Democracy for New Mexico

How Bush's Grandfather Helped Hitler's Rise to Power

New disclosures on the long-rumored links between Prescott Bush and Hitler's rise from The Guardian Unlimited:

Rumours of a link between the US first family and the Nazi war machine have circulated for decades. Now the Guardian can reveal how repercussions of events that culminated in action under the Trading with the Enemy Act are still being felt by today's president

Ben Aris in Berlin and Duncan Campbell in Washington, Saturday September 25, 2004

George Bush's grandfather, the late US senator Prescott Bush, was a director and shareholder of companies that profited from their involvement with the financial backers of Nazi Germany. The Guardian has obtained confirmation from newly discovered files in the US National Archives that a firm of which Prescott Bush was a director was involved with the financial architects of Nazism.

His business dealings, which continued until his company's assets were seized in 1942 under the Trading with the Enemy Act, has led more than 60 years later to a civil action for damages being brought in Germany against the Bush family by two former slave labourers at Auschwitz and to a hum of pre-election controversy.

The evidence has also prompted one former US Nazi war crimes prosecutor to argue that the late senator's action should have been grounds for prosecution for giving aid and comfort to the enemy.

The debate over Prescott Bush's behaviour has been bubbling under the surface for some time. There has been a steady internet chatter about the "Bush/Nazi" connection, much of it inaccurate and unfair. But the new documents, many of which were only declassified last year, show that even after America had entered the war and when there was already significant information about the Nazis' plans and policies, he worked for and profited from companies closely involved with the very German businesses that financed Hitler's rise to power. It has also been suggested that the money he made from these dealings helped to establish the Bush family fortune and set up its political dynasty.

Remarkably, little of Bush's dealings with Germany has received public scrutiny, partly because of the secret status of the documentation involving him. But now the multibillion dollar legal action for damages by two Holocaust survivors against the Bush family, and the imminent publication of three books on the subject are threatening to make Prescott Bush's business history an uncomfortable issue for his grandson, George W, as he seeks re-election.

Click here for the rest of this fascinating article.

Latest Zogby Battleground Results

The Wall Street Journal online has the results of and discussion about the 9/20 Zogby Interactive Battleground State Poll. Click here and be sure to go to the link on the right-hand side of that page called "Return to Battleground Poll" for more info. This is still an incredibly tight race, so don't believe the Republican and talking head spin on how Bush is allegedly pulling away. And with Kerry's foreign policy speech yesterday that brutally criticized Bush's record of failure and wrong-headedness in Iraq, it's clear that Kerry is moving into his famous "excellent closer" mode and taking the gloves off. At last.

In New Mexico, the poll shows Kerry with 54.3%, Bush at 41.6% and Nader (who is, at least for now, off the ballot) at 2.2%.

Kerry On

With a crowd estimated at 10-15,000, the Kerry rally at Phil Chacon Park last Thursday was a much-needed re-invigorator for many who are working hard for the cause. Of course it was also a good chance for undecideds to see the candidate in the flesh and make their own decisions. Governor Bill Richardson, Lt. Governor Diane Denish, Congressional candidate Richard Romero, Senator Jeff Bingaman, Rep. Tom Udall, Dist. 26 State Rep. Al Park, Speaker of the NM House Ben Lujan and others warmed up the crowd.

Accompanied by Wesley Clark, who added some crowd-pleasing gung ho, and several other veteran brass, Kerry took the stage to wild cheering and dedicated sign waving. This was a tough bunch who had braved tight security and baking in the late-summer sun for hours, standing in a soccer field with an expansive view of our Sandia Mountains and a trademark hot air balloon.

Kerry gave Bush hell. He said the only place with more hot air than the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta was the Bush administration. He called Bush out on making the WRONG decision on everything from education, to health care, to the economy, to the war on terror, to the Iraq war. W is for WRONG! And he layed out his own vision of America, where the middle class is just as valuable as the monied elite at the top, where hard-working people of all shades and persuasions can get a fair shake and a fair chance and some health care. And where war is the last resort, not the preferred strategy.

Kerry finished with mucho hand-shaking and autograph signing while the setting New Mexico sun turned our Watermelon Mountains 10 shades of pink, red and purple. Only a few people fainted. A good time was had by everyone around us, anyway, and as people trickled out to the packed parking lots, they seemed very motivated and up for all the work to come as we count down the last weeks before regime change.

Kerry spent the night in Albuquerque, sharing a dinner with the Guv and others at the Artichoke Cafe. On Friday, he held a town hall meeting at Manzano Mesa Multigenerational Center and hammered Cheney on his Halliburton connections and their billions of dollars in no-bid contracts, all courtesy of their cozy relationship with the VP.

Still on a roll, Kerry gave an important and pointed (and may I say kickass) policy speech today at New York University on the war on terrorism and what's really going on in Iraq, despite Bush's constant sugarcoating and outrageous spin. A must read or see the video. Go here. This is an excellent New York Times article with the nuggets. It's clear that Kerry intends to keep the badly faultering Iraq war at the top of the issue heap from now until November. As Bush rapidly loses his somewhat concocted post-Convention bounce, now is the time for the big push. Are you ready?

(Click photos for larger versions. Photo Credits: Kerry-Edwards 2004, Inc. from Sharon Farmer)

Saturday 9/18 is Election Action Day

Only 45 days until the November 2nd election. Now is the time to hook up with a progressive event near you! Click to the continuation page to get detailed information on events being held this coming Saturday in Albuquerque, Farmington, Las Cruces and Santa Fe by America Coming Together (ACT), the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) and NARAL Pro-Choice America.

*********Albuquerque**************

ACT 50 Million Women Count Kick-Off, Canvass and Phonebank
Date: 09/18/2004
Time: 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Event Sponsors: America Coming Together (ACT)

Location: ACT Albuquerque Office - 5600 Menaul Blvd. NE
Contact: Monica Estrada (mestrada@act4victory.org)
Description: Come join the ACT team as it seeks to contact thousands of women voters in New Mexico
on Sept. 18th. There will also be a BBQ in our parking lot for Volunteer Appreciation Day!

********
HRC Community Canvass
Date: 09/18/2004
Time: 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Event Sponsors: Human Rights Campaign

Location: 600 Central, SE, Corner of Central and High
Contact: David Frey (david.frey@hrc.org)

Description: Join the Human Rights Campaign as it canvasses LGBT and progressive voters in Albuquerque.

********
LCV Community Canvass
Date: 09/18/2004
Time: 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Event Sponsors: League of Conservation Voters

Location: Simms Building, 400 Gold Ave SW (entrance on 4th street)
Contact: Olivia Stockman (olivia_stockman@lcv.org)
Description: Come join the League of Conservation Voters and a special guest as they talk to your neighbors about the environmental policies of the current administration.

********
NARAL -- Take the Pledge Event
Date: 09/18/2004
Time: 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Event Sponsors: NARAL Pro-Choice America

Location: E-mail for location
Contact: Cecily Vix (cvix@naralnm.org)
Description: Join NARAL as it phones voters asking them to take a pledge to support pro-choice candidates.

******************Farmington*******************

ACT Roving Canvass
Date: 09/18/2004
Time: 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Event Sponsors: America Coming Together (ACT)

Location: Boyd Park, East Side of South Miller St. at Animas River, Miller St. Bridge
Contact: Ruben Marinelena (rmarinelena@act4victory.org)
Description: ACT is coming to Farmington to knock on doors and talk to voters in your area. The canvass will be followed by a community picnic at Boyd Park.

**********************Las Cruces********************

50 Million Women Count Kick-Off, Canvass and Phonebank
Date: 09/18/2004
Time: 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Event Sponsors: America Coming Together (ACT)

Location: ACT Las Cruces Office - 940 N. Main
Contact: Gia Garcia (ggarcia@act4victory.org)
Description: Come join the ACT team as it seeks to contact thousands of women voters in New Mexico on Sept. 18th.

*************Santa Fe**************

50 Million Women Count Kick-Off, Canvass and Phonebank
Date: 09/18/2004
Time: 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Event Sponsors: America Coming Together (ACT)

Location: ACT Santa Fe Office - 1500 5th St. #13
Contact: Cory Medina (cmedina@act4victory.org)
Description: Come join the ACT team as it seeks to contact thousands of women voters in New Mexico on Sept. 18th.

Dem Organizing Convention and Rally in Santa Fe This Sunday

When:
Registration from noon to 1 p.m.
Event: 1 p.m. Sunday, September 19

Where:
Gonzales Elementary School
851 W. Alameda
Santa Fe, NM 87501

What:
-- Talk with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, who are travelling through New Mexico by bus that day

-- Discuss campaign strategy in Northern New Mexico leading up to the election

-- Organize into wards and precincts

-- Sign up for Election Day committees and assignments and other volunteer opportunities

-- Meet and greet local candidates and elected officials as they share their message for the upcoming election

-- Enjoy refreshments and hear a special message from John Kerry via videotape.

Hosted by the Democratic Party of New Mexico -- NM Victory 2004 and the Santa Fe County Democratic Party. Call 982-5727 for more information.

Kerry Rally at Phil Chacon Park Today

Kerry is back in Albuquerque today for a rally at Phil Chacon Park at Kathryn just east of Lousiana. As many as 15,000 people are expected to attend. Governor Bill Richardson and Senator Jeff Bingaman will also speak to the crowd. With the presidential race reving up to warp speed, this should be an event to remember.

Click here to print your ticket. When you return, stop in here to share your thoughts and feelings about the event. (Photo Credit: Kerry-Edwards 2004, Inc. from Sharon Farmer)

Today's Albuquerque Journal reports that Kerry will be staying overnight in Albuquerque and will hold a town hall meeting focusing on national security on Friday morning at 9:00 AM at Manzano Mesa Multi-Generational Center in the SE Heights. Attendance at this event will be by invitation only.

TV and Reality: No Correlation

Andrea Sterling, a frequent volunteer for the cause, agreed to allow me to share her illuminating description of what's on voter's minds in the real world versus what the media and even the campaigns are emphasizing. I think it speaks volumes about the disconnect between TV spin and the problems ordinary Americans are facing:

Dear Friends,

We have volunteered at the DPNM booth at the state fair four times now in the afternoon and it's really bizarre to come home afterwards and watch the news at night. The hot issue on TV is Bush's military service. Kitty Kelly is being interviewed by everyone and the spicy tidbit is the fact that Bush "disappeared" from April - October -- perhaps because he was using drugs and didn't want to take his physical? (enquiring minds want to know...)

The thing that's so strange is that no one that has stopped by the booth has talked about any of this (except maybe an offhand remark about "that draft dodger"). It's not important to them. They have been talking about the economy being bad, no jobs, sky rocketing health insurance premiums, prescription drugs, the deficit, the financial burden their kids are going to have to shoulder, 1,000 soldiers being killed in Iraq and all the other woes that we've become so familiar with in this election.

There is a couple that have a table across from the booth. They sell costume jewelry and hats. I bought a bracelet from them the first day of the fair and chat with them for a few minutes every time I'm at the DPNM booth. They told me that they are not doing well at the fair. People don't have any disposable income and aren't buying anything. The people that pass by the booth are only wearing or carrying the shiny necklaces and stuffies they win on the midway (Although today, David saw two people carrying mops that they got at one of the booths in the Lujan building.)

David stands in front of the booth and holds a sign for people to read as they are passing by. It reads "$200 Billion for Iraq, Nothing for the USA, What's Wrong with this Picture?" It gets a lot of attention -- people nodding as they go by or stopping to talk about it.

Bush's military record is a media driven event. It's of no consequence to the people we've been meeting at the fair. And so much campaign advertising time and money is being wasted on this issue that people really don't care about.

Andrea

Edwards Visits Santa Fe - Kerry on the Way

The Santa Fe New Mexican has a good story about John Edwards' "town hall" appearance on Museum Hill yesterday. And there's a funny sidebar describing how the campaign's advance people covered up the statue of the Apache mountain spirit dancer because they thought it was "warlike." To read this one you have to click on the newspaper cover on the left and see the articles as they appeared in the newspaper.

Kerry will be holding a rally in Albuquerque on Thursday, September 16 at 6:30 PM at Chacon Park at Louisiana and Kathryn. To get tickets, go here or visit the campaign office. Gates open at 4:00 PM.

You can help make signs at Kerry HQ starting today or volunteer for other tasks related to Kerry's visit by calling 256-2570. For those volunteering for duty at the rally, there will be a training session at Kerry HQ at 6:30 PM on Wednesday, September 15, and you'll have to be available on Thursday starting at 2:30 PM at Kerry HQ, which is located at 3301 Central NE. You must call 256-2570 to be registered as a volunteer for this event.

Pedal to the Metal Time

Tick tock. There are only 49 days until the November 2nd election, 22 days left to register to vote and 22 days until the October 5th start date for absentee voting by mail and at county clerks' offices. Now is the time to devote as many hours as we can to volunteering for some organization, any organization, that is dedicated to making Bush a one-term president and gaining Democratic seats in the House and Senate.

We attended an ABQ Kerry campaign training session yesterday which laid out the strategy for the 7 weeks or so left until the election. They will be holding daily phonebanking and canvassing efforts and encouraging people to get together with friends, neighbors and coworkers to communicate talking points and underline how important this election is if we want to preserve our democracy.

We signed up for the canvassing team and will be out several times a week to knock on doors. We did some of this last Thursday and found it to be very satisfying. It's so important to get requests for absentee ballots to folks this month, so we can beat the Republicans at their own game.

ACT NM in Albuquerque is holding a Volunteer Appreciation Day next Saturday at 11AM, with a free BBQ followed by phonebanking, canvassing and letter writing. And the League of Conservation Voters is doing the same with an environmental issues twist. Meanwhile the Democratic Party is continuing with voter registration, MoveOn is organizing precinct workers and the Romero and other local campaigns need help. NM PACE is heading voter registration drives in many parts of the state. All of these are great opportunities for effective volunteering.

We all know how busy we all are with daily life and work. But as the days tick down to November 2nd, it's imperative that everyone contribute at least an hour or two a week toward getting rid of this horrible, extremist regime. Republicans are out in force in every precinct in the state. Can we do less?

Click to the continuation page for contact information for volunteers.

Kerry/Edwards State HQ: 256-2570, 3301 Central NE, ABQ

Kerry/Edwards Santa Fe: 982-5727, Solano Center, 947 W. Alameda, SF

NM Democratic Party: 830-3650, https://nmdemocrats.org/

Bernalillo County Democratic Party: 256-1855, 130 Alvarado NE, ABQ

ACT NM: 872-9466, 5600 Menaul Blvd. NE, ABQ, https://newmexico.actforvictory.org/

Richard Romero Campaign: 244-0827, 407 Rio Grande Blvd., NW, Suite 8, ABQ, https://www.richardromeroforcongress.com/

League of Conservation Voters Environmental Victory Program: 244-1077, 400 Gold St. SW, Suite 980, ABQ, https://www.envirovictory.org/?id=8

MoveOn: https://www.moveonpac.org/lnvb/

NM PACE: In Albuquerque call 505-255-4266, in Santa Fe call 505-923-3812. For Roswell, Artesia, Carlsbad call 505-627-8988. For Las Cruces(Southwest NM) call 505-496-8295.

A summary of events to be held on America Votes' Election Action Day on September 18th:

https://acthere.com/eventSearch.php?distance=300&zipCode=87112

Note: To find contacts for communities around the state, you can submit a question to the Albuquerque offices of these organizations and they'll be glad to inform you of activities in your area or give you a phone number.

Poll Snapshot

The lastest polling shows that the race is still close and that Bush's convention bounce is smaller than first reported in some early polls that many statistical experts have said had methodology problems.

Still, we have our work cut out for us. What are you doing this weekend to help the cause?

There's a training session with special guest at the Kerry HQ in Albuquerque this Sunday, from Noon to 4PM, as we move into the next phase of the effort. Come on down!