Democracy for New Mexico

NARAL Hosts Gloria Steinem at UNM Town Hall 10/12 and Offers VIP Seats for Michael Moore

"We Can Do It" - Gloria Steinem to Speak at UNM Town Hall: From the Women's Movement to the Women's Vote in 2004

WHEN: Tues. October 12, 7:00 PM

WHERE: Ballroom A in the Student Union Building (SUB) at UNM, Albuquerque. The SUB is one building north of Popejoy Hall.

WHAT: NARAL Pro-Choice NM and Gloria Steinem will host a Town Hall Meeting to discuss the women's vote and women's issues in the 2004 election. Ms. Steinem is the co-founder of Ms. Magazine and the National Women's Political Caucus, author, and leader of the women's rights movement.

SPONSORS: NARAL Pro-Choice UNM, UNM Women's Resource Center, Weekly Alibi, League of Democratic Action, UNM Progressive Student Union

RSVP: Call 505.243.4443 or send an email to womenvote@prochoicenm.org to reserve your seat at the Town Hall.

Volunteer with NARAL Pro-Choice NM and get a VIP seat to see Michael Moore for free!

WHEN: Sun. October 10, 2:30 PM

WHERE: The PIT. Volunteers will meet at the main entrance to the PIT. The Pit (University Arena) is located on the Southwest corner of Avenida Cesar Chavez and University.

WHAT: See Michael Moore, the Fahrenheit 9/11 filmmaker and author of Stupid White Men, on his "Slacker Uprising Tour." Volunteers will get a chance to meet Michael Moore and get VIP seating at the event.

SPONSORS: Call 505.243.4443 or email womenvote@prochoicenm.org to sign up to volunteer for this event.

Click through to the continuation to read about other NARAL events.

Come to the 24th Annual Auction for Choice this Friday, October 8 and watch the second Presidential Debate.

Doors will open at 6:00pm - come early to begin bidding before the debate starts! The debate will be televised at the auction, so join us for a fun evening of bidding, eating, and cheering on your candidate. The silent auction starts at 6:30 and the live auction at 8:00 pm. The auction will be at the Wool Warehouse of Albuquerque (Corner of 1st and Roma). Buy your tickets and view auction items today.

Call women voters in New Mexico and help the massive Get-Out-The-Vote effort!

We are involved in the biggest voter turnout program of NARAL's history in New Mexico! We are mobilizing thousands of infrequent women voters to the polls and helping to elect pro-choice candidates up and down the ticket. We have recruited dozens of volunteers, sent over 14,000 pieces of persuasive mail to voters, and called thousands of women this election. And, now we need your help in the final push before the election.

WHEN: Mondays - Fridays 5:30-8:30 pm, Saturdays 10:00 am - 2:00 pm now until Election Day

WHERE: NARAL Pro-Choice New Mexico office in Albuquerque and other locations in Las Cruces and Santa Fe.

WHAT: NARAL Pro-Choice New Mexico is mobilizing thousands of women to vote on November 2. In 2000, 22 million women did not vote. Help us change this statistic. Join us to get out the women's vote in New Mexico. We will train and feed you. Please sign up today!

RSVP: Call 505.243.4443 or send an email to womenvote@prochoicenewmexico.org to volunteer today.

Eager Voter Days Begin This Tuesday. Voter Registration Ends at 5 PM That Day!

The last day to register to vote before the November 2nd election and the first day for voting in New Mexico is TOMORROW, OCTOBER 5th. Any registered voter in New Mexico can show up at their County Clerk's office from October 5 thru October 30 and cast their vote using a paper absentee ballot. Even if you haven't registered yet, you can show up and register before the deadline of 5:00 PM on October 5th, fill out an absentee ballot, and do everything in one stop.

We expect hundreds of people to show up Tuesday morning at county clerk's offices around New Mexico to cast their votes against the Bush regime. In Santa Fe, Kerry's stepson, Chris Heinz, will be at the Santa Fe County Clerk's Office at 102 Grant Avenue between 9:00 and 9:30 AM to celebrate early voting, and locals will start congregating there to vote at 8 AM when the office opens. Chris will also be participating in an early voting visibility event at Kerry HQ in Albuquerque at 4:30 PM today, October 4.

Here are a few reasons for using an absentee ballot and voting eagerly:

1. Your vote is on paper, and is capable of being recounted, even if entered into an electronic voting machine.

2. You won't be taken in by e-mail hoaxes that tell you to vote on November 3rd. (Such an e-mail was circulated to California Democrats in 2000.)

3. You don't know what will happen that might prevent you from voting on November 2 in spite of your good intentions. Sick dog? Flat tire? Business trip? October surprise? Don't take that chance.
   

New Mexico's voter turnout in 2000 was dismal -- only 47.4% of voting age citizens. We ranked 42nd out of 50 states. We can improve on that with an enthusiastic and informed electorate that votes early. Spread the word.

You can go to the nonpartisan Eager Voter Project website and get information on how to vote early for every county in New Mexico. Also check the left-hand Voting sidebar on this site for links to information on all aspects of voting in New Mexico. What a great message: We Want Bush GONE, and We Cannot Wait Any Longer!

Click through to the continuation of this post for a summary of important voting dates and information. (Thanks to Pam in OK for the Uncle Howard graphic.)

VOTING DEADLINES AND INFORMATION

Voter Registration:
Must be received by the County Clerk by October 5th at 5:00 PM. You can register in person at the County Clerk’s office or use forms available in many places including libraries and campaign offices.

Absentee Ballots:
You can obtain an application for an absentee ballot by visiting, writing or calling your County Clerk, by downloading one at https://www.sos.state.nm.us/Election/ABinfo.htm or by visiting any major candidate's campaign office.

You must submit an application for an absentee ballot and get it to the County Clerk by 5:00 PM on October 28th. Absentee ballots for those who have requested them will be mailed to voters beginning October 5th. The ballots must be returned to the County Clerk in their official mailing envelopes by 7:00 PM on November 2nd, election day.

If you request and receive an absentee ballot, you must use it to vote. If you don't use the absentee ballot, you are allowed to request a Provisional Ballot at your polling place on election day.

If you’d rather vote by absentee ballot at the County Clerk’s office, you can do so starting October 5th and ending October 30th.

Early Voting at Satellite Locations:
Early Voting at satellite locations begins on October 16th and ends on October 30th. If you call your County Clerk, they will be able to tell you the locations, including your County Clerk's office.

Early voting at satellite locations happens on the following schedule (call your County Clerk to confirm): Tuesday thru Friday: 12 - 8 PM; Saturday: 10 AM - 6 PM.

Election Day:
Voting at precinct polling places takes place on November 2nd. You can find your polling place in Bernalillo County at this site: https://outside.bernco.gov/clerk/precinct.html

Contacts:
Bernalillo County Clerk
One Civic Plaza NW
City/County Building, 6th Floor
Albuquerque NM 87102
505-768-4631 (Bureau of Elections)
Website: https://www.bernco.gov/live/departments.asp?dept=2315
Email: clerk@bernco.gov

Sandoval County Clerk
711 Camino del Pueblo
Bernalillo NM 87004
505-867-7572
Website: https://www.sandovalcounty.com/Clerk/Clerk.html

The nonpartisan Eager Voter Project provides information on voting for each county.

Secretary of State, Bureau of Elections (statewide information)
505-827-3600 or 1-800-477-3632
Website: https://www.sos.state.nm.us/Election/ElectionInfo.htm

Latest From Kerry Campaign

Chris Heinz to visit Albuquerque Monday, October 4th and Santa Fe Tuesday, October 5th, to Promote Early Voting: As most of you know, Tuesday is when the election really begins with early voting (at County Clerk's offices). Chris Heinz will be hosting several events to help spread this message. For John Kerry to win, we need to get 350,000 people to the polls before November 2nd. So every vote we turn out now is critical. The first event will be at UNM Campus where he will stress the importance of the youth vote and voting early.

When: Monday, October 4th, 12:15 p.m.
Where: Johnson Field, UNM Campus (located by the dorms)
Sponsored by the UNM College Democrats and Students for Kerry.

Chris Heinz will be at the Albuquerque NM Victory 2004 Headquarters in the evening. We will be “shoe polishing” car windows for visibility on Tuesday, October 5th. This promises to be a fun event. Please try to attend to help spread the message of early voting. We need to get people to the polls before November 2nd.

When: Monday, October 4th, 4:30 p.m.
Where: 3301 Central NE, Abq

Chris will also be in Santa Fe at the County Clerk's office to celebrate early voting:

When: Tuesday, October 5th, between 9:00 and 9:30 AM
Where: Santa Fe County Clerk's office, 102 Grant Ave., SF

Special Announcement: John Cusack and friends will be in New Mexico visiting UNM and NMSU on Friday: More information will be sent out on Wednesday regarding these events.

Also: Wear Your Kerry Colors at the Balloon Fiesta: If you’re attending any of the 10 days of events at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, wear your Kerry-Edwards T shirts, buttons– any gear you’ve got. Fiesta rules don’t allow active campaigning such as distributing literature or buttons or pitching our candidate. But there’s no dress code. So dress for success for every event through Oct. 10, both at the Fiesta grounds and wherever balloon enthusiasts are likely to gather.

Thanks for all of your support. Remember, we can't spell success without U!
Marci Youngmark, Volunteer Coordinator, 505-256-2570

PS from BW: Thanks to Nancy G. for registering voters at the Balloon Fiesta over the weekend! And I hear that there will be an event in Santa Fe with Chris Heinz to publicize the start of early voting on October 5th, also the last day to register to vote in NM. I'll try to keep you posted.

Pass It On

We went to see the new movie about John Kerry's life and times tonight, after first having the pleasure of meeting and hearing Max Cleland speak at Kerry HQ in Albuquerque. Sen. Cleland provided alot of moving commentary during "Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry" and he was equally impressive face to face.

Since I was in college during the pivotal year of 1968 and beyond, watching the incredible footage from that era was both gut-wrenching and inspiring. It brought me right back to how heroically so many of us viewed Kerry back then, testifying about the horrors of a war gone mad and meaningless. It is hard to reconstruct now just how courageous it was back then for anyone to speak up and tell the truth, let alone veterans.

As we know, the battles continue today between those who owned up to the realities and errors of the Viet Nam war and those who clung to stubborn myths of glory that had clearly been undermined by facts on the ground. Here again is John Kerry being muddied by the manufactured distortions of the Nixon creation that is John O'Neill. It's still a struggle between those who found healing and a thirst for peace by absorbing the truths of Viet Nam and those who are still seeking scapegoats thirty-some years later because they've never learned the lessons or admitted the horrors and their roles in it.

The bullying of cowards continues and grows. As I was writing this post I heard a car door open, footsteps and shuffling, and then a car door slamming out front. It sounded suspicious so we went out and, sure enough, our two Kerry signs were gone. All of a sudden, here comes a vehicle that stops across the street in front of a neighbor's Kerry sign and out pops some guy. All we had to do was yell, "hey don't take that sign" and the chicken raced off as fast as he could floor the thing. These types are always so brave.

Anyway, I hope you'll take the time to see "Going Upriver," get a DVD and share it with everyone you can. A new site called KeepItGoing.org is about continuing the conversation inspired by the movie, and making it easy to pass it on. And if you'd like to read the testimony of the Winter Soldiers shown in the film, whose views Kerry represented at the Senate hearing, go here.

(Poster of My Lai Massacre from The Sixties Project's collection of political posters. Click the image for a larger version.)

Rally With Max Cleland at ABQ Kerry HQ Today at 4:15 PM

Vietnam veteran and former Georgia Senator Max Cleland will rally with Kerry volunteers at the Albuquerque Kerry HQ at 3301 Central NE at 4:15 PM today, October 1st. Everyone is welcome! Here's a website that details Cleland's Viet Nam experience with photos from the era.

Outta Da Park

Can anyone reasonably deny that Kerry big-time bested Bush last nite in the first debate? Using any or all criteria? Home Run Home Run Home Run. I thought the most chilling views of Bush came while he was reacting to what Kerry was saying. His body language and facial expressions were more like a petulant teen's reaction to parental complaints than a commander-in-chief or "leader of the free world."

We watched it on mighty CSPAN, which showed the whole thing with a split-screen, close-up shot of each of them, side by side. Bush squirmed and made faces and shrugged and sent dirty looks Kerry's way and rolled his eyes. At times I thought he looked more like one of the Three Stooges than the "resolute leader" image created by all that spin. Truly horrifying to think this spoiled, irrational child is at the helm while Planet Earth faces such incredible challenges and dangers. If you haven't seen the CSPAN coverage, they'll probably be replaying it or you can watch video here.

I thought Kerry, on the other hand, came across clear, concise, passionate yet respectful, and focused like a laser on Bush's failures. He was precise and seemed very comfortable in his skin. He rocked! After all the tension and almost panic I've felt among us during this run-up to the first debate, what a relief to see even the talking heads glumly admitting that Kerry won. Yowsa.

This is a horse race just rounding the final turn. Dig in!

AND WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT THE DEBATE? WE'D LOVE TO READ YOUR YOUR COMMENTS!

ABQ Kerry Campaign Special Events

The lastest from the Kerry campaign in Albuquerque:

As we move into the final month of the campaign, it's more important than ever to come down to headquarters and spend a few hours each week helping out--we have phone banking and canvassing every day, but we also wanted to tell you about some of the special events we have coming up:

Tonight, Thursday, Sep. 30: Debate Party at Kerry Headquarters: Calling for Kerry from 5-7, watching the current president stumble and mumble his way through a debate, 7pm.

Saturday, Oct. 2: Grand Opening of our new Satellite office at 2017 Yale!: Voter Contact BBQ! Come celebrate our expansion with us. 505-242-6636

Saturday, Oct. 2: Canines for Kerry!: Bring your dog down to Kerry HQ and take part in events like "Barking Back at Bush," "Most Political Dog," and "Presidential Look-Alike Dog." At Kerry headquarters, 3301 Central, from 12-3pm. A good time will be had by all.

Click here to order the pictured Canines for Kerry tshirt from CafePress and here to visit the Canines for Kerry website. You can check out the Canines for Kerry flyer here.

Monday, Oct. 4: Get ready to vote tomorrow!: Come down to headquarters for a special early vote visibility party--stay tuned for details.

Thanks for all of your support!
Marci Youngmark
Volunteer Coordinator
505-256-2570

John Kerry Movie Opens Friday

MoveOn is encouraging an opening day turnout for this movie to rival the one we provided for Fahrenheit 9/11. The more people who flock to theaters to see it, the more buzz and coverage the media will be forced to provide and the more people will learn about the real identity of John Kerry.

According to the movie's website:

"Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry is a feature length documentary about character and moral leadership during a time of national crisis. Loosely based on the best-selling book Tour of Duty by Douglas Brinkley, Going Upriver examines the story of John Kerry and the key events that made him a national figure and the man he is today. The film places particular emphasis on his bravery during the Vietnam War and his courageous opposition to the war upon his return."

MoveOn says:

"On Friday, an exciting new movie hits theaters -- one that has the power to change the way we see John Kerry forever. Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry is a beautiful and inspiring portrait of Kerry and Vietnam, but it's bigger than that: it's a gripping, powerful film about how our country wrestles with war. It's vivid without being confrontational -- a political movie you can bring your Republican uncle to -- and it has received great reviews from some of the nation's top film critics. You've got to see it."

You can watch the trailer .

The movie opens October 1st at these New Mexico theaters:

Albuquerque Downtown 14
Albuquerque High Ridge 8
Santa Fe UA De Vargas

You can buy tickets online at Fandango. You can order the DVD here. Take your friends, neighbors, family members and yourself. Let them see a truer version of who John Kerry really is and what makes him very different from our lying, cowardly president. Don't let Rove's distorted caricature stick!

John Kerry gives a speech at a 1972 peace rally in Bryant Park, NYC. Photo credit: George Butler (Click photo for larger version.)

BigPath Freebies

I saw a link to a site called "BigPath" and it turned out to hold a bonanza of free materials we can use to promote the Kerry campaign and a myriad of issues that show a clear-cut difference between the Democratic and Republican parties.

From the Big Path Website:

Welcome to BigPath, a not-for-profit site featuring downloadable print materials for use as ads, flyers, handouts, posters, etc. Everything here is free, we only ask that the BigPath logo and disclaimer remain intact. We encourage you to download, print and distribute as many of these as you'd like. Everything is available in two formats: PDF (Adobe Acrobat Format)* and JPEG. All are 8-1/2" x 11" with medium-resolution graphics and should print well on most color or black & white laser and inkjet printers. Many people have begun using these as handouts at political rallies and distributing them at meetings.

BigPath™'s primary goal is to distribute information about current events in the form of ads aimed at promoting progressive ideas. Inevitably, at least at this stage in our history, promoting progressive themes involves pointing out the numerous shortcomings of the conservative movement, so, while we'd like to remain 100% positive in tone, we refuse to lie down and play dead. Everything here is free and there are no restrictions on the number of ads you can download or print or forward. The goal is simply to offer these materials to those who find them useful. We strongly encourage you to download, distribute, print and otherwise spread the word.

(Click on the graphic to see a larger version of one example of Big Path's work.)

Two Face

(click it, then pass it on)