De-Railed

UNM Lawyers and Albuquerque City Councillors look silly.  This debate over selling beer and wine to the rich people in their fancy new suites at the Pit turned into government at its worse.  The councillors look especially bad in denying the licenses since the city has one for Isotopes Park just across the street.  UNM lawyers look bad saying the city should butt out since this is state land and they have no say.  I believe that EXPO New Mexico has a license so why deny one to UNM?  That is like jamming a stick into a hornets nest of over ego'ed city pols.  UNM has been notorious for never working with other community leaders on their decision making, so maybe they deserve this.  I remember when I was Mayor of Albuquerque the UNM administration and Regents seldom cooperated on any number of planning and land use issues.

I guess I don't really care what happens except to say I don't know why only the suite owners get a beer.  It should be everyone or no one like at Isotopes Park.

Waiting for Analysis

I would like to see some analysis done by some wonks somewhere that would make clear what happened to Diane Denish's vote vis a vis the vote for Martin Heinrich in Bernalillo County.  Heinrich won his race by 10,000 votes while Denish lost by 4,000 in the state's biggest county.  Where exactly did those differences come from?  What does that mean for elections two years from now?  I have a feeling that the difference in those candidates vote totals might have come from areas other than the city's mid heights which is mostly a strong democratic area.  Did Martin excel on the West Side or far North East Heights?  Did Diane perform poorly in one of those areas?  The fact is that democratic candidates cant win unless they win this county.

I am sure somebody somewhere will come up with this analysis and I will share it if I see it.

Middle Class Air Heads

We went to see the documentary movie "Inside Job" on Saturday.  Its that movie about the meltdown of the American financial system and who caused it and how it happened.  It is a must see.

During the movie a couple of families got up and walked out after about 10 minutes.  They probably had thought it was an action movie from the title and weren't interested in where the film was going.  They are exactly the ones who should have stayed.  The rest of the audience was pretty much caricatures of policy wonks and people who stay up on events.

This is why I think the middle class should not get off scott free from a tax increase.  Too many of these middle class folks never pay attention to what is going on, nor do they read and more importantly vote.  They let their Senators, Congressmen and Presidents deregulate the financial industry.  They abetted setting loose the 'dogs of greed.'  There should be a price for apathy.  They really deserve to experience the pain of getting our financial affairs in order.  At the same time we better be prepared to soak the rich to get back some of the windfalls they have had since the bush tax cuts went into effect.  Also, if Obama caves on this I will consider looking for a new candidate in 2012 to support.  Yeah, Really!

We might be on the brink of an apocalypse if, instead of poor people with suicide bombs killing middle class guys, middle-class people with suicide bombs started killing rich guys. Bruce Sterling  

Rainy Day

El Nino may keep the rain and snow away from New Mexico for the next year, but it is easy to see the Land of Enchantment is still having a rainy day.  The new budget deficit numbers coming out of Santa Fe are truly scary.  It is something I haven't witnessed since I started work in state government in the mid 70's.  Now we have to deal with it and I think there is a way.

Firing thousands of state employees at this point would only make things worse for ourselves.  It seems Governor elect Martinez understands that.  But it is not like the state is completely broke.  We have the Permanent Fund and the Severance Tax Permanent fund sitting in place with billions of dollars.  While I would oppose raiding the Permanent Fund because of its value to education, I could certainly see some value on issuing bonds against the severance tax permanent fund to keep state government on an even keel.  That fund should have over $4 billion in it. Strangely, you cant find that number easily on state websites so this is an educated guess.   If it were ever considered to be a rainy day fund, then that day has arrived.  I believe the legislature could do this without much trouble.  Some constitutional lawyer might think otherwise, but I know that Senator Michael Sanchez has some idea that this could work.

North

I am headed north to Salt Lake City for an evening and morning of meetings.  I have served on the board of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance for 17 years.  It is an incredible group and I love the meetings because we talk about reality and politics and how we can educate folks to get wilderness lands in place in Southern Utah.

This next congress will be tough, but it was tougher before when we didn't have a democrat for president.  He can proclaim National Monuments if he wants to do so.

State Employees

Most state employees will go into sleep mode for the next couple of months.  Most of the state's political appointees will do job searches.  Nothing will get done as the Martinez transition gets underway.  That is probably okay although I am sure a few lingering issues will be pushed by Governor Richardson.  He will find a great reluctance on anyone's part to actually follow orders.  It is just the way things are.

It would be naive to think that anything of great import can change in the next 53 days or so.  Transitions manage to send tendrils out into every facet of government to watch things, mostly.  In that time period most of the cabinet secretaries will be chosen, but that is about it.  It is kind of like limbo, which I learned about in my catechism at Our Lady of Fatima.  (I had always thought about the unbaptized babies who died and couldn't go to heaven as being pretty unjust.)  Except in the case of state employees for the next few weeks it will be more like a vacation from stress.

I have been involved in more than a few transitions.  It is a time of unrealistic goal setting and superfluous words.

It was time to raise the bar higher, or lower if you're doing limbo. Tre Cool 

Misc.

My hat is off to Mayor Richard Berry for his supporting the continuance of the Albuquerque Downtown Business Improvement District.  There is an effort underway by some wealthy building owners to kill the District.  This would be a long term mistake and the Mayor knows it.  Berry  has just done more for the downtown revitalization than Marty Chavez did in eight years.

As expected there is murmuring of a coalition forming in the legislature which would require three democrats to switch sides and push power in the House of Representatives to the republicans.  Anyone who does it should not run as a democrat again if they feel this way.  Don't hide from what you are.  You could still stay loyal and be a conservative democrat.

In the US House I am still waiting for specifics on what exactly the GOP will cut in the budget.  And I do mean specific.  If they don't touch defense, social security and medicare they have taken 85% of the budget off the table.  Oh, and there are the bush tax cuts.  Will we continue this deficit growing madness?

Grandma and Grandpa

Justin and Karly had a baby boy on Sunday afternoon.  His name is Simon  Baca.  Bobbi and me are now officially grandparents.  A new role for us!

Where the Action Is.

My sister Carlota was reading the newspaper yesterday morning here at our house before leaving for a 16 day  sojourn to Indonesia.  I think she was reading a story about the volcano erupting about 300 miles from where she will be staying.  I told her not to worry about it because the tsunamis would put the fires out.  She went anyway.

The Oil Governor

Damn!  It only took one day for Susana Martinez to start delivering for her mega donors to the campaign.  Her first policy decision wasn't one that showed concern for New Mexicans at large.  No,  the first thing out of her mouth was that she would trash New Mexico's Environmental Improvement Board vote to join a regional 'cap and trade' program aimed at lessening climate change.  Of course that means her oil and gas contributors immediately pulled the strings on their very own Governor.  This is a really bad omen. Now she will most likely move to gut the 'Pit Rule" that protects ground water from oil pollution and drilling waste.

Well Susana, we are anxiously awaiting the birth of our first grandchild.  Your position effectively diminishes that kid's quality of life in the future.  All for keeping the oil and gas industry in the money and deep profits.  Did you think of children when you said this?  Did you think of all those scientists who are warning world leaders to get off fossil fuels?  Did you think of New Mexico's own climate future which portends drought and water shortages?  No, you apparently did not.  Did you even give a second thought to this decision or did the oil boys just lead you by the nose?

And so Yates Petroleum owns the Governor's office.

Some Advice

Congratulations again to Susana Martinez on her election.  Now the real world starts interfering.  I have a few points of advice for her as she starts her transition.

• 1. Ask former Governor Garrey Carruthers to be your transition chief.  He  understands bi-partisanship.
• 2. The transition will mark your style of governance.  You better think carefully and work long hours on it.
• 3. Ask people to serve who know how government works.  Not people who hate government.
• 4. Don't be afraid to keep some people from the Richardson administration.  Some are quite talented despite what your Lt. Governor has said during the campaign.
• 5. Don't hire anyone that thinks the world was created 6000 years ago by a guy with a white beard who lives in the clouds.
• 6. Many democrats voted for you.  Don't forget that.
• 7. The Rail Runner is a good thing.  Don't mess with it.
• 8. Do not let the oil and gas industry run the Environment Department.
• 9. Do not let the oil and gas industry run the Energy and Natural Resources Department.
• 10.  Don't mess with the politics of the Legislature.  That is not your job

When your mother asks, "Do you want a piece of advice?" it is a mere formality. It doesn't matter if you answer yes or no. You're going to get it anyway. Erma Bombeck 

The Real Winners

I am ecstatic that Martin Heinrich won his congressional race.  After all the outside secret money that was thrown against him I am relieved that he ran such a great election day performance. Plus he won the early and absentee total vote.  Many of those votes were cast before the special interest infusion of millions against  him in the last two weeks of the campaign.

Rodger and Connie Beimer , Bobbi and I went to his rally in Los Lunas on Saturday.  He was confident they would win because of their election day plans.

Now he will go back to DC in the minority with diminished power in the committee structure.  But having someone there who has some real world views will be great for us in the future.  He deserved this victory.  I hope he spends time getting around the state to meet voters outside his district now.

We are the real winners here.  Maybe John Barela can go back to being the nice guy he was before the right wing put him on their team.   Thank fate we kept the Senate in Democratic hands.

Susana Martinez ran a great race funded with money from right wingers.  Diane Denish's campaign never really caught fire.  She would have made a better governor because of her experience and big heart.  I figure that Susana will moderate out of necessity as she faces a still heavily democratic legislature with whom she must work.

Ray Powell will be Land Commissioner as he managed to keep Santa Fe and even Bernalillo county heavily in his column.  I think his religious fundamentalist opponent really hurt him self with his 'christian war' comments.  What a dufus!  I hope Ray shows some inclination shake things up at the Land Office.  At least we will have an ethical man sitting there.

Now, the biggest winners on election day are the TV stations who raked in the cash by airing the dirtiest and nastiest commercials ever seen by mankind.  Most of them were not even well done.  Most of them were lies.  But what does corporate media care?  They are less than moral.

MISC.

So, now the police and FBI are actively getting people on Facebook and Twitter to do their work for them.  That would be great if it were a one way street.  The police also can look at your stuff.  When I saw the picture of the PR seeking Darren White in the Journal this morning looking at someone's account it scared me.  It should scare you too.
But, it appears people are fine with this lack of privacy while many are okay with dumping healthcare.  I am at sea I guess.

(My subscription to the Journal was paid through December.  Won't you all join with me and cancel your subscription's to send a message for real journalism.)

I am pretty sure that this weekend many of god's managers, priests, deacons, reverends spoke to their flocks from the pulpit and either directly or indirectly told them who god wants them to vote for.  If so they need to lose their tax status pronto.  Read this for an eye opener.

Someone said, "Fundamentalism means never having to say 'I'm wrong'."  

If you think corporate America secretly funded the republicans this go round, wait until the presidential race next time.  If most voters think they have any ability to fight this stuff right now they are naive.  When will a hero come along and lead us to defeating this?  When will CEOs be  held accountable?  Two million dollars into John Barela's race in three weeks!  Has Barela turned into a dishonorable man? Deep down he knows.   He didn't use to be but the power of money is a marvel.

After reading this blog I think I have turned into a conspiracy theorist.  Time for another cruise.

I Did It

Even I didn't think I would actually cancel my subscription to the Albuquerque Journal.  But after 45 years as a reader I called them this afternoon and said 'no more'.  Especially after a blatantly false headline in the paper this morning that was intended to scare people into thinking their pay checks would go down if the tax cuts for the rich were done away with.  A longtime friend of mine, a very accomplished documentary producer, sat with me at coffee today with the Journal in front of  him and pointed at the head line and said, "This is a damn lie", except he really used the F-Bomb.  From here on out I will look for abandoned copies of the Journal in coffee places so I can keep up with Leslie Lithicum's columns and 9 Chickweed Lane.  When there is new leadership or a return to fairness at the paper I will resubscribe.

Corporate America a New CEOcracy

We are all lamenting the actions of big shot corporate CEO's throwing secret money into right wing causes and candidates.  Thanks to the george bush supreme court and Chief Justice roberts they have more power than ever.  I do mean that.  The power of $100 bills by the car full.  The same goes for unions and left wing groups who have car loads of one dollar bills.  But, who should we really be angry with?

My friend Tim knows.  We should be mad at the stockholders and ourselves if we hold stock in any oil and gas company etc that is funding these efforts.  Did we stockholders give them permission to do this?  Did the stockholders ever think they might be destroying a democracy and turning it into a CEOcracy?

Well, Tim has a great idea in that legal mind of his.  He thinks large government investment and pension funds, such as the NM Investment Council, the Public Employees Retirement Association, the Educators Retirement Association, and other groups of stockholders should now start initiatives in all states requiring that corporations hold a ballot of all shareholders to allow or disallow contributions to candidates, PACS and special political committees.  I guarantee you that right now these corporate officers are doing whatever they damn well please. I will bet a lot of institutional stock holders will oppose most contributions.  Individual stockholders would too.  And this can't be done in one of those confusing and fine print ballots these CEOs send out.  It should be simple and concise.  I will even write the question.  Here it is, "Should this corporation allow any expenditures for supporting candidates, PACs, special committees or initiatives?   Yes_____    No_____

What courageous New Mexico legislator will write and sponsor such a bill?

Flamingo Dreams

I took this handheld time exposure of Flamingos for a night time photo assignment.  I kind of like it.  It looks surreal, wobbly, in and out of focus.  A lot like many political races this  year.  Mostly it looks like independent voters.  They are the chameleons who transform every couple of years.  I am trying to figure them out.  Two years ago they recognized the lunacy of the bush White House and its new republican wing nut roots and said no more.  Now, after constant tea party fringe attacks, Fox News, Talk Radio and misinformation campaigns they took the bait from the folks they threw out and are turning on the Obama administration.  Question?  Are these people missing some marbles?  Is it the ultimate mass case of attention deficit disorder?   Or am I just naive?  Don't answer that.

Fatigue

I had coffee with my good friend and former City Attorney Bob White this morning.  We love talking politics.  Today we centered on the "fatigue" factor in politics.  People do get fatigued with elected officials.  Think Marty Chavez.  Think about my career.  Think about Governor Richardson.  And in some respects think about any incumbent this year.  People are tired of this cast of players.  People are pissed off at the state of things.  Voila!  The Tea Party fringe exudes frustration and gets the media talking about them.  The Democrats and what is left of a reasonable republican party minority don't even recognize the frustration and don't talk about it and you end up with a lot of otherwise good elected officials being shown the door.  Many of those who replace them will be really scary.

That is a reason that Diane Denish is having a hard race.  The media connect her with Richardson and the fatigue attaches to her.  Her campaign team has not figured out a way, so far, of getting her energy out.  I can tell you I have known her for years and she is her own person.

Part of this fatigue is due to a corporate influenced media.  I feel the oil and gas industry influences the Albuquerque Journal to beat up on Denish because she is concerned about climate change. And so you get stories that try to turn her into a bad person for pursuing funding for childhood education.  Can you believe it?  Making  her seem corrupt for doing something so admirable?  How does this happen at the Journal?  And people ask why I want to stop my subscription.  I guess I am fatigued with that once okay newspaper.

Questions from Friends

We had a great crew over for our Sunday night Dinner.  We were all interested political types and two of our guests were employees of the Albuquerque Journal at one time....years ago.  They had read my blog and were insisting that I not cancel my subscription because it was important for people to keep reading newspapers.  I agree, but it is hard to swallow the front page news stories which are editorials in disguise as is the case in the Journal.  The both agree that things had changed at that newspaper in recent years.  I will ponder their request for not canceling!

All of us sat around the table last night consuming Gypsy Stew, Bobbi's home made jalapeno corn bread, and good wine. None of us even made an effort to turn on the debates last night.  For us our minds were made up on most races.  Even the moderates around the table said that Diane Denish was eminently qualified to be Governor and would be better at the job.  Susana Martinez, if she wins, will be much like Gary Johnson was in office and will be able to offer little more than vetoes.  She will have a tough time leading with a strong Democratic legislature.  Santa Fe will begin to resemble Washington, DC where little gets done and when it does will inspire Newt Gingrich style hate politics.  At least the democrats won't act like cowards in Santa Fe.  There will be no big ideas in Santa Fe.  Lack of money and courage will be the reasons, especially if a republican like Martinez is elected.

Interestingly most of our guests will not vote a straight ticket.  I think Secretary of State Mary Herrera could be in trouble.  I think Ray Powell will win now since his opponent's comments on "christian war" have made the rounds.

A Gratuitous Picture of My Cat

Hermes is growing up.  He always like to perch high on something, like a leopard.  At night he comes in to our bed and lays down between Bobbi and me.  He gives us both love bites and then goes to sleep.  Then his buddy Ajax arrives and lies next to my head.

Right now people are praying about this election.  Which gives me an excuse to show another neat quote that praying Democrats might read.

"Two hands working do more than a thousand clasped in prayer."

The Journal

I am going to do it now.  I am canceling my subscription to the Albuquerque Journal after being a loyal reader for most of my life.  They are no longer credible.  They are Fox news.  They are right wing and vicious.  After reading that they endorsed all republican candidates for Congress, including the nutcase Mullins up north, I decided that the publisher and editor of the paper no longer deserve any respect what so ever.  I don't mind if they are conservatives.  That is their business.  They can also use their opinion page to say what they please and endorse who they please.  But I should not be able to figure out weeks before an editorial what that editorial is going to say because of the way they cover politics on the front page with Thomas Cole, the Drudge of New Mexico.

 The only thing I will miss is Leslie Lithicum's column, the Obituaries, Dilbert and 9 Chickweed Lane in the comics, and my ability to disagree with them any more since I will not be reading them.

I will continue to read the New York Times everyday and with the money I save I might even take the Wall Street Journal, which at least keeps its editorials and dirty work on the opinion page.

The Real World

I went up to Truchas, New Mexico on Friday morning to a gathering of Northern New Mexicans who were presented with a grant from the US Department of Agriculture.  The $150,000 will be used to create the Cooperative Development Center of Northern New Mexico.

It is always fun to go into such a beautiful part of the Land of Enchantment.

Terry Brunner who is Director of the State USDA Rural Development Office handed the funds over to Arturo Sandoval who will help administer the project.

They met with a group of farmers and outfitters who will participate in the program.  The idea is for cooperatives to get products to local markets.  The second objective involves cultural based tourism and recreation.

The beautiful landscapes and natural resources are an under utilized economic tool in the area.

While so many criticize federal public servants these days they should reflect on the real good that is being done to help areas like Truchas develop jobs and a future.

And finally, a funny quote.  "Prayer /n/: how to do nothing and still claim you're helping.

A Rope

A rope might be too good for this nation's bank and mortgage company CEOs.  Why is the public not in the streets screaming for justice?  Oh, thats right...those people are to busy looking for Obama's birth certificate while also demonizing anyone who works in government.  And, don't forget those banks etc are private business and they can do no wrong.  So what if they steal your house because of their own incompetence.

Just like the oil and gas guys who are securing their profits by bankrolling republicans in all political races this year. Don't forget they get billions in subsidies.   Sometimes the dam just breaks for me.

Like yesterday when I told ATT Wireless that I was canceling my contract with them because for the last 18 months I have no cell service on my Iphone at my house.  They said they couldn't guarantee service and gee for $150 more I could by their mini cell tower that hooks into the internet so my phones will work. I said, "So I have to buy something that gets me service for something I already pay for?"  "Yes" they said in a pleasant and saccharin voice.  "And if you cancel we will require a fee."   I want to personally carry the rope for the ATT Wireless CEO SOB.  He is a con man.

Misc.

I keep wondering where Susana Martinez would find folks with experience in government to work in her administration if she is elected.  The republican bench for thoughtful public servants is pretty weak.  Anyone who worked in the Johnson administration is off on other pursuits.  Mostly I am afraid that Martinez will draw government haters from the far right to occupy the Cabinet Secretary's jobs.  They will find out real quick that the rank and file state employee will push back on radicalism.  Just like in everything else, experience does count.

Especially when we are looking at further budget deficits on the state level.  The next Governor will have a horrendous  no win future in decision making.  It will be brutal and even Susana Martinez will endure attacks from all sides.  She has no clue what awaits her.

I know we are a couple of years away from the next election.  I am wondering if Senator Jeff Bingaman will run again.  It might hinge on what happens in this election and whether or not the Senate stays in Democratic control.  I think that is likely.  But if Bingaman doesn't run again then who will?  Certainly Martin Heinrich is a candidate.  Who would the republicans pick?  Heather Wilson?  Just something for us junkies to think about.

On a personal note, I have been dealing with prostate cancer for about a year but things look really good.  We are in a watch and wait mode.  My blood tests look very good and no action is necessary for the next six months.  We can book a cruise!

Morning in the Bosque

I took arthritic Athena for a walk in the Bosque this morning.  The Rio Grande is definitely losing its flow and we may be in for a dry winter thanks to La Nina.

It was a beautiful morning out there.

On the way back home I saw a leaf blower at work.  I hate these things pushing particulate into the air for all of us allergy sufferers.  Have you ever been in a parking lot while the landscaping crew is using those things?  Your car will be full of dust and pollen in just a few seconds.  Starbucks on Rio Grande is a place where this happens all the time.

Oh, That Debate

Sunday night Bobbi and me went to a great dinner party with friends in Corrales.  I suddenly realized sitting around the great Paella that all four of us guys there worked in the news media at the same time back in the 70's.  We all are news maniacs.  We are all left of center, some more than others.  We talked a lot about politics. We all new there was a gubernatorial debate occurring on TV.   We all could have cared less I think because there would be little news value in watching the affair.  These things seem to be some sort of performance art now, rather than an airing of serious issues.  The coverage, like the TV commercials, is geared toward negativism.  All I saw on the news later in the evening was attack mode snippets.

I will say that Channel 7 and the Albuquerque Journal has done a good job this year on covering the political season.  The others use those vapid TV commercials as coverage.  Lots of  young toothy and inexperienced reporters find it an easy way to segue into a story. Kind of like airing 9-11 tapes of some dastardly crime.  It takes little effort. All the stations are making a fortune airing the commercials.  This is politics today.  Money and personal attacks.  It is so different then it was back when I got in the fray in the mid 70's.  It is disheartening and dangerous.

Wake Up Call for Public Servants

The Tea Party types, the republicans and the far right wing are getting what they wanted.  Their incessant ranting about the government is now starting to show in the disrespect people have for public servants.  I am talking about Federal, State and Local government employees.  A new poll shows a growing negative view of federal employees.  I wish those who seem to see these employees as lazy shiftless people could come and watch how  hard my lovely wife Bobbi works for the US Forest Service.  And countless other employees like her.

And then you listen to candidates like Susana Martinez, a government employee her self for over 20 years, criticize public servants on the state level and you wonder what is next.  This hate mongering is just grist for the mill with the GOP.  And right now there are a surprising amount of public employees who will vote for her and then find out there is a concerted effort coming from the her administration to kill benefits.

Befuddled

If someone can explain to me the story in the Journal this morning about how state oil and gas regulations affected friends of the governor I would appreciate it.  Did they even own companies that benefited?  Why is it important that people who bought these companies from the governor's friends and then sold them years later for a lot more money important?  Did the oil and gas regulations protect water supplies in the oil patch?  Or is that beside the point?  I read this story a couple of times and just did not get it.  It was all gibberish.

Misson of Mercy

Praying for a toothache to go away will only work if you have a skilled dentist.  Many of our citizens simply can not afford one and dental coverage is not included in the healthcare reform bill.  That is where Mission of Mercy comes in.

This was the scene at the Expo grounds in Albuquerque today where Mission of Mercy's 200 local dentist volunteers and 130 dental hygienists gathered to give free dental service to over 2000 people for the next two days.  Lines started forming last night.

Rodger Beimer received praise for the assistance and facilities the EXPO folks have given.  Dr. Wendy Churchill from Anthony, NM and Linda Paul were working hard at moving folks through the system and handling the 1400 volunteers.

These are very organized folks, thanks in part to Dr. Larry Lubar who was managing the ground game effort.  Larry has been my dentist for over 30 years.

These pictures reminded me of an efficient factory floor.  There were sections for Triage.

Sections for translators.

Sections for restorative surgery.

Lots of generous professionals giving their time.  It is great to see this kind of effort where no questions are asked about background, residency status, or motives for showing up.  Just humane healthcare for all.  And who would say that is not a good thing?  

 

Peanuts?

I bought a bag of those good Portales Valencia peanuts the other day at La Montanita Coop.  There is nothing like them.  Now, they are really harvesting a good crop for this year. These peanuts are grown by mostly republican farmers in Roosevelt County.  Those are the guys who mostly disfavor healthcare for all, environmental regulation, unemployment checks and such.  Oh, but that doesn't count the over $32,000,000 in subsidies they have received from the taxpayers in the last 15 years.  But damn, they know how to grow a great New Mexico Peanut and they had better do so.  We get to pay for them twice.  Although their subsidies are falling it still bothers me.

Oh, one more thing on that Land Commissioner race.  Blogger Heath Haussamen has an interesting post today on that GOP/oil industry funded candidate Matt Rush.  Rush apparently is a strong fundamentalist christian who has said "christians have to take the fight to the enemy."  If that is so I would wonder if any atheists need apply for grazing, business, commercial or other leases?  Just asking.  That is all.

Misc.

It seems most people are thanking God that the miners in Chile are being pulled to the surface.  Should we be concerned that God put them in that situation in the first place?  Even the Pope is praying.  I would most like to thank the engineers and safety consultants, many from the USA, who pulled this feat off.  And the guy who invented that ingenious drill bit that augured down to them.

The GOP in New Mexico could be called the Grand Oil Party.  I see where Oil and Gas  has given oodles of money to Republican Matt Rush.  Some of the money was disguised as donations from the state party and the Lea County party. That amounted to $40K in hidden donations.  I can guarantee you that was all oil and gas related money.

Why doesn't any one seem to care that Susana Martinez's campaign is subsisting on out of state dollars from the extreme right wing and oil boys?  It should trouble everyone.

Life is too short.  I played golf like a beginner this morning.  I used God's name a lot, but it wasn't praying.

RIP

I have started taking a night time photo class at UNM Continuing Education.  I never really mastered it before nor spent much time thinking about how to do it properly.  This photo is my first try at taking a serious photo in the dark.  It is the San Jose Cemetery at Gibson and I-25.  It is actually owned by the City of Albuquerque.  I rendered it in black and white since the sodium lights from the  interstate gave everything an orange hue.(Click the photo for a full size look)

Many of the folks who are interned here helped build this city and its culture.  In today's society we seem to be sending a message that we don't want their kind anymore.  These are mostly the immigrants and their offspring who built our homes, paved our roads, constructed our schools and places of business.  They joined the military and veterans are buried here I am sure.  Now unfounded fear from demagogues on the right wing make them into villains. 

Toilet Bowl

That might be the only offer the UNM Football team will get this year.  Thanks to a real lack of accountability on so many people's parts.  Let's talk about accountability.  We rid the Lobos of a competent football coach in Rocky Long at a price of $750,000 for a buyout.  It was all couched as Rocky wanting to move on, but then why pay him all that money if it was voluntary?  Then we hire Coach Locksley at some astronomical salary.  He immediately gets into trouble for wanting an older secretary replaced because she is not attractive enough, then he tries to strangle an assistant coach who is now suing UNM.  Oh, and least importantly he has the worst team in the USA.  When the axe falls on him UNM will have to pay off his contract at some astronomical cost.

Here is what should happen.  The Athletic Director should resign.  He had cause to fire Locksley after the attempted strangulation.  Now he will have to pay to get him out of town.  Locksley should voluntarily resign and just admit the whole experience in New Mexico was a disaster.  He should agree to a low payout especially since the University will pay out to the assistant coach who sued.  The UNM President should find some credible people to run athletics at UNM and then hold them accountable.  The UNM Board of Regents should hold the President accountable for fixing things.  And the Regents should be held accountable for it all.

I say all of this as a person who is not that much into Lobo athletics.  I say it as a person who wants some accountability at the school.  Where else could this kind of malfeasance be tolerated?

"When it comes to privacy and accountability, people always demand the former for themselves and the latter for everyone else."   David Brin

Comments from Afar

I spent the last couple of days in Durango, Colorado at a meeting of the Governing Council of the Wilderness Society.  We had members in from all over the country and they kept approaching me about the negative TV ads they were seeing in the Governor's race, especially Susana Martinez's.  They were aghast at the nastiness.  I told them I saw the same kind of mudslinging in both Massachusetts and New York last week.  A lot of very accomplished people are on the Council and most were strongly lamenting the over arching power of money from corporate America that is being used secretly in these elections.  It is unprecedented and the Sap public has no clue.

We did have beautiful scenery for our meeting.

Land Office Race

Republicans and their Oil and Gas and Agribusiness supporters have started funding a TV buy for Matthew Rush in the Land Commissioner race.  Meanwhile, there is no sign of Ray Powell on TV.  Depending on the size of the GOP buy, Ray might actually win with out TV since the commercials have come so late.  Yesterday afternoon I stopped and voted and 100 people had already done so in front of me.  Those TV commercials will be wasted on them.

At the same time I hear Rush's commercial is positive and shows his speaking abilities.  It may stand out from the other dreadful stuff clogging the arteries of TV right now.  Ray would be an honest Land Commissioner.  I just  wish he knew how to raise money for this campaign.  It might be close.

I am off to Durango, Colorado for a meeting of the Wilderness Society Governing Council.  It should be pretty in the Southern Rockies.

Apples and Oranges at the ABQ Journal

There is no editorial page I loathe more than the one at the Wall Street Journal.  But, I love the newspaper itself for its other insightful information and features.  It is an apples and oranges thing  They treat their editorial page as a separate entity from news gathering.  I used to say the same about the Albuquerque Journal.  They used to do a good job of insulating their Editorial page from the News side of the company.  But, no more.  It seems to me that the editor on the news side is now controlling the editorial page too.  There is nothing wrong with the two groups talking to each other, and they should.  But they should not be managed by the same person.

Now, witness the nauseating diatribe by Thomas Cole against the venerable Albuquerque Community Foundation this morning.  Their big sin is that one of their employees appeared in a Diane Denish commercial. And Thom Cole turned it into the scandal of the day in his allotted front page space.

This is a very dangerous practice for a newspaper.  Soon we will not be able to separate editorial diatribe from news coverage.  The Cole piece this morning is just one example of this degradation in the newspapers credibility.  The Journal is becoming the Fox News of the print media.  I really believe that.  I think the only thing they can't slant to a editorial view is the comic strip content.  Even they would not screw with Dilbert.

The Things You Have to Do

Martin Heinrich and Ben Lujan and Harry Teague all do what ever they can to get reelected as the state's congressman.  Including seeking out and getting the endorsement of the all powerful NRA.  They are the guys who want to let  someone pack a gun to your kid's school picnic or soccer game. (I am a gun owner too, but not a paranoid one.)  And then a rags to riches guy like Harry Teague signs on to keeping the tax cuts for the rich.  It is all nauseating.  I suppose we all have to keep our lunches down though because right now the alternative is worse.

I would still recommend that everyone read a couple of SciFi novels that will get your blood boiling about how corporate America increases its stranglehold on our politics and government.  Daniel Suarez's books, Daemon and Freedom, pretty much spells it out for you.  They are a fun read too.  The books are closer to fact than fiction.

Those Polls

I arrived back from Syracuse last night.  I had baled out of bed there yesterday to bring up the Journal website to look over the Journal Poll, but it wasn't there.  So I had to start making phone calls before I heard the numbers.  I have to say I wasn't surprised at the Governor's race numbers.  Susana Martinez has done a good job of suppressing support for Diane Denish by running blatantly false TV ads.  The Denish campaign has not figured out a definitive way of reversing the trends.  I don't think it is over yet, but something has to happen soon since early voting is just around the corner.  I still don't think people really know who Diane Denish is.  Martinez has managed to bring  up a persona.

One bit of advice I have or the Denish team is to rally State, County and City employees around the state.  Martinez's supporters in the moneyed GOP want to gut all government pension programs if possible.  That should be a big concern to thousands of New Mexicans.

Martin Heinrich will win in a tough year for Democrats.  I have always liked Jon Barela, his opponent, but he really took the republican mantra on as his own.  Which means no new ideas....or rather no ideas at all.

I am hopeful that Harry Teague can pull it off down south.  Here is a guy who has lost  most of his business after an embargo by the oil and gas industry down in the Permian basin.  Just remember what these oil and gas cut throats will do to protect their profits.  They would rather bake the planet than allow any climate change legislation.

Finally, I had a great time with my son Justin and his rather pregnant wife Karly.  We will be grand parents in six weeks or so.  They have moved into a nice house outside of Syracuse.  This weekend they bought a nice Subaru Outback to handle those snows.  They are doing great.

Car Shopping

I am trying to explain to my son and his wife in Syracuse why republican legislators in New Mexico would want  members of the Environmental Improvement Board in our state kicked off the board if they have strong feelings about protecting the environment.  I wonder if that philosophy would also be good for legislative committees that have oil and gas industry types sitting in those chairs.  Don't hold your breath.

I am spending the day with my son purchasing a new car for himself.  It will need to be a sturdy reliable all wheel drive for snowy winters.  Sounds like a Subaru Outback or Forester for sure.  Buying new cars is one of my favorite pastimes.

The Chamber

I can remember when the Chamber of Commerce was a Chamber of Commerce.  Now it is a Chamber of Horrors, at least for any from the center to the left.  The revelations on how much American Corporations are pouring into the National Chamber in Washington, DC is heartbreaking.  That money is being used to defeat candidates and legislation that big business, big oil, and the right wing don't want.  The rest of us don't stand a chance against this kind of economic power.

I think this unbridled money machine could well drive a nail into the coffin of democracy.  I am not kidding.  These folks even managed to put together a Supreme Court under the bush administration that actually is a subsidiary of Corporate America.  Am I getting senile and paranoid?  Not yet.  I am just dealing with reality.

Kudos to the Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce who has philosophical differences with this kind of approach.  There are not many like them right now.

Rain

We had a great meeting of the Wyss Foundation in Cape Cod.  All day Thursday tropical rains came down to the west of us, but we had sunshine.  Today I drove from Cape Cod to Syracuse, NY to see my son Justin and his wife Karly.  I drove through a torrential downpour for about 100 miles.  I don't ever want to do that again.  One reason is the semi trucks pulling two forty foot trailers on the drenched highways.  They put up so much water from their wheels that you are driving blind.  I always can judge a state legislature on whether or not I see these kinds of rigs running.  Only a corrupt and paid off legislature would allow those on the roads.  They are terribly dangerous. The highways in Massachusetts and New York seem to be in relatively good shape.  Especially I-90 which is a toll road. 

Religion

I see the President felt he needed to explain his Christianity to some Albuquerque people yesterday.  He did a good job of it but it won't change the minds of anyone who thinks he is Moslem.  I also noticed that yesterday the NY Times had an article about how miserably people fail tests about religion.  Even their own.  I took the test and got all but one question correct.

Most skeptics do well on the tests.  So do atheists.  I noticed that word atheist is never capitalized by the spell checker.  Now I have noticed that Lutheran is.   Is seventh day Adventist?  yes the last word is.  Is scientology? nope  Is Buddhism?  yes.  Is Catholicism? yes.  Is Baptist? yes . Is Methodist?  yes. Is Mormon? yes.  Just one of those little meaningless discoveries in life.

Today I throw the dice to see if I and my baggage can make it all the way to Cape Cod, MA.  I will be attending a Wyss Foundation Board meeting there and then I will travel to Syracuse, NY to see my son Justin and his wife Karly.   They just moved into a new home after leaving Washington, DC where he continues his work remotely for the Solar Energy Industry Association.  They will become parents in November and  Bobbi and me will have a first grandchild.  Woo Hoo!

Misc.

Why is it that we cant go see a speech by the President any more?  Ever since 9-11 it seems the only way to see the nation's leader speak is either on TV or at one of those small invitation only affairs.  I remember that every time Bill Clinton came to New Mexico he would hold a public rally where everyone could attend.  Now, as with Obama today, a very small and orchestrated event will take place in Albuquerque's South Valley.  TV will be there but the citizens wont.  This may be the doing of the Secret Service but I still think it further insulates the country's leadership from the people.

The Albuquerque Journal editorial this morning on the NM Air National Guard (The Tacos) seemed to indicate that the reason they have lost their mission and planes is that Pete Domenici and Heather Wilson are no longer in congress to protect them.  Maybe the Journal needs a longer look at that premise.  Frankly, the F-16 just is getting old and obsolete.  Having all these fighter groups around the country is needlessly expensive in the era of drone aircraft and pinpoint GPS and Laser targeting.  And I say this as a person who really likes Air Force fighters and as a former member of the Tacos.  I am kind of a freak for them.  At this point many of the Guard Units that are still flying will probably cease to do so in the next ten years as budget savings are sought out. Budget savings made necessary by bush, Domenici and Wilson's tax cuts in the middle of a war.

Degree?

I don't think it matters a whole lot if a person running for office doesn't have a college degree.  What does matter is whether or not they fudge on the issue.  I remember when now disgraced Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil Giron said during a campaign that she had a college degree when she didn't have one.  It became the big issue in that race with the Albuquerque Journal and everyone else having a lot of fun with it.  Giron, who was a semester short of a degree, said she had it in her mind that she had one.  Whatever that excuse was supposed to accomplish is beyond me.

I noticed this morning that the GOP candidate for Lt. Governor and the GOP candidate for Secretary of State have no degrees.  Their democratic opponents both  have advanced degrees.  So what?  As long as a person is smart and honest you really don't need a sheepskin to prove yourself.

And then there is the GOP candidate for Land Commissioner, Matt Rush, who said he had an Associate Degree when he didn't.  Now that brings up the question of honesty.  Why do some people feel such a need to inflate themselves this way?  But it also exposed another problem.  He must be ignorant too.  Does he think he can get away with lying on a resume when running for political office?

Well, why not?  Because as we have learned from the Susana Martinez campaign it is easy to lie about your opponent in TV commercials even when independent watchdog groups have proven all allegations false!  And yet the commercials keep on rolling during every commercial break.  The thought being that you can keep Diane Denish's numbers down by continuing to keep up false attacks.  Even people who do not believe the allegations are somewhat moved by the negative hits.

Some people say Martinez is really not such a bad person.  If that is true how can she condone her right wing campaign handlers continuing the lies.  Victory at any cost I guess.  It defines her character to me.

Enchilada Memories

I was a member of the 'Enchilada Air Force' from 1966-1970.  I enlisted in the New Mexico Air National Guard in May 1966 and was discharged in June of 1970.

I spent two years on active duty including my training as a photographer/cinema photographer at the USAF Photo School at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver.  This photo is in my quarters at Luke AFB in Arizona.  My military service was mostly a great experience.  I left with the rank of Staff Sgt.  The technical and artistic composition training I received at photo school set me on a path to journalism and politics.

Andy House and I went out to the Air Guard today for an open house.  Sadly, the 150th Tactical Fighter Wing of the NM Air Guard will lose their last aircraft, the F-16 fighter in a few days.

Then they will search for a new mission.  The would like to get some F-22s like the one above, but they and other units like them might end up with no piloted aircraft as drones take over.

This old Photo is one I took back in 1966 of one of F-100F Tactical Fighter Bombers.  The F-100 was the first supersonic fighter put into service.

Other Aircraft in the Air Guard's inventory over its lifetime have always been fighters.  I remember as a child watching their World War II era P-51 Mustangs at the airport.

They had a few P-80s which Andy described as a plane that couldn't get out of its own way.

They then went to F-100s.  As a photographer I logged missions in the back seat of the F100F.

They flew the underpowered A-7s for a while.  The pilots I knew didn't like them much.

They then got into the really hot F-16.  It is hard to believe this aircraft now is deemed obsolete.

Congressional Race

The Congressional race between Martin Heinrich and Jon Barela has been a yawner so far.  I think that is good for Heinrich, but in this paranoid political season who really knows what it means?

Barela's campaign issues mirror the tired babble from the GOP.  No regulations on business and no taxes....ever.  This is old stuff and in this economic quagmire I am not sure it is a good bet.  Let us recall what no regulation has brought us.  The meltdown on Wall Street where the only survivors were the ones who caused it.  The oil platform disaster in the Gulf where oil industry types provided junkets and sex for lax regulation.  Countless recalls in our food industry because of poor inspection.

And now unregulated and secret political donations from national business groups to GOP candidates nationwide.  This will have an effect to some degree.

Jon Barela is not a bad guy, but his mantra in this political season is exactly what we don't need.

In Front of Your Face

The most important story on the front page of the Albuquerque Journal today was the one about the closing of the long time Albuquerque employer General Electric.  They made jet engines for many years.  Several hundred hard working folks with good paying jobs are on the streets.  But it seems that job loss or gain is not big on the agenda of Susana Martinez.  She just wants to talk about tax cuts.  Diane Denish isn't so sure because I think she sees the trap here for these recently laid off good people at GE and others like them.  While they look for work in poor economic times they may need the support of their state government.  Can that be done without raising taxes when the stimulus funds dry up next fiscal year?  I don't think so.  But others might want to give it a try. Why would they want to support a bunch of people who don't want a job?  But just in case it doesn't work, shouldn't you leave an option open to take action?  Like Diane Denish has.

Or does GOP candidate Susana Martinez think she can just fool people by lying about this and then reneging when reality hits her in the face if she is elected.  As we know lying is a tried and true practice of the GOP.   Remember Weapons of Mass Destruction?  And Mission Accomplished?

Life is too short.

Horse Meat

Has it come down to horse meat?  Now we see both candidates for Governor in New Mexico severely underestimating the constituency that works to protect and nurture the wild Mustangs in the American West.  These beautiful creatures, whose numbers must be controlled, still have a place in our landscapes. Governor Richardson had planned on the purchase of a ranch with stimulus funds to enlarge a state park near Madrid, NM to provide a reserve for these magnificent animals.  But then Susana Martinez and Diane Denish decided it was a bad thing to do.  Why take this on as a policy issue that makes the front page? Both of them have erred in taking that stance.  Now things have been delayed in the transaction.   I  had called Denish's office to speak with her or a staffer about it, but no one returned my call.  I would expect such a policy from Martinez, but I have to say Diane took a wrong turn here.

I dealt with these wild horses when I was Bureau of Land Management Director under President Clinton.  Back then they had been treated terribly and sold to people who took them to the slaughter houses.  Those days are ended I think except in the minds of some campaign managers.  Maybe they should do a little research before taking such stands on these kinds of issues.  In fact such a state park for horses would be a good thing for the economy and would have a positive effect.