Democracy for New Mexico

Last Chance for Belafonte Tix

(Photo by David Bacon)

Don't miss this one. Civil rights leader, progressive political activist and humanitarian Harry Belafonte is scheduled to speak at Popejoy Hall at UNM on Thursday, April 19, at 7:00 PM. Tickets: $30, $25, $20 at UNM Ticket Offices, www.unmtickets.com, 925-5858, or Raley’s Supermarkets. Check out this 2006 interview with Belafonte by Amy Goodman of Democracy Now.

A sampling of Belafonte quotes:

“I do believe very strongly in dissent.”

“There should be no bottom line for corporate America until there’s a bottom line for the poor.”

“...it is the pursuit of finding democracy expressing itself at its highest that has always been central to my existence and to my thoughts and feelings.”

“Tyranny and terrorism feed off poverty [and] racism [and] sexism ... We’ve got to come to the believe that we must be more generous and more benevolent a country.”

“If we do not make a choice to make a difference, we then have made the choice to be crushed by indifference.”

“... to care for freedom and pay for it is a never-ending job.”

See our previous post on this event.

Spend an Evening With Bill Moyers

From Free Press: Was Big Media complicit in shaping the "public mind" to support the Iraq war?

On Wednesday, April 25, from 9-10:30 PM MDT, you can learn the answer by hosting An Evening with Bill Moyers house party to watch his newest documentary, "Buying the War." broadcast live on your local PBS station. Just before the screening, Moyers will be available to answer your questions during an exclusive conference call with Free Press activists around the country.

Learn More or Sign Up to Host a Party

If you can't host a party but would like to attend one, click here.

In "Buying the War," Moyers asks what's happened to the press's role as a skeptical "watchdog" on government power. And he profiles some of the journalists who did dare to ask tough questions.

Others in the Albuquerque area are concerned about the state of our media. This is your opportunity to connect with people in your community and get more involved in reforming our media.

Host 'An Evening with Bill Moyers' house party in Albuquerque:

Hosting a house party is surprisingly easy. Here's what it takes:

• Sign up online to be a host
• Invite people you know (we'll also invite local Free Press Activists if you'd like)
• Read the hosting guide and print hosting materials
• Open your home or find an appropriate venue
• Watch "Buying the War" and and join the conference call with Bill Moyers

We're here to answer any questions you may have along the way (view our hosting guide or frequently asked questions page for more information).

The movement for better media begins in your community. Take the lead, help engage your neighbors, and help take back our media one town at a time.

Thanks for all that you do,

Ira Horowitz, Online Community Organizer
Free Press, www.freepress.net

P.S. Click here to watch a preview of "Buying the War" or check out Bill Moyers' speech to the National Conference for Media Reform.

Editor's Note: Here's what David Swanson of After Downing Street has to say about the show. Bill Moyers' Journal will return to PBS-KNME as a weekly show in its regular time slot starting Friday, April 27 at 9:00 PM.

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.

RSVP Now for 2nd Annual Equality Ball on 4/28

(Click on image for larger version)

Today: Grand Opening of New NM Wild Office

From the NM Wilderness Alliance:
eo is about opportunity, outreach, diversity, community and about how these aspects of everyday life can help us to understand the positive impact we can have on Global Climate Change. eo is the culmination of EDI, The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance and the Sierra Club's commitment to reducing the negative impact of our buildings on the environment and well being of the human race. eo is the newly renovated and, soon to be, first LEED Gold office building in Albuquerque NM. It is located in the Nob Hill Highland District just off of historic Route 66, at 142 Truman NE.

Come join us on April 13th, from 4:00 to 11:00 PM, to learn about the potential that each of us has to accelerate the transformation of the built environment. Take a guided tour through the site and building, talk to vendors and suppliers, to USGBC NM Chapter members, and watch a video or power point presentation. For more information, please call 505-843-8696.

Vote Now: MoveOn Town Hall on Iraq

Last night's MoveOn Virtual Town Hall on Iraq featured the Dem candidates for president answering questions on the Iraq war submitted by MoveOn members. Voting is now in progress for viewers to weigh in on how the candidates did. If you didn't get a chance to participate online live, you can watch video of the entire event or segments on each candidate, listen to highlights, download a podcast or read transcripts before voting. MoveOn will release the results of the vote tomorrow.

(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.
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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

(Updated) Tonight: MoveOn's Virtual Presidential Candidate Forum on Iraq

UPDATE: A message from Richardson for President: Governor Richardson's portion, taped before he left for North Korea, will discuss his "New Realism" plan to end the war in Iraq. You can hear Governor Richardson online and broadcast at Air America Radio tonight. Could you go to a local MoveOn event to talk to people about the Governor's straightforward plan to end the war? Governor Richardson's plan to end the war is available online - it might be helpful for you to print out copies to take to the event. If you can make it tonight, we'd love to hear about it - leave your comments for us here and we'll put some up on the blog tomorrow.

From MoveOn.org PAC:
We're organizing three “Virtual Town Halls” to hear from 2008 Presidential candidates on the issues MoveOn members say are most important: Iraq, health care, and energy. On April 10th, at 8:00 PM MDT, we're focusing on Iraq.

MoveOn members are asking candidates the tough questions about their Iraq plans, and we're gathering in living rooms from coast to coast to hear the answers directly. Then we’ll talk together, and the next day, all MoveOn members will vote on who we think will do the best job in Iraq. It's a personal audience with the people who want our support, our time, our money, and eventually our votes.

Host your own, or join a Virtual Town Hall house party near you - enter your zip code .

How the Virtual Town Halls Will Work:

• Presidential candidates were invited if at least 10% of surveyed MoveOn members said they would like to hear what he or she has to say.

• MoveOn members voted to determine the questions that are put to the candidates. 

• Right after the virtual town hall meeting, MoveOn will survey its members to see which candidate they believe will do the best job of leading us out of the war in Iraq. Voting will go on until midnight PST on Wednesday, April 11.

• MoveOn will make the results of the support survey public on Thursday, April 12.*

• MoveOn will encourage its members to support their favored candidates’ campaigns by volunteering and contributing money.

* The results of this survey will not constitute the organization’s endorsement of a candidate. MoveOn may decide to hold an endorsement vote later in 2007.

MoveOn’s Role in Previous Campaigns:
Historically, MoveOn support has generated large contributions of members’ volunteer time and money to favored candidates. In the 2006 mid-term elections, MoveOn members contributed $27 million, made 7 million get-out-the-vote phone calls, organized 7,500 house parties, and held 6,000 in district campaign events. 

How to Participate in the Virtual Town Hall:

• MoveOn members will gather at house parties on April 10th to hear the candidates speak via an Internet based audio broadcast. They will also be able to see a map of all the parties participating and enter comments, some of which will be displayed during the intermission.

• The event will also be broadcast, with commercial breaks, on Air America XM Satellite Radio (channel 167).  It will be re-broadcast without commercial breaks on all Air America local affiliates during the following dates and times:

o Wednesday 4/11           8:00 PM - 10:00 PM ET      
o Saturday 4/14               10:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET   
o Sunday 4/15                  8:00 AM - 10:00 AM ET

More on Tuesday's de-MILITARIZE UNM Effort

From Stop the War Machine: Demilitarizing UNM of war profiteers is on the UNM Regents agenda for this Tuesday, April 10, at 9 AM or shortly thereafter, in the SUB ballroom B. We are about third on the 9 AM agenda.

History: On September 29, 2006, Bob Anderson, anti-war activist for Stop the War Machine (SWM) was assaulted and arrested at the UNM sponsored Lockheed Martin meeting for speaking out against the university helping promote the new generation of nuclear weapons, Reliable Replacement Warheads (RRW). Concerned citizens went to regents meetings to protest the weapons research and support by UNM. David Harris, interim president of UNM later had a meeting with SWM, at which time he promised to let us have an agenda item for all the regents to hear our concerns and to consider a resolution which we have prepared.

Contact person is: Jeanne Pahls 858-0882 or 401-4808, StoptheWarMachine@comcast.net

This presentation is on behalf of four groups:

• Stop the War Machine
• Democracy for New Mexico
• Los Alamos Study Group
• Progressive Action Coalition

Here is the outline of our UNM Regents presentation:

1. Robb Chavez (Democracy for New Mexico): Brief overview and history of how we came to be presenting today.
2. Paul Eichhorn (Stop the War Machine): Brief review of the Resolution.
3. Vicki Johnson (UNM alumnus): Samples of UNM contracts and funding agencies.
4. Greg Mello (Los Alamos Study Group): Accepting military research contract money changes the agenda of the university from public education center to a private research center run as a subsidy of private weapons corporations; the effect of this on New Mexico.
5. Vicki Johnson (alumnus): The community looks to UNM to be on the right side of US commitments to international treaties.
6. Andrew Marcum (UNM student): UNM's responsibility regarding research
7. Sebastian Pais (Progressive Action Coalition) or Andrew Marcum (both UNM students): student sentiment
8. Carla Josephson (parent of two UNM students): closing

We are submitting this resolution to the UNM Regents for discussion and vote:
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
DEMILITARIZE UNM RESOLUTION
UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO BOARD OF REGENTS

UNM Regents have formed a partnership to operate a research technology park and contracted for weapons research. This has caused great concern.

Accepting research grants from military agencies and contractors has changed the agenda of a university from public education center to that of a private research center run as a subsidy of a private weapons corporation. A corporation like Lockheed Martin may reap large profits while UNM is the one
doing key parts of the technology research used for weapons.

Because the University of New Mexico (UNM) has close relations with two of the nation's nuclear weapons research and design laboratories and the world's largest arms manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, UNM stands at the center of an unfolding ethical, political and ecological crisis.

For instance:

(1) Assisting, as we have seen on September 29, in the promotion of an entirely new nuclear weapons arsenal called the Reliable Replacement Warhead, which is in contradiction to Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and,

(2) Providing research for components of ground, air, space and nuclear weapons system required for the new arsenal of the United States.

This has led to the unacceptable situation where dissent against these policies by our students and community has been ignored and even criminalized.

In response the Board of Regents of the University of New Mexico regret the appearance of the University supporting the RRW symposium that was held on campus on Sep. 29. We have decided it is necessary for the University of New Mexico to heed former President Eisenhower's warning of the dangers to our nation of the military-industrial-academic complex.

To improve the quality of education and better serve the needs of students and citizens in the state, we resolve to begin a three-year phaseout program to reduce aggregate value of contracts transacted with military agencies and contractors.

We, the Regents of the University of New Mexico, want transparency and citizen involvement in compliance with this resolution. To ensure public involvement and accountability, UNM will no longer conduct research oversight in secret such as through the Security Managerial Group.  We will instead form an open Oversight Committee that will have citizen input and implement this resolution concerning controversial research.

Action taken: __________________ Date: ______

Editor's Note: Also see our updated previous post on this action.

(Updated) de-MILITARIZE UNM

From Stop the War Machine:

Attend the Regents Meeting to Support Peace Resolution!
Bring signs, too! Speak out against war and empire!
Tuesday, April 10, 2007 at 9 AM, SUB Ballroom
Need info: www.StoptheWarMachine.org or 505-268-9557SEE UPDATED INFO BELOW

From Bob Anderson of Stop the War Machine: The UNM Regents meeting definitely begins at 9 AM on Tuesday, 4/10 in the UNM SUB  ballroom.

A group of 7 people representing 4 groups (Stop the War Machine being one of them; Robb Chavez of Democracy for New Mexico being another) will be making a presentation at the UNM Regents meeting on Tuesday, April 10 regarding the need to Demilitarize UNM.  The time itself of the presentation is yet to be determined. 

We are inviting folks to support these 7 folks by coming to the Regents meeting and bringing signs that call for the demilitarization of UNM. (For those who aren't sure: Signs are allowed at Regents meetings.) Possible suggestions for signs:

• "De-militarize UNM!"
• "No Weapons-Related Research at UNM"
• "Lockheed Martin out of UNM"

We are also inviting people to support these 7 presenters by writing a letter to the UNM Regents that we can present to them at the meeting. You can send your letter to StoptheWarMachine@comcast.net and we will print it out and put it in an envelope for you.

Please spread the word! Please come out and support the team of "De-Militarize UNM" presenters!

Two websites you may want to check out - very interesting reading, and you will probably see some folks you know here:

• Minutes from the UNM Regents meeting 10-10-06
• Minutes from the UNM Regents meeting 11-14-06

Editor's Note: Also see our later post on this action.