New Mexico

Leftist columnist rips Toulouse Oliver over thwarting referendum effort

23 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

A leftist columnist, Walt Rubel, the opinion page editor for the Las Cruces Sun-News, wrote a recent op-ed supporting organizers collecting petitions for a referendum vote on laws passed in the 2023 Legislative Session.

He wrote regarding the failure to get 2014 a wage-related bill on the ballot in Las Cruces that it “relied on slimy legal tricks” to stymie the effort.

Regarding the current referendum drive by conservative groups, he opined, “Unfortunately, Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver has greeted this effort of citizen involvement with the same obstructionist mindset as our former City Council. More specifically, she has decided that one of the new laws can never be repealed, regardless of how many citizens support it.”

“Toulouse Oliver is arguing that the bill can never be overturned by the citizens because it falls into a protected class of legislation necessary for the ‘preservation of the public peace, health or safety’ of the state. That seems like an enormous stretch. Does anybody believe the peace, health and safety of residents in Hobbs or Carlsbad will be endangered if they don’t have an abortion clinic? I suspect the opposite is true. Any facilities in those towns would surely draw protesters.” 

He added the caveat, “To be clear, I don’t agree with the proposed referendum, and would vote against it if given the chance. I’m just saying I should have that chance, if the referendum organizers collect the necessary number of petitions.”

“Toulouse Oliver said if any of those efforts are successful, they will be thrown out as well, because referendum organizers have not followed the proper procedure to begin a petition process. She may be right. But this sure looks like a Democratic secretary of state doing everything possible to thwart an effort by her political opponents. And I’m not sure why. I don’t think any of these five proposed referendums would pass if put to the voters. But lawmakers simply can’t stand to have their decrees challenged by the unwashed masses.”

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Legendary author Cormac McCarthy, 89, passes away in New Mexico

Leave a Comment / New Mexico, News / By

Legendary author of “Blood Meridian,” “The Road” and “All the Pretty Horses,” Cormac McCarthy, passed away on Tuesday at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at the age of 89.

The famed American author died of natural causes, according to his publisher, Penguin Random House. 

“Cormac McCarthy changed the course of literature,” Nihar Malaviya, the CEO of Penguin Random House, said in a statement.

“For sixty years, he demonstrated an unwavering dedication to his craft, and to exploring the infinite possibilities and power of the written word,” Malaviya said. “Millions of readers around the world embraced his characters, his mythic themes, and the intimate emotional truths he laid bare on every page, in brilliant novels that will remain both timely and timeless, for generations to come.”

McCarthy won a Pulitzer Prize for “The Road,” as well as the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award.

“McCarthy’s style and thematic preoccupations drew from disparate influences, ranging from the haunting Southern Gothic prose of William Faulkner to the lyrical intricacy of James Joyce and the fire-and-brimstone intensity of Scripture,” wrote NBC News.

His 1985 masterpiece “Blood Meridian,” which is a horrifically violent epic about bloodthirsty bounty hunters, is considered by many to be his crowning achievement.

Other books he wrote, such as “No Country for Old Men,” 2005, gained acclaim after its initial release.

The film adaptation of the book directed by the Cohen Brothers won four Academy Awards, including best picture. 
“Death is the major issue in the world. For you, for me, for all of us,” he said during an interview with Vanity Fair. “It just is. To not be able to talk about it is very odd.”

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Navajo landowners repel Haaland’s Chaco Canyon ban celebration

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An event celebrating the crushing of Native American sovereignty via a 20-year drilling ban around Chaco Canyon by Joe Biden’s Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Deb Haaland, a former New Mexico congresswoman, was thwarted by Navajo protesters, primarily made up of landowners.

“Haaland had to quickly regroup and relocate after a group of Navajo landowners blocked the way to the sacred site,” KOB 4 reported.

“Six and a half hours later, over 150 miles away, those celebrating the moratorium gathered outside of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Southwest Regional Office in Albuquerque in the late afternoon instead, surrounded by federal police officers on the outskirts of the area,” another source said.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reported, “Social media posts showed protesters yelling ‘Go Home!’ as some held signs that read no trespassing on allottee land.”

Other signs spotted listed Haaland, Biden, and other politicians who lauded the decision as “China and Russia oil lovers.”

The Navajo Nation pled with the DOI to make a compromise, but they were flatly ignored by Haaland, leading them to rescind their support for the compromise and to oppose the drilling ban that will mean hundreds of millions of dollars being robbed from the tribe over time.

The Navajo Nation Council wrote in opposition to the proposed ban, “If the buffer zone is adopted, the Navajo allottees who rely on the income realized from oil and natural gas royalties will be pushed into greater poverty.” It stressed the “detrimental impact to Navajo Nation allottees by preventing the development of new oil and gas resources on allotments as a result of the allotments being landlocked,” exposing the fallacy from DOI that the withdrawal will not impact Navajo lands. 

“The financial and economic losses that are impacting many Navajo families as a result of the secretary’s recent land withdrawal are nothing to celebrate,” Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said. “As leaders of the Navajo Nation, we support the Navajo allottees who oppose the withdrawal of these public lands.”

Navajo landowners repel Haaland’s Chaco Canyon ban celebration Read More »

Heinrich comes ‘back home’ to frolic through ABQ streets for ‘LGBT Pride’

29 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

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.”

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: 

Even the University of New Mexico’s Popejoy Hall lit up its building in rainbow celebrating “LGBT Pride.”
https://twitter.com/Popejoy/status/1667535851167924225?s=20

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ABQ Target caught in the middle of ‘LGBT’ product scandal

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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.

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Toulouse Oliver trying to crush referendum drive challenging leftist laws

28 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

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.”

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 The Journal reported.

Organizers seek to overturn extreme laws via NM’s referendum process

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After $30K LGBT crosswalk, ABQ Mayor Keller paints something else rainbow

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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.

After $30K LGBT crosswalk, ABQ Mayor Keller paints something else rainbow Read More »

Democrat New Mexico lawmaker reveals reason for resignation

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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.

Democrat New Mexico lawmaker reveals reason for resignation Read More »

After praising drilling ban, Vasquez silent on Haaland’s conflicts of interest

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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. 

After praising drilling ban, Vasquez silent on Haaland’s conflicts of interest Read More »

First cases of tragic syndrome plaguing bats detected in New Mexico

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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. 

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