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| Dirty Air in Las Cruces |
As we headed off to Albuquerque after the show Thursday (to pick up our best non-sports “Talk Show of the Year” award from the New Mexico Broadcasters Association), we passed through incredible layers of forest fire smoke. Even with vents closed inside the car, our throats became scratchy and our eyes became irritated during the trip. It was easily the dirtiest air we had ever encountered in more than fifty years. And during our Sunday morning walk we could not help but notice an incredible layer of smoke lingering at the foot of the Organ Mountains (photo above right).
The air has been so dirty we couldn’t help but think about report after report on the national news of the seemingly limitless and uninterrupted supplies of fuel in the forests directly in the path of the raging inferno in Eastern Arizona and Western New Mexico.
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| Andy Nunez |
We wonder what our air might be like right now if a little more common sense and preventive approaches were applied to the rules and regulations regarding the logging industry in these forests. Will reason ever be allowed to supersede the irrational wishes of the radical environmental movement? Will its obsession with preventing simple policies that could make it easier to contain these raging forest infernos cease? Ironically a bit of reason could help us keep our air cleaner. Don’t bet on reason. Often the irrational goes hand in hand with the stubborn. The week began with a visit from our good friend Representative Andy Nunez. His appearance on the show happened to coincide with a story in the Wall Street Journal about the legislation Nunez blasted on to the floor of the NM House of Representatives.
Over the angry opposition of House Speaker Ben Lujan, Nunez attempted (unsuccessfully) to end the practice of issuing driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. On another topic, when Nunez was asked about the effect an off-reservation casino scheme would have on the City of Sunland Park, Nunez said it would be devastating. Later in the week the Indian Gaming Association also voiced its opposition to the scheme. Ironically, just yesterday afternoon, the thoroughbred Ruler on Ice, who managed only a third place finish in this spring’s Grade III Sunland Park Derby, stepped up to win the third leg of racing's Triple Crown, the Grade I Belmont Stakes. The race was broadcast on national television. Hooray for Sunland Park!
Late Tuesday morning the news broke of a murder in the boot heel region in Southwest New Mexico. Business owner Larry Links was killed by an unknown assailant in an area that has increasingly become notorious as a staging and drop area for drug smugglers from across the border. As of this weekend the state police had reported it had no suspects for the crime. On Wednesday rancher Steve Wilmeth and retired Border Patrol Sector Chief Gene Wood visited our studio. We talked with them about the problems associated with the boot heel area of SW New Mexico as well as the grave dangers to border security posed by a “wilderness” proposal for an area in Southern Dona Ana County.
Wood was particularly emphatic that a new wilderness designation for areas on or near the Mexican border would be exactly what drug cartels needed to severely compromise law enforcement efforts. It is astonishing that the latest wilderness designation efforts are being spearheaded by our own senators, Tom Udall and Jeff Bingaman.
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| Anwar al-Awalaki |
On Thursday the New York Times published a story of a fourth battle front in the war on terror. Apparently the U.S. military is stepping up manned and unmanned aerial attacks inside Yemen. One of the primary targets is Las Cruces-born terrorist leader Anwar al-Awalaki. Al-Alaki is probably the highest value target of the U.S.
Finally, late in the week Secretary of State Dianna Duran released 64,000 documents to the NM State Police and asked for an investigation into voter fraud. It is almost comical to read the subtle slanting in the news media of this story. Fact, New Mexico does not require voter identification. Fact, New Mexico does not purge the names from its voter lists of people who have long since left the state or died. Fact, this state continues to issue driver’s licenses to illegal aliens.
It is truly amazing for the media to attempt to help readers draw the conclusion that there is little chance of voter fraud. The House and Senate have displayed a true penchant for regulating and controlling every other aspect of life in New Mexico. As such, we find it particularly contradictory that it is only in this area, that the lost attitude of laissez-faire finds so much support from the majority of elected officials in the dominant party in our state.
The Week in Review
Over the angry opposition of House Speaker Ben Lujan, Nunez attempted (unsuccessfully) to end the practice of issuing driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. On another topic, when Nunez was asked about the effect an off-reservation casino scheme would have on the City of Sunland Park, Nunez said it would be devastating. Later in the week the Indian Gaming Association also voiced its opposition to the scheme. Ironically, just yesterday afternoon, the thoroughbred Ruler on Ice, who managed only a third place finish in this spring’s Grade III Sunland Park Derby, stepped up to win the third leg of racing's Triple Crown, the Grade I Belmont Stakes. The race was broadcast on national television. Hooray for Sunland Park!
Finally, late in the week Secretary of State Dianna Duran released 64,000 documents to the NM State Police and asked for an investigation into voter fraud. It is almost comical to read the subtle slanting in the news media of this story. Fact, New Mexico does not require voter identification. Fact, New Mexico does not purge the names from its voter lists of people who have long since left the state or died. Fact, this state continues to issue driver’s licenses to illegal aliens.
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