Democracy for New Mexico

War Without End

... success [in Iraq] will require U.S. political, economic and security engagement that extends beyond my Presidency. --George Bush, September 13, 2007

Guest Blog: We Didn't Cross Any Borders, They Crossed Us

This is a guest blog by JaciCee that originally appeared as a diary on Daily Kos:

Okay, maybe we did cross a couple of borders.  We marched up through Central America and Mexico and entered Native American land when we first settled here.  But since the early 1600's we haven't moved.  Who are we?  The first families and explorers that settled into New Mexico.  You know, that state that sets between Texas and Arizona and is north of Mexico and under Colorado.  We are actually part of the United States and have been since 1912.  Many Americans don't know that.  In case you don't believe me, check this out.  One of our local publications features stories about misperceptions and flat out ignorance about our state.

Let's talk a little about what happened before we became a state in 1912.  I'll give you a quick historical rundown but if you want more on our state's rich history, go here or here.

The Native American cultures were thriving here when the Spaniards first arrived.  Those incredible cultures date back to at least 1100 A.D.  The first Europeans arrived in New Mexico with Francisco Vasquez de Coronado's expedition in 1540.  Up until 1821 we lived under the Spanish flag.  In 1821 Mexico acquired New Mexico from Spain.  We then lived under the Mexican flag until 1846 when we fell under US control.  In 1862 Albuquerque surrendered to the South during the Civil War.  In 1912 we officially became a state.  We have lived under three flags without going anywhere. 

Some of our families had relatives living south of the New Mexican territory.  The borders were open. We could travel all over and see who we liked.  These relationships still exist today.

Why does this matter?  My family arrived here in 1603.  They came here with other families.  They married other Spaniards, Indians and Mexicans.  They created an incredibly diverse human landscape that is still thriving today.  These same families, whether they live in Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Santa Fe, Espanola or Taos still speak Spanish in their homes.  Many still have accents.  They are Americans. They are dark, light, tall, short, skinny and fat.  They have brown eyes, blue eyes and green eyes. Many outsiders can't tell the difference between a sixth generation New Mexican or an illegal immigrant.

I have been somewhat silent about the immigation debate. I have some pretty strong views about it but not until I saw this yesterday did I become absolutely enraged.

Some local Republicans have decided it is cool to drive a billboard around Albuquerque with the slogan "Mayor Chavez's sanctuary city for criminal illegal immigrants!"  They are pissed off because Mayor Chavez refuses to use the Albuquerque Police Department to round up "illegal aliens."  According to Allen Weh, a local Republican:

"We’re talking about public safety, and in the area of public safety, my view and our view is it’s a non-negotiable item, we’re all in this together, we all live in this city, we all live in this state, and our families should be safe,"

Safety?  I would like to see some hard facts from Mr. Weh about how many crimes are committed by illegal immigrants in New Mexico. But I doubt any New Mexican will get any facts from hatemongers.  I don't call them hatemongers lightly either.  Look at the message they are currently driving around a major US city that has a huge Hispanic population.  They are associating the workers they depend on to manicure their lawns, clean their houses, work on their roofs, care for their children, clean their hotel rooms, wash their dishes, cook their food, pick their chile crops to the level of a criminal.  I feel bad for the children of the shadow workers, who on their way to school, have to watch a billboard rolling by on a publicly funded street that equates their mother or father to a murderer.

I feel worse though that Republicans, like Weh, think they have a right to be abusive and uninformed towards a population that they know nothing about.  I am sure Weh could not tell an American citizen from an illegal in this state. 

Kudos to Mayor Marty for standing firm on this.

"And I will not have the police stopping Americans based on the color of their skin, so they need to get off it and help our congressional delegation find meaningful solutions to our immigration dilemma," said Mayor Martin Chavez.

That is my greatest fear; that someday somebody who has moved to New Mexico from a flyover state will question me or my children about our citizenship. My family has been here for multiple generations. Each of those generations has produced family members who served our nation during times of war.

Before you consider immigration reform, please think about how any of those reforms will affect American citizens, like me.

Editor's Note: This is a guest blog by JaciCee. It was originally posted as a diary on Daily Kos.

Guest blogs provide our readers with an opportunity to express themselves and may or may not represent our views. If you'd like to submit a post for consideration as a guest blog, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link on the upper left-hand corner of the page.

(Updated) Free Introductory Course on The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community

UPDATE 9/15/07: A reader submitted info on additional activities relalated to The Great Turning. I've added it to the end of this post. (Hat tip to M.M.)
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From the Conscious Aging Network of NM:
An introductory course will be presented by Mary Fogarty, President of the Conscious Aging Network of NM, and UNM instructor Dr. Gary Carlson on Dr. David Korten’s groundbreaking book The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community:

October 4th, 2007, 1:15 to 3:30 PM
UNM-Valencia Campus, Student Community Center,
280 La Entrada, Los Lunas, NM  87031
—FREE Beverages—
Click for a course description (doc)
Click for flyer (jpg)

For additional information call the UNM campus at 925-8970.

Dr. Korten beleives that more than ever before in history, our families and communities experience the fallout from inequities within our institutions, the state, and governing bodies resulting in fragmentation, a decline in social cohesion and an increase in social exclusion. Individually, we exist in connection with a larger composition, a grander collective, a universal body of parts in which we, as individuals, contribute to the productivity and harmony of the whole. We can make conscious collective decisions and work together to bring forth a new era of Earth Community grounded in the life-affirming cultural values shared by most all the world’s people and eloquently articulated in the Earth Charter.

Dr. Korten is an internationally renowned author, speaker and thinker who is scheduled to visit Albuquerque sometime in November. He's also the author of When Corporations Rule the World, an international bestseller that helped expose the attack on democracy and economic justice being advanced through free trade agreements and the institutions that negotiate and enforce them. Partial bio:

• received his degree at Stanford
• taught at Harvard
• served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War
• lived 21 years outside the U.S. in Southeast Asia, traveled to Pakistan, India,Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, & the Philippines as regional manager for (USAID), and founded the People-Centered Development Forum

Extensive information about Dr. Korten's books, presentations, articles and work can be found at his website, including a complete bio. Also read this article from the Fall edition of Yes! magazine to learn more about Dr. Korten's views about what's happening in the world and where we need to go from here to reinvent and reinvigorate our culture, economics and lives to achieve sustainabilty and harmony.
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UPDATE 9/15/07: Additional activities related to The Great Turning:

Gary Carlson and Mary Fogarty are teaching more classes based on the book. From the events calendar of The Conscious Aging Network of New Mexico:

October 3-November 7, 7:00 to 9:00 PM, Creating Earth Community, UNM Continuing Education, 6-week class on David Korten's book, The Great Turning, by Gary Carlson. Contact UNM at 277-0077 for registration. New class!

October 18-December 13, 1:30-3:30 PM, Creating Communities, UNM Valencia Campus, 1-credit, 8-week class based on David Korten's book, The Great Turning, by Gary Carlson and Mary Fogarty.  Contact UNM Valencia campus for registration: 925-8580.
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From the New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light calendar (at the bottom):

Saturday, November 10, 7 PM: Free public address by Dr. David C. Korten at the UNM Sub Ballroom A. Click for flyer (PDF).
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Dr. Korten was on Democracy Now this past Friday: David Korten, author of "When Corporations Rule the World". He is the co-founder of Positive Futures Network, and publisher of the magazine YES! A Journal of Positive Futures. His most recent book is titled The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community. To watch, listen to or read the transcript of the show, click here.

Meet the Author - American Torture

From Citizens for Global Solutions:
Citizens for Global Solutions and Amnesty International USA are cosponsoring several events in New Mexico with Michael Otterman, an award winning freelance journalist and documentary filmmaker, and author of ‘American Torture: From the Cold War to Abu Ghraib and Beyond.’ Please join us and Michael while he discusses his book and answers your questions. The events, scheduled for September 17-18, 2007, are free and do not require you to register in advance. The schedule is below:

Albuquerque:

Webster University (Albuquerque Campus)
8500 Menaul NE Suite B-395, Albuquerque, NM 87112
(September 17th, 1:00 – 3:00 PM, Room A317)

University of New Mexico School of Law
1117 Stanford NE, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
(September 17th, 6 – 9 PM, Room 2401)

Santa Fe:

Mary Charlotte Domandi
KSFR Public Radio – 25 minute radio slot - 8 AM

College of Santa Fe
1600 St. Michael's Drive, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(September 18th, 3:15 – 5:15 PM, O’Shaughnessy Theater in Benildus Hall)

Collected Works Bookstore
208B West San Francisco, Santa Fe, NM 87501
(September 18th, 6:30 – 8:30 PM) 

In 'American Torture' Michael Otterman reveals how torture became standard practice in today’s War on Terror and how it was refined, spread and legalized. Long before Abu Ghraib became a household name, the U.S. military and CIA had used torture with impunity both at home and abroad. Billions of dollars were spent during the Cold War studying, refining then teaching these techniques to American interrogators and to foreign officers charged with keeping Communism at bay. 

Michael Otterman is a New York native and is currently a visiting scholar at the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (CPACS) at the University of Sydney.  He has covered crime and culture for an array of publications, including Melbourne’s Is Not magazine, The Sydney City Hub newspaper, and Boston’s Weekly Dig.  His website is www.americantorture.com. 

Citizens for Global Solutions is a grassroots membership organization that envisions a future in which nations work together to abolish war, protect our rights and freedoms, and solve the problems facing humanity that no nation can solve alone. To that end, we work to educate Americans about our global interdependence, communicate global concerns to public officials, and develop proposals to create, reform, and strengthen international institutions such as the United Nations.  Our website is www.globalsolutions.org. For more information, please contact Tom Moran at tmoran@globalsolutions.org.

Wiviott Among Top 5 Fundraisers on Act Blue Last Week

Don Wiviott (L) speaking at YearlyKos Netroots Convention

Don Wiviott, a Dem candidate running to take on Sen. Pete Domenici for a Senate seat in New Mexico in 2008, garnered enough campaign donations on ActBlue last week to place his totals fifth among all those who received contributions via the progressive online site for the period:

	Rank	Name	District	Raised
	1	Tim Johnson	SD-SEN	$77,982.05
	2	John Edwards	President	$50,879.38
	3	Tom Harkin	IA-SEN	$21,740.00
	4	Courage Campaign	CA PAC	$13,180.71
	5	Don Wiviott	NM-Sen	$11,520.00

Source: ActBlue.com for the period September 2nd-9th, 2007.

Since he entered the race in June, Wiviott's campaign has been the beneficiary of a total of $28,434 donations across ActBlue pages, including $514 via the Beat Back Bush New Mexico page supported by New Mexico blogs Democracy for New Mexico and New Mexico FBIHOP. You can add to those totals by kicking in a few bucks right here.

Mark your calendars: Wiviott at Meetup
Don Wiviott will our special guest at the next Albuquerque DFA-DFNM Meetup to be held on Thursday, October 4th, at the Social Hall of the First Unitarian Church at Carlisle and Comanche.

He'll be speaking to the group and taking questions. To RSVP for the Meetup or join the group and get on our email list, click here. Come on down and meet the candidate who just might be our next Senator from New Mexico.

Click to read our previous posts about the New Mexico Senate race or visit our Beat Back Bush New Mexico archive to learn more about that ongoing effort.

(Click on photo for larger image. Photo credit: M.E. Broderick.)

Transcript: District 6 City Council Candidate Online Forum

The transcript is now available for yesterday's Albuquerque Journal online forum with the District 6 candidates for Albuquerque City Council. Visitors to the site were encouraged to submit questions for Kevin Smith, Blair Kaufman, Joanie Griffin and Rey Garduño (above, left to right), who then answered online. Check it out.

Albuquerque's municipal election is set for October 2, 2007. Registered voters who live in all even-numbered City Council districts will elect City Councilors. A councilor recall is also on the ballot in District 9. All voters will consider a number of municipal bond issues and ballot propositions. Mail-in (absentee) voting and in-person early voting is going on right now. See our archive of posts on the municipal election for more information on candidates, voting, issues and more.

TV Tonight: District 2 & 4 Candidates
Don't forget to tune in tonight to We The People's live TV forum with City Council candidates from Districts 2 and 4. It starts at 6:00 PM on Albuquerque Comcast community cable channel 27. You can also watch a live online stream of the show by going here. Click for more info on tonight's event.

(Updated) Edwards Buys TV Time to Counter Bush's Speech Tonight

UPDATE: Above is the message the Edwards campaign aired after Bush's speech tonight.
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Edwards at YearlyKos Q & A in August

In an innovative and bold move, the John Edwards campaign has purchased several minutes of TV time on MSNBC tonight right after Bush makes his latest TV plea to the nation to stay the course in Iraq. Edwards will use the time to rebut the Bush spin on the Iraq occupation and urge Congress to implement a firm timeline for withdrawal. Bush's speech is scheduled for 7:00 PM Mountain Time on all the major networks and cable news stations. Be sure you're tuned in to MSNBC (Albuquerque Comcast channel 30) immediately afterwards to see Edwards. Here's the message from Joe Trippi of the Edwards campaign about the move:

Tonight, after President Bush makes yet another argument for continuing the war in Iraq, John Edwards will speak directly to the American people in a nationwide address on MSNBC.

Our campaign has bought airtime on MSNBC immediately following the President's address at 9 p.m. (Eastern Time), and John Edwards will challenge the President's remarks with a strong call to the nation to end the war now.

Please watch in that timeframe—and forward this message to your friends, asking them to watch as well. Each of us has a responsibility to make sure that President Bush and Congress understand that the time for excuses has run out. John Edwards will deliver a strong message tonight on our behalf. It's time to end this war and bring our troops home.

Buying this kind of airtime is expensive. But we believe that President Bush's address must be countered with a strong voice in opposition to the failed policies that have kept our troops in harm's way for far too long. Tonight, John Edwards will continue to lead, and make the case to the nation that we cannot wait for an election to change course in Iraq—we as citizens must make Washington understand that the time to end this war is now.

Don't miss John's address tonight on MSNBC, immediately following the President.

President Bush will be on every network for free tonight. Our campaign will have to pay for the time on MSNBC so that John Edwards can challenge the President's failed policies. Please consider making a contribution to the campaign—to help us meet the costs of paying for tonight's address—and to help John's campaign continue to grow.

www.johnedwards.com/action/contribute/iraq-address

Thanks for all you do,

--Joe Trippi
  Senior Advisor, John Edwards for President
  September 13, 2007

(Click on photo for larger image. Photo credit: M.E. Broderick.)

What Do We Do Now? Punch In Those Numbers

Sen. Chris Dodd nails it. Now let's start FLOODING THE CONGRESS WITH PHONE CALLS. We need to literally deluge the switchboards with calls. Urge them to join Senator Dodd in demanding that the Dem Congressional leadership refuse to fund the war without withdrawal timetables:

On September 6th, the New York Times reported that Democrats are considering whether to offer a "compromise" amendment on Iraq to the upcoming Defense Department Authorization bill. This "compromise," the Levin-Reed amendment, would reportedly establish a non-binding "goal" -- as opposed to a firm deadline -- for withdrawing our combat troops from Iraq.

The net result would be another blank check for President Bush.

Senator Dodd said it best, "I cannot and will not support any measure that does not have a firm and enforceable deadline to complete the redeployment of combat troops from Iraq. Rather than picking up votes, by removing the deadline to get our troops out of Iraq you have lost this Democrat's vote."

We can stop this before it sees the light of day.

Please contact key Dem Senators and ask them to publicly reject any Iraq legislation that does not include enforceable deadlines for withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq and urge them to support the Dodd amendment:

Senate: (202) 224-3121

• Sen. Harry Reid
• Sen. Dick Durbin
• Sen. Jeff Bingaman
• Sen. Hillary Clinton
• Sen. Barak Obama

House: (202) 224-3121

• Rep. Nancy Pelosi
• Rep. Steny Hoyer
• Rep. Rahm Emanuel
• Rep. Tom Udall

I also like what Kos summarized as a strong position today:

Pass a supplemental bill with a withdrawal deadline. Let the GOP filibuster. If it comes to the point where the troops are being harmed from lack of funding, pass one-month supplementals -- keep forcing Republicans in vote after vote to stand with Bush and his hated war.

If the bigger supplemental, the one with teeth, passes, let Bush veto it. Send it back to him, again and again. All the while, keep the one-month supplementals going to ensure our troops have everything they need.

Tell the American people -- we will support the troops by bringing them home safe and sound to their families, and we will fund them appropriately every step of the way.

In other words, fully fund a withdrawal.

MoveOn Petraeus Ad: The Facts

Oh, the knashing of teeth is loud indeed about the full page ad MoveOn.org placed in the New York Times to coincide with the Petraeus-Crocker spin exhibition. It's dominating discussion in the corporate media, in rightwingnut circles and even among some Democrats in Congress. Sadly, it's much louder than any wailing about the real tragedy of the last few days -- namely, that BushCo has made it clear they intend to keep the occupation-surge going full throttle until the next president steps in to clean up the mess.

The usual unholy alliance between the Repub mouthpiece media, Bush's handpicked military officers (all naysayers have been dispatched) and the White House PR operation is vehemently dedicated to its mission to make sure nothing really changes in Iraq. Well, by summer they MIGHT withdraw troops down to what they were before the 2006 election, but maybe not. It depends on whatever The Decider says it depends on when the time comes. And you know how he is.

Of course there's the minor matter that we can't really sustain the "surge" troop levels after late Spring without condemning those serving to ANOTHER stint in the occupation zone without adequate down time, but that's never bothered The Decider before. He apparently couldn't care less whether he breaks our military as long as he can keep the victory-is-near charade going until he can dump the bloody mess in the hands of his successor. If nothing else, Bush has always been good at escaping the consequences of his bad decisions.

Betrayal is Betrayal
Unfortunately, an abundance of traditional media outlets, all those grimacing Repubs before the cameras and even some moaning and groaning Dems are giving more time to complaining about the MoveOn ad than challenging the failed strategies feeding the debacle in Iraq. What's being ignored is that General Petraeus DID BETRAY THE FACTS during his droning performance before House and Senate committees. And in betraying the facts, he betrayed the people, especially the troops he commands. I guess the "patriotic" thing to do would be to ignore the situation and pretend that distortions, omissions and spin in his testimony is just fine by us. He is, after all, a handpicked four star, and apparently deserving only of praise uttered in worshipful tones.

The Facts
I know it's probably considered nitpicking in many quarters, but what did the MoveOn ad really say beyond its headline? You can see the ad (PDF), along with the full text. MoveOn has aslo provided convincing documentation for its assertions . I don't hear anyone refuting any of them. All I hear is the usual hypocritical grandstanding by Repubs who would love to change the subject from the facts at hand to a sideshow designed to demean Dems for daring to confront Bush.

Even more analysis on how Petraeus and the traditional media are ignoring or distorting the facts is provided by Think Progress and Media Matters. More at Speaker Pelosi's blog and this McClatchy News article.

Come on, everyone knows how things work in Washington, especially Bush's Washington. If generals or anyone else doesn't publicly (or sometimes even privately) agree 100% with Bush, they're either silenced, forced out or labeled "weak on terrorism." Remember how, one by one, previous Generals left the service after straying from the party line -- only to be replaced with someone willing to further The Decider's PR game?

Following in the Footsteps of Powell
Didn't we hear very similar excuses about Colin Powell and his often false and misleading testimony before the UN -- which got us into Iraq in the first place? Turns out Powell wasn't as full of integrity, competence and truthfullness as many at the time would have us believe. Turns out he wasn't really worthy of the degree of respect in which he was held. Turns out we might have entirely avoided the Iraq quagmire if more Democrats had been willing to sacrifice some of their oh-so-sacred "civility" for some speaking truth to power.

Now here we are again. Time to give up the fairy tale belief that Generals, by their very nature, don't lie publicly on behalf of their commanders-in-chief. History is full of cherry picked stats and clever distortions offered by military officers, CIA directors and many other "distinguished" personages to further the desires of presidents. It's not shocking to anyone but those afraid to call a spade a spade, even with so much on the line.

Early Voting Begins Today for 2007 ABQ Municipal Election

Early in-person voting begins today for the October 2, 2007 Albuquerque municipal election. Registered 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.

Early in-person voting ends on September 28, 2007 and that's also the last day to get an absentee ballott from the City Clerk.

Voters in even numbered City Council districts will cast their ballots for City Council. All voters will consider municipal bond issues and five ballot propositions. Voters in City Council District 9 will vote yes or no on a recall of Don Harris, who currently represents the district on the City Council.

Summary of ballot propositions (doc) to be voted upon

Description of bond resolutions (doc) to be voted upon

For more info on election matters you can contact the City Clerk's office at 768-3030 or visit their election website. Also check out the nonpartisan Voters Guide published by the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Albuquerque/Bernalillo County or read our previous posts on the election.