Democracy for New Mexico

Meet Democratic Senate Candidate Don Wiviott

Meet Democratic
U.S. Senate Candidate
Don Wiviott
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM

Ladera Golf Course
3401 Ladera Dr.
Albuquerque, NM

Free dinner will be served

Contact:
Theresa Trujeque, (505) 328-4000
RSVP@donfornewmexico.com
Paid for by Wiviott for New Mexico

Young Professionals Host 9/24 Fundraiser for Martin Heinrich for Congress

You are Invited to a Young Professionals Fundraiser for Martin Heinrich, Democratic Candidate for Congress:

Monday, September 24, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM
Savoy Bar & Grill
10601 Montgomery Blvd. NE, Albuquerque
(Corner of Montgomery and Juan Tabo)
Click for FLYER (pdf)

$100 Suggested Contribution (all contributions gratefully accepted). To contribute on-line go to: www.martinheinrich.com. Sponsors:

Steve Archibeque, Yolanda Archuleta, Javier Benavidez, Ozawa Benishi Albert, David Berkey, James Bristolli, Sandy Buffett, Manuel Casias, Robert Chavez, Jeff Cheney, Jason Cohen, Claire Dudley, Katy Duhigg, Troy Fernandez, Steve Gallegos, Joseph Garcia, Jennifer Garcia Kozlowski, Patrick Greibel, Danny Hernandez, Webb Johnson, Nicholas Koluncich, Leanne Leith, Danny Lopez, Peter Lopez, Michelle Mares, Sophie Martin, Ann Marie Padilla, Giovanna Rossi, Reggie Russell, Joseph Sapien, Tamara Stands and Looks Back, DeAnza Valencia, and Hakim Williams.

You're Invited: Send-Off for Departing DPNM Staffers

From Ana Canales:
Join us for a party honoring Matt Farrauto and Angela Chavez. It's hosted by Bernalillo County Democratic Party Chairwoman Ana Canales and State Democratic Party Chairman Brian S. Colón along with Chris Garcia, Mike Davis and Brian Miller:

Saturday September 22, 2007
7:30 PM (after the Lobo Game)
Home of Chris Garcia and Jason Loera
6230 St Josephs Ct NW, Abq NM, 87120
505-410-0348, Map
Click for flyer (doc)

Two Powerful Speakers to Discuss Iraq War at DPBC Thursday Meeting

Don't miss this one. The Third Thursday Meeting of the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County will be held on September 20, 2007, at 6:00 PM in Room 2401 at the UNM Law School located at 1117 Stanford Dr NE in Albuquerque (map). All Democrats are welcome. Two excellent speakers will address the dire situations being created by the ongoing Iraq occupation and attacks on our Constitution:

• Major General Melvin Montaño, Ret., former Adjutant General, US Air National Guard
  • THE IRAQ OCCUPATION: Impact on the National Guard and the states supported by the National Guard, including the long-term effects on local communities and the homeland security of the United States.

and

• Bruce Clark, former Marine, with a son currently serving in Iraq North of Baghdad
  • MISSING IN ACTION - AMERICA: With the Iraqi bloodbath reaching new heights and the Constitution treated like a doormat, we can't afford any more of the same under a different label. We'll never get something right that was wrong in the first place or legitimate a lie. In particular, we need to make our elected officials and candidates hear us so we can bring our troops home now and get our country back again. It's time for Democrats to act like Democrats again.

If you attended the Iraq Summer Campaign's Take a Stand town hall meeting last month, you know how passionate, informed and articulate these two speakers are about what's going on in Iraq and our nation because of the woeful Bush administration and its rubberstamps like Sen. Domenici and Rep. Heather Wilson. Highly recommended. (Click on photos for larger images.)

Senate Ethics Probe of Domenici Intensifies

Uh oh. According to a report by Jason Leopold and Matt Renner of Truthout, Sen. Pete Domenici could be facing more bad news about his late 2006 phone call to then U.S. Attorney David Iglesias of New Mexico. Iglesias has testified before Congress that he interpreted the call to his home as "pressure" by Domenici to rush an indictment in a corruption case as election day neared. Excerpts:

The US Senate Select Committee on Ethics has stepped up its probe of Pete Domenici, the Republican senator from New Mexico ... Over the past couple of weeks, the Ethics Committee has been interviewing witnesses - including staffers from the US attorney's office in New Mexico - who were privy to a phone call Domenici made to Iglesias last November ... according to the senior staffers.

... According to some senior staffers working for lawmakers who sit on the Ethics Committee, the six-month preliminary investigation into Domenici has turned up enough evidence to open a formal, public investigation into the New Mexico senator, having determined that Domenici acted inappropriately and that he may have violated Senate Ethics rules when he called Iglesias to ask whether Aragon would be indicted before the state's voters went to the polls last year.

But it's unclear if the Ethics Committee will end up launching a formal probe. A sticking point, Ethics Committee staffers say, is the long-standing "ethics truce" between Democrats and Republicans that dates back to the mid-1990s where lawmakers from both political parties agreed not to file ethics complaints against each other.

Oh that's a good excuse, isn't it? Just what we need, an "ethics truce." You might want to contact members of the Senate Ethics Committee to urge them to responsibly carry out their duties instead of playing patsy with their friends across the aisle.

The Truthout piece also reports that the House Ethics Committee is continuing to pursue its preliminary investigation into similar claims involving Rep. Heather Wilson (NM-01).

If you'd like to help defeat Domenici and Wilson, consider making a donation -- no matter how small -- to the New Mexico netroots Beat Back Bush New Mexico fundraising page at ActBlue that supports the candidacies of Don Wiviott for Senate and Martin Heinrich for Congress.

To read our previous posts about the firing of U.S. Attorney David Iglesias, visit our archive.

ABQ City Council Passes Resolution to End Iraq Occupation

Good news: On Monday, September 27, 2007, the Albuquerque City Council passed a resolution sponsored by Councilor Ike Benton "calling on the United States Congress to rescind the Iraq resolution and pass a resolution calling for the phased redeployment of American troops from Iraq to commence immediately." The measure passed by a margin of 5-2 with Councilors Debbie O'Malley, Ken Sanchez, Ike Benton, Michael Cadigan and Martin Heinrich voting in favor of the resolution. Councilors Sally Mayer and Craig Loy voted against it. Councilors Brad Winter and Don Harris were absent for the vote.

The resolution was very similar to one passed earlier this month by the UNM Graduate and Professional Student Association. At that time, both State Senator Jerry Ortiz y Pino and Councilor Ike Benton spoke on behalf of the GPSA resolution drafted by the group's president, Joseph J. García. According to García, one of the main purposes of the resolution was to call attention to local student and community needs that are not being fully met due to the allocation of needed funds to the US military engagement in Iraq.

By the way, I read yesterday that the occupation is now costing us approximately $12 billion a month. Imagine what that money could do if it were used for constructive purposes here in the U.S instead of funding Bush's madness.

Urge Senators to End Iraq Occupation: Support Feingold-Reid

Most of us agree that Sen. Feingold is one of our very best progressive Senators.Time and time again he's stood firmly for ending the Iraq occupation and has consistently introduced and supported legislation with teeth. He makes it easy for you to contact our Senators and urge them to support the Feingold-Reid amendment.

From Sen. Feingold: As you may have already heard, this week I plan to once again introduce binding legislation that uses Congress's 'power of the purse' to safely redeploy our troops out of Iraq.  Last May, with your help, we saw a majority of Democratic senators support a similar proposal.  Unfortunately, too many of my colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, continue to be recklessly timid when it comes to blocking funding for one of the biggest mistakes in the history of our country.

But after yet another week of the same old rhetoric from the White House, Republicans in Congress, and through the testimony of both General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker, my hope is that more of my colleagues will finally join the millions of Americans that agree - now is the time to safely redeploy our brave men and women in uniform out of Iraq.

Tell my colleagues to support Feingold-Reid

To be clear, my proposal blocks further funding for the war AFTER the troops have been safely redeployed.  That emphasis is an important one to make, as some Republicans, and way too many Democrats, have time and again incorrectly made the false claim that they couldn’t support my ‘power of the purse’ proposal because 'we can't cut funding for our troops.'  Any elected official or talking head who puts forth that dishonest argument when discussing my proposal, knows the truth and is simply too timid to take on misleading attacks by the White House.  The Feingold-Reid legislation sets a timetable to redeploy our troops by June 30, 2008 - at which time further funding for the war would be terminated.

Let my colleagues know the truth about Feingold-Reid

While many in Congress have acknowledged that the President has the wrong strategy when it comes to Iraq, Congress has thus far failed to do anything about it.  With our military at the breaking point and our ability to go after those who attacked us on 9/11 hampered by an Iraq-centric foreign policy, the time has come for Congress to use its constitutional power - the 'power of the purse' - to end this misguided war in Iraq.  I will need your help to take another step in our fight.  Please contact your senators today and tell them to support the Feingold-Reid legislation.

Sincerely,

Russ Feingold
United States Senator
Honorary Chair, Progressive Patriots Fund

9.20.07: ABQ City Council District 2 Candidate Forum

An Albuquerque City Council District 2 candidate forum is set for this Thursday:

• WHEN: Thursday, 20 September 2007, 7 to 8:30 PM (Doors open at 6:45. Please arrive on time to get a seat!)
• WHERE: North Valley Senior Center, 3825 Fourth Street NW, map
• SPONSORS: Neighborhood Associations & Coalitions of District 2
• CANDIDATES: Debbie O'Malley (incumbent) and Katherine Martinez

Information will also be provided about General Obligation Bond issues and propositions to amend the Albuquerque City Charter.

This is another City Council race where Mayor Marty Chavez's influence is being felt. Current City Council President Debbie O'Malley is being challenged by Katherine Martinez, a government affairs official with the Homebuilders Association of Central New Mexico. Mayor Chavez has made no secret of his support for Martinez and sponsored a fundraiser for her campaign in Corrales hosted by a prominent homebuilder.

The Mayor has long battled with O'Malley, a strong backer of affordable housing, planned growth and practical progressive causes, as well as spending city tax revenues on basic services rather than on luxuries like a panda and a Balloon Fiesta Park reflecting pool. O'Malley is conducting her campaign under the clean elections public funding program, which means she takes no money from special interests. If you live in District 2, be sure to get out and vote to keep O'Malley's voice of the people on the City Council.

Albuquerque's municipal election is set for October 2, 2007. Registered voters who live in all even-numbered City Council districts will elect a City Councilor. A councilor recall question will also be decided in District 9. All voters will consider a number of municipal bond issues and ballot propositions:

Summary of ballot propositions (doc) to be voted upon

Description of bond resolutions (doc) to be voted upon

Click to determine your .

Early in-person voting is now in progress and voters can cast their ballots Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM at these locations:

• Albuquerque City Hall, One Civic Plaza, Downtown, map
• City Records Center, 604 Menaul NW, map
• Ladera Plaza, 5300 Sequoia NW, map
• APS Office Building, 6400 Uptown NE, map

Voting by mail-in ballot began on August 28th and continues. To request a main-in (absentee) ballot, call the Albuquerque City Clerk at 768-3030.

For more info on voting matters you can contact the City Clerk's office at 768-3030 or visit their election website. Also check out the nonpartisan Voters Guide produced by the League of Women Voters. To see our previous posts on topics related to the municipal election, visit our archive.

(Photo credit: Suzanne Prescott)

All Three NM Repubs Make CREW's Most Corrupt in Congress List

Today, the nonpartisan Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) released its third annual report on the most corrupt members of Congress. The report, entitled Beyond DeLay: The 22 Most Corrupt Members of Congress (and two to watch), catalogues the corruption in the 110th Congress and documents the unethical and possibly illegal activities of its most tainted members. CREW has compiled the members’ transgressions and analyzed them in light of federal laws and congressional rules.

The misdeeds of New Mexico's entire Republican Congressional delegation -- Sen. Pete Domenici, Rep. Heather Wilson (NM-01) and Rep. Steve Pearce (NM-02) -- placed them among the top 22 offenders out of 535 members of Congress.

CREW also has re-launched the report’s website, BeyondDelay.com. The site offers short summaries of each member’s transgressions as well as the full-length profiles and all accompanying exhibits. I'm providing a summary of the transgressions of New Mexico's Republicans, but be sure to click on their names to access the complete reports:

Summary: Former NM U.S. Attorney David Iglesias has claimed that Sen. Domenici contacted him before the November 2006 elections to pressure him about an ongoing corruption probe into state Democrats. Iglesias previously stated that in mid-October, he was pressured about the pace of the investigation by two NM lawmakers. Initially, when asked about Iglesias’s allegations, Domenici stated, “I have no idea what he’s talking about.” Apparently, Rep. Heather Wilson first called Iglesias and Domenici called a week later. Domenici later admitted that he called Iglesias, stating “I asked Mr. Iglesias if he could tell me what was going on in that investigation and give me an idea of what time frame we were looking at."

Summary: The former U.S. Attorney in Albuquerque, David Iglesias, stated that, in mid-October 2006, two members of Congress from New Mexico pressured him about an ongoing corruption probe of state Democrats. Apparently, Rep. Wilson first called Iglesias and Sen. Pete Domenici called a week later. After Domenici admitted that he called Iglesias, Wilson finally admitted that she too had called the U.S. Attorney. Wilson stated that she contacted Iglesias to complain about the pace of his public corruption investigation. She claimed, “I did not ask about the timing of any indictments and I did not tell Mr. Iglesias what course of action I thought he should take or pressure him in any way. The conversation was brief and professional.”

Summary: 1) Rep. Pearce was the president of Lea Fishing Tools, Inc. In the fall of 2003, Pearce sold the company’s assets to Texas-based Key Energy, in exchange for 542,477 shares of common stock, but failed to include the transaction on his 2003 financial disclosure report. In that report Pearce indicated that he was the president of Trinity Industries, Inc., “F/K/A Lea Fishing Tools, Inc.,” and that he held between $5 and $25 million of stock in the company. Given that all of Lea Fishing Tools’ assets were transferred to Key Energy, it appears that Trinity Industries may be a holding company for the Key Energy stock, but this is unclear.

After selling Lea Fishing Tools’ assets to Key Energy, Pearce was required to report the sale on his financial disclosure form as a transaction, but he failed to do so. By failing to list the sale, Pearce appears to have violated the Ethics in Government Act.

2) Rep. Pearce has been a consistent and strong advocate of drilling in Otero Mesa, NM despite environmentalists and the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) assertion that only a minuscule amount of oil and natural gas lie beneath the grasslands. Pearce, however, contends that drilling in the area would keep natural gas prices level and create jobs thereby stimulating the state’s economy. Initially, the BLM opposed opening the area arguing that drilling would both directly and indirectly destruct the habitat for wildlife. In 2000, however, BLM reversed its decision and proposed a plan that would open nearly 1.4 million acres to drilling. The BLM turnaround coincided with the largest lease holder in the Otero Mesa, Yates Petroleum, donating over $230,000 to the GOP over the last three election cycles.

Yates Petroleum also has been the single largest donor to Pearce’s campaign committees since 2002 with $32,490 in donations. Individually, members of the Yates family have contributed $78,379.99 to Pearce since he first ran for office in 2002. If Rep. Pearce advocated opening up Otero Mesa to drilling in exchange for campaign contributions, he may have violated the bribery statute or accepted illegal gratuities.

Bad Company
The complete list of the most corrupt members of Congress according to CREW:

Members of House:                     Members of the Senate:
Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA)               Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM)
Rep. John T. Doolittle (R-CA)        Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL)               Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA)            Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK)
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA)
Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA)       Dishonorable Mention:
Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA)                Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID)
Rep. Gary G. Miller (R-CA)            Sen. David Vitter (R-LA)
Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (D-WV)
Rep. Timothy F. Murphy (R-PA)
Rep. John P. Murtha (D-PA)
Rep. Steve Pearce (R-NM)
Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ)
Rep. Harold Rogers (R-KY)
Rep. David Scott (D-GA)
Rep. Don Young (R-AK)
Rep. Jerry Weller (R-IL)
Rep. Heather A. Wilson (R-NM)

“Every year CREW creates this compendium of corruption to expose and hold accountable those members of Congress who believe they are above the law,” Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW said today. “With the third edition of Beyond DeLay it has become abundantly clear that many public officials believe that the rules don’t apply to them.”

Several members in the study are already under federal investigation including: Reps. Calvert, Doolittle, Feeney, Jefferson, Lewis, Miller, Mollohan, Murphy, Renzi and Young, as well as Senator Stevens.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a non-profit, nonpartisan legal watchdog group dedicated to holding public officials accountable for their actions. For more information, you can visit www.citizensforethics.org or contact Naomi Seligman Steiner at 202.408.5565 or nseligman@citizensforethics.org.

"Security" Thugs Strike Again: Taser Student at FL Kerry Event

A University of Florida student was roughly seized, handcuffed, tasered and arrested yesterday by six campus police officers during a campus forum in Gainesville. Journalism student Andrew Meyer, 21, was grabbed after asking Sen. John Kerry a series of questions about documented election fraud in 2004 contained in Greg Palast's book Armed Madhouse, impeachment and Kerry's membership in Skull and Bones. According to an article in the Florida , Meyer was charged with a third-degree felony for "starting a riot." (Click to see more citizen-produced videos of events surrounding this arrest.)

What's particularly disturbing to me is how Kerry continued to hold forth on stage while this was going on and how most of the students sat there like sheep. Some even applaud the arrest. I guess the unending quest for "order" trumps any right folks may think they have to say what they want at an open mic at a public question and answer session at a public university.

This fiasco comes on the heels of the recent arrest of activists putting up signs about the DC antiwar March in DC, the tackling and arrest of Rev. Yearwood at the U.S. Capitol outside the Petraeus hearing, the Elevator 9 trial in Albuquerque and the nasty treatment given peaceful demonstrators in Albuquerque last Saturday. Of course there have been many similar incidents during Bush's time in office, from banning mildly critical teeshirts at presidential events to setting up "free speech zones" miles from presidential appearances.

I guess the message is that everyone should keep quiet (even at college student forums), acquiesce immediately to any and all orders from "law enforcement," no matter how out of line, and refrain from gathering peaceably to challenge the government. I'm willing to bet this is just the beginning of the clampdown to come as Bush and his cronies prepare to attack Iran. How about you?

Of course when you have The Decider and his cronies wantonly trashing the Constitution, Geneva Conventions and any number of laws, it communicates down the chain that lawlessness on behalf of the "authorities" is perfectly all right. Ignoring first amendment rights becomes standard operating procedure. Refusing to see any difference between passionate but protected speech and "terrorism" or "inciting riots" becomes the norm. Rough arrests replace handling incidents with any degree of discretion or restraint. Anyone daring to express themselves in ways not to the liking of those in power is viewed as dangerous, disruptive and subject to the kind of treatment usually reserved for violent criminals. And even prominent Democrats stand idly by as it happens. Drip, drip, drip.