New Mexico Archives - Page 75 of 219

The usual suspects emerge to oppose NM pro-life sanctuary cities

3 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By Piñon Post

Like clockwork, outside dark money groups, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains are seeking to get involved in attacking pro-life sanctuary cities.

The groups, which are bankrolled by hundreds of millions in donations from billionaires, such as George Soros, are planning on submitting briefs in a state Supreme Court case filed by pro-abortion Democrat Attorney General Raúl Torrez attempting to strike down six pro-life sanctuaries in Clovis, Hobbs, Eunice and Edgewood and Lea and Roosevelt counties.

The Albuquerque Journal reported, “The ACLU and Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains both alerted the state Supreme Court this week they plan to file briefs in the case, which was brought by Attorney General Raúl Torrez’s office and has emerged as a key test to local governments’ ability to restrict access to abortion services.”

The ACLU’s attorney, Ellie Rushforth, said the stakes “could not be higher” in the case and said abortionists would “leave for fear of litigation and civil and criminal penalties.”

“Meanwhile, attorneys for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains said in their notice of intent that other groups would join them in filing a so-called amicus brief with the court. Those groups include the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, a Washington D.C.-based professional membership group, and Bold Futures New Mexico, which has advocated for access to abortion services.”

The pro-abortion groups have for years threatened localities with litigation over pro-life stances, from resolutions to ordinances. Last year when the City of Alamogordo passed a pro-life resolution, the ACLU sent a hostage letter, threatening litigation if the City was to enforce it. Despite the threats, the City passed it, and it remains intact after a failed referendum attempt that fell short.

The ordinances passed by the six localities all are based upon the federal Comstock Act, which supersedes state statutes far-left Democrats have passed, such as 2023’s H.B. 7, attempting to circumvent local control of abortion.

The New Mexico Supreme Court is set to rule on the matter in May.

MLG, AG Torrez furious after Edgewood passes pro-life sanctuary ordinance

The usual suspects emerge to oppose NM pro-life sanctuary cities Read More »

Columnist calls Sanger a ‘hero’ despite her mission to decimate Black population

8 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By John Block

A Friday column by Milan Simonich that appeared in the Santa Fe New Mexican praised racist Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger, a supporter of eugenics, who called for the extermination of the Black population.

Simonich, in attacking the Edgewood Town Commission, which passed a pro-life ordinance on Tuesday based on the federal Comstock Act, praised Sanger as a “hero,” writing:

The Comstock Act was weakened and then rendered toothless through a series of court rulings. The long fight had a hero.
Margaret Sanger, mother of three and a nurse in Brooklyn, opened the country’s first birth-control clinic in 1916. Sanger the next year served 30 days in jail for violating the Comstock Act.

*Margaret Sanger’s arrest at Brownsville Clinic for violating the Comstock Act via Wikimedia Commons.*

She said in a December 10, 1939 letter, “We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population.”

Even Planned Parenthood rebuked Sanger, writing in 2021, “The difficult truth is that Margaret Sanger’s racist alliances and belief in eugenics have caused irreparable damage to the health and lives of Black people, Indigenous people, people of color, people with disabilities, immigrants, and many others. Her alignment with the eugenics movement, rooted in white supremacy, is in direct opposition to our mission and belief that all people should have the right to determine their own future and decide, without coercion or judgement, whether and when to have children.”

Alexis McGill Johnson, the president and chief executive of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, wrote in the New York Times, “Sanger spoke to the women’s auxiliary of the Ku Klux Klan at a rally in New Jersey to generate support for birth control. And even though she eventually distanced herself from the eugenics movement because of its hard turn to explicit racism, she endorsed the Supreme Court’s 1927 decision in Buck v. Bell, which allowed states to sterilize people deemed “unfit” without their consent and sometimes without their knowledge — a ruling that led to the sterilization of tens of thousands of people in the 20th century.”

McGill Johnson concluded, “Margaret Sanger harmed generations with her beliefs.”

However, Simonich is now propping up Sanger as a hero, despite her ties to the KKK, support for eugenics, and racism against Black people and those with disabilities.

Columnist calls Sanger a ‘hero’ despite her mission to decimate Black population Read More »

New Mexico’s 4/20 pot sales grew like a weed

8 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By Renato Costa

On April 20, marijuana smokers, dispensaries, and advocates celebrated the “420” holiday that praises the consumption of pot. In New Mexico, the formerly contraband drug was legalized beginning on April 1, 2022.

In 2022, New Mexico pot sales on the unofficial stoner holiday hit $1.12 million, according to Albuquerque Business First. However, in 2023, those numbers grew exponentially.

New Mexico sales of marijuana on April 20, 2023, rose 86 percent from last year to hit $2.82 million.

“This year’s 4/20 average transaction total was $50.28, up from the March average of $44.60. Hobbs recorded the highest average transaction size at $94.96,” reported the outlet.

The sales increase may also have something to do with the jump in dispensaries in the state, with 1,421 retail licenses in 69 towns in 2023 versus 681 stores operating in 37 towns in 2023.

The massive jump in sales also meant a 124.72 percent jump in transactions from last year to now, with 22,402 transactions in 2022 versus 50,342 transactions in 2023.

Software company Akerna noted that nationwide, 420 pot sales ballooned to $154.4 million in 2022, with that number rising to over $192 million in 2023, according to Cova.

New Mexico’s 4/20 pot sales grew like a weed Read More »

KOB poll on financial literacy delivers shocking results

11 Comments / New Mexico, News / By Piñon Post

A poll run by KOB 4 asked viewers, “Should NM schools require students to take financial literacy classes?” as its question of the day.

As of 3:54 p.m. on Thursday, the poll showed that a shocking 96 percent of respondents support mandatory financial literacy classes in schools, with only four percent opposing it.

Screenshot via KOB 4 of financial literacy poll taken 3:45 p.m. on April 27, 2023.

The massive level of support from across the spectrum is another affirmation of financial literacy’s necessity in New Mexico classrooms.

During the 2023 Legislative Session, Republican and Democrat legislators in both the New Mexico House of Representatives and Senate unsuccessfully proposed mandatory financial literacy classes in state K-12 schools.

H.B. 279 from Rep. Cathrynn Brown (R-Carlsbad) would have required financial literacy to be a prerequisite for high school graduation. S.B. 341 from Sen. Moe Maestas (D-Albuquerque) stated that “[p]ersonal finance shall be offered as an elective.” However, those bills did not make it through.

According to the latest scientific nationwide poll done by the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) in late 2022 found that only 44 percent of adult Americans “feel confident making financial decisions because they had prior knowledge. In addition, 40% of adults feel confident because they had made and learned from a similar decision in the past.”

The low confidence number nationwide is alarming and calls on the need for mandatory financial literacy since the same poll also found that 88 percent of respondents say their state should require a semester or year-long financial education course for graduation.

“Some states already require students to take a financial education course, and some states are in the process of instituting this curriculum. Americans overwhelmingly agree that learning money skills at an early age is important. In fact, 80% of American adults wish they had been required to take a semester- or year-long financial education class in high school,” said Billy Hensley, Ph.D., president and CEO of NEFE. “This polling reinforces the national support for personal finance to be a part of learning in all schools.”

In future legislative sessions, the strong support for financial literacy in New Mexico and nationwide may drive a renewed push for legislation to ensure this is a requirement of New Mexico public school graduates.

KOB poll on financial literacy delivers shocking results Read More »

MLG, AG Torrez furious after Edgewood passes pro-life sanctuary ordinance

27 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By Renato Costa

After the Town of Edgewood passed its pro-life sanctuary city ordinance early Wednesday morning, pro-abortion Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Attorney General Raúl Torrez responded with furious statements, obviously triggered by the move to protect human life in the womb.

Even more angering to them is the ordinance is based on a federal law, the Comstock Act, which supersedes state statutes far-left Democrats have passed, such as 2023’s H.B. 7, attempting to circumvent local control of abortion.

Lujan Grisham’s office told the Albuquerque Journal, “Abortion remains legal and accessible to every New Mexican. The governor recently signed into law HB 7, which prohibits local governments from enacting abortion bans.”

“It is clear the Town of Edgewood’s ordinance will be unenforceable in light of the passage of HB 7. We will take whatever action is needed to ensure that the laws of New Mexico are upheld in every community, including those seeking to strip women of their reproductive rights,” she concluded.

Torrez said, “The ordinance passed [Wednesday] in Edgewood is yet another example of Texas based lawyers misleading local communities and enlisting them in their effort to bring about a national abortion ban. The New Mexico Constitution and state statutes prohibit local communities from regulating access to healthcare or infringing on a woman’s fundamental right to make the most personal decision regarding her body and her future. Attorney General Torrez is closely monitoring these unlawful actions and looks forward to resolving these important issues in the action currently pending in the New Mexico Supreme Court.”

Interestingly, Torrez references Texas, despite the locality passing the pro-life ordinance on its own accord, whereas he and Lujan Grisham have worked hard to woo Texas women to New Mexico to get their abortions on the state line. Recently, the governor rammed through $10 million to construct a new abortion facility in Las Cruces to service Texas women.

Edgewood is just the latest locality to pass the pro-life ordinance. Places such as Eunice, Clovis, and Hobbs have passed similar pro-life ordinances protecting life in the womb and ensuring women are not maimed or killed by the deadly abortion drugs used in chemical abortions.

Edgewood passes pro-life ordinance, dealing blow to pro-abortion leftists

MLG, AG Torrez furious after Edgewood passes pro-life sanctuary ordinance Read More »

Rio Rancho parents seek to get porn out of taxpayer-funded libraries

12 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By Piñon Post

On Thursday, Rio Rancho parents and community leaders will urge the removal of pornography from Rio Rancho taxpayer-funded public libraries.

Some of these titles include “This Book is Gay” by James Dawson, which activists from New Mexico Mass Resistance describe as a “how-to” book for “depraved, unsafe sexual perversions.”

Another book sought to be removed is “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe, featuring “Very explicit drawings of teens having homosexual sex with each other, including a boy sucking on another boy’s penis… [A main character is a girl trying to be a boy, so it’s transgender propaganda as well].”

More information about this book targeting children can be found here.

“Flamer” by Mike Curato, another book being opposed, is described as “Some boys were at scout camp and they were all in a tent and with their pants pulled down. Another boy comes in and they hand him a bottle. They tell him that they’ve all masturbated into that bottle, and if he can’t do it right now in front of them, then he has to drink it.”

The group writes, “All of the books listed above (and hundreds of similar books) can be checked out by children (defined as age 18 and below) from the Rio Rancho Public Library. The purchase of the books has been funded by ‘Quality of Life’ General Obligation Bonds approved by Sandoval County voters. These books should not be allowed in our library. This is NOT a First Amendment Freedom of Speech issue or ‘Book Banning.’ According to New Mexico Statues Chapter 30-37-2 Sexual exploitation of children, possession of this obscene

material is a fourth degree Felony.”

The meeting will take place Thursday at 6:00 p.m. at Rio Rancho City Hall. The address is 3200 Civic Center Circle NE in Rio Rancho and attendees are urged to get there early, with instructions to “[a]rrive no later than 5:30PM and sign-in at the City Clerk’s table.”

The group urges, “Do not make homophobic statements! We are intent on protecting our children from … transgenderism.”

New Mexico Mass Resistance writes that the Rio Rancho City Council canceled its April 10, 2023 meeting, with questions of what is the governing board hiding. “We don’t care if this material is available elsewhere, just as long as it is NOT in OUR library,” the group added.

More information for attending the meeting is below:

This meeting will be conducted in-person and virtually, as well as, streamed live on the City of Rio Rancho website at: https://rrnm.gov/2303/Watch-and-Download-City-Meetings
Individuals wishing to present public comment may do so in-person or remotely via Zoom meeting software with the access information below:
Join by Computer: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85302353741?pwd=bWp1QXliSGJoeHhJaGVOczF4MDN0UT09
Meeting ID: 853 0235 3741
Passcode: 789419
Join by Phone: Dial 1-720-707-2699 US then enter the Meeting ID and Passcode above

Rio Rancho parents seek to get porn out of taxpayer-funded libraries Read More »

Former New Mexico governor declared deceased

16 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By Piñon Post

On Wednesday, it was reported that former New Mexico Gov. Jerry Apodaca, 88, had passed away.

Apodaca was elected in 1974 and went on to serve on Democrat former President Jimmy Carter’s Council on Physical Fitness after leaving office in 1979.

Apodaca’s son, Jeff Apodaca, a former 2018 candidate for governor, told the Santa Fe New Mexican that the former governor “may have suffered a stroke at his home.”

He said, “His legacy is not that he was the first Latino governor elected,” adding, “His legacy was that he opened doors for minorities, Hispanics, women in the state and around the country.”

Governor Jerry Apodaca in 2002. Screenshot via C-SPAN.

Apodaca was elected to the New Mexico Senate in 1965 and defeated Republican Congressman Joe Skeen in the gubernatorial election.

In the 1970s, governors could only run for one four-year non-consecutive term, so the former governor only served one term. Once leaving office, Apodaca served on the University of New Mexico Board of Regents. The New Mexico Public Education Department building in Santa Fe is named in his honor.

In 2018, Apodaca, a Democrat, supported Republican Congressman Steve Pearce for governor over far-left Democrat then-Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is currently serving her second term as governor.

Former New Mexico governor declared deceased Read More »

Heinrich to kick off reelection bid for Senate with governorship in his sights

16 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By Piñon Post

According to a report by the Santa Fe New Mexican, far-left Democrat U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich is kicking off his 2024 U.S. Senate reelection bid to hold onto the office until he potentially makes a run for governor in 2026.

“Democratic U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich plans to kick off his 2024 reelection campaign Friday with a fundraiser in a private home. Senate terms last six years, but Heinrich might try to cut short his stay by running for governor in 2026,” the report notes.

The news comes as Heinrich was just elevated to chairman of the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee (JEC) for the 118th Congress, of which he previously served as vice chair and ranking member.

Heinrich said of the elevated role, “Too many people in Washington, D.C. think that if the stock market is going up, the economy is in good shape. But that’s not true for working families in New Mexico or across the country. The way we should measure the success of the economy is if parents can afford to send their kids to college, entrepreneurs can start new businesses, our children are educated and healthy, and workers are able to retire with peace of mind,” adding, “As we continue our economic recovery, ensuring access to quality education, well-paying jobs, affordable healthcare, and clean energy are essential to our collective prosperity.”

Some may take the rhetoric, of which is rare from Heinrich, as a move to position himself in a place of power as he eyes New Mexico’s chief executive office.

“As his campaign begins, Heinrich will have to deal with uncomfortable questions until he supplies answers. Voters need to know if he pledges to complete another term in the Senate, or if he’s going to run for governor,” opined the New Mexican.

The report notes that the “favorite” in the Democrat primary to take over the governorship following incumbent Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham would be U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, writing, “Deb Haaland would beat him if she wants the job. And Haaland, secretary of the interior, could depart her appointed position more easily than Heinrich could abandon his elective office.”

Heinrich to kick off reelection bid for Senate with governorship in his sights Read More »

Melanie Stansbury poses with disgraced Tennessee rep. who led insurrection

13 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By Renato Costa

On Wednesday, far-left U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM-01) proudly posed alongside formerly ousted Tennessee state Rep. Justin Jones, a Democrat, who was booted from his role after leading an insurrection upon the Tennessee House of Representatives. After four days of being out of office, the far-left Nashville Metropolitan Council quickly reinstated Jones.

Jones was charged in 2020 for assaulting people in cars during the George Floyd riots, of which he was an organizer. Watch here:

According to Scoop Nashville, “Throughout the entire time, he has faced over a dozen charges but always denied that he was violent – despite multiple assaults, assault on an officer, and reckless endangerment charges. In the newly obtained video, one of his assaults was captured, and presented to the Grand Jury – and he was indicted on two counts of reckless endangerment.”

Stansbury, who is a fringe environmentalist and supporter of every left-wing policy imaginable, including weaker election laws and abortion up to birth, posed for a photo with Jones while praising the extreme lawmaker.

She wrote, “It was such an honor to run into the one and only Rep. Justin Jones this morning—inspiring defender of democracy and the duly elected people’s representative of Tennessee’s House District 52. We are with you, @brotherjones_!”

Screenshot of Rep. Stansbury’s tweet with insurrectionist Justin Jones.

However, Jones and other lawmakers leading an insurrection upon the Tennessee House appears to be Stansbury’s idea of “defending” so-called “democracy,” with other Democrats, including Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, praising him and welcoming the fringe politician with open arms.

Democratic reps Justin Jones, & Justin Pearson stood on the House floor & used a bullhorn to lead protesters who flooded into the House. Reuters reported. Videos reportedly taken at the scene show protesters charging at police officers. https://t.co/Q5Ile76Ybu
— LovinLifeGwen (@GwenItalianlady) April 25, 2023

Melanie Stansbury poses with disgraced Tennessee rep. who led insurrection Read More »

Edgewood passes pro-life ordinance, dealing blow to pro-abortion leftists

23 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By Piñon Post

On Wednesday at around 1:38 a.m., the Town of Edgewood passed Ordinance 2023-002 by a vote of 4-1 to make it illegal for any person to violate the federal Comstock Act after a meeting called at 5:00 p.m. Tuesday.

After an extremely lengthy closed-door executive session that started at 5:51 p.m. Tuesday and ended shortly after 8:00 p.m. to talk about the pro-bono legal counsel provided by pro-life attorney Jonathan Mitchell regarding potential litigation regarding the ordinance, the Commission took public comment.

Pro-abortion state Rep. Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe) opposed the ordinance, while pro-life Reps. Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park) and Rep. John Block (R-Alamogordo), and Sen. David Gallegos (R-Eunice) stood in support of the ordinance.

A few leftists claimed the pro-abortion drugs that are maiming and killing women are safe, although scientific evidence analyzed from the FDA data proves they have been proven deadly. A majority of commenters were in support of the ordinance, which ultimately passed. The Commission then went back into executive session until around 12:15 a.m. Wednesday.

The ordinance proposed by Commissioner Sterling Donner of District Five and passed by the Commission reads, in part, “It shall be unlawful for any person to violate 18 U.S.C. § 1461 by using the mails for the mailing, carriage in the mails, or delivery of: 1. Any article or thing designed, adapted, or intended for producing abortion; or 2. Any article, instrument, substance, drug, medicine, or thing which is advertised or described in a manner calculated to lead another to use or apply it for producing abortion.”

Commissioner Filandro R. Anaya of District Four repeated the canned pro-abortion talking point, asserting abortion “is between them and their doctors and only them and their doctors.”

Some commissioners asked to pass an amendment in Section Eight changing the ordinance so it would not take effect until or unless the U.S. Supreme Court rules on other Comstock Act cases. That amendment failed on a vote of 3-2.

“This is not an ordinance. This is a resolution,” said Commissioner Donner regarding the proposed amendment that would weaken the law to a mere statement. “This does nothing. This shows again that we are not acting courageous[ly]. It doesn’t keep anything out of this town. I disagree with this. I think this goes against everything we’ve been trying to get done…. And we wasted 15 hours of our time discussing this. I’m tired of being weak and bowing down to the state. What they’re doing is not right. We continue to bow down, we continue to give, and it’s never going to end.”

“This is a weak move,” he said, adding, “It’s just weakness” regarding the failed amendment.

Commissioner Jerry Powers of District Two claimed the consequences of passing the final ordinance were “serious,” and he criticized the enforcement mechanisms for the Town of Edgewood, saying it puts the town in “strict jeopardy” after his motion failed to push the ordinance on the ballot as a question.

“If we want to gain ground, join our allies in the state that are doing these things, this is what we have to do,” Donner concluded regarding passing the un-weakened ordinance before it went to a vote. “We need to fight for the rights of these unborn children who don’t even have a chance.”

After the discussion, Donner’s motion to pass the final ordinance succeeded, with all but one commissioner opposing it. Anaya was the only dissenting vote, citing the town’s home rule provisions as cover.