Democracy for New Mexico

Four Dead In Ohio: 36 Years Ago Today

We once again remember the four students (above) at Kent State University who were shot dead by the Ohio National Guard 36 years ago today. Nine others were wounded, including one who was permanently paralyzed from the waist down. The demonstrators had been gathered on the campus commons protesting the Viet Nam war and Nixon's recent expansion of the fighting into Cambodia. Although two of those killed, Scheuer and Schroeder, were merely walking on campus between classes.

Ohio Nation Guard soldiers with fixed bayonets on rifles.

The Guard broke up the protest by tossing tear gas into the crowd as the participants retreated from the center of campus. Armed with loaded rifles and fixed bayonets, the soldiers suddenly turned unprovoked on the crowd along side them and to the rear and fired 67 shots into the crowd in less than a minute. They hit students from as close as 71 feet away and as far as 750 feet. Senseless, shocking, unnecessary killings. A massacre. Soldiers almost randomly killing American college students on American soil -- an act so heinously symbolic of the chaotic and desperate mood of that era.

Soldiers approach as students start dispersing.

In response to the incident, CSNY released the quickly written and recorded song "Ohio," penned by Neil Young, within a few days of the killings. It was shipped out immediately nationwide and used as a rallying cry for student strikes that shut down hundreds of colleges and universities across America, including the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, where I was in my senior year. Many colleges and universities, including my own, never reopened after the strike. An abrupt end to the semester came after several weeks of demonstrations and strikes that virtually shut down operations on campuses all over America.

Students fleeing and ducking as shots are fired into the crowd.

Ironically as well as appropriatedly, Neil Young again has issued music in response to the escalation of a national tragedy. As the Iraq quaqmire drags on, as the warmongers in Washington make plans to attack Iran and as evidence grows that American operatives and troops may already be on the ground there, Neil Young releases Living With War. Can something like Kent State happen again? According to this article, it sure as hell could, given Bush's eternal and expanding "war on terror."

Jeffrey Miller dead on the ground.

I wrote about Kent State last year, and I'll probably do it every year, if I can. Kent State represents the executive branch and miltary-industrial complex run amuck, crushing our democratic traditions in response to criticism. Sound familiar? It's as crucial to be on guard against this kind of anti-American and undemocratic destructiveness now as it was then. The dark forces of repression are growing daily in this atmosphere of fearmongering and "security." Secretive, imperialistic and stubbornly lethal forces are in power once again. And they don't respond to reason.

The only differences now? There's no draft. It's now the Pentagon-multinational corporation-defense techonolgy complex. Bush isn't as smart as Nixon was. Nixon never claimed to be acting on god's command.

For information about and photographs of the Kent State tragedy, check these sites:

The official Kent May 4 Center.

A compelling and well-documented series of posts on Daily Kos the provide detailed analysis of Nixon's actions that Spring regarding the Viet Nam war and the aftermath of his decisions, including the Kent State massacre.

Wikipedia entry.

NPR entry recalling that day and revisiting the campus years later.

IN LOVING MEMORY
Killed at Kent State 5/4/70
Allison Krause
Jeffrey Miller
Sandra Scheuer
William Schroeder

RESPECTFULLY REMEMBERED
Wounded at Kent State 5/4/70
Alan Canfora
John Cleary
Thomas Grace
Dean Kahler
Joseph Lewis
Donald Mackenzie
James Russell
Robby Stamps
Douglas Wrentmore

A Day Without Immigrants? Try a Day Without Republicans

On May Day we had another powerful and spine-tingling day of massive nationwide demonstrations by immigrants, celebrating a Day Without Immigrants. At least SEVERAL MILLION supporters of fair immigration reform participated, including thousands right here in New Mexico. You can see some photos our the Albuquerque event at m-pyre and SWOPblogger.

A Day Without Immigrants was designed to show the economic clout and contributions of immigrants. But how about considering a Day Without Republicans? A post by Joseph Hughes at MyDD has done just that. Excerpt:

Without Republicans, imagine the unprecedented void left behind by an at-home religious right? The nation'sgays, women and immigrants would have free reign to destroy America with their loving relationships, ownership of their own bodies and desire to pursue the American dream. Who would pray for the deaths of sitting Supreme Court justices or the demise of entire cities? Why, those terrible Islamofascists would for one day have the monopoly on physically assaulting those who oppose them. And we can't have that!

Speaking of Republican hypocrisy, how about this? Think Progress reports that Jon Secada sang America the Beautiful in English AND SPANISH at Bush's 2001 inaugural and campaign events! Not only that, but Bush himself would sing the American national anthem in Spanish as a regular feature of his campaign stops, particularly in cities with large Latino populations! Kevin Phillips' book American Dynasty reports on page 142:

When visiting cities like Chicago, Milwaukee, or Philadelphia, in pivotal states, he would drop in at Hispanic festivals and parties, sometimes joining in singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” in Spanish, sometimes partying with a “Viva Bush” mariachi band flown in from Texas.

Meanwhile, Bush blasted singing the anthem in Spanish at his Friday press op. Can't have it both ways, amigo. But then, given our mostly lazy and slanted corporate media, Bush often does just that.

The Perch Is Yours: Tuesday Open Thread

Our sun conure parrot Sunny looks pissed, doesn't he? I know how he feels. The corporate media repeatedly play Bush's clown act at the White House Correspondents' Dinner while ignoring or criticizing the on-target edginess of Stephen Colbert. Bush and his buddies keep getting away with torture, lies, terrifying plans for an Iran war, leaks of dangerous information, environmental insanity and general all-around hypocrisy and incompentence. Meanwhile, the Republican Congress wants to further cut health care benefits, and anything that benefits human beings outside the ranks of defense contractors, oil companies and big pharma.

As you can see, Sunny likes to hang upside to clear his head of these irritating and worrisome issues. Why?  Because he can't type! But you can. So go ahead and click below on the Comments link and let us all know what you're thinking today, or what candidates you're supporting in the June primary. No hanging, just opining....

News of the Bizarre: Domenici Bolts & Shouts

I really am at a loss of words about this bizarre report on Raw Story about Sen. Pete Domenici. Excerpt:

Before bolting from the Senate chamber, U.S. Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM) shouted at Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR,) "I just violated the rules!"

Divine Strake: More Madness From the Team that Brought You the Iraq War

Get a load of Divine Strake, the latest project of the madness that is the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld team. Not content with our current behemoth supply of "old fashioned" nuke weapons left over from the Cold War, the insane warmongers of Bush II plan to develop a whole new crop of "tactical" nukes that can be used all over the world to shock and awe nations into compliance.

Oh, we'll be hitting their underground command bunkers, and maybe even Iranian underground nuclear facilities, like they've never been hit before. Or at least making lots of work for defense contractors and federal nuke labs to counteract the funding impacts caused by the fall of the USSR and the end of the Cold War.

The ironically named blast test is set for detonation on June 2nd at the Nevada Test Site, which is on Western Shoshone land. According to GlobalSecurity.org, Divine Strake will entail blowing up a 700 ton buried heavy charge, made of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil, above a tunnel structure. Boom. The explosion will be 280 times more powerful than the one that destroyed the Oklahoma City federal building, and 50 times larger than any current American conventional weapon. It's not really a bomb, however. It's more like 700 tons of chemicals buried in a hole, so there's no way it could be carried by any airplane known to humankind.

Although many media accounts have been garbled and inaccurate about the test's goals, it's clearly aimed at simulating a "low yield nuclear weapon ground shock" so our nuke pushers can study the effects of "low-yield tactical" nukes. In this way, they can better plan nuke attacks on whatever we determine to be the latest "battlefield." Like Iran.

DisarmamentActivist.org lays out truths thast counteract the distortions being tossed around in the media. And Albuquerque Journal reporter John Fleck has more, including links to coverage at other science blogs. Fleck characterizes the claim that the test is merely for a new convention weapon as "frankly preposterous." In fact, the Defense Department has admitted the test is designed to simulate the explosion of a "low yield" nuke.

The Western Shoshone tribe has mounted a protest against this and any other bomb testing on their land, citing a United Nations treaty to back their position:

The Western Shoshone said the test would be in direct violation of the recent decision of the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. CERD, in the decision made public March 10, urged the United States to ''freeze,'' ''desist'' and ''stop'' actions and threats against the Western Shoshone.

The tribe, along with representatives of two Salt Lake citizens groups, has filed suit to stop the Divine test. One of the plaintiff's said the massive explosion "could kick up radioactive dust from previous nuclear testing," and claims "the Pentagon has sprung it on everybody with no examination of its effects."  You can rest assured that Rumsfeld has his hand in this one.

According to Time Magazine:

The lawsuit demands that the Defense Department publish its plans in the Federal Register, provide the opportunity for public comment and conduct a full environmental impact statement on the effect of the explosion. "The Department of Defense appears to have learned nothing from Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Chernobyl and the devastating deaths caused to nuclear veterans and downwinders by atmospheric nuclear testing," the suit contends.

The Western Shoshone Defense Project is organizing an International Day of Action across from the Nevada Test Site on Sunday, May 28, during Memorial Day Weekend. Protest activities will continue throughout the week.

Air America's Randi Rhodes is leading an effort to push the media to video and photograph the test, as well as provide accurate and truthful information about its purposes. What can we do to apply pressure to stop this madness?

• Contact the media and insist they travel to the site to cover the explosion
• Contact your members of Congress to urge them to stop the test
• Support the efforts by the Shonshones to stop any further testing at the Nevada Test Site, which is on their tribal lands

Speak Up: Another Tuesday Open Thread

Following suggestions from readers, I'm offering another Tuesday Open Thread where you are free to discuss any topic that's on your mind. Click on the Comments link below and keyboard away. We'd love to hear from more of the hundreds of daily visitors to this site.

As for me, I'm pondering the latest travesties of the Bush administration. Pick your poison. It can be difficult to keep up because so many frightening details emerge on any given day. For a visual rendition of just some of the awful realities of BushCo, see this video one more time. Then vow to be ACTIVE to stop this madness.

Given the current national nightmare, thank goodness I've also got my mind on our garden out back. We've been digging, emptying bags of well-composted soil and applying mulch made of broken pecan shells (also good for stopping snails in their tracks). We've been planting, seeding and weeding.

To make up for the water we'll use in the garden, we'll be taking a few less showers a week, flushing only when it's absolutely necessary (you know what I mean) and washing clothes less often with larger loads. What we'll get in return is a place of serenity, beauty and ever-changing vibrance. A place of respite where we can retreat, if only for a little while, from the realities of the neocon nightmare. A place to recharge!

Call Heather Wilson TODAY to Preserve Internet Freedoms

From Common Cause:
On Wednesday, the House Commerce Committee will be voting on the absurdly-named (Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act).

But the only "promoting" and "enhancing" this bill does is for the cable, phone and media interests that have poured nearly half a billion dollars into lobbying Congress over the past eight years to get the perks they so desire.

Please call your House member today. Ask Rep. Heather Wilson to vote NO on the COPE bill. The phone number is (202) 225-6316. The vote is happening on Wednesday, April 26 so your calls are needed today.

The COPE bill would:

• Place control of the Internet in the hands of few powerful corporations;
• Transform the Information Superhighway into a toll road, where only the rich get unfettered access to all that the Internet has to offer;
• Vastly increase special interest monopoly power;
• End consumer protections against abuses by cable companies;
• Allow cable and phone companies to raise the prices in poor neighborhoods, while giving special deals to the affluent;
• Expand the "digital divide" that puts the poor, racial and ethnic minorities and rural families at a disadvantage; and
• Stifle innovation and economic growth, because it will be too costly for any new Googles or eBays to draw customers to their websites.

Rep. Wilson's vote is critical to stopping this dangerous bill in its tracks. Please call today: (202) 225-6316.

Just eight of the country's most powerful communications companies and their trade groups have spent more than $460 million lobbying Congress to gain all the favors in the COPE bill.  Millions of your voices are necessary to block it.

Please call your Member of Congress today, and be sure to let us know how the call went on the Common Cause blog. Thank you for all you do for Common Cause.

Sincerely,
The Common Cause Media Reform Team
Lauren Coletta, Celia Wexler and Dawn Holian

Study Predicts Sandia Dump Will Contaminate Albuquerque’s Drinking Water

From Citizen Action New Mexico:
Contamination from a Cold War-era waste dump will reach Albuquerque’s drinking water aquifer as early as the year 2010, according to a new study conducted by Sandia National Laboratories. The dump, known as the Mixed Waste Landfill, contains an estimated 100,000 cubic ft. of radioactive and chemical waste from nuclear weapons research buried in unlined pits and trenches at Sandia.   

The study conducted by Sandia, known as a “fate and transport” model, predicts the movement and releases of contaminants from the dump. The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) ordered Sandia to conduct the study as a requirement of a permit the NMED issued to Sandia that, instead of clean up, allows Sandia to cover the dump with 3 feet of dirt and monitor the site indefinitely. The news that the dump will eventually contaminate Albuquerque’s sole source aquifer came after Ron Curry, NMED Secretary, issued a permit to Sandia to cover the waste.

Sandia’s study predicts that tetrachloroethane, a man-made chemical commonly referred to as PCE, will reach Albuquerque’s aquifer as early as the year 2010. PCE can persist in the groundwater for years, and has been classified as a “probable” human carcinogen linked with liver and kidney cancers. PCE decays and forms other chemical compounds that include trichloroethane (TCE); dichloroethane (DCE); and vinyl chloride (VC), all of which are linked to cancers of the brain, liver, stomach, lungs, prostate, cervix and endometrium.

Sue Dayton, Director for Citizen Action New Mexico, a public interest group advocating for clean up of the  waste site, said that Sandia has consistently maintained it is highly unlikely that contaminants from the dump will ever reach the groundwater below.

Paul Robinson, Research Director for the Southwest Research and Information Center, who reviewed the study for Citizen Action, said, “Sandia’s study only models for the movement of one chemical (PCE) to the groundwater, even though previous investigations by Sandia have shown that at least a dozen various chemicals have escaped the dump.” 

Robinson also said the study failed to model the movement of the PCE decay products, and the complete range of other metals and radioactive materials buried in the dump. Robinson’s review submitted to the NMED also cited the failure of the study to model the release and transport of radioactive contaminants through plants and burrowing animals at the dump by Sandia. Sampling efforts by Sandia have shown deer mice and vegetation living at the dump to be contaminated with radon and tritium, two radioactive materials.

Dayton added: “This new study demonstrates that contamination from the dump is inevitable and raises serious concerns about the potential for contamination from the Mixed Waste Landfill to Albuquerque’s drinking water, from new wells drilled to provide drinking water for the future residents of Mesa del Sol, and future groundwater development by Sandia’s neighbors including the Pueblo of Isleta. We are calling on Governor Richardson to step up to the plate and take action on this matter.”

For more information contact Citizen Action New Mexico: (505) 262-1862. To read Citizen Action’s comments on Sandia’s Fate and Transport Model visit the Citizen Action website at www.radfreenm.org.

Happy Earth Day: Now More Than Ever

In honor of today's 36th anniversary of Earth Day, Alternet published an article honoring the nation's top grassroots environmental heroes.

Those honored include Michael Reynolds of Taos (left), who has worked since the 1970s to create the most efficient version of his Earthships. As the article says, "Using solar and thermal heating and cooling, wind electricity, water harvesting, and contained sewage treatment, Reynolds has developed off-the-grid housing that is both environmentally and economically viable." Check out Reynolds' Earthship Biotecture website.

Also worth a look is their archive of their best environmental writing from recent months. The articles cover everything from global warming to energy independence to water to the false promise of "clean coal."

Here are some local events honoring Earth Day:

Ecoversity Earth Day Parade & Festival
Saturday, April 22nd, 10am-7pm
Ecoversity, Santa Fe
www.ecoversity.org

La Montanita Co-Op Earth Day Celebration
Sunday, April 23rd, 10:30 AM - 6:00 PM
La Montanita Co-Op, Nob Hill store, Albuquerque
https://upcoming.org/event/71727/
www.lamontanitacoop.com

The Nature Conservancy includes hopeful remarks about the future and our environment submitted by a variety of well-known eco-supporters including Jimmy Carter, Jane Goodall, Tom Hanks, Maya Lynn and Bill McKibben.

The Public Radio Exchange has audio of an appearance by beloved Taos writer and activist John Nichols from an Earth Day past, describing what he hears in nature (and from ravens) while hiking New Mexico. Enjoy.

Some earthy poetry:

Spiritual Connection with the Earth, By Chief Seattle

How can one buy or sell the air, the warmth of the land?
That is difficult for us to imagine.
We do not own the sweet air or the sparkle on the water.
How then can you buy them from us?
Human kind has not woven the web of life,
We are but the thread of it.
Whatever we do to the Earth, we do to ourselves.
All things are bound together, all things connect.
Whatever befalls the Earth befalls also the children of the Earth

For more Earth and ecology poetry check out Eco-Forum's collection.

Money + Politics = Corruption

The headlines these days are harsh and depressing if you're a New Mexico Democrat. (See the coverage at Duke City Fix, Joe Monahan and New Mexico Matters.) Even so, I have to snicker at the antics of assorted Republicans and the right-leaning media in gleefully pouncing on the fall-out from the trial of ex-NM Treasurer, Michael Vigil. They seem shocked that the prevailing system of politics and governance -- a true devil's brew of money, favors and special treatment -- is producing corruption.

Could such a system produce anything but corruption? Does anyone really believe that the majority of big donors do so out of the goodness of their hearts or because they are incredibly inspired by the candidate? It's a matter of degree of course, but I think you can expect to find some level of corruption whenever large bundles of money change hands, regardless of the Party or office involved. Tit for tat.

It seems to me that the right-wing apologists for big money in politics should be rushing to the rescue of any and all politicos who are caught taking large "donations" from those with whom they do government business. After all, it's mostly been the Repubs who have long been dedicated to destroying or watering down any campaign finance reform proposal with teeth. The right-wingers never fail to pound home the mantra that giving unlimited bucks to candidates is FREE SPEECH in America, and nothing more. So why have they got anything at all to say about the swirling undertow of the Vigil scandal? You've got me. But then, hypocrisy is the GOP's middle name in this era of Abramoff and DeLay.

The way the system is currently set up, candidates are practically required to seek out huge sums of money from a coterie of bigshots to allow them to run what are considered to be successful campaigns. The paid political operatives who dominate the "culture of consultants" in election politics are deeply addicted to campaigning in this way. In denial, they ignore the fact that Howard Dean's presidential run showed you could rely on millions of small donations instead of the usual large chunks from assorted weasles. Essentially, these are often nothing more than bribes. Instead of seeing the beauty and power of grassroots power, the long-time players push to keep things as they are.

Yes, the conventional wisdom campaign infrastructure is full of "experts" who prefer business as usual, regardless of the corruption factor. It's easier to negotiate tradeoffs for big blobs of money than it is to rally the grassroots for more widespread and genuine support, adopt positions that appeal to large numbers of ordinary people or inspire the base so much they literally throw small donations and volunteer hours at you. So much easier to stick to the system that produces the kind of backroom deals that are being excavated in trials near and far these days, with players from both parties.

I can't tell you how much it irks me to read the press releases of candidates that report exclusively on how much money has been raised, apparently as THE measure of how the said campaign is doing. It's all about process, not content. The goal is to attract more money than your opponent rather than to address wrongs with rights to gain supporters. Given how this system operates, it's easy to see why politicos are so afraid of taking "controversial" positions -- they might irritate the big spenders who like things neutral so their boats don't rock. Change? Reform? Fairness? Honesty? Transparency? These are dangerous concepts to those who beg the money and those who give it.

The price we are paying for this travesty of morality and ethics is high indeed, as you can determine by glancing at any news source these days. Big winners? War profiteers, large financial concerns, oil companies, healthcare and insurance conglomerates, multinational corporations. Big losers? Ordinary Americans, middle class workers, women, children, sick people, seniors, the environment, the national debt, civil rights, education. After all, these folks just don't have the kind of big bucks needed to get the politicos' attention.

I read the other day that Hillary Clinton has raised $39 million for her campaign fund since she won election in 2000, and has about $20 million cash in hand. How has she managed to attract so much cold cash and why are so many giving her so much support? Your guess is as good as mine. Personally I find it obscene. But the campaign advisers and managers whose levels of compensation increase as ad purchases rise must be pleased as punch and counting their chickens. And the big donors must be licking their chops at what they can get in return for their "generosity."

Of course not all politicians who raise large amounts of money are terribly corrupt. But I think the percentage of those not on the take falls with each election cycle. It's just too tempting to skew policy one way or another in return for more bucks to run. It's telling to consider how many prominent elected officials have quit altogether because they could no longer stomach begging money on an almost daily basis from sources they didn't respect. Obviously, it wears on the more honest politicians most. Thus, they're driven out and their replacements too often exhibit much less conscience in the fundraising department. It becomes an escalating race to the bottom.

What We Can Do
So what can we do to clean up this mess? My suggestion is to join Common Cause, which has been working hard to get clean election measures passed locally and nationally. Their New Mexico group, led by Max Brix, was instrumental in the passage of Albuquerque's new open and ethical elections code , which provides for public funding of candidates for municipal office. They are involved with other significant ethics projects as well. Go check 'em out.

Unless we get the currently huge amounts of private cash out of elections and reform other aspects of politics, corruption will no doubt continue on its merry way -- compromising the good, the bad and the ugly as it goes.