOE why it is pursuing a plan that will make it easier for terrorists to obtain the material needed to make nuclear weapons. Ask them to consider the security advantages of the “no action alternative” of storing waste securely at nuclear reactor sites until the U.S. government builds a permanent repository for direct disposal of spent nuclear fuel. 

Click Here for UCS Briefing Paper on GNEP 

Click here for DOE GNEP web site

You may also submit comments on the GNEP proposal (by April 4, 2007):

Mail to Mr. Timothy A. Frazier, GNEP PEIS Document Manager, Office of Nuclear Energy, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585-0119;
Via telephone: 866-645-7803;
Via fax: 866-645-7807; or
By e-mail at GNEP-PEIS@nuclear.energy.gov.
Please mark your letters, faxes, or emails “GNEP PEIS Comments.”

If you are planning to attend the hearing and need assistance or have questions, please do not hesitate to call or email me at smeyer@ucsusa.org or 617-301-8065. Also, if you do attend, please let me know and call or email me with any feedback or information that may come out of the hearing and could be relevant to our work on the issue.

Sincerely,
Sean Meyer
National Field Coordinator
Global Security Program

Sign up for action alerts from the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Santa Fe Community Read Schedule of Events

From the City of Santa Fe:
The City of Santa Fe is pleased to announce the official schedule of events for Santa Fe’s first Community Read! In January, Mayor Coss announced the communitywide read of the book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America. The mission of the Community Read is to inspire further discussion on the issue of poverty in Santa Fe and the obstacles to economic security.

Read On Santa Fe! Community Read Schedule of Events: All of the city’s Community Read events are at the New Mexico Film Museum (formerly the Jean Cocteau Cinema)

Saturday, March 3 – Local Film Matinee
Screening of locally-produced films and documentaries about economic struggle. Tickets available beginning at 11:45 a.m. Tickets are free, though donations will be accepted to support the filmmakers and a local youth organization.

FILMS
La Marcha: Working for Economic Justice (Showtime 12:50 p.m.) This is the story of the Santa Fe Living Wage Campaign, which emerged through the efforts of diverse community-based organizations to build a coalition that illustrates core U.S. values of teamwork, fairness, opportunity, responsibility and respect.

Gary and the Angels (Showtime 2 p.m., followed by Q&A with producer Margo Manaraze Wagner) is based on the life of Gallup resident Gary Murphy who struggles with his fetal alcohol syndrome disabilities, alcohol abuse, and homelessness.

Salt of the Earth (Showtime 3:30 p.m.) is based on an actual strike against the Empire Zinc Mine in New Mexico. The film deals with the prejudice against the Mexican-American workers, who struck to attain wage parity with Anglo workers in other mines and to be treated with dignity by their bosses.

Cinderellas of Santa Fe (Showtime 5:30 p.m., followed by Q&A with director Vanessa Vassar) is a documentary film that follows people who are highly educated and/or extremely creative and are recognized in their fields. But, they must still work as cleaning ladies, waitresses and bartenders in order to support their art, their children and their dreams.

American Waitress, new mexico (Showtime 7:40 p.m., followed by Q&A with director Vanessa Vassar and special guests) is a documentary feature film that examines the lives, attitudes, perceptions and experiences of waitresses. More than a film about waitresses, it is a film about life, social structures and human nature.

Tuesday, March 6 – Student and Youth Film Contest
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Screening of short films by local youth and students on the topic of “getting by” in Santa Fe followed by a brief Q&A with the filmmakers. Winning student films will be hosted on www.freenewmexican.com after the showing. The deadline for submissions of films 5 minutes or less is Feb. 28. Call 955-6046 or 955-6629 for more information.

Thursday, March 8 – Panel Discussion
6:30 to 8 p.m.; Reception from 8 to 8:30 p.m.
The Mayor and a panel of community members will discuss the complexities of poverty in Santa Fe in relation to the issues discussed in Barbara Ehrenreich’s book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America.

Sunday, March 11 – Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America

7 p.m. at the Lensic Performing Arts Center
*This is not a city-sponsored event*

For more information on Community Read events, please call 955-6046 or 955-6629.

Please note that the deadline for the Student and Youth Film Contest is fast approaching. The deadline for submissions is Feb. 28, 2007. Films could touch on topics such as growing up in Santa Fe, employment, working families, education, food, housing, healthcare or any other issue the filmmaker believes corresponds with the theme. Call Laura Banish at 955-6046 or Special Projects Coordinator Becky Lo Dolce at 955-6629 for more information about the contest or the Community Read.

Special Guests for 3/1 DFA-DFNM Meetup: Noted Peace-Maker/Coach Plus Candidates for Top DPBC Offices

Our regular monthly DFA-DFNM Meetup will be held on Thursday, March 1, at 7:00 PM, at the Social Hall of the First Unitarian Church at Carlisle and Comanche in Albuquerque. To RSVP or to join the group and get on our email list, click here.

Our special guests this month include:

1. Candidate Slate for Democratic Party of Bernalillo County Offices (elections set for April 14, 2007) 

• Robert Aragon, Candidate for Chair
• Carolyne Devore-Parks, Candidate for First Vice Chair
• Mike Rose, Candidate for Second Vice Chair

2. Something a Little Different: Holly Kawakami on Life Coaching and a Life of Peace-Making. (Tip of the hat to Robb Chavez.) Check out her impressive resume of academic, peace and life experience:

According to life coach Holly Kawakami,

"Working with a coach is a smart choice for people who seek to take stock of where they are and want to maximize the possibilities of living a balanced and fulfilled life. Within the structured, confidential coaching relationship, clients examine values, clarify issues and challenges, brainstorm new ideas, and celebrate accomplishments."

Ms. Kawakami has expanded into coaching as another way to empower individuals who are transitioning, who want to see their values expressed in their communities, and who act to create the world they want to see.

Holly has a 25-year career assisting people who are crossing cultures and managing diversity to be successful in the global, interdependent business world. She brings fresh perspectives and innovative alternatives to problem-solving.

One client says, "The coaching experience with Holly helped me articulate ideas that had been floating around vaguely in my head and to accomplish tasks I*d been telling myself I'd do for months."

Robb Chavez, of DFNM, adds, "Holly listens well, and brings a sensitivity that allows her to hear even the unspoken concerns of her clients. She thus is able to prompt these individuals to achieve a clarity that can help them resolve outstanding issues, be they personal or social."

Kawakami holds a B.A. in Japanese and Asian Studies, an MBA-International, and is finishing her doctorate in intercultural communication at UNM. She also is a qualified mediator and has taught mediation, negotiation and all kinds of communication courses.

Her early years in Chicago exposed her to the struggle for civil rights and to principles of community organizing. Holly then lived outside the United States--20 years in Japan--until moving to New Mexico in 2000.

Connecting people in order to create peace and understanding has always been at the center of Holly's work. For example, the Governor of Osaka appointed her, the only Westerner, to the Osaka Council for World Peace in the 1980s. In 2005, she accompanied and interpreted for the two atomic bomb survivors who came to New Mexico to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Holly Kawakami currently is a member of the UNM Peace Studies Committee and is once again part of the planning for the annual UNM Peace Fair. Holly has studied Japanese tea ceremony for three decades and teaches in the community as another expression of bringing people together in peaceful communion.

For those interested, the first coaching call is complimentary and includes explaining the coaching structure, listening to a client's expectations, and setting up the best schedule to meet that client's needs.

Contact Information: hcsk48@gmail.com

Website: www.goglobalcoaching.com (under construction)

Holly Siebert Kawakami
Ph.D. Candidate
Intercultural Communication
University of New Mexico
Communication Instructor, Water Resource Master*s Program
Albuquerque, NM 87106

Tonight's 'We The People' Features Discussion on Elected vs. Appointed State Treasurer

WE THE PEOPLE: February 22, 2007, 7 PM, Live - Albuquerque Cable Channel 27! Lively discussion with Doug Brown, former Interim State Treasurer, New Mexico. Should the Treasurer be an elected or appointed position in state government?

Also Worldwide On The Net! Click for Streaming Media https://quote-unquote.org/
Second and Fourth Thursdays 7-8 PM Mountain
Call-in: (505) 346-1633, Hosts Judith Binder & Mickey Bock

Update on Polluting Desert Rock Power Plant Tax Subsidy Bills

From activists against Desert Rock:
This past Sunday, the NM Senate Conservation committee met to consider its version of the Desert Rock bill (SB 431). It was essentially tabled. Yet, the bill is still alive in the House. The House Energy committee was supposed to take the bill up for re-consideration on Monday morning. They have delayed consideration of HB 178 till this Friday, February 23 at 8:30 AM.

Please contact the following Reps and ask them to oppose the bill:

Representative Joni Marie Gutierrez
Las Cruces Area
Capitol Office Phone: 986-4234
Office Phone: 647-5577
Home Phone: 526-5079
E-mail: jonig@zianet.com

Representative Thomas A. Garcia
Taos, Mora, Colfax, Guad
Capitol Office Phone: 986-4242
E-mail: ocate@hotmail.com

The subsidy is being proposed through two bills being considered in the Roundhouse that would reduce Desert Rock’s overall New Mexico tax liability by about 15 percent. Sithe Global Power, the company selected by the Navajo Nation’s Diné Power Authority, to develop, finance, construct and operate the 1,500 megawatt power plant, has already negotiated a reduction of its Navajo Nation tax liability by about two-thirds. The total cost of the facility is estimated at $3 billion, making it the most costly construction project in New Mexico history.

If any money is to be given to corporate interests at all, it should go toward supporting innovative, cutting-edge coal technologies now available, such as coal gasification, that significantly reduce coal- power emissions overall, including mercury, lead, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.

The New Mexico Environment Department reports that Desert Rock’s emissions would significantly impact air quality in a region where air quality is already close to exceeding the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ground-level ozone, the most common cause of smog. The plant would increase New Mexico’s emissions of mercury, a dangerous neurotoxin, by 13 percent and the region’s sulfur dioxide emissions by 10 percent, according to a state analysis.

The plant would raise statewide greenhouse gas levels by 25 percent, boosting statewide greenhouse gas emissions to about 59 million tons per year. The state predicts its total greenhouse gas emissions would reach nearly 60 million tons per year by 2012 without Richardson's limits. His executive order calls for greenhouse gases in 2012 to be the same as in 2000, or at about 48 million tons per year. The Desert Rock plant expects to emit just under 11 million tons of carbon dioxide each year. Because the state does not have jurisdiction over the facility, the state agencies cannot mandate the type of technology that should be used.

Our money should not go to subsidize a regional power plant that intends to sell most of its power out of state. Sithe doesn't want to admit it, but it is going to build this plant -- if EPA lets them -- whether or not they get the $85 million tax break from New Mexicans. So giving it to them would truly be a giveaway.

Thanks for considering this critical issue,
Kristin Casper: kristincasper@yahoo.com

Editor's Note: For more background and information on this attempted tax giveaway to what would be a filthy, polluting producer of energy in our state, check our previous post, which includes many useful links.

Video: NM Impeachment Press Conference, PLUS How to Help

Thanks to Concentric Media and Mother Media, we now have access to video of the press conference at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe on January 23rd introducing New Mexico's impeachment resolution, SJR 5. The resolution passed the Senate Rules Committee on February 16, 2007 and will next be heard by the NM Senate Public Affairs Committee.

What You Can Do to Help TODAY: Senators Mary Kay Papen and David Ulibarri are the swing votes on Public Affairs. Please call their offices via the Capitol Switchboard: (505) 986-4300. Also please call Senate Public Affairs Committee Chairwoman Senator Dede Feldman encouraging her to schedule the hearing this week (Friday or Sunday) and thanking her for her leadership on the issue and her positive vote in Rules. Read more about what's needed at MotherMedia.org. You can get Basic Background Here. Mother Media: Leland Lehrman h: (505) 982-3609 o: (505) 473-4458.

National Attention: Our New Mexico impeachment efforts have gotten media and blog attention all over the nation. The Democracy for New Mexico blog has been getting up to 5,000 hits per day with thousands of visits to our previous posts on impeachment. Check out all the comments left by visitors at our post about passage of the resolution at the NM Senate Rules Committee.

Note: You can access all of DFNM's posts on the NM impeachment resolution by clicking here.

Domestic Partnership Bill: Friday, NM House Judiciary

From Equality NM: House Bill 603 on the Move
HB 603: Domestic Partner Rights And Responsibilities Act, sponsored by Rep. Mimi Stewart, is scheduled for hearing by the NM House Judiciary Committee on Friday, February 23 at 1:30 PM in Room 309 at the Roundhouse. Once again, we will need people to attend the hearing.

Assuming HB 603 passes House Judiciary, it will likely be heard on the House Floor next Wednesday, February 28. (It is possible that the hearing on the House Floor could be scheduled for Tuesday, February 27th, but at this point Wednesday is our best estimate.) As soon as we receive confirmation on the hearing date, we will let you know. We will need to fill the Gallery with our supporters!

TELL THE LEGISLATORS TO SUPPORT NEW MEXICAN FAMILIES BY VOTING FOR HB603

HB 603 would create a process by which any two adults in a committed relationship, fitting specific criteria would be able to register as domestic partners. Registering as domestic partners would create a series of rights and protections currently available to unmarried couples.

The Domestic Partner Rights and Responsibilities Act would allow couples registering as domestic partners to have access to many of the benefits and protections currently available to married couples on the state level. These include: access to basic health coverage, family leave, presumption of parentage, decision making upon incapacity, and issues related to assuring that the person with whom you live and love is protected should you die.

The pace is picking up, and EQNM needs you to take action. We need people to participate in our online campaigns, but we also need people to make phone calls and personal visits to the legislators!!!!

If you are willing to visit the Roundhouse to speak one on one with legislators, please contact our Executive Director, Alexis Blizman at 505-224-2766. She will be glad to meet you there (schedule permitting) or at least go over talking points and how to find the legislators that we need to put pressure on. 

Help Pass Domestic Partner Benfits By Donating Now To Equality New Mexico’s Lobbying Efforts!