On Saturday, Democrat New Mexico politicians frolicked through New Mexico’s largest city to promote “LGBT Pride,” which has been pushed in recent years to force gender ideology, primarily transgender ideology, on families and children.
Democrat Sen. Martin Heinrich made a rare appearance at the parade, which is uncommon for the lawmaker who rarely visits the state. He lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.
“Happy Pride!” he wrote, adding, “No better way to celebrate than back home with @NMDEMS and @ABQ_Pride!”
Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-CD-01) wrote a “Happy Pride” greeting from her official account, while on her campaign Twitter profile, she appeared to be attending “Pride” in Washington, D.C.
Albuquerque’s Democrat Mayor Tim Keller also posted a “Pride” greeting, writing, “Can always count on ABQ to show up and show out for #Pride! Here in our city, we choose love over hate. We uplift one another, and we’re committed to supporting and celebrating our incredible LGBTQ+ community.”
Can always count on ABQ to show up and show out for #Pride!
Here in our city, we choose love over hate. We uplift one another, and we’re committed to supporting and celebrating our incredible LGBTQ+ community. #OneAlbuquerquepic.twitter.com/yBgB6FF1Rb
Like in other posts, young children could be seen wearing “Pride” gear in Keller’s tweet.
Other politicians showed up to the parade, including appointed Democrat Albuquerque-area District Attorney Sam Bregman, who posted about the event from the official District Attorney’s account:
It was an honor to join All Faiths Children's Advocacy Center for this year's ABQ Pride Parade. It was amazing to see how much love and support there is for the LGBTQIA+ community.
In recent weeks, Americans have been massively boycotting Target after it was caught pushing the LGBT agenda on kids as young as toddler age by selling inappropriate products targeted toward children.
According to The Daily Mail, “This year’s collection features a range of clothes and home goods, including lime green adult romper suits with the word ‘gay’ on the back; a ‘Live Laugh Lesbian’ t-shirt; and a mug emblazoned with the words: ‘Gender Fluid.’”
“The Minneapolis-based company is selling T-shirts for children with the slogan: ‘Trans People Will Always Exist!’ It is offering rainbow-striped tutus for toddlers for $13, and $10 baby gros which read: ‘Bien Proud.’”
Now, an Albuquerque Uptown Target store finds itself in the midst of the woke controversy.
According to a report from KRQE 13 News, “A woman says an Albuquerque Target refused to sell her a pride shirt for her granddaughter, even though it was out on display. Jessica Corley headed to Target in Uptown to buy shirts for her family to wear to Albuquerque’s Pride Parade. She found matching shirts for herself and her three-year-old granddaughter that said ‘Bien Proud.’ When she got up to the register, the kids’ shirt wouldn’t ring up.”
“She called the manager, the manager came over, and he scanned the item. The same message came up: ‘Do not sell.’ And he said I’m sorry, I can’t sell this to you,” Corley said.
Apparently, Corley began “shaking and burst into tears,” telling the outlet, “It was just an astounding experience and not one that I would expect to be coming from our community.”
“It’s about, you know, my right to purchase an item of clothing for myself or my loved ones that has (sic) a message that I believe in, which is to be proud of myself and to be proud of who I am and to spread that message of inclusivity,” Corley added. Since launching the woke LGBT clothes and then subsequently pulling them from many stores, Target has lost billions in market share.
Far-left Democrat New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver is on the attack, trying to squash an attempt by private advocacy groups to put radical Democrat bills passed during the 2023 Legislative Session and signed by the governor on the ballot for referendum.
Bills attempted to be overturned via referendum include legislation trying local jurisdictions’ hands from regulating abortion, an expansion of school-based health centers pushing abortion and “gender-affirming care,” bills weakening New Mexico elections, a bill harboring criminal abortionists, and legislation expanding the “Human Rights Act.” Read more about the referendum petition project being organized by Better Together New Mexico here.
The Albuquerque Journal reported, “The Secretary of State’s office has directed county clerks not to provide voter lists to those pushing the repeal effort, and warned voters that current petitions circulating are not valid since they have not been approved.”
“In addition, Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat, said in a recent letter the bill blocking local anti-abortion ordinances from being enforced is exempt from repeal. That’s because, under her ruling, it meets a constitutional exemption for laws that provide for the ‘preservation of the public peace, health or safety” of the state,’” the report noted.
Toulouse Oliver wrote on Thursday, “Invalid referendum petitions are being circulated throughout the state to challenge laws passed during the 2023 #NMLEG. As of now, there are no valid referendum petitions in circulation in New Mexico. Check our website for more info.”
NOTICE: Invalid referendum petitions are being circulated throughout the state to challenge laws passed during the 2023 #NMLEG. As of now, there are no valid referendum petitions in circulation in New Mexico. Check our website for more info: https://t.co/rEvEkM4jXz#nmpol
— New Mexico Secretary of State (@NMSecOfState) June 8, 2023
She gave a further update, adding, “Today the 13th District Court dismissed a lawsuit against our office, finding that the laws attempting to be put to referendum are exempted from the referendum process. This has been our position all along & is a win for the rule of law.”
“To date, the Secretary of State has not approved and certified, nor has the Attorney General signed, any referendum petitions submitted and none of the referendum petitions currently being circulated will be considered valid under the law to challenge laws passed during the 2023 Legislative Session,” the Secretary of State’s website reads.
However, according to Better Together New Mexico, a supposed setback in court was fake news.
“You may have read in the Journal or from the Secretary of State that we had a setback in court yesterday over the referendum project. That is inaccurate!” wrote the group.
“Ramona Goolsby filed a Verified Emergency Petition for Declaratory Judgment in the 13th Judicial district on April 11, 2023, against the Secretary of State which was very narrow in scope. There was NO ruling made on the merits of the case. Judge Noel’s dismissal has been set aside as of yesterday and the case has been reopened. There was a Request for Motion to Strike filed yesterday afternoon based on the non-conforming pleading filed by the Attorney General’s office. In addition, Ramona will file a judicial complaint against the judge today.”
“As always, there are concerns that partisan politics are alive and well in our courts since Judge Noel was appointed by Michelle Lujan Grisham in 2020. Keep the faith and keep working!”
Not once throughout Toulouse Oliver’s tenure has she approved a single referendum petition — making the process as difficult as possible to hold the government accountable.
However, litigation is likely coming amid the Democrat’s stonewalling, with groups already ready to take the matter to court.
Jodi Hendricks, the executive director of the New Mexico Family Action Movement, one of the groups leading the charge, “said the coalition supporting the repeal effort, which has received support from the state Republican Party, is ready for a court fight, if necessary,” as TheJournal reported.
Woke far-left Democrat Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller made headlines in 2019 when he spent $30,000 of taxpayer dollars painting a crosswalk rainbow to celebrate LGBT “Pride.”
Now, the mayor is trying to outdo himself, this time painting a public city bus with a “Pride wrap” featuring rainbows and pictures of previous LGBT+ parades in the city.
“The wrap was curated by a city graphic designer who incorporated photos of local Albuquerque residents from previous Pride parades held in the city,” reported the Albuquerque Journal.
Albuquerque city bus. Image courtesy of CABQ in a press release.
“At a time when many places across the country are targeting this community, Albuquerque celebrates, supports, and stands with our LGBTQ+ friends and family,” Keller said in a news release. “We will continue to fight for equality and diversity in our city.”
The ABQ RIDE Pride bus wrap will be displayed throughout June, and will be a participant in the 2023 Pride Parade on Saturday, June 10, in Nob Hill.
“This bus is one of many reminders we deserve, telling us that we belong,” claimed Equality New Mexico executive director Marshall Martinez, a former Planned Parenthood lobbyist.
State Rep. Christine Trujillo (D-Albuquerque) announced Saturday that she would be resigning from the state legislature, effective July 1, 2023.
“It’s been the honor of my life time to represent our community in the Roundhouse for the last decade. Thank you to my neighbors for placing your trust in me as your representative. I hope I have made you proud by fighting for our public schools and working to make life easier for New Mexico families. I look forward to continuing to serve our community in my next chapter,” wrote Trujillo in the press release.
However, the announcement did not indicate a reason for her departure. Now, a recent interview between Trujillo and the Santa Fe New Mexican confirms why she is exiting the chamber.
During the 2023 Legislative Session, while sleeping on a bench in the hallway, a vote was announced and, startled, she ran to her desk but tripped on a piece of carpet — leading to her hitting the desk with her forehead.
“The back of my head hit the floor,” said Trujillo to the outlet.
She reportedly blacked out when the incident occurred but did not immediately go to the hospital because she wanted to stay to participate in the final days of the contentious 60-day legislative session.
Legislative portrait of Rep. Christine Trujillo – 2023.
“Exhaustion was the underlying cause of her fall. She said it’s also a reason she will resign from office at the end of this month. She served more than 10 years in the House of Representatives,” reported the New Mexican.
Once Trujillo leaves the chamber, the Bernalillo County Commission will nominate a successor, more than likely another Democrat due to the partisan makeup of the Commission and her district, which skews 71.63 percent Democrat and only 28.37 percent Republican, according to Princeton University’s analysis.
Far-left Democrat Rep. Gabe Vasquez (NM-CD-02) lavished praise upon Joe Biden’s Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Deb Haaland after she ordered that a ten-mile radius around Chaco Canyon must be banned from oil and gas leasing to the ire of the Navajo Nation, which vehemently opposed the action after being shuttered from the process by the Department.
“There are few places that are as important to our history, culture and heritage as Chaco – a sacred place worthy of protection. I stand with the Pueblos of my district and welcome @SecDebHaaland’s decision to withdraw mineral development in this region,” Vasquez tweeted following the decision.
However, shortly following Haaland’s Chaco Canyon proclamation, 11 U.S. House representatives sounded the alarm to the Interior secretary and top Interior Department ethics official Heather Gottry about her conflicts of interest regarding her family’s involvement in the decision.
The GOP lawmakers, led by U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR), wrote, “Under the standards of ethical conduct, federal government officials are required to recuse from particular matters involving specific parties where ‘a person with whom he has a covered relationship is or represents a party to such matter,’ unless authorized by the agency to participate.”
“Furthermore, a federal government official is barred from using their position for the private gain of family members or nonprofit organizations,” the lawmakers continued.
The signers noted that Haaland has been heavily involved with Pueblo Action Alliance (PAA), which lobbied extensively for the DOI to ban oil and gas leasing at the cultural site.
Fox News wrote, “PAA Executive Director Julia Bernal boasted in 2021 that she met personally with Haaland, whom she referenced as ‘Auntie Deb,’ about the group’s broad opposition to oil and gas leasing.”
Haaland’s daughter Somah, who works for PAA, lobbied for the ban to members of Congress and others involved in policy decisions relating to the order.
“In addition, the letter cited Haaland’s latest ethics filing, which showed her husband Skip Sayre does consulting work for the Laguna Development Corp., a firm that is affiliated with the Laguna Pueblo, an Indigenous tribe. Like the PAA, the tribe has advocated in favor of a buffer zone around Chaco Canyon where new leasing would be banned,” the report continued.
However, as Haaland’s clear conflicts of interest in the deal hit news waves, Gabe Vasquez remains radio silent on the Democrat former congresswoman from New Mexico’s actions as Interior secretary.
“Gabe Vasquez is always happy to jump aboard the extremism train at the expense of New Mexicans,” the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) spokeswoman Delanie Bomar wrote. “Vasquez will bend over backwards to excuse corruption and conflicts of interest as long as it means shutting down New Mexico oil and gas production.”
50 percent of New Mexico’s general fund derives from the oil and gas industry. Vasquez is a radical environmentalist who backs Green New Deal policies and “environmental justice” left-wing initiatives to attack the oil and gas industry. He narrowly claimed the seat he currently occupies in 2022 after far-left Democrats in the New Mexico Legislature gerrymandered the seat to snatch it from GOP hands.
The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced Monday a tragic development in the deadly white-nose bat syndrome, revealing the first cases of the deadly bat disease in New Mexico.
Since 2006, the fungal disease has slaughtered millions of North American bats with a white fungus growing on their skin, leading to irritation of the little creatures. The irritation forces hibernating bats to wake up early from hibernation, which exhausts fat stores needed for winter survival. These events lead to the bats’ tragic deaths.
“Samples from two live bats and two deceased bats were collected in late April from BLM-managed caves in Lincoln and De Baca counties.” wrote the BLM.
“The two dead bats were confirmed with WNS, one a fringed myotis in Lincoln County, the other a cave myotis in De Baca County. Additionally, wing biopsies from two live cave myotis at the same Lincoln Co. site revealed microscopic lesions consistent with WNS. WNS is caused by an invasive fungal pathogen named Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd). Although Pd was previously detected in New Mexico in 2021, evidence of the disease had not been confirmed in the state until now.”
“With the collaboration of a great team of partners, BLM New Mexico has been monitoring its most significant winter bat caves for evidence of Pd since 2011,” said BLM New Mexico’s Threatened and Endangered Species Program Lead Marikay Ramsey. “We will continue to coordinate with our state, federal, tribal and non-governmental partners to test and implement prevention measures such as restricted access to affected caves to minimize the spread of the disease in New Mexico.”
“Of the almost 30 species of bats known to occur in New Mexico, more than half are known or suspected to hibernate in the state during the winter,” said James Stuart, non-game mammal specialist with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. “All these hibernating species are potentially vulnerable to WNS when they spend the winter in caves or mines where the Pd fungus has become established. We don’t yet know to what extent WNS will impact our New Mexico bat populations, but we will continue to support monitoring of bat populations and caves throughout New Mexico for the presence of WNS and Pd.”
The fungus and disease do not affect humans or pets, but human activity in caves is said to lead to the fungus that kills the bats. At Carlsbad Caverns National Park, for example, guests entering the bat cave must disinfect their shoes to prevent the syndrome from entering.
Bats are critical for a balanced ecosystem, being avid pollinators that eat pests such as mosquitoes, moths, beetles, crickets, leafhoppers, and chinch bugs, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
A recently posted video from Muckraker.com shows how easy it is for the cartel to smuggle illegal migrants and contraband items into the United States through gaps in the border wall left unfinished by Joe Biden.
The outlet posted a video of a major gap in the wall in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, first constructed under President George W. Bush, which had major flaws, such as huge squares being able to be chiseled out of the mesh fence along with gaps between the sides of each panel of the barrier.
The video shows the current system’s failures, with reporters from Muckracker.com being able to easly slip from the U.S. side into Mexico, which those on the Mexico side of the barrier can do just as easily.
HOW TO CROSS THE UNITED STATES BORDER IN UNDER 1 MINUTE
In Doña Ana County, New Mexico, parts of the United States border wall are wide open with gaping holes.
When President Donald Trump left office, and Joe Biden took over, one of the 80-year-old Democrat’s first acts was to cease construction of the border wall started by the 45th President, leaving millions of dollars of supplies to rot, instead of using the materials to finish construction of the border.
Biden’s weak immigration policies have encouraged illegal border crossers, including cartels, which have been smuggling people, drugs, guns, and other unmentionables into the United States, including in New Mexico, which has at least 53 miles of open border wall and many ineffective Bush-era barriers.
Far-left Democrat California Attorney General Rob Bonta is fuming after illegal immigrants were flown from New Mexico to California’s state capital city in Sacramento. The illegal immigrants were previously at a holding facility in El Paso, Texas.
Sacramento County is an illegal immigrant “sanctuary” within the “sanctuary state” of California, according to the Center for Immigration Studies.
The California State Capitol in Sacramento. Suvicce via Wikimedia Commons.
“California’s attorney general said the state of Florida appears to have arranged for a group of South American migrants to be dropped off outside a Sacramento church,” reported the AP.
Bonta said, “While this is still under investigation, we can confirm these individuals were in possession of documentation purporting to be from the government of the State of Florida.”
“While we continue to collect evidence, I want to say this very clearly: State-sanctioned kidnapping is not a public policy choice, it is immoral and disgusting,” he claimed.
U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to El Paso Sector, El Paso Station intercept a group of approximately 127 migrants. CBP Photographer Jaime Rodriguez Sr. CBP, 2019.
Bonta’s spokeswoman, Tara Gallego, said Florida’s Division of Emergency Management operated the flight carried out by contractor Vertol Systems Co.
The same contractor was paid $1.56 million to fly illegal immigrants to the “sanctuary city” of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, which made national news.
The AP continued, “The 16 migrants who arrived in Sacramento on Friday are from Colombia and Venezuela. They entered the U.S. through Texas. They were transported to New Mexico then flown by a charter plane to California’s capital, where they were then dropped off in front of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento, California officials said.”
On Friday, Democrat state Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard issued an executive order from her office banning any oil and gas leasing within one mile of any school.
She wrote in the edict, “I, Stephanie Garcia Richard, Commissioner of Public Lands, do hereby order and direct that the state trust lands located within one mile of a school or other educational institution shall not be leased for new oil and gas purposes until further order, effective immediately.”
It also read that “nothing herein shall restrict the State Land Office from authorizing the placement of infrastructure or permitted uses for the purpose of ensuring that appropriate public health, safety or environmental standards are met,” apparently attempting to usurp more broad power to restrict the oil and gas production under the guise of “health” and safety.”
Nowhere in the order are citations to any studies or scientific evidence to justify her action.
During a press conference, Garcia Richard said, “There is no reason to greenlight operations that produce dangerous pollutants so close to schoolkids when we have millions of acres of state lands to work with.”
“Ultimately, we need a public health buffer around schools enshrined in state law, and this order provides an opportunity to engage the Legislature, regulatory agencies and other stakeholders on developing a comprehensive and long-term solution,” asking lawmakers to pass legislation to codify this order.
Jim Winchester, Executive Director of the Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico, wrote, “IPANM agrees that safe and reasonable setbacks are necessary between certain production sites and schools, however, we have concerns that the distance to be enforced under the State Land Office’s assumed discretionary authority is arbitrary and isn’t based on any definitive evidence of health impacts.”
“While it would have been appropriate for the State Land Commissioner to consult with industry before issuing this order carte blanche, we will work with her office on a case-by-case basis if there are particular tracts of land that might otherwise be safely and responsibly developed to provide critical revenues to improve New Mexico’s schools.”
Oil and gas revenues comprise 50 percent of the state’s General Fund, meaning further restrictions will directly harm state programs funded by oil and gas, such as education and health care.
