Category: Albuquerque & New Mexico

The Sheriff’s Back

Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano is back to blogging and has this, which NewMexiKen found interesting.

I am dismayed to learn the Governor vetoed the Red Light Camera Bill. The good thing is that all this attention has brought some light on the downfalls of Albuquerque’s Red Light Camera Program and may bring about needed change. Marty Chavez has hung his hat on this program and the amount of discontent it is brewing in Albuquerque could affect his poll numbers in his own district when the Democratic Primary for Governor comes around.

The Gettysburg of the West

The battle of Glorieta Pass concluded on this date in 1862. Union troops from Fort Union, New Mexico, joined by volunteers from Colorado, effectively ended Confederate attempts to march north up the Rio Grande and on to the gold fields in Colorado.

Estimated casualties: Union 142, Confederate 189.

The Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Battle Summary: Glorieta Pass provides fuller detail.

Battle of Glorieta Pass

The Battle of Glorieta Pass began on this date in 1862.

Glorieta Pass was a strategic location, situated at the southern tip of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, southeast of Santa Fe, and on the Santa Fe Trail. In March 1862, a Confederate force of 200-300 Texans under the command of Maj. Charles L. Pyron encamped at Johnson’s Ranch, at one end of the pass. Union Maj. John M. Chivington led more than 400 soldiers to the Pass and on the morning of March 26 moved out to attack. After noon, Chivington’s men captured some Rebel advance troops and then found the main force behind them. Chivington advanced on them, but their artillery fire threw him back. He regrouped, split his force to the two sides of the pass, caught the Rebels in a crossfire, and soon forced them to retire. Pyron and his men retired about a mile and a half to a narrow section of the pass and formed a defensive line before Chivington’s men appeared. The Yankees flanked Pyron’s men again and punished them with enfilade fire. The Confederates fled again and the Union cavalry charged, capturing the rearguard.

The American Battlefield Protection Program

The battle resumed on March 28, the federal troops ultimately forcing the rebels back into Santa Fe, in effect ending Confederate efforts in the southwest.

But it’s Saturday

The big weather-related story in New Mexico this morning is the series of tornadoes that struck the eastern part of the state last evening. This is from AP via the Santa Fe New Mexican:

A series of storms, producing at least 13 tornadoes, destroyed buildings and injured at least a dozen people, several critically, in an area along New Mexico’s border with Texas, police said.

The worst damage was reported in Logan and Clovis, communities about 80 miles apart, police said.

The tornadoes, which were reported during a 5-hour period Friday, damaged several buildings, downed power lines and sparked a fire, Clovis police Lt. James Schoeffel said.

Thirteen people from that area were hospitalized at the Plains Regional Medical Center with injuries. Five were in critical condition with head trauma, said Liz Crouch, the center’s chief operating officer.

As of 10:27 AM see if you can find anything about the storms on The Albuquerque Journal web site home page. Click to enlarge.

Albuquerque Journal

Sheriff Buford T. Justice

A friend reports at least two dozen police vehicles, lights flashing, parked perpendicular to traffic on a major limited access road — apparently a sobriety check being set up on a freeway. At the moment this is written the police are simply standing around.

Traffic is backed up over a mile already and they haven’t done more so far than close a lane.

Readers of this blog know how I feel about drunken driving. But this kind of keystone cops activity is to drunken driving prevention as airport security is to fighting terrorism.

Albuquerque

The plane arrived at the gate at 9:52. I got my checked bag, took a shuttle to the off-airport parking, paid for the parking, drove 17 miles home and it was just 50 minutes later.

Tip for shuttle driver (one bag): $2
Parking for four-and-a-half days: $25
Convenience of living in Albuquerque: Priceless

For Pete’s sake

In New Mexico, Domenici was regularly complaining about Iglesias. He made numerous calls to the White House and the Justice Department, and even phoned Iglesias to inquire about a seemingly stalled corruption investigation against Democrats in New Mexico.

Domenici has since said he regretted making the call to Iglesias, but that incident most enraged Democrats on Capitol Hill.

“Sen. Domenici called for the AG (Gonzales) because he wants to discuss the criminal ‘docket and caseload’ in New Mexico,” William Moschella, principal associate deputy attorney general, recounted in an e-mail to both White House and Justice officials. “Sen. Domenici offered to come here, talk on the phone, or we could stop in on the senator.”

Later, when Iglesias was one of those fired, Domenici moved quickly to recommend names to the White House for his replacement. “Not even waiting for Iglesias’ body to cool,” Sampson wryly commented in an e-mail to Goodling seven days after the firing.

Los Angeles Times

Can you still put your elbow out the window?

We not only can’t hold a mobile phone to our ear in Albuquerque anymore, it’s also unlawful for any person to:

(A) Drive while having in his lap any person, adult or minor, or any animal, nor shall the driver of a vehicle be seated in the lap of any other person.

(B) Drive a vehicle while having either arm around another person.

§ 82124 DRIVER’S PROHIBITED ACTS [pdf]

BTW, the way I read the ordinance, you could drive using a regular phone held to your ear. It’s only a “mobile telephone” that is prohibited. It’d take a long cord, though.

(E) Except as otherwise provided below, no person shall operate a motor vehicle upon a public highway while using a mobile telephone to engage in a call or create, send or read text messages while such vehicle is in motion.

The exceptions permit “the use of a hands-free mobile telephone when being used in a hands free manner.”

$100 first offense; $200 for subsequent offenses.

Legislature taking care of the important stuff

The bolo tie is now New Mexico’s official tie. It’s “our bipartisan fashion statement,” said Gov. Bill Richardson, who wore large, Indian-made bolo inset with turquoise and other stones as he signed the legislation Tuesday in his office.

In New Mexico, bolos are worn with everything from jeans to tuxes. But until now, there was one place you wouldn’t find it: in state statutes.

Yahoo News

Too few good men

Those not familiar with fired New Mexico U.S. Attorney David Iglesias might be interested to know:

“In 1986, he was one of three JAGs who represented Marines accused of attempted murder for a hazing incident that their lawyers argued was encouraged by commanders at Guantanamo Bay. The successful defense helped the Marines avoid serious penalties, and the case inspired the hit Broadway play ‘A Few Good Men’ and the later film. Iglesias was not consulted during the production of the play or movie.”

From a profile in the Los Angeles Times.

Corruption-dusted mesas

We’re now well past the point where anyone can pretend that Iglesias wasn’t fired because he refused to use his office to advance the interests of the New Mexico Republican party by indicting Democrats. The evidence, at this point, is overwhelming and beyond dispute. Indeed, it’s not even being disputed, as you can glean pretty clearly from tomorrow’s stories in the Times and from McClatchy. Rather than continuing to deny it, state party leaders are giving on the record interviews in which they make the case for the rightness of their attempts to get Iglesias fired for not indicting enough Democrats.

Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall

Here’s the New York Times story, which begins:

The snow-dusted mesas and million-dollar adobes look enchanting as ever, but the political landscape here has shifted sharply since the Justice Department ousted a onetime Republican darling as United States attorney in New Mexico after party loyalists complained that he was not tough enough on crooked Democrats.

David C. Iglesias is the man out of a job. But political experts here are also assessing the damage to New Mexico’s two most powerful Republicans, Representative Heather A. Wilson, who won a re-election squeaker on an ethics platform in November, and the state’s six-term senior senator, Pete V. Domenici, Mr. Iglesias’s original champion and the man New Mexicans often call St. Pete.

McClatchy’s report begins:

Presidential advisor Karl Rove and at least one other member of the White House political team were urged by the New Mexico Republican party chairman to fire the state’s U.S. attorney because of dissatisfaction in part with his failure to indict Democrats in a voter fraud investigation in the battleground election state.

New Mexico Lawmaker Petitions to Restore Pluto’s Planet Status

The state of New Mexico could effectively secede from the astronomical community if a resolution to call Pluto a planet is passed.

Joint House Memorial 54 was introduced by representative Joni Marie Gutierrez, who represents Dona Ana County. It states that Pluto, the recently demoted object, “be declared a planet and that March 13, 2007 be declared ‘Pluto Planet Day’ at the legislature.”

Pluto was stripped of its planet status last August when a group within the International Astronomical Union voted to call the diminutive, far-flung world a dwarf planet. The decision was immediately and widely criticized by astronomers, many of whom have said it might not stand over time.

SPACE.com

Priests to Purify Site After Bush Visit

GUATEMALA CITY — Mayan priests will purify a sacred archaeological site to eliminate “bad spirits” after President Bush visits next week, an official with close ties to the group said Thursday.

“That a person like (Bush), with the persecution of our migrant brothers in the United States, with the wars he has provoked, is going to walk in our sacred lands, is an offense for the Mayan people and their culture,” Juan Tiney, the director of a Mayan nongovernmental organization with close ties to Mayan religious and political leaders, said Thursday.

Bush’s seven-day tour of Latin America includes a stopover beginning late Sunday in Guatemala. On Monday morning he is scheduled to visit the archaeological site Iximche on the high western plateau in a region of the Central American country populated mostly by Mayans.

Tiney said the “spirit guides of the Mayan community” decided it would be necessary to cleanse the sacred site of “bad spirits” after Bush’s visit so that their ancestors could rest in peace.

Newsvine

Maybe the Mayan priests could come to Albuquerque and purify the El Pinto. The restaurant hasn’t been the same since Bush started visiting it these past few years.

Pancho Villa

… and his forces attacked Columbus, New Mexico, on this date in 1916.

Columbus, New Mexico

Why Columbus? A series of circumstances and events: Columbus had a garrison of about 600 U.S. soldiers and the U.S. had taken sides against Villa and for Venustiano Carranza in the continuing Mexican revolutions. Villa had been sold blank ammunition by an arms dealer in the town. A few days earlier 10 Mexicans had been “accidentally” burned to death while in custody in El Paso during a “routine” delousing with gasoline.

The attack at dawn lasted about three hours before American troops chased Villa’s forces into Mexico. The town was burned and 17 Americans, mostly private citizens, were killed. About 100 of Villa’s troops were reportedly killed. The arms dealer was absent from Columbus that morning. He had a dental appointment in El Paso.

Pancho VillaThe next day President Wilson ordered General Jack Pershing and 5,000 America troops into Mexico to capture Villa. This “Punitive Expedition” was often mis-directed by Mexican citizens and Villa allegedly hid in the dust thrown up by Pershing’s vehicles. (The American Army used aircraft for reconnaissance for the first time. This is considered the beginning of the Army Air Corps.)

Unsuccessful in the hunt, by February 1917 the United States and Pershing turned their attention to the war in Europe. Minor clashes with Mexican irregulars continued to disturb the border from 1917 to 1919. Engagements took place near Buena Vista, Mexico, on 1 December 1917; in San Bernardino Canyon, Mexico, on 26 December 1917; near La Grulla, Texas, on 8-9 January 1918; at Pilares, Mexico, about 28 March 1918; at Nogales, Arizona, on 27 August 1918; and near El Paso, Texas, on 15-16 June 1919.

NewMexiKen’s very own grandfather served in Columbus during World War I, making him the first NewMexiKen.

Villa, born Doroteo Arango, surrendered to the Mexican Government in 1920 and retired on a general’s pay. He was assassinated in 1923.

Columbus photo via New Mexico Magazine.

March 7, 1539

Fray Marcos de Niza and Estevan the Moor leave Culiacan, Mexico, to explore New Mexico. Zuni Indians kill Estevan, but de Niza returns with false stories confirming the Seven Cities of Cibola. [The] Indians distrusted Estevan because he wore jewelry depicting serpents and, also, because he demanded women from the pueblo.

New Mexico Magazine

Best line of the day, so far

“The identity of the other lawmaker who contacted Mr. Iglesias remains unknown. Mr. Domenici is one of three Republican members of the state’s Congressional delegation. One of the others, Representative Steve Pearce, has said he did not contact Mr. Iglesias. The third, Representative Heather A. Wilson, has said she will not comment on the matter.”

That’s my congresswoman. Cries over Janet Jackson’s boob, but can’t say yes or no when it’s something meaningful. Quote from The New York Times.

Some children left behind

New Mexico is failing when it comes to academic achievement, particularly among low-income and minority students, according to a report by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
. . .

The 50 states and Washington, D.C., were graded in nine categories that included post-secondary and work force readiness, and in return on investment — both in which New Mexico also received F’s.

The news wasn’t all bad for New Mexico, though. The state received B’s for being honest about student achievement and for its teacher quality, data quality, and flexibility in management and policies, such as its charter schools.

New Mexico received a C for its rigor of standards.

AP via The New Mexican

Imagine that

So there it is. Former US Attorney David Iglesias has now all but named Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) and Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) as the two members of Congress who pressured him to indict a New Mexico Democrat before the November election. He didn’t use their names. But he said they were “two members of the New Mexico delegation.” The other three have each categorically denied it was them. And Domenici and Wilson still refuse to give any answer to the press.

Talking Points Memo

Smile, and pay up

[Albuquerque] started fining people caught by traffic enforcement cameras in May 2005, but it never developed a program to collect money from people who didn’t pay. It doesn’t even know exactly how much money is owed, or how many people owe.

According to police records obtained by the Journal, three other vehicle owners whose cars have repeatedly been caught on camera owe more than $5,000 in fines and late fees.

As many as 30 others owe about $4,000.

City officials estimate hundreds of thousands of dollars are owed by drivers caught on camera.

Under the program, drivers are fined $100 the first time they are caught running a red light, $250 for the second violation, and $500 each for third and subsequent violations. Speeders are fined based on how fast over the speed limit the vehicle is traveling.

Late fees— assessed after 30 days— are twice the original fine.

The Albuquerque Journal

Infractions caught by the camera are civil actions, not traffic violations. They don’t count on your driving record. Until recently there was no appeal. The city’s approach to these cameras has been pretty much the same as a counterfeiter with a nice new printing press. It appears they’ve thought through none of the administrative or legal consequences and most of the process is contracted to out-of-state companies.