MLG erases former governors’ nearly 200-year-old ‘offensive’ proclamations
She claimed, “We can never rewrite history or undo the injustices of the past,” adding, “But we can work together to heal old wounds and build stronger bonds between us. To that end, today I am rescinding four egregious official proclamations of my predecessors.”
The erased history includes the following proclamations:
- March 12, 1851 proclamation of Gov. James S. Calhoun (Whig Party – First Territorial Governor)
- March 18, 1851 proclamation of Gov. James S. Calhoun (Whig Party – First Territorial Governor)
- August 2, 1869 proclamation of Gov. Robert B. Mitchell (Democratic Party – Seventh Territorial Governor )
- September 8, 1869 proclamation of Gov. William A. Pile (Republican Party – Eighth Territorial Governor)
According to Lujan Grisham’s press release, “The 1851 proclamations issued by Gov. Calhoun directed Native residents to be excluded from official census counts and authorized militias to ‘pursue and attack’ Indigenous New Mexicans. The 1869 proclamations issued by Gov. Mitchell and Gov. Pile declared certain Tribal nations as ‘outlaws’ and authorized New Mexico residents to commit violence against Tribal citizens.”
No context whatsoever was given about the full content of the proclamations other than her characterization of them.
The governor then praised bloodthirsty killer Popé, a domestic terrorist who led the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, killing 400 Spaniards, including 21 of the 33 Franciscan missionary priests in New Mexico. She called Popé’s bloody revolt “great” while erroneously claiming it was “the first American Revolution.”
In the same press release, Lujan Grisham wrote that on Columbus Day, which she called Indigenous Peoples’ Day, “we pause to remember our shared heritage and the strong friendship and respect we have built over generations.”
She does not appear to have “respect” for differing opinions, especially those of her predecessors. Whether she thinks history is offensive or not, her attempt to erase it speaks volumes.