N.M. National Guard Deployed to Egypt/Israel
Border Patrol Seized 400 Pounds of Marijuana
Swickard: The Occupy Santa Fe movement needs to move differently
© 2012 Michael Swickard, Ph.D.Occupy Santa Fe Press release: “… OSF understands the continuing corruption of our democracy is a matter of sheer survival with 146 million Americans at or below the poverty line. A noisy interruption of the ALEC $250 dinner is mild compared to the economic, social, and environmental devastation caused by corporate domination… ALEC members choked two women protesters with their own scarves while simultaneously punching them in the back, one by Representative Kintigh of Roswell. Following them to the sidewalk in front of the restaurant, an ALEC member punched a male protester in the face, and shoved another male protester to the wall in a chokehold. Four security guards from the Eldorado Hotel contained the violent ALEC legislative member.”
I was not there nor have I spoken to any of the participants. However, I am gravely concerned at two things: first, that a peaceful group of elected New Mexico legislators on private property were subjected to a frightening violent interaction. Second, that the Occupy Santa Fe group was able to barge into a private dinner.
If the Occupy Santa Fe protesters had remained at their protest outside the hotel it would be a non-story. Instead they came onto public property, a hotel dining room and caused a fuss. They called causing a fuss civil disobedience, but they are wrong.
Be noisy, be in the face, be on public property. Step onto private property without permission and it is not fine. The hotel, while open to the public is still private property. The protestors have no right to walk into any store, restaurant or hotel without permission.
The authorities and security forces were absent and that left it up to the legislators to protect themselves. There is a charge of excessive force against Rep. Dennis Kintigh when he removed at least one person. He is a New Mexico certified police officer and a retired FBI agent. That he felt compelled to act speaks volumes as to the safety of the legislators in the room.
Where do we go from here? I hope Occupy Santa Fe troops are not trying to force the legislators to huddle behind protected walls. We have a great citizen legislature where anyone can walk almost anywhere in the Roundhouse without hassle. The dialog may have started to try to contain the “terrorist” effect of protestors.
I do have to protest the protestor press release, “…the continuing corruption of our democracy is a matter of sheer survival with 146 million Americans at or below the poverty line.” So one half of all Americans are at or below the poverty line? Yet most have a house, car and cable. How is that poverty? I suspect the fragile population is closer to five percent and yes, they do need our prayers and our help.
Also, the New Mexico Legislature has been firmly in the hands of the Democrats since before World War Two. The Occupy Santa Fe group was yelling at Republicans who rarely if ever have any say in what the Legislature does. If corporations have bought the New Mexico Legislature protest the Democrats.
I would like to give some honest helpful advice for the people in the Occupy Santa Fe movement. Stay on public property. We hear you and dare I say it, I agree with some of your more reasonable concerns. I have raised them myself as to money and politics.
Importantly, if you really want to make a difference, go to each legislative district and put up a candidate against the incumbent so that a year from now the entire 112 members of the New Mexico Legislature could all be newly elected Occupy members who will completely cleanse the political process. Do the change right.
The Occupy people all over our nation do have our attention but we will not be bullied, we will not be intimidated and they cannot come on private property and attack New Mexico citizens without the full response of angry citizens being conveyed to them. If they want to change the political process it is open to them to do so. Do it in the way that our US and New Mexico Constitution allows, get elected and lead us to a better world.
Martinez: Won't Sign a Bill That is a "Sham"
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| Michael Sanchez |
NewsNM note (Spence) Think it is easy to clean up this state? Think again. New Mexico's driver's license issuance law has created a sanctuary for crime syndicates. And those crime syndicates were heard cheering wildly this week. Why? Because Democrats in the New Mexico legislature led by Michael Sanchez of Belen in the Senate and Speaker Ben Lujan in the House, consciously chose to either look the other way, or actively work in unison, mostly behind closed doors, to kill reform that would send these crime syndicates packing. Not a single Democrat was heard condemning the obstruction and none lifted a finger to put a halt to what was happening. This is true despite the fact that early in the week an Associated Press report showed that unidentified and undocumented foreigners are as a matter of routine, fraudulently and repeatedly using the same addresses at smoke shops and auto-repair shops to get state driver's licenses. The conditions are creating nightmares for law enforcement. Governor Martinez spoke out.
KOAT TV - ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Gov. Susana Martinez called an alternate bill that aims to tighten the state's driver's license laws "a sham." Martinez told Target 7 that she won't stop until illegal immigrants are banned from getting licenses in the state.
On Thursday, Martinez's bill was shelved in committee and Democrats offered an alternative that would, in part, require license renewal after two years.
"What they've done is actually drafted a sham. They're still going to give driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, and I won't sign a bill that does that," Martinez said.
This is the second time in two legislative sessions that the bill has disintegrated.
"I will never give up doing what New Mexicans want me to," Martinez said. "Every opportunity I have, I need to fight to repeal this law." Read full story here: News New Mexico
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| Ben Lujan |
On Thursday, Martinez's bill was shelved in committee and Democrats offered an alternative that would, in part, require license renewal after two years.
"What they've done is actually drafted a sham. They're still going to give driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, and I won't sign a bill that does that," Martinez said.
This is the second time in two legislative sessions that the bill has disintegrated.
"I will never give up doing what New Mexicans want me to," Martinez said. "Every opportunity I have, I need to fight to repeal this law." Read full story here: News New Mexico
Martinez PRC Appointment is "News"
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| Susana Martinez |
Strangely enough, and despite the fact there is hardly an extended family in America of any size whatsoever that doesn't have at least one gay member, this story is still considered "news."
There are several factors at work that make this story news. First, it is a complete contradiction to the stereo-type perpetuated mostly by progressive activists seeking leverage for additional group rights, that goes like this: all Republicans are gay bashing bigots. Second, there are more than a few naive, narrow-minded, and/or hateful people, who claim they are for limited government......except when the subject of sexual orientation comes up in policy debates. Third, there is the vast majority of what could best be described as "the rest of us." This is the huge majority in New Mexico and in America that simply wants government to leave us alone and also leave our family members, friends, acquaintances, and anyone else who happens to be gay, alone.
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| Doug Howe |
The truth is Governor Martinez did not do anything extraordinary when she appointed Dough Howe to the PRC. She simply did what successful business people do every day. She hired a very talented individual with the credentials to get the job done. All of us who want to live in peace will be far better off when fringe groups that continue to stir up prejudices wise up and shut up. And we will also be better off when those that traffic in paranoia about prejudice, and do so strictly for political purposes, shut up too.
A TRI-Partisan Bill Introduced in the House
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| Andy Nunez |
Currently, the New Mexico constitution provides that the New Mexico Legislature may only remove public officials from office. HBX would permit the legislature to enact legislation that would require impeached officials to pay for the costs associated with their impeachment.
“There is no reason that the taxpayers of the state should pay to remove corrupt government officials from office. This constitutional amendment would allow the state to recover the cost of impeachment proceedings from the corrupt official,” said Rep. Gentry.
“This constitutional amendment should make corrupt elected officials think twice before running up the tab on the people of this state for their corrupt behavior,” said Rep. Cook.
Added Rep. Brown, “This constitutional amendment would not deter honest people from running for public office.” Although they both resigned before the proceedings were completed, the New Mexico Legislature spent over $233,000 on the Jerome Block Jr. and Robert Vigil impeachment proceedings. Some estimate that a completed impeachment proceeding could cost the state as much as one million dollars.
Representatives Cervantes and Cook were co-chairs of the impeachment committee empanelled to begin the impeachment proceedings against former PRC commissioner Jerome Block, Jr.
Fed Delivers REAL State of the Union Message
“The Committee decided today to keep the target range for the federal funds rate at 0 to 1/4 percent and currently anticipates that economic conditions–including low rates of resource utilization and a subdued outlook for inflation over the medium run–are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels for the federal funds rate at least through late 2014.”
Say what? What does all of this jargon actually mean beyond the fact that seniors and other savers living on fixed incomes can expect to continue to get cheated out of a decent rate of return on their interest bearing investments until 2014?
In layman’s terms, the phrase: “Anticipates economic conditions including low rates of resource utilization,” means the Fed forecasts no significant job creation and no significant increase in economic activity until at least 2014.
Hey wait a second! This statement by the Fed is in direct contradiction to the president’s State of the Union message delivered less than 15 hours earlier when he uttered the following: “We are poised for progress. Two years after the worst recession most of us have ever known, the stock market has come roaring back. Corporate profits are up. The economy is growing again.”
So there you have it. Those running for re-election say we are poised for progress. And those making critical interest rate policies that squeeze seniors and others relying on interest income, say they must continue to severely harm all interest seeking savers because the economy is so bad they are afraid of returning interest rates to normal levels.
There is even more deception in the shell game being played on seniors and other savers. Those who continue to preside over the borrowing of $4 billion dollars every day don’t really want to ever pay savers and seniors normal interest rates. Instead they want to use their iron grip on the Federal Reserve's policies to make sure the can borrow cheap. They are simply hoping voters living on fixed incomes don’t connect the dots linking reckless fiscal policies to their own lost interest income streams.
Gwyneth Doland to Lead Open Gov't Cause
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| Gwyneth Doland |
KOB TV - The fight for open government in New Mexico has a new leader. The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government has named Gwyneth Doland as executive director. The journalist and longtime Albuquerque resident takes over the non-profit Feb. 20. She replaces Sarah Welsh, who is resigning to attend graduate school. Doland is currently the producer and host of KNME's Public Square, as well as a correspondent for KNME's New Mexico in Focus and an adjunct faculty member at the University of New Mexico. Read full story here: News New Mexico
Duke City and Kirtland Brace for Cuts
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| Kirtland AFB |
"It's all very important to national security, and it happens to be in our city," said Mayor Richard Berry. "The $4.3 billion of direct spending in our city, the 21,000 jobs are very meaningful for Albuquerque."
Berry said he'll fight tooth and nail to keep the base open if necessary.
On Thursday, the Department of Defense announced that it will look to close some military bases as part of a proposed massive cost-cutting overhaul, but which bases remain unknown.
Officials said Kirtland has been down the same road before. In 1995, the base ended up on a list of potential closures, but Michael Chase, of the Kirtland partnership committee, said they were able to convince Washington to keep the base open. Read full story here: News New Mexico
Egolf Feels Need to Condemn Occupier Violence
Representative Brian Egolf of Santa Fe felt compelled to chastize a group of "Occupy" protesters claiming to represent 99% of America after they engaged in violence on Wednesday night. Egolf conceded that the actions of the group he has great sympathies for were, "terrible."
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| Brian Egolf |
During a gathering of lawmakers at a Santa Fe restaurant a number of occupiers stormed into the dining room and began throwing protest propaganda at people seated at tables. The edge of one of the protest cards hit the female guest of state Representative Bill Rehm of Albuquerque in the eye and another diner suffered a wrist injury. The extent of the victim’s eye injury is still unknown and Santa Fe police are investigating the incident, reportedly in an effort to determine the identity of the perpetrators. Eventually, Representative Dennis Kintigh a former FBI agent helped clear the room of the occupiers and restore some semblance of peace.
Egolf a House member from protestor-friendly Santa Fe has repeatedly expressed support for the thought processes and activities of the occupiers in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and other cities around the nation. Apparently Egolf's open and public sympathies for the group prompted him to feel it was necessary for him to personally condemn their violent behavior Wednesday night.
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