Democracy for New Mexico

Anti-War Leader Arrested in Albuquerque

From Luis Martin, Boletin Latino:

Photo: Luis Martin, Boletin Latino

Albuquerque, 9-29-2006
Bob Anderson, leading anti-war activist for Stop the War Machine (SWM) in Albuquerque, was tackled, handcuffed, dragged and led away to Bernalillo County Detention Center West by University of New Mexico (UNM) police today at approximately 2:00 PM. The incident occurred at a campus meeting sponsored by UNM in which a panel of speakers for think tank Sandia National Laboratories were promoting the building of a new generation of nuclear weapons.

According to one witness, Anderson objected to the exclusion of anti-war views from the makeup of the panel. As someone next to him raised an anti-war placard, one member of the panel asked that it be lowered saying signs were prohibited at the meeting. As campus police entered the room, the panel member pointed to Anderson asking them to remove him from the room. Throughout the entire incident, some bystanders shouted at police to refrain from manhandling the dissenter. No other details are immediately available.

At approximately 5:30 PM, Jean Pahls, Anderson's wife, told Boletin Latino that Bob had been released from detention on his own recognizance.

UNM ranks in the top 15 universities in the country for war profiteering.

Above, Below: Bob Anderson being violently arrested after requesting a fair makeup of a panel sponsored by UNM to promote building nuclear weapons. All photos: Luis Martin, Boletin Latino

Editor's Note: Check out our earlier post about the conference where Anderson was arrested.

Citizen Action NM Welcomes New Executive Director

From Citizen Action New Mexico:
David B. McCoy will take the reins as the new executive director for Citizen Action New Mexico, a non-profit public interest group based in Albuquerque that has provided information to the public on activities at Sandia National Laboratories, including the impacts of nuclear weapons and the nuclear industry on human health and the environment, social and economic development, international peace treaties, nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament and policy-making.

David has worked on numerous environmental issues over the years, including the shut-down of high-level and low-level radioactive waste incinerators at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The incinerators had been running on “interim status” without permits for 15 years and created a potential health risk to nearby communities. David’s work at INL culminated in an EPA Inspector General review of permitting practices at the INL.

David has also worked with the Environmental Defense Institute to inform citizens in Idaho about the health and safety issues associated with the INL’s Advanced Test Reactor in manufacturing Plutonium 238.

David will continue to provide information to the public in advocating for clean up of the Mixed Waste Landfill, a toxic waste dump containing Cold War waste from  nuclear weapons research and development at Sandia National Laboratories. David will also be providing the public with information on Sandia’s main mission - nuclear weapons design, engineering and production - and the links between Sandia and the Los Alamos National Laboratory’s plans to manufacture more nuclear bombs in New Mexico.

David can be reached at Citizen Action at (505) 262-1862 or dave@radfreenm.org. Please note the new address for Citizen Action New Mexico: P.O. BOX 4276, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87196-4276.

Sue Dayton, executive director for Citizen Action for the past 8 years, will remain involved with the organization as a volunteer member of the Citizen Action steering committee. She can be reached at (505) 331-1203 or sdayton@swcp.com.

Citizen Action is a project of the New Mexico Community Foundation and a member of the New Mexicans for Sustainable Energy and Effective Stewardship (NMSEES).

CUSA Initiates Drive Aimed at Keeping Higher Education Within Reach of New Mexico Students

Preparing for petition drive canvassing at
CUSA's Albuquerque office

Report and photo by guest blogger Suzanne Prescott:
A massive petition drive to stop an increase in student loan rates and stop major cuts in higher education funding has been launched by the Albuquerque office of Communities United to Strengthen America (CUSA).  The petition is aimed at getting Heather Wilson to pledge her support to cutting NOT raising student loan interest rates and NOT supporting the Bush administration proposed cuts to Pell Grants and Work Study funds.

Initial figures, not widely released, reveal higher education enrolments this Fall in New Mexico may show significant declines. The declines can be linked to ever increasing student debt, and increasing pressure on New Mexico family income.

A hard look at the facts:

• Heather Wilson in March of 2006 voted against a measure which would have cut student loan rates in half.
• College graduates earn 73% more than high school graduates
• If the proposed Bush budget passes 5,756 students in Albuquerque alone would not receive enough Pell grant money to meet their tuition needs.
• If the proposed Bush budget passes, 1700 Albuquerque students would be denied the full benefits of Work-Study.
• Only 14% of New Mexico students are awarded Lottery Success Scholarships
• Lottery Success scholarships only cover 20% of students college costs
• Tuition and fees at public four-year public colleges and universities swelled 8 percent, faster than the 7 percent national average.
• At the University of New Mexico the number of students receiving federal loans grew 29% between 2001-02 and 2004-05.

An educated citizenry is not only a necessity in a democracy, it's an necessary building block in the foundation of a modern New Mexico economy  - an economy where the skills and knowledge of the labor pool attract businesses to New Mexico and grow businesses which are already here.  These concerns are expressed in a CUSA news release dated Friday, August 25, 2006.

"This is a major concern to me not only as a parent with college age kids, but because it adversely affects the population that I serve,” El Centro Director Veronica Mendez-Cruz said Friday. “If these cuts hit they are going to make things harder for middle-class and lower-income students throughout the state.  We need our delegation to understand that these cuts will not help our community become educated. This is an insult to hard working families who are working two or more jobs to try to make ends meet and to ensure that their children have a better life.”

What you can do:
Go to the CUSA site and ask Heather Wilson to look out for the interests of students and restore funding to higher education.

Editor's Note: This post is from guest blogger Suzanne Prescott. If you'd like to submit a guest post, please contact me by clicking on the Email Me link on the upper left-hand side of the main page.

Citizen Action NM Sues for Release of Hidden Sandia National Lab Documents

From Citizen Action NM:
Documents detail labs’ role in design and production of new nuclear weapons

Citizen Action New Mexico, a non-profit public interest group, has filed a lawsuit in the federal District Court of New Mexico against the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the semi-autonomous nuclear weapons agency within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), for the release of unclassified documents containing information on nuclear weapons programs at the Sandia National Laboratories.

The documents are called “Ten Year Comprehensive Site Plans” (TYCSP). All nuclear weapons laboratories and nuclear weapons production plants run by the DOE/NNSA are required to annually create these plans which serve as the foundation for the strategic planning of the U.S. nuclear weapons complex and the implementation of the Bush Administration’s 2001 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR). The NPR expanded the rationale for the potential use of nuclear weapons and targeted countries, and argued the need for the new design of nuclear weapons.

Citizen Action filed two separate Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests on August 30 and November 14, 2005, requesting copies of the TYCSPs. To date no information on Sandia’s nuclear weapons programs has been released.

Sandia designs and engineers the “non-nuclear components” for nuclear weapons - over 6,300 parts of a nuclear bomb’s 6,500 individual components. Sandia also designs the casings for nuclear bombs, mates the nuclear warheads to weapons delivery systems, and conducts “weapons effects” research to guarantee that nuclear weapons will work in the severe radioactive environments of a nuclear war.

Sandia is currently working closely with both the Los Alamos National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories on new designs for new nuclear weapons.

Sue Dayton, Director for Citizen Action New Mexico, said her organization has in the past been primarily involved with clean up of radioactive and hazardous wastes from past nuclear weapons programs at Sandia. However, she noted the growing interest among members of the public regarding Sandia’s key role in developing new types of nuclear weapons - as well as its growing role in the production of nuclear weapons. 

“We plan to provide information to the public about the scope of Sandia’s nuclear weapons design and production programs, their potential impacts on the health of surrounding communities and the environment, and their links to weapons manufacturing at Los Alamos. More broadly, we want to open up a public dialogue on the impacts of Sandia’s nuclear weapons programs on international non-proliferation efforts and treaties in which the U.S. should lead by example. The Plans that we are suing for will shed some critical light on an important agenda at Sandia that has been beneath the radar of the public for some time.”

For more information contact: Citizen Action New Mexico at 262-1862 or www.radfreenm.org. Citizen Action is a project of the New Mexico Community Foundation and a member of the New Mexicans for Sustainable Energy and Effective Stewardship (NMSEES).

Home, Sweet, Affordable Home: What You Can Do

From New Mexico Voices for Children E-Voices:
Owning a home can have a positive impact on every aspect of a family’s life – home-owning gives a family more stability and safety, and makes them invested members of their community. Children are healthier and do better in school when their parents own a home. But for too many families, the great American Dream of owning a home is just that – a dream.

To help address this issue, Albuquerque City Councilors Debbie O’Malley and Isaac Benton have cosponsored the Workforce Housing Opportunities Act. The Act would provide much-needed resources for nonprofit and for-profit developers to build high-quality, mixed-income housing projects that would include new and rehabilitated homes. The new homes would be built as infill in areas that are already experiencing revitalization, are along public transit corridors, and have existing infrastructure such as schools.

The plan would free families from what’s called “rent burden,” promote diversity, and improve older neighborhoods while stemming gentrification. Not only do too many rent-burdened families spend up to half of their income on rent, they also never build equity.

The Act specifies that the public dollars be used in a way that preserves affordability for future working families – which is the same philosophy embraced by Habitat for Humanity.

What You Can Do:

• Call or email your city councilor and the mayor and ask them to support the Workforce Housing Opportunities Act. Call 768-3100, click here for links to each councilor’s email address https://www.cabq.gov/council/ccmeet.html, or send a group email to citycouncil@cabq.gov. Reach the mayor’s office at 768-3019 or email mayor@cabq.gov.
• Attend the City Council meeting on Monday, August 21^st when this bill is expected to be brought up again. City Council meetings are held in the basement of City Hall (at 5^th St. and Marquette NW) and usually begin after 5pm. Show up early if you want to sign up to comment.
• Read up on the act by visiting the website of 1000 Friends of New Mexico, the group that’s behind the push to get this legislation passed: https://www.1000friends-nm.org/WorkforceHousing06.htm
• Read an op-ed written by Councilor O’Malley that was published in the Albuquerque Tribune: https://www.abqtrib.com/albq/op_commentaries/article/0,2565,ALBQ_19866_4871585,00.html

Study: Santa Fe Minimum-Wage Law Hasn't Hurt Job Growth

An article in the Santa fe New Mexican reports on a UNM study showing that Santa Fe's "living wage" has not resulted in overall job losses. Quote:

``The analysis shows that overall employment levels have been unaffected by the living wage ordinance,'' says the report, which The New Mexican obtained through a public-records request.

... Carol Oppenheimer of the Santa Fe Living Wage Network, which helped push for the ordinance and has monitored its enforcement, said of the latest study, ``This says we should be proud of what we've done because it was the right thing to, and it was the moral and ethical thing to do.''

Strike three for the chamber of commerce types who eternally claim raising the minimum wage will cause a massive flight of businesses out of any area that dares to enact such a change. However, I imagine these forces that seem bent on preserving poverty will ignore the study's findings and continue peddling their myths. After all, no reputable study has ever shown the negative results repeatedly predicted by anti-living wage proponents. Facts just get in the way of their arguments so they ignore them.

If You Want To Stop Nuclear Bomb Production in NM: We Need Your Vote

From Citizen Action NM:
Los Alamos National Laboratory, located just 60 miles (as the crow flies) north of Albuquerque, is seeking to quadruple its nuclear bomb production from 20 to 80 plutonium “pits” per year  A pit is the heart or “trigger” of a nuclear weapon. The cost of increased pit production at Los Alamos will cost taxpayers upwards of 1 billion dollars.

If a bigger and better nuclear bomb factory is built in northern New Mexico the amount of radioactive bomb wastes will almost double. This will also result in increased radioactive wastes traveling on our highways bound for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad, New Mexico, the world’s only permanent dump for such wastes. What impacts will a bigger and better nuclear bomb factory have on the Land of Enchantment’s surrounding communities and environment? Moreover, what will the implications be of increased nuclear bomb production on international peace treaties?

Which of our state representatives support this bomb factory? Senator Pete Domenici supports a bigger and better nuclear bomb factory at Los Alamos. Senators Bingaman and Congressmen Tom Udall and Heather Wilson have yet to weigh in on this issue. Nor has Governor Richardson.

What can you do to stop increased nuclear bomb production in New Mexico? Attend public hearings in Santa Fe, Los Alamos, and Espanola and make your voice heard! The public comment period coincides with the 61st anniversary of the destruction of Nagasaki which killed some 75,000 human beings.

Public Hearings will be held at the following locations:

Public Hearing 1: Tuesday, August 8, 2006, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Fuller Lodge, Pajarito Room, 2132 Central Avenue, Los Alamos, NM

Public Hearing 2: Wednesday, August 9, 2006, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Northern New Mexico Community College, Eagle Memorial Sportsplex, 921 Paseo de Onate, Espanola, NM

Public Hearing 3: Thursday, August 10, 2006, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Santa Fe Community College, Main Building, Jemez Rooms, 6401 Richards Avenue, Santa Fe, NM

Will my comments really make a difference?  Yes, it makes a difference. Because of widespread opposition to a previous nuclear bomb factory (also known as a “modern pit facility”) proposed for New Mexico, Congress eliminated funding for the project. However, now Los Alamos is gearing up for the indefinite preservation of nuclear weapons including developing new designs for nuclear bombs. Is this the kind of world you want your children and grandchildren to inherit?

Want to comment, but don’t know quite what to say? The document that contains the information on increased pit production at Los Alamos is called the Los Alamos Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement (LANL SWEIS). There will be 3 public workshops held at various locations in New Mexico where members of the public can attend to ask questions about the SWEIS and get answers concerning the increased production of new nuclear bombs at Los Alamos:

Workshop 1: Wednesday Aug. 2, at 6:30 p.m. at the Kit Carson Electric Cooperative Board Room, 118 Cruz Alta Road, Taos. Information (505) 751-3634.

Workshop 2: Thursday, Aug. 3, at 7 p.m. at the Embudo Valley Community Center, (next to the Co-Op), Dixon. Information: (505) 579-4076.

Workshop 3: Saturday, Aug. 5, at 3 p.m. at the El Dorado Community Center, 1 Hacienda Loop, (approximately one mile down Avenida Vista Grande after Highway 285 intersection), El Dorado.  Information: (505) 989-4812.

Can’t make the hearings, but still want to submit comments? You have from July 7, 2006 through September 5, 2006 to submit your comments via the following:

E-mail your written comments to LANL_SWEIS@doeal.gov

Send your written comments by snail mail to:  U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, Los Alamos Site Office, Attn: Ms. Elizabeth Withers, Office of Environmental Stewardship, 528 35th Street, Los Alamos, New Mexico, 87544.

Fax your comments to: (505) 667-5948.

Leave a message on the LANL SWEIS Hotline (toll free) at: 1-877-491-4957. The Hotline will have instructions on how to record your comments.

Remember to mark all envelopes, faxes and e-mails: "Draft LANL SWEIS Comments." Comments must be postmarked by 5 p.m. on Sept. 5, 2006.

To get a copy of the LANL SWEIS with information on increased nuclear bomb production at Los Alamos:

You can pick up a copy of the LANL SWEIS at:  The Los Alamos Outreach Center, 1619 Central Avenue, Los Alamos, New Mexico, 87544; the Office of the Northern New Mexico Citizens Advisory Board, 1660 Old Pecos Trail, Suite B, Santa Fe, New Mexico; and the Zimmerman Library, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131.

Or to download a copy onto your own computer: https://www.doeal.gov/laso/nepa/sweis.htm.

The Draft SWEIS will be available on the Department of Energy Los Alamos Site Office's website at: https://www.doeal.gov/laso/nepa/sweis.htm.

Local groups you can contact for additional information:
Stay posted to Nuclear Watch of New Mexico’s website at www.nukewatch.org for updates and sample citizen comments. Additionally, citizen groups are pressuring the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to extend the deadline for public comment to October 5, 2006.

Got more questions? Call Dave McCoy at Citizen Action New Mexico at: (505) 262-1862 or dave@radfreenm.org.

Citizen Action New Mexico is a project of the New Mexico Community Foundation, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

NM Forum to Focus on Right to Vote Counting Accuracy

From Verified Voting NM and United Voters NM:
“Your Right To Have Your Vote Counted Accurately” is the theme of an upcoming  public forum sponsored by a coalition of election reform activists in New Mexico. The event will feature commentary by leading national advocates also concerned with strengthening accuracy in vote counting, auditing and recounting.

The forum will be held Sunday July 9, 2-4 PM, at the Unitarian-Universalist Congregation of Santa Fe, Barcelona at Galisteo. It is open to the public and co-sponsored by the Congregation’s Forum and by Verified Voting NM and United Voters of New Mexico. Click for flyer.

The event coincides with the opening in Santa Fe of the summer conference of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), who generally are the chief election officials in their jurisdictions. “The tremendous amount of money – up to $50,000 apiece – being raised by the NASS from the voting machine manufacturers seems to put our electoral system at risk,” said Terry Riley of United Voters of New Mexico. 

“This event highlights the oncoming November election and the critical problems caused by untrustworthy voting machines and administrative actions that deter voters from casting their ballots,” said Pat Leahan, member of the VVNM steering committee.

Topics to be discussed are: The U.S. November Election – Train Wreck in the Making?; Problems Ahead for New Mexico’s Conversion to All Paper Ballots; and the Role of Secretaries of State in Ensuring Verifiable and Verified Elections.

Among the scheduled speakers are: Warren Stewart, director of legislative issues and policy of VoteTrustUSA and Heleni Thayre of Unitarian-Universalists for Verified Voting, Boston.   

VerifiedVotingNM  and  UnitedVotersNM
329 Sena St., Santa Fe NM 87505,  988-3718
PO Box 218, Corrales NM 87048,  898-1237 
A coalition of organizations and individuals concerned with strengthening accuracy in vote counting, auditing and recounting

For more info contact: Robert Stearns, 988-3718 or Terry Riley, 899-6275

ABQ CodePink Now Has Website

Albuquerque CodePINK has its own website now: www.albuquerquecodepink.info.

Peace,
Rebecca Wilson, Albuquerque Coordinator
CODEPINK Women for Peace
Albuquerque, NM
505.463.7172
abqcodepink@mac.com
www.albuquerquecodepink.info

CODEPINK is a women-initiated grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end the war in Iraq, stop new wars, and redirect our resources into healthcare, education and other life-affirming activities. CODEPINK rejects the Bush administration's fear-based politics that justify violence, and instead calls for policies based on compassion, kindness and a commitment to international law. With an emphasis on joy and humor, CODEPINK women and men seek to activate, amplify and inspire a community of peacemakers through creative campaigns and a commitment to non-violence.

Purchase Artwork to Support Los Alamos Study Group

From the Los Alamos Study Group:
The Study Group was recently given a valuable gift by Northern New Mexico artist Diana Bryer.  Diana created an original oil painting for the Study Group entitled, "One Earth, One Family" (see above). This 30" x 42" oil-on-linen painting is currently being shown at the Wilder Nightingale Fine Art Gallery in Taos. 

Diana's belief in the Study Group's nuclear disarmament work, as well as her wish that all people should speak out and protect our fragile planet and all life, inspired her to create this gorgeous, brilliantly-colored painting. She has given the Study Group permission to sell the limited edition prints, both offset litho and giclee, as well as posters made from the painting, to raise money for our work.

The posters and signed and numbered prints are:

* Offset litho prints on 100 lb archival paper, acid free ink, limited edition of 100, outer dimensions 18" x 24" and inner print dimensions 16" x 22", signed and numbered by the artist, with accompanying certificate of authenticity. Price: $175 (shipping is extra).

* Giclee prints on 100 pound rag paper, endurachrome ink, limited edition of 275, outer dimensions 10 7/8" x 8" and inner print dimensions 10" x 7 1/8", signed and numbered by the artist, with accompanying certificate of authenticity. Price: $135 (shipping is extra). Ten artist's proofs of the giclee prints are being offered for $225 each (shipping is extra).

You can also purchase an offset litho poster on 100 lb archival paper, using acid free ink, for $35 (again, shipping is extra). These posters have the artist's name and copyright in the lower right-hand corner, title of the painting in the center ("One Earth One Family") with the Los Alamos Study Group and web site below, and the description of the original painting in the lower left-hand corner.

Write or call us, or visit our website to purchase one of these prints or posters! Quantities are limited! Call or email me if you have any questions.

To save on shipping you can visit our Albuquerque office (address below) and buy any of the prints or the poster, or you can buy the poster when you visit the Los Alamos Disarmament Center.

Thank you for your support of the Study Group and our programs!

Trish Williams-Mello
----
Greg Mello
Los Alamos Study Group
2901 Summit Place NE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
505-265-1200 voice
505-265-1207 fax
505-577-8563 cell
    (signal very weak in the office; messages
    on cell phone may not be received promptly)
gmello@lasg.org
www.lasg.org