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New leftist-commissioned poll shows Lujan Grisham barely hanging on

8 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

According to a new poll commissioned by the far-left ProgressNow New Mexico affiliate New Mexico Political Report (NMPR) by Public Policy Polling, it spells trouble for scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham who has crashed and burned with the public since taking office in 2019.

The Governor is barely hanging on by one point, according to the survey, which “found that 46 percent of New Mexico voters approve of Michelle Lujan Grisham’s job performance as governor compared to 45 percent who disapprove.”

The Governor trailed even Joe Biden, whose approval sits at 47 percent approval and 45 percent disapproval in the state, according to the poll. 

According to the survey, 13 percent of Democrats said they disapprove of Lujan Grisham NMPR wrote, “She is also underwater among independents, with 33 percent who approve and 54 percent who disapprove.” 

Independents will play a key role in 2022 when she seeks reelection, as independent turnout will be a large factor in whether she will stay or be voted out. 

Both Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján had low approval ratings, Heinrich having a 42 percent approval rating and 34 percent disapproval rating. Luján had an approval rating of 41 percent and a disapproval rating of 40 percent, according to the poll.

NMPR notes:

The poll was conducted on August 16 and 17 and surveyed 682 registered voters throughout New Mexico. The poll has a 3.8 percent margin of error on topline results.

Following the results showing the Democrat politicians crashing and burning in the liberal-commissioned poll, pro-energy group Power The Future’s Larry Behrens wrote, “It’s no surprise Governor Lujan Grisham, and Senators Lujan and Heinrich, are seeing their public support slide. The one thing they all have in common is their ability to ignore New Mexico’s working families while only listening to radical environmentalist special interests.” 

He added, “New Mexico is a national leader in unemployment and all these three politicians can talk about are plans to raise the price of gas, increase our electric bills, and hike the cost of cars. While these green proposals might help Lujan Grisham, Heinrich and Lujan’s fundraising in San Francisco and New York, they are ultimately a tax on New Mexico’s struggling families.”

New leftist-commissioned poll shows Lujan Grisham barely hanging on Read More »

EXCLUSIVE: Ex-NM cabinet secretary’s ties to Williams Stapleton expose other top Dems

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New details have come to light uncovered exclusively by the Piñon Post weeks following the second-highest-ranking New Mexico House Democrat, former Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton’s house being raided. She then resigned in disgrace following a federal probe into her alleged money laundering, racketeering, and kickbacks.

Not only can we now confirm Stapleton’s alleged graft happened for decades, but it involved some of the largest players in the New Mexico political field, such as New Mexico governors, cabinet officials, and even some of the high-ranking politicians who still serve today.

The disgraced former legislator registered the company “Robotics Management Learning Systems, LLC” at 1411 H Street NE, Office 804 in Washington, D.C. According to the affidavit that led to search warrants on Stapleton’s home, one of the executive officers of Robotics is Joseph Johnson. He owns National Corrections and Rehabilitation Corporation, which previously occupied the office space from 2016 to 2018.

The affidavit notes that Joseph F. Johnson, Jr. currently operates the National Corrections and Rehabilitation Corporation. Johnson is also listed as the president of Stapleton’s other organization involved in the alleged graft scheme, the Ujima Foundation. 

Early Joseph Johson and Sheryl Williams Stapleton Connections

It just so happens that Joseph F. Johnson previously lived in New Mexico, attending New Mexico State University in the late 1970s when Stapleton attended the school. According to the Washington City Paper, “Johnson says his mentor was Albert Johnson, the first black mayor of Las Cruces,” and that through college, he helped “propel the mayor to his first electoral victory.” He was also active in the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Stapleton, who was just Sheryl Williams at the time, served as the executive secretary to the NAACP’s Northwest Mesa branch.

The Toney Anaya Years

Following graduation, Johnson, Jr. had a short stint at the State Health Planning Agency. He became deputy director of Southwest Community Health Center in Carlsbad, and by the early 1980s, then-Gov. Toney Anaya appointed him deputy secretary of health and environment. 

While in that role, Johnson got involved with two men, John Thacker and George Gregory (a fugitive also known as George Clifford Walcoff), who ran a mental health center in Carlsbad that contracted with the State. 

Johnson, Thacker, and Gregory allegedly formed two businesses aiming at getting contracts with the Department of Health and Environment. While the businesses did not take off, Thacker and Gregory allegedly bought Johnson a Cadillac, and “Johnson also allegedly helped Gregory write a $10,000 state-funded feasibility study that recommended consolidating many state mental health services in Thacker’s counseling center,” the City Paper noted.

Johnson’s boss, then-New Mexico Health and Environment Secretary Dr. Fitzhugh Mullan, caught onto what Johnson was up to and removed him from overseeing the center’s business. But “shortly thereafter, Gov. Anaya fired Mullan and named Johnson to replace him,” leading him to become secretary of Health and Environment. 

Carlsbad District Attorney Tom Rutledge noted that Thacker and Gregory had been cheating the state out of thousands of dollars by padding the health center’s bills, and they later pleaded guilty to bribing him. Johnson resigned from his post the day before his confirmation hearings were slated to begin. “Johnson was later charged by the state’s attorney with 11 felony counts of bribery, fraud, conspiracy, taking illegal kickbacks, and racketeering.”

But before Johnson could be charged, “on the stand, despite his guilty plea, Gregory recanted his initial confession, and the judge eventually dismissed the charges against Johnson.” Johnson immediately got back to work as Gov. Anaya’s chief of staff.

Anaya’s administration is known as one of the most corrupt in New Mexico’s history. Three of his officials were indicted on kickback, fraud, bribery, and racketeering charges, with many officials’ guilty verdicts being reduced by Anaya while he remained in power. Some pardons include those of former aide John Ramming, former disaster relief official Pete Mondragon, and former state treasurer, Earl Hartley.

Anaya was charged in 2014 by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for involvement in a fraud scheme. He was later part of scandal-ridden former Gov. Bill Richardson’s administration as the New Mexico Office of Recovery and Reinvestment head.

Jesse Jackson and the Rainbow Coalition

Joseph Johnson went on to run Jesse Jackson’s 1988 unsuccessful presidential campaign, in which Albert Johnson’s son, Albert Johnson Jr., served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention (DNC). Then-Corporation Commissioner Eric Serna co-chaired the Jackson campaign alongside Johnson. Serna was involved in multiple corruption investigations, which forced him to resign as insurance superintendent in 2006. Johnson later worked for failed Democrat presidential nominee Michael Dukakis’ presidential campaign in the 1988 general election. 

At the 1988 DNC, Sheryl Williams served as an alternate Jesse Jackson delegate. Her political ally, Democratic National Committeeman and former Santa Fe Mayor Art Trujillo served as an unpledged delegate. Trujillo served with Joseph Johnson on the DNC credentials committee.  After working for Jackson, Johnson ran the Black Panther-linked socialist group the “Rainbow Coalition.” According to NMBlack.com, Stapleton is listed as the New Mexico contact for the group. News reports show Stapleton has been active with the Rainbow Coalition as early as 1989, being quoted alongside Johnson in the Associated Press. 

In 1989, Johnson said of the Rainbow Coalition, “What you’re seeing now is the Rainbow going from a group of people who were always saying fight, fight, fight to a group that understands that it is not always in our best interest to be the permanent opposition.” This quote appears to mirror Sheryl Williams Stapleton’s rise to power and her changes politically, especially during the 1992 presidential election, where she told the Baltimore Sun, “The sense and the mood has been to move to the middle, because that’s where the majority of the voters are.” She said that was fine with her “If that’s what it takes to get to the White House.” Later in her career, she would campaign as a moderate and then govern as a far-leftist in the same vein as the socialist Rainbow Coalition’s founding principles.

Johnson’s Other Shady Business Dealings

Johnson also worked for Democrat Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder’s presidential campaign in 1991-92, Louisiana gubernatorial candidate Edwin Edwards’ primary campaign, and “in at least half a dozen state and local races in California,” according to the Washington Post. 

During the time Johnson worked at the National Rainbow Coalition, he also started working with the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) private prison board and was involved in multiple shady deals through his company, the National Corrections and Rehabilitation Corp (NCRC). One such deal entailed a murky bidding process during the time of corrupt former Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry, an ally of Johnson. When challenged about how his company was awarded the contract despite its lack of credentials, Johnson accused the other company vying for the contract of racism. 

CCA, which has recently been renamed to CoreCivic, currently runs multiple prisons in New Mexico, such as the Torrance County Detention Facility opened in 1990. Sheryl Williams Stapleton sat on the ​​interim Corrections Oversight and Justice Committee, which oversaw these facilities. CoreCivic has made campaign donations to multiple legislators, including Stapleton. Just this year, KOB 4 reported that the current administration of Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Stapleton ally, “has shown a cautious approach to scaling back reliance on privately operated prisons when economically feasible.” 

In the early 1990s through a company called “Healthcare Affiliates,” Johnson won a contract in Newport News, Virginia, to oversee a hospital. The contract was reportedly obtained under nefarious circumstances. A Housing and Urban Development (HUD) report found Johnson’s company “inappropriately spent nearly half a million dollars of the hospital’s scarce operating funds to pay for questionable contracts, board member compensation, and such things as country-club dues, travel, entertainment, and housing unrelated to the hospital’s operation,” according to the Washington City Paper. Johnson ran his companies through “The Johnson Companies,” where he lists himself as “one of the most respected political operatives in the country.”

The shady deals and contracts won by Johnson eerily mirror much of the activity alleged against former Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton, such as contracts won by Robotics from the Albuquerque Public Schools for millions of dollars that went on for decades without an ounce of suspicion from state auditors, accountants, and APS personnel.

While Johnson was profiting from incarcerating mostly Black men in Washington, D.C., and surrounding areas through CCA, Sheryl Williams Stapleton was elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives in 1994. The district Stapleton got elected to was and still is one of the most economically disadvantaged, which makes her alleged graft throughout her tenure that much more heinous.

Stapleton’s Tenure at the Legislature

Interestingly, Stapleton’s alleged corruption and waste of taxpayer money may have been foreshadowed. When asked in 1994 while running for office if she supported term limits for the Legislature, Williams responded, “No. Legislators should be given a reasonable amount of time to achieve their goals. History has shown that a legislator with more experience in the Legislature acquires more pork to take home for their district.”

In 1999, Stapleton sponsored the legislation to create an Office of African American Affairs (OAAA), which was signed into law by then-Gov. Gary Johnson and appears to have been used to funnel government appropriations to Stapleton’s financial interests. One such instance involves $50,000 Stapleton got in state capital outlay to buy vans for the OAAA, which were overseen by her “Charlie Morrisey Center for Creative Assistance, Inc” and Robotics. Stapleton has been involved with the “Charlie Morrisey Education Center” (CMEC) since at least 1994, when she first ran for the Legislature. Johnson serves as the president of CMEC. 

The OAAA website quotes Stapleton, who said, “Only by illuminating the history of African Americans can we eradicate the myths and distortions responsible for problems in communications that still exist.” 

The affidavit also notes multiple bills Stapleton passed through the Legislature and got signed into law, appearing to benefit her personally. These include H.B. 178 in 2015 amending the Public School Code to require inclusion of certain Career Technical Education courses, H.B.44  in 2019 requiring the use of federal Every Student Succeeds Act Title 2 funding for career-technical professional development, and H.B. 91 in 2019 creating the Career Technical Education pilot project. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed two of these bills, while former Gov. Susanna Martinez signed one. 

Years later, in 2021, the Legislature passed the “Black Education Act” bill to amend the OAAA and implement new racially charged proposals pitting Black and White New Mexicans against each other in the education system through “anti-racism, racial awareness and sensitivity training or professional development in addition to the current on-line requirement,” continuing to meet the Rainbow Coalition’s goals. It is unclear at this time if the proposal could have benefited Stapleton financially through Robotics or her other associates.

Stapleton was a close ally to high-profile Democrats while in the House of Representatives such as then-Congressman Bill Richardson, who would later serve as governor and in 2008 rededicate the African American Arts Center that opened in 2007 in Albuquerque after Stapleton. Richardson publicly backed Stapleton over other Democrats during primaries in the early 2000s. Richardson was a donor to Joseph Johnson’s Rainbow Coalition in the 1980s, helping the group buy radio ads and other expenses to help Democrat candidates. In 2009, Joseph Johnson donated $500 to his hand-picked successor, then-Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, who lost the election. 

Albuquerque Public Schools Involvement

At the Roundhouse, Stapleton, who worked as an administrator — not a teacher — for Albuquerque Public Schools, did the teachers unions’ bidding, especially that of Albuquerque Federation of Teachers (AFT) president Ellen Bernstein, one of the people who signed off on Stapleton’s 2013 Ph.D. dissertation regarding the Three-Tiered Licensure System. Stapleton is currently listed as a director for AFT. Coincidentally, Stapleton thanked Joseph Johnson in her dissertation for his “invaluable input,” calling him a“friend.”

APS has long been in the crossfire for corruption, with millions of appropriated funds going missing at the hands of administrators, from three employees getting indicted on fraud counts for thousands of dollars in 1986 — two years following Stapleton beginning at the District in 1984 — to former vocational school founder Danny Moon taking off with over $1 million from the schools in the early 2000s.

A 2016 report found that ​​former APS Board member Analee Maestas embezzled almost $700,000 from La Promesa Early Learning Center to her personal bank account. According to the Albuquerque Journal, “​​Maestas has blamed the nearly $700,000 in questionable transactions at La Promesa on her daughter’s substance abuse problems.” 

In 2011, Larry Barker of KRQE 13 News found that Stapleton “pocketed more than $100,000 — money she didn’t earn — from APS over the years while serving in the legislature. But instead of being punished or forced to pay it back, Superintendent Winston Brooks changed the rules for Stapleton.” Brooks dismissed Stapleton’s $167,000 worth of unauthorized leave from APS, saying, “What I did was I changed the employee handbook so that anyone can be a legislator in Santa Fe and be paid for it.” 

In a 2014 Albuquerque Journal op-ed, Bernstein advocated for paying legislators who worked for the schools, writing that credit has yet to be given to Stapleton “for banking extra hours, working weekends and nights and using vacations (sic) days to serve the public. Why the double-standard?” She added, “It is my hope that the APS Board of Education does the right thing by supporting all their employees to serve in the Legislature. Otherwise, we leave the crucial work of creating the policies that govern our state in the hands of those who are wealthy or retired.” No other state public employee, other than educators, in New Mexico is allowed to serve in a partisan public office.

In 2018, former Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission executive director Kimberly Greene and former employees Cheryl Yazzie and Charles Countee pleaded guilty to fraud and embezzlement charges by creating phony state vouchers to heist over $67,700 from the Commission. According to Greene, she claims she “was coerced by [then]-House Minority Whip Sheryl Williams Stapleton, D-Albuquerque, to enter into a no-bid contract with eRead, an outside contractor for ACT/SAT program,” according to the New Mexico Political Report. However, Stapleton claimed, “I was never involved, never spoke to anybody about a no-bid contract.”

Paper Trail

Stapleton has lent her political influence to support allies through her racially charged groups, such as “New Mexico Black PAC,” of which she reportedly served as president. The group gave to Democrat politicians, including $2,500 to Michelle Lujan Grisham in her successful 2018 run for governor, $1,000 to former Attorney General Gary King’s 2014 failed run for governor, $500 to former Bernalillo County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver’s successful run for secretary of state, and former Commissioner of Public Lands Ray Powell $500 in his failed run for reelection. Many of these same candidates, including Oliver, also received checks from Stapleton’s re-election campaign committee.

Stapleton also moved thousands of dollars from her re-election campaign account to the Sheryl Williams Stapleton African American Performing Arts Center and the Charlie Morrisey Scholarship Fund, both of which could have been used to launder money from her political donors to line her own pockets.

The Future

Now, as Sheryl Williams Stapleton is feeling the wrath from federal investigators regarding her use of shady out-of-state shell companies, her position in the Legislature to allegedly funnel money from APS, and the years of scandal that have plagued her tenure in the Roundhouse, Stapleton may very well go down as the most corrupt politician in recent New Mexico history. Time will tell what other high-profile former colleagues, politicians, and political players may be implicated alongside her in this years-long alleged graft scheme that has just now been revealed.

Perhaps the greatest consequence of all is how the taxpayers of New Mexico cannot trust their long-elected public officials after such an incident. Especially now that it appears this graft has been occurring for at least the last 27 years, it came at the expense of the most vulnerable New Mexicans, including children and the Black community. 

EXCLUSIVE: Ex-NM cabinet secretary’s ties to Williams Stapleton expose other top Dems Read More »

MLG bashes GOP, ‘opponents’ of her public health mandates in fundraising email

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In a fundraising email sent out over the weekend, scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham once again bashed Republicans while claiming she had followed the science regarding her latest round of mask mandates.

She wrote the following: 

We’re well on our way to herd immunity in New Mexico, but we’re not out of the woods yet. As the delta variant spreads, I’ve taken immediate action to keep New Mexicans safe by reinstating a mask mandate for most indoor settings and requiring vaccines for those who work in high-risk areas like hospitals and nursing homes.

As former Cabinet Secretary of New Mexico’s Department of Health, I’ll never stop following scientific guidance to save lives from this virus – no matter what misinformation my political opponents and extremists spread about the severity of COVID-19 or the efficacy of vaccines. I want to know what YOU think of my administration’s handling of the pandemic so far.

My team is conducting a live poll to find out what New Mexicans think about my pandemic response. Your response will send a clear message to those COVID deniers and opponents of sensible and critical public health measures that New Mexicans support following the science to keep our citizens safe, so I’m counting on you to lock in your answer before our survey closes at midnight tonight.

It is unclear what Lujan Grisham claims is a “sensible and critical public health measure,” but throughout the pandemic, she has forced New Mexicans to stand in freezing bread lines to buy food over the holiday, forced the vaccination of health care workers, locked-down schools, among other anti-science, nonsensical measures. 

In the poll questions, Lujan Grisham included “Small businesses were especially hard hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic. To keep business owners afloat and revitalize our economy, I signed a law that provided $200 million in pandemic relief for small businesses. Do you agree with my decision to support small businesses during the pandemic?” However, the only answers allowed to this question were, “Yes, supporting small businesses was an essential aspect of your pandemic response” and “No, we should let small businesses go under during this unprecedented crisis.”

Another question asked in her poll was, “Throughout the pandemic, the GOP has spread dangerous conspiracy theories that undermine the severity of this deadly virus, discourage commonsense public health tactics and increase vaccine hesitancy. How worried are you about extremist members of the GOP taking control of our state?” 

However, throughout the pandemic, Democrats cast doubt on the effectiveness of the vaccine:

Now, it appears Lujan Grisham is trying to throw the Republican Party under the bus for her personal failures during the pandemic, while she desperately seeks to cling to power. She previously bashed her opponents as“lizard people.”

MLG bashes GOP, ‘opponents’ of her public health mandates in fundraising email Read More »

Lujan Grisham regime pushes ‘climate emergency’ doomsday propaganda

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On Sunday, the Santa Fe New Mexican editorial board posted its latest opinion piece, this time floating the idea that a supposed “climate emergency” must be all that is talked about “all the time.” 

The far-0ut editorial fearmongers imminent disaster if extreme actions are not taking, writing, “the window to stop its progression is rapidly closing.” The board proposes, “Let’s not call it climate change anymore. The planet is in the midst of a climate emergency.”

“That’s why the switch from burning fossil fuels for energy to renewable power is essential. It’s also why New Mexico and the United States must control methane gases and other pollutants,” the editorial continues. “If we can coordinate efforts to stop carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, temperatures will rise, but not to a point that makes life unbearable.” 

The board proposes that through the United Nations, countries should cough up billions of dollars to stop this supposed “climate crisis” with massive investments switching to “renewable” energy to limit the rise in global temperatures by two degrees Fahrenheit.

Scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is touted for her work to ram through radical budget-killing “climate change” policies, such as her Green New Deal (Energy Transition Act), which will decimate the fossil fuels industry by the year 2045. 

“The oil and gas industry is the state’s largest greenhouse gas emitter, and these rules will reduce the industry’s pollution footprint,” the New Mexican editorial board claims, applauding Lujan Grisham’s economy-crippling plan to “increase the availability of zero- and low-emission vehicles in the state. A Clean Fuel Standard is being updated as soon as the next legislative session and the state is shoring up electric vehicle infrastructure.” 

But the state has already seen the devastating effects from the Governor’s “green” proposals, such as the Green New Deal, which is likely to create brownouts by next summer due to an energy shortage and has forced the closure of the San Juan Generating Station by PNM, leaving countless New Mexicans without jobs and only around 80 employees able to retire. For the rest of the employees, though, they’re going to have to go find some other form of employment,” said plant manager Omni Warner. 

Even far-left enviro-Marxist groups have begged the Legislature to make changes to the Energy Transition Act before it completely wrecks the state.

The alternative energies that Democrats’ tout, such as wind and solar, have shown to use toxic pollutants in production, they are unreliable in terms of energy power, and because of how they are produced, wind turbines and old solar panels cannot be recycled. They also are frying (solar) and crushing (wing) birds and bats in mid-air — an extremely devastating demise for these aerial animals. 

But Gov. Lujan Grisham’s administration continues its extremist push for “climate emergency” propaganda by sharing the New Mexican’s editorial board, further showing the regime will push its corrosive agenda — no matter the cost to hard-working New Mexico taxpayers harmed by these destructive globalist policies. 

Lujan Grisham regime pushes ‘climate emergency’ doomsday propaganda Read More »

Gov. Lujan Grisham and Speaker Egolf hoist Pride flags atop the Capitol in Santa Fe

While New Mexicans suffer, MLG, Egolf offer up NM as Afghan refugee camp

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On Friday, scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham joined Speaker of the New Mexico House Brian Egolf (D-Santa Fe) in sending a letter to Joe Biden offering to house refugees fleeing Afghanistan amid Biden’s crisis in the country where the Taliban has taken the reigns. 

The letter from the two Democrat politicians reads as follows:

Here in New Mexico, we have long been a state that values and takes pride in our diversity and unity of many cultures. We have a proud tradition of welcoming refugees from around the world with open arms, and we make no exception for the people of Afghanistan. 

As a state and a nation, our ideals have always been to uphold and value the contributions of every individual. We cannot and should not turn our backs on those around the world who share that ideal. To that end, may this letter serve as a reminder that Ness Mexico is here to help resettle and accommodate those individuals and families who’ve spent the past two decades supporting our U.S. troops, diplomatic personnel, and efforts to bring peace, democracy, and security to Afghanistan. 

We are glad to remain in contact with your administration on the evolving plans for settlement of these vulnerable populations, and we will await further direction from your administration as to how we may be able to support those efforts. 

Despite the two lawmakers’ concerns for the “vulnerable populations” of Afghanistan, never did Egolf or Lujan Grisham offer to house migrants from the communism-ravaged country of Cuba, where people in the country are begging for help from America. They were not welcomed with “open arms” as Egolf and Lujan Grisham claim in their letter.

The offer also comes as New Mexico faces some of the highest unemployment numbers, which are bound to go even higher now that the governor is renewing her strict indoor mask mandate, regardless of vaccination status. 
Lujan Grisham killed 40% of small businesses in the state and we repeatedly hit the number one spot for unemployment. Also, due to the Governor’s new mandates, economy-driving state fairs and festivals are being canceled or scaled back due to the Governor’s mandatory vaccination demands.

While New Mexicans suffer, MLG, Egolf offer up NM as Afghan refugee camp Read More »

Hundreds protest MLG’s forced shot mandate for medical workers at Roundhouse

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On Friday, hundreds of New Mexico health care workers, including emergency medical technicians, nurses, doctors, and others affected by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s forced vaccination mandates showed up in droves to the Roundhouse in Santa Fe to protest the mandates, which are now forcing all health care workers to get the inoculation.

“We’re not saying, ‘Don’t get the vaccine.’ We’re not saying, ‘Get the vaccine.’ We’re saying to the governor, ‘We want the choice to put an experimental vaccine in our body, not to be forced,’ ” said Hollie Ortiz, a nurse. She is prepared to quit her job in a matter of days if she is forced to take the jab, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican. 

Medical workers say that the mandates will only worsen the already strained health care system in New Mexico, with the New Mexico Department of Health sending out an “urgent call” for nurses and hospital staff. With the mandate, it will force health care workers to be fired, quit, and ultimately make these life-saving workers leave the state.

“That makes it even worse,” said Julian Baca, who has worked at the state penitentiary for over 13 years. “Not only are you forcing a vaccine on us, now you’re taking food out of a family’s mouth. Now you’re going to make me lose my home. Now you’re going to make me get my house foreclosed on, or you’re taking away my career.”

Jennifer Alter, an Albuquerque radiology technician said, “I’ve worked so hard…. I feel like I have a high work ethic. I sacrificed for so many years. You know, I’ve worked the two jobs, and I feel like, ‘How dare them?’ ”

But despite these nurses, medical professionals, workers, and others making a plea to the Governor to not force these mandates down health care workers’ throats, her press secretary sent out a condescending statement to the New Mexican demeaning health care workers who did not take the vaccine.

Sackett said that health care in the state has to be rationed “because of unvaccinated New Mexicans spreading a highly infectious and incredibly dangerous virus despite the widespread availability and efficacy of vaccines.”

She added, “Vaccines are required in certain high-risk settings, right now, because anything less is irresponsible and will lead to sickness and potentially death, needless death, and the governor and her administration have been consistent throughout this pandemic in acting on her commitment to limit and prevent needless sickness and death.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told CNN what the COVID-19 vaccines “can׳t do anymore is prevent transmission.” 

Here are some photos from the protest:

Hundreds protest MLG’s forced shot mandate for medical workers at Roundhouse Read More »

Citizens protesting Friday at Roundhouse against forced shots, in ABQ to support small business

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This week, scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham mandated that healthcare workers must receive the shot by August 27th. The order required that “all workers in New Mexico hospitals and congregate care facilities are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with only limited exceptions.” She wrote these edicts in response to what she calls a deadly“Delta variant” of the virus.

In response, health care workers and New Mexicans from across the state are teaming up for a protest on Friday at 11:00 a.m. at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe to oppose the mandated inoculations with a peaceful protest. According to organizers, nurses, paramedics, and anyone affected by these unjust mandates will be there, with at least 40 medical workers confirmed to be in attendance.

The mandate will no doubt cause harm and likely termination for medical workers who for nearly a year were forced to work on the frontlines of the pandemic without the option of a shot because it was not developed for experimentation yet. Now, those same workers who risked their health by saving lives during the pandemic could be fired because they choose not to take the jab.  

According to a post from Legacy Church in Albuquerque, the organizers of the protest “are inviting all church members from everywhere to stand with them and attend.” 

Also, on Friday, August 20 there will be a peaceful protest at Backstreet Grill in Albuquerque at 11:00 a.m. on 1919 Old Town Rd NW #6, Albuquerque, NM 87104 to support local businesses.

Lujan Grisham’s administration killed 40% of small businesses in New Mexico.

Backstreet Grill is one of the small businesses that stood up to the Governor and won in court against her oppressive mandates.

Citizens protesting Friday at Roundhouse against forced shots, in ABQ to support small business Read More »

Tim Keller’s ABQ: Four APD officers injured, one in ‘critical’ condition, during robbery

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On Thursday, the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) confirmed during a briefing that four officers were injured during a robbery at the Dutch Bros near Mountain and Juan Tabo.

According to KRQE 13, “APD says one officer is in critical condition after taking a bullet to the chest above his vest. The second officer was shot in the arm and is currently in surgery. The third officer was shot in the center of his bulletproof vest. The fourth officer was injured with shrapnel/glass.” 

APD now has two possible offenders in custody, according to the Department, which wrote, “APD detectives have the second offender in custody. We do not believe there are other outstanding offenders at this point.” 

At around 10:30 a.m., Kennedy Middle School, Jackson Middle School, Chelwood Elementary School, Tomasita Elementary School, McCollum Elementary School, and Manzano High School were in a shelter in place. KRQE noted that at 12:27 p.m., the shelter in place was lifted.

KOB 4 reported, “APD will not be responding to non-emergency calls while the investigation is ongoing. Police have launched an evidence portal for any submissions the public may have.” 

During Mayor Tim Keller’s reign, Albuquerque has seen the largest increase in the number of annual homicides in history. His anti-police sentiments and policies appear to have contributed to the rampant crime in the city.

Keller also stood behind radicals in the City Council who passed a resolution aiming at taking away donated tools from the Military to help the Albuquerque Police Department. He also participated in the George Floyd protests in 2020, where he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with

He said, “Under our administration, APD has not received military-style equipment or weapons from this program. Their use is also out of step with our values around community safety. We fully support a formal end to Albuquerque’s participation.”

Following the shooting that injured the four officers, the Republican Party of New Mexico’s executive director Kim Skaggs wrote, “Our hearts go out to these officers and their families, and we hope they fully recover from their wounds.” She added, “We cannot tolerate this violence any longer. We need a conservative mayor who will crack down on this crisis and actually do something to stop this infestation. Democrat-led leaders at the local and state level have refused to take meaningful action or pass laws that punish criminals and keep them off our streets. The next mayor has to move Albuquerque into a new direction—one that protects police and our citizens.”

The officers injured by the shooter include James Eichel Jr., Sgt. Sean Kenny, Officer Harry Gunderson, and Officer Mario Verbeck. Verbeck remains in critical condition, while Kenney has been released from the hospital, according to reports.

Update from a press conference held at UNM Hospital:

The injuries of the officers were released as follows: 

One officer was shot at the base of the neck above his bulletproof vest, but was brought into the operating room and was stabilized. He is currently in critical condition.

The Second officer was shot in the chest but protected by a bullet proof vest.

Another officer was shot in forearm and brought to operating room. The officer is stabilized and in stable condition.

The fourth officer had a shrapnel injury to the eye in stable condition.

Tim Keller’s ABQ: Four APD officers injured, one in ‘critical’ condition, during robbery Read More »

Despite massive public opposition, Alamogordo school board removes president

4 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Wednesday, the Alamogordo Public Schools Board of Education met to discuss multiple items, including the installment of the new superintendent Dr. Kenneth Moore, the passage of a “resolution” regarding mask-wearing at schools, and the election of new “officers.”

With a group of three out of the five members, Judy Rabon, Ryan Sherwood, and Carol Teweleit, voting for a change in leadership, despite a new term not being upon the Board, the three members removed President Angie Cadwallader and replaced her with Rabon. Cadwallader has been a fierce advocate for school mask choice, against transgenders infiltrating girls’ sports, and against the racist Critical Race Theory.

The said reasoning behind the change in leadership given was that “because of COVID” they “decided to leave it the way it was.” But despite the board agenda clearly stating “officers” to be elected in the plural, the board voted only for a new president, with Teweleit, who serves as secretary, nominating Rabon with support from Sherwood.

Board Member Anthony Torres, a local pastor, voted with Cadwallader against the installment of a new president. Despite boos and much opposition from the audience at the meeting, Rabon repeatedly told the attendees to quiet down as she took the president’s chair.

Following the installment of Rabon, with the crowd furious, the board continued down the agenda, with the proposal of a resolution to “respectfully request” Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to keep parents’ and students’ choices in mind when giving New Mexico Public Education Department guidelines. The weak language did not go as far as other school boards, such as that of Floyd, New Mexico Municipal Board which passed a resolution not requiring staff or students to be forcibly masked at school. 

Before the vote, Sherwood, evidently flustered by the angered crowd, claimed he was a “conservative” and leaned on his Military service to defend his votes. He claimed he was offended people did not think of him as a “patriot” for his bad votes on the School Board. 

Torres voted against the resolution while Cadwallader abstained. After Torres voted against the resolution, the audience applauded. 

During public comment, many residents said they were disappointed with the Board, such as the Republican Party of Otero County Chair Amy Barela talking about how elected leaders must follow the will of the people, quoting famed diplomat Alexis de Tocqueville, who wrote “Democracy in America.” 

Dr. Roger Black commented on how the Board opened themselves up to “liability” and had assumed “responsibility” for health mandates they were promulgating and enforcing. 

Despite massive public opposition, Alamogordo school board removes president Read More »

Teachers unions pleased as MLG punishes educators with new mandates

11 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Tuesday, scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced new harsh mandates, including mask mandates indoors for all people regardless of vaccination status, forced vaccination for medical workers, and requiring educators to show proof of a negative virus test. She claimed these were due to a new strain of the virus called the“Delta variant.”

According to the Governor’s press release, “The state also issued a requirement that all workers at private, public and charter schools in New Mexico either be vaccinated against COVID-19 or otherwise submit to COVID-19 testing on a weekly basis. This policy aligns with the state’s requirement for all state government personnel.” 

While the strict mandates will harm educators, who already have been subjected to extreme testing and masking standards, educators (including apparently private institutions who are not under the mandates of the New Mexico Public Education Department) will further be punished.

But New Mexico teachers unions, which purport to care about educators in the Land of Enchantment, apparently do not care about the strenuous requirements implemented by the Governor. On the contrary, the National Education Association New Mexico (NEA-NM) and the American Federation of Teachers New Mexico (AFT-NM) sent out statements in support of the mandates.

AFT-NM wrote the following: 

“Universal masking requirements for students, staff, and visitors have been proactively negotiated at the local level in many school districts across New Mexico, so standardizing this common-sense, science-based mitigation effort represents another way to best help keep students and educators safe and our doors open for learning. 

“We recognize universal masking and increased surveillance testing for the unvaccinated may be onerous for some educators and students, but we must view these procedures and precautions through the lenses of science and public safety, rather than our own personal comfort. 

“Educators have been on the front lines throughout this pandemic, and our commitment and obligation to advocate and work for safe and in-person learning must not waiver. The example we set moving forward will be seen by our students and families, and New Mexico’s educators must continue to be the role models our students, families, and communities know us to be.”

NEA-NM shared a link from the Albuquerque Journal and claimed the edict for educators “matches a policy imposed for state employees earlier this month.”

Despite claiming to care about children and teachers, the governor’s mandates have forced many parents to pull their children out of the public school system and made many teachers’ lives even harder, with steps to encroach on teachers’ preferences not to take the vaccine.

Teachers unions pleased as MLG punishes educators with new mandates Read More »

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