Democracy for New Mexico

League of Women Voters to Celebrate Sunshine Week

From the League of Women Voters: The LWV joins news media, students, libraries, government officials and non-government organizations to celebrate "SUNSHINE WEEK" from March 16-23, 2008. This year the honorary chairs will be Ben Bradlee of the Washington Post, Tom Brokaw, NBC News, and Judy Woodruff, PBS News Hour.

SUNSHINE WEEK is a national initiative that calls attention to the fact that we as citizens have the right to know what our government is doing and we should have access to information that had been previously unavailable. In other words, we want the access that President Lyndon B. Johnson intended when he signed the "Freedom of Information Act"  (FOIA) in 1966.

COME CELEBRATE SUNSHINE WEEK BY ATTENDING THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS SPONSORED BY THE LEAGUE ...

Thursday, March 13, 2008, 11:45 AM. Speaker: Steven Robert Allen, Executive Director, Common Cause Albuquerque Airport Hotel (fomerly the Wyndham). Reservations required for this Luncheon; $16.00.   

Speaker: Daniel Ivey-Soto, Former State Bureau of Elections Director

• Monday, March 17, 2008, 1:30 PM, Albuquerque Midtown Unit, Manzano del Sol, Hobby Room  5201 Roma N.E.
• Tuesday, March 18, 2008, 6:00 PM,  Albuquerque Evening Unit, Cherry Hills Library, Community Room, 6901 Barstow N.E.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008  11:30 AM, Sandoval County Unit. Speaker: Attorney General Gary King Joe's Pasta House, 3201 Southern Blvd, Rio Rancho, Luncheon  20.00. Reservations Required,  Seating is limited, deadline for reservations, 3/14. Contact: Lisa Franzen  (505) 867-0112  or  geolisafranzen@aol.com

For more information about the League of Women Voters visit the website at www.lwvabc.org  For more information about the "SUNSHINE WEEK EVENTS" telephone the League Office (505) 884-8441, M-F in the AM.

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartian political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

Taos Events for Peace: 5th Anniversary Iraq Invasion

From Taos Food Not Bombs: During the week of the fifth anniversary of the Iraq invasion the Taos Peace House and Infoshop will host a number of informative events:

Friday, March 14, 2008, GI Coffee Houses with Ron Edwards and Veterans For Peace: Ron will be speaking about his song "You Have Forgotten Me" and playing his benefit album for Homeless Veterans. There are almost 200,000 Homeless Veterans on the streets in America on any given night. The Homeless Veterans are in dire straits and the situation is only getting worse. You can hear his song and make a donation for homeless vets at www.youhaveforgottenme.com

Saturday, March 15, 2008, TAOS FOOD NOT BOMBS: Meet at the Taos Peace House at 11:00 AM to help us start cooking at the Community Kitchen. Help us share the meal at the Taos Plaza at 2:00 PM. www.foodnotbombs.net/taos.html

Saturday, March 15, 2008, MARCH FOR PEACE WITH IRAQ: March for peace on the fifth anniversary of the war on Iraq. Meet 1:00 PM at the Taos Peace house and Infoshop and march to The Plaza for a rally and  a free hot meal by Taos Food Not Bombs. Please bring signs and friends. Tens of thousands of people will be marching in their communities for an end to the war on Iraq.

Saturday, March 15, 2008 at 6:00 PM, Z DAY: The move Zeitgeist will be screened at the Taos Peace House. A day of Awareness and Activism on the global showing of the documentary Zeitgeist. www.zeitgeistmovie.com.

Sunday, March 16, 2008 (Every Sunday at 10:30 AM) Friends Meeting/Quakers: Every week the Friends or Quakers meet at the Peace House. Everyone is welcome. Please join us.

Sunday, March 16, 2008 (and the third Sunday of each month at 12:30 PM), Veterans For Peace Taos Chapter 98 General Meeting. All veterans welcome. https://www.vets4peacetaos.org

Sunday, March 16, 2008 at 6:30 PM, Book Reading by author Mike Palecek: March for peace on the fifth anniversary of the war on Iraq. Details soon. He will be featuring his last two books Cost of Freedom and Iowa Terror

Cost of Freedom is a non-fiction anthology of current American peace movement. The book is published by Howling Dog Press of Colorado. It's a coffee-table style book with lots of photos, some are in color. It has been endorsed widely. Go here for more information: https://costoffreedombook.blogspot.com. Iowa Terror is a new novel.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008 (and every Tuesday at 7:00 PM): Inner Smile Meditation - Six Healing Sounds

Wednesday, March 19, 2008 - Death and Taxes by Taos Film Maker Jeff Jackson: The documentary Death and Taxes, featuring one citizen's fight for freedom against the IRS, will be shown at the TCA to benefit the Taos Peace House and Infoshop, starting at 7:00 PM. Death and Taxes is a 1993 documentary film directed by Jeffery J. Jackson about Gordon Kahl, a tax protester who was killed in a shootout with local law enforcement officials in Smithville, Arkansas in
1983.

Thursday, March 20, 2008 - The Great American Meatout: The Great American Meatout is the world's largest and oldest annual grassroots diet education campaign. www.meatout.org

The Taos Peace House and Infoshop
801 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte, Taos, New Mexico
www.taospeacehouse.org
575-776-3880 and 575-758-8819
Please drop by and see what we are doing. We are just north of Cids Grocery next to the Laughing Horse Inn Bed and Breakfast. Volunteers are needed.

AG Gary King to Speak at League of Women Voters Lunch in Rio Rancho

From the League of Women Voters:
Attorney General Gary King will be the luncheon speaker for the Sandoval Unit of the League of Women Voters. The cost of the luncheon is $20.00 and will be held on Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 11:30 AM, at Joe's Pasta House, Rio Rancho. Reservations are required and seating is limited. For more information contact Lisa Franzen (505) 867-0112 or geolisafranzen@aol.com.

AG Gary King is the elected officer that serves as the head of the Department of Justice. He functions as the state's legal officer; legal counsel to the state and government; consumer advocate and guardian of the public interest. In practice, Gary King is thought of as the "people's lawyer" and the public looks to the Attorney General to provide leadership that builds confidence in the state government and assures the people of New Mexico that as Attorney General he works for all of us.

If You're Not Part of the Solution, You're Part of the Problem

From the Democratic Party of New Mexico:
The Democratic Party of New Mexico is recruiting Neighborhood Leaders across the Land of Enchantment. The job of a Neighborhood Leader is simple and easy. You agree to take responsibility for contacting your friends and neighbors in your immediate area and talking to them about our Democratic nominees and the issues that matter most. If you are interested in becoming a Neighborhood Leader please contact Northern Field Organizer, Crystal Romero, or Southern Field Organizer, Miriam Diemer, by telephone at (505) 830-3650 or crystal@nmdemocrats.org and miriam@nmdemocrats.org.

We also need volunteers in our office to assist with data entry and reception duties. If you are interested in volunteering at the Albuquerque office please contact DPNM’s Volunteer Coordinator, Buck Glanz, at 505-830-3650 or buck@nmdemocrats.org. We have three hour shifts throughout the day and we need your help. Please specify your availability. 

DNC Trainings in New Mexico
There will be a series of trainings taking place next from Sunday, March 2nd thru Thursday, March 6th all across New Mexico focused on the Neighborhood Leader Program. Parag Mehta, Democratic National Committee Training Director will be heading up the curriculum for each of the events. Find a training near you and make a difference in your community:

To RSVP for any of the following trainings contact Crystal Romero at (505) 830-3650 or crystal@nmdemocrats.org. 

Sunday, March 2nd, 6:00PM – 8:00PM
Western New Mexico University
MECHA Building
1000 W. College St., Silver City, NM

Monday, March 3rd, 7:00PM – 9:00PM
New Mexico State University
Hardman Hall Room 104
University Ave., Las Cruces, NM

Tuesday, March 4th, 6:00PM – 8:00PM
TBD
Las Vegas, NM

Wednesday, March 5th, 1:00PM - 2:00PM
UNM School of Law
Room 2401, 1117 Stanford NE
Albuquerque, NM

Wednesday, March 5th, 6:00PM – 8:00PM
UNM Student Union Bldg. Ballroom C
Central & Stanford
Albuquerque, NM

Thursday, March 6th, 12:00PM – 1:00PM
UNM Valencia Campus
Academics Room 101, 2800 La Entrada
Los Lunas, NM

Thursday, March 6th, 6:00PM – 8:00PM
New Mexico Tech
Cramer Hall, room 101
801 Leroy Place
Socorro, NM 87801

We look forward to working with you to make New Mexico a Blue State in 2008!

Health Action NM Presents Legislative Wrapup Tonight

From Health Action New Mexico:
Health Action New Mexico will host a Legislative Wrapup on health care reform and other related issues on Thursday, February 28, at 5:30 PM at the First Unitarian Church (Comanche and Carlisle) in Albuquerque. The panelists reporting will be:

• State Senator Jerry Ortiz Y Pino
• Ruth Hoffman, Lutheran Office of Governmental Ministries
• Bill Jordan, New Mexico Voices for Children

Patrick Tyrrell of Health Action NM  will be the moderator. The public is encouraged to attend.

Dia de Lobos Rally: 3/14/08 at the KiMo

From the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance:
Just twenty-three wild Mexican Gray Wolves are left in New Mexico today. Ignoring science and bowing to pressure from special interests, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has abandoned its legal obligation to protect, conserve, and recover the Mexican Gray Wolf - the most endangered mammal in North America.  Rather, conflicts (whether real or induced) are routinely resolved by killing or permanently removing wolves, risking the second extinction of this rare, ecologically important carnivore.

Despite the challenges that our lobos, our amigos face, there is something that every New Mexican can do to reverse this course and ensure that the Mexican Gray Wolf lives on forever.

On Friday, March 14th from 7-9 PM at the KiMo Theater in downtown Albuquerque, a coalition of hunters, conservationists and elected officials will host Dia de Los Lobos, a public rally for ensuring the preservation of our Mexican Gray Wolves. This event is free and open to the public. Come join the howl to action and be the difference in saving our lobos in New Mexico. For more information, please call: 505-843-8696.

Saturday: Special Dem SCC Meeting on Platform and Resolutions

The Democratic Party of New Mexico will hold a special meeting of its State Central Committee (SCC) on Saturday, February 23, 2008 at Smith-Brasher Hall at Central New Mexico Community College to consider resolutions recommended by its Platform & Resolutions Committee. Registration begins at 9:30 AM and the meeting will be called to order promptly at 11:00 AM.

SCC members will vote on Resolutions adopted at the County-level and recommended by the State Platform & Resolutions Committee. Any Democrat interested in discussing proposed Resolutions that will inform the 2008 Democratic Platform should be in attendance. The 2008 Party Platform will be up for consideration at the March 15th Pre-Primary Convention, and discussion on resolutions is an important preliminary step in forming the Platform.

Click for more information. Click to download a copy of the resolutions to be acted upon Saturday.

This Weekend: Controversial Play 'My Name Is Rachel Corrie' at Out chYonda

Denver-based political theatre collective, Countdown to Zero, in partnership with Justice First!, announces the premier New Mexico production of 'My Name Is Rachel Corrie,' the highly controversial play, in a limited run at the Out ch'YondA Art Space (929 Fourth St. SW, Albuquerque). The play was created from the personal journal entries, emails, and writings of the young activist Rachel Corrie (above right) after her death in 2003 while trying to stop an Israeli bulldozer in a Palestinian residential area in Gaza. An idealistic, curious, and passionate young woman is presented as she explores her personal world as well as that of the complex world of Middle Eastern politics.

After a critically-acclaimed run in Denver, Countdown to Zero's production will run for two performances only, Saturday, February 16, 2:00 PM, and Sunday, February 17, at 2:00 PM. This play was chosen as an artistic vehicle for community conversation. After both performances, post-show discussions will be offered in order to address the issues raised in the play and to encourage fair and honest conversation and reflection. Ticket prices are $20. For reservations and information visit www.RachelABQ.com or call 505-350-1276.

Click for info on a companion event set for Saturday at 6:30 PM at the Albuquerque Mennonite Church where artists and activists will discuss political theater and music.

Read what the press has written about Countdown to Zero's production in Denver:

• The Rocky Mountain News: Worlds collide in 'Corrie'; actress brings grace and force to Mideast drama, reviewed 11/2/07
• The Denver Post: Rachel Corrie: Staging a protest (with images), reviewed 9/28/07
• Westword: A dead reckoning in Gaza, reviewed 11/4/07

A recent article in the Albuquerque Journal's Venue discusses Rachel Corrie's life and activism, and how and why the play was created. Excerpt:

Rachel Corrie, 23, grew up in Olympia, Wash., as a fairly typical young woman with fairly typical interests and wants. The daughter of an insurance executive and amateur flutist, Corrie had been a college student and a mental health worker. She wrote in her journal about her job, boys, her parents and that she liked the music of Pat Benatar.

Corrie went to Gaza in the troubled Middle East in 2003 as a member of the International Solidarity Movement, which was protesting the demolition of hundreds of Palestinian homes by the Israeli Defense Forces. She was called a traitor by some Americans, but her efforts in the Gaza Strip came from a desire to help people, as shown through her writings. Even as young as 12, she wrote about wanting to end child hunger worldwide.

Corrie was curious, creative, funny, idealistic, sometimes contrary and she so wanted to make the world a better place, Vicki Johnson of Justice First! said in a phone interview.

"She was an intensely passionate young girl on the verge of a wonderful, great life," Johnson said.

... Corrie died in Rafah on the Gaza Strip in March 2003 as she tried to protect the home of a Palestinian family that was being bulldozed by Israeli Defense Forces along the Gaza border with Egypt. She had on earlier occasions stayed overnight in the homes of other Palestinians to try to stop their demolition. Israeli officials called her death an accident, saying that the bulldozer driver didn't see Corrie as she was pulled under the blade of the heavy machinery.

After her death, her family and friends began talking about a play based on Corrie's life. As they pored over her personal journals, e-mails and other writings, they realized there was more than enough there so she could tell her own story. Some poignant e-mails from her worried parents were included, but mostly, the play is from Corrie's perspective.

Visit the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice.

Organizations involved in Albuquerque's production of the play:

Out ch’YondA Live Arts Studio
Out ch’YondA Live Arts exists in the margins for folks who need and want to do art “by any means necessary.” It is a nurturing and creative environment for those who dwell on the edges of our society.

Countdown to Zero
Countdown to Zero is a political theatre collective dedicated to theatrical based political dialogue. It aims to expand community exchange locally and nationally in a time of charged political extremes.

Justice First!
Justice First! advocates diplomacy based on international and humanitarian law as the best hope for peace.

Public Information Meeting: 2006 Post-Election Audit Study

You can read about the audit study here. UNM Political Science Professor Lonna Atkeson will be leading the New Mexico project in collaboration with University of Utah Professor Thad Hall and California Institute of Technology Professor R. Michael Alvarez. The goal of the project is to document the proper way to conduct a post-election audit, including what to watch out for, the cost in time and resources and the various challenges associated with different ballots and voting modes. It will also examine voter intent issues and address voter education needs regarding the use of paper ballots.

PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING
Maggie Toulouse Oliver, Bernalillo County Clerk
University of New Mexico
2006 POST-ELECTION AUDIT STUDY

Open to all those interested in learning about the
process and procedures of the upcoming
PEW Foundation-funded
audit study commencing on 2/25/08.

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 20, 2008, 5:30pm – 7:30 PM
Bernalillo County Clerk Voting Machine Warehouse
Bernalillo County Complex, 2400 Broadway SE Building H

For more information, please contact Robert Adams at 505.468.1207 or by email at radams@bernco.gov. Click for flyer (pdf).

Tonight in ABQ: Stephen Kinzer & Folly of Attacking Iran Tour

NATIONAL TOUR: THE FOLLY OF ATTACKING IRAN
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2008, at 7:30 PM
UnNM Continuing Ed Conference Center
1634 University Blvd NE, between Indian School and Menaul
(plenty of extra parking to the north and in back)
Click for FLYER (pdf)
Reception & Refreshments to Follow

STEPHEN KINZER, author, All the Shah's Men
Dr. Michael McCally, Physicians for Social Responsibility
Justin Logan, Foreign Policy Analyst, Cato Institute

New Mexico Sponsors: Middle East Peace & Justice Alliance, Justice First!, Stop the War Machine, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Women for a Better World, Kim Fisher

Information: (505) 898-4544, dtwm@earthlink.net or at https://www.FollyofAttackingIran.org. Brand-new 6-minute YouTube video featuring Stephen Kinzer on Iran and the 1953 CIA-sponsored coup.