Democracy for New Mexico

A Day on the Streets in Albuquerque

From guest blogger Terry Riley:

A day on the street!

The battle is over. No blood was let. No shots fired. No fists bruised. Where could this be you say?  It was on the streets of Albuquerque at noon. A showdown between a sign carrying street demonstrator and three soldiers in uniform. I bet your picture of this is a bit scary. Mine is, and I was there, and I wasn't one of the ones in uniform.

I was standing on the corner of a busy intersection holding my sign high. The top of the sign read, "Heather independent?  Bush says she is loyal!" This is followed by a photo taken at a fundraiser in Albuquerque where the Wilson campaign netted approximately $375,000. The photo shows Wilson looking at President Bush in a devoted look, almost loving. This is followed by two more messages, "Wilson supports corporations!" and "Madrid supports New Mexico!" In the traffic somebody yelled out, "Traitor! You stupid SOB! etc."

As the car rounded the corner I noticed three soldiers in uniform and they were still yelling. I hoped that they would keep driving, I feared that they were too angry to deal with. I looked up and they came, dodging cars, crossing eight lanes of traffic. This did not look good. They came up to me and began yelling in my face, all three at once. As they ran out of steam one of them finished with the
oft repeated line, "I fought over there so you could be free to do this."  He said something else, I don't remember exactly, I think it was possibly that he hated me for what I was saying.

I spoke up and though they interrupted a little, they allowed me to finish. I said, "Nothing about your service affects my being on the street or my feeling of my right to do what I am doing or to say what I am saying. My right to be here comes because my father served in the occupation of Germany, I served during Vietnam, my brother served during Vietnam, my older son served during Gulf I and my younger son served in Afghanistan. I thank you for your service but I earned ALL of my rights!"

Two of the soldiers immediately extended their hands and thanked me for my service. One of the soldiers said that when we stand with signs that say things against the war that they are hurt because they are at great risk doing what they do. I pointed out that my sign said nothing about the war but that when I do carry signs against the war I also always state, "Pro-Soldier, Anti-War." They weren't ready for that. I believe that they will look more carefully at signs that demonstrators carry from now on.

We spoke for about fifteen minutes. They were in full support of the Bush administration and their policies, including Congresswoman Wilson. I pointed out many of the lies that have gotten us here, lies that they did not try to argue with me on. They tried that old, "We have to stop them over there before they come over here." I asked if they knew that none of the hijackers were from Iraq OR Afghanistan. I pointed out that they were from Saudi Arabia and Egypt. They were surprised by that. They challenged me that Improvised Explosion Devices (IED) are terrible and dirty fighting (not their words). I asked if they knew how many IEDs were constructed from American explosive devices. One was very aware, he had served in Iraq.

They talked about the future of Iraq if we pull out. I pointed out that we are going to leave Iraq eventually and that we will not be able to "fix" their government no matter what. We need to get out as soon as possible so we will no longer be responsible for keeping Iraq in a mess. We agreed that what is happening is a mess and that when we do leave it will become a bigger mess, but it will be their mess. I suggested that when we are not there, the people of Iraq will take control of their country and develop a government of their liking and they will go about their lives. They do not have the time to come over here, we have leveled their homes, shut off their economy, their water and sewer, etc. Their families are not safe and they have no prospect of jobs. With us gone they can get to work fixing what they want fixed, not what Bush wants fixed.

Two of the soldiers seriously seemed to come around. The third appeared to have never considered these thoughts and had a long way to go yet. I really enjoyed that encounter. I believe that two of those soldiers are on the first level of being friends. I am happy for that. There are many many people who are unaware of the truth as these soldiers were unaware. We have to stand up and speak out daily so that when the next election takes place there are enough people who have heard the truth.  We know that the TV (news?) and talk radio (news?)  do not give balanced perspectives. Please come and stand with me to bring these stupid military adventures to a close and to bring Democrats into Washington. 

Guest blog by Terry Riley, who can be contacted at terryactivist@aol.com.

Editor's Note: If you'd like to submit a guest post or Sound Off for possible publication on this blog, please contact me by clicking on the Email Me link on the upper left-hand corner of the main page.

Guest Blogger: NM Sen. Dede Feldman on Governor's Health Care Initiatives

Now here’s some genuinely good news. Governor Bill Richardson has gotten religion!Governor Richardson Appoints Committee to Study Various Models of Universal Health Care!

After line-item vetoing the money Rep. Danice Picraux and I had inserted in the budget for a cost study of various models of universal health care, the Guv is going for it. He’s appointed a committee and we’ll start work soon.

He’s also going with a key recommendation from the legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee and last year’s Insure New Mexico Task Force. That recommendation is that we expand the eligibility of Medicaid for adults to a decent level (100% of the federal poverty level or about $16,600 for a family of three), to relieve pressure on stressed hospitals who now provide the indigent care, and let the federal government pay three quarters of the bill. Thank You Governor---Hosana, Hosana in the Highest.

Now all we have to do is to get the legislature to fund the expansion to the tune of $62 million. I hope I can count on some of you out there in the blogsphere to help. It will mean the opportunity for health insurance for 42,000 low income New Mexicans, almost all of them working.   

Click the link to read the news release out of the Governor’s Office: "Governor Richardson Takes Action to Close Uninsured Gap in New Mexico"

Editor's Note: This is a Guest Blog by NM Senator Dede Feldman and it's cross-posted on her own blog. If you'd like to be a guest blogger on DFNM, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link on the top left-hand side of the main page.

Guest Blogger: NM Sen. Dede Feldman

Take Back America Conference:  We’re Mad as Hell and Not Going to Take it Anymore

Earlier this month I attended the websiteTake Back America conference of progressive activists from around the country in DC.  I was one of twenty-odd elected state officials from the heartland to rub elbows with over a thousand organizers, labor union folks, civil rights activists, environmentalists and just plain ordinary citizens who are mad as hell and not going to take it any more.  They’re pushing back against the Bush administration on the streets (there were lots of young people there who had organized the giant immigration rallies in April), over the airwaves, and on the internet. The conference was sponsored by the Campaign for America’s Future (www/ourfuture.org), which is directed by Bob Borosage and Roger Hickey. 

With Bush’s popularity dropping daily, the news from Iraq getting worse and worse, ethics scandals and a new interest in the environment spurred by Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, there was a sense that the tide was finally turning.

The war in Iraq was a hot topic, of course, addressed by several Congressional leaders and Democratic presidential hopefuls who came to court, including John Kerry, Hilary Clinton, Russ Feingold, Barak Obama, and Tom Vilsack. Even more important was the debate over what should be the unifying theme for the Democrats going into the next elections.

Many thought that the idea of a “common good,” which is the polar opposite of the society Republicans want to create, fit the bill.  Others thought that the term “golden rule Democrat” was a good offset to the so-called “moral values” trumpeted by the Christian right.  Still others (including Barak Obama), felt it was enough to ask “Had Enough?”
      
More on Taking Back America
Among the throngs of young leaders at the conference, there were two that particularly impressed me.  Eli Pariser is the head of MoveOn.org, which is now 3 million strong.  He is truly amazing. He is able to connect this administration’s addiction to big money that wills most of the poor policy choices with which we are now saddled.  Steven Bradberry, lead organizer for ACORN in devastated New Orleans, seized the moment and during a period when no help was arriving, helped ordinary citizens obtain affordable housing, organized voters in far flung cities and enacted reforms that will change the face of the city.  Other kids were talking, blogging, and writing about the huge amount of debt that with which the current policies are saddling them, not to mention looming environmental problems. The 20-somethings are making the connections between campaign contributions from Sallie Mae to the Bush crowd and higher interest rates for student loans, which will affect them for years to come.
      
Here are few quotes that stuck in my mind:

“We have to start bringing the troops home now.” --- Sen. Harry Reid.
      
“Over half of those names on the Vietnam wall are names of soldiers who died after the leadership knew we would never win and we needed to get out.”  --- Sen. John Kerry
      
“When are you guys going to stand up?  We must take strong stands.” --- Sen. Russ Feingold
      
“It’s the timidity, the smallness of our politics that’s holding us back.”  --- Sen. Barak Obama
      
“The truth is the bottom line in a democracy, and we are being lied to.”  --- Sen. John Kerry

Editor's Notes: Sen. Feldman's website can be found at https://dedefeldman.com/index.html. You can visit her blog at https://senatorfeldman.typepad.com/.

Click to view websitevideo, photos and more from the Take Back America Conference.

If you'd like to be a guest blogger, please contact me by clicking on the Email Me link at the top left-hand side of our main page.