Free Republic

New Mexico's Economic Development Department has signed a memorandum of understanding with the city government of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to coordinate business-building efforts along the border. Each agency has agreed to share information about industry sectors that hold the greatest promise of joint success for each side, such as trade leads and joint venture opportunities. Another part of the agreement calls for each side to include the other, when appropriate, in cross-border site visits when the region is under consideration by potential maquiladora supplier leads.

Never heard of this one before, and it's easy to get to. And impressive. Here's a different perspective. And this one is pretty nice. Click for full-size.

SNIP McCain is scheduled to speak at a late-afternoon rally in Roswell. Doors open at 3 p.m. at Great Southwest Aviation, the site of a rally by McCain's vice presidential running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, on Oct. 19. SNIP

FReep this Digg!!! (We need FReepers to FReep the Vote over at Buzz too. Any takers???) Post your own links exposing ObamaNation on Digg, Buzz, Reddit, etc. Saturate these boards. They're massive and they are crawling with independents and undecideds. And don't post them all in one category, like politics or elections. Finally, repost your links on FR to we can put a protective FReep around them :o) For examples of how to do this, see my history. Let's use our combined FReeperPower to FREEP THE VOTE!!!

FReep this Digg!!! (We need a FReeper to stepup and FReep the Vote over at Buzz. Any takers???) Post your own links exposing ObamaNation on Digg, Buzz, Reddit, etc. Saturate these boards. They're massive and they are crawling with independents. And don't post them all in one category, like politics or elections. Finally, repost your links on FR to we can put a protective FReep around them :o) For examples of how to do this, see my history. Let's use our combined FReeperPower to FREEP THE VOTE!!!

FReep this Digg!!! Post your own links exposing ObamaNation on Digg, Buzz, Reddit, etc. Saturate these boards. They're massive and they are crawling with independents. And don't post them all in one category, like politics or elections. Finally, repost your links on FR to we can put a protective FReep around them :o) For examples of how to do this, see my history. Let's use our combined FReeperPower to FREEP THE VOTE!!!

FReep this Digg!!! Post your own links exposing ObamaNation on Digg, Buzz, Reddit, etc. Saturate these boards. They're massive and they are crawling with independents. And don't post them all in one category, like politics or elections. Finally, repost your links on FR so we can put a protective FReep around them :o) For examples of how to do this, see my history. Let's use our combined FReeperPower to FREEP THE VOTE!!!

FReep this Digg!!! Post your own links exposing ObamaNation on Digg, Buzz, Reddit, etc. Saturate these boards. They're massive and they are crawling with independents. And don't post them all in one category, like politics or elections. Finally, repost your links on FR to we can put a protective FReep around them :o) For examples of how to do this, see my history. Let's use our combined FReeperPower to FREE THE VOTE!!!

URGENT: (This will soon reappear as a FReep this Digg!!!) PLEASE SEND YOUTUBE LINK PLUS TITLE OF THIS POST TO THE PRESS EMAIL LIST BELOW: Hidden Audio: Obama Tells SF Chronicle He Will Bankrupt Coal Industry http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hdi4onAQBWQ 360@cnn.com, a.latour@wsj.com, a.murray@wsj.com, abrams@msnbc.com, am@cnn.com, amhotshots@cnn.com, atc@npr.org, brian.williams@msnbc.com, byork@nationalreview.com, caffertyfile@cnn.com, campbellbrown@cnn.com, chris.matthews@msnbc.com, cnn.feedback@cnn.com, cnn.onair@cnn.com, cnn@cnn.com, cnnfutures@cnn.com, comments@mclaughlin.com, countdown@msnbc.com, cristi.d.landes@abc.com, crossfire@cnn.com, darren.mcdermott@wsj.com, dateline@nbc.com, daybreak@cnn.com, dlow@cnbc.com, eason.jordan@cnn.com, elrushbo@eibnet.com, evening@cbsnews.com, foxreport@foxnews.com, gary.sheffer@ge.com, gretawire@fox.com, hannity@foxnews.com, hardball@msnbc.com, headlinenews@cnn.com, hemmer@foxnews.com, hume@foxnews.com, insidepoliticts@cnn.com, inthemoney@cnn.com, j.fry@wsj.com, jake.tapper@abc.com, je@msnbc.com, jeff.greenfield@cnn.com, joe@msnbc.com, late.edition@cnn.com, letters@charleskrauthammer.com, letters@msnbc.com, lindamuller@buchanan.org, lisa.lanspery@ge.com, live@cnn.com, livefrom@cnn.com, livetoday@cnn.com, lookingout@cnn.com, loudobbs@cnn.com, me@glennbeck.com, moneyline@cnn.com, morning@npr.org, netaudr@abc.com, newshour@pbs.org, newsnight@cnn.com, newsradio@abc.com, newstips@cnn.com, nightly@nbc.com, ontherecord@foxnews.com, paulazahn@cnn.com,...

So, in one of those bizarre jokes that history sometimes plays, the United States is apparently about to choose as president the most inexperienced, untried and virtually unknowable candidate who has ever run for that office at a time of unquantifiable international risk and unprecedented economic instability: a candidate who, as Bill Clinton revealed in a wonderfully back-handed "tribute", responded to the banking collapse by ringing every expert he could find (including Bill) to ask them what he should be saying. Barack Obama - a threat to the world economy? But there is another facet of Obama taxation with even...

"... only sagebrush, rabbit brush, snake weeds, and the endless variety of demure little blossoms produced by dry country grasses" — Tony Hillerman, Arizona Highways In the 38 years I knew Tony Hillerman, we didn't talk much about writing. We talked about a lot of other things — football, fishing, newspapers (he had been a reporter and an editor), baseball, poker, religion, politics, food, war, power (and his eternal enmity toward those who abused it at the expense of the powerless). We talked about everything under the sun, but we didn't talk much about writing. So I never was able...

As part of our ongoing investigation into issues surrounding voter fraud, we have discovered a VERY disconcerting situation. And this time, it's not in Ohio... It looks like out-of-state volunteers and staffers are registering and casting ballots in the battleground state of New Mexico, too. One example is Shayne Adamski. He lives and works in Los Angeles, CA, is actively involved in politics and was a California delegate at the Democratic National Convention just 2 short months ago. Adamski is also a paid employee on the Obama campaign, and he traveled to New Mexico to help get out the vote...

Palestra.net has found more than a dozen examples of voter fraud in the battleground state of Ohio over the last month. They uncovered out-of-state campaign workers voting as if they were Ohio residents. Their investigation lead to more than a dozen Obama staffers withdrawing their votes in that state. Now they found the same thing going on in New Mexico. The worst example is a guy who was a delegate to the DNC... from California. Then a month later he went and voted as a New Mexico resident, despite not having any previous ties to the state. The worst part...

Navajos, Late Author Hillerman Shared Affection Monday, October 27, 2008 10:02 PM FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- On the Navajo Nation where tribal members sometimes hesitate to open up to outsiders, they embraced Tony Hillerman as an honest and genuine man who wanted to learn about their culture and get the details right. Hillerman, who died Sunday of pulmonary failure at age 83, was author of the acclaimed Navajo Tribal Police mystery novels. His books in the Navajo series were characterized by vivid descriptions of Navajo rituals and of the vast reservation in the Four Corners region. But Hillerman's relationship with the...

PHOENIX -- Tony Hillerman, author of the acclaimed Navajo Tribal Police mystery novels and creator of two of the unlikeliest of literary heroes — Navajo police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee — died Sunday of pulmonary failure. He was 83. Hillerman's daughter, Anne Hillerman, said her father's health had been declining in the last couple years and that he was at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque when he died at about 3 p.m. Hillerman lived through two heart attacks and surgeries for prostate and bladder cancer. He kept tapping at his keyboard even as his eyes began to dim, as...

As of October 25, 2008 the figures on early voting in Bernalillo County, New Mexico are: Out of the registered 187518 Democrats, 33752 Democrats voted early. Out of the registered 127527 Republicans, 15552 Republicans voted early. Earlier, I had written about ACORN's efforts and how it could affect the polling data.Since the posting of the article on ACORN, the FBI has begun an investigation in Bernalillo County on voter registration fraud. A few weeks later, the news media had stated that a record number of request for absentee ballot voting had been made. As of October 25, 2008, 42043 absentee...

-SNIP-Running for seats now held by Republicans, both Democrats have commanding leads as their party tries to approach a filibuster-proof 60-40 majority in the U.S. Senate. In New Mexico, Tom has a double-digit lead over Republican Rep. Steve Pearce. And Mark is well ahead of former Rep. Bob Schaffer in Colorado with less than two weeks until the election.No one disputes that the climate favors Democrats enough to boost their congressional majorities by wide margins. Their confidence is reflected in what Tom Udall says is a request he's already made to Senate leaders for a seat on the coveted Appropriations...

In a letter to U.S. Attorney Greg Fouratt, the nonprofit group Project Vote (Rock the Vote) said a private investigator with ties to the GOP visited the addresses of two people "in an effort to keep these voters silent." -SNIP The two voters were identified last week in a Republican news conference as being suspicious. A GOP press packet said Garcia's Social Security number is being used by someone else. But Griego said her grandmother is a legitimate voter. As for Bojorquez's mom, the GOP packet said she was suspicious because they couldn't find a driver's license for her or...

My wife received dirt from a Pilgrim to El Santuario de Chimayo Shrine a few years ago, she believes the dirt helped her successfully carry our beautiful daughter to term. Recently she pass on the dirt to a friend suffering from Cancer, and she did so without any hesitations in hopes that it will help this woman with the battle she is engaging in. My wife has asked me for one thing this Christmas, that I get her dirt from this Shrine. I have been unable at this time to find a place to purchase and have this dirt shipped...

SANTA FE — New Mexico's financial woes won't end if lawmakers and Gov. Bill Richardson plug a budget shortfall estimated at more than $200 million this year. The revenue outlook for the upcoming budget year also appears bleak. There's essentially no new money projected to cover potential increases in operating costs next year for public education, health services for the poor and general government operations ranging from courts to prisons, lawmakers were told Tuesday. That's spells trouble for public school teachers, college faculty and state employees hoping for salary increases next year. The budget squeeze also poses problems for Richardson's...

The clip of interest (click on link) is 2 minutes 7 seconds long. Senator Bingaman (D-NM) Comments on the Fairness Doctrine. October 21, 2008 From the site: NEW MEXICO SENATOR JEFF BINGAMAN COMMENTS ON THE JIM VILLANUCCI SHOW ABOUT THE FAIRNESS DOCTORINE AND HOW IT COULD AFFECT YOUR LISTENING AT 770 KKOB.

Over at Tapped, A. Serwer, fresh off calling me a racist for saying that Gwen Ifill should not have moderated the debate because she didn't tell the Commission on Presidential Debates about her book on "The Age of Obama," declares that I am paranoid, too. He writes, "there isn't a single instance of organized voter fraud that Geraghty can actually point to, despite being up in arms about it. That's "paranoia"." Today, news out of New Mexico, the state GOP looked at information for 92 newly-registered voters in one district, and found 28 had "missing or inaccurate Social Security numbers...

New Mexico — The Republican Party of New Mexico alleges 28 people voted fraudulently in one Albuquerque state House district in the June Democratic primary. Party representatives said at a news conference Thursday they found the suspect voters in a review of 92 newly registered voters in House District 13. “We really have a bombshell — evidence of voter fraud in the 2008 primary in Albuquerque,” said State Rep. Justine Fox-Young, an Albuquerque Republican. Fox-Young said several of the suspect voters were registered by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, known as ACORN, an advocacy group for low-income...

Another crooked politician goes down. The Once powerful New Mexico politician that pled guilty to conspiracy and mail fraud is a.... Democrat.

Town Hall meeting at UNM Continuing Ed to be broadcast live nationally from 3-4 p.m. Sunday. PBS' "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" will hold a Town Hall meeting in Albuquerque from 3-4 p.m. Sunday that will be broadcast live nationwide from the University of New Mexico Continuing Education Auditorium, the New Mexico Independent is reporting. PBS will continue its spotlight on New Mexico through the following week, Oct. 13 through 17, with senior correspondents Ray Suarez and Judy Woodruff broadcasting from KNME studios in Albuquerque on the state's role in next month's presidential election, the Independent reported. Albuquerque is only...

The crush is on. County clerks around New Mexico said Thursday that they're being bombarded with new voter registrations and requests for absentee ballots as the clock ticks toward next week's voter-registration deadline. "Colossal," Lynn Ellins, Doña Ana County elections bureau supervisor, said of the numbers. "We're not even counting them. We're measuring them by the feet," Sante Fe County's chief deputy for elections, Denise Lamb, said of the growing stack of absentee ballot requests now in her office. The number of New Mexicans registered to vote — more than 1.1 million as of Sept. 10 — has already eclipsed...

NM GOP Official Quits Over Remarks About Blacks Thursday, September 25, 2008 7:00 PM ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- The chairman of the Republican Party in New Mexico's most populous county resigned Thursday, nearly a week after saying "Hispanics consider themselves above blacks" and won't vote for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. Fernando C de Baca's resignation as GOP chairman in Bernalillo County was announced by state GOP Chairman Allen Weh, one of several top New Mexico Republicans who had called for him to step down. "Mr. C de Baca has worked hard on behalf of the party, and his contributions should...

Catron County officials say an endangered Mexican gray wolf has been causing problems in the Cruzville area and they want the animal removed. The county said Monday that the uncollared wolf has killed family pets and attacked a horse at one property in the western New Mexico community. The county's wolf investigator has apparently confirmed the problems.

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Secretary of State's Office can't seem to avoid controversy in choosing a new Bureau of Elections director. Just three weeks after the office's previous choice, the son-in-law of Democratic Rep. and U.S. Senate candidate Tom Udall, declined the job amidst a flurry of criticism, the new pick for the post has come under similar fire. Gerald Gonzalez, a Santa Fe attorney, also has connections to Udall, having worked for the congressman while Udall was New Mexico attorney general from 1995 to 1998 and later serving as Udall's chief of staff during his first term...

SANTA FE — New Mexico voter rolls are growing for a Nov. 4 election that features a presidential contest and four open congressional seats. As of Sept. 10, there were 33,066 more voters registered statewide than there were on Election Day 2006. State officials estimate the number will continue to grow, with about 15,000 new voters expected to register statewide each week before voter registration closes Oct. 7.

Real Clear Politics says southern N.M. seat the nation's 34th most likely to change party hands. ~~snip~~ Reid Wilson and Kyle Trygstad, in their "Top House Races, Continued," have come up with part two of the 50 most competitive races for the U.S. House, and they've put the race to fill Rep. Steve Pearce's 2nd Congressional District seat at No. 34 on the list. Here's what they had to say: 34. New Mexico 02 -- OPEN -- (Pearce (R) running for Senate) -- Two candidates who have largely self-funded make this race for the most Republican seat in New Mexico...

-SNIP- Some of the estimated 1,100 registrations list Social Security numbers for people who already are in the county's database of registered voters, Toulouse Oliver said. Other cards list the same name — but a different birth date — of already registered voters. Some of the people whose names appear in the list of possibly phony registrations, when called by the clerk's office, said they never filled out the new cards changing their voter data, Toulouse Oliver said. In addition, "We do have a series of cards identified that appear to be (names) taken straight out of the phone book...

We in New Mexico need help Freeping this Poll. The Question is: Sarah Palin: Enough already? Or do you still want more coverage? You do not need to be a subscriber to the paper to vote. Thanks

For the first time all year, John McCain has topped Barack Obama in a New Mexico poll. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state shows McCain attracting 49% of the vote while Obama earns 47%. Although the two-point lead is not statistically significant in a poll with a four-point margin of sampling error, it’s quite an improvement for McCain from August. At that time, Obama was ahead 48% to 44% (with leaners included). Since then, the Republican has gained ground among Hispanic voters and those not affiliated with either major party. McCain leads among voters over 40 while...

McCain Gains Ground in New Mexico

Crowd enthusiastic about McCain-Palin rally in NMAssociated Press - September 7, 2008 12:04 AM ET ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - The crowd that attended this evening's rally in Albuquerque for the Republican presidential ticket were enthusiastic after hearing from John McCain and Sarah Palin. **SNIP** Dawn said words couldn't describe it, while Dan Lowe called the rally incredible. He says Palin motivated the couple and McCain spoke from the heart. Others in the crowd said the speeches reinforced their backing of the Republican presidential ticket. In the words of 71-year-old David Kelsey: "We're more and more impressed."

My wife and I are traveling to Santa Fe, NM (pleasure trip) from Sep. 6 to Sep. 14. Suggestions?

The Santa Fe Southern Railway says state government's Rail Runner commuter train route is being built across a piece of land the state doesn't own. Santa Fe Southern, which operates a tourist train along the rail route through Santa Fe that is being converted for use by the Rail Runner, has filed suit against the state Department of Transportation saying the department intends to put Rail Runner tracks across a tract still owned by Santa Fe Southern. Santa Fe Southern sold its 18 miles of tracks and railroad right of way between downtown Santa Fe and Lamy to the state...

Washington D.C. - Today, Congressman Pearce responded to Tom Udall's reversal of his position opposing gun rights for individuals in the District of Columbia: "It is breathtaking in its scope and intellectual dishonesty. Tom Udall has consistently opposed the rights of individuals to own guns and it is an outrage and an insult to the people of New Mexico for him to say otherwise. "It is one thing to be wrong. It is another to be untruthful. The election is clearly having an impact and this flip flop is amazing." Udall has voted against overturning DC gun laws and twice...

There are no utilities and no public transportation in this unincorporated town of a couple hundred people along a narrow road that winds through the mountains 314 miles north of Sacramento. Many people here buy gas for their vehicles and gas or diesel for generators that power their homes. "I'm scared to death" of rising fuel prices, Hanley says. At the store, the hub for visiting whitewater rafters and residents of other isolated towns, gas cost $5.30 a gallon on a recent day when the national average was $4.07. This community may be an extreme example of how rising gas...

People in the Silver City/Pinos Altos, New Mexico, vicinity are nervously looking over their shoulders these days, fearing they may be the next meal for a mountain lion prowling the area... On Friday, the body of Robert Nowojski, 55, was found about 75 yards from his Pinos Altos home, severely mauled and partly fed upon. The animal would not leave until Game and Fish officers shot at it. Although not yet confirmed with an autopsy, authorities suspect the lion is responsible for the fatal attack. Hunters with hounds are now tracking the animal. Several people reported sightings of the mountain...

Remember all those dewey-eyed socialists who went to the Soviet Union in the 1930s and came back gushing about how swell Uncle Joe was? No, you probably don’t, because not that many people my age will even know whom I mean by “Uncle Joe” and the ones 10 or God forbid 20 years younger will be scratching their heads saying, “The What Union?” On the other hand, you’re reading my blog, so my cynical thoughts about the death of historical awareness don’t apply to you. My apologies, but the number of news stories I’ve read in the last couple of...

Steve Pearce won the Republican nomination in the race for U.S. Senate over rival Heather Wilson and will now turn to the challenge of keeping Sen. Pete Domenici's seat in Republican hands. The southern New Mexico representative won Tuesday's primary with roughly 51 percent of the vote, compared to Wilson's 49 percent with 99 percent of precincts reporting statewide, according to unofficial results. Pearce, who ran as a right-wing conservative, will face Democrat Tom Udall, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, on Nov. 4. Wilson endorsed Pearce this morning, saying that Republicans have "no time for disappointment or for...

NMCEP will lead an event in early 2008 that will define the expectations of Americans that they be provided with reliable and competitively priced energy. This will be the first attempt to inject rural viewpoint into energy policy. Senator Pete V. Domenici is expected to deliver a major address at the event. Additional event details will be up soon.

The UNM Police Department arrested student Kevin Boyar on Tuesday on charges of unlawfully carrying a gun onto a University establishment. Police said four guns were recovered from Boyar's parents' house, including an AK-47 assault-style rifle, and there is evidence he brought the weapons to his room in the Student Residence Center. Police Chief Kathy Guimond said the department received an anonymous tip at 11 a.m. that Boyar, 19, had guns in his room at the SRC. The informant said Boyar had made threats referring to the shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois, she said. Police obtained a search...

The Santa Fe City Council's decision to withhold approval of proposed traffic control measures for construction of the Rail Runner Express commuter train could have serious financial implications to the state, a project official said Wednesday. Councilors voted 6-2 Wednesday evening to postpone taking action on three measures dealing with infrastructure improvements needed to bring the Rail Runner to Santa Fe. Citing concerns over the scope of the state's responsibility for existing infrastructure deficiencies, several councilors said they want more information before taking up the issue again May 14. But state officials expressed frustration, pointing out after Wednesday's vote that...

The Senate Ethics Committee says he should never have picked up the phone, but that it found no substantial evidence Sen. Pete Domenici tried to improperly influence an ongoing investigation when he called then-U.S. Attorney David Iglesias in October 2006. The committee made its finding in what it called a "Public Letter of Qualified Admonition" issed to the longtime Republican senator on Thursday. The ethics committee said Domenici should have known that his call "created an appearance of impropriety that reflected unfavorably on the Senate." Domenici, who plans to retire from the Senate after 36 years early next year, called...

COLUMBUS, N.M. - Illegal immigrants armed with torches, hacksaws, ladders and even bungee cords are making it around a section of the border fence hailed as the most efficient way to stop them. In the 10 months since the section was put up, a tunnel is the only method federal agents haven't seen - "yet," added Victor Guzman, the supervisory Border Patrol agent responsible for the stretch of 15-foot, concrete-filled steel poles, planted close together and three feet into the ground. Agents responsible for guarding that stretch of border almost immediately started seeing cuts in the fence. The towering posts,...

I'm Absolut Swedish but NEVER EVER again will I buy Absolut Vodka and I will, at least, TRY to avoid other products of V&S Group (their repertoire is a pretty broad one though and I kinda party from time to time..), a former Swedish company which recently was sold to French Pernod Ricard (for the sum of €5,626 billion). I've also managed to convince my father and some of my friends to join my initiative and I'll continue to campaign! The background is, of course, the already infamous Absolut Vodka ad with the words "In an Absolut World" slapped over...

Friday, April 11, 2008 Gov. Eyes Session Before Primary By Jeff Jones Journal Politics Writer Gov. Bill Richardson says he's inclined to call a special legislative session on health care reform next month— smack-dab in the middle of primary election season. In a round of phone calls Wednesday to state Senate leaders, Richardson said he's considering calling lawmakers back to Santa Fe before the primary election on June 3, when more than 20 House and Senate members face challenges. "The governor has tried to work with Senate leaders to move this issue forward and forge an agreement on health care...