Much Older Issues

October 29th Issue

Events Calendar

Political Activism Gets Popular - TV, Sports and Elite Controllers Lose Ground as Citizenry Awakens - Leland Lehrman

Check It Out: Filmmaking in New Mexico Update - Priscilla Vanik

Congressman Udall Rallies Santa Fe Farmer’s Market Film and Fundraiser - Leland Lehrman

Google Goes Solar, National Energy Policymakers Take Note - Leland Lehrman

Top 14 Reasons to Buy Local

Letter to President Bush from NM State Senator Gerald Ortiz y Pino - Reporting by Stephen Fox

Funnies:

Darwin Awards: Jet Assisted Take-Off

FDA Announces New Trade Names for Viagra

The Vote

Cover Story:

New Mexico Political Candidate Endorsements
by Leland Lehrman

Heather Wilson has got to go. Patricia Madrid’s strong antiwar campaign honors the peace-loving people of New Mexico while her opponent legitimizes immoral wars, both foreign and domestic.
Wilson, struggling against deserved eight point deficits in polls, is desperately searching for anything to keep her balloon afloat. Witness her website where supporters throw around allegations about child predators and hot air, as if that was some kind of a national issues platform. They also appear to forget that Wilson was on the Congressional page oversight committee that failed to “oversee” Republican Rep. Mark Foley’s own sexual predations.

Wilson has not updated her news section since September 1st, which is understandable since all the news since then has been bad for Republicans. The Foley sex scandal made the headlines, but the unconstitutional suspension of habeas corpus and legalization of torture in the Military Commissions Act of 2006 - which Wilson supported - is even worse. Furthermore, a recent article by the San Francisco Chronicle states that her “campaign appearances are tightly controlled and often closed to the press.” What does she have to hide? Perhaps it’s those campaign contributions from disgraced House Leader Tom Delay and Rep. Mark Foley, as well as contributions from war profiteers Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.

The Chronicle article also notes importantly that the “New Mexico race is seen as a referendum on the makeup of the House,” making it all the more important to support Madrid or get out and vote if you live in Congressional District 1 this year. If the citizens demand it, a Democratic majority in Congress could begin to reverse the damage done to our nation, and world, by the Bush Administration.

In New Mexico’s third district, The Sun-News endorses Tom Udall for Congress. Udall is expected to win in a landslide, and we thank God for that, however we dispute the Congressman’s recent public assertions that the chief challenge we face internationally is militant Islamic fundamentalism. Homegrown fundamentalism both religious and nationalist is the real root cause of our foreign policy problems and collapsing international reputation. Congressman Udall should make every effort humanly possible to oppose militant American foreign policy and police state tactics at home. We salute his recent vote against the abominable Military Commissions Act of 2006. Senator Bingaman also voted against this “law” and we endorse his candidacy with the same request that we made of Udall: confront and disempower homegrown militant fundamentalism before all else.

David Bacon’s Green Party candidacy for Public Regulation Commission District 4 also deserves note. Bacon has developed a strong understanding of the problems facing New Mexico’s consumers and the difficulties involved in properly overseeing the increasingly corporate public utilities of New Mexico. Voters must recognize just how important this issue is in New Mexico, especially given the problems we face with mercury pollution from coal-fired electric plants and the unfair obstacles to renewable electric generation and heat set up by the PRC and PNM. Bacon, along with allies like Santa Fe non-profit Local Energy, will bring some much needed pressure to bear on the apparently compromised Democratic Party - PRC machine. The PRC must fulfill its responsibility to the people and the Democratic party representation on the PRC appears to lack the needed aggressive oversight capability.

Although The Sun-News certainly endorses Al Kissling over Steve Pearce for the 2nd district, things look difficult for Dems in “Little Texas.” Although we’re hopeful that Gary King wins the race for Attorney General, we would have liked to see him challenge Pearce again down South.

Most of all, The Sun-News endorses the growing sense among New Mexicans and Americans that it is time to get back into politics as a nation. We have squandered our heritage on recreational activities of all types, but now the party is over. If we want to retain our national reputation and the integrity that created it, we must get back in the driver’s seat, or risk fatal consequences with the Bush Administration and its “globalist” controllers at the helm.

Leland Lehrman can be reached at leland.lehrman@gmail.com or 982-3609