Democracy for New Mexico

Saturday: Nuts & Bolts of Organizing a Political Campaign

From Martha Dominguez of the Coalition to Take Back Our Government: Sick of the way politicians are running this country? Then it’s time to think of running for office yourself!

People Taking Back Their Government Presents a Training
Nuts and Bolts of Organizing a Political Campaign 
Plumbers Hall, 510 San Pedro SE (& Zuni)
Saturday, August 19, 10 AM  - 4:30 PM

We are pleased to have as our presenter Linda B. Berg, National Organization for Women Political Action Director from Washington DC, in Albuquerque to share her experience and her work with the NOW PACS. The pac’s actions take every electoral advantage to change the faces in Congress and to build momentum for electoral involvement. The NOW organization has consistently organized efforts to support campaigns that have made a real difference for women and community issues. It was one of the first organizations to organize an effort to elect women to public office.

The Coalition to Take Back our Government is a non-partisan grass roots organization whose purpose is to develop long and short term strategic plans to affect social and political changes that will benefit our community. Our focus is two fold (1) Political Reform through electing candidates who can represent people’s concerns. (2) Electoral Reform to strengthen and safeguard the vote and to insure elections that represent the people’s voice.

This event has been organized to encourage, support and inform people thinking about running for office and people who may think that they don’t know enough of what it takes to run for public office. Whether you are interested in running for school board, city boards, city or state office this training can bring you that information. You will hear the basics of how to run a political campaign and participate in interactive activities. A democratic government needs the involvement of people at all levels voting, holding elected officials accountable, supporting people in office who work for people and running for office. The coalition has developed a campaign to change the face of government by diversifying the pool of people who participate. We want to work to prepare community people to run for office 5-10 years in advance so that when we need a person to run we are not limited to those that might be available. Join us on Saturday, August 19 and begin the process of learning what is needed to run for public office.   

There is a donation of $20 to attend and this will go towards the fund to help grassroots candidates who can help to change the face of government. Any organization interested in lending its support to this event can call 275-0597 or marthacd@earthlink.net for information and to reserve a seat. You can also mail a check or money order, payable to World Voices to 10805 Ralph NE, Albq. NM 87112.   

We the people can make a difference at every level. Join us and be part of the solution! Call 275-0597

Cheney in Roswell Today

Dick Cheney, one of faux-Republican Joe Lieberman's most enthusiastic fans, is scheduled to arrive in Roswell, NM today at about 3:00 PM and depart at 6:00 PM. He'll be appearing at a private fundraiser for the Republican NM Victory 2006 GOTV project, an event designed to lure deep pocket donors to a local ranch. Of course there'll be an opportunity for rich patrons to pay a bundle to get a photo taken with Dick -- a high-priced mugshot for the well-to-do. I wonder if he'll be posing in his quail hunting outfit or if that's been retired for the duration to avoid another pellet "accident."

Notice that Cheney isn't appearing at a fundraiser that's officially for Heather Wilson. A generic fundraiser hitting up the oil patch elite for the Repub Party is obviously less controversial given Heather's professed "independence" from the Bush horrors. I guess it's bad enough that all those photos are circulating that depict Heather kowtowing to Bush at his recent fundraiser here. Local Repub poobahs (and Karl Rove) must think a bunch of Cheney-Heather images would be too damned scary in a political climate dominated by voter disgust about the administration's fiascos and failures. Too bad. I think they make a perfect pair. Oil Profits R Us. 

Learn About Election Day Registration Friday in ABQ

From Common Cause NM:
At Common Cause, increasing voter turnout and making it easier for citizens to express their views are high priorities. That's why we're sponsoring an educational presentation about Election Day Registration (sometimes referred to as "same day voter registration") this Friday, August 11, in Albuquerque. The presentation is open to the public, so please join me!

Lary Ghan, the County Commissioner from Bannock County, Idaho will explain Election Day Registration (EDR) to the Courts, Corrections and Justice Committee. Idaho is one of six states that use Election Day Registration systems. Mr. Ghan served for over 20 years as a county clerk in Idaho and he has participated in the transition to EDR in that state.  His presentation and dialogue with committee members will provide an excellent opportunity to learn more about EDR.

Here are the details for the event:

Date/Time: Friday, August 11, beginning at 9:00 AM

Location: The University of New Mexico Student Union Building in Ballroom C. Please see this link for a map of the University of New Mexico. The Student Union Building is number "60" on the map, and the parking structure is number "198".

Thank you, and I look forward to seeing you at the EDR presentation on the morning of August 11!

Sincerely,
Matt Brix, Executive Director
Common Cause New Mexico

Democratic Women of Sandoval County to Hold First Anniversary Picnic

Janice Saxton, Dem candidate for State Rep. District 22

From the Democratic Women of Sandoval County:

Guess who’s having a birthday!
DEMOCRATIC WOMEN OF SANDOVAL COUNTY
First Anniversary Celebration Picnic
Sunday, August 20, 2006, Noon until 3 PM

Join us as we celebrate our first anniversary as Democratic Women of Sandoval County! We will meet for a picnic in the pavilion at the Coronado State Monument Campground (turn right into the campground immediately after you turn off the highway) on Highway 550 in Bernalillo.

Everyone is welcome from age 0 to 109. Bring your relatives, your friends, your neighbors, and anyone else who wants to have fun. There will be good food, music, games and balloons for the kids, lots of politicians (short speeches) and information about local organizations. The pavilion is a short hike from the river and a short drive to the monument. Admission to the monument is free on Sundays and tours are available.

Please help us spread the word to local organizations that they are welcome to have a table (free if they provide the table) at this event. Let your favorite cause know about our celebration. We’d welcome their participation. Click to download a flyer (.doc). If you have questions call Janice Saxton at 867-1139 or email jnjsaxton@msn.com. Don’t miss our Birthday Bash! See you there! You can keep track of Democratic events in Sandoval county at the website of the New Mexico Democratic Club of Sandoval County.

Important Legislative Hearing Friday on Election Day Registration

From Verified Voting NM and United Voters NM:
Dear Election Reform Activists: We need as many activists as possible to attend an important legislative committee meeting on Election Day Registration.

On Friday, August 11, at 9:00 AM, at Ballroom B in the UNM Student Union Building in Albuquerque, there will be a presentation on election-day registration (EDR) given by an elected official from Idaho (an Election-day registration state). This person worked as a county clerk for more than a decade. He worked before EDR was the law in Idaho, during the transition, and after EDR was up and running. Thus, he comes with years of first-hand experience on election-day registration.

Please consider attending this important presentation and question-and-answer period. The presentation will still be on Friday, August 11, 2006; the presentation will still be during a meeting of the interim committee on courts, corrections, and justice. The time of day and location of the presentation have changed. The new time is 9:00 AM; the new location is Ballroom C at the Student Union building on the University of New Mexico Campus in Albuquerque.

Sincerely,
Paul Stokes & Stephen Fettig

Peace Day Events in Santa Fe and Los Alamos This Weekend

Click for a schedule provided by the Los Alamos Peace Project of Santa Fe's Eighth Annual Peace Day event, as as well as related activities set for Northern New Mexico this weekend. They include this Sunday's annual gathering at Ashley Pond in Los Alamos to commemorate the Hiroshima atomic bomb anniversary. Be sure to go to the bottom of the first page and click on "More" to see the rest of the schedule. Also, note that Cindy Sheehan had to cancel her participation because she'll be in Jordan participating in discussions with members of the Iraqi parliament. She'll be rescheduling her visit to New Mexico for sometime in September. See our previous post for more info on that.

EQNM to Host Wine Tasting Fundraiser

Equality New Mexico is hosting a wine tasting fundraiser
at  Casa Rondeña Winery
733 Chavez Road
Los Ranchos de Albuquerque

on  Thursday August 24, 2006 from 6-8 pm Tickets: $40.00 each Please join us for a relaxing evening at the winery sampling
award winning wines from the region and cheeses from around the world. Please RSVP to Michelle at (505) 224-2766 or michelle@eqnm.org by Aug 22
(Please RSVP as space is limited) Equality New Mexico

Cindy Sheehan Cancels NM Events to Meet With Iraqi Parliament Members in Jordan

As reported in our earlier post, Cindy Sheehan was scheduled to participate in the August 5th Day of Action in Taos and the August 6th Hiroshima Day Memorial in Los Alamos. She had to cancel her attendance at those events, but plans to reschedule a visit to New Mexico sometime in September. Cindy will be a joining a delegation of peace activists from CodePINK and other groups that will travel to Jordan on August 4th to meet with Iraq Parliament members at their invitation. They'll be discussing the goal of ending the violence and bringing our troops home as soon as possible.

Here's how she describes the visit to Jordan in a Truthout post:

Recent polls showed that 72% or our troops wanted to start coming home by the end of this year and 83% of the Iraqi people want the occupation to end. Those numbers are significant if only for the fact that they are probably low - soldiers and occupied peoples have never felt at liberty, or even secure to share their feelings with the oppressors.

To this end of creating a peace plan that the Iraqi people want and can feel comfortable and secure with (it is, after all, their country), a contingent of peace activists, including myself, will travel to Amman, Jordan, to meet with Iraqi parliamentarians who don't parrot what BushCo wants them to say and would actually like coalition forces to be removed from their country. It is a historic and significant step in this abominable and shameful episode of our history. The meeting is also highly significant since our State Department has been transformed into an adjunct of the War Department and is headed by the Deputy Secretary of War, Condi Rice. We have no diplomats in our country: just warmongers who can clear brush, shop for shoes, and laugh at gullible Americans all the way to the bank while they are depositing their war profits.

We will be meeting with the Iraqi representatives in Amman on August 4th, and many of us will return to Camp Casey in Crawford on August 6th to outline the plan and present a way that Americans and Iraqis can work together to end the killing on both sides of the conflict. August 6th is also a very meaningful date for me because it is the same day, one year ago, that I originally sat in the ditch with other peacemongers and we were eventually joined by thousands of peacemongers from all over the world.

On that day, we will ask to meet with George again to brief him on our meeting with real Iraqis who live, work, and raise their families outside of the Green Zone and outside of the influence of DC. Judging by past performance, I don't think he will meet with us (not very neighborly), but I am sure he will know that we are there and we have an Iraqi-driven plan when his only plan is to kill more people because so many have already been killed - which is what "stay the course" and "honor the sacrifices of the fallen" really mean. George is so comfortable cutting and running from Crawford when he feels threatened by the truth, I wish he would cut our soldiers loose from the nightmare of occupation and allow Iraqis to run their own country.

CodePINK has been holding a Troops Home Fast protest across from the White House for almost a month. During Iraqi prime minister Maliki's recent visit to America, they also set up a Camp Maliki across from the Iraqi Embassy in an effort to set up a meeting with him. Although that didn't happen, they were treated with respect by the Iraqi delegation. The interaction led to an invitation to travel to Jordan to meet with five like-minded members of the Iraqi parliament who are working on a reconciliation plan to end the violence in their country. Several members of Congress, academics and noted journalists have also been invited to travel to the meeting with the activists. Exciting news indeed.

CodePINK also bought a full-page ad in an Iraqi newspaper in the form of an open letter to the prime minister expressing support for an Iraqi reconciliation plan that includes the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.

Note: Check out the website of our Albuquerque CodePINK group and get involved locally!

Are You On the Bus or Off the Bus?

From WakeUpWalMart:

19 States, 35 Cities, 35 Days
1 Mission
Change Wal-Mart and Change America

That’s right. Starting tomorrow, for 35 straight days, WakeUpWalmart.com is taking its national movement, and our headquarters, on the road in a non-stop, cross-country bus tour hitting 19 states and 35 cities in 35 days. The tour is an exciting and unprecedented move in our campaign to change Wal-Mart and build a grassroots movement to stop big, powerful corporations from taking America in the wrong direction.

So, for the next 840 hours, 6 over-caffeinated Americans and one really big 45-foot long bus (nicknamed Smiley) are going from New York City to Seattle to fight for good jobs, more affordable health care, and a better life for all hard-working families. Click here to get on board the bus and join our fight for a better America:

https://www.wakeupwalmart.com/tour/rsvp/

The tour will be stopping in Albuquerque on August 23 and 24 for a film screening and a town hall meeting.

The fight to change Wal-Mart is already being referred to as one of the “hottest, highest stakes political contests in America.” And, our national bus tour will be no exception. At several stops, we will be joined by some of our nation's best and most passionate political leaders like John Edwards, former Vice Presidential candidate and U.S. Senator.

With over 248,000 Americans, WakeUpWalMart.com is standing up to rich, powerful corporations like Wal-Mart and spreading the word that it is time for Wal-Mart to do what is right instead of shipping U.S. jobs overseas and not providing affordable health care. In town halls, public squares, and at state fairs, we will be hitting the streets to take our fight for a better America directly to the American people.

Will you join the most exciting grassroots movement and help us fight for a better America? Click here to RSVP to the 2006 Change Wal-Mart, Change America tour stop in your town:

https://www.wakeupwalmart.com/tour/rsvp/

Over the next 35 days, we will be sending you emails from the road and updating our website every day with photos, videos, funny tidbits and upcoming event details. If you don’t want to miss any part of the tour, be sure to check back often.

Most importantly, sign more people up to the campaign. We have set a goal of signing up at least 25,000 new supporters over the next 35 days. Please do everything you can to recruit at least 5 more friends.

If nothing else proves the power ordinary people have to do extraordinary things, just look last week at what happened in the city of Chicago. Despite Wal-Mart’s enormous efforts to defeat a living wage bill, the Chicago City council set a new bar for what it means to be a responsible corporate citizen and passed a living wage for working families.

A living wage in Chicago is a testament to the power you have to change a $300 billion company, to change corporate America, and to change the world we live in. But, change begins by joining together. I hope you will join with us and our 248,000 supporters as we go across the country to fight for a better America.

Thank you for all that you do,
Paul Blank, WakeUpWalMart.com

P.S. Click here to read an article about the 2006 Change Wal-Mart, Change America national bus tour.

Minimum Wage Rally--Stand Up Against Wilson's Vote!

America Needs a Raise. Come Rally with the People!Why Did Congresswoman Heather Wilson Vote
to Raise her Own Pay While Opposing a Pay Raise
for Working New Mexicans? Good Question!Join the AFL/CIO National Day of Action
to Raise the Federal Minimum Wage Where: The Galleria on 2nd and Copper
(In front of Heather Wilson’s Office) When: Noon on Wednesday, July 26th, 2006 Who: Labor, Religious and Community Activists

Contact the New Mexico Federation of Labor at (505) 262-2629