New Mexico

After stripping NM law enforcers of qualified immunity, MLG panders to police

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Many New Mexico streets are looking more like warzones recently, with the highest violent crime levels ever recorded in Albuquerque and other grim milestones hit across the state. But as of late. The increases in crime follow a national trend after left-wing politicians acted to defund the police and weaken crime laws.

Now, Democrats are reversing their extremist policies amid backlash, including scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. She signed a slew of weak-on-crime bills in the recent 2021 Legislative Session, including weaker bail measures and the stripping of qualified immunity protections for law enforcement.

But Lujan Grisham claimed at a presser on Thursday to want to focus on crime during the 2022 Legislative Session, proposing the following: 

  • Imposing a “rebuttable presumption,” which seeks to ensure that those accused of murder, gun crimes, rape or other sex crimes do not pose a danger to the community before being released pending trial, keeping more violent offenders off New Mexico streets.
  • Increasing penalties for second degree murder from 15 years to 18 years and removing the statute of limitations.
  • Increasing penalties for gun crimes, including increasing the penalty for unlawful possession of a handgun from misdemeanor to fourth degree felony; creating a crime of “criminal threat” as a fourth degree felony; adding penalty of third degree felony for fleeing law enforcement that results in injury and second degree felony for fleeing that results in great bodily harm; enhancing penalties for brandishing a firearm in the commission of a drug transaction.

The Governor’s executive budget includes a “recommendation for nearly 20% raises for state police officers and the creation of a $100 million fund to be used to recruit, train and hire law enforcement at departments around the state,” according to her news release.

But this comes after Lujan Grisham not only put a target on law enforcers’ backs by removing their qualified immunity, but in 2020, she stood arm and arm with Black Lives Matter radicals who burned down American cities, killed police officers, and support completely or partially “defunding the police.” 

But it’s 2022 and Lujan Grisham is up for reelection. One of her greatest weaknesses is crime, according to polling, and her Republican opponent is sure to focus on this issue during the election. Therefore, the Governor is using her rubber-stamp Democrat-dominated legislature as a campaign arm of sorts to boost her image on crime. It’s doubtful police officers will buy her bread crumbs, especially since a 7% raise, which is still not even guaranteed, is only a 13% increase with inflation factored in.

Otero County Commission unanimously approves 2020 election audit

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ALAMOGORDO, N.M. — On Thursday, the Otero County Commission voted to have an audit of ballots, tabulations, and other election measures in Otero County from the 2020 general election where President Donald J. Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden faced off.

Professor David Clements, who previously taught law at New Mexico State University, was joined by his wife, Erin Clements in testifying on the request for a county-wide audit of the 2020 election.

The County Commission voted 3-0 to have the audit with Commissioners Gerald Matherly, Vickie Marquardt, and Couy Griffin supporting the measure. 

David Clements said, “We need the courageous three,” while testifying, referring to the three commissioners. He and Erin provided evidence rebutting the County Attorney and County Clerk’s concerns. 

David Clements had an exchange with County Clerk Robin Holmes where Holmes claimed Dominion machines were not connected to the internet, in which Clements claimed they were, citing evidence. 

“I know there’s fraud in the voter rolls, I can already see it,” said Erin Clements regarding New Mexico’s elections. 

The County will provide $49,750 for the audit being contracted with EchoMail, an email management software company that is headed by Shiva Ayyadurai — a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) graduate. 

Only two precincts will need to be dealt with extra security precautions to avoid any violations of the Civil Rights Act. 

Not a single Democrat or leftist was in the audience to testify against conducting an election audit in Otero County. 

Read more details from the meeting here.

Only the thrice-jabbed may enter the Roundhouse for legislative session

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It was reported by the Santa Fe New Mexican that only those who have been vaccinated three times, which includes the “booster” shot may enter the Roundhouse during the 2022 Legislative Session — leaving a vast swath of the population out of the lawmaking process. Only 37.8% of New Mexicans have a booster shot, according to New Mexico Department of Health statistics.

Chris Nordstrum, a spokesman for the Senate Democrat caucus, “said the health care guidelines in place during a two-week special session on redistricting in December will apply in the upcoming 30-day session. That means visitors will need to provide proof of vaccination, including a third booster shot, to get inside the Capitol. And face masks will be required,” according to the report.

“We are continuing to require that everyone in the Roundhouse wear masks and social distance and that all visitors must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have a valid medical or religious exemption and test negative for COVID,” Democrat Speaker Brian Egolf’s spokeswoman Camille Ward told the New Mexican. “We will also continue to allow virtual public comment in committees during the session. We are monitoring the current surge closely and will update these policies as necessary.”

Although the 2022 30-day session is meant to be strictly budgetary in nature, scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has demanded legislators ram through extreme proposals to weaken New Mexico’s elections, including letting absentee ballots be delivered seven days after an election, automatic absentee ballots, electronic nominating petition signatures, among other measures that will let fraud seep through. 

Multiple other bills have been proposed, including extremist joint resolutions attempting to enshrine “environmental rights” into the New Mexico Constitution, among others. Anyone without the jab will be forced to attend and testify via Zoom, as in the last three legislative sessions where the public was denied access to the Roundhouse.

During those sessions, Democrats rammed through some of the most extreme bills, including abortion up-to-birth legislation, the stripping of Law Enforcers’ qualified immunity, and the legalization of recreational marijuana.

Districts begin closing schools after union demands in-person learning reduction

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Some far-left New Mexico school districts, such as the Santa Fe Public Schools (SFPS), are already taking the advice of the National Educators Association of New Mexico (NEA-NM), which is calling for “reduction” on in-person learning in New Mexico.

“Currently, educators sell their preps to cover classes without breaks throughout the day,” the union said in a letter to SFPS Superintendent Hilario “Larry” Chavez and the school board, referring to teachers giving up their preparation periods. “Also, the practice of adding 10-15 students to teachers’ classes when colleagues are out sick, increases class size and eliminates recommended safety procedures that are in place to mitigate the transmission rate of [infection] in our schools.”

It urged SFPS to consider shifting to a four-day week on campus, reserving Fridays for remote, “asynchronous” learning, citing increased cases of a new strain of virus.

SFPS now is shuttering schools starting on January 18, with Chavez writing, “​​We are pausing because, with so many staff — teachers, bus drivers, custodial staff and nutrition workers — quarantining, we cannot currently ensure the safe operation of schools. Staffing shortages are placing extreme stress and additional duties on those who remain at work. We are currently unable to provide adequate coverage due to the increased number of absences.”

There is a possibility SFPS students may return to in-person learning by the end of January, however, it is unclear if they will follow the timeline provided.

Keeping students out of the classroom has life-altering and even deadly effects, with increased suicides, increased risk of abuse, learning loss, among other negative impacts that appear to be an afterthought to the NEA and SFPS.TAKE ACTION: Reach out to your local school board and demand they keep in-person learning for children in your community. Don’t let them be bullied by the NEA, the American Federation of Teachers (ATF), or any other group lobbying to once again shutter schools and harm children’s development.

Zanetti campaign internal poll gives insights on who might defeat Lujan Grisham

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On Tuesday, Republican candidate for governor Brigadier Gen. Greg Zanetti (ret.) released an internal campaign poll memo showing his opponents trailing him when put head-to-head against Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

According to the news release, “The survey was conducted January 3 – 4, 2022, with 531 likely general election voters. It has a margin of error of ±4.21%. Known registered voters were interviewed via IVR, SMS, and online panel. This survey was weighted to a likely general election voter universe.”

“On the informed ballot, Greg Zanetti leads Michelle Lujan Grisham 43 percent to 40 percent, while Mark Ronchetti trails 40 percent to 45 percent and Rebecca Dow trails 34 percent to 47 percent,” the poll’s results revealed.

Cygnal wrote: 

The environment is ripe for a GOP win in November. Voters believe New Mexico is off on the wrong track (WT +5), and they are not happy with President Biden (-2 net fav, 41% very unfavorable).

The generic Democrat has a slight edge in the Governor’s race (D+1). Voters aged 65+ are R+4, and they represent the largest age group in the turnout universe (37%).

Voters are ready for someone new as 52% want someone other than Grisham to be Governor. She only gets 39% re-elect (a measly 25% “definite”) with 9% undecided.

“This poll confirms what I have been hearing throughout the state while on the campaign trail,” said Greg Zanetti. “New Mexicans feel the state is headed in the wrong direction and they are ready for a new governor. Voters rolled the dice in the 2018 gubernatorial race and elected someone not ready to serve. Look where that has gotten us. The message is clear, New Mexicans are ready for a candidate with real executive experience who can come in on day-one and make their lives better.”

In the memo from the polling company, Cygnal reads that “Once voters are presented with Ronchetti’s thin experience, Grisham takes the lead by 5%.” It continues, “[Ronchetti] loses 10% of definite support with Trump 2020 voters; Grisham picks up 5% with women.”

“Once voters are presented with Zanetti’s executive leadership background, he leads by 3%, a nearly 8-point swing in Zanetti’s direction,” the group wrote. “His leads +38 with Independents, +17 with 18 – 49, and wins 12% of Biden 2022 voters.”

Regarding how Dow matches up in the poll, “His leads +38 with Independents, +17 with 18 – 49, and wins 12% of Biden 2022 voters.” It adds, “Dow only gets 72% of Trump 2020 voters, 38% of Independents, and 25% of female voters.” 

Rep. Dow responded to the poll with the following statement:

It’s disappointing to see a GOP candidate use a misleading question (there has never been an incident of sexual abuse at the child care center I founded and I was removed from that lawsuit without prejudice.) to sway the outcome of a poll. I’m used to these types of attacks from progressives, not from our own.

The citizens of New Mexico are smart enough to see through lies and attack ads. We must elect a candidate who can win, govern well, and leave this state red for years to come. That candidate is me.

The Cygnal memo continues regarding Ronchetti, “What should further concern Republican primary voters is that Ronchetti loses 10% of his Republican base in the General Election once they hear he was previously a never-Trumper. Republicans cannot afford a 10% erosion of their base in pursuit of winning the Governor’s race…. If Republicans want to win in November, they need a candidate with executive experience.”

It is unclear why the poll did not include other candidates running, including businesswoman Karen Bedonie, Sandoval County Commissioner Jay Block, or Right to Life of New Mexico executive director Ethel Maharg.

A spokesman for Mark Ronchetti’s campaign provided the following statement:

This is another poll that shows Mark Ronchetti tied with Governor Lujan Grisham and clearly her strongest Republican opponent. Our own survey shows Mark tied 46% to 46%. MLG’s polling clearly shows the same thing, which is why she began attacking Mark before he even entered the race.

The fairy-tale push-polling done in the survey is pure propaganda and it’s noteworthy that the Zanetti campaign chose not to release any primary election poll numbers.

Tuesday is the New Mexico March for Life in Albuquerque

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On Tuesday, pro-life New Mexicans will gather in Albuquerque for New Mexico’s March for Life one year after pro-abortion Democrats in the state Legislature rammed through bills creating abortion up-to-birth in New Mexico and legalizing physician-assisted suicide via lethal drug cocktails. 

The pro-life event will be a collaboration of national and local speakers marching for the most important right to life in New Mexico. Abby Johnson will be the keynote speaker. She is a national pro-life leader who grabbed headlines after she left her job at Planned Parenthood to promote life. Also joining the march will be Alex Schadenberg of the national Euthanasia Prevention Coalition.

Other speakers include Mark Cavalier of the Southwest Coalition for Life, Mike Seibel of Abortion on Trial, Elisa Martinez of the New Mexico Alliance for Life, as well as pro-life Republican candidates for governor state Rep. Rebecca Dow (R-Truth or Consequences) and Ethel Maharg, the executive director of the Right to Life Committee of New Mexico. 

On Tuesday morning, pro-lifers will gather at Planned Parenthood abortion facility at 9:00 a.m. where Abby Johnson is set to begin her day, and then at 10:00 a.m., pro-lifers will go to Southwestern Women’s Options, another late-term abortion mill in Albuquerque.

Then at 1:00 p.m., the official event with speakers will take place at Legacy Church Eastside at 4701 Wyoming Blvd., Albuquerque, NM 87109. The march will take place at 3:30 p.m. at Academy Trail. Parking will be on the northeast side of Hoffmantown Church NE located at 8888 Harper Rd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87111.

Harry Montoya, the pro-life Republican candidate for state treasurer, will be speaking at and leading the march. For more information about the New Mexico March for Life, please visit https://www.newmexicomarchforlife.com/.  

Piñon Post’s John Block running for NM House to ‘FINALLY send a fighter to the Legislature’

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 On Monday, Piñon Post editor and founder John Block officially announced his candidacy for the New Mexico House of Representatives in District 51 in Alamogordo. He is proudly the America-First Republican candidate in the race. 

John is the founder and editor of the Piñon Post, New Mexico’s leading conservative online news publication with hundreds of thousands of readers each month.

He is a native New Mexican and a longtime conservative political activist in the state, fighting and winning battles for the people. In Alamogordo, John led tough fights to stop Critical Race Theory and mask mandates in local schools, helped elect conservative Republicans to municipal offices, and stood by our brave U.S. Air Force Service Members against Joe Biden’s inhumane and unconstitutional COVID-19 shot mandates. 

“I come from a regular working-class family like most folks here in Alamogordo. From bussing tables to working a hotel front desk, I know the value of a long day’s work. Our representative must work as hard as our community does to ease the tax burden on working families like mine and support our small businesses,” said Block.

But our current legislator was the lone vote against tax relief for hurting small businesses during Michelle Lujan Grisham’s brutal Coronavirus lockdown. She voted to raise our taxes and was absent or voted against us on key bills regarding domestic terrorism, the economy, and the most important right to LIFE. John is running because Otero County deserves a stronger voice who actually shows up for them. 

As a native New Mexican, John was born, raised, educated, and is proud to live in our state. He knows our community’s values because he was there when we needed him the most. John also worked as a staffer at the New Mexico House of Representatives, as a leader in the pro-life movement, managing one of the largest pro-Trump organizations in the country, and as a reporter finally bringing a conservative voice to New Mexico’s media. 

Block said, “Alamogordo needs an America-First conservative champion who shows up and takes the fight to the Radical Democrats. The hard-working men and women of District 51 should not be forced to settle for a representative who takes them for granted. This election, our community finally has a choice. We need to FINALLY send a fighter to the Legislature.” 

John’s campaign is laser-focused on the issues that matter most to Alamogordo, including defending our Constitutional rights, supporting our Law Enforcers, Military Service Members, and Veterans. He will continue to champion District 51’s small businesses, protect our families and the sacred right to life, and tackle voter fraud and corruption in the state — issues he has spent years advocating for. 

“We can’t fix our state’s problems by keeping the same politicians in office who have created or inflamed these failures and expecting a different result. We need a fighter for District 51 who will ALWAYS show up and I will be that fighter for you,” added Block.

Watch John’s Announcement Video:

Find out more about John at JohnBlock.com. Follow him on Facebook here and on GETTR here. If you live in the 51st District, sign John’s nominating petition here.

Block will continue to run the Piñon Post and it will remain New Mexico’s leading conservative online news publication.

AG Balderas lets Google off easy for allegations company violated children’s safety

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New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas has not only given Google a win despite its track record of violating children’s safety but has helped it rebuild its tarnished reputation on the issue in the process. 

Balderas previously filed a suit with his Consumer & Environmental Protection Division against Google LLC for allegations it violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and state regulations regarding children’s privacy.

This is by no means the first time Google has been taken to court over this issue. 

In 2019, Google reportedly shelled out a $170 million fine and promised to “make changes to protect children’s privacy on YouTube, as regulators said the video site had knowingly and illegally harvested personal information from children and used it to profit by targeting them with ads,” the New York Times reports. 

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2019, “The settlement requires Google and YouTube to pay $136 million to the FTC and $34 million to New York for allegedly violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Rule. The $136 million penalty is by far the largest amount the FTC has ever obtained in a COPPA case since Congress enacted the law in 1998.”

But Balderas announced his lawsuit had been settled with Google for a meager $3.8 million going to a new initiative “to promote education, privacy, and safety for New Mexico children across the state. Google and Attorney General Balderas will work together in the coming weeks to identify recipients of these funds, which will be spent within New Mexico for the benefit of New Mexico’s children.”

The news release from Balderas said the initiative will include perks to educators. “Within Google’s widely-used Workspace for Education products (formerly known as GSuite for Education), Google now provides school administrators with tools to protect minor students from improper collection of their personal data, including age-based access settings to ensure that minor children’s data is protected from unauthorized collection and disclosure. New Mexico schools will also get early access to new products and initiatives as part of the Google for Education Pilot Program,” it reads.

The tiny settlement is a victory lap for Google according to Axios, which wrote, “The settlement, which includes $3.8 million for the new initiative, is mostly a victory for Google, which wasn’t found to have broken COPPA and now gets its name on a children’s education and online safety project.”

“I’m pleased that we demanded Google put the safety of our school children first and that we’re able to partner with Google in our shared commitment to innovation and education,” claimed Attorney General Balderas in a release.

“We are pleased to support programs and initiatives in New Mexico that promote kids’ education, privacy, and safety online,” said Cynthia Pantazis, Google’s director of government affairs and public policy.

Massive ‘Let’s Go, Brandon’ message appears in Albuquerque

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On January 6, anonymous conservatives put up a slogan most can recognize by now— “Let’s Go, Brandon.”

The anti-Biden message which is a euphemism for “F**k Joe Biden,” appeared on the overpass along I-40 from Los Altos Park right before Exit 165 for Eubank Boulevard in Albuquerque on Thursday in a direct protest to Joe Biden, who was sworn into office despite evidence of election fraud showing he did not win the election.

The conservative activists who erected the slogan and have asked to remain nameless, told the Piñon Post, “One year ago today we were in DC protesting an illegitimate election. Today we protest an illegitimate President, while exercising our First Amendments rights, Freedom of Speech and Freedom to Peacefully Protest.”

They added, “Let Freedom ring across our Great Nation. USA!!! Oh yeah…Let’s Go Brandon!”

Although the far-left City of Albuquerque run by socialist Democrat Mayor Tim Keller took the display down around noon on Thursday, messages circulated across social media sharing the display and celebrating the anti-Biden sentiment.

Legislative group ranks Lujan Grisham as worst governor in the nation

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The national legislative policy group, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) recently released a report measuring the economic freedom of all 50 governors in the United States. 

According to the group, the report “ranks each governor on their current economic performance and their fiscal and executive policies over their term in office. Governors who were inaugurated into high performing states and continue positive policies may not be able to improve as much as others but receive credit for their positive performance.”

“We believe that to those whom much is given, much is expected. Governors who are inaugurated into poor performing states and improve or try to improve their policies receive high policy rankings. Those who continue those policies receive low ranks for both policies and performance. Newer governors who do not have the long track records to measure are ranked only on the data that is relevant to their policies since taking office. In the case of a new governor who served together with the prior governor, we look at the track record over their most recent term of influence as lieutenant governor,” the report notes.

South Dakota’s Republican Gov. Krisi Noem ranked number one on the report, followed by Utah’s Republican Gov. Spencer Cox and Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. On the bottom of the rankings, however, appeared many Democrat governors of far-left states.

California’s Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom clinched the 48th spot, Rhode Island’s Democrat Gov. Daniel McGee clinched the 49th, and the report listed the worst governor as Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico. 

The report noted New Mexico ranking 49th for “executive policy,” 46th for “economic performance,” and 48th for “fiscal policy.” According to the graph provided by ALEC, Lujan Grisham’s state spending skyrocketed since she took power in 2019. The report also noted the state ranking 50th in its unemployment rate, 49th for federal unemployment benefits and 49th in education freedom. 

State Rep. Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park) responded via Twitter after the ALEC report went public writing, “We are number one on the ‘worst of’ list yet again! Guess which Governor is ranked as the worst in the nation?” 

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