Democracy for New Mexico

Building An Audience Who Wants Progressive News and Views

This is a guest blog by Suzanne Prescott, who joined with Eric Griego to create the local progressive talk radio show, Insight New Mexico, which aired for on 1350AM on Saturdays during the NM Legislative Session:

Those who listened to Insight New Mexico have asked if Eric Griego (above right, in studio) will be back on radio. Blogger, Joe Monahan, points out that Eric's options could include competing activities like a run for Heather Wilson's seat or even expanded job duties in Santa Fe. What's up next for Eric? We don't know but we're listening.

We can however look at data about podcasts taken from Eric's radio show, Insight New Mexico, which aired throughout the NM legislative session on AM 1350 Progressive Talk Radio. Individual interviews with guests were podcasted as well as podcasts of shows in their entirety. Podcasts have been played more than 1000 times. By May 11th the top 12 individual interviews (see below) were played 583 times. In addition complete shows were accessed which further increased exposure to show guests beyond listeners who listened to individual podcasts. We conclude that podcasts increased exposure to local progressive legislators, bloggers, journalists and advocates for progressive issues and the numbers continue to grow. 

While the original radio broadcasts may have had somewhere around 1000 - 2000 listeners, podcasts are disseminated over the Internet and provide exposure to a limited audience outside New Mexico, as well as friends, family, staff of guests, and other interested parties. Once radio shows aired and podcasts were created from the shows, it took some time for the podcasts to find their way to interested listeners. For example the individual interview with Sandy Buffet, Executive Director of Conservation Voters NM, was podcasted on February 1 and only played 6 times by March 1 but by May 11th had been played 52 times. (To see the detailed number of plays go to https://podcast.insightnm.net .)

In comparison to audiences for a local conservative weekday drive time radio, these numbers are small - a weekday morning drive time show in Albuquerque could attract 18,000 - 20,000 listeners. However, in terms of building a progressive listenership, the figures suggest that there is an audience waiting to be built and listeners looking for alternative points of view. As soon as AM 1350 began broadcasting Air America radio lineup and other progressive talk shows hosts like Ed Schultz (left, with Suzanne Prescott), the radio talk show audience at normally conservative KKOB saw a decline.  But progressive views on commercial radio rarely include local news and talk. For a progressive slant in Albuquerque, interested parties must rely on a modest set of local resources like the New Mexico blogosphere, Channel 27, KUNM, and the 'The Science Guys' on AM 1350 Talk Radio. Clearly there's room for improvement. It's not too early to begin building a local progressive base by adding radio to the media mix and doing more to extend the current reach of the blogosphere.  It's also too early to conclude that a progressive campaign media strategy should rely on a mind numbing and alienating TV blitz at campaign's end. The recent failure in the District #1 race shows that too much reliance on TV is risky.

The Top Dozen Podcasts from Eric Griego's Insight New Mexico radio show

1) Eric Griego talks with statesman and former mentor, Richard Romero.
* Played 61 times * Runtime 00:08:53

2) Eric interviews Eric Mack, Executive Producer for the New Mexico News Connection, a radio news service.
* Played 54 times * Runtime 00:06:49

3) Eric interviews Senator Dede Feldman
* Played 52 times * Runtime 00:14:32

4) Eric talks with James Scarantino
* Played 52 times * Runtime 00:08:56

5) Eric chats with Sandy Buffet, Executive Director of Conservation Voters NM
* Played 52 times * Runtime 00:00:00

6) Eric chats with conservative New Mexico blogger, Mario Burgos
* Played 49 times * Runtime 00:13:00

7) Eric Interviews New Mexico State Representative, ‘Moe’ Maestas
* Played 48 times * Runtime 00:11:00

8) Eric interviews New Mexico State Senator Jerry Ortiz Y Pino
* Played 48 times * Runtime 00:12:08

9) Eric interviews Maggie Toulouse, Bernalillo County Clerk
* Played 46 times * Runtime 00:11:29

10) Eric interviews Barbara Wold creator of the blog, Democracy for New Mexico
* Played 42 times * Runtime 00:07:08

11) Eric talks with Gene Grant, Albuquerque Tribune columnist and host of 'The Line' on KNME-TV
* Played 41 times * Runtime 00:09:00

12) Eric discusses prospects for passage of the Ethics Reform package with Matt Brix, Executive Director of Common Cause New Mexico
* Played 38 times * Runtime 00:15:26

Note: Unfortunately the second show was not recorded by AM station 1350,  and therefore interviews with our guests,  Mimi Stewart, Joe Monahan, and Kate Nash could not be podcasted.

Editor's Note: This is a guest blog from frequent contributor Suzanne Prescott. If you'd like to submit a post for consideration as a guest blog, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link at the upper left-hand corner of our main page.

Guest Blog: May Day, May Day, The Kids Are Not Alright

Caution: Very graphic in some sections

This is a video guest blog by Brian Fejer of Albuquerque:
The kids are not alright! Walked through UNM Campus on May Day with my ghetto blaster blasting the What Really Happened Lies mp3 (see above video). You could cut the apathy with a knife. Short of a draft, it seems not much can reach these kids.

The pre-emptive Iraq 'War' protestors, were right. The Pro Iraq 'War' supporters are still dead wrong. I remember in the days before the invasion of Iraq protesting on the UNM Campus, and how most of my friends, family, and fellow students wouldn't be caught dead at a antiwar demonstration. On the day of the 2003 student walkout as protesters snaked through campus, doubling and tripling the size of the march, even going through school buildings chanting stand up, walk out, I recall the terrified looks of students cowering in their classrooms. When the war in Iraq started, UNM was on Spring break, and most UNM students never realized the brutality of the APD Police Riot. Four years later, these kids would still rather be on their ipods!

The other day US Marines were on campus recruiting with a rock climbing wall. I walked up to them and asked if they were still hunting down Nine Eleven Conspirator Osama Bin Laden. They just shrugged. I've written scores of letters to the Daily Lobo about Iraq, the tyranny of signing statements and the Military Commisions Act, torture, but you just can't shake this generation. Maybe they are just desensitized from the video games and the corporate media? Land of the Free, Home of the Brave: I'm not so sure anymore, I do what I can. I'm working on a one man show called Post American. It depicts the horrors of war you don't see in the Albuquerque Journal!

Editor's Note: This is a guest blog by Brian Fejer. You can see other examples of his videos on his YouTube channel under Post American. Warning: many are graphic and disturbing, like the war itself. Guest blogs provide our readers with an opportunity to express their opinions on political issues and don't necessarily represent our views. If you'd like to submit a post for consideration as a guest blog, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link at the upper right-hand corner of our main page.

America Votes Says: Sign Petition to Get Wilson and Domenici to Testify Under Oath

This is a guest blog from Jennifer Ford, NM State Director of America Votes, who spoke at this month's DFA-DFNM Meetup:

It was great to be in a room with so many energized progressives at the last Democracy for New Mexico meeting!

My name is Jennifer Ford and I am the New Mexico State Director with America Votes. America Votes serves 37 national and more than 260 state-based partner organizations. This historic partnership represents a combined membership of more than 20 million Americans across the country. Groups that are a part of the America Votes coalition work on a broad range of issues including the environment, civil and human rights, choice, education and labor. 

Yesterday, in the wake of Attorney General Gonzales’ testimony in front of the House Judiciary Committee, I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight one of our partners, New Mexicans for Truth.  This grassroots group of New Mexicans is dedicated to finding out the truth about Heather Wilson and Pete Domenici’s role in the firing of U.S. Attorney David Iglesias. Both public officials allegedly made calls to Iglesias to pressure him about the metro courthouse indictments.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testified in front of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee that "if a member of Congress contacts a US attorney to put pressure on one specific case, that is a very, very serious issue..."  Yesterday, testifying in front of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee Gonzales told the panel that he doesn’t recall any more details on the firings.  In fact, Attorney General Gonzales said he couldn’t recall specific conversations or details in response to more than 70 questions. See this CNN article.

Since he has not been able to clear up the questions surrounding this scandal, the logical next step is for Heather Wilson and Pete Domenici to testify under oath about their conversations. 

New Mexicans for Truth has started a website to find out whether or not Wilson and Domenici pressured U.S. Attorney Iglesias as a way to win public support for Wilson’s extremely tight re-election campaign – a campaign that she won by only 900 votes.

If you are concerned about this issue, go to https://www.peteandheathercomeclean.com  and sign the petition asking Rep. Wilson and Senator Domenici to testify under oath.  Both Domenici and Wilson have repeatedly declined to testify under oath about the timing of the calls. This, above all else, has made it harder for New Mexicans to learn the truth about their Justice Department, and whether politics interfered with the law enforcement process.

Please sign the petition and pass it along to concerned friends:

https://www.peteandheathercomeclean.com.

As progressives we are stronger when we work together and I look forward to working with DFA to further a progressive agenda in New Mexico. 

Jennifer Ford
New Mexico State Director
America Votes
jford@americavotes.org
505-266-2505 ext. 111

Editor's Note: This is a guest blog from Jennifer Ford. Guest blogs provide our readers with an opportunity to express their opinions and share information on relevant political issues. If you'd like to submit a piece for consideration as a guest blog, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link on the upper left-hand corner of the main page.

Guest Blog: Albuquerque City Council Candidates to Test New Public Financing Option

This is a guest blog by Suzanne Prescott:

Maria Martinez (right), Democratic Chair of Albuquerque's precinct 162, says campaign finance reform is a good thing, and helps to insure that our elected officials represent their communities and not special interests. Listen:

Voluntary public campaign finance reform for Albuquerque municipal elections was passed by referendum in the fall election of 2005. This is the first time that the law is being put to the test. Candidates and their supporters will have to feel their way through what is at present an untested procedure set in motion by the referendum that was passed in 2005. To qualify for public campaign funding, the new law requires that a candidate for City Council get signatures and $5.00 from 1% of the registered voters in their district from May 1 to May 30  -- that's gives them less than a month.

For Debbie O'Malley, running for City Council from District #2, that means collecting 300 signatures.  A question worth raising is whether it's worth the effort to get the signatures if a candidate is running unopposed. At present O'Malley has no opposition, but that could change. Collecting the signatures now could be good insurance if an opposing candidate decides to enter the race at a later date. If O'Malley is unopposed and decides not to run a campaign, then the money that has been collected would have to be returned to the initial signators.

ith an official campaign organization just getting off the ground, and with no explanatory literature to hand out, it may not be easy to quickly gather the needed signatures. The first week of collecting signatures is already over -- close family members, and friends have been mined for their support.  Now the hard work begins of explaining the new law and reaching out to those less familiar with the candidate.

Some observers say that with the money in hand there would be at least two advantages to running a campaign: First, it would allow O'Malley to get her name and credentials before a larger audience. This could be useful later if O'Malley were to decide to run for another elected office and there seem to some available. Second, O'Malley's collection of 300 signatures is a good opportunity for supporters to actively engage registered voters in a discussion of public campaign financing and its merits. There are still voters who are not sure what public campaign financing entails and why it's important.

Get Involved
Signatures are already being collected. Registered voters in District  #2 who support Debbie O'Malley can sign a form by calling 304-3960 or emailing . Anyone who is not a registered voter in District #2 and who would like to become one of the 300 signators must register to vote by the end of the month and also sign the form and submit the $5.00. Use the contact information above to become a registered voter. You don't have to live in District #2 to help O'Malley round up signators who will donate $5.

Those who qualify would receive $1 for every registered voter in their District that would be used to finance their campaign. Click for a copy of the issued by the Albuquerque City Clerk.

Editor's Note: Albuquerque will be electing City Councilors from Districts 2, 4, 6 and 8 in November, 2007. :

District 2: Debbie O'Malley is running as an incumbent. No other candidates have announced.

District 4: Brad Winter running as an incumbent. No other candidates have announced.

District 6: Incumbent Martin Heinrich will not run again so that he can enter the Congressional race for CD1. One candidate who has announced he will enter this race is Rey Garduno, who has said he will pursue qualifying for public financing. A subsequent post will provide more information on his campaign.

District 8: It's not known if incumbent Craig Loy is planning to run again for his seat.

This is a guest blog by Suzanne Prescott. Guest blogs provide an opportunity for readers and others to express their views on issues of political interest to DFNM. If you'd like to submit a post for consideration as a guest blog, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link on the upper left-hand corner of the main page.

Guest Blog: National Conservation Area Proposed for Taos County

This is a guest blog by Jim O’Donnell, Northern Director, New Mexico Wilderness Alliance:

One of the wildest places in New Mexico can be found in Taos County.

The area is massive, sprawling over more than 300,000 acres. How you name it depends on who you talk to. I label it by a group of individual names: Rio Grande Gorge, Ute Mountain, Sunshine Valley, Wild Rivers, Cerro de la Olla, Cerro Chiflo, Rio San Antonio, Cerro del Aire...other names are Windmill, the Punche Valley, el llano, Upper Gorge, Lower Gorge, Rio Grande Corridor, the Ute Mountain Run...the challenge in naming it has all to do with its size and diversity – as does the challenge in describing it.

So, lets begin with the river.

The Labatos Bridge marks the beginning of the Rio Grande Gorge. The bridge can be found in Colorado where the Rio Grande begins its cut into the Servilleta lava flows that make up the Taos Plateau. Eight miles later, at the New Mexico state line, the river is 200 feet down, the gorge 150 feet across. West of Questa, where Big Arsenic Spring bubbles from the rock and pinyon jays heap in the winter, the river is a glinting green ribbon eight hundred feet down. The opposite rim is over half a mile away where, on summer mornings, bald eagles soar southward in pairs. At John Dunn Bridge the river enters The Box, an 18-mile stretch of 900 foot cliffs, famous among boaters.

This is also the Rio Grande Migratory Flyway – one of the great migratory routes in the world. Eagles, falcons and hawks make the basalt walls of the Gorge their nesting homes. Ospreys, scaups, hummingbirds, herons, avocets, merlins and willits all traverse the Gorge. The sound of Sandhill Cranes migrating from the San Luis Valley to places like Bosque Del Apache can be deafening while on an October hike in the tablelands west of the river.

It’s that western plateau that is perhaps the most wild. From the edge of the Gorge, vast grass and sagebrush mesas intersperse with the forested slopes of volcanic intrusions such as Cerro Chiflo, Cerro del Aire, Montosos and Cerro de la Olla. It is on these mesas where vast herds of pronghorn and elk find winter forage and calve and fawn along the rim late in the spring. A rancher swore to me he’d heard a wolf howl out there just a few years ago.

This substantial chunk of wild is bounded by the Gorge Rim on the east and Highway 285 on the west. The northern portion spills over 285, encompassing the broad, gently rolling grass and sage brush plains of the Rio San Antonio Gorge WSA, bisected by yet another gorge where raptors next in 200-foot high lava walls and conifers clamber down to the Rio los Pinos.

Perhaps the crown jewel of this whole area is Ute Mountain, a 10,093 foot high volcanic cone rising nearly 3,000 feet above the surrounding plain. Ute is something you can’t miss. Located about ten miles west of Costilla, it is the dominate feature for those driving north from Taos along highway 522.

The steep slopes of Ute are covered in pinyon at the base, as well as pockets of ponderosa, aspen, white pine and Douglas Fir in the higher elevations. From grassy meadows of blue grama, western wheatgrass and Indian ricegrass where the trees thin, the Gorge is a jagged, inky slash dividing Ute from its sister cones to the west. Snow-capped Blanca rises to the north, just across the state line. The whole Sangre de Cristo range falls to the east, terminating, view-wise, at Wheeler Peak. There are people here too. Lupe, Bobby, Esther, Rudy, Ron, Dennis....

Descendants of the land grantees run cattle all along the Gorge and out into the table-lands between the rim and Highway 285. Vehicle routes tend towards sparse and are more likely than not unmaintained two-tracks. Hunting and fishing are common. Hikers climb to the bottom of the gorge for a swim and a picnic. The Box is a popular rafting area and bird watching draws – well, not as many as it ought to. Its fabulous birding! On the slopes of Cerro de la Olla, locals collect firewood to heat their homes in the winter.

This is wild land, important to the culture and character of our county and vital, in its wildness, to our economy. We learned two main lessons during the battles over the Valle Vidal: one, no chunk of public land is secure from mineral development or other forms of exploitation – no matter how safe you may think that land is, no matter how ‘lacking’ in exploitative possibilities it may be, someone, sometime is going to come after that land. Our other lesson was this: our economy in north-central New Mexico is dependant on Wilderness. Wilderness feeds the rivers that feed the acequias. It nurtures our rural lifestyle. Wilderness is the ‘bank’ from which we hunt and fish. It is also a tremendous economic development opportunity. Perhaps most importantly, these wildlands create and nurture the character of the people of Taos County. The Bureau of Land Mangement (BLM) manages the whole thing. This is public land. Our land.

It is invaluable.

For over a year now, the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance has been in discussion with the BLM and Senator Bingaman’s office to find a way to give this massive area the protection it deserves. We have wide-ranging support on this effort from the ranching community, the local elected officials, the acequias, the sportsmen community, the boaters and the biologists.

Any day now, Senator Bingaman will introduce legislation to assure the wild character of this land through a National Conservation Area (NCA) designation. The highlights of this legislation will be the placement of Ute Mountain and the Rio San Antonio Gorge within the Wilderness system.

The goals of this legislation are clear. We want to preserve the rural character of Taos County. We want to protect and encourage traditional uses of the area such as ranching, hunting, fishing and wood-gathering. Private lands within the boundaries would not be affected in any way. Restrictions on development of private lands will remain subject to local/county ordinances.

With this legislation, we seek to ensure a vibrant economic future that values our natural, scenic and cultural resources.

Most Taosenos seek a new vision for economic sustainability that relies on local agriculture, renewable energy, green building and small business. The NCA would support this kind of economic future.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

1. Call Senator Bingaman and thank him for this magnificent effort: 505-224-5521
2. Call AND write to Senator Domenici’s office. Tell the Senator that you just heard about the Taos County National Conservation Area (NCA) proposal and that you would like for him to co-sponsor the bill from the moment it is introduced. Be sure to follow up your call with a letter. SORRY I DO NOT HAVE A BILL NUMBER YET. Call 202-224-6621, Senator Pete V. Domenici, 328 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510-3101
3. Write to one or all of the three newspapers below. Express your support for Senator Bingaman’s Taos County NCA proposal - even if you are from out of state. Be sure to include your name, location and day time phone number.

• Taos News: forum@taosnews.com
• Santa Fe New Mexican: letters@sfnewmexican.com
• Albuquerque Journal: opinion@abqjournal.com

Talking Points
Feel free to include any of your own observations or experiences in the area if you have been there.

• The proposed NCA includes some of the most spectacular scenery in all of New Mexico;
• Existing uses, such as ranching, hunting, fishing and rafting would not be impacted by the creation of the NCA. In fact, those uses would be protected and encouraged;
• The establishment of the proposed NCA and associated Wilderness will provide for future generations of New Mexicans continuing opportunities to enjoy the recreational opportunities to hunt, fish, observe wildlife, and experience solitude;
• Creation of the NCA and Wilderness areas would give local communities a natural attraction and resource to use as part of a long-term sustainable economic development plan;
• The NCA would help protect and ensure valuable water resources;
• The rights of private land owners within the NCA boundaries will be respected if they choose to not trade their land.

--------
Thanks for your help all! We tried to get something similair done nearly twenty years ago when Richardson was our Congressman but, for a number of reasons, it didnt work out. If we dont get it this time, it will be another twenty years before we'll have another chance.

THANK YOU

Crossposted from UNBOSSED.

Editor's Note: This is a guest blog by Jim O’Donnell, Northern Director, New Mexico Wilderness Alliance. Jim has agreed to contribute occasional guest posts here at DFNM. If you'd like to submit a guest post for consideration, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link at the upper left-hand corner of the page.

Guest Blog: Richardson's Experience Proves He's a Fit Candidate

This is a guest blog by Stephen Fox of Santa Fe that was originally published in The Daily Lobo: In a speech given in New Hampshire in late 2006, Gov. Bill Richardson said, "One thing the Bush administration has never understood is that diplomacy and military power are not alternatives to one another, but rather complementary sources of strength. Because diplomacy without power is weak, and power without diplomacy is blind."

This is the very core of Richardson's international platform, and the kind of insight he gained as a U.N. ambassador and energy secretary under President Bill Clinton. Richardson's trip to North Korea is already bringing important results.

His international résumé is a breath of fresh air, and since the U.S. needs to rebuild and rethink its international policies after six years of corporate, Halliburton-driven plutocracy, I believe Richardson must become president.

Our domestic economy is in the pits because of hundreds of billions of dollars going to Iraq and Afghanistan - mostly military expenditures - all to advance the Bush administration's corporate agenda. Other nations are capitalizing on our errors and distractions - like China, with its trillion-dollar balance of payments, as well as Russia, which has funded many developing nations in their colonial struggles, pointing to our oppressive presence in Iraq and telling African, South Asian and South American nations that they are perfectly willing to buy their natural resources instead of plundering them.

On March 28, Richardson said, "I would not leave any troops in Iraq ... If I were president today, I would withdraw by the end of this calendar year ... But I would also have a reconciliation conference of the three religious groups, forge a coalition government and divide the country into three entities."

The international backlash of a totally failed U.S. foreign policy has profound implications for a worsening domestic economy, and the situation is getting seriously worse by the day. This is why I support Richardson's presidential campaign.

Editor's Notes: This is a guest blog by Stephen Fox, who describes himself as follows: Stephen Fox is a Santa Fe Art dealer and the founder of New Millennium Fine Art.He is keen on New Mexico establishing a higher standard for nutrition not just for schools, but at all levels. He authored a bill to ban the neurotoxic artificial sweetener Aspartame, which was sponsored by Sen. Ortiz y Pino, but during the 2007 session, the bill was shot down by "insidious mendacious corporate lobbyists, the scourge of the legislative process," representing Coca Cola, and Ajinomoto of Japan, the world's largest manufacturer of both MSG and Aspartame.  He is working on establish a Nutrition Council for the United Nations by passage of a Resolution he wrote. The text and supporting medical documents can be found at Fox's website.

Guest blogs provide an opportunity for readers to express their personal opinions on relevant political matters and don't necessarily represent the views of DFNM. If you'd like to submit a post for consideration as a guest blog, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link at the upper left-hand corner of our main page.

Another View On Unfair Apportionment in Taos County

This post was submitted by Claudia Kuhns of Colorado:
I have been following the precinct elections and the county re-organization in Taos County both this year and in 2005.  It is appalling that the gains in organization and equality have been obliterated by one group of so-called Democrats cheating to get their man elected as county chair. It is even more appalling that this appears to have been done with the complicity of the state Democratic Party which has not even followed its own rules in apportioning precinct representatives as well as allowing election fraud in some precincts while disenfranchising citizens in other precincts. Is there really any democracy in New Mexico?

This seems to follow the same pattern of oppression by some members of the Democratic Party in New Mexico in 2004 when an outrageously exorbitant fee was established for a recount in the Presidential election. This fee was established by then Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron and Governor Bill Richardson, both Democrats. It has since been statistically proved that there were gross irregularities in a significant number of precincts in New Mexico. The stopping of the recount was subsequently ruled illegal by the New Mexico Supreme Court.

More recently in the CD 1 race Patricia Madrid narrowly lost to Heather Wilson.  Again democracy was thwarted as no recount was done. In many states the narrow margin in this race would have triggered an automatic recount. One wonders why Ms. Madrid conceded so quickly.

Where are the real Democrats in New Mexico? Is the Democratic Party being run by Republicans in Democrats' clothing?  Sure sounds like that might be the case.

Claudia Kuhns
Executive Director
The Public Integrity Project
Be the Change USA

Editor's Note: See our previous posts on this topic here, here and . This post was submitted by Claudia Kuhns. Guest blogs such as these provide an opportunity for readers to express their opinions on political topics and do not necessarily reflect the views of DFNM. If you'd like to submit a post for possible publication as a guest blog, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link in the upper left-hand corner of our main page.

Guest Blog: Request to Gov. Richardson-Persuade Senate to Reconsider SJR5

This is a guest blog from Joe Thornton of Carizozo, NM:

Good Morning Governor Richardson:
I just finished reading over the vast amount of information in regards to your biography that was superbly presented by Thomas Cole and Leslie Linthicum, in the five part series presented in the Albuquerque Journal. Many events caught my eye while reading over the information. 

For example, “Former house speaker Foley says Richardson’s personality was a major asset during his years in Congress.”  “He’s outgoing and makes friends easy,” Foley says, “Politics is an interactive, personal business.” 

“Richardson also likes to give people nicknames and tease those who work for him.”

“The nicknames he chooses are often incomprehensible – he has called several aides Joseph over the years – and always chosen to especially annoy their recipients.” 

I like nicknames as well, Governor.  After reading over your resume, and realizing the number of goals that you have accomplished in your short lifetime, probably the nickname I would give to you would be Bill “Get Results” Richardson.

“A former senator says Richardson has an “enveloping energy and enthusiasm.” A longtime friend calls him a “Force of nature.” 

It seems to me, that by being a fast moving and high energy type individual that you would almost have to be a prankster type while attempting to associate yourself around people that has a hefty sense of humor in order to stave off some of the stress of the job. For example: “When Richardson arrived in Congress, Rep. Claude Pepper, D-Fla, was an esteemed member of the House.  He also was elderly and had a hearing problem.”  “Richardson would approach Pepper on the floor and frustrate him by mouthing but not speaking his words, causing Pepper to fiddle with a hearing aid before catching on to Richards’s prank.” I’m smiling while writing this, and if you have read this far, then you are probably grinning while you are reading this. That was very funny to me, when I first read it. 

Another thing I noticed in the Journal series was: “Former Rep. David Bonior, D-Mich, says, Richardson is more than book-smart.”  “He’s street-smart, too,” Bonior says. “He knows what’s important to people.” 

We The People and SJR5
At this point I would like to change gears, and share with you what I believe to be important to We The People. For several weeks, we have traveled from Lincoln County to the Roundhouse to support other grassroots American We The People, in regards to the committee hearings in Room 321 of the Roundhouse.  We were in attendance at the Rules Committee hearing where Senator Linda Lopez, Chair of Rules conducted the hearing. There was a great host of We The People at that hearing, and probably just as many people out in the hallway. The Rules Committee passed SJR5, by a vote of 5-0 out the committee hearing.  Several days later, some of the same We The People plus others (both Democrats and Republicans, and other persuasions) were in attendance at the Public Affairs Committee Hearing where Senator Dede Feldman, Chair conducted the hearing.  Probably more We The People present at this meeting both inside and out of Room 321, than at the Rules hearing. The Public Affairs Committee passed SJR5 by a vote of 3-2. 

Then it went to the Judiciary Committee where Senator Cisco McSorley, Chair conducted the hearing late in the evening on Monday, March 5, 2007. We didn’t get to make that meeting, because we were there all day on Saturday, March 3, 2007, waiting for the hearing to take place that day.  The vote in favor of passing the Committee hearing out of the Judiciary passed by 5-1, with Senator Rod Adair voting against. From shortly after the passage of the Senate hearing report to be sent to the Senate Floor for acceptance and debate, apparently things were happening behind the scenes, I don’t know this for sure, because the big surprise happened on Wednesday, March 7, 2007, when the Republicans used a procedural maneuver to stall the Impeachment Resolution and prevent a full debate on the Floor. 

On Wednesday, March 7, 2007 something major happened on the Senate Floor that has thus far destroyed the rights of We The People. The Republicans decided to block "adoption" of the Judiciary Committee report, by using a procedural move not to adopt the committee report from the Senate Judiciary Committee. They were successful in a voice vote largely because the Democrats were not on hand in number to oppose the motion.

On Thursday, March 8, 2007, sometime after 2:15 p.m., Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez had held out for a roll call vote sometime that same day.  The roll call vote was on this order: If you wanted “to uphold” the voice vote of the previous day (which was to block “adoption” of the Judiciary Committee Report) let your vote be known by “YES”. If you “did not want to uphold” the voice vote of the previous day (which was to block “adoption” of the Judiciary Committee Report) let your vote be known by “NO”. 

The Senate did not vote on the resolution itself. Rather, it voted 26-13 not to adopt the committee report from the Senate Judiciary Committee. By refusing to adopt the committee report, senators have prevented the resolution from reaching the floor this session. 

Governor Richardson, I believe the vast majority of We The People across these united States of America want the war (killing) to stop, the troops to be brought home, the corrupt administration removed from office in order to set a precedent to any and all government officials that the stealing, killing and destroying has to stop and truth has to prevail no matter who is in office. 

You might say, What does all of that have to do with me, the governor of New Mexico, and my answer would be because you have a life long reputation as being an excellent negotiator. In my opinion, there is no presidential candidate in the Democratic Party that is more qualified than Governor Bill Richardson, who carried New Mexico with over 60% of the vote.  As you declared your candidacy for President, something in the neighborhood of 40% stated that it would be good for New Mexico state to have you as President of the United States. 

A Request
Therefore, I, Joe Thornton, am appealing to your best side to use your natural born ability to persuade the Senate to reconsider/revisit SJR5 by allowing the Senate Judiciary Report to be accepted on the Senate Floor and debated and voted upon as soon as possible.  This very special Senate Floor Session should be absolutely on the up and up, with no trickery or slight of hand allowed.  The Senate Floor hearing should designate a specific time so We The People would be able to attend the session and observe from the gallery the hearing.  It would also be proper to allow select people in the gallery to speak to the issue, either for or against, which would require some microphones up in the Senate Gallery. 

I believe you have the influence to pull this off, and I hope and pray, and trust that you will do the right thing. 

Some might would say, How will this affect his run for the Presidency?  It will definitely enhance your candidacy for the President of the united States, by showing the whole world that is watching via the internet that New Mexico has a very progressive action oriented Governor that likes to get the job done. On the other hand, if you so choose not to do anything, then what happened on the Senate Floor on Wednesday, March 7, 2007,and Thursday, March 8, 2007, with the action that the Republicans initiated by slipping in the procedural move to block the Senate Judiciary Committee Report, the Repub’s along with the missing Dem’s took away (stole) one of the  Constitutional means to possibly right some of the many wrongs against We the People and innocent people everywhere by blocking the passing of SJR5 from New Mexico state to the U. S. Congress urging  Congress to investigate and begin Impeachment proceedings for high Crimes and Misdemeanors.  (Article II, Section 4)

The whole world will be watching via the internet whatever action you take.  Thanks for accepting this fax that attempts to express my heart. 

Thanks,
Joe Thornton
Carrizozo, Lincoln County, New Mexico
Phone: 505-648-4447

Editor's Notes: This post is a guest blog by Joe Thornton, a citizen activist supporter of SJR 5. Guest blogs provide readers with an opportunity to express their personal views on issues. The opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by this blog. If you'd like to submit a post for consideration as a guest blog, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link at the upper left-hand corner of the page.

The New Mexico impeachment effort has been followed and discussed all over the internet by tens of thousands of people across the nation and the world. It's generated blog and forum posts, articles, videos, audios, photographs and many threads of comments. It's resulted in this blog receiving up to 5,000 hits per day from people seeking information about the progress of the legislation. To read our previous coverage of this issue, visit our impeachment post archive.

Nuclear Watch NM Seeks Letter Writers

Guest Blog from John Witham, Nuke Watch NM:
NukeWatch is looking for a few brave letter writers to be a rapid response team when the issues merit! 

If you have been been seeing us mentioned in articles, visiting our website or receiving our newsletter you know about our work in nuclear weapons issues, nonproliferation and cleanup of contamination from weapons production.

There is a serious groundswell of opposition to the Bush Administration’s plan to build new nuclear weapons and resume industrial-scale bomb production. Editorials and articles are now being published here in New Mexico...

Santa Fe New Mexican article
Albuquerque Journal article

...and nationally, for example in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, which call for fundamental review and change in policy.  Even Henry Kissinger and Mikhail Gorbachev have called for the elimination of nuclear weapons! Congressional hearings and the new Federal budget are pending. Yet nuclear weapons affairs remain balanced on the knife-edge.  The results can be tipped by the slightest nudge if acted upon in a prompt manner.

How can we take advantage of this significant time?

Our representatives and elected officials take the pulse of the nation by having their staff review letters-to-editors, op-eds, and online comments from citizens responding to articles in the press. Usually these comments are 150 words or less! Congressional staff has told us that there are not enough citizens making their voices heard through these standard media outlets to compel their offices to act decisively on nuclear weapons issues. New Mexicans have a special responsibility and opportunity to do so, as our state is the key state in the nuclear weapons complex (43% of the Department of Energy’s nuclear weapons funding is spent here alone). At the same time, we know from personal experience that because of our relatively small population New Mexicans who do speak can have more effect than citizens in a more populous state. We are living now in a time when some added citizen advocacy could help change U.S. nuclear weapons policies and make a better world for generations to come.

We’d like to identify a group of people with an interest in helping shape this future by occasionally writing (say every couple of months) a letter-to-the -editor.  As time is usually of the essence we are looking for potential “rapid responders” who we can tip off (via email) about a recent editorial, pending legislation or an upcoming hearing, and who can invest a few minutes to write a few words in order to help nudge the scales towards the future we want our children to enjoy.

Please consider being a rapid responder, letting your elected officials know where you stand on nuclear weapons issues and having an impact on our future! If you decide to become a rapid responder we will add your email address to a select list to receive these prompts.  Although we may provide key points about the particular issue and where to send comments, how you respond is up to you.

We deeply respect the privilege of communicating with you and will not share your e-mail address with anyone for any purpose. If you wish to participate as a rapid responder just let us know.  Or, if you have any questions please feel free to give me a call or e-mail me.

In peace,
John Witham, Communications,
Nuclear Watch New Mexico
www.nukewatch.org
john@nukewatch.org
(505) 989-7342

Editor's Note: This is a guest blog from John Witham of Nuclear Watch. If you'd like to submit a piece for consideration as a guest blog, contact me by clicking on the Email Me button the upper left-hand side of our main page.

Guest Blog: Urgent Aspartame Ban Action Alert

This is a guest blog by Stephen Fox of Santa Fe:
New Mexico Needs Your Immediate Help! New Mexico Senator Jerry Ortiz y Pino’s Senate Bill 498, to ban Aspartame in New Mexico, may end up being scuttled this week in the Senate Public Affairs because of an ”analysis” by an Assistant Attorney General, Zach Shandler, which essentially throws in the towel and agrees with corporate theories of the FDA’s approval of aspartame preempting and preventing any state level legislative ban on Aspartame, in order to protect New Mexicans from, for example, Brain Tumors and Multiple Sclerosis resultant from ingesting Aspartame/Methanol/Formaldehyde and another brain tumor causing agent/metabolite of Aspartame: Diketopiperazine.

This cannot be the work of the Attorney General of New Mexico, Gary King, Ph.D. Organic Chemistry. He was asked to write a letter endorsing the two bills, one in each Chamber of the Legislature, which he may still be doing; that support letter may be still in the works, which at this writing is completely unclear.

After all, Gary helped write the bill back when he was the Attorney General candidate whom we endorsed so strongly in dozens of New Mexico publications, precisely because with his background in chemistry and his long history of Consumer advocacy as former chairman of the House of Representatives Consumer Affairs committee and as the legislator who wrote most of the administrative procedures for the New Mexico Board of Pharmacy back in the 1990’s, he could understand the medical and biochemical harm done by this artificial sweetener, which is metabolized as methanol and formaldehyde, and should never have been approved by the FDA in 1981, when its approval was forced through the FDA by then CEO of G.D. Searle, Donald Rumsfeld, for vast personal fiscal gain, as well as the obvious parallels between Aspartame corporate liabilities and the corporate liabilities at the heart of the $235 billion tobacco suits in the 1990’s.

States and even cities can and must protect themselves, and in fact do all the time in these jurisdictional realms. For example, New York City was not preempted by FDA approval of artificial trans-fats when its city council recently banned them. States have gotten rid of all kinds of things with prior federal approval by FDA or EPA other agencies: Asbestos, another fine example. The Vioxx suits in Texas were not preempted by FDA approval of Vioxx! There is no potential Balkanization of consumer statutes in the USA, or as Shandler alluded, no potential threat of suits by the FDA over jurisdictions herein.

I ask you to telephone Gary King, Attorney General of New Mexico, as soon as you can, starting Monday, to inquire whether Mr. Shandler’s minion’s opinions are the final word from the A.G. on this vital issue, or will King come through with a strong letter defending all states’ rights and states' obligations to protect the health of their citizens, especially when we have a corporate-manipulated United States Food and Drug Administration that will facilely rubber-stamp just about whatever ghastly new chemical additive industry asks it to approve!

There are hundreds of millions of lives at stake, because of the neurodegenerative afflictions attributed to Aspartame, even in the FDA compiled consumer complaint lists: Multiple Sclerosis, Lou Gerhig's disease, Sudden Cardiac Arrest, Brain tumors, etc.

Please also ask all of your friends, neighbors, associates, colleagues, and family to also call him, even if you are not a constituent from New Mexico. We are not at this point talking about suing 25 corporations: we just want to pass a long overdue bill that prohibits the sale of Aspartame in New Mexico.

If Attorney General King also capitulates to the corporate demands that New Mexico stop impugning Aspartame because of its proven neurotoxicity and cancer-causing 26 year record of killing people, our battle becomes an almost impossible uphill battle, which must be prevented by direct citizen intervention, communication, and correspondence to New Mexico Attorney General Gary King.

This is urgent, as the Senate Public Affairs Committee will decide this matter this week, and two Senators, Mary Kay Papen of Las Cruces and Dede Feldman of Albuquerque, would vote against this measure easily, just because of this pusillanimous “analysis” from Assistant New Mexico Attorney General Zach Shandler, really the last quarter from which we could have expected such a pathetically weak consumer protection stance, which we cannot allow to ruin or eviscerate the most important consumer protection legislation in the United States in 2007!

After you call, take the time to write it down and mail it or Xerox it or email it to Gary King on his website as Attorney General.

Thank you very much,
Stephen Fox
Stephen@santafefineart.com

Contact Information for your calls Monday and later this coming week:

Attorney General Gary King
(505) 827-6000, Executive Assistant, Lisa Wood

NM State Senator Mary Kay Papen of Las Cruces
NM State Senator Dede Feldman of Albuquerque, Public Affairs Chair
(505) 986-4300

At the same number, you can also reach two Senators whose support is also absolutely vital, just not quite so urgently as the two above:

NM Senate, President Pro Tempore, Ben Altamirano of Silver City
Majority Leader, Michael Sanchez of Belen

After all of our medical articles and warning, two of these four Senators, and actually many others in both houses, still consume beverages with Aspartame, which is tragic, of course, but still "their business."

They should not, however, let their own consumer choices, govern their votes on efforts to protect the rest of the 1.8 million New Mexicans from the harm done by Aspartame/Methanol/Formaldehyde/Diketopiperazine. We can still ban it entirely, rather than use a fall back plan, to ask the Legislature to require every Aspartame product to have a cross and bones poison label on every product.

Click to read Stephen Fox's previous guest blog on this topic.

Editor's Note: This is a guest blog by Stephen Fox. Guest blogs are meant to permit readers to express their opinions on issues and the opinions expressed are not necessarily those of DFNM. If you'd like to submit a guest blog for consideration, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link on the upper left-hand corner of the main page.