Democracy for New Mexico

State Dem Party to Hold Judicial Council and Discussion Meetings in Taos

From the Democratic Party of New Mexico:

DPNM Judicial Council Meeting
The Democratic Party of New Mexico’s Judicial Council will be convening in Taos this Saturday, July 28, from 10:00 AM until 1:00 PM at the Kachina Lodge. Per the ruling of the last Judicial Council meeting on April 26th, 2007, the purpose of the meeting will be to discuss the allocation of the Democratic Party of Taos County’s Central Committee and to interpret the Democratic Party of New Mexico’s rule 9-2.C. Rule 9-2.C outlines the rules for allocating committee members for county party organizations (see below).

DPNM Discussion Panel with State Officers
Also we would like to inform you that the Democratic Party of New Mexico’s Chairman Brian Colón and state officers will be hosting a Discussion Panel in Taos on Sunday, August 12th, also at the Kachina Lodge beginning at 1:30 PM. The Discussion Panel will be an informational session that is geared to give party activists and community members an opportunity to address their concerns about precinct elections that were held in Taos on March 13, 2007. The Discussion Panel will then use information and testimonies from the August 12th meeting to ensure that precinct elections in the future are fair and inclusive.

(Rule 9-2.C-additional committeepersons, as apportioned to the precincts on the basis of the average of votes cast in each precinct for the Democratic candidate in the most recent presidential and gubernatorial elections.  A fair apportionment formula shall be set by the county rules and shall be uniform throughout the county.  The apportionment may vary from one committeeperson for each 200 votes to one committeeperson for each 25 votes, depending on the rules of the county, provided, however, that the apportionment formula shall not result in more than one-third (1/3) of the precincts of the county being represented by only one committeeperson.  The membership allotted to the precinct chair is included in the number of committeepersons apportioned to that precinct.)

Democratic Party of New Mexico
1301 San Pedro NE
Albuquerque, NM 87110
Office: (505) 830-3650

Editor's Notes:
As with all Party meetings, all Democrats are welcome to attend.

Some previous posts, including guest blogs, on these issues related to the Taos County Democratic Party:

• April 26, 2007
• April 11, 2007
• April 10, 2007
• March 26, 2007

Thursday: Michael Cadigan on 'We The People'

WE THE PEOPLE: Thursday, July 26, 2007, 6 PM
Albuquerque City Councilor Michael Cadigan will discuss 'Government via Clean Elections: Do policies behind our current election system affect society?'

Live on Albuquerque Cable TV Channel 27! Worldwide On The Net! Click for Streaming Media: https://quote-unquote.org/. Call-in: (505) 346-1633. We The People is broadcast every Second and Fourth Thursday at 6-7 PM MDT. It's an innovative call-in television show looking for TRUTH and TRANSPARENCY in local, state and federal governments. THANKS FOR WATCHING, Mickey Bock/Judith Binder - Hosts

Join Rail Runner Adventure with Dem Women of Bernalillo County

From the Democratic Women of Bernalillo County:
RAIL-RUNNER ADVENTURE
SATURDAY * JULY 28, 2007
$20.00 /person, Includes Train Fare & Lunch Buffet
For Reservations, Call Margaret Garcia 877-1043

Itinerary:
11:00 AM:  Arrive @ downtown station
11:25 AM:  Board train and depart station
11:50 AM:  Train arrives @ Bernalillo station
12:00-12:20 PM:  Board shuttle to Santa Ana Casino
12:20-1:30 PM:  Lunch  @ The Feast Buffet
1:30 - 2:30 PM:  Free-time
2:30 - 2:45 PM:  Board shuttle to Train Station
3:10 PM:  Board train-return trip to Alb.

Grassroots Group 'Drilling Santa Fe' Sets Up Online Petition Drive

On the heels of a packed and highly successful organizing event held in Santa Fe earlier this month, the grassroots group Drilling Santa Fe has created an online petition page in support of its mission. By signing the petition, residents of Santa Fe County can join a growing list of citizens and local organizations urging county government to defer action on all oil and gas drilling permits until effective regulations are created with citizen input to protect the land from environmental degradation and other negative impacts. To learn more about the issue, the group's actions and how to participate, visit DrillingSantaFe.com.

As reported on the webiste, oil and gas explorers have leased hundreds of square miles of mineral rights from south of Galisteo through the Ortiz Mountains to the outskirts of Santa Fe, and are taking action to launch widespread and potentially damaging new drilling projects in response to rising energy prices. Landowners south and southwest of Santa Fe are now learning that the mineral leases under their property take legal precedent over their surface rights.

Drilling Santa Fe wants citizens to know that there is an opportunity now to urge Santa Fe County to strengthen their regulations to prevent some of the damage and health hazards that this level of oil and gas exploration and production has inflicted on communities and land owners in northwestern and southeastern New Mexico. Ultimately, the state government must enact the environmental protections afforded residents of other states.

Tax deductible donations [501(c)3] for Drilling Santa Fe should be made to the Concerned Citizens of Cerrillos for the Drilling Santa Fe Fund, P.O. Box 23921, Santa Fe, NM 87502. Santa Fe County residents can sign the petition here. The group's website is at https://www.DrillingSantaFe.com.

ACTION ALERT: Join 'Iraq Summer' Rally Tuesday, Noon, ABQ

I'm passing this along from Americans Against Escalation in Iraq -- the Iraq Summer activists. Please come if you can and pass the info on. We need some street action to keep the pressure on to stop the Iraq occupation:

• New Mexico "Iraq Summer" Holds Solemn 'Chaos is Not Progress' Rally in Response to Bush Administration's So-Called "Progress Report" in Iraq
• Great Visual: Campaign to Mimic Bob Dylan's Classic Subterranean Homesick Blues Video (above) By Dropping Cards on Busy Albuquerque Intersection with statistics of American casualties and taxpayers' money spent on the war in Iraq
• "Iraq Summer" Continues to Implore Domenici, Wilson to Break with Bush and Vote to Bring War in Iraq to Safe and Responsible End

With more than 70 percent of the American public calling for the withdrawal of nearly all U.S. troops from Iraq by April, the "Iraq Summer" campaign alongside dozens of concerned New Mexicans will hold a solemn 'Chaos is Not Progress' rally on the Corner of San Mateo Blvd, NE and Montgomery Blvd, NE on July 24, 2007 at 12 Noon in response to the Bush administration's so-called 'progress report' in Iraq and in response to U.S. Senator Pete Domenici's and U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson's ongoing support of the President's costly, irresponsible and failed Iraq war policy.

New Mexicans will mimic music legend Bob Dylan's classic video Subterranean Homesick Blues (above) by dropping cue cards with statistics of American casualties and taxpayers' money spent on the war in Iraq. The rally comes on the heels of Rep. Wilson's vote on July 12 against the Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act [HR 2956] and Senator Domenici's vote on July 18 to obstruct an up-or-down vote on the Reed-Levin amendment to the Defense Authorization bill ? both meaningful pieces of legislation to begin safely and responsibly winding down the war in Iraq.

WHO: Americans Against Escalation in Iraq

WHAT: New Mexico "Iraq Summer" Holds Solemn 'Chaos is Not Progress' Rally in Response to Bush Administration's So-Called "Progress Report" in Iraq

WHEN: Tuesday, July 24, 2007 at 12 Noon

WHERE: Corner of San Mateo Blvd, NE and Montgomery Blvd NE, Albuquerque

www.noiraqescalation.org

Bush to Visit NM to Raise Funds for Domenici

According to the Albuquerque Journal, The Commander George W. (The Decider) Bush will be taking precious time out of his delusional Iraq occupation disinformation campaign to attend a private, big dollar fundraiser for Sen. Pete Domenici in late August in Albuquerque:

... sources familiar with Domenici's quest for a seventh Senate term told the Journal this week that the campaign has already started making calls to solicit potential contributors regarding the late-August fundraiser and plans to mail out invitations soon.

I'm sure they'll keep the details secret so that New Mexico's citizens don't get anywhere near the increasingly unpopular president (or the increasingly muddled Domenici). As always, Bush's handlers are hell bent on making sure that inconvenient realities don't puncture the president's protective bubble of sunny, steely "resolve."

The visit by Bush is undoubtedly a payback for Pete's refusal to vote for anything meaningful to change course in Iraq, despite the Senator's recent posturing in the media about a change of heart on the occupation. Like Bush, Domenici is all hat, no cattle, on Iraq. Domenici's top priority these days, like that of most other powerful Repub Senators, is protecting the president and his cronies rather than doing what's right by our troops or our nation. Money talks. Domenici listens.

July 24: Celebrate NM's Statewide Boost to Minimum Wage

You're Invited

Please Join

Americans United for Change, Elected Officials, Labor Leaders, and Community Activists to

Celebrate New Mexico's First Statewide Boost to the Minimum Wage in a Decade

We've lead the way with state and local increases

And now Congress has followed:

Thanks to Sen. Bingaman and Rep. Udall and new leadership in Congress, ALL NM workers are finally getting a raise after ten long years on July 24, 2007

Tuesday, July 24th at 3:00 PM
Downtown Flying Star Cafe
Upstairs Meeting Room
723 Silver Ave SW, Albuquerque

Hear from Elected Officials, Labor Leaders and Community Activists that have long fought for a federal increase and our local increases.

Refreshments will be served.

Please RSVP to joshgeise@aol.com or 505-603-1067

Tune In Now: NM Blog Radio

You can listen to today's archived show about EMERGE NM hosted by Heather Brewer and earn 50 cents for the organization if you listen to the podcast during the coming week. Click to read about today's show.

Bingaman Floor Speech on Levin-Reed Iraq War Amendment

Sen. Jeff Bingaman strongly backs the Levin-Reed amendment to the defense authorization bill that would have required President Bush to begin drawing down American forces within four months. “It is unfortunate this important amendment was defeated, despite the fact that a majority of senators support it,” Bingaman said after the vote. A release on his website reports:

Bingaman said the war in Iraq has distracted the United States from the fight against terrorism, from responding to the rise of China as a world power, from lessening our dependence on foreign energy, and from keeping our country economically competitive.

Check out:

• Text of Sen. Bingaman's Floor Speech
• Video (wmv) of Sen. Bingaman's Floor Speech

Excerpts:

I opposed the invasion in Iraq, believing it was necessary to give the United Nations weapons inspectors the time that they needed to determine whether Iraq did, in fact, possess nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. I believed that we needed to gather the facts and we needed to make an informed decision as to whether Iraq posed such a terrible and immediate threat to our country that regime change was warranted.

And as we now know, those WMDs were nowhere to be found.

Unfortunately, the WMDs were not the only thing that President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, and other members of the administration were wrong about when it came to beginning this war.

They were also wrong in thinking we could succeed in Iraq without substantial help from our allies.

They were wrong to reject warnings that the invasion would fracture Iraq’s delicate sectarian balance.

They were wrong to dismiss legitimate questions about how we would rebuild Iraq’s civil society.

And they were wrong to think that Iraq’s neighbors, Iran and Saudi Arabia in particular, would ignore their opportunity to fill a regional power vacuum after the collapse of Saddam’s regime.

Above all, they were wrong to promise the American people, as Secretary Rumsfeld’s assistant Ken Adelman did, that Iraq would be a “cakewalk.”

...  Going forward, we need to focus on two objectives.

First, we must send the Iraqi ruling elite a crisp and credible signal that our commitment to maintaining forces in that country is not unconditional. Only by making this point loud and clear do we create the possibility that the Shi’a-led government will take the painful steps necessary towards national reconciliation.

The U.S. has a moral responsibility to do what it can to create a degree of political stability in Iraq. But I repeat the key phrase in that sentence: “do what we can.” For we can do no more.

Our commitment to Iraq is not open-ended. We can’t impose a political settlement without the cooperation of the political elites in the country. The Iraqis themselves must want a solution.

Sen. Bingaman concluded his speech with a salute to the 38 New Mexicans who have so far given their lives in the Iraq War, including names and short bios.

Four Candidates Named Finalists in Search for State Dem Party Executive Director

Four finalists have been selected from the pool of 11 well qualified applicants who had made the first cut in the search for a new Executive Director for the Democratic Party of New Mexico. Members of a search committee appointed by DPNM Chair Brian Colón interviewed and evaluated the 11 applicants on Monday and pared the field to four -- two who are native New Mexicans and two who are from out of state:

Michael Minh Nguyen, Washington, DC: Special Events Coordinator, Center for American Progress; BA Political Science, University of California-Davis.

Laura Sanchez, New Mexico: Energy Solutions Policy Fellow, National Resources Defense Council; Board Member, NM Hispanic Bar Association; Juris Doctor, UCLA School of Law; MPA, University of Arizona-Tucson.

Arturo Terrazas, New Mexico: Vice Chair, Democratic Party of Dona Ana County; Deputy Director, Anthony-Berino Economic Development Corporation; Former Director, Communities United; BA Government, NM State University.

Nate Williams, Wisconsin: Green Bay Regional Director, Congressman Steve Kagan; Juris Doctor, Tulsa College of Law; BS in Political Science and History, Eastern New Mexico University.

Chairman Colón is expected to announce his selection within two weeks. The Executive Director will report directly to the State Chair and manage the day-to-day operations of the State Party.