Democracy for New Mexico

Gonzales Squirms

You can listen to the Senate Judiciary hearing with AG Alberto Gonzales on NPR radio or watch it on C-SPAN 3 TV (which will probably repeat it tonight). These sources also have coverage on their websites. In fact, C-SPAN.org already has a download available of this morning's session. Here's their special page devoted to the attorney firings, which contains numerous links to news, documents and videos. Here's the NPR.org website.

I watched an early portion of today's Gonzales hearing and my first reaction was that he isn't smirking much anymore. You know the infamous smirk. It usually appears when Gonzales is being coy with the facts. This morning, however, the smirk was much more rare, replaced with grimacing, sweating, fumbling, mumbling, knocking into the microphone and squirming in his seat as he got grilled on his involvement in the firing of eight U.S. Attorneys. In the part I watched, Sen. Arlen Specter was the roughest on Alberto -- breaking in repeatedly to contest what Gonzales was saying and pressuring him to answer the questions. He also stated that Alberto's opening testimony continued “a pattern of not being candid.”

Gonzales' fall back line appears to be, "I can't recall," and he's using it often. He's also claiming that his involvement with evaluating and criticizing some of those fired was somehow separate from "the process" used to decide which attorneys to can that was led by his Deputy, Kyle Sampson. Gonzales says his criticisms were merely part of his usual job of supervising the attorneys. Right. Talk about desperate compartmentalizing.

According to a report on NPR.org:

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' claim that he had only a limited role in the firing of eight U.S. attorneys was challenged repeatedly Thursday by Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee. In a highly contentious hearing, Gonzales insisted that the firings were proper and not part of a political effort to interfere with ongoing prosecutions.

But lawmakers from both parties appeared incredulous at Gonzales' failure to recall numerous meetings and discussions that led up to the firings, and his insistence that he relied on subordinates at the Justice Department in coming up with the list of who should be fired.

As to the firing of David Iglesias:

Gonzales also acknowledged that he had had a conversation with White House political adviser Karl Rove and President Bush about complaints that former U.S. attorney David Iglesias was not pursuing voter fraud cases more aggressively in New Mexico. But Gonzales said he did not know how and when Iglesias' name was added to the list of those recommended for firing, although he said he was not "surprised" to see the name there.

Good for the Goose But Not for the Gander?
Another bone of contention? Gonzales claims that U.S. Attorney Carol Lam of San Diego was fired in part because she wasn't getting enough illegal immigration convictions in her border state, and that she was devoting too much time to white collar crime. At the same time, Iglesias reportedly was shut down on his request to hire more attorneys to conduct illegal immigration cases because the Justice Department wanted him to concentrate on white collar crime.

Does that mean that New Mexico isn't considered a border state with numerous illegal immigration problems, just like Southern California? Or just that Bush's Justice Department was interested in pursuing white collar crime only if those indicted were primarily Democrats, as was the case with Iglesias and the courthouse indictments? Remember, it was Carol Lam who prosecuted the outrageous corruption of Repub Rep. Duke Cunningham. She was fired, it just so happens, when the corruption case widened to include subpoenas of other powerful Republicans. Iglesias, on the other hand, was berated for not going fast enough on indictments that primarily targeted Democrats. It's been widely reported that indictments of Democrats have heavily outnumbered indictments of Republicans in recent years. Reeks of politics to me.

The NPR.org site also has links to selected audio clips of the testimony today.

Supreme Court’s Abortion Ban Decision Rolls Back Clock on New Mexico Women’s Health

Justices’ Anti-Choice Ruling Strips Health Protections Established by Roe

NARAL Pro-Choice New Mexico executive director Heather Brewer on Wednesday called the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold a federal abortion ban –- which strips away the crucial health protections established by the landmark Roe v. Wade decision -– a blow to women’s health and reproductive freedom in New Mexico (double click play button to listen to Heather Brewer in these clips).

Politics vs. the Health of Women

The abortion ban, upheld by a 5-4 Supreme Court vote, does not include an exception for the health of the mother – a fundamental tenet of the Roe decision.

Politicians Playing Doctor

Brewer cited Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who said in the dissent that the decision “tolerates, indeed applauds, federal intervention to ban nationwide a procedure found necessary and proper in certain cases by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.”

Bush and His Anti-Choice Supreme Court

Wednesday’s decision was the first abortion-related ruling issued by the court since Bush appointed Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito.

Court Moving in Dangerous Direction

NARAL Pro-Choice New Mexico is a New Mexico-based organization with a 34-year history of working through the political process to ensure that women in the state have access to a safe, legal abortion.

For more information:
Heather Brewer, Executive Director
NARAL Pro Choice New Mexico
505-243-4443 (office)
hbrewer@prochoicenm.org
https://www.prochoicenewmexico.org/

Editor's Note: Also read the Center for American Progress report on this Supreme Court decision. Excerpt:

In a 5-4 decision yesterday, the Supreme Court dealt a damaging blow to women's rights, upholding a 2003 law that banned all mid-term abortions as early as 12 to15 weeks, without providing an exception for the health of the pregnant mother. The Court's decision, which marked the "first time the justices agreed that a specific abortion procedure could be banned," blatantly defied its own recent ruling in 2000, which said a mid-term abortion ban without exceptions for the health of the woman was an unconstitutional restriction. The ruling "clears the way for states to pass new laws" designed to discourage women from having abortions. "For the first time in 30 years, the Supreme Court has sanctioned a law that does not protect women's health and prohibits doctors from exercising their best medical judgment," said Jessica Arons, the director of women's health and rights program at the Center for American Progress.

(Audio clips from .)

Health Coverage for New Mexicans Committee Meetings to Focus on Mathematica Study Results

From Health Action NM:
Information about the Mathematica Study is starting to roll in. In the upcoming months, the Health Coverage for New Mexicans Committee will be meeting to discuss the results of this study. Your presence is important at these meetings.

Mathematica Policy Research has been working on costing out three health care models that were decided by the Health Coverage for New Mexicans Committee members. These models were New Mexico Health Choices Plan, Health Security Act, and New Mexico Health Coverage Plan.

Please mark your calendars:

Thursday, April 26th, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
CNM (formerly TVI) Workforce Training Center, Room 103
5600 Eagle Rock NE, Albuquerque
(SEE DRAFT OF AGENDA BELOW)

Wednesday, May 16th, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
CNM (formerly TVI) Workforce Training Center, Room 103
5600 Eagle Rock NE, Albuquerque

Thursday, June 21st, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
State Capital, Room 322, Santa Fe
___________________________________

(EDITOR'S NOTE: SEE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC INPUT IN BOLD)

Health Coverage for New Mexicans Committee
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM – Thursday, April 26, 2007
Room 103, CNM (formerly TVI) Workforce Training Center
5600 Eagle Rock Ave NE, ALBUQUERQUE
DRAFT AGENDA

9:00 – 9:15 AM: Welcome, Review of Agenda, Approval of 10/19/06 & 11/30/06 Minutes – Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish

9:15 – 9:45 AM: Discussion of Study Design (and How It Differs From Other Approaches to Costing of Models)

• Dr. Deborah Chollet, Mathematica Policy Research Inc.

9:45 – 10:15 AM: Questions from Committee Members

10:15 – 11:00 AM Presentation of Specifications for Costing Analyses – Current System and Three Reform Models

• Dr. Deborah Chollet, Mathematica Policy Research Inc.

11:00 – 11:15 AM: BREAK

11:15 AM – 12:00 PM: Questions from Committee Members

12:00 – 12:30 PM: Public Input

12:30 – 1:00 PM: LUNCH BREAK (Committee members may order lunch)

1:00 – 1:45 PM Study’s Modeling Results for NM Current System

• Dr. Deborah Chollet & Dr. Su Liu, Mathematica Policy Research Inc.

1:45 – 2:30 PM: Questions of Mathematic from Committee Members

2:30 – 3:00 PM: Study’s Results To Date & Issues for Three Reform Models & What Will Come Next – Legal, Economic & Financial Issues

• Dr. Deborah Chollet & Dr. Su Liu, Mathematica Policy Research Inc.

3:00 – 3:15 PM: BREAK

3:15 – 3:45 PM: Public Input

3:45 – 4:30 PM: Questions & Discussion with Mathematica by Committee Members

4:30 – 5:00 PM Discussion of Possible Next Steps

• Meetings May 16 (Albuquerque) & June 21 (Santa Fe)

5:00 PM:  ADJOURN

All Meetings Will Be Recorded

Thanks,
Health Action NM

Editor's Note: As reported in the Albuquerque Journal:

On October 19, [2006] 11 out of 19 members of Gov. Bill Richardson's Health Coverage for New Mexicans Committee, his third task force on health insurance reform, ranked the New Mexico Health Security Plan as their No. 1 choice to be included in a study that will analyze three different health care reform models and how they impact rising health care costs.

The committee's decision reflects the growing support of New Mexicans from all around the state for the Health Security Plan. The Health Security for New Mexicans Campaign, which developed this plan, continues to grow ...

If you care about universal healthcare for New Mexico, now's the time to show up, make it known and learn more.

Help Choose DFA's First 2007 Endorsement

From
Democracy for America:
Democracy for America has launched our 2007 Grassroots All-Star Campaign today. DFA's Grassroots All-Star is the candidate who shows the highest amount of people-powered support by the end of the our campaign. We choose seven excellent candidates who lost by a hair in 2006, ran solid grassroots campaigns, and have announced they will finish the job in 2008. You choose who wins!

www.DemocracyforAmerica.com/AllStars

iIn 2006, Jerry McNerney won the DFA's Grassroots All-Star Endorsement and went on to win his congressional seat. Here is what Congressman McNerney had to say about it in the e-mail we sent today:

DFA's early endorsement helped me win a seat in Congress, showing that bottom-up, people-powered grassroots organizing works. Your Grassroots All-Star vote changed the race, helping us attract significant early support from the netroots and crucial media attention.

The National Journal has this to say about Jerry's race:

Even after McNerney's impressive primary upset, the DCCC was not sold on his viability. But over the summer, he began picking up extensive "netroots" support and captured the imagination of liberal Internet activists. He also won the "Grassroots All-Star" online voting contest run by Democracy for America, a political action committee inspired by Howard Dean. The group's endorsement triggered campaign contributions for McNerney from around the country.

Now it is up to you to help us find the next Grassroots All-Star. Please vote for one of the seven great candidates right now:

www.DemocracyforAmerica.com/AllStars

You have the power to move America forward.  Thank you for using it.

Charles Chamberlain , Political Director
(Cross posted at Daily Kos )

Editor's Note: Democracy for New Mexico (DFNM) is loosely affiliated with the national group, Democracy for America (DFA). Both our local group and DFA national grew out of the Dean for America presidential campaign. Click to learn more about DFA, get on their mailing list and join DFA Link or visit their .

Last Chance for Belafonte Tix

(Photo by David Bacon)

Don't miss this one. Civil rights leader, progressive political activist and humanitarian Harry Belafonte is scheduled to speak at Popejoy Hall at UNM on Thursday, April 19, at 7:00 PM. Tickets: $30, $25, $20 at UNM Ticket Offices, www.unmtickets.com, 925-5858, or Raley’s Supermarkets. Check out this 2006 interview with Belafonte by Amy Goodman of Democracy Now.

A sampling of Belafonte quotes:

“I do believe very strongly in dissent.”

“There should be no bottom line for corporate America until there’s a bottom line for the poor.”

“...it is the pursuit of finding democracy expressing itself at its highest that has always been central to my existence and to my thoughts and feelings.”

“Tyranny and terrorism feed off poverty [and] racism [and] sexism ... We’ve got to come to the believe that we must be more generous and more benevolent a country.”

“If we do not make a choice to make a difference, we then have made the choice to be crushed by indifference.”

“... to care for freedom and pay for it is a never-ending job.”

See our previous post on this event.

Spend an Evening With Bill Moyers

From Free Press: Was Big Media complicit in shaping the "public mind" to support the Iraq war?

On Wednesday, April 25, from 9-10:30 PM MDT, you can learn the answer by hosting An Evening with Bill Moyers house party to watch his newest documentary, "Buying the War." broadcast live on your local PBS station. Just before the screening, Moyers will be available to answer your questions during an exclusive conference call with Free Press activists around the country.

Learn More or Sign Up to Host a Party

If you can't host a party but would like to attend one, click here.

In "Buying the War," Moyers asks what's happened to the press's role as a skeptical "watchdog" on government power. And he profiles some of the journalists who did dare to ask tough questions.

Others in the Albuquerque area are concerned about the state of our media. This is your opportunity to connect with people in your community and get more involved in reforming our media.

Host 'An Evening with Bill Moyers' house party in Albuquerque:

Hosting a house party is surprisingly easy. Here's what it takes:

• Sign up online to be a host
• Invite people you know (we'll also invite local Free Press Activists if you'd like)
• Read the hosting guide and print hosting materials
• Open your home or find an appropriate venue
• Watch "Buying the War" and and join the conference call with Bill Moyers

We're here to answer any questions you may have along the way (view our hosting guide or frequently asked questions page for more information).

The movement for better media begins in your community. Take the lead, help engage your neighbors, and help take back our media one town at a time.

Thanks for all that you do,

Ira Horowitz, Online Community Organizer
Free Press, www.freepress.net

P.S. Click here to watch a preview of "Buying the War" or check out Bill Moyers' speech to the National Conference for Media Reform.

Editor's Note: Here's what David Swanson of After Downing Street has to say about the show. Bill Moyers' Journal will return to PBS-KNME as a weekly show in its regular time slot starting Friday, April 27 at 9:00 PM.

See Greg Palast in Santa Fe 4/29

An Evening with Investigative Reporter Greg Palast: The talk and book signing will take place at the Lensic, Santa Fe’s Performing Arts Center, 211 West San Francisco St., on Sunday, April 29, beginning at 7 PM. Sponsors are Simple Change, KSFR-FM and Collected Works Bookstore.

Readers of Greg Palast’s previous New York Times’ bestsellers, "Armed Madhouse" and "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy," know the way he delivers his stunning political exposes with biting humor and poetic metaphors. For this evening Palast will be joined by young Taos slam poet Coral Bernal to highlight the newest outrages of the current administration, as reported in the paperback version of "Armed Madhouse," subtitled "From Bagdad to New Orleans—Sordid Secrets and Strange Tales of a White House Gone Wild," to be released on April 24.

The Chicago Tribune says of Greg Palast, “A Truth Hound ... Palast’s stories bite. They’re so relevant they threaten to alter history.”

The top BBC Television investigative sleuth gets the stories even before they are headlines.  In his new bestseller, "Armed Madhouse," Palast gets his hands on the internal emails from Karl Rove's office scheming to fix the vote. Well before the US press tripped on the story, Palast in "Armed Madhouse" speaks with a US attorney about to be fired about the pressure to bring phony prosecutions. He also tells the bizarre but true story of his being charged with violating the anti-terror laws while covering the story of the drowning of New Orleans.

Proceeds from ticket and book sales for the evening will benefit Southwest Research and Information Center (SRIC) a nonprofit with the mission “to secure environmental and social justice in New Mexico,” and KSFR, Santa Fe’s community radio station.

Tickets are $10 for a single admission; a $24 ticket includes a copy of the new book. Tickets may be purchased online at TicketsSantaFe.org, or at the Lensic box office (505-988-1234). Books will be available for purchase and signing at the theater the night of April 29.

Get in the mood -- LISTEN UP.

NM Dems' 2008 Delegate Selection Plan Available for Public Comment

From the Democratic Party of New Mexico: Democrats Encouraged to Review Delegate Plan and Participate in Process

Albuquerque NM – The Democratic Party of New Mexico has posted its Delegate Selection Plan for 2008 on-line for a 30 day public comment period. The plan may be downloaded from the Party’s website by clicking here.

New Mexico’s 2008 Delegate Selection Plan outlines the processes by which presidential candidates and candidates for delegate positions must file their respective statements of candidacy.  New Mexico’s Democratic delegation consists of 42 total delegates and alternates, some of whom are elected from each congressional district based on the performance of the Democratic presidential candidates in the February 5, 2008 Democratic presidential preference primary, which will be run by the Democratic Party of New Mexico.

The Plan also highlights Democrat’s efforts to include constituency communities who may have been historically under-represented in party affairs and sets Affirmative Action goals for delegates to the Democratic National Convention, which will be held in Denver, Colorado starting on August 25, 2008.  Eleven members of New Mexico’s delegation to the Democratic National Convention are automatic delegates by virtue of their current or previously held elected offices.

Democrats without Internet access may request a copy from the Democratic Party of New Mexico by phone, fax or postal mail at the following:.

Democratic Party of New Mexico
1301 San Pedro NE
Albuquerque, NM 87110
Phone: (505) 830-3650
Fax: (505) 830-3645

Please send public comment to info@nmdemocrats.org with "Public Comment on Delegate Selection Plan" in the subject heading.

The 2008 Delegate Selection plan will be considered on April 28, 2007 by the State Central Committee and forwarded with any public comments received, to the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee.

Contact:  Matt Farrauto   505-830-3650 x21 (office)   505-830-3645 (fax)   

RSVP Now for 2nd Annual Equality Ball on 4/28

(Click on image for larger version)

KUNM 89.9, Espejos de Aztlan tonight @8:00 PM on Immigration Reform and Family Unity

From Espejos de Aztlan: Check out KUNM 89.9 tonight, Monday, April 15th, at 8:00 PM for a half-hour live interview on "Espejos de Aztlan" with organizers of the upcoming boycott and March in Support of Comprehensive Immigration Reform and Family Unity. The event will take place on Tuesday, May 1st at 3:00 PM at Tiguex Park (16th and Mountain) and will begin with a rally, music and a picnic (since it will be a "no-purchase" day) - and a march will commence at 5:00 PM.

Many immigrant families in Albuquerque have been increasingly living in fear due to severe recent immigration enforcement activities throughout the City. On many occasions, ICE (Immigrations and Customs Enforcement) bureau raids have taken place at local parks, workplaces and even schools, often separating families and at times leaving young children unattended.

The event is being held in solidarity with the International Worker's Day. For more information, contact El Centro de Igualdad y Derechos at 246-1627.

Espejos 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 89.9FM.