Group Rallies Against Bullying In NM Schools

From KOAT-TV.com - ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- "Enough is enough," Albuquerque students, parents and community leaders said during Sunday's anti-bullying rally. The New Mexico Coalition for Student Justice said that bullying in schools all over the state has got to end. "It's not just about putting up posters in school, and it's not just about educating teachers about bullying anymore. It's really how we do stop it and how do we become more engaged?" activist Jesse Lopez said. Lopez said parents need to be more involved in monitoring their child's social networking sites, and schools should start clubs that mirror that of the anti-bullying club at Sandia High School in order to prevent incidents like what happened to Arsenio Apodaca. "I really hope that it touches their hearts because what they did to me wasn't right," Apodaca said. Last week, Apodaca was attacked after lunch at Volcano Vista High School. For almost two minutes he lay on the ground helpless as another student stomped and kicked him, he said. Lopez said the Albuquerque Public Schools' policies need to be tougher when it comes to bullying. Read more

Group Rallies Against Bullying In NM Schools

Repeat offender arrested over 30 times

NewsNM Swickard - Forget three strikes and you are in; forget all of the other things you could say. But after 30 offenses it is obvious this offender is not getting the message. What do you think we should do to keep from having a story that says... 31 times? From KRQE-TV.com - ALBUQUERQUE - A man, who has racked up dozens of arrests, now has new serious charges added to his name. Miguel Tapia, 35, was arrested Sunday afternoon in downtown Albuquerque. He is now being charged with burglary and probation violation. After police say Tapia was seen trying to burglarize a group of storage units. When he saw police coming he took off. Online court records show Tapia has more than 30 arrests since 1994. Read more

Repeat offender arrested over 30 times

Tea Party member arrested on gun charge at NY airport

From CNN News.com - A leader of a Tea Party group was arrested Thursday at New York's LaGuardia Airport while in possession of a handgun, prosecutors said. Mark Meckler, a co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots, was detained Thursday morning during preflight check-in, according to a Queens District attorney statement. Brian Stapleton, an attorney for Meckler, issued a statement saying his client abided by the law. "Mark Meckler, an attorney and National Coordinator for Tea Party Patriots, who holds a concealed-carry permit from the state of California, today was charged with a firearms violation at LaGuardia Airport in New York City," Stapleton said in the statement. "While in temporary transit through the state of New York in possession of an unloaded, lawful firearm that was locked in a (Transportation Security Administration)-approved safe, he legally declared his possession of the firearm in his checked baggage at the ticket counter as required by law and in a manner approved by TSA and the airline, yet was arrested by port authority for said possession." Read more

Tea Party member arrested on gun charge at NY airport

U.S. Homeland Security "Beefed Up" in N.M.

From bostonherald.com -In May, around dozen undercover federal agents were dispatched to Roswell, N.M., a city of 48,000 known for its annual UFO festival. For months, agents followed "small time drug dealers" and gang members, many of whom had been terrorizing this quiet section of rural southeast New Mexico for years while overwhelmed local law enforcement agencies cried out for help. After 60 undercover drug buys and four federal search warrants, federal agents and local police units in September moved against the suspected drug traffickers, and arrested 84 and seized numerous AK-47 and AR-15 rifles.  More News New Mexico

U.S. Homeland Security "Beefed Up" in N.M.

Heinrich Conflicted by Due Process Applications

Martin Heinrich

Congressmen Martin Heinrich introduced H.R. 3702, the Due Process Guarantee Act of 2011. According to Heinrich, this bill is necessary to clarify U.S. law by amending the Non-Detention Act of 1971 to ensure that within the United States, U.S. citizens and permanent residents cannot be detained indefinitely without trial.

Anwar al Awlaki

“Detainee provisions included in this year’s Defense Authorization and retained in the final Conference Report do not strengthen our national security and are at complete odds with the United States Constitution,” said Rep. Heinrich. “It is time we restore the proper balance between individual liberties and national security.” Section 1021 (formerly Section 1031 of S. 1867) of the just passed NDAA Conference Report would authorize the indefinite military detention of suspected terrorists without explicitly protecting U.S. citizens’ rights. Under this new law, individual American citizens suspected of terrorism may be detained under the laws of war and held indefinitely “until the end of hostilities,” said Heinrich.

Curiously, Anwar al Awlaki a New Mexico-born American citizen was killed by a U.S. drone on September 30th. Congressman Heinrich expressed public approval for the killing. Apparently Heinrich feels U.S. citizens should not be detained by the military indefinitely on U.S. soil, but can be killed overseas should the Commander in Chief and/or the military choose to do so.  

Heinrich Conflicted by Due Process Applications

New Judicial Conduct Code in January

Albuquerque Journal - After a tough year for the state’s judiciary, including bribery charges against a Las Cruces judge, the political activities of New Mexico’s jurists will be sharply curtailed under a new Code of Judicial Conduct that takes effect Jan. 1. Under the code, issued by the state Supreme Court, judges not involved in partisan elections will be prohibited from:

• Making contributions to political parties, or political organizations, including buying tickets for political fundraising dinners and other events.
• Making campaign contributions to political candidates.
• Speaking publicly in favor of or in opposition to any ballot measure that does not involve the legal system.
Read full story here: News New Mexico

New Judicial Conduct Code in January