Democracy for New Mexico

Al Gore at Santa Ana Star Center

Al Gore and his presentation on "An Inconvenient Truth" will be coming to Rio Rancho's Santa Ana Star Center on October 3, 2007 at 7:30 PM. Click for info and tix. By the way, Gore is writing a sequel to his book An Inconvenient Truth entitled The Path to Survival, scheduled for publication on Earth Day next April. According to the publisher, Rodale Books, Gore will spell out a blueprint for the changes that individuals and governments need to make to avoid catastrophic climate change.

Fired U.S. Attorney David Iglesias Signs Book Deal

This can't hurt Dems' chances against Pete Domenici and Heather Wilson. According to TPMmuckraker:

The book promises to focus on Iglesias' experiences as a U.S. attorney in the Bush administration and his role in the scandal, before and after the firing. It's anticipated to be released in April, 2008.

Also, we hear that the book will spend some time discussing Iglesias' handling of voter fraud cases -- how the administration directed Iglesias' focus on the issue, and how that direction made Iglesias uncomfortable. Remember that Republicans all the way on up to Karl Rove and President Bush were frustrated with Iglesias' failure to indict liberals for alleged instances of voter fraud. Apparently Iglesias was no stranger to such pressure.

Noted Author and PBS Essayist Richard Rodriguez to Lecture at UNM

From UNM Today:
Richard Rodriguez, a contributing editor at New American Media in San Francisco, will present “The Browning of America: Race, Religion and Ethnicity in an Erotic Age” at 7 PM on Saturday, July 7, at Rodey Theater in the Center for the Arts at the University of New Mexico as part of the Sunset Lecture Series sponsored by University Libraries. The event is free and the public is welcome.

Rodriguez is a noted contributing editor for Harper’s Magazine and appears as an essayist on “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" on PBS. The sometimes controversial Rodriguez writes regularly for newspapers in both the United States and England, and he has written an autobiographical trilogy on class, ethnicity and race that includes “Hunger of Memory” (1982), “Days of Obligation: An Argument with my Mexican Father,” (1992) and “Brown: The Last Discovery of America” (2002). Currently he is working on a book concerned with the ecology of the desert and monotheism.

Editor's Note: To get a taste of Rodriguez's famously iconoclastic and complex views, check out this video of a News Hour discussion between Rodriguez and Margaret Carlson, or this print interview by Scott London. Other materials on or by Rodriguez can be found here.

Gore: The Assault on Reason

I'ts (another) rainy day in New Mexico -- perfect for reading. I suggest you start with a substantial excerpt from Al Gore's soon to be released new book, The Assault on Reason, courtesy of Time magazine. Some quotes:

Why do reason, logic and truth seem to play a sharply diminished role in the way America now makes important decisions?" The persistent and sustained reliance on falsehoods as the basis of policy, even in the face of massive and well-understood evidence to the contrary, seems to many Americans to have reached levels that were previously unimaginable.

... It is simply no longer possible to ignore the strangeness of our public discourse. I know I am not alone in feeling that something has gone fundamentally wrong. In 2001, I had hoped it was an aberration when polls showed that three-quarters of Americans believed that Saddam Hussein was responsible for attacking us on Sept. 11. More than five years later, however, nearly half of the American public still believes Saddam was connected to the attack.

... what television's dominance has come to mean is that the inherent value of political propositions put forward by candidates is now largely irrelevant compared with the image-based ad campaigns they use to shape the perceptions of voters. The high cost of these commercials has radically increased the role of money in politics—and the influence of those who contribute it. That is why campaign finance reform, however well drafted, often misses the main point: so long as the dominant means of engaging in political dialogue is through purchasing expensive television advertising, money will continue in one way or another to dominate American politics. And as a result, ideas will continue to play a diminished role. That is also why the House and Senate campaign committees in both parties now search for candidates who are multimillionaires and can buy the ads with their own personal resources.

... Fortunately, the Internet has the potential to revitalize the role played by the people in our constitutional framework. It has extremely low entry barriers for individuals. It is the most interactive medium in history and the one with the greatest potential for connecting individuals to one another and to a universe of knowledge. It's a platform for pursuing the truth, and the decentralized creation and distribution of ideas, in the same way that markets are a decentralized mechanism for the creation and distribution of goods and services. It's a platform, in other words, for reason.

But the Internet must be developed and protected, in the same way we develop and protect markets—through the establishment of fair rules of engagement and the exercise of the rule of law. The same ferocity that our Founders devoted to protect the freedom and independence of the press is now appropriate for our defense of the freedom of the Internet. The stakes are the same: the survival of our Republic. We must ensure that the Internet remains open and accessible to all citizens without any limitation on the ability of individuals to choose the content they wish regardless of the Internet service provider they use to connect to the Web. We cannot take this future for granted. We must be prepared to fight for it, because of the threat of corporate consolidation and control over the Internet marketplace of ideas.

Gore to Join Prez Race?
By the way, Gore has provided the strongest hint yet that he may still have plans to enter the presidential race. A soon to be published article in the New York Times reports:

When I asked Gore why he hasn’t dismissed all the speculation by issuing a Shermanesque refusal to stand, as he did in 2002, Gore said, "Having spent 30 years as part of the political dialogue, I don’t know why a 600-day campaign is taken as a given, and why people who aren’t in it 600 days out for the convenience of whatever brokers want to close the door and narrow the field and say, ‘This is it, now let’s place your bets’ — If they want to do that, fine. I don’t have to play that game."

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.

R.I.P., Pilgrim

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. 1922 — 2007

New York Times Books on his death.

Kurt Vonnegut quotes:

Here we are, trapped in the amber of the moment. There is no why.

I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can't see from the center.

I feel and think much as you do, care about many of the things you care about, although most people do not care about them. You are not alone.

We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be.

Every passing hour brings the Solar System forty-three thousand miles closer to Globular Cluster M13 in Hercules— and still there are some misfits who insist that there is no such thing as progress.

We could have saved the Earth but we were too damned cheap.

Here's what I think the truth is: We are all addicts of fossil fuels in a state of denial, about to face cold turkey.

I have wanted to give Iraq a lesson in democracy—because we’re experienced with it, you know. And, in democracy, after a hundred years, you have to let your slaves go. And, after a hundred and fifty years, you have to let your women vote. And, at the beginning of democracy, quite a bit of genocide and ethnic cleansing is quite okay. And that’s what’s going on now.

A poem written by Mr. Vonnegut called Requiem, has these closing lines:

When the last living thing
has died on account of us,

how poetical it would be
if Earth could say,

in a voice floating up
perhaps
from the floor
of the Grand Canyon,

It is done.
People did not like it here.

More

https://www.vonnegut.com/
https://www.vonnegutweb.com/

(Updated) Join the Kerrys at Santa Fe Borders This Saturday (and Rally at Miles Park)

UPDATE: Sen. John Kerry will also be speaking at the environmental rally from 1:00-3:00 PM at Franklin Miles Park in Santa Fe on Saturday, April 14, that's part of the Step It Up climate action campaign. See the Insight New Mexico blog and our previous post on City of Santa Fe events for more info.
****************

From John Kerry and Teresa Heinz Kerry:
We hope that you can join us on Saturday, April 14 at the Borders Bookstore at 5:00 PM where we will be speaking about our recently released book This Moment on Earth and signing copies. The bookstore is located at 500 Montezuma, Suite 108, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Tickets for this event are available at the door beginning at noon on Saturday.

The environment, and the movement that grew up to protect it, is under attack -- concerted and purposeful. Yet the need for solutions to pressing environmental problems grows more urgent each day. A myriad of environmental problems are occurring in the world today, from contamination of the air and water supply to human-induced global climate change.

We have spoken with people from all over the country to see how these issues unite people across ideological, geographic, and cultural lines. We found a vibrant coalition of people and communities deploying ingenuity, technology, and sheer willpower to save the world they live in. Our new book, This Moment on Earth, celebrates their tremendous efforts.

This book grows out of a long-held passion we've both had about this movement. Throughout the last three decades, we have both dedicated ourselves to improving our environment -- from joining efforts to fight acid rain, to fighting for United States participation in the Kyoto accords, to helping to raise the profile of green building efforts in Pittsburgh and elsewhere. We feel passionately about this issue and hope this book sparks a new national dialogue about our planet and the steps we must take if we are to preserve it for future generations.

Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you on Saturday, April 14.

Sincerely,
John Kerry
Teresa Heinz Kerry

Santa Fe Community Read Schedule of Events

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

City of Santa Fe Announces Community Read of 'Nickel and Dimed'

From the office of Mayor David Coss:
Read On Santa Fe! Community Read
Mayor David Coss has announced a community read of the book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, the New York Times bestseller by Barbara Ehrenreich. This announcement comes at a time when government officials on a state and national level discuss raising the minimum wage.

“Nickel and Dimed is about changing the way America perceives its working poor. Santa Fe is proud of the accomplishments made to support working families. Through a communitywide read of Nickel and Dimed, I hope to create an opportunity for Santa Feans to discuss at large issues of poverty across America and here at home,” Mayor Coss said.

Nickel and Dimed is about Barbara’s experience as she joins the millions of hardworking Americans who earn poverty-level wages. Inspired in part by the rhetoric surrounding welfare reform, which promised that any job equals a better life, Ms. Ehrenreich moved across the country, taking the cheapest lodgings available and accepting work as a waitress, hotel maid, house cleaner, nursing-home aide, and retail salesperson. She quickly learned that one job is not enough – you need at least two if you intend to live indoors.

Many cities, such as Seattle, Pasadena, Austin, Kansas City, Santa Monica and Washington DC have initiated communitywide reads aimed at bringing people together and creating a shared experience among a wide spectrum of people. These communities have experienced positive results from their programs and have increased participation every year.

The City of Santa Fe plans to host a series of community events in March 2007, including discussions and films and a student film contest. For more information on this initiative, contact Becky Lo Dolce, Special Projects Coordinator, at 955-6629 or Public Information Officer Laura Banish at 955-6046.

Editor's Note: For more about Barbara Ehrenreich, her books, a forum and other info, visit her website.

Free Downloadable Book Discusses Why Millions of American Children at Risk

From Every Child Matters:
You probably won’t be surprised to learn that the U.S. does not do well by millions of its children. In comparison to the other rich democracies, we have the poorest standing on:

• infant mortality
• teen birth rates
• health insurance coverage
• child abuse deaths
• child poverty

“Our children deserve better than this,” says Michael R. Petit, president of Every Child Matters and author of Homeland Insecurity … American Children at Risk, a newly published book that can be downloaded free at www.everychildmatters.org.

Drawing from mostly official federal data, Homeland Insecurity argues that the extreme conservative ideology that has dominated official Washington for two decades has failed to address the needs of millions of children. The book dispels the two principal myths upon which conservative ideology is based—that government itself is the enemy, and that taxes are evil. It compares state data on children and shows that the states which most strongly embrace anti-tax/anti-government ideology produce the worst outcomes for children. "The states with the best outcomes generally tax themselves at a higher level," said Petit, "and therefore are able to make greater investments in children."

Homeland Insecurity is just over 100 pages, but it’s jam-packed with straightforward charts and data, and ample photographs and anecdotes. Divided into seven chapters, it presents the latest data on health care, child abuse, imprisonment and child poverty. Petit says he wrote the book to help spark debate in the ’07-’08 presidential campaign about making major new investments in children, youth, and families.

Renowned pediatrician and author T. Berry Brazelton, M.D. writes on the book's jacket, “We do have solutions for the children’s problems the statistics in this book expose, but we need the national will to put them in action.” Former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell writes, “Whatever their persuasion, most people who read Homeland Insecurity will find it makes compelling arguments for why new investments in children must be treated as a political priority. This is a must read for anyone seeking elective office—and everyone who cares about children.”

Homeland Insecurity is available free as a PDF downloadable document by visiting www.everychildmatters.org. The site also provides information on how citizens can help make children, youth and families a political priority.