Swickard: Understanding MLK’s colorblind world

© 2013 Michael Swickard, Ph.D. They are words that will dwell in the hearts of mankind for centuries: “I have a dream…” At last week’s fifty year celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech, I was disappointed that the occasion was partisan and worse, missed entirely Martin Luther King’s desire for a colorblind society.
     What made King extraordinary was that, like Gandhi earlier, he knew the oppressed minority could not by force of arms change their own status. Both men realized that only by appealing to the good people of the majority could any real change occur. That is exactly what happened.
     The 20th century was America’s worst and best years. Sadly, early in the century our Constitution had been changed but not the society. Men of color fought for this country and came back to a society still firmly in the grip of the race haters. We now realize that many of the majority population were on the side of minorities but needed a catalyst for them to make societal changes.
     In the 1950s Martin Luther King had a vision of a colorblind society. He did not want Blacks to oppress Whites any more than he wanted segregation to continue. It was difficult to change our society. As we saw in the years that followed, discrimination by the majority was eliminated. Yes, there are still pockets of haters on both sides and there are race baiters and those who make a good living dividing us, the United States of America. But we, as a nation, heard the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. We reached out and embraced his heart to ours.

     This nation now reflects a racial blend of heroes and leaders from President Obama to Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Condoleezza Rice, Bill Cosby, Will Smith, Oprah. And the list goes on. Any child born today can be president or can rise to the top of Hollywood. Any child born today can be a general, admiral or Supreme Court Justice. Our society is becoming a racially blended society. Tiger Woods blends two races as does our President.
      We are told that we should not judge all Muslims by the actions of the few extremists. I would extend that argument to include not judging America by the actions of a few race haters. Let us be Martin Luther King’s colorblind America.Read full column

Swickard: Understanding MLK’s colorblind world

Alb business specializes in balloon repair

From KOB-TV.com - By: Joseph Lynch, KOB Eyewitness News 4 - ALBUQUERQUE -- With the Balloon Fiesta just 30 days away and counting, balloonists are starting to watch the calendar and prep their balloons. If those balloons are in need of repair or maintenance, there's a small Albuquerque business that has been specializing in these type of repairs for 30 years.
     Bob Healy was an engineer and says he got burned out from working in a cubicle. Bob was offered a job at Aerco fixing balloons.  "Fell in love and it's become my life's work. Here I am still 30 some years later," Healy said.
     David Eichorn, a retired 35-year Air Force aviator, bought the business a year ago. He said that it just made sense. He has an immense love for anything that flies. "Working here with customers, other people who love to fly. Balloon flying is different than flying fixed wing. So it's a different group of people. So it's expanding my community of friends," Eichorn said.
     Whether it's burners, baskets or balloons, they can fix it. They are a full service station. And there isn't a whole lot of competition in their line of work around town. Or anywhere for that matter, according to Eichorn. "There's one other repair station in town. But there used to be four. We're down to two. There's just not as many repair stations in the country," Eichorn said.
     Whether balloons need to be fixed or not, the FAA requires a 100 hour or annual inspection to fly. Aerco does a lot of those too. More

Alb business specializes in balloon repair

NM Health Dept. says get flu shots now

Health officials are reminding New Mexicans to start making plans to get flu shots. 

The New Mexico Department of Health says the flu vaccine is arriving in some doctor's office and pharmacies. 

And while it may seem early, Health Secretary Retta Ward says now is the time to make an appointment to get vaccinated. She says it is hard to predict how intense the next flu season will be, so New Mexicans shouldn't wait until flu season starts to get vaccinated. 

Ward says everyone six months of age and older should get a flu vaccine each flu season, especially children, pregnant women, people over 50 and anyone with special health conditions or other issues that put them at a higher risk.

NM Health Dept. says get flu shots now

NM SUPCO to rule on retirement pension case

New Mexico highest court will issue a decision over whether the state can cut cost-of-living increases for retired educators to shore up the pension system's finances. 

The state Supreme Court heard from lawyers Wednesday in a case brought by four retirees, who contend the state Constitution protects their pensions from reductions such as those required under a law enacted this year. 

There's no deadline for a ruling by the justices. 

The retirees say they have a property right in their retirement benefits, but the attorney general's office told the court that the cost-of-living adjustments can be changed to preserve the pension plan's solvency.

 Retirees saw their pensions increase by just under 2 percent despite the cuts implemented in July.

NM SUPCO to rule on retirement pension case

Los Alamos County issues same sex marriage licenses

A northern New Mexico county has become the eighth in the state to allow marriage licenses to same-sex couples. 

The Los Alamos County clerk's office issued a license Wednesday to a lesbian couple shortly after a state district judge upheld a decision requiring that to happen. 

Janet Newton and Maria Thibodeau were denied a marriage license last week and they filed a lawsuit that led to a ruling by District Court Judge Sheri Raphaelson that same-sex couples are entitled to be married in New Mexico. 

Dona Ana County's clerk led the way on the gay marriage issue Aug. 21 by deciding independently to allow marriage licenses for gay and lesbian couples. Other counties have followed, including Grant County, which plans to start granting licenses next week.

Los Alamos County issues same sex marriage licenses

Oil and gas management courses being offered

From KOB-TV.com - By: Ashley McElroy, KOB Eyewitness News 4 - Oil and gas production is a way of life in the Four Corners and other parts of the state. Now, two New Mexico colleges are offering a degree program to help more students develop their careers San Juan College and New Mexico Highlands University have teamed up to offer the first bachelor's program in oil and gas management.
     "We believe it one of the first degrees of its kind in the United States,” said Randy Pacheco, Dean of the School of Energy at San Juan College.
     The schools have been designing this program for about a year.Officials at San Juan College say this is an opportunity for people who work in the field to take their career to the next level from field work to management.
     "I think when they're searching for bachelor’s degree they want something specific for their industry something they can really relate to that they can use in their everyday job," said Pacheco.
     Students at the School of Energy said they’re excited about the new program. Matthew Burt wants to take what he's learned in natural gas compression a step further. "In order to someday be an expert, I really need to learn all the basics and that's critical in thiscourse," he said.
     Cody Watson hopes this new degree will help him and other students develop their careers in the four corners. "Oil and gas is the lifeblood of San Juan Basin so if we can put students out there with a good knowledge base then they can develop themselves better as employees," Watson said.
     Highlands University says the program is all online and they are already seeing a lot of interest. They expect to have 20 to 30 bachelor's and master's students enrolled in the spring. More

Oil and gas management courses being offered

Las Cruces City Council votes to increase GRT

The Las Cruces City Council voted Tuesday to increase the city's gross receipts tax by three-eighths of one percent.   

That amounts to about four cents on a ten dollar purchase.

The council voted 6-1 for the tax increase, which will take effect on January 1.  Councilor Miguel Silva was the lone "no" vote.  Councilors voting "yes" said the tax increase was needed due to a reduction in state tax revenue.  

The state legislature voted to remove the so-called "hold harmless" provision over a period of years.  

The move was part of a last-minute bill that reduced corporate taxes in New Mexico.

Las Cruces City Council votes to increase GRT

Santa Fe Reporter files lawsuit against Gov.

Gov. Martinez

The Santa Fe Reporter has filed a lawsuit against Gov. Susana Martinez, alleging violations of the state's open records laws as well as retaliation by her office against the alternative weekly. 

The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in state district court. It alleges seven instances where the governor's office failed to produce calendars, emails, documents about pardons and other material sought by the Reporter under the state's Inspection of Public Records Act. 

Martinez's administration is being accused of violating the state's guarantee of a free press with "unlawful selective withholding of public information and retaliatory and discriminatory conduct." 

The lawsuit asks that Martinez, who ran on a campaign of transparency, be ordered to implement a system for adequately responding to public records requests.

Santa Fe Reporter files lawsuit against Gov.

PNM plans to shut down coal units at power plant

From KOB-TV.com - By: Erica Zucco, KOB Eyewitness News 4 - PNM and several other power producers have proposed a plan to shut down two coal units at the San Juan Generating Plant near Farmington. The plant is required to comply with a federal visibility rule that was going to create a huge cost for customers in the state by forcing companies to install costly pollution-reducing technology. Instead, PNM proposed a plan that would make two of the units defunct, but would cost consumers a lot less in the long run.
     They will propose the plan to the Environmental Improvement Board on September 5 and 6. If the EIB approves it, the Environmental Protection Agency will then approve it. If the EPA approves it, units 2 and 3 would be retired by December 31, 2017. They will also need to come up with a replacement power source. What it will be is still up in the air, but there’s a possibility of a mix of gas fire generation nuclear power. If the replacement is expensive, there’s a possibility PNM will have to ask for rate recovery from the Public Regulation Commission.
     PNM has made a commitment not to lay off any workers at the plant. They are also investing $1 million in Navajo Nation workforce training. More

PNM plans to shut down coal units at power plant

Super Resources that Only Democrats Could Hate

Commentary by Marita Noon - Energy is a super-resource. It is beneficial to several targeted economic problems and may even help some political conditions. The qualities of energy make it a special category of elements found in nature: a super-resource.
     Berries, broccoli, and beans are all considered superfoods which are defined as a special category of foods found in nature; a food that is considered to be beneficial to your health and that may even help some medical conditions. They pack a lot of punch.
     Oil, natural gas and coal, are all super-resources. They are found in nature. They pack a lot of punch. They are beneficial to the economy in that they create jobs, increase revenues, and help balance the trade deficit.
     The Keystone pipeline would create thousands of jobs—primarily union jobs in construction (one of the hardest hit industries in the economic recession) and increased service employment in supporting communities. America’s abundance of natural gas—due to the combined techniques of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, and new technologies—means that there is more natural gas available than can be used within our borders. Many countries, such as Japan (with whom we run a $6 billion trade deficit), want our excess, but to ship it, the natural gas must be liquefied—which requires special liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals.The US contains one-fourth of the world’s coal reserves and the Powder River Basin (PRB) found in Wyoming and Montana accounts for about 40 percent of US coal reserves. The 13 active coal mines in the Wyoming portion of the PRB employ more than 6800 workers. Read full column

Super Resources that Only Democrats Could Hate