Democracy for New Mexico

TONIGHT: AFSCME Thank You Party and Rally

From Carter Bundy of AFSCME:
AFSCME will host a party with free food and drinks for AFSCME members who have volunteered on AFSCME-endorsed candidates' races and for the campaigns of the candidates it has endorsed for the June 6 primary. All Democratic primary voters are welcome! Here's the info on the party:

Time:  5:30 - 8:00 PM
Date:  Friday, June 2
Place: 2836 Monument Dr. NW (Carter Bundy's house)

Directions: From I-40, take Unser North to 3rd light (Ouray/Lava Bluff). Go West (left if you're coming from I-40, right if you're coming from Montano) on Lava Bluff. 1st Left is Monument Drive.  2836 is the 6th house on the left.

Who:  AFSCME members supporting AFSCME-endorsed candidates, candidates, candidates' volunteers and staff, and Democratic primary voters who want to meet the candidates, mingle with other Democratic activists, and enjoy free food and drink!

The following is a list of AFSCME's endorsed statewide candidates and candidates in contested races in Bernalillo County:

Governor--Bill Richardson
Lt. Governor--Diane Denish
Secretary of State--Letitia Montoya*
Attorney General--Geno Zamora*
Treasurer--James Lewis
Auditor--Tom Buckner*
Land Commissioner--Ray Powell*
County Commission District 1--Alan Armijo*
House Dist. 16--Antonio "Moe" Maestas*
House Dist. 18--Gail Chasey

*=contested primary

Please RSVP to carterbundy@yahoo.com if you think you can make it (include how many folks you will bring) so we can get enough food and drinks for everyone. 

Feel free to spread among your organizations, especially if you know anyone in Albuquerque (and the Westside in particular).

Carter Bundy
AFSCME International
Political Action Representative
New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, Idaho
505-266-2177 (work)
505-463-8499 (cell)

Strategize With James Carville on June 7

From the Democratic Party of New Mexico:
Yep. That James Carville -- the "Ragin Cajun." James Carville is the author of numerous books on how we can kick some GOP butt, a frequent cable television personality, and the guy who helped craft President Clinton's successful campaign message. He is coming to Albuquerque the day after the primary, Wednesday, June 7. 

Grassroots Strategy Session with James Carville
Wednesday, June 7th, 3PM
UNM Student Union, Fiesta Room (upper level, south end)

Click here to see our flyer announcing the event.

This is a chance for you to speak to him and talk about our efforts to win back the majority in the House of Representatives.  Admission is free, but space is limited. So, please RSVP to the Democratic Party of New Mexico.  You can respond via email to info@nmdemocrats.org or call 505-830-3650. We look forward to hearing from you.

Rally Against North Valley Walmart

From the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County e-news:
RALLY against corporate greed! TAKE A STAND AGAINST WALMART!

Please join your neighbors in the North Valley to protest a proposed WALMART Supercenter. Help us spread the message that WALMART is bad for America, and bad for our community. Our fight against WALMART will be long and hard, you can help take this important first step. Labor, environmentalists, educators, small business, community leaders, elected officials and candidates encouraged to attend!

Date: May 25, 2006, 5 - 6:30 PM (public meeting to follow)
Place: Desert Springs Church, 705 Osuna NE
(Corner Osuna & Vista del Norte)   
Contacts: Victor Raigoza, 453-1897; Al Mund, 344-9950

Communities United Hosts Open House and Press Conference on "Middle Class Squeeze"

Communities United to Strengthen America
Cordially invites you to attend our Open House
May 18, 2006, 3:30 - 7:00 PM
Albuquerque Community Resource Center
2111 Wyoming Blvd NE
Featuring a 4 PM press conference on the
“Middle Class Squeeze” with guests:The Honorable Martin Heinrich,
President, Albuquerque City Council
Carter Bundy,
Political Action Representative, AFSCME
Rose Peters,
President, New Mexico Alliance for Retired Americans
Gerry Bradley,
Research Director, New Mexico Voices for Children
Charlotte Roybal, Director Health Action New MexicoRSVP 505.237.0120

Communities United to Strengthen America is a 501(c) 4 organization. Contributions made to Communities United to Strengthen America are not tax deductible.

If You Care About Your Drinking Water:

From Citzen Action:
If you wonder why toxic waste predicted to contaminate Albuquerque’s drinking water is simply being covered with dirt . . . Please attend this public meeting!

NM Environment Department Public Meeting
Sandia National Labs’ Mixed Waste Landfill
Thursday, May 25, 2006, 9 AM – 4:30 PM
Los Griegos Health and Social Services Center
12th and Candelaria, Albuquerque

Members of the public have 14 days to submit comments on the plan outlined at the meeting! Your comments count! (Note: You can read more about the Sandia landfill in an earlier post on DFNM.)

Agenda 

9-9:30 AM
Explanation of the overall plan for the Mixed Waste Landfill and what members of the public have to say about it. 

9:30 – 10:30 AM
Overview of Sandia’s model that predicts the landfill will contaminate Albuquerque’s drinking water by 2010 – is the model thorough? What do members of the public have to day about it?

10:30 – 10:45 AM BREAK

10:45 – 11:30 AM  (topic cont’d)

11:30 – 12:00 noon 
Questions, comments, and recommendations from members of the public

12 noon – 1:15 PM  LUNCH

1:15 – 1:45 PM
Overview of remedy for the landfill – what is it and what do members of the public have to say about it?

1:45 – 2:45 PM
What happens after the landfill is covered and how will it be monitored to prevent contamination from occurring?

2:45 – 3:00 PM BREAK

3:00 - 4:00 PM
Keeping an eye on the landfill over the long-term: can it really work as long as it will be dangerous?

4:00 – 4:30 PM
Comments, questions and recommendations from members of the public

4:30 – 4:35 PM
Closing remarks: 14-day public comment period to make your voice heard! 

For more information contact Citizen Action New Mexico at: (505) 262-1862.

Meeting agenda with explanation of the Citizen Action lawsuit filed against the NMED for issuing a permit to Sandia to cover the dump with dirt is posted on the Citizen Action website at www.radfreenm.org.

Citizen Action is a project of the New Mexico Community Foundation and a member of New Mexicans for Sustainable Energy and Effective Stewardship (NMSEES), an organization promoting a shift at Sandia and Los Alamos National Labs from nuclear weapons programs to renewable energy technology and effective clean up of waste sites – like the Mixed Waste Landfill.

Investigative Journalist Greg Palast to be in Albuquerque 6/17

This is an important chance for New Mexicans to hear directly from Greg Palast. Please pass this information to your friends and your networks. Democracy for New Mexico is one of the community sponsors for this event, along with the Albuquerque Center for Peace & Justice, KUNM-FM, the League of Independent Voters and Voter Action.

(Click on image for larger version)

On June 17 investigative journalist Greg Palast is coming to Albuquerque to promote ARMED MADHOUSE, the long-anticipated follow-up to his bestseller The Best Democracy Money Can Buy.

ARMED MADHOUSE goes on sale June 6 at local bookstores, but can be ordered now at Bookworks (344-8139), or online through Amazon or www.GregPalast.com. It can be read non-sequentially, so readers can browse the table of contents to find new information Greg has uncovered about issues that concern them most, whether it is Iraq, domestic disasters (from Katrina to Social Security to the national debt), globalization or voter fraud and theft.   

Greg will give a talk and sign books in Albuquerque (his only New Mexico stop) on Saturday, June 17, 2006, 7 PM, St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, 318 Silver Avenue, SW. Tickets are the price of one book ($25.95 plus tax) purchased from Bookworks by phone or in person. Ticket/book purchasers can buy a companion ticket for $10—which can be used for a $5 discount on the book at the event only.

BOOKSTORE SPONSOR: Bookworks, 4022 Rio Grande Blvd. NW, Albuquerque, NM 87107   PHONE: 505-344-8139

COMMUNITY SPONSORS: ; Democracy for New Mexico; KUNM-FM; League of Independent Voters; Voter Action

ARMED MADHOUSE uncovers even more stories Americans won't hear on their Fox-i-fied news channels:

• the titanic battle between neo-cons and Big Oil, and Ground Zero as a profit center
• the 3 million ballots that weren’t counted in 2004 and Republicans’ caging lists, felons of the future, rotting ballots, the undead, and more tricks on voters
• how much money floated in from the busted New Orleans’ levees and where it landed
• how Bush is planning to have China save our Social Security system
• the truth about globalization, from the vaults of the IMF, the World Bank, and the WTO
• and, the coming assassination of Hugo Chavez

"I am reading the book. I consider myself to be ‘well informed’ about the War on Iraq. Everyone knows about the oil, but I didn't know that US corporations are also stealing food from the Iraqis. I am so furious, I am practically shaking. Everyone should read this book."   --Barbara Grothus

Note: Greg Palast was here in May of last year, and held an fundraiser for Voter Action's New Mexico voter lawsuit. Click to check out photo album of the event.

Greg's Bio (pdf).

IMPORTANT HEARING 5/17 on Saving Otero Mesa

From the Wilderness Society:
Do you care about preserving the grand landscape and wildlife habitat that characterizes Otero Mesa? If so, please attend the US District Courts evidentiary hearing on May 17th in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Perhaps you've never attended a hearing of this nature before. Don't worry. You will not be asked to speak, but rather, simply show your support by attending.

What: U.S District Court for the District of New Mexico evidentiary hearing on the Bureau of Land Management public land known as Otero Mesa.

When: Wednesday, May 17, 2006, 9:00 AM

Where: The Honorable Bruce D. Black's Chambers
United States District Court
333 Lomas Blvd. N.W., Ste 640
Albuquerque, NM 87102

What's At Stake
Otero Mesa is home to the Chihuahuan Desert, which extends southward from New Mexico, Texas and Arizona into the Mexican Plateau and covers an area of 250,000 square miles and is considered to be among the most biologically rich and diverse desert eco-regions in the world. This vast and complex grassland is home to many species of wildlife, native plants and independent cattle ranches that have been in operation for generations. Otero Mesa is also a recreationist's dream. Hiking, camping, birding, hunting, rock climbing, photography and horseback riding are a few popular activities.

Otero Mesa is not currently designated as Wilderness. However, the NM Wilderness Alliance has surveyed the Greater Otero Mesa Area and identified over 520,000 acres suitable for Wilderness designation. But if it is turned into a full-scale oil and gas field, Wilderness and much of the wildlife that live there will be lost forever.

The Wilderness Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to conserving American wilderness. Our mission is to ensure that future generations will enjoy the clean air and water, wildlife, beauty, and opportunity for recreation and renewal provided by pristine forests, rivers, deserts, and mountains. As a subscriber to WildAlert, you join more than 300,000 Wilderness Society members and supporters in our efforts to protect and restore America's wild places.

Sen. Bingaman to Headline NMARA Health Care Symposium

The New Mexico Alliance for Retired Americans will host a Health Care Symposium, fund-raiser and membership drive Saturday, May 13, 2006, at 9:30 AM at the IBEW 611 Union Hall. The hall is located at 4921 Alexander Boulevard in Albuquerque (see map and directions). The event is free and open to the public.

The presenters will be Senator Jeff Bingaman: Federal Budget Cuts; Michael Parks, Senior Citizen's Law: Medicare Part D; Roy Aragon: Social Security and Connie Engholm, national ARA.

For more information, contact Rose Peters, President NM ARA; 505-262-2629 or petersrose@att.net. Click for more information on the Alliance for Retired Americans .

Immigration Reform Events Monday in Albuquerque

Photo from 4/9/06 Albuquerque Immigration Rally at National Hispanic Cultural Center courtesy of karlos at SWOPblogger

ALBUQUERQUE! PEACEFUL MARCH IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE NATIONAL CALL FOR ACTION FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM AND INTERNATIONAL WORKERS’ DAY

3:00-5:00 PM — TIGUEX PARK (Mountain/18th) for information, live music and fun for the whole family. As it is a no purchase day, take a picnic lunch for your family.

5:00 PM— Peaceful march from the park to the Civic Plaza (3rd/Tijeras) and then march back to park.

To show that we are a unified community we will wear white or a white ribbon on May 1st and will carry white flags instead of national flags. Download flyers in English and Espanol.

ATTENTION WORKERS/STUDENTS: If you decide to participate in the national strike and you have questions about your rights, call us.

For more information: El CENTRO de Igualdad y Derechos al 246-1627. Go to: www.swop.net and click on SWOPblogger.

Co-sponsors: Southwest Organizing Project, Southwest Network for Economic and Environmental Justice, Community Health Partnership, Partido La Raza Unida,

Supporting organizations: ACORN, Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice, Archdiocese of SF, Center for Economic Justice, East Central Ministries, El Centro de Igualdad y Derechos, Grey Panthers, Kalpulli Izkalli

Sunday Anti-War Events in Taos

Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld Threaten
Nuclear War on Iran
We Say: NO WAR on Iran!
Nuclear War is Unthinkable!Sunday, April 30th

3PM: Citizens’ Arrest of Rumsfeld at his Canoñcito home

5PM: Rally at the Taos Plaza: Public Sentencing of Rumsfeld and Speak Out by John Nichols & Phyllis Bennis

7PM: Speech at the TCA ($10) Institute of Policy Studies Fellow: Phyllis Bennis: CHALLENGING U.S. EMPIRE Iran, Iraq & the Middle East

Action Coalition Taos • Democracy Network • For more information: 776-8486

(Click to download the poster at top of page.)