John Block

Democrat NM Rep: ‘Who said the shut down was only supposed to be temporary?’

23 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Sunday, far-left New Mexico state Rep. Angelica Rubio (D-Las Cruces), made startling comments on Facebook targeting small businesses — specifically restaurants — for their alleged “blatant disregard for workers justice” [sic]. 

In her post, she singled out restaurant owner Marci Dickerson of Las Cruces’ “The Game” sports bar and grill, who showed her “true colors YEARS ago.” Dickerson’s restaurant will be participating in the New Mexico Restaurant Association’s protest, happening at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, which will include employees of each restaurant affected standing outside their establishment and holding up a sign with the number of employees hurt by the Governor’s latest lockdown.

Apparently Dickerson’s support for her employees led Rubio to stop supporting any small business that looks to defy Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s latest re-lockdown of the state, which bans restaurants from indoor dining and limits them to only 50% occupancy outdoors. The Governor’s order is estimated to force the permanent closure of 20% of New Mexico restaurants, according to the New Mexico Restaurant Association. 

Rubio did not appear to care that small businesses would be closing and thousands of staff members would lose their jobs. She wrote, “👏🏽 restaraunt’s [sic] 👏🏽 are 👏🏽 not 👏🏽 ‘essential’ 👏🏽 for the 👏🏽 purpose 👏🏽 of fighting a 👏🏽 global 👏🏽 pandemic! 👏🏽.” She continued, “I’ll continue to not support, nor any other business—who supports this catastrophic disregard for public health and safety of our community. I ask you all to do the same. Wow!”

In response to a commenter who was appalled by her disregard for the workers affected by the health order, which was supposed to be temporary, Rubio shot back, “Who said the shut down was only supposed to be temporary?” The comment appears to be an endorsement of the permanent lockdown of New Mexico, but Rubio did not elaborate on her radical-sounding sentiments.

Multiple constituents, many of them being Democrats wrote back to her in anger, one commentator saying, “[g]ood to know your views on business owners…. I’ll make sure to never vote for you and encourage others not to. You obviously care very little for your community… Way to go.” 

Another person wrote, “Every job is essential to families relying on their paychecks. What a shameful post to make tearing down the very businesses you should instead be helping. We will remember this when you are up for re-election.”

Others’ comments mimicked these sentiments, including support for Dickerson. One comment read, “Personally attacking a business owner during a time of crisis incredibly unprofessional. This is a poor example of leadership in a time where we need unity more than ever. I encourage you to take emotions out of this and see what Marci Dickerson has done for the community while we were shut down. While it may not be essential to you, it is to 96,400 people who are employed in the state by restaurant and food service.” 

According to New Mexico Restaurant Association CEO Carol Wight, the re-lockdown is going to be much harder on restaurants than the previous one. “Last time we had PPP money, we had ways to get open, we had some savings left. We have no more savings,” she said. “Our inventory – we’ve got fresh inventory right now we’ve got to get through and three days is not enough. So what are we going to do, right? We’re all just throwing our hands up saying, ‘What can we do?’”

After public fury on Rubio’s timeline, she shared her previous post with a long-winded comment saying, “I hope that the passion you had today, to defend those willing to go against Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, and her attempts to keep us safe and alive, you’ll do the same for workers come January. I’ll be taking note.” In January, the New Mexico Legislature will reconvene, where Rubio will no doubt propose more far-left legislation, as she has in the past.

MLG touts her $35M taxpayer-funded ‘free college’ proposal as small businesses struggle to stay afloat

10 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Saturday, the Democrat Party of New Mexico held a virtual “rally” touting their new initiative, “New Mexico for All,” which is a coordinated campaign across the Party to express support for Democrat candidates.

During the call, Democrat U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) promoted Joe Biden’s campaign, saying that “Joe Biden is a person of strong character, a decent man, a man of compassion, someone that will restore competence and sanity to our government.” In recent months, many people have questioned Biden’s sanity, with a recent Rasmussen poll showing 38% of voters holding the belief that Joe Biden has dementia. 

During the virtual “rally,” members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation patted themselves on the back, including Senate candidate Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), who claimed the only way to correct “injustices” was to vote for Joe Biden in 2020. However, Luján did not mention Biden’s abysmal record on race, which even far-left NBC News and New York Magazine called it “problematic.” 

Rep. Xochitl Torres Small did not mention Joe Biden, but repeatedly mentioned how “proud” she was to “be a Democrat,” despite her previous ploys to appear “moderate” and not following the party-line. She also spoke about how she looks to plus orphaned oil wells and invest in “environmental energy.” 

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham was not physically on the call, but she did have a pre-recorded message play, in which she touted her expensive social justice programs, her free pre-K plans, and her future “effort well underway to provide universal free college to every New Mexico student.” The plan would cost the New Mexico taxpayers an estimated $35 million annually, but that is a rough estimate. She did not mention how she plans to pay for these costly new initiatives, especially as local businesses, have been forced to close — many for good. 

The Governor recently had the New Mexico Legislature convene to fix her $7.6 billion budget passed during the 2020 Legislative Session, in which millions of dollars in spending had to be cut. However, once the budget reached Lujan Grisham’s desk, she vetoed $23 million meant to go to Tribal communities hurting from the ramifications of COVID-19, and she cut $15 million specifically meant to help other Indigenous communities hurting from the effects of the virus.

According to the New Mexico Restaurant Association, approximately 700, or 20% of New Mexico’s restaurants are estimated to close their doors permanently due to her latest order, and nearly every other industry has been hit hard by the Governor’s strict coronavirus mandates.

MLG’s new COVID-19 rules estimated to force 20% of New Mexico’s restaurants into permanent closure

55 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Thursday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued new restrictive health orders for the state, which included a restriction for restaurants to only be allowed to serve customers outside and at 50% capacity — a crippling blow to the industry, according to New Mexico Restaurant Associaton CEO Carol Wight. 

Wight estimated that about 700 restaurants (or 20%) will be forced into permanent closure, with little to no safety net to catch the newly restricted businesses. 200 restaurants have already closed for good since the start of Lujan Grisham’s lockdown. “She doesn’t have the latest number but estimates New Mexico will lose 20% of its restaurants – or 700 restaurants – with the new regulations in place,” reports KOB 4. Wight also said “Restaurants aren’t where COVID is being spread. We’re just not the problem, and [Michelle Lujan Grisham] punishing us for it.”

Another startling point Wight revealed was that Gov. Lujan Grisham never even took the time to speak to the restaurant industry before closing it down. “My board is putting together a letter to ask her to sit down with us and really think this out because she never did talk to the industry about this,” she said. 

Now restaurateurs are being forced into a panic, as they previously were allowed to get back to work on June 1st, meaning they had hired back members of their staff and begun regular shipments of food and supplies to their establishments.

According to Carol Wight, it is going to be much harder on restaurants than the previous lockdown. “Last time we had PPP money, we had ways to get open, we had some savings left. We have no more savings,” she said. “Our inventory – we’ve got fresh inventory right now we’ve got to get through and three days is not enough. So what are we going to do, right? We’re all just throwing our hands up saying, ‘What can we do?’”

Lujan Grisham’s latest set of lockdowns includes a 14-day mandatory quarantine for out-of-state visitors, which is already negatively affecting the hotel industry. Joe Schepps, president of Santa Fe’s Inn on the Alameda said, “We had 157 room night cancellations in the 36 hours after the governor’s announcement.”

Jeff Mahan, executive director of the Santa Fe Lodgers Association blasted the Governor’s lockdown, with a similar criticism to Carol Wight’s of the NM Restaurant Association. “Why are you bringing an entire industry down to its knees?” said Mahan. “The data doesn’t justify such a severe 14-day quarantine.”

MLG gives conflicting advice about gathering in groups

4 Comments / New Mexico, News, Opinion, Politics / By

During Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s Thursday press conference, she announced new regressive restrictions on New Mexicans, this time banning indoor dining at restaurants, banning contact sports for kids going back to school in the Fall, forcing people working out to wear face masks (both at in-person facilities and outdoors, and banning out-of-state visitors from state parks. 

During the press conference, she blamed New Mexicans for a recent spike in cases, which Human Services Secretary David Scrase claims shot up 79% in a recent 16-day period. Lujan Grisham said, “Unfortunately, our state’s dramatically rising case numbers reflect that those behavior modifications and precautions have either not been taken seriously or taken up by enough people.” 

The Governor continued, “Too many of us are still congregating in groups, taking risks with our own lives and endangering the health of our family members, our neighbors and our state.” 

However, some of the Governor’s advice seemed to conflict, particularly that about gathering in groups. Lujan Grisham said, “Please wear facemasks. Please don’t gather in large groups without them,” while later tweeting “Wear a mask. Stay home. Do not gather in groups. Take the risk seriously” 

So, which piece of advice are New Mexicans expected to follow? Are they supposed to not gather in groups, or are they supposed to gather in large groups but only if they have a face mask? The Governor’s advice appears all over the place.

The new restrictions come as new cases of COVID-19 appear to be affecting younger populations more, Secretary Scrase saying that dults in their 20s are an increasing share of the infections. 

Coincidentally, protesters, which Michelle Lujan Grisham applauded for protesting for “racial justice,” some in violent means, are still taking to the streets in protest. Just this week, KRQE 13 reported on a Black Lives Matter protest in uptown Albuquerque. But Lujan Grisham vehemently rejects the notion that these protests are spreading the virus, despite indicators showing otherwise.

According to Pew Research, 41% of those who recently attended a protest focused on race were younger than 30. Nationwide, only 19% of people are in this age group, so statistically, they were overrepresented by over 100% at protests. It just so happens that people contracting COVID-19 are in their 20s and 30s, which lights up directly with the spike in recent cases. However, Lujan Grisham denies it being a factor in the spread of coronavirus. And with the Governor’s conflicting advice, it may give protesters and rioters justification for taking to the streets in protest.

Full details about Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s latest restrictions can be found in the press release from her office linked here.

Torres Small hires ex-lobbyist for Bloomberg’s anti-gun group to manage her campaign

2 Comments / New Mexico, News, Opinion, Politics / By

On Wednesday evening, Rep. Xochitl Tores Small’s campaign sent out a fundraising email introducing Emma Caccamo as Torres Small’s new campaign manager. The email, which was signed by Caccamo, reads as follows:

“If we haven’t met yet, I’m Xoch’s new campaign manager Emma! I wanted to reach out today to introduce myself, and say how excited I am to be part of the team working to re-elect Xoch. I joined this team because I believe in the work you and Xoch have been doing for southern New Mexico, and because I know we’re making a difference here. This is one of the most competitive, targeted races in the entire country. The best way to keep up our fight for lower prescription drug costs, improved access to health care close to home, and all the other things we care about is to keep this seat. And on top of that, we’re making sure southern New Mexico has the voice we deserve in Congress.”

The email goes on to ask for money and to get supporters to forward the email to their friends.

Caccamo previously worked as the campaign manager on Teresa Leger de Fernandez’s race up in the 3rd Congressional District, where Leger de Fernandez won against disgraced ex-CIA operative Valerie Plame, state Rep. Joseph L. Sanchez, District 1 District Attorney Marco Sernce, and a handful of others.

During the race, Leger de Fernandez was criticized heavily by her opponents for the “dark money” abortion up-to-birth group EMILY’s List pouring tens of thousands of dollars into the race to support her. At the time, Caccamo said the campaign didn’t know “anything about any other groups and saw their ads when everybody else did.” However, EMILY’s List endorsed Leger de Fernandez, held in-person fundraisers with her and the organization’s founder, and invested heavily in the race. It’s impossible for the campaign to “not know anything about” dark money EMILY’s List’s involvement in helping sway the election toward her.

Far-left, abortion up-to-birth Rep. Xochitl Torres Small is also another benefactor of EMILY’s List, which has endorsed her for her unashamed abortion up-to-birth policies, previously when she worked for Planned Parenthood, and currently as she serves as an anti-life member of Congress.

Another issue both Teresa Leger de Fernandez and Xochitl Torres Small share in common is their unashamed pro-gun control stance. Torres Small has voted for sweeping gun restrictions while in the House, including a “universal background check” bill. Teresa Leger de Fernandez shares Torres Small’s anti-gun stances, telling the Los Alamos Daily Post, “In Congress I will vote for background checks on all gun sales, a red flag law, reinstating the assault weapons ban, and repealing PLCAA, which gives the gun industry unprecedented legal immunity.”

Torres Small’s new campaign manager, Emma Caccamo, is also a friend to gun-grabbing policies, as she worked for nearly five years, part of that time as a lobbyist, for the Michael Bloomberg’s “Everytown for Gun Safety” dark money group, which advocates for extreme, unconstitutional gun bans, such as 2020’s SB-5 in New Mexico, the “red flag” bill. The measure allows the confiscation of firearms merely under the suspicion of another person that a gun owner is “dangerous” and therefore should lose their constitutional right to bear arms and their due process rights. 

Xochitl Torres Small’s former campaign manager in 2018 was Brian Sowydra, a Boston native, who currently is her Chief of Staff in Washington, D.C. Torres Small’s new campaign manager, who hails from California, is surely in-line with Torres Small’s radical far-left agenda and is another clear indicator that Torres Small will spare no expense and go to great lengths to remain in Congress to further Nancy Pelosi’s anti-gun, anti-life agenda.  

Be prepared to pay $100 and rot in jail for six months for defying MLG’s mask mandate

4 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Monday, Twitter caught fire after Rep. Gregg Schmedes, M.D., who is running for state Senate posted a letter from New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas “memorializing” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s strict mask mandate, which carries a $100 fine and up to six months in jail for violation of the mandate. 

Balderas’ letter reads, “any provisions of … any order … adopted pursuant to the provisions of the Public Health Act is guilty of a petty misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine not to exceed one hundred dollars ($100) or imprisonment in the county jail for a definite term not to exceed six months or both such fine and imprisonment in the discretion of the court.” He continued, “Since the face covering mandate is promulgated pursuant to this section, among other provisions of law, any certified law enforcement officer in the State of New Mexico may enforce the failure to comply with this provision.”

Upon pushback on her edicts from law enforcement officers and other officials, Lujan Grisham penned an op-d in the Albuquerque Journal, claiming they “ignored their duty to their fellow New Mexicans” by deliberately sticking it to the Governor. 

Previously, Lujan Grisham broke her own orders by having a “non-essential” business (Lilly Barrack jewelry store) open up specifically for her so she could adorn herself with expensive luxuries — while New Mexicans suffered — many of them having to close their businesses for good.

On Tuesday, the New Mexico Legislature opened an investigation into Lujan Grisham for abusing her emergency spending powers by blowing $40 million on her COVID-19 response, which exceeds her allowed spending limit of $750,000 in extraordinary circumstances. She spent 53 times what she was allowed, and legislators on both sides of the aisle are now asking questions and looking for answers. 

As reported on in June, thousands of New Mexicans have followed Lujan Grisham’s call for citizens to turn on each other and “snitch” on people not wearing masks or violating her public health orders by sending complaints to the Department of Public Safety. The new rules issued by Lujan Grisham to potentially throw people in jail for half a year are now just another incentive for citizens to turn on each other  — this time, with life-altering consequences … simply for not wearing a mask.

MLG hits a wall—bipartisan panel to investigate her for abusing emergency spending powers

29 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Tuesday, a bipartisan panel of state legislators on the Legislative Council unanimously voted in favor of a probe into Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s spending during the COVID-19 pandemic, where she reportedly spent $40 million in state money on New Mexico’s response to the virus.

The panel included Democrat Speaker of the House Brian Egolf and Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, both from Santa Fe, as well as dozens of lawmakers from across the state. 

According to the Albuquerque Journal, “At issue is whether the governor is limited to $750,000 when she authorizes emergency spending in an executive order. Most of her orders are set for that amount, and it’s consistent with what previous executives have done, legislative staff said.” 

By spending 53 times what the state allows, the Governor’s predicament is serious, even in a health crisis, as the panel affirmed on Tuesday. 

Lujan Grisham’s office brushed off the critical issue, saying, “If Legislative Council would prefer a different mechanism for responding to life-and-death emergencies under the laws they write,” the Governor’s Spokeswoman Nora Sackett continued, “they are empowered to make one.”

Democrat Sen. John Arthur Smith, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said, “Quite frankly, we need to be drawing a line in the sand on this.”

According to Democrat Rep. Patricia Lundstrom, the Chairwoman of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee, “I have a lot of heartburn… that we have to do research to get information as opposed to it being shared with LFC.”

House Republican Leader Jim Townsend said, “This has been a concern — whether the Legislature is going to protect and provide the appropriate checks and balances to appropriations that occur,”

WATCH: Trump ad running in NM mercilessly batters Joe Biden and anti-police Dems

7 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

If you’ve been watching television in the past few days, you may have come across President Trump’s new ad which he’s running across the airwaves in New Mexico. The ad blasts anti-police Democrats who want to defund Law Enforcement. 

According to recent reports, President Trump’s 2020 campaign is spending $110,000 worth of airtime in the state from July 4 to July 10. 

The ad shows a phone ringing for the Police, with the answering machine responding: “You have reached the 911 police emergency line. Due to defunding of the police department, we’re sorry but no one is here to take your call. If you’re calling to report a rape, please press 1. To report a murder, press 2. To report a home invasion, press 3. For all other crimes, leave your name and number and someone will get back to you. Our estimated wait time is currently 5 days. Goodbye.”

The New Mexico Democrat Party, triggered by the brutally honest ad, especially in wake of Democrat Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller sending out social workers to respond to some 911 calls, responded with more anti-Trump hatred. 

Democrat Party of New Mexico responded with a vague statement, claiming, “New Mexicans aren’t fooled by his ads, because we’ve seen the ways that his presidency has hurt our state and divided our communities.” 

But President Trump’s campaign didn’t offer any low-hanging-fruit or banal answers when asked about the ad, saying, “Donald Trump is the law and order president while Joe Biden and his band of reckless anarchists’ calls to ‘defund the police’ would make our communities less safe. Trump Victory is committed to winning in New Mexico and we have invested in the state more than ever before. Our volunteers have contacted nearly one million voters while Joe Biden doesn’t even have New Mexico on his map.”

The Trump Victory ream reported that over the Independence Day holiday alone, they contacted 65,000 voters in New Mexico, 7,000 of them at the door. Biden’s campaign has yet to invest significant resources in the state, which many say he is taking for granted.  

MLG posts ‘virtue signaling propaganda’ video telling NM to ‘mask up’—then deletes it TWICE

4 Comments / New Mexico, News, Opinion, Politics / By

On Monday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham posted what some are calling “virtue signaling propaganda” on her Twitter account, urging New Mexicans to “mask up” by wearing face coverings.

The 26-second video features far-left politicians, including Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, Lujan Grisham’s cousin, Rep. Ben Ray Luján, Rep. Deb Haaland, among other unidentified people, presumably from the Governor’s “Mask Madness” competition, where New Mexicans submitted entries of them wearing unique masks. 

The video features slogans such as “everyone is masking up,” “protect NM,” “protect yourself,” “protect others,” and “it saves lives” flashing in front of the screen. It is not clear if the Governor got permission from those featured in the video before posting.

So, does this appear to be propaganda or just a benign campaign video promoting mask use? You be the judge: 

Lujan Grisham deleted the tweet a little over an hour after it was posted, however, people had already retweeted and shared their comments about it, as the below tweet reflects. The video was then pulled down a second time.

Climate alarmist Deb Haaland tapped for Joe Biden’s ‘Climate Engagement Advisory Council’

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Last week, far-left Rep. Deb Haaland (D-NM), was tapped by Joe Biden’s presidential campaign to serve as a member of his “Climate Engagement Advisory Council,” which is reportedly aimed at “mobilizing” voters who prioritize “climate change” and “environmental justice.” 

Axios reports that as well as Biden’s championing of Obama-era “climate” policies, such as the “Paris Climate Accord,” which the UN revealed was a “fraud,” the campaign is meant to also tug on the heartstrings of the Black Lives Matter protests ravaging cities across the country. 

“[A]ctivism stemming from the police killing of George Floyd is putting [a] fresh focus on environmental justice — that is, addressing the disproportionate pollution burdens facing people of color and poor communities,” writes Axios.

Haaland will join billionaire ex-presidential candidate Tom Steyer, Obama’s former “climate official,” Carol Browner, Harold Mitchell, Jr., a former South Carolina state representative, and others on the panel to spread climate change propaganda tinged with racial overtones. 

Haaland shared the announcement on Twitter, writing, “I’m honored to have been selected to [Joe Biden] Climate Engagement Advisory Council. This planet is our home & climate change is the biggest threat we face in our lifetime. I look forward to electing Joe Biden as President – a leader who believes in science & climate change.” 

Deb Haaland supports Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s “Green New Deal,” which would decimate the U.S. economy, and wholeheartedly supported New Mexico’s version of the legislation in the form of the “Energy Transition Act,” which will completely decimate the New Mexico oil and gas industry. 

Haaland previously supported Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) for the presidency, despite Warren’s cultural appropriation of Native American heritage. Once Warren’s hopes for the White House had vanished and she had dropped out of the race, Haaland changed her endorsement to the presumptive Democrat nominee, Joe Biden.

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