Democracy for New Mexico

A Conversation About Senior Issues: AG Patricia Madrid & Cong. Steny Hoyer

Please join
Attorney General
Patricia Madrid
&
Congressman
Steny Hoyer
for
A Conversation About Senior Issues
Including
Medicare, Prescription Drug Prices

Monday, January 30th, 10 AM
Los Volcanes Senior Center
6500 Los Volcanes, NW
For more information, call 242-6000

URA Solution Event Set for 2/11

UPDATE: URA Solution now has a website about this event. Visit https://www.nmsr.org/ura2006.htm to learn about the addition of a speaker and other current information about this event.

From Kathy Economy: Announcing (and Pass it Around)

The URA Solution to the State of the Union -- Union
An Eclectic Collection of Passionate, Dedicated, and Committed People

Where: Wyndham Hotel
(near the airport – no fuss parking at the hotel)
When: Saturday, February 11, 2006, 2:00 – 5:30 PM
Cost: Donation
Keynote Speakers: Mikey Weinstein* and Mary Oishi**

Who should attend? ‘U’ Should

• We, as individuals, are the check and balance of a responsible community at the local, regional and national level.
• U can do something about –
  • Civil liberties - Health Care - Government Integrity Environment - Human Rights - Equality
• Meet and greet with local grassroots and national groups who started out with one individual, one idea, one declaration, creating BIG movements. 

Come for Food, Music, Stimulating Conversation, Connections

Information – Kathy,  292-7402; Kris –232-1744
urasolution@earthlink.net

*Michael L. ("Mikey") Weinstein  - Active in the current national movement to restore the constitutionally-mandated separation of church and state, being played out at the United States Air Force Academy today.

** Mary Oishi – radio announcer, poet, publisher, scholar

More on Mikey Weinstein:
Michael L. ("Mikey") Weinstein has been the undisputed leader and founder, from its inception approximately a year and half ago, of the national movement to restore the Constitutionally-mandated separation of church and state at the United States Air Force Academy and has played a titular role in the national debate currently raging over that most controversial and volatile issue. He has appeared on numerous television and radio programs and been the subject of equally numerous newspaper and magazine stories on same. In this highly visible capacity, he has taken on the powers-that-be in the U.S. government, especially the Department of Defense, as well as those same entities in the growing evangelical Christian movement.

Web info - https://www.greatertalent.com/biography.php?id=541

Ecumenical Voices for Democracy to Hold 1/29 Religion & Politics Forum on Poverty Issues

From Tom Solomon of Ecumenical Voices for Democracy:

Please come to this Sunday's Religion and Politics forum on "Poverty in America" at the Albuquerque TVI Smith Brasher Hall at 2 PM, January 29, 2006, corner of Coal and University.

"Nutrition, Housing, Health and Education are necessities. Is it a moral imperative that government provides these to those in need? Can religious leaders and people of faith support tax cuts when it results in an inability for government to provide for the poor?"

Please join us at this Sunday's public forum for this important discussion.

Hurricane Katrina's devastating impact on New Orleans and the ongoing debate about a Living Wage in NM highlight the deeply felt need for viable solutions to poverty in this country, yet the political dialogue surrounding them is mired in false left-vs-right stereotypes. Can people of faith shed some light on this debate?

Ecumenical Voices for Democracy, a group of New Mexico citizens organized to combat the misuse of religion in politics, is announcing its 4th forum on Religion and Politics, entitled, "Poverty in America: Whose Responsibility is it?"

The forum will utilize a panel composed of religious and academic leaders. The panel discussion will be moderated by Dr. Richard Wood, Director of the UNM Religious Studies program.

Panel members for the forum, "Poverty in America: Whose Responsibility is it?"  include:

• Patsy Kelton-Born, Executive Director, Project Share
• Frank Yates, Pastor, St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church
• Alex Lubin, Professor, UNM Department of American Studies
• Paul Yarbrough : Attorney and Board President, St. Thomas Aquinas School

THIS JUST IN: House Floor Debate on Minimum Wage Set for Tomorrow Afternoon

Tomorrow is a BIG day for the minimum wage legislation. There will be a hearing of the House Labor Committee on the House Floor for opponents and proponents of the minimum wage bill. The Committee meeting was moved from its usual room to the House Floor because a large crowd is expected to attend. The Committee will be hearing testimony on Rep. Lujan's HB258.

Opponents of the minimum wage are aggressively organizing against this piece of legislation, so we need your support now.

Please join supporters at the State Capitol on the House Floor.
Who: All supporters of the minimum wage
When: Thursday, January 26th at 1:30 PM
Where: The House Floor, Roundhouse, Santa Fe
Please support the minimum wage legislation -- we need your help!

If you need a ride or more information, contact ACORN at 242-7411, nmacorn@acorn.org

Scott Ritter to Speak in Santa Fe & Socorro

SANTA FE:
SCOTT RITTER: HE'S A MARINE, HE'S A FORMER U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR, HE'S A REPUBLICAN. . .

W. Scott Ritter, author of the new book IRAQ CONFIDENTIAL . . . AND HE'S GOT THE TRUTH ON IRAQ AND THE CIA! THIS MAN IS TALKING -- YOU NEED TO HEAR!

When: Sunday, February 5, 2006, 7:00 PM
Where:  James A. Little Theater
Campus of the New Mexico School for the Deaf
Cerrillos Road at St. Francis Dr., Santa Fe, NM
Doors Open at 6:00 PM/No Advance Ticket Sales
Suggested Donation: $10.00
For information call PEACE ACTION NEW MEXICO, 989-4812
https://www.peace-actionnm.org/

SOCORRO:
Scott Ritter will also speak in Socorro on “Iraq:  How We Got There;  Where We’re Going.” The two-term chief weapons inspector in Iraq, Scott Ritter told the Bush administration just what they didn’t want to hear: there are no WMDs - hence, no need to re-invade. 

Former Marine intelligence and arms control officer, Ritter will sign his latest book, Iraq Confidential, both before and after the lecture  (facilitated by NM Tech Bookstore).

Friday,  February  3,  4:30 PM
Workman  Hall  101,  Tech  Campus,  Socorro
(Call 835-5854 for directions)
Sponsored by Tech Students for Progressive Action, PeaceAction/NM  and  Socorroans for Democracy

Scott Ritter's new book is "Iraq Confidential: The Untold Story of the Intelligence Conspiracy to Undermine the UN and Overthrow Saddam Hussein".

After the 1991 Gulf War, Ritter, a former marine, helped lead the UN weapons inspections of Iraq and found himself at the center of a dangerous game between the Iraqi and US regimes.

What makes Iraq Confidential such an important and fascinating book is that Ritter himself was a key figure in the espionage maneuvers before the Iraq war began. He is an American working for the U.N. who found himself plunged into a fightãnot with Saddam, but with competing units of the American intelligence community. The book explains why the U.S. government has been relentlessly trying to smear Ritter. But Ritter is relentless himself, plodding along, determined to tell the truth no matter the cost.

Click for more info about the book.

REMINDER: Udall Event This Thursday

From Dory Shonagon:

REMINDER:  TOM UDALL EVENING - THURSDAY, JAN. 26, 2006 - 5:30 PM, at Dory Shonagon's apartment complex. See directions below.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR THE EVENT:  Dory could use people to come by 4:30-5:00 PM to greet people. Dory also could use sodas, mineral water, chips & dip, etc. for the event.

Please come early if you can help in either way.  Please contact Dory Shonagon, 480-1848 or dshonagon@earthlink.net, if you have questions.

Directions:

Dory's Shonagon's apartment complex is Valle Grande Apts., 8401 Spain Road at Wyoming in Albuquerque. Event is at the CLUBHOUSE. From Wyoming and Montgomery, go north on Wyoming, past Osuna and the next light is Spain. Right on Spain Rd. Valle Grande is at that intersection. Turn left into the complex. DRIVE STRAIGHT BACK as far as you can go into the complex. At that point you will see the Clubhouse on your right (swimming pool outside, etc). Come on in.

Editor's Note: Click to read our original post on this event.

ABQ State of the Union Protest Set for 1/31

From Bring the Noise:
BUSH & CHENEY, RESIGN NOW!
DROWN OUT BUSH’S LIES
AT THE STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH!
TUESDAY, JANUARY 31st, 5:30 PM

We will peacefully line the sidewalks surrounding KOAT-TV at Comanche and Carlisle NE in Albuquerque and DROWN OUT THE LIES with songs, chants, drums, horns, and banging on pots and pans! The speech will be broadcast live at 7 PM local time. WE WILL DEMAND: PEACE, NOT ENDLESS WAR! DEMOCRACY, NOT DICTATORSHIP!

Contact dang@higherspeed.net or 867-4801 to help BRING THE NOISE!

Note: We want to place the above ad in several local newspapers. Contributions of any size will help. Indicate if we can list your name as a contributor in the ad. Thanks!

Dinner, Dance Event to Benefit Voter Action

Come on down to the Valentine’s Dinner, Dance & Silent Auction on Saturday, February 11, at 6 PM, at the Albuquerque Wool Warehouse at 516 1st Street NW. The event benefits Voter Action, the folks behind the voters' lawsuit to ban unrealiable electronic voting machines in NM, as well as other crucial election reform initiatives. This kind of activism takes money, and this events makes it easy and fun to help out.

Music will be provided by the Bleeker Street Boys. Dinner includes a vegetarian or chicken entree. Cash bar. Admission: $35 per person.

Click for a flyer (pdf). Pass it on. This event is for a great cause and all grassrooters are urged to attend!

Call today to purchase your tickets:
Jane Ronca-Washburn, 323-6162
Ana Canales, 275-1283
Barbara Neher, 797-1322
Ardis Hanish, 268-5761
Liz McMaster, 255-5965

Make checks payable to Ken Harper for Voter Action.

ACTION ALERT: Attend CD1's Dem Platform Hearing on 2/2

Are you tired of hearing the Democratic Party doesn’t stand for anything?  Tired of reading news reports that say people don’t really like the Republicans but they don’t think the Democrats have anything to offer? Tired of sitting on the sidelines and watching the country go down the drain?

Well here is your opportunity to do something about it.

Jason Bousliman, our CD1 Vice Chair, is organizing a platform hearing on behalf of the State Democratic Party:

Thursday, February 2nd
5:30 - 7:30 PM
UNM Law School, Albuquerque
Room 2401 
Click for map: https://tinyurl.com/djdxu

This is one of three platform hearings that are required by Democratic Party Rules and motions passed at the last State Central Committee Meeting. They are to be held in each of the three Congressional Districts across the state to get input from Democrats, just like you and me, on what the Party should stand for.  A new platform is being written and will be voted on at the Democratic Party Pre-Primary Convention on March 18 and your views can be part of it.

PLEASE take the time to come to this very important hearing and let them know what you want the party to stand for.   

Pass this on to everyone you know. Tell the Party what you think! Hope to see you all there.

Members of our Albuquerque DFA-DFNM Meetup will note that this event is scheduled for the first Thursday of the month, when we hold our monthly Meetup at the First Unitarian Church. For this month only we'll be suspending the regular Meetup and encouraging all Meetup members to instead attend the platform hearing and make their views known to the Democratic Party.

For more information, email Barbara Wold or Dallas Timmons.

Watch Conyers' Hearing on Domestic Spying 9AM Friday

From Rep. John Conyers, via his diary on Daily Kos:
Tomorrow (1/20), I will be holding a hearing/briefing on Bush's warrantless domestic spying program. The hearing will commence at 9 AM MT, and will be broadcast live on C-SPAN, Radio Pacifica, and ABC Radio. You can listen online on Pacifica Radio. It will also be covered by CNN, the New York Times, and many bloggers. This is particularly timely since the DOJ today issued a 42 page rant that again attempts to defend the indefensible -- spying on Americans without court approval. 

... This is a Huge development. The fact that millions of Americans will be able to tune in and see House Democrats challenging this program will show that we don't need to simply sit on our hands while the Constitution is shredded.

We will have an excellent and bipartisan panel, including Reagan Deputy AG Bruce Fein, GWU Law Professor Jonathan Turley, spying expert and author James Bamford, peace activist Richard Hersh, ACLU DC Director Caroline Frederickson, and Kate Martin of the Center for National Security Studies.  I'll be joined at the hearing by my Judiciary Colleagues, Jerrold Nadler, Bobby Scott, Sheila Jackson Lee, Maxine Waters, Adam Schiff, and Chris Van Hollen, among others.

Much, much more will be coming on this abuse, but we need to begin with a good airing of views. See you tomorrow.