News New Mexico: 2012

CO2 not harmful

Bob Endlich

From Bob Endlich - Co-host of News New Mexico - I have met a number of the signers of this open letter: Tim Ball, Bill Gray, Fred Singer (who got his start working on V2s at White Sands) and Anthony Watts. The science is clear, more CO2 in the air is not harmful. We discussed this point on the air this morning.

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/12/28/an-open-letter-challenging-the-epa-on-co2-regulation/#more-76541
The original challenge to the endangerment finding was by Dr Alan Carlin while Dr Carlin was in the EPA. There IS NO science behind the EPA endangerment finding, and they know it—Dr Carlin told me at the ICCC6 meeting. Dr Carlin’s report to the EPA leadership is here:

ROBERT W. ENDLICH
Meteorologist, News New Mexico

Group sues again over Mexican grey wolf

The Center for Biological Diversity today filed a formal notice of intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over the agency’s decision to grant itself a “recovery permit” to live-capture endangered wolves that may enter New Mexico and Arizona from Mexico or the Rocky Mountains.

Mexico recently released nine Mexican gray wolves near the U.S. border in the Sierra Madre, and wolves from the northern Rocky Mountains could make their way south at any time.

Captured wolves will be placed into the captive-breeding program, returned to where they came from, or relocated into the Mexican wolf recovery area.

Right now the only Mexican wolves in the two states are in the “Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area,” an area between Interstate 40 and Interstate 10 where wolves are considered an experimental, non-essential population and therefore enjoy fewer safeguards.

NMFA fake audit sparks reform

A fraudulent audit that landed New Mexico’s Finance Authority in hot water has set the stage for some major reforms.

When Greg Campbell pleaded guilty after word surfaced he faked a huge financial audit, it marked the end of a tumultuous period at the NMFA.

The NMFA acts like a giant bank for projects around the state. It also served as a starting off point for reform.

State Sen. Tim Keller is leading the push by co-sponsoring legislation that would reform the NMFA. The legislation would make sure all board members would have staggered terms, meaning they wouldn’t all be new at the same time.

Board members would also need experience in the financial sector and will review audits more regularly.

Sunland Inc. to resume peanut processing

Sunland Inc. of Portales has been given permission to reopen its peanut processing plant as part of a consent decree between the company and the federal Food and Drug Administration.

The FDA had ordered the plant closed after shipments of peanut butter and other peanut products sickened dozens across 42 states earlier this year. The cause of the illness was salmonella, a bacteria that was found on processing equipment in the plant.

The Sunland factory is the nation's largest maker of organic peanut butter and its products were sold at Trader Joes, among other stores.

According to a news release from the plant, all employees will be returning to work. The peanut butter plant has not yet reopened and it is unknown when or if it will.

Mayors petition Obama for gun control

Only Congress can take the guns away, not the president

NewsNM Swickard - shame on the mayors! No, not for their stand on guns, for not understanding that gun laws are made in Congress. Laws are not made in the Oval Office. What they really want is a dictator to decree no guns since those laws will never pass Congress. So who wants a dictator? From KRQE-TV.com - RUIDOSO - It's been a hot-button issue, especially in the wake of the Connecticut school shooting. Now, hundreds of mayors across the country, including some in New Mexico, have petitioned the president for tighter gun control laws. Ruidoso's mayor has been vocal in the past on this issue, and on Wednesday he told KRQE News 13 his position hasn't changed.
Last week, following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., that left 26 people dead, most of them children, more than 750 mayors across the country addressed President Obama in a letter .
The letter states, "Together, we urge you to put forward an agenda that is rooted in common sense and that will make it harder for dangerous people to possess guns, and easier for police and prosecutors to crack down on them."
Ruidoso Mayor Ray Alborn was among the mayors who signed the letter. "It's never been a big part of my life, but that doesn't mean other people can't have guns," Alborn explained. "I don't care about that. All I'm concerned about is that we protect our employees and the public."
Alborn is no stranger to the issue. Last year he issued a controversial executive order banning guns on village property after a citizen refused to give up his gun at a council meeting. More than 50 protestors responded to the order by showing up to a council meeting with their guns.
"Almost all of the mass murders in our country have occurred in areas just like you're fixing to set up, in gun-free zones," Executive Director Larry Pratt of Gun Owners of America said at the meeting.
The executive order was later rescinded. But Alborn said he still wants guns banned on village property and has reached out to the state Attorney General's Office asking for a ruling on the idea. Read more

Can we tell mildly crazy from real crazy?

Commentary by Michael Swickard, Ph.D. New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez recently was talking about trying to help our more dysfunctional mentally ill citizens. That is a good thing for government to do. But the act of dealing with our mentally ill population seems to ask more questions than we can answer. We know real mentally ill when it is someone else, but where is the dividing line between eccentric and somewhat crazy that necessitates an intervention? Years ago there were mental institutions. They served as a warehouse but it was even worse than what we have now which is mostly neglect. These institutions focused predators upon the most fragile populations and the outcomes were horrible.

So where is the boundary between mildly dysfunctional and where an intervention is appropriate. One of my interests is summiting mountains. Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson climbed Mount Everest where one person in seven die in the attempt. Is it mental illness to do something where one in seven dies? And, what about those who are trying to climb more difficult mountains such as Annapurna where one in three die in the attempt. Should we intervene to save their lives? Do we have the constitutional right to intervene?
When someone is living on the street but otherwise is not harming anyone, do they have a constitutional right to live on the street? That is so obvious. But what about when someone who dates an obviously inappropriate person? Should there be the department of “She will never love you,” that intervenes. Talk about hard knocks, if you marry the wrong person, it will also be the wrong person to divorce. Should we, as a society intervene?
Light up a cigarette and I would like to read your tea leaves for you but it seems you have a right to harm yourself. Let us consider those who desire to take illegal drugs. Are they mentally ill? Perhaps they do not have a drug problem, they have a thinking problem.
What about those who feel compelled to text and drive? Another thinking problem, or are they mentally ill? We can identify some forms of mental illness, but do we really understand these issues well enough to know the boundaries of mental illness?
So we are back to where I started this column. Having our mentally ill in jails is not a good solution. Letting the mentally ill languish on the streets or in private homes may not be the most sustainable solution for the good of the society as a whole.
I hope New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez and both sides of the political spectrum can come together and find real solutions to the mentally ill challenges of our society. Maybe we should tackle mental illness before we tackle poverty. Maybe curing one would cure the other. Maybe we, as a society, are the ones with a thinking problem. Read full column

Negotiations breakdown over solar company operation

From KOB-TV.com - By: Joe Vigil - Many thought McCune Solar Works would be the savior of Schott Solar at Mesa del Sol in Albuquerque. Not so. On Wednesday, Schott officials confirmed to KOB Eyewitness News 4 that discussions regarding the lease of the Schott Solar facility were abandoned.
"After several months of negotiations, both parties regretfully failed to come to final terms," read a statement from Shott to KOB.
Back in the fall, McCune Solar Works said it would pick up operations at Schott Solar and employ 130 people with average wages of $50,000. About 200 people lost their jobs at Schott. The new company had plans to rehire many Schott employees. Schott Solar said it will continue looking for a new tenant of the Mesa Del Sol facility. Read more

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays

Michael Swickard and
News NM dog Conrad

All of us at News New Mexico want to thank you for being part of our show in your community. We wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. So that our employees can spend time with their families over the holidays, we will not be in studio Monday - Wednesday of Christmas week, but will be live Thursday and Friday. We will not be in studio New Year's Eve and New Year's Day but will be live Wednesday, January 2nd, Thursday January 3rd and Friday, January 4th. On the days we are not in studio we will broadcast a previously recorded News New Mexico. Thank you.

Voting for a truly American Christmas

What was unthinkable in my childhood is now the norm. The majority of the country must fight the minority to continue Christmas. While Congress still calls it Christmas, the forces against Christmas assault the celebration of Christ every year.
It would appear Congress needs to vote again on the federal Christmas Designation. What did the 1870 Congress mean when it voted Christmas a federal holiday? It would seem Congress in 1870 and every year thereafter announced that the U. S. is a Christian nation. Not that our nation does not welcome other religions. We, the majority do but we, the majority, wish to celebrate Christmas.
Our Founding Leaders on April 30, 1789 took their oath of office, the president, senators and members of the House of Representatives and then all together walked to a church where they all, yes all, prayed together. There has not been a vote to remove the Christian nation, in fact, in 1954 the words, “…under God…” were added to the Pledge of Allegiance.
We need clarification: can federal and state employees say, “Merry Christmas?” As important: can federal and state employees decide to not say “Merry Christmas?” The “Politically Correct (PC)” crowd has browbeaten and threatened lawsuits on many government entities including public education. In most public schools Christmas became Winter Holiday without a vote in Congress or Santa Fe. Is that the will of the people?
This spilled over into the business community a couple of years ago. Citizens quelled it when they announced no Christmas greetings, no shopping from us. The stores quickly caught on. They can also say Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah or anything else but they cannot omit Christmas greetings and still get our business.
I do not blame public schools for casting off Christmas songs, plays and pageants when our representatives and senators do not stand up for Christmas. The legislators let unelected PC people force the dropping of Christmas. I do not have any trouble with a separation of the story of the Baby Jesus and students. I leave that to the parents and Churches.
However, in the effort to not say Christmas, traditional songs cannot be sung. Also, Santa Claus is considered politically incorrect so students are not permitted a classroom Santaesque “naughty or nice” song. Teachers are instructed in many school districts to have nothing to do with anything Christmas-centric.
A walk through your neighborhood school and into the classrooms will confirm that there is no dialog about the Christmas Holiday including the who, what, when, where and why of Christmas included in all other federal and state holidays. Until Congress repudiates Christmas, it is the law of the land and we take those days off. So when are we going to teach Christmas to the next generation of students as we teach Thanksgiving, Labor Day and Memorial Day?
Christmas is not required to be believed, it still should be taught as part of the culture of being an American. Students who know the Fourth of July, Columbus Day, MLK Day, etc., they should have some understanding of the intent of our Founding Leaders and the federal designation of Christmas. Again, they do not have to celebrate being a Christian; they have to understand the identity of our nation. Read full column

We Know How to Stop School Shootings

Commentary by Ann Coulter - In the wake of a monstrous crime like a madman's mass murder of defenseless women and children at the Newtown, Conn., elementary school, the nation's attention is riveted on what could have been done to prevent such a massacre. Luckily, some years ago, two famed economists, William Landes at the University of Chicago and John Lott at Yale, conducted a massive study of multiple victim public shootings in the United States between 1977 and 1995 to see how various legal changes affected their frequency and death toll.
Landes and Lott examined many of the very policies being proposed right now in response to the Connecticut massacre: waiting periods and background checks for guns, the death penalty and increased penalties for committing a crime with a gun. None of these policies had any effect on the frequency of, or carnage from, multiple-victim shootings. (I note that they did not look at reforming our lax mental health laws, presumably because the ACLU is working to keep dangerous nuts on the street in all 50 states.)
Only one public policy has ever been shown to reduce the death rate from such crimes: concealed-carry laws. Their study controlled for age, sex, race, unemployment, retirement, poverty rates, state population, murder arrest rates, violent crime rates, and on and on. The effect of concealed-carry laws in deterring mass public shootings was even greater than the impact of such laws on the murder rate generally.
Someone planning to commit a single murder in a concealed-carry state only has to weigh the odds of one person being armed. But a criminal planning to commit murder in a public place has to worry that anyone in the entire area might have a gun. You will notice that most multiple-victim shootings occur in "gun-free zones" -- even within states that have concealed-carry laws: public schools, churches, Sikh temples, post offices, the movie theater where James Holmes committed mass murder, and the Portland, Ore., mall where a nut starting gunning down shoppers a few weeks ago. Guns were banned in all these places. Mass killers may be crazy, but they're not stupid. Read full column

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Mine program in Silver City
NM ranks among top for animal abuse
PRC makes utility rules
Ruidoso school shooting plot

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NM ranks top among best places for animal abuse

New Mexico has earned another embarrassing ranking.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund says the state joins Kentucky, North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa as one of the five best states to be an animal abuser.

The group says it ranks states based on a comprehensive analysis of animal protection laws.

Among the problems it cites in New Mexico: no felony provisions for neglect or abandonment, no provisions on sexual assault, no restrictions on future ownership for people previously convicted of animal abuse, no increased penalties when animal abuse is committed in front of children and no provisions for veterinarians to report suspected animal abuse.

Illinois tops the group's list for the strongest animal protection laws.

NMSU launches obesity study

New Mexico State University researchers have launched a study to examine obesity among NMSU students and employees.

Researchers recently developed an online survey aimed at finding out more on obesity and lifestyle factors of students and employees, especially in southern New Mexico.

So far, the survey has found that 47 percent of NMSU and employee respondents self-reported as overweight or obese.

Susan Wilson, an associate professor in NMSU's Department of Health Science and the study's lead researcher, says she would like to see future studies that look more closely at stressors in the environment and "culturally acceptable versus ideal notions of weight and obesity."

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PRC makes utility rules
NMSU obesity study
ABQ to spend money on marketing

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ABQ to spend money on marketing

Albuquerque is setting aside $5.5 million to market itself.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that City Council approved a proposal Monday to set up a new account that will provide money for marketing the city, keeping the businesses already here, supporting workforce training and chipping in to close a deal.

The money to establish the account comes from penalties paid by companies that received city incentives but didn't live up to their end of the contract.

The proposal sets up an economic development council that will recommend ways to spend the money.

Sec. of Education wants $140 million for schools

New Mexico Secretary of Education-designate Hanna Skandera is urging lawmakers to support a funding increase of about $140 million for public schools in fiscal year 2014.

The Public Education Department's request includes $20 million to purchase about 250 new school buses. Skandera proposes investing $13.5 million in new money in early-childhood reading initiatives, such as hiring regional reading coaches.

Another $11 million would be directed to pre-kindergarten programs.

Judge upholds $22 million award to jailed man

Stephen Slevin: Before and After

A federal judge in Santa Fe has upheld a $22 million jury award to a man who was kept in solitary confinement for two years and forced to pull his own tooth after being arrested for drunken driving in Dona Ana County.

U.S. District Martha Vazquez on Friday denied the county's request for a new trial on the damages awarded to Stephen Slevin, of Virginia Beach, Va., earlier this year, saying it was justified by the evidence.

According to the suit, Slevin was in the Dona Ana County jail for 22 months but was never convicted.

Speaker Ben Lujan dies

Ben Lujan

Speaker Ben Lujan lost his battle with lung cancer Tuesday.

According to his office, he died peacefully at 10:45 p.m. on Tuesday evening after a short stay at Christus St. Vincent hospital. Lujan's wife Carmen and children, including Congressman Ben Ray Lujan, and their grandchildren were all at his bedside.

Lujan was a member of the House since 1975 and served as Majority Whip, Majority Floor Leader and House Speaker.

On opening day of the 2012 legislative session, he announced that he was not going to seek re-election and disclosed that he had stage 4 lung cancer. Funeral arrangements are pending.

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Ben Lujan dies
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Sec. of Education wants $140 million

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State studies habitual truancy in public schools

From the Santa Fe New Mexican - Nearly one in seven public-school students in New Mexico was considered habitually truant last year — meaning he or she accumulated at least 10 days of unexcused absences according to a new report, “Truancy in New Mexico: Attendance Matters.”
The report, prepared by Peter Winograd, Angelo Gonzales and Jason Timm of The University of New Mexico Center for Education Policy Research, was presented to members of the Legislative Education Study Committee at the Capitol on Tuesday afternoon. “It’s a problem across the state,” Winograd said, noting that high school truancy rates in some regions of the state are “stunning.”
The report noted that 51,034 of the roughly 338,220 students — about 15 percent — were habitually truant last year. And if they aren’t in school, Winograd said, “our kids are getting in trouble.”
Though Winograd’s presentation Tuesday focused mostly on Albuquerque and Las Cruces truancy rates, the report does include the truancy rates for Santa Fe Public Schools: Some 19 percent of elementary and middle school students are habitually truant, while more than 32 percent of high school students are habitually truant.
According to Santa Fe Public Schools accountability data, the district’s average rate of habitual truancy is about 24.6 percent. Santa Fe Public Schools’ graduation rate hovers around 56.5 percent. Winograd noted that many habitually truant young people simply stop coming to school and thus do not graduate, a point echoed by Kris Meurer, executive director for Albuquerque Public Schools’ Student, Family and Community Support Department. She told the committee, “If I’ve been out seven days and find out I’m going to flunk anyway, why would I stay?”
According to state statutes governing truancy policies, the state Public Education Department reviews and approves all district and charter-school truancy policies. Schools are supposed to maintain policies that provide for early identification and intervention for truants, with schools then giving written notices to parents that includes a time and place for parents and school officials to meet to halt the problem.
But that rarely happens in Bernalillo, according to Valerie Lopez, juvenile probation supervisor for the Prevention and Intervention Unit of the state Children, Youth and Families Department in that county. She said the general public probably believes that many of these truancy cases go to court, but in her eight years of experience, she’s only seen one make it that far.
When Rep. Ray Begaye, D-Shiprock, asked Lopez if laws couldn’t be passed to fine parents or perhaps halt their food stamps if they are responsible for their children’s truant behavior, Lopez said, “The short answer is yes. The kind answer is no.” Read more

When they really enjoy the very best fatalities

Commentary by Michael Swickard, Ph.D. Years ago while talking to his mother I noticed a six years old with an innocent angelic face looking at a sales catalog. His birthday was coming up so I asked him, “Do you see something you want for your birthday?”
He looked up and smiled broadly. “Yes,” he said, “I want this video game.” From the description in the catalog, I was a little surprised that it was an extremely violent game. So I asked him, “Why this game?”
He smiled again, “It has the very best fatalities.”
“Excuse me?” Darn earwax, I must have heard wrong.
“This game has the very best fatalities,” he repeated.
His mother did not pay the slightest attention so I asked, “What are fatalities?” He looked up and said, “When people die.”
“What makes them the very best fatalities?”
He broke into a grin. “That is when the blood spurts out and their bones show and the skin burns off while they die.”
His mother gave me the look, “boys will be boys.” Later I asked her if she thought it was good that a six-year-old wants a game featuring death. She told me most young kids feel the same which is why there are so many violent games on the market.
I persisted, “That begs the question. It does not matter that they like it, my question is if it is good for them.”
There has been much concern about violence in our society. Some people think the violence is caused by a lack of communication. I believe we have so much violence because many Americans like violence. The enjoyment of violence, for itself, is a product of the American entertainment industry.
Violence in America is promulgated by those people who find violence enjoyable. Much of the violence in America happens because the perpetrator simply felt like hurting someone. Guns and knives are not the cause; rather, the source is the sickness of enjoyed violence within our society. Read full column

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Miss Las Cruces arrested for DWI
Raptor Center out of money
Gov. aims to crackdown on DWI
Questa school board still suspended

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Questa school board suspension continues

The Questa School Board is still in time out. On Monday, the secretary-designate of the New Mexico Public Education Department, Hanna Skandera, ruled the board – which has essentially rendered itself paralyzed by infighting – has been suspended until new members are sworn in after a school board election scheduled in February.

The board has been consistently stuck in a 3-3 voting split that has prevented the district from conducting business.

In an 8-page decision, Skandera ruled that after a hearing last week looking into the feuding board members, ”a preponderance of evidence” showed “the behavior of the members of the Board exceeded the powers and duties granted” to local school boards.

Skandera also noted that during the public comment period during the hearing that “the citizens of the community overwhelmingly requested that the suspension” remain intact until the school board election.

Members of the Questa School Board has been exchanging insults, charges and counter-charges to such a degree that it’s reminiscent of the antics of the city council in Sunland Park, a border town in southern New Mexico that’s made national headlines for political infighting and criminal charges.

Even an investigative hearing leading up to Monday’s ruling by Skandera was spiked with disagreement.

Miss Las Cruces arrested for DWI

Sarah Richardson

A woman recently named Miss Las Cruces has been arrested on suspicion of aggravated DWI.

Las Cruces police say 22-year-old Sarah J. Richardson was taken into custody after her car struck a light pole Sunday night. The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that Richardson was booked early Monday into the Dona Ana County Detention Center.

Authorities say she's facing charges of aggravated DWI - blood alcohol content of .16 or greater - and failure to exercise due care. Richardson, from Alamogordo, posted bond and was released after being jailed for about an hour. It wasn't immediately clear Monday night if she had an attorney.

A spokeswoman for the Miss Las Cruces pageant, which is a preliminary for the Miss America competition, declined comment on any potential sanctions Richardson could face.

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Gov. cracks down on DWI
Artesia adds "In God We Trust" to logo
Belen teen threatens school shooting

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Gov. aims to crackdown on DWI

New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez is on a crusade to toughen New Mexico's drunk driving penalties.

She's getting help from a Colorado couple who have a deeply personal reason to get involved. Aileen and Zachary Smith of Colorado Springs lost their unborn baby son Dimitri last June when a suspected drunk driver slammed into their car on I-25 in San Miguel County.

On Monday they met with Gov. Martinez at the Capitol to talk about her DWI proposals for the upcoming legislative session, and about the Smiths' own ideas about better ways to crack down on drunk drivers in our state.

The Smiths started a website called "Justice for Dimitri" and so far they have gathered nearly 3,000 signatures on their online petition to reform New Mexico's drunk driving laws.

Martinez is also pushing for felony DWIs to count toward habitual offender status, and for the state to have the power to seize the vehicles of people arrested for driving on a license that was revoked for drunk driving.

Belen school shooting threat

Belen authorities say a high school freshman will face charges after making a chilling threat to shoot up the school on Tuesday.

Investigators say the student scratched a message into a school mirror that said he planned to shoot 12 kids on Tuesday. Other students say they overheard the student making threats against the school.

The police chief says officers interviewed the freshman, searched his locker, then his home, and did not find any evidence that makes them think the threat is legitimate. But he added that they're taking the threat as seriously as possible.

The student has been suspended and will face charges. The police chief said there will be a large police presence at the school throughout the day.

Drug trafficking ring indicted

Nineteen members of a drug trafficking organization allegedly operating in central and northern New Mexico have been indicted.

The 60-count indictment was unsealed Monday following the arrests of 13 of the defendants. They all made their initial appearances in federal court in Albuquerque.

Authorities say the drug trafficking organization allegedly was headed by 33-year-old Christopher Roybal of Albuquerque.

According to the indictment, Roybal and others allegedly conspired to distribute quantities of marijuana and cocaine in New Mexico over the last 16 months.

Undercover officers purchased 3½ kilograms of cocaine and about 18 pounds of high-grade marijuana that led to the arrests.

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Gov. comments on gun control
Las Cruces impact fees delayed
19 indicted in drug ring

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Las Cruces impact fees delayed

Impact fees for city infrastructure in Las Cruces won’t be implemented for at least another six months.

The Las Cruces city council voted Monday 6-0 to delay implementing the fees that would pay for major road and drainage construction until July 1. The fees would be applied to any new commercial or residential development in the city. The city council voted to defer those fees until July 1.

For a new residential house, the fee would be around $1000 or closer to $2000 depending on who you ask. The impact fee would have also applied to new commercial development.

Gov. says keep guns away from mentally ill

Gov. Susana Martinez said New Mexico should immediately consider legislation to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill.

In a prepared statement responding to ABQ Journal questions about gun control the governor said “There are some individuals who should never have access to firearms, like criminals and the mentally ill, In reviewing our state statutes, I will pursue legislation this session to make clear that the state must accurately and promptly provide information on people who have been found mentally ill by a court, or who have been involuntarily committed to an institution.”

She said a push is needed to ensure national criminal databases have updated information regarding an individual’s mental health status that would be flagged in federal background checks before some gun sales.

Asked about the suddenly renewed political push to increase gun restrictions in the United States, Martinez emphasized the need to better recognize and battle mental health problems to curb gun violence.

Terror time for people made intentionally defenseless

Commentary by Michael Swickard, Ph.D. The attacks in our society are driven by the media attention while we send our kids to schools are made intentionally defenseless by politicians who themselves are defended with guns. Our president talks about taking away the rights of citizens to defend themselves while he, himself, is protected by dozens of armed guards.

It is a terror time for people made intentionally defenseless. The Second Amendment is bantered about, but the core of the Constitution is about the rule of law and property rights. We own ourselves and therefore have a fundamental right to defend ourselves without any interference by government including the methods we use to defend ourselves. The founders of our country did not intend for us to be slain like fish in a barrel with no means of defense.
Winston Churchill had that great speech in World War Two where he said they would fight the Nazis on the beaches, in the streets, etc. It was a great speech but his country had taken all of the guns away from the population. The citizens were without weapons since their own government made them defenseless. Regardless of the way Churchill spoke, the citizens did not have any means to fight an invasion.
Years ago I awoke to a sound in the middle of the night and was confronted with my lack of ability to protect the ones I love. My duty was in the hallway with the intruder. I could not wait for the police because I could not let my daughter in her bedroom be defenseless. I was armed only with my determination, but no weapons. It was minutes until the police would arrive but I only had seconds.
I regularly work with my weapons. I am not enamored with guns; it is just work for me to keep proficient. Many places I go do not allow me to bring my weapons of defense into their establishment. I wonder what their defense strategy is given that no one in their business legally can have a gun. Oh, criminals can have weapons since they intend to violate the law anyway. Are these places opening up themselves to lawsuit by requiring us to be defenseless?
There comes a time when you have to defend yourself and others. Will you have a fighting chance to save yours and others lives? You can only do so if our government allows you to defend yourself adequately including the use of deadly force. Otherwise each citizen in our country is like those citizens in Mexico where guns are illegal but criminals rule. They live lives of terror because they have no way to defend themselves legally, and the criminals continue to kill innocents indiscriminately. Read full column

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CO2 not harmful

Group sues again over Mexican grey wolf

NMFA fake audit sparks reform

Sunland Inc. to resume peanut processing

Mayors petition Obama for gun control

Can we tell mildly crazy from real crazy?

Negotiations breakdown over solar company operation

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays

Voting for a truly American Christmas

We Know How to Stop School Shootings

Newsbreak New Mexico 5pm Webcast 12/19/12

NM ranks top among best places for animal abuse

NMSU launches obesity study

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ABQ to spend money on marketing

Sec. of Education wants $140 million for schools

Judge upholds $22 million award to jailed man

Speaker Ben Lujan dies

Newsbreak New Mexico 8am Webcast 12/19/12

State studies habitual truancy in public schools

When they really enjoy the very best fatalities

Newsbreak New Mexico 5pm Webcast 12/18/12

Questa school board suspension continues

Miss Las Cruces arrested for DWI

Newsbreak New Mexico 12pm Webcast 12/18/12

Gov. aims to crackdown on DWI

Belen school shooting threat

Drug trafficking ring indicted

Newsbreak New Mexico 8am Webcast 12/18/12

Las Cruces impact fees delayed

Gov. says keep guns away from mentally ill

Terror time for people made intentionally defenseless

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