Democracy for New Mexico

Diane Denish Endorses Rey Garduño for ABQ City Council

Another big endorsement for Rey Garduño for Albuquerque City Council in District 6. The race in this district is essential to assuring that progressive ideas continue to dominate the City Council, so it's great to see so many strong Dems and key organizations lining up to support Garduño. If you live in District 6, be sure to get out and vote on October 2nd, or vote early in person or by mail-in ballot.

From Rey Garduño for City Council:
Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish has decided to endorse Rey Garduño for City Council District 6. She joins other progressive leaders in our city including:

Martin Heinrich, Current District 6 City Councilor
Debbie O'Malley, City Council President
Isaac Benton, City Councilor
Michael Cadigan, City Councilor
Eric Griego, Former City Councilor
Pat Baca, Former City Councilor
Deanna Archuleta, County Commissioner
Cisco McSorley, NM State Senator

Rey has also been endorsed by The Hispanic Roundtable, AFSCME, Central Labor Council, ACORN PAC, Conservation Voters New Mexico and the Sierra Club.

Rey Garduño  stated, “I am honored and humbled by the endorsement of Lt. Governor Denish. Her work in support of local communities, small businesses and children throughout New Mexico is an inspiration.”

Rey has lived in District 6 for over 30 years. He has raised his family in District 6, was involved in his son’s schools and ran two local businesses. Rey has spent a lifetime helping to make our community a better place to live and raise our families. Rey is endorsed by progressive leaders from throughout Albuquerque and New Mexico because he has the experience we need and the proven leadership we can trust.

Check out our previous posts on the Albuquerque Municipal Election at our archive.

Noted Author Alice Walker to Appear at Kiva Auditorium

From :
Alice Walker, bestselling author of The Color Purple and =yes&ks=q&qsselect=KQ&title=&author=&qstext=Alice+Walker">many other works of fiction and non-fiction, will be at the Kiva Auditorium at the Albuquerque Convention Center on Monday, October 1, 2007 at 7:00 PM to read and sign her new book! Why War is Never a Good Idea is a peace-advocating children's book that is also beautifully illustrated. She will also sign this and her other titles.

One ticket FREE with book purchase ($16.99+tax) or TWO tickets and ONE book for $25, all in advance. At the door, tickets are $20 for one book and ticket, $25 for one book and two tickets. Contact Bookworks for books and tickets: Bookworks; 4022 Rio Grande NW; Albuquerque, NM 87107; 505-344-8139 (phone), 505-344-9948 (fax); orders@bkwrks.com

An interview with Alice Walker about her new book. More info on Alice Walker, her books and her politics.

Get the Facts on Medicare Privatization

From Americans United for Change:
Please join Medicare experts and seniors advocates at an informative meeting to discuss ending the privatization of Medicare. Get the facts as a major battle looms in Washington, DC that could effect Medicare coverage:

Thursday September 20th, 1:00 to 2:00
Highland Senior Center, Room 7
131 Monroe NE
Free and Open to the Public
Click for flyer

For more information or to RSVP to reserve a seat call Josh Geise at 505-603-1067.

ABQ Cops Bait, Badger, Ticket Peaceful Protestors

Lots of reports circulating about Saturday's peaceful demonstration against the Iraq occupation near the Truman gate at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque. Mounted police push abruptly into the crowd on the sidewalk. Cops yell out childish insults like "take a bath" and "shave your armpits" at the perfectly legal demonstrators, many of whom were seniors, exercising their first amendment rights. Read all about it.

One officer with a juvenile taste in messaging shouts "Go Bush" from the loudspeaker of a squad car. Goons ticket only those vehicles that bear bumperstickers on a street where people have often parked during previous demonstrations in the same location, and where no signs prohibiting parking were evident. A man is arrested and held for a long period in a squad car with all the windows closed and no AC.

Albuquerque police overstep their bounds and acti like boorish louts, even after demonstration organizers had reportedly negotiated and cooperated with law enforcement officials on all aspects of the demonstration.

Who gave the order to antagonize and bait peaceful protestors this time around? Hey Mayor Marty Chavez, know anything about this? Most all, what are you going to say and do about it? Especially on this day -- Constitution Day? Click to contact Mayor Chavez or members of his staff.

This isn't professional law enforcement, it's harrassment and mean-spirited, in your face citizen baiting. Public officials take oaths to serve and protect the Constitution, not impose their own particular political prejudices on citizens exercising their rights. Clearly, the perpetrators of this latest law enforcement outrage should be called on it and reprimanded by their superiors, in no uncertain terms, as quickly as is humanly possible. No excuses.

Study This

Today is Constitution Day. On this date in 1787 the constitutional convention in Philadelphia completed work and signed the document that defines our representative system of government based on checks and balances. You'd never know it watching Bush's "unitary presidency" in action today or by witnessing our members of Congress abdicating their duty to protect the Constitution with such abandon. Maybe we should send an email to them today suggesting they need to refresh their memories by studying this material. I wonder how many of our representatives or citizens have actually read the document and its amendments. Have you?

Another timely must read for today is by John Nichols of The Nation. He explains how the framers of the Constitution set out to "chain the dogs of war," not set them free. Quote: "The founders would not question for a moment that the Congress has the authority to use the power of the purse to end this war. Indeed, they would argue today as they did in their time, that a failure to do so would imperil the Republic."

More ABQ 6th District City Council Candidate Forums

As published on District 6 City Council candidate Rey Garduno's campaign blog:

• Tuesday, September 18, 6:30 PM: Forum hosted by the Southeast Heights Neighborhood Association - Bandelier Elementary School, 3309 Pershing SE
• Wednesday, September 19, 7-9 PM: Forum hosted by Albuquerque Vecinos United - Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe NE (info 883-0411)
• Sunday, September 23, 2-4 PM: Forum by Sixth District Coalition of Neighborhood Associations and La Mesa Community Improvement Association - Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe NE
• Thursday, September 27, 6-8 PM: We The People Forum hosted by The League of Women Voters and airing on Comcast public accesss cable channel 27 or government TV channel 16

The candidates running for Albuquerque City Council in District 6 are:

• Rey Garduno
• Blair Kaufman
• Kevin Wilson
• Joanie Griffin

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.

Domenici Rejoined at the Hip with Bush: Mayor Marty Considering a Challenge?

After pretending to change his position on the Iraq occupation -- at least superficially -- Sen. Pete Domenici is now back in line, having given up trying to separate himself cosmetically from Bush and the war forever bunch. As the parade of shameless surge pushers and propagandists finished their performances last week, I guess Pete decided it made some sort of cynical political sense to return to lockstep with his keepers. has more on Domenici's return to the fold.

Meanwhile, Matt Stoller over at Open Left asks -- as many others have -- if Domenici intends to retire. Musing on why Bush spent time to raise funds for Domenici here in New Mexico recently, Stoller says:

But why Domenici? Maybe it's personal. It's possible he just hates fundraising, and wanted someone else to do it for him. Or maybe the New Mexico Republican Party is going to need the money since Domenici is going to retire and the seat will be very competitive.  Anyway, I heard just such a rumor, that Domenici is going to retire, that Albuquerque mayor Martin Chavez will run on the Democratic side, and Congresscritters Heather Wilson and Steve Pearce will fight it out in the primary on the Republican side.

There IS a lot of conjecture going around about what Mayor Marty intends to do next. He's obviously gained little traction in his initial efforts towards running for governor in 2010 against our very popular Lt. Gov. . In the recent Albuquerque Journal polling, likely Dem primary voters picked Denish as their favored gubernatorial candidate over Chavez by a 50% to 30% margin (with 20% undecided). Even on his home turf in metro Albuquerque, Chavez trailed Denish 29 to 54 percent among the Dems polled.

Chavez has said that he supports Domenici and won't run against him for Senate. But if Pete's enthusiasm wanes for the rigors of the job or his health worsens and he decides to retire, I wouldn't be surprised if Chavez tried his luck. Whether he'd get more support in the Dem primary than current candidate Don Wiviott is another matter. Mayor Marty isn't well liked within large portions of the Dem base, and he'd have to work some miracles to win them over. Of course there's always the possibility he could encourage his Repub supporters to change their registrations for the primary. He has a fair amount of support among less rabid Repubs, at least in parts of the Albuquerque area.

To check out our previous posts on the 2008 U.S. Senate race in New Mexico, visit our archive.

Sunday Bean Blogging

Sunday's are often for Bird Blogging, but this week I decided to do some Bean Blogging instead. These are photos from Chicago's Millenium Park of what's commonly known as The Bean -- an incredibly popular 110-ton, eliptical piece of public art installed in the main plaza of the park's many interwoven and diverse areas. Made from highly polished stainless steel, it resembles a huge drop of slippery, shiny mercury. Officially known as the Cloud Gate, it's British artist Anish Kapoor's first public outdoor work installed in the US.

Another from down under

Coming up on The Bean from a side park area

The Bean reflects constantly changing images of the city's skyline, the street scene and the sky itself from many angles, each with its own properties, from distorted to clear as a bell. We visited The Bean while in Chicago last month for the YearlyKos bloggers' convention.

The rather dizzying shots are from the concave underside of The Bean, where the distortions and mirroring effects are the strongest. The others show how The Bean reflects the cityscapes around it.

Why  feature The Bean on this particular Sunday? Because we've been discussing how much better our world would be if we spent as much money on Beans and other community enhancements as we do on bombs, prisons and "security." Just think how different things could be if we unleashed and supported positive human creativity for the enrichment of the common good with anywhere near the same degree of determination and focus we apply to unleashing and supporting violence, greed and "law enforcement."

BEANS NOT BOMBS!

Click on photos for larger images. Photo Credit: M.E. Broderick.

Lastest Developments on Desert Rock Power Plant: EIS Problems and Fluor Corp.

Recent news about Desert Rock, the controversial coal-fired power plant proposed on Navajo Nation land near Shiprock, NM, centers on U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) concerns about the project's Draft Environmental Impact Statement prepared by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), as well as the award of the initial program management contract to Fluor Corp., a major player implicated in the Iraq and Katrina recovery contract scandals.

Problems with Draft Environmental Impact Statement
The U.S. EPA is questioning the sufficiency and accuracy of the draft environmental impact statement on the plant, which would be built by Houston-based Global Sithe in cooperation with the Navajo Nation. According to an article in today's Albuqurque Journal:

The EPA questions some of the numbers and projections in a Bureau of Indian Affairs draft environmental impact statement, which was released this summer and was the focus of 10 public hearings across the Four Corners and in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

... In a 12-page analysis of problems with the environmental impact assessment, the EPA notes "unresolved concerns" with the BIA's analysis of groundwater contamination and air quality effects of the construction and operation of the 1,500-megawatt plant.

Representatives of Diné C.A.R.E., the San Juan Citizens Alliance and the Energy Minerals Law Center issued a joint press release dated September 12, 2007 in response to the EPA's comments. Excerpt:

"We commend EPA's recognition that Desert Rock presents unresolved environmental justice issues. The two existing power plants and three coal mines in the region have created a legacy of disproportionate impacts to the Diné people," said Dailan Long of Diné Citizens Against Ruining our Environment (C.A.R.E.), "Like its predecessors, Desert Rock will result in the permanent removal and relocation of Navajo Nation tribal members including elders many of whom only speak Navajo, do not have phones, electricity or running water, and use these areas for ceremonial, customary and medicinal purposes. The BIA and industry have to date failed to treat local Diné people humanely."

"The EPA rightfully notes that the DEIS for Desert Rock fails to evaluate the impacts of continued dumping of coal combustion wastes in Navajo Mine with no valid conclusion concerning the legacy of dumping practices in the region." said Brad Bartlett, attorney with the Energy Minerals Law Center. "Tens of millions of tons of hazardous coal combustion waste have already been dumped in the existing Navajo Mine from the existing Four Corners Power Plant. Desert Rock would expand the Navajo Mine by 17,000 acres and increase the unmitigated dumping of these wastes ten fold."

"The EPA comments on the Desert Rock DEIS reinforce unresolved environmental and economic problems for Sithe Global's proposal," said Mike Eisenfeld of the San Juan Citizens Alliance. "The notion that Desert Rock is a clean coal-fired power plant has been clearly refuted. It is now time for the BIA and the Navajo Nation to move beyond the ill-advised, conceptual Desert Rock project to economic development for the Navajo Nation that truly accounts for economic and environmental progress and success."

EPA's comments include the unevaluated impacts to groundwater from continued and expanded Coal Combustion Byproducts (otherwise known as coal combustion waste) disposal in Navajo Mine (the proposed source of coal for Desert Rock); the failure of BIA to require aquifer testing and impact assessment; the lack of a groundwater monitoring program for the project; deficient conclusions concerning groundwater; insufficient particulate matter emission calculations for air quality impacts; improper conclusions concerning mercury content of coal proposed to be burned for Desert Rock; and failure to include a public health discussion that includes the latest scientific information about air pollution and public health, including impacts from ozone.

In addition, the EPA documented several deficient Environmental Justice issues including lack of local citizen access to power and no proposed mitigation in the DEIS; the failure to identify information concerning potential relocation of minority and low income populations as a result of Desert Rock; and the failure to properly evaluate the potential impacts of Desert Rock on groundwater and agriculture.

"Disaster Profiteer" Fluor Corp. to Manage Development
Fluor Corp., a generous contributor to Republican candidates, was selected to provide initial comprehensive program management services in the development of Desert Rock starting in 2008. Fluor was also the recipient of $100 million in no-bid contracts from FEMA for services in the Katrina recovery effort. FEMA's entire contracting process is being audited by the Department of Homeland Security after complaints from Congressional Democrats and others about cronyism and serious mismanagement.

According to a September 2005 article by the Institute of Southern Studies, the corporation has also been heavily involved in questionable and costly Iraq recovery projects and other boondoggles:

A California-based engineering firm, Fluor has been one of the government's biggest go-to contractors for overseas engineering work, accumulating contracts worth $8.5 billion (source: The Center for Public Integrity) from 1990 to 2002. Iraq was no exception, where they pointed to their long history in the region (mostly Saudi Arabia) to land over $1.6 billion in contacts for rebuilding Iraq. According to an August 2004 report in the Los Angeles Times, they also had the right political connections:

Suzanne H. Woolsey is a trustee of a little-known arms consulting group that had access to senior Pentagon leaders directing the Iraq war. In January, she joined the board of Fluor Corp. Soon afterward, Fluor and a joint-venture partner won about $1.6 billion in reconstruction contracts in Iraq.

Woolsey's husband, the former CIA director, R. James Woolsey, a leading advocate for the war, also serves as a government policy adviser. He, too, works for a company with war-related interests.

The Woolseys' overlapping affiliations are part of a pattern in Washington, in which individuals play key roles in organizations advising officials on major policy issues, whileinvolving themselves with businesses in related fields.

What's their work record? Like many of the politically-connected contractors, Fluor keeps landing contracts despite a long rap sheep of scandal and abuse, including repeated claims of overcharging and gouging taxpayers. Among the most recent include charges of falsely claiming millions of dollars in costs on DoD contracts in 2001 (the company settled for $8.5 million), and in 2002 being sued for $24 million for "numerous design and construction failures" at the Refugio Mine in northern Chile.

And their work state-side? In 1994, Fluor paid a $3.2 million fine for "submitting heavily padded repair bills for work on Navy bases after hurricane Hugo."

In addition,

Fluor manages the government's Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington, one of the most heavily polluted sites in North America. Since Fluor took over the site in the mid-1990s, workers and local citizens have charged the company with cost cutting measures that have created potential environmental and health concerns. The company responded by firing whistleblowers and shutting down the Hanford Joint Council, a public forum established eight years ago to air employee and local government concerns over plant safety. (Ref: Gov. Accountability Project)

As reported in the New York Times, Fluor Corp. as an entity within the Fluor comglomerate, was incorporated in Delaware on September 11, 2000 after splitting with their coal production unit, which is now called Massey Energy. Massey is the nation's fourth largest coal producer according to CorpWatch.

State of NM Seeks Consultation with Navajo Nation
In late July 2007, Gov. Bill Richardson issued a statement expressing his serious concerns about the Desert Rock Plant due to the significant amounts of greenhouse gases and other pollutants the plant would emit. In a letter dated August 20, 2007 to Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley, Jr., Richardson requested "formal government-to-government consultation between the State of New Mexico and the Navajo Nation" to discuss the concerns and explore options for addressing them. Ron Curry, Secretary of the NM Environment Department, was designated as the State's lead person in the consultation. No word yet on a response from President Shirley.

Still Time to Submit Comments
Gov. Richardson also requested an extension of the comment period on the project's draft environmental impact statement and others have complained about the short time allowed for public input. The comment period, in fact, has been extended and now ends on October 9, 2007. You can electronically submit comments on the project to . There is a 40,000 character limit. It's recommended that you also mail a copy of your comments to:

Harrilene Yazzie, NEPA Coordinator
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Navajo Regional Office
P.O. Box 1060, Gallup, New Mexico 87305
505-863-8287

To learn more about the Desert Rock Power Plant controversy and stay current on developments, visit the desert-rock-blog operated by Doodah Desert Rock activists, the San Juan Citizens Alliance website and the website of the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club.

Also check out the indepth commentary in this previous post, which includes links to our past Desert Rock coverage.

NM ACLU Reacts to Sweeps of Border Immigrant Communities

From the American Civil Liberties Union of NM:
LAS CRUCES, NM—The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico condemned recent immigration raids by Otero and Doña Ana County Sheriff's deputies in the border towns of Chaparral and Vado today. The local police agencies are assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to conduct sweeps of immigrant neighborhoods, knocking on doors and checking identification. Authorities also are stopping motorists and entering private businesses. 

The ACLU is investigating multiple reports that sheriff's deputies retrieved children from schools and entered homes without consent or warrants. The ACLU has filed public records requests with both sheriff’s departments seeking information about the collaboration with federal immigration agencies.

“This is irresponsible policing,” said Maria Nape, Director of the ACLU's Border Rights office. “Immigrants in these communities may never again trust that they can report crimes to sheriff’s deputies, even if they are the victims. When local police become border patrol agents, it rips a hole in the fabric of public safety that takes years to mend. It’s not just immigrants that are affected.”

The raids stem from a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) program called "Operation Stonegarden" which gave New Mexico roughly $1.6 million in support of local law enforcement participation in immigration enforcement along the border. In total, the four Southwest border states received $12 million in grant awards.

“These raids are symptomatic of the same reactionary policies that have failed to address nationwide concerns about immigration for decades,” Nape said.  “Do we want to live in a country that makes life so intolerable for hundreds of thousands of families who live and work here that they leave? Or would we rather live in an America that brings immigrants out of the shadows of society and enables them to be taxpaying, contributing citizens?

Download the public records requests: https://www.aclu-nm.org/News_Events/news_9_14_07.html

The mission of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico is to maintain and advance the cause of civil liberties within the state of New Mexico, with particular emphasis on the freedom of religion, speech, press, association, and assemblage, and the right to vote, due process of law and equal protection of law, and to take any legitimate action in the furtherance and defense of such purposes. These objectives shall be sought wholly without political partisanship. For more information, visit us on the web: www.aclu-nm.org.

Visit the ACLU of New Mexico's new blog. To donate to the ACLU of New Mexico securely online, click here.