Any Other Day

If the report on the Justice Department firings of U.S. Attorneys had come out on any other day but yesterday, we would have seen major news coverage of Senator Pete Domenici, Congresswoman Heather Wilson, and Sheriff Darren White's complicity. Oh, lets dont forget Pat Rogers and the rest of the extreme rightwingers too. Last night I watched local TV news and the story got very little coverage. Astonishingly, the Albuquerque Journal didn't even mention White's name in the story it did. How could that happen?

Even so, I think it is enough to pretty much finish the Sheriff's run for Congress against former City Council President Martin Heinrich. Martin, give me a call and I will write a TV commercial for you. Although, curiously, White has run such a poor campaign that maybe it isn't necessary. I don't know why this is happened, but I think the Republican party is so fragmented here that they just never got their 'merde' together.

Martin has run a good campaign for the this particular time in this congressional district's history. I think he will win by as good a margin as Heather used to win her seat.

New Hampshire

After the Wilderness Society meeting in Bretton Woods I went to stay with my friend Ned at his cabin at Lake Christine.
You reached it by going across one of those covered bridges.
This was the view across the lake from Ned's cabin.
I smoked my second cigar in a year. People from the seven cabins on the lake rowed out to the middle for "floating cocktails" before dinner. They lashed the boats together until dark and then we rowed back in a light rain shower and ate in front of a nice fire. Everyone should do this at least once.

Vince

I arrived home from New Hampshire to learn of former City Councilor Vince Griego's death. Albuquerque has lost a really decent soul. I knew Vince for many years, ever since he was first elected to the city council. Bobbi and I walked neighborhoods for him in his elections as he was our Council member in the North Valley.

Years later, Vince was still a Council member when I was elected Mayor. He was still a decent man who never kept any sort of tally on who owed him favors and who wouldn't get them. He approached every issue as a separate one and didn't let things spill over into other debates. No grudges with Vince. The people in DC could learn something from this philosophy. It is regrettable that the other right wing City Councilors didn't learn any thing from him.

Vince was a pretty good politician though and he usually got what he wanted for his city council district. He really brought home the bacon for the north valley. It is a better place to live than it was before he became the first councilor under the new city charter that set up the Mayor/Council form of government in the 70's.

Snippets

We are in day long meetings here at the Wilderness Society Governing Council annual get together. New Hampshire is supposed to get a lot of rain today. So the afternoon hikes are probably out. In the meantime, we get snippets of news filtering in during our breaks about the financial crisis and the inability of bush and congress to get it together on a solution. It is kind of nice not having instant access to news and doom over the internet and TV. The forests here are prettier than ever and they pretty much get by without minute by minute updates too!

New Hampshire

I traveled most of Wednesday to get to Bretton Woods, New Hampshire for a meeting. After arriving I was greeted with the news that McCain wants to cancel his debate to work on the nation's financial crisis.

All I can say is that the McCain campaign seems to be making some goofy decisions. Can this possibly make him look Presidential? Ducking out on a debate? Will it change any minds, or will it mainly just keep undecideds from making up their minds? Hard to tell.

The forests in New Hampshire are in full autumn glory.

Meetings

I will be traveling for the rest of the week but will attempt to blog from the road. My one hope is that I can arrange to listen to the debate on Friday night. I am told we will have a satellite radio available in the backwoods.

Heinrich's Role in a Tie Breaker

First, here is the commercial I have been waiting for. Just run it constantly Martin Heinrich campaign.

I am reminded by a friend of another really important reason to elect Martin Heinrich as our new Congressman in this district. That reason is a possible tie in electoral votes after the election for President. If both Obama and McCain recieved 269 electoral college votes then the election will be determined by the new Congress. The House picks a President and the Senate picks the Vice President.

Each state gets only one vote however and that vote, for President, is determined by the vote of the congressmen in the state. In New Mexico we have 3 congressmen, so we need two of them to be Democratic to swing the state for Obama. If bush lover Darren White is elected he could team up with a Republican from the southern district, if they win that one, and put the state's one vote in the McCain column.

This is not a far fetched scenario. It could happen, just like Gore winning the popular vote in 2000, but still losing to bush in the electoral college. (Aided and Abetted by the bush Supreme Court)

So no matter where you live just vote for the Democrat running for Congress as another vaccination against continuing the bush administration by McCain.

Fiscal Responsibility

Sheriff Darren White, the chair of george bush's campaign in Bernalillo County, is out with an attack ad that lies about Democrat Martin Heinrich's tax policies. The bush/cheney loving sheriff said not long ago that bush was great for the economy and was creating jobs. Here is a snippet about that.

• Darren White supported George W. Bush's failed economic policies. "[F]amilies in New Mexico are making progress. America's economy is strong and getting stronger. The president believes Americans finding work is good for New Mexico." [Las Cruces Sun-News, 6/20/04]

So, lets tie this one around the Sheriff's neck like a dead chicken around a fowl killing dog's neck. He should have to live with it and Martin Heinrich's campaign should not let up on it.

Now, having said that and generally thinking White would be a disaster in Congress because of his bush conservatism, I think he has done an okay job as sheriff. He hired some good people to get rid of the problems there. But, just because he has been an okay Sheriff doesn't mean he would make a good congressman. They are two different things entirely. So, lets give Darren White the opportunity to serve out his second term as sheriff. Keep him here in Bernalillo County.

Good Read

My last post was about lies. This one is about lies being started. This is a good column from the Chicago Tribune yesterday by my old St. Pius X High School friend Dennis Jett. He retired from the State Department after serving all over the world as a diplomat. That service included Ambassador to Mozambique and Ambassador to Peru.

Outright Lies

The New Mexico Oil and Gas boys have one thing in common with John McCain. They are all good at lying. McCain continues to lie about Obama's tax proposals and the NM Oil boys continues to lie about how good they are for New Mexico. They did their annual self serving full page ad in the Albuquerque Journal yesterday about how they 'pay for everything' in our state because of the taxes they pay. Most of that is not tax, it is royalties that they owe for sucking "our" oil out of the ground. They have to pay us for something that doesn't belong to them, kind of like you have to pay for everything you buy at the grocery store. They have to pay severance taxes for severing these publicly owned resources from the ground for all time. And they think they are doing us a great favor. Yes, we do owe them some thanks for helping America become great. But, like many politicians, they just don't know when to quietly fold their tents.

Look at the states that surround New Mexico. All of them have much larger and diversified economies because they didn't have powerful oil boys controlling their legislatures. That has held us back for decades and it is time to end this stranglehold they have on our politics.

The best way to do this is to make sure the U.S. Senate passes continued incentives for the solar and renewable energy sector. Right now the oil boys are holding that up on a national scale and that is affecting this nation's security. If the oil boys in this country had their way we will fall from superpower status(more than we have under bush/cheney) in a short time.That happened to the Spanish and Dutch empire when they refused to switch from wind to coal to power their ships. It happened to Great Britain when they refused to switch from coal to oil, and it will happen to America if we don't switch to from oil to renewables. Remember to thank the oil boys for that.

Contingencies

One thing you can expect from the Rove type of politics suffered on us by the republicans is that they most likely have a contingency plan for every scenario over the next six weeks. Mostly it will involve lies and sleaze. But it is certainly coming and I want Obama, Udall, and Heinrich prepared for it. Lets hope they are. Mark my words that these campaigns will descend to the lowest ring of hell. Yes, that means lower than what McCain/Palin are doing right now.

Speaking of something low, it seems that good European Christian folks are viewing Jews and Muslims with increasing levels of distrust. Ah, religion. Sometimes I don't think this civilization hasn't got a chance. Maybe the Pope and his Cardinals should say something?

Finally, a little advice to the Heinrich Campaign. Before early voting starts I would concentrate all of my advertising on showing these two pictures together.

My Tax Money

I sent off a really large quarterly check to the IRS last week. Little did I know they would turn around and give it to large failing companies on Wall Street. Essentially, that is what has happened here and it may have been necessary to save global financial systems that those same companies screwed up. So, I gave thousands last week to help with this and meanwhile the CEO's of these companies are walking off with tens or hundreds of millions of dollars in past bonuses and golden parachutes. Can I get a refund from them personally? Does anyone have the addresses of all of their homes where I might go ring the door bell to ask for some money?

In the meantime, why does McCain get a free ride on his involvement as a member of the Keating 5?

Desertion

Desertion:

The act by which a person abandons and forsakes, without justification, a condition of public, social, or family life, renouncing its responsibilities and evading its duties. A willful Abandonment of an employment or duty in violation of a legal or moral obligation.

The team of bush/cheney have deserted the country. They are absent. They are no where to be seen. They should be charged with malfeasance and dereliction of duty. Have you seen them during the meltdown in the financial markets? Have they been on the point of calming and assuring the American public that things can be fixed? Have they shown themselves on TV to say that they are working on solving the problem? Hell no! Rove has probably advised them to stay away from this negative story.

When you stop and think, it might be a good thing they are invisible. One, if they were really involved in trying to fix this financial nightmare then things would only get worse. They are incompetents after all. Two, they are leaving their good buddy McCain in the hot seat all by himself trying to explain why he has always objected to regulation of the financial markets.

So, maybe this is all playing out okay. Meanwhile, I personally know of people who are really in trouble because of this fiasco. And, there are millions of folks I don't know who are also in a state of despair because their retirements are being trashed before their eyes.

In the military, if you desert, you are put on trial. That should go for the 'Commander in Chief" too.

The R Word

HOW RACISM WORKS

This letter to the editor recently appeared in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

What if John McCain were a former president of the Harvard Law Review? What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?

What if McCain were still married to the first woman he said "I do" to? What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife after she no longer measured up to his standards?

What if Michelle Obama were a wife who not only became addicted to painkillers, but acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?

What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard? What if Obama were a member of the "Keating 5"?

What if McCain were a charismatic, eloquent speaker?

If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?

This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.

— Kelvin LaFond, Fort Worth

401-K

First, we need to hold CEO's of these demised financial institutions accountable for their greed. No golden parachutes allowed. Zero! Also, an apology would be nice. Has any one heard any apologies from these guys and their bush administration enablers?

Everyone with 401-K retirement funds are in an angst mode right now. That includes just about everyone in the middle class, federal government workers, state government workers, city government workers, the self employed, corporate workers and anyone who has thought ahead a few years to retirement.

Bobbi and I are no exception and we have been lucky so far because Bobbi has a good head for what funds she invests into and the timing for doing so. Even so, we have seen a 12% decline in our holdings over the last year. If things don't continue to meltdown we should be okay. (We were seeing annual 10% climbs in our funds during the good times.)

One would think that this situation on Wall Street would hurt McCain. I think it will depending on the efficiency of his lies on the campaign trail. If he thinks that the economy is fundamentally sound as he stated a few weeks ago then we are all screwed if he gets elected. Why? Because he doesn't believe in regulation and oversight. Just like bush/cheney. You can see where that got us.

I think one thing that could happen as a result of all of this is pressure on state and local governments as their revenues fall and their ability to sell bonds gets harder. Add to that the reduction in oil prices and New Mexico State government is especially vulnerable.

Solar Tax Credit Means a Lot for New Mexico

My son sent me a link to look at a new study by his employer, the Solar Energy Industries Association, and it shows the great potential for New Mexico if Congress grants an eight year extension of the Solar Tax Incentives. This is worth some time. The executive summary is very good.

Karly's Letter

This is a insightful letter to the Editor that my daughter in law wrote to her hometown newspaper in upstate New York.

I grew up in Cuba, NY and then Olean, where I graduated from high school in 2000. I am a White female from a working class family and community, and I am proud of my small-town roots. The values I learned from my working-class childhood are still dear to me, and include hard work, compassion, family, service, modesty, and loyalty. I believe in structuring our economy to benefit blue and white collar workers before the rich, and I believe that strengthening public education and providing health care for all makes us a safer, stronger nation. I believe that God's work means serving the poor, living with honor, and treating others with kindness—not judging others or enforcing one brand of faith by law. These values are why I vote Democrat and will proudly support Barack Obama for president in November.

Though many who share my background and values have also voted Democrat all their lives, it distresses me that many working class and small-town folks are hesitant to support Senator Obama this year. It is truly scary how many actually believe Obama is Muslim, unpatriotic, or "too inexperienced" to lead. Worse is how many simply say "I can't relate to him."

I would expect such criticisms from Republicans and others with ideological opposition, but when Democrats and Independents make such statements as their only reason for not supporting Obama, I can't help but wonder if what they are too afraid to say is " I am not comfortable with a Black man for President." After all, Obama's policy platform at its heart embodies classic Democratic ideals, and is almost identical to that put forth by former contender Hillary Clinton, who enjoyed strong support from the white working class.

This is not to sling accusations of racism at anyone who does not share my enthusiasm for my candidate. It is a call for introspection, so that we might sort thoughts from feelings on Election Day, and vote from carefully reasoned opinions. It is virtually impossible for any of us in this nation to be immune from prejudice or plain uneasiness around racial difference. Especially in this community, there are many who will go a whole lifetime without interacting in any meaningful way with people of color. However, most of us can verbally agree that all people, regardless of race, should be treated equally. Do we mean it?

For those of us who are inclined to support Democrats but "just can't relate" to the present candidate, ask yourself: What issues and positions win my vote? Are principles more important than skin color and appearance? Although George W. Bush and his cronies mostly share my complexion, did they better represent my interests because of it?

Let us not forget that we who hail from small towns and rural areas deal with many of our own stereotypes—that we are simpletons, small-minded, or just plain "hicks." There is much speculation that people like us are so ignorant or uncaring about political issues that we will simply vote for whatever candidate resembles us the most and intimidates us least with shows of intelligence and nuance. John McCain's own campaign manager endorsed this stereotype when he said "this election is not about issues." Let us also not forget—as a community with predominantly Irish, Italian, and Polish roots, that our culture considered these groups to be only sub-human when they first arrived as immigrants, and participated in vicious discrimination against them.

The pendulum of public opinion on race changes course as people are given the chance to experience integration and become familiar with those who are different from them. Acknowledging what we have in common as Americans is the first step. If you are a Democrat, Independent, or disenchanted Republican who supports labor, women's rights, public education, the environment, tax cuts for the poor and middle class, and the values of compassion and diplomacy, you will have a friend in President Barack Obama. Please put any hard-to-articulate uneasiness aside and vote on your principles in November. For goodness sake, don't prove the pundits right about us "small-town folk!"

Karly

Be There but No B-Square

Yes, I got my annual corn dog at the New Mexico State Fair today. Bobbi went along and had one too. They were good. One a year wont kill us. No, I don't want to know what it was made of. Then we headed over to the Agricultural exhibit to see the Bolack B-Square Farm Exhibit. I have been doing that for about 50 years. Except it wasn't there today. They aren't going to do it any more. So much for 1000 pound pumpkins, yard long squash, carrots as big as your forearm, and beautiful giant green chiles.

This is one more sign to me that the State Fair must remake it self for a new century. The Commission must look at a whole new way of doing things. Its okay to still have the traditional stuff, but a new line of exhibits on science, technology and education might liven things up a little bit. Just my suggestion.

Les Mis for All of Us

You must watch this for some relief.

I spent some time Saturday on politics. First, I participated in a phone conference with Obama policy wonks and concerned New Mexicans on energy and environment issues. Then I stopped by Martin Heinrich's HQ open house. He is shown here with his son Carter and a visiting member of the Austrailian Parliament Mark Bulter.

Then I stopped by the Obama HQ at Central and Carlisle to see if they had any yard signs. They have run out. But the ground game is on with citizens being trained to go out and get votes. It was an impressive site on a beautiful Saturday morning.

Cruelty to Animals

You can usually figure out how a human being behaves generally by the way they treat animals. Watch this if you can.

Please send money to Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund to get this ad on TV. No, I am not anti hunting, but this isn't sport or subsistence hunting.