News New Mexico: June 2012

When are We Going to Learn the Truth About Hucksters Using Green Jobs as Bait

Jim Spence

As close to two hundred former Schott Solar workers said goodbye earlier this week one had to wonder when New Mexico is going to say goodbye to politicians in the progressive wing of the Democratic Party who continue to call for state taxpayers to throw millions of dollars in free cash at companies selling them “green jobs.

A quick review of what happened with Schott is worthwhile. It began with slick talking promoters from Schott arriving on the New Mexico scene just a few years ago. The company’s management team duped public officials in the city of Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, and state government into giving them all sorts of absurd goodies to set up shop here.
Sadly, Schott wasn’t a tough sell to elected officials. Many Democrats at all three levels of government were anxious to use someone else's money to improve their own pro-green political credentials.

Why should taxpayers be mad at the radical environmentalist movement that helped apply the pressure than enabled Schott to commandeer at least $16 million in Local Economic Development Assistance Program funding for infrastructure development? Because elected officials promoting these green job giveaways were warned that ridiculous promises of permanent 1,500 jobs for New Mexicans was just another illusion.
This week, just a few years after yet another Bill Richardson financial fiasco, Governor Susana Martinez summarized the result. "Instead, (of providing jobs) they're taking our money, closing their doors and leaving our state," Martinez said of Schott late in the week. "The taxpayers should be very upset about that," Governor Susana Martinez added.

How much money got flushed down the toilet this time? In addition to the $16 million Bill Richardson put into the project, the city of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County also kicked in a combined $1.5 million. Whether the city and county will be reimbursed through so-called "claw back" penalties is unclear.
The bottom line is pretty simple. The progressive wing of the Democratic Party in our state continues to push these boneheaded ideas. Dumb policies like the renewable mandates and the pit rule are just a couple of dozens of cash incinerating laws on the books in New Mexico.
Of course, Governor Martinez would like to clean up this mess and stop throwing away million of taxpayer dollars to huckster scams. But she won’t be able to do so without majorities in both the Senate and House of Representatives.

Ruling nixes penalties for states that don't expand Medicaid, puts New Mexico in limbo

Santa Fe New Mexican - The U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the federal health care law Thursday came with another surprise tucked inside: States suddenly can decide whether or not to expand Medicaid, a government low-income health insurance program. Medicaid has a major footprint in New Mexico. It covers one in four New Mexicans to the tune of just under $1 billion in state dollars, or 16 percent of the state budget. The federal government picks up most of New Mexico’s Medicaid tab, which totals $3.8 billion. But here’s the rub. Before Thursday, the federal law contained a provision punishing states that didn’t expand Medicaid, beginning in 2014. States not expanding the program faced the potential of losing all Medicaid funding from Washington. Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling stripped that punitive measure from the law, suddenly releasing states from that huge financial threat. Gov. Susana Martinez’s administration on Thursday was still digesting Thursday’s ruling and couldn’t say what it would decide to push for — a full-scale expansion of Medicaid, as called for under the law, or something else. Read More News New Mexico

Vaughn's police dept run by criminals

KRQE - The state of law enforcement in the tiny prairie town of Vaughn, southwest of Santa Rosa, is so bad the only qualified member of the police department is a drug-sniffing dog. “They are a police department that should not exist,” said Gordon Eden, cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Department of Public Safety. “If they do not stop what’s going on in Vaughn, New Mexico, we will go to the New Mexico attorney general … to take additional action.” Vaughn is a community of 450 and has a police department being run by convicted criminals. In fact, the only fully trained and certified member of the Vaughn Police Department is Nikka the police dog. “I’m very leery about getting rid of police officers for just not being able to carry a gun or something,” said Vaughn Mayor Paul Madrid. Read More News New Mexico

95 percent containment on destructive NM wildfire

Alamogordo Daily News - A New Mexico wildfire that destroyed 242 homes and businesses is now 95 percent contained as crews finish mopping up around the fire's perimeter.

Crews demobilized some equipment Friday as they restored containment lines around the 69-square-mile Little Bear fire to a more natural state. Firefighters were also able to take advantage of rain on the blaze's southern end. The lightning-caused fire is burning near Ruidoso and started June 4. Businesses in Ruidoso are open despite some road closures due to fire operations. Meanwhile, crews continue fighting the Whitewater-Baldy blaze, the largest fire in the state's recorded history at more than 465 square miles. That fire remained 87 percent contained Friday. It began as two lightning-caused blazes on May 16 that merged to form one giant wildfire. Read More News New Mexico

New Mexico warden cleared in rape investigation

Gregg Marcantel

KOB - The New Mexico Corrections Secretary has cleared a high-level administrator of wrongdoing after an investigation into alleged prison rape by one of his former employees. Our 4 On Your Side's Chris Ramirez has been investigating this case and has the latest. Secretary Gregg Marcantel announced Thursday that former Los Lunas State Prison warden Anthony Romero did not thwart an FBI investigation into alleged rape by his former employee, a prison captain. Marcantel said Romero will return to his present job as deputy director of adult prisons on Monday. That job is a promotion from his previous job as prison warden. While Romero was under investigation, he was reassigned to do special projects for the department. The investigation began after a lawsuit filed by a former prisoner claimed Romero impeded an FBI investigation into allegations of prison rape that allegedly occurred at the prison while Romero was in charge. According to the lawsuit we first told you about a month ago, then-prison captain Kenneth Carrejo allegedly handcuffed an inmate to office furniture and raped him several times. But Marcantel told reporters Thursday that the department internally investigated those claims against Romero and found he had done nothing wrong. Read More News New Mexico

Courtesy of Conservative Daily News

janice2012.us

Holder Held in Contempt by GOP and Democrats

Eric Holder

Washington Post -The House of Representatives voted 255 to 67 Thursday to hold Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. in contempt of Congress, capping months of partisan bickering over an ongoing congressional investigation into Operation “Fast and Furious.”
More than 100 Democrats left the House floor before the vote, but 17 moderate Democrats stayed behind and joined with Republicans in voting for contempt, robbing the Obama administration and congressional Democrats of its main argument that the vote was a blatant partisan maneuver to discredit Holder and the White House in an election year.
All but one of the 17 Democrats has previously been endorsed by the National Rifle Association, which said it would be tracking Thursday’s vote in determining future endorsements. In a letter to lawmakers last week, the NRA said, “It is no secret that the NRA does not admire Attorney General Holder.” But the gun rights group said it supported the contempt resolution because the Justice Department was obstructing a congressional investigation. Read full story here: News New Mexico

News New Mexico began July 1, 2010

From our family at News New Mexico to your family in New Mexico as we finish our second year, we want to say thanks for the two years we have been a part of each other’s lives.

This program started July 1, 2010. Much has changed but at the core of our mission, at the core of each day is our commitment to provide news and commentary to New Mexico communities about New Mexico and about best practices.

To everyone who makes this program possible we thank you and look forward to our next year in New Mexico.

Schott Solar to close Albuquerque plant; 250 lose jobs

NewsNM Swickard: What about the 130 million dollars the State of New Mexico gave to get them to come to New Mexico? Are we, the New Mexico taxpayers, out the money? From KOAT-TV.com - ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Schott Solar will close down its Albuquerque plant by the end of the summer, Action 7 News has learned. Employees told Action 7 News that the company will cease manufacturing operations as of Friday, shedding more than 200 jobs. The company will keep a small staff through the end of the summer until they close down the entire plant. Schott is offering a severance package of two months of pay and benefits, but a lot of folks leaving told Action 7 News that is far different than having a place to show up every day. When the company announced plans for a plant back in 2008, it was thought that the facility would employ 1,000 New Mexicans. The company plans to continue operations in the U.S., but not in New Mexico. Read more

Paychecks for thousands of state workers will be short Friday

From the Santa Fe New Mexican - by Kate Nash - The State Department of Finance and Administration says more than 7,000 state employees will not get the entire paycheck amounts they are owed on Friday because of a software glitch. Some of the 7,111 employees who will receive checks with the incorrect amounts will get paid for 40 hours of work while others will get 56 hours of pay instead of 80, said DFA spokesman Tim Korte. The state is investigating the problem and plans to bring in a third party to analyze the situation and the PeopleSoft software in use by the state. In the meantime, the state hopes to make up the difference in the checks by issuing supplemental checks on Friday, but Korte said it could be Saturday before all employees get their full pay. In one pay period in May, state employees didn’t get their paychecks on time after a human error caused them to be sent late. Read more

Aguilar essay lands entire family a free trip to D.C.

The Aguilar Family from Rio Rancho in D.C.

From the Rio Rancho Observer - by BY GARY HERRON - Can there be a greater trip for a high school student than a free one to Washington, D.C.? Yeah, maybe, but the June jaunt to the nation’s capital was just right for the Aguilar family of Rio Rancho. Under the spires of the Air Force Memorial in Arlington, Va., Rand McNally recently awarded two grand prize winners from among 12,000 essays submitted in the “America the Beautiful” short essay contest. Although Celina Aguilar’s entry wasn’t a grand prize winner, her family enjoyed the bounty of her essay – that trip to D.C. Celina, ranked third in her Cleveland High School Class of 2013, said she’s always been a pretty good essay writer, which is what the winners were based upon. Jennifer Aguilar said her daughter has a great sense of humor in addition to her writing skills and that she plays cello in the CHS orchestra, or “Dork-estra,” as Celina joked. Launched in March, “America the Beautiful” asked this simple essay question: “What’s the one place in the U.S. that truly inspires you?” Subjects ranged from hometowns to the special memories about places visited, to meaningful landmarks. Aguilar wrote about Corrales, where she spent her early years — all of her grandparents live in the village — and its wildlife, beauty and family memories. Celina Aguilar, busy with calculus and psychology classes at CNM this summer, said she plans to be a pharmacist someday. Read more

Woman arrested for library fines that were not hers

From the Clovis News Journal - by By Robin Fornoff - Lori Teel says she doesn't use the Portales Public Library, never has, and probably never will after what happened to her the night of June 12. Teel, pregnant and the mother of four small children, was arrested, handcuffed and hauled away to jail in front of her kids for failing to pay library fines of $35.98. "My children are still traumatized by it," Teel said. Teel and her attorney Eric Dixon filed notice Tuesday that she intends to sue the city of Portales and Roosevelt County for false arrest and because of the way she was treated by courts and police. Dixon said Teel was never given notice by the city before it sought charges against her. Court records show the charges against Teel were dismissed Monday at the request of City Attorney Stephen Doerr. Teel says she didn't owe the money because she didn't check out the materials and doesn't even own a library card. Dixon called the library's charges "bogus." "I was very, very upset by it," Teel said Thursday morning. "I have never in my life been in jail ... never have I ever been in trouble." Teel was arrested by Roosevelt County Sheriff's deputies when they discovered the outstanding warrant against Lori Teel. Dixon called Lori Teel's arrest outrageous. He said in addition to money damages — Teel had to post $610 bond to get out of jail — Teel wants the city to stop using the criminal process to collect library fines."They need to give people a chance and listen to people and not treat people like animals," Teel said. Teel's arrest stems from a bench warrant issued by Municipal Judge Frederick Arnold and what Dixon described as a series of bureaucratic errors. Court records show notice of the past due materials was mailed to a home Dixon said Teel hasn't lived in since she was a child. When she didn't appear in municipal court after a summons was mailed to the same address and returned marked "return to sender: not here," Arnold issued a bench warrant for failure to appear in court. Read more

Alamogordo declares emergency at Bonita Lake

Bonita Lake north of Ruidoso

From the Alamogordo Daily News - Alamogordo has once again stopped pumping water from Bonito Lake after concerns that it has become unusable because of runoff from the charred watershed surrounding the lake. The Alamogordo City Commission declared an emergency at Bonito Lake on Tuesday night because of damage caused by the Little Bear fire burning in the area, a necessary step in receiving federal assistance to repair the lake. "This is required as part of the FEMA process," said utilities director and interim Public Works director Brian Cesar. "FEMA will be in Alamogordo on Thursday morning to begin the process for the flooding and debris we had deposited at Bonito Lake last Friday." Cesar said the city stopped drawing water from Bonito Lake on Friday. He said the lake was continuing to be drained Wednesday and was about 9 feet below the spillway. He said divers were going to continue working on the lake Thursday. He said portions of the watershed surrounding Bonito Lake suffered heavy damage as a result of the Little Bear fire. "It's basically bare earth and sticks where the pines used to be," Cesar said. Cesar said the city stopped drawing water from Bonito Lake last Friday. It had previously done so earlier in the month as a precaution but began drawing water from Bonito again. The lake supplies Alamogordo with about 15 percent of its water. Read more

The Supreme Court ruling on “Obamacare” and what it means for New Mexico UPDATE: Susana says “We’ll do what we need to do”

Capitol Report New Mexico - The reports about the demise of “Obamacare” were premature. On Thursday morning (June 28), the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was constitutional, with Chief Justice John Roberts casting the deciding vote, arguing the provision called the individual mandate — requiring citizens to pay into the system whether they want to or not — was a tax and not a violation of separation of powers. After weeks of speculation that the act would be struck down, reaction was swift and predictable in political circles, with Democrats telling critics “I told you so” and Republicans decrying what they see as an unprecedented intrusion by the federal government. “Today’s Supreme Court decision sets the stakes for the November election,” said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. “Now, the only way to save the country from ObamaCare’s budget-busting government takeover of health care is to elect a new president” while President Obama said, “Whatever the politics, today’s decision was a victory for people all over this country whose lives will be more secure because of this law and the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold it.” What the decision mean for New Mexico? Read More News New Mexico

Heinrich and Lujan Vote to Defend Fast and Furious Obstruction of Justice

Casket of Murdered U.S. Agent Jaime Zapata

Commentary by Jim Spence - Senate candidate Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan officially joined the obstruction of justice efforts of Eric Holder this afternoon. These elected officials from New Mexico voted to NOT enforce Congressional subpoenas issued to the U.S. Department of Justice as part of an investigation of hundreds of homicides in Mexico and the U.S. by Mexican drug cartel members using guns provided by.......the DOJ.

Late Night Jokes from Newsmax

The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
While talking about the economy, Joe Biden said it's a depression for millions of Americans. He used the word "depression" to describe the economy. I don't know if Mitt Romney has picked a running mate yet, but Joe Biden sounds like he'd be perfect.
Yesterday morning Facebook was temporarily offline, leaving millions of workers unable to do anything except their jobs.

Richardson Crony Served Legal Papers in Paris

Bill Richardson

NM Watchdog - “We are winning,” a determined top lawyer to the New Mexico State Investment Council declared at its June 26, 2012 meeting. The SIC’s Chief General Counsel Evan Land outlined the SIC’s strategy of “flipping” and “leveraging” “seventeen or eighteen of the worst actors” to reach bigger fish and bigger pots of money that may compensate New Mexico for enormous losses allegedly caused by politically motivated investments during the administration of former Governor Bill Richardson. News that one of the key defendants in the SIC’s case had been tracked down in France drove home Land’s point that the SIC is on the offensive and moving forward.

“We served Marc Correra in the lobby of his Paris apartment building,” Land reported during the public session of the State Investment Council’s monthly meeting. Correra’s former wife revealed in the course of their divorce that Correra had fled the United States believing he could escape his legal problems. According to Land, Correra’s response to being found and served was less than courteous. The SIC’s lawyers employed the Hague Convention to serve the suit on Correra. Land also reported that Anthony Correra, Marc’s father, had been served a total of three separate times “so there would be no doubt” he had been brought under the court’s jurisdiction and must defend the claims against him or face a crushing default judgment. Read full story here: News New Mexico

Lujan: Ruling by Supreme Court "An important victory for the people of New Mexico"

Ben Ray Lujan

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico’s Third District released the following statement today on the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act.
“For too long, families and small businesses in New Mexico have seen their health care costs skyrocket as they continue to pay more and receive less. The ranks of the uninsured grew while insurance companies continued to deny or drop coverage for those who needed it most. That is why President Obama and Democrats in Congress took to action to pass health insurance reform that ends the insurance companies worst abuses, expands coverage, and takes steps to bring down costs for hard-working New Mexicans.
“Today’s decision by the Supreme Court to uphold the law is an important victory for the people of New Mexico. Young adults will be able to remain on their parents’ insurance plan, those with pre-existing conditions will be assured that they will have health insurance, and seniors will continue to pay less for prescription drugs and receive free preventive care.
“It is now abundantly clear that the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land and that the people of New Mexico will continue to benefit from its many important provisions.”

Pearce: Repeal the Healthcare "Tax"

Steve Pearce

Washington, DC (June 28, 2012) Today, Congressman Steve Pearce issued the following statement regarding the Supreme Court’s recent decision to uphold the President’s healthcare law:
“I have long believed that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2011 was an unconstitutional overreach by the President. ObamaCare is a violation of our individual rights and an expansion of federal government power our nation’s founders would have found unfathomable.
“The Supreme Court, which has the responsibility of interpreting the law, found this overreach acceptable as a tax. While I do not agree, I respect its authority to make this interpretation.
“Since day one, the Obama Administration has denied that his law was a tax on the American people. Yet, the Obama Administration will claim victory, when all this law does is assess a greater financial burden on hardworking American families and small business owners.
“ObamaCare puts government bureaucrats between patients and their doctors, hurts small businesses and creates trillions in new government spending that will add a huge new weight to our already overloaded deficit.
“We need to get back to work on repealing this ‘tax’ and reforming our healthcare system. These reforms must be focused on protecting patient access to the care they need from the doctor they choose.”

Janice Arnold-Jones Comments on Ruling

Janice Arnold-Jones

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – I am disappointed the Supreme Court did not rule in favor of completely overturning the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The politicians assured us that ObamaCare was not a tax. President Obama assured us the Individual Mandate was not a tax. The Supreme Court plainly ruled that the individual mandate IS a TAX. Over 46% of Americans pay no taxes. This means the 1.7 Trillion in costs will be paid for on the backs of the middle class. States can opt out of ObamaCare Medicaid and this jeopardizes health care coverage for the poor.

This historic policy blunder limits the choices of the American consumer, penalizes small business and those who work and continues this administration’s massive government overreach and leaching of our freedom. In the middle of this controversy, the debt and deficit crisis remains unaddressed and this country continues to operate without a budget. All of this KILLS JOBS.

Excessive over taxation, fees and regulations added to trillions of dollars in spending is not a solution. We want our citizens to be at the center of their own health care answers. When did this “one-size-fits-all” government policy ever meet individual needs and choices? The call is for real leadership and common sense immediately.

When I am elected to Congress, I will work to repeal this bad law and replace it with a health care plan that places the American consumer at the center their own health care decisions.

Lying Pays Off, Sure It Was a "TAX" All Along

Believers that it was not a tax

Commentary by Jim Spence - Deception works. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this morning that the Obama plan to market the “mandate” portion of Obamacare as a "penalty" when they knew it was really a "TAX" was appropriate. You can watch the VIDEO of the President repeatedly DENYING that the mandate is a tax.
Of course, when the duplicitous lawyers in the Obama administration went to court, AFTER THEY GOT THE VOTES in Congress, they did exactly what Obama was unwilling to do when he first duped Congress into passing the monstrosity of a tax increase.
In one of the greatest twists of irony in the history of the U.S. ..... today the Supreme Court gave the Democrats the ONLY constitutional basis for the law it had. The majority said despite all the denials from Obama, that the mandate was a TAX. The only way they could rule in favor of the law was to call the president a liar.
Another irony of today's ruling is how the progressives universally trashed Chief Justice John Roberts for months leading up to today because they believed he would rule against them. You see, anyone who is even suspected of ruling against progressives is too "political." In the end Obama's lawyers actually snared the Chief Justice with one of their contradictory arguements. It was something that they only wanted the court to consider as a last resort because they had already publicly denied the premise.
In the end, what progressives wound up with was a victory based on a lie. But what the heck. It's a win right? You see, any words you might say don't actually matter anymore, just as long as the federal government gathers more power. That is the objective.
And in one final and amazing twist of irony, it was the Bush appointee John Roberts who found a convoluted way to let the Democrats have it both ways. In his opinion, Roberts contradicted the president's repeated denials when Obama argued vehemently that the mandate was not a tax increase. Then Roberts turned one hundred-eighty degrees and legitimized the entire scam that was made possible by blatant deception. Shakespeare was right about lawyers, and this country is dominated by them.

Investment Council rejects governor's choice

Lee Rawson

Milan Simonich - The most powerful woman in state government lost a public showdown Tuesday. Gov. Susana Martinez failed when she tried to name her second-in-command on the State Investment Council. Martinez heads the council, but her nomination of Leonard Lee Rawson for vice chairman was defeated on a 5-4 vote. Rawson (right) is a Las Cruces businessman and a former Republican state legislator. After the council voted against Martinez's nomination of Rawson, it tabled the selection of a vice chairman until its July meeting. Voting against Rawson were council members Linda Eitzen, James Lewis, Peter Frank, Harold Lavender and Scott Smart. One council member, State Land Commissioner Ray Powell, was absent. The Investment Council manages about $15 billion in public money. New Mexico is the only state in which a governor heads the body responsible for investments. Read More News New Mexico

Obamageddon? Judgment Day Has Arrived

Daily Mail - Barack Obama faces Judgment Day as the Supreme Court is set to announce today whether his healthcare reform will be struck down and Attorney General Eric Holder faces being held in contempt of Congress.
Having spent his first 14 months in office on achieving Obamacare, for the former constitutional law lecturer to see his signature reform declared unconstitutional would be a humiliating blow.
In ramming the bill through Congress, Obama failed to secure a single Republican vote, thereby shedding his campaign image as a bipartisan uniter. Although passing the bill was a legislative victory, the reform itself has proved to be a political millstone. The censure of Holder, in which a number of Democrats are poised to join Republicans, would also be a major embarrassment because Obama has claimed executive privilege, something he blasted his predecessor George W. Bush for doing. Read full story here: News New Mexico

Courtesy of Conservative Daily News

janice2012.us

Alamogordo Water Supplies Damaged

Alamogordo Daily News - Alamogordo has once again stopped pumping water from Bonito Lake after concerns that it has become unusable because of runoff from the charred watershed surrounding the lake.
The Alamogordo City Commission declared an emergency at Bonito Lake on Tuesday night because of damage caused by the Little Bear fire burning in the area, a necessary step in receiving federal assistance to repair the lake.
"This is required as part of the FEMA process," said utilities director and interim Public Works director Brian Cesar. "FEMA will be in Alamogordo on Thursday morning to begin the process for the flooding and debris we had deposited at Bonito Lake last Friday."
Cesar said the city stopped drawing water from Bonito Lake on Friday. He said the lake was continuing to be drained Wednesday and was about 9 feet below the spillway. He said divers were going to continue working on the lake Thursday. Read full story here: News New Mexico

New wildfire erupts near Durango

From KRQE-TV.com - by Jessica Garate - ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Lightning striking just before 1 p.m. Wednesday sparked the latest of several fires burning in the Four Corners, this one about 3.5 miles west of Durango. The blaze started on Lighnter Creek Road near where it intersects Dry Fork Road and has spread over 80 acres. Both of those county roads are now closed. About 60 homes are threatened, and people there have been told to be ready to evacuate. The Lighnter Creek Fire is burning on private land and in the Perins Peak State Wildlife Area. Crews on the ground are trying to protect homes while a tanker has been laying a line of fire retardant at the top of the ridge to prevent flames from burning down toward homes. Two helicopters and a single engine air tanker are working to keep the fire from spreading uphill. Read more

Executive Privilege and the Playing of the Race Card, That Oughta Take Care of It!

There have been hundreds of dead Mexican citizens found at crime scenes lately. Many were killed by guns walked across the border under the orders of yet unnamed DOJ officials. There are also two dead U.S. government agents, Brian Terry and Jaime Zapata. Both men were also murdered with weapons provided to drug cartels by the same U.S. Department of Justice.

Congress began to investigate these massacres more than a year ago. First, Eric Holder sent Congress an initial response letter that was loaded with lies (or the musings of a completely incompetent Attorney General). So patently false were the statements made by Holder in his letter, he later had to retract it. Since then we have seen months of absolute stonewalling and misleading statements by Holder as Congress has pressed for the truth behind all of these homicides.

In the face of this situation we must now guess what the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) will do as a Contempt of Congress vote looms. All indications suggest the CBC believes this investigation is NOT about illegal gunrunning to drug cartels by the DOJ. And the CBC does not think these unanswered questions are about hundreds of dead bodies at crime scenes in Mexico. The CBC does not even think this unsolved gunrunning crime is about two U.S. agents killed on both sides of the border, by drug lords using these weapons. The big thing about this story is, well, it is that the Attorney General, is um, well, he is black. And to the CBC, this seems to be the over-riding fact common to all of these homicides.

Accordingly, late today the CBC leadership called a members-only "emergency" meeting for Thursday. There they are expected to plot a "walkout strategy" ahead of the scheduled contempt vote of Attorney General Eric Holder later in the day. The plans, which have been detailed in the media outlet the Alley is based on an email from the executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus. It includes circulating a letter disapproving of the vote. The walk out of the Capitol building tomorrow will be for the purpose of holding a press conference. During the actual roll call, the CBC is expected to tell reporters........drum roll please........they have decided to once again PLAY THE RACE CARD.

Brian Terry's casket

It is a fascinating strategy. Will it work? It might. The press has reported in recent days that President Obama is really thumping Romney in the polling of Hispanics. One can only wonder how many more Mexican citizens will have to be murdered by drug cartels using guns provided by Holder's DOJ. Maybe the polls will begin soon to reflect a bankrupt value system that produces a claim of "executive privilege" and yet another playing of the "race card" when questions regarding hundreds of homicides persist. Time will tell. Today New Mexico's Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan are expected to assist Holder's efforts to obstruct justice and Steve Pearce is expected to support the homicide investigation.

Late Night Jokes from Newsmax

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Analysts, according to The Wall Street Journal, say the weak economy is causing less energy use, resulting in falling oil prices. So basically the worse the economy is, the lower the price of oil. Do you know what that means? If Obama gets re-elected, gas could be free.
Former President Jimmy Carter has criticized the U.S. for using drones to kill terrorists. A lot of people agree with Carter. They're all terrorists, but they agree with Carter.
Rielle Hunter announced she and John Edwards have broken up. That's scary. When a lying cheater and his home-wrecking mistress can't work things out, what chance is there for the rest of us?

Conan
For the first time ever, Saudi Arabia is going to allow women to compete in the Summer Olympics. The rumor is that Saudi women are excellent runners — because they're not allowed to drive.
Late Show With David Letterman
The subways here in New York City now have wi-fi. I love it because now in the morning on my way to work I can check my e-hate mail.
The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson
Every year law schools churn out thousands of lawyers. We don't need any more lawyers. We need more lawyers like we need more talk-show hosts.
It takes a long time to become a lawyer because you need three things — a bachelor's degree, a law degree, and a desire to worship Satan.
Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
Yesterday in New Hampshire, President Obama said Americans need someone who will wake up every single day and fight for their jobs. Then he said, "But until we find that guy, I'm still your best choice."
Over the weekend, a man in Tennessee was kicked out of a Kenny Chesney concert because he looked too much like Kenny Chesney. That actually happens a lot — in fact, my grandma was kicked out of an Aerosmith concert for looking too much like Steven Tyler.

Congressman Pearce to attend Ruidoso rally

Steve Pearce

Washington D.C. - Congressman Steve Pearce has accepted an invitation to attend a public rally being hosted by the Ruidoso/Lincoln County Association of Realtors to protest land management policies of the U.S. Forest Service. The rally will be held on Saturday, June 30, 2 p.m. at Wingfield Park in Ruidoso. Congressman Pearce released the following statement on accepting the invitation:

“I will continue to stand with the community as it seeks a common sense approach to managing our forests. For decades, Washington has mismanaged our federal public lands and our forests are no exception. The best ideas and solutions are going to come from the people on the ground near the forests, not from Washington politicians and bureaucrats. Washington has had more than enough time and opportunity to get it done right. “Equally troubling, we are seeing a growing trend by the Forest Service not to immediately and aggressively put out initial fires, costing our community’s hundreds of homes and putting our personal safety at risk. Americans need to take a hard look at the on-going management policies in place by the Forest Service and the upcoming rally in Ruidoso will give the people who live in areas affected by these policies an opportunity to express their concern.“Finally, I would again like to recognize and thank the fire fighters who are working to keep our communities safe from fires across New Mexico”.

Whatever Happened to Food Stamps?

Sentinel Source - Jackie R. Whiton of Antrim had been a six-year employee at the Big Apple convenience store in Peterborough until a single transaction sent her job up in smoke. The store clerk was fired after she refused to take a customer’s Electronic Balance Transfer card to pay for cigarettes.
Whiton said a young man came in to the store to buy two packs or cigarettes on May 29. When she asked him for his ID, he handed her his EBT card.
EBT cards are used for both food and cash assistance programs. There are two types of cards: one can only be used for food. The other can be spent on anything and used just like a debit card.
Whiton said she did not think EBT cards could be used to purchase cigarettes and refused to sell to him. The two “had a little go-around” as the line got longer behind him, said Whiton.
“I made the statement, ‘do you think myself, that lady and that gentlemen should pay for your cigarettes?’ and he responded ‘yes,’ ” Whiton said. Read full story here: News New Mexico

Martinez Orders Better Capital Outlay Planning

Susana Martinez

SANTA FE – Governor Susana Martinez has signed an executive order aimed at improving the capital outlay process for state government properties by requiring every agency under the Governor’s authority to submit a 5-year facilities master plan.
The directive aims to improve planning and cut costs by requiring the agencies to annually update and justify proposed capital projects, outline maintenance plans and justify new construction. Agencies will use a criteria-based weighted ranking system to determine priority.
For years, New Mexico has rated poorly in managing the capital outlay process. The Governor’s executive order will help ensure that all capital projects relating to state agencies are properly vetted and deemed worthy before lawmakers are asked to provide funding.
“New Mexico taxpayers foot the bill for these projects and it is important that we have a better system in place to identify the state’s needs so we can avoid wasteful spending,” Governor Martinez said. “Frankly, this sort of prioritization and vetting should be an integral part of every dollar that the Legislature appropriates for capital outlay. Unfortunately, for too long that hasn’t been the case.”
The executive order calls for the Property Control Division at the General Services Department to work with the Department of Finance and Administration to prepare and update a 5-year capital improvement project master list.

The master plan must be submitted to the Governor and Legislature by November 1 each year.

NM Burger named one of the best in U.S.

KRQE - National Geographic ranked one of New Mexico's hamburger joints as one of the best in the country. Fancy burger joints in New York City and San Francisco made the list, and so did Blake's Lotaburger. KRQE News 13 broke the news to Lotaburger executives Tuesday. They say they think it's the green chile from Hatch, New Mexico that makes their cheeseburger so popular. "This is what we do for a living and if somebody thinks we're doing it right, that's about as good as it gets," said Lotaburger executive Brent Jones. The company is celebrating 60 years in business in New Mexico and has 76 locations throughout the state. Read More News New Mexico

Late Night Jokes from Newsmax.com

Jerry Sandusky was found guilty on 45 counts. Penn State did not release a statement on the Sandusky verdict. As usual they're going to wait 10 years before they say anything.
Experts say Sandusky is headed for a special circle of hell in the prison system. See, you never hear about the good things the prison system does.

Gas prices are expected to drop to around $3 a gallon by this fall. The price drop is the result of a complicated system. It's called the election.
This weekend is the swim around Manhattan Island. You go to the Hudson, up the East River, and then back down the Hudson, 28 miles around Manhattan. The winner gets a trophy and hepatitis.
Climate change is a serious problem. I think if any state has a chance to come up with a technological solution to rising sea levels, it's California. In Hollywood, we're going to do our part by making a crappy reality show about it.
Mitt Romney’s weekend retreat also included a buffet dinner. Which explains why Governor Chris Christie’s invitation got “lost in the mail.”
Two female sprinters may have to do a coin toss after they tied in an Olympic qualifying event. The coin toss will last just a second, while NBC's coverage of it will last about a day and a half.

Respect and Honor Our Wounded Warriors

Jim Harbison

As we prepare to celebrate Independence Day on July 4th, evidence abounds that freedom has always had a price. Veterans have always paid that price. Look around. You will see men and women, both in and out of uniform, who answered the Nation's call, held service above self, and put themselves in harm's way for each of us. Some are missing limbs. Some bear less obvious wounds that have seared their souls. All have earned our abiding respect and our collective gratitude. All have earned whatever care we can provide to help them return to society.

Unfortunately, politics has intruded on the graciousness of the American public. Cynical ideologues who opposed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in the last debt ceiling debate pushed a moral equivalent between the Defense budget and all other budget line items. Really? Politicians fail to appreciate that soldiers do not choose where and when they sacrifice, but, the public understands. The decision to send our military into harm’s way is not made by generals and admirals but by Congress and the President. Those in the military are truly public servants and do not have a voice in choosing the wars in which they fight. And, unlike their civilian counterparts, soldiers, sailors and airmen cannot simply quit their jobs, resign, or decline the assignment.

Many military members are now returning home with devastating injuries, some suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The failure of the Senate to enact a budget for the last three years will force draconian cuts to the Military Services and to the Veterans Administration. These cuts will adversely impact the medical care to those who most deserve the honor of a grateful Nation. Read rest of column here: News New Mexico

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