News New Mexico - Still Waiting

Dr. Terry McMillan

News New Mexico listeners and site visitors are waiting patiently. In recent days we have received plenty of commentary regarding our recent interviews with Rep. Jeff Steinborn and Dr. Terry McMillan, opposing candidates in the State House District # 37 race. Most of the correspondence we have received has come from people who recall the wide range of expert guests we have had on the show offering facts regarding the increasingly controversial "Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks Wilderness Act." And the overwhelming majority of the responses we have received are in agreement with Dr. McMillan’s preference for exploring an “open space” designation rather than the more onerous "wilderness" designation for the lands in question. Also, we have heard from several experts that suggest claims made by Steinborn that this wilderness bill will “improve border security” are preposterous.

Rep. Jeff Steinborn

In addition to all the testimony we have heard on border security here on News New Mexico, we have also listened to the observations made by both U.S. congressional candidates (Pearce and Teague). Both are openly concerned about the damage that will be done to border security if the bill becomes law. We have also had several hours of discussions with highly credentialed career range science experts. Each has pointed out in painstaking detail all the damage this poorly labeled “wilderness” proposal will do to the ranching industry as well as to local soil conservation efforts. And finally, we have heard from several experts on the idea of flood control. Each guest made it obvious to us that the nightmarish provisions in the wilderness bill will result in exposing many areas of Dona Ana County to flooding. 

Border Patrol Will Be Forced to Patrol on Horseback

There is great irony in the details of this story. Representative Steinborn arrived in a "mechanized vehicle" to make his case for forcing law enforcement to use only horses and their boots to patrol near the border. Also Steinborn is an employee of the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, an activist environmental organization. Accordingly, we were somewhat startled when he seemed particularly miffed that the “wilderness issue” was introduced as a topic of interest during his appearance on News New Mexico. In fact, even after Steinborn declared that his position on the issue was “mainstream,” he remained openly irritated that discussion of the wilderness proposal had come up at all. One would think if his position was in fact truly “mainstream,” he would have been exceedingly grateful for the opportunity to expose the “non-mainstream” position of his opponent. When pressed, Rep. Steinborn insinuated that law enforcement officials, range scientists, ranchers, and flood control experts we spoke to were spreading misinformation and crossing ethical lines purely for political reasons. He also suggested that News New Mexico set aside time for a “balanced” discussion on the topic.

Drug Smuggler Under Arrest

Along with this programming suggestion, he also indicated he could provide people who would bring “facts” that might explain why the provisions in a “Wilderness” designation are so much better for Dona Ana County than protecting the lands in question with a less onerous “Open Space” designation. We agreed with Rep. Steinborn that it would be a good idea to have a balanced discussion. However, it has been nearly two weeks since his appearance, and News New Mexico is still waiting for any credentialed and fact-bearing individual to step forward. We are anxious to go over the language of the bill word-for-word on the air and hear credible contradictions of the assertions made by the guests from the fields of range science, law enforcement, ranching, and agriculture who have already appeared. So far, the indications of people seemingly in command of the facts have almost universally indicated that Rep. Steinborn is dead wrong about border security, range management, and flood control when it comes to the a “wilderness designation” rather than “open space.” Oh to live in the fantasy world of radical environmentalism.

News New Mexico - Still Waiting