Opinion

MLG refuses to reopen NM despite state meeting benchmarks

69 Comments / New Mexico, News, Opinion, Politics / By

On Tuesday, it was reported that New Mexico had finally hit Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s gating criteria to reopen New Mexico. The criteria require there to be an average of 168 new COVID-19 cases in a seven-day period, which the state has met, hitting 155. 

However, despite KOAT 7 crunching the numbers, the State told them “they are using a different number that is based on the date the actual test was taken, and they could not provide the number.”

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office responded, “We have reached this stage only because of the incredible hard work New Mexicans have undertaken in adhering to the state’s public health guidelines and making the right individual and collective decisions. The gating criteria are not a ‘finish line,’ so to speak, implying that once we reach the gating criteria, we are in the clear.” 

The move by the Governor to dismiss New Mexico hitting the benchmark, while the state refusing to say what numbers they are measuring, shows a lack of transparency and obstruction of critical information New Mexicans deserve to know regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

If the Governor, as she has so often claims, is relying on data and science, then there should be no problem letting the public know what those metrics that she’s measuring are.

Lujan Grisham is set to address the Democrat National Convention tonight, and she is expected to address, at least in part, her “leadership” during the coronavirus pandemic, which has left countless businesses closed and working families devastated.

Biden’s $4 trillion tax hike will happen unless New Mexico votes Republican in November

Leave a Comment / New Mexico, Opinion, Politics / By

Joe Biden’s massive $4 trillion tax hike on Americans to finance socialized medicine, “climate change” proposals, and other far-out measures can very well become a reality, and it’s just 78 days away. 

Biden’s chances of getting his socialized programs through, not to mention his far-left Supreme Court nominees through, hinges on Republicans flipping the U.S. House back to Republican Contol, keeping a Senate majority, and holding onto the White House.

The stakes of a Biden/Harris win are a coin-flip away from bringing America into full-blown socialism, and communities that have been demonized by Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, such as Catholics, will see their Constitutional freedoms evaporate out of thin air. 

Flipping the House of Representatives takes just 20 seats to do that, and New Mexico’s three congressional districts, especially the Second District are in play to return to Republican hands. 

1st Congressional District

Incumbent first-term Rep. Deb Haaland is as far-left as possible, voting 95% with “Squad” leader Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), 96% with anti-Semitic Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and 97% with Ayanna Pressley (D-MA). Haaland has done everything she can while in office to show off her radical leftism, including cries for attention by attending the funeral of George Floyd and backing extreme anti-oil and gas policies proposed by the socialist “Squad.” She also called violent Antifa rioters throwing hammers at cars and pepper-spraying teenagers “peaceful protesters.” Her anti-police rhetoric and record are unmatched in her hatred for the men and women in blue, sponsoring a bill to “demilitarize” the police, her first step in defunding them altogether. 

Haaland’s Republican challenger is Michelle Garcia Holmes, who is a conservative activist and former Chief of Staff at the New Mexico Attorney General’s office. She has a long career in Law Enforcement and has high marks on her conservative record. Chip in to her campaign by clicking here. 

Donate to Michelle Garcia Holmes

2nd Congressional District


Incumbent Rep. Xochitl Torres Small is also extremely far-left, voting with Nancy Pelosi and Radical Democrats 95% of the time while trying to claim she’s “moderate.” She voted for the partisan impeachment of President Trump after admitting that it was a hoax and there was no “quid pro quo.” She also called President Trump a “racist,” voted for the anti-First Amendment “Equality Act,” which will rip away religious freedom and put men in girls’ sports, disadvantaging female athletes. As well, Torres Small praised Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s socialized “free college” proposal and voted on a partisan “universal background checks” bill on guns despite parading around as a Second Amendment advocate in her ads. This summary is just the tip fo the iceberg on her radical record, which can be read more about here. 

Torres Small’s Republican challenger is former state Rep. Yvette Herrell, who has high marks on her conservative record in the Legislature. She has the backing of prominent conservative leaders, including Sen. Ted Cruz, Rep. Jim Jordan, President Trump’s Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, the National Rifle Association, Susan B. Anthony’s List, among others. Chip in to her campaign by clicking here. 

Donate to Yvette Herrell

3rd Congressional District

Democrat nominee for Congress in New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District, Teresa Leger de Fernandez, is also cut from the same cloth as the rest of the state’s radical far-left delegation. She was the lawyer who convinced a judge to rule in favor of “ranked-choice voting” in Santa Fe’s municipal elections, enduring a democratic election was impossible. It just so happens her friend, Judge David Thomson, who ruled in her favor, was appointed to the New Mexico Supreme Court shortly thereafter. Leger de Fernandez has been showered by hundreds of thousands of dollars in dark-money support from the abortion up-to-birth group “EMILY’s List,” among others. She has the full support of Ben Ray Luján, current Rep. for the Third District, and has the “Green New Deal” at the top of her priorities if she gets to Congress. Leger de Fernandez has the endorsement of socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Leger de Fernandez’s Republican challenger is Alexis Martinez Johnson, who has the endorsement of Rep Paul Gosar (R-AZ) and has made her name known by appearing at conservative events and rallies. Chip in to her campaign here.

Donate to Alexis Martinez Johnson

U.S. Senate

Ben Ray Luján, who serves as “Assistant Speaker” under Nancy Pelosi in the House of Representatives, and supports socialized health care, where citizens will have their doctors ripped away from them, as well as the Green New Deal. He has 100% rankings from abortion up-to-birth and infanticide groups NARAL and Planned Parenthood and has not passed a single bill with his name on it during his 12 years (6 terms) in Congress.

Ben Ray’s Republican challenger is Mark Ronchetti, a former television meteorologist, who handily won his primary to take on Luán in November. Donations to his campaign can be made here. 

Donate to Mark Ronchetti Here

The very heart and soul of New Mexico is at stake in November, and if voters elect Democrats to Congress, they can expect more witch hunts against President Trump, tax hikes, late-term abortion, liberal Supreme Court justices, and a total assault on New Mexicans’ constitutional rights to their First and Second Amendments. The choice is clear, and the stakes could not be higher to elect Republicans in November. Every single Republican needs your support in every race. Together, we can take back our state.

Our New Mexico unrecognizable

2 Comments / Opinion / By

In 1954, the Johnson Amendment was passed in an effort to bar churches from speaking out against the government and from publicly supporting political policies. It’s a nonprofit filing that ensures the church does not have to pay property tax, yet this amendment single-handedly removes any voice from the church. 

In an age when the NFL has stolen Sundays from most Americans and has recently imposed a fine on players who attend mass with greater than 25% capacity, why have we allowed their voice to be greater than that of the church? Is this true separation of church and state or government control based on tax status? 

Why is this important? Our values and way of life are being mocked and stripped away by our own local officials. We have been under Democratic control for over 90 years and continue to elect people who have never truly had New Mexicans at heart. 

New Mexico is a Democratic stronghold for the late-term abortion industry. There are thousands and thousands of abortion dollars flowing into the campaigns of Reps. Ben Ray Lujan, Xochitl Torres Small, and congressional candidate Teresa Leger Fernandez. Why? Colorado will vote in November on Initiative 120 to ban late-term abortion. While this is great news this would ensure these providers make New Mexico their new home, driving excess abortion traffic into the state. The current makeup of our local government and Democratic stronghold would ensure this massacre would continue in NM.  

The University of New Mexico is currently training the next generation of abortion providers and allowed a sign to hang reading, “HEROES WORK HERE” outside of their late-term abortion facility for weeks. After the tireless efforts by Bud and Tara Shaver of “AbortionFreeNM,” Father Stephen Imbarrato, and many others, the sign was ultimately taken down. 

New Mexico is currently unrecognizable with minimal church attendance, red flag gun laws, late-term abortion, and transgender storytimes for pre-K and kindergarteners, supported by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, the New Mexico Public Education Department, the City of Albuquerque, and New Mexico Highlands University.

If this “pandemic” and last legislative session have taught us anything, it’s that our local officials are far more extreme than the average New Mexican could have ever imagined. We as a people cannot sit back and allow these government sellouts to belittle our church, our values, and our way of life. It is not time to live in fear of a virus that has a 99.97% survival rate waiting for a vaccine that is developed off the cells of aborted fetal tissues. Support the land and values that our grandfathers fought for because at this rate, what will we pass on to our own grandchildren?

Alyssa M. Gonzales is a traditional New Mexican fighting to end abortion in New Mexico. You can follow her on Twitter @Alyssajustdoit.

Opinions offered by Piñon Post contributors do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the publication or its editorial staff. Submit an op-ed to the Piñon Post at news@pinonpost.com.

Yvette Herrell’s race to reclaim New Mexico’s Second Congressional District

2 Comments / Opinion / By

As a working mother and journalist living in New Mexico, I’ve recently become interested in politics. In doing so, I have learned a great deal about our candidates, and the conservative ideologies and values each of them represents. Over the next 82 days, I would like to educate the voters and highlight our 2020 Candidates for the General Election under our great President, Donald Trump.

Today, I’d like to showcase Yvette Herrell’s Campaign for the 2nd Congressional District. Yvette Herrell has been a longtime voice for New Mexicans! She served four terms in the New Mexico House of Representatives and is now running for U.S. House in New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District. She’s a lifelong Republican and avid protector of our constitutional rights! 

Herrell has raised an astounding $1.3 million thus far in her 2020 campaign. She received the prestigious 2020 Iron Lady Award and was named a “Young Gun” by the National Republican Congressional Committee. The Washington Post interestingly named CD-2 the most competitive district in the nation, making Herrell’s campaign exciting as we work to create a red wave in 2020.

Yvette was born on March 16th, 1964, in Ruidoso, NM, and has been a lifelong member of the Cherokee Nation. After graduation, she attended Cloudcroft High School and obtained her legal secretary certificate from ITT Tech School of Business in Boise, Idaho. She went on to own several small businesses and became a real estate agent in Alamogordo.

In 2010, Herrell challenged incumbent Representative Gloria Vaughn for District 51 in the New Mexico House of Representatives, winning with 864 votes against Vaughn in the June 1, 2010, Republican Primary. She went on to win the General Election on November 2nd, 2010, with a total of 3,077 votes against Susan Medina, the Democrat nominee. In 2012, Yvette Herrell was unopposed in the June 5th, 2020 Republican Primary and won with 2,128 votes and also won the Nov 6th, 2012 General Election with 7,750 Votes. She won the District two more times in 2014 and 2016 before running for Congress in 2018. 

Yvette Herrell ran a very close race in the 2018 election against attorney Xochitl Torres Small. At the end of election night, Herrell was in the lead with most media outlets dubbing her the winner until the next day when more ballots were counted, and Torres Small was announced the official winner, taking the lead over Yvette with absentee ballots. Talk of voter fraud from Herrell’s campaign surfaced, although never proven.

Now in 2020, Yvette Herrell is back stronger than ever!!! She ran a fantastic campaign, winning the June 2020 Republican primary, with 45.6% of the vote against Claire Chase and Chris Mathys. Yvette Herrell goes on to face Democrat socialist Xochitl Torres Small in the November 2020 General Election. Herrell has worked tirelessly to flip this seat, and change New Mexico for the better! Voting the career politicians out of office, such as Xochitl Torres Small, Ben Ray Lujan, and Deb Haaland is now more imperative than ever for our state’s future.

Herrell has campaigned throughout New Mexico, making appearances at “ReOpen NM” rallies and fighting for our constitutional rights as our tyrant Governor MLG continues to try to eradicate them. Yvette is a loyal supporter of our great President, Donald Trump, and is dedicated to flipping New Mexico Red this 2020 general election. She has come together with all of our Republican candidates in a combined effort to rid Congress of the career politicians currently holding offices. Let’s rally behind Yvette Herrell and her boots-on-the-ground, grassroots efforts to help New Mexico and its citizens. Go Vote! Stand up for our future by changing this state and making it great once again! Herrell2020. 

Allison Friar is a Journalist and a Mother living in Albuquerque NM. Allison believes in working towards a better future for our children! Follow her on Facebook here.

Opinions offered by Piñon Post contributors do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the publication or its editorial staff. Submit an op-ed to the Piñon Post at news@pinonpost.com.

Xochitl can’t say she ‘worked with’ Trump when she voted for a partisan coup to take him down

Leave a Comment / New Mexico, Opinion, Politics / By

Xochitl Torres Small is quick to claim she “works with President Trump” on issues while serving in Congress, but not even the left-wing media is buying that anymore, with KOB 4 fact-checking the freshman congresswoman for her deceptive language in campaign ads. 

But the anti-Trump groundwork has already been set with Xochitl Torres Small, not too long ago bashing President Trump in a 2018 interview, claiming the President’s border plans are “clearly ill-informed.” 

Xochitl voted for a radical Democrat bill to condemn President Trump’s tweets, and said President Trump is a “racist.” 

But Xochitl doubled down on her Trump hate when despite herself saying Nancy Pelosi and the Radical Democrats’ impeachment was “not an explicit quid pro quo,” she voted for the partisan measure anyway — ignoring the will of New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District, who voted for President Trump by a margin of 10 points in 2016. 

A poll from New Mexico’s 2nd District shows that 66 percent wanted Torres Small to move past impeachment and focus on the work they elected her to do. More than half (56 percent) of all voters in the Second Congressional District opposed Congress impeaching President Trump.

Xochitl voted with Nancy Pelosi 95% of the time — bucking President Trump at every turn. It is a farse for Xochitl to claim she has every “worked with President Trump” when her votes, statements, and ultimately, her choice to impeach him in a partisan sham coup d’etat prove she is not willing to work for anyone but herself.

MLG promised New Mexico would be ‘open for business’ in 2018 campaign ad — she lied

1 Comment / New Mexico, News, Opinion, Politics / By

During the 2018 campaign for governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham made a lot of promises to the people of New Mexico, and some of those promises are coming back to bite her regarding her response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an August 2018 campaign ad, Lujan Grisham vowed to “promote small businesses and entrepreneurs,” and said “When I’m governor, we’ll be open for business.” 

Lujan Grisham repeated this line in her campaign policy proposals, writing, “we will let industry leaders know that New Mexico is open for business.”

But with the state shut down, 14-day mandatory quarantine for anyone traveling out-of-state, and hundreds of small businesses closing for good, New Mexico does not look anything like the utopia Lujan Grisham promised. New Mexico not only is not “open for business,” it is bleeding for cash, as seen during the 2020 special session, where the Governor’s unsustainable budget was cut due to her irresponsible lack of fiscal responsibility. New Mexico’s largest tourism event, the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, is also cancelled, as well as countless revenue-generating events and opportunities.

Lujan Grisham also fined small businesses, which she supposedly supports according to her campaign ad, with up to $60,000 fines for non-compliance with her strict health orders, in stark opposition to her previous claims of support for such businesses.

Now, New Mexico, the most dependent state on federal dollars, could be being intentionally closed — not because of COVID-19, but because of the huge federal aide being offered for each COVID-19 patient. According to a study from Kaiser Health News, New Mexico is receiving $171,000 per coronavirus patient, which may be a reason Lujan Grisham is locking down the state — a stark violation of her campaign promise. New Mexico remains closed for business thanks to Gov. Lujan Grisham.

Luján uses his late father’s cancer battle to promote his U.S. Senate run

2 Comments / New Mexico, News, Opinion, Politics / By

On Tuesday, Democrat Rep. Ben Ray Luján (NM-03) revealed a new ad using the narrative of his late father’s cancer battle to promote his U.S. Senate run.

Lujan, who is a supporter of the socialist “Medicare for All” proposal backed by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, used his father, who was an ironworker, to promote his health care plans.

“When my dad was diagnosed with cancer, mom and dad were fortunate to have insurance and good care for him during those trying days for our family,” Luján said in the ad. “That’s why I’ve worked in Congress to expand access to affordable, quality healthcare, and why I’ll bring that fight to the Senate to ensure every New Mexican can receive the affordable medical care they need.”

“I’m Ben Ray Luján. Mom and Dad were lucky to have insurance. To many, a cancer diagnosis means bankruptcy or losing your home,” the ad says.

According to Congress.gov., Luján has not passed a single bill with his name on it into law despite over 11 years serving in the House of Representatives. Now, it appears he is using the image of his well-known late father to boost his image on television commercials for his U.S. Senate run. 

Luján’s father served as the Speaker of the New Mexico House of Representatives from 2002 to 2012. Ben Ray Luján is running against Republican longtime television weatherman Mark Ronchetti for the U.S. Senate seat.

Leftists weaponizing conservative ‘Respect NM’ branding to spread left-wing propaganda

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Recently, a new account has appeared on Twitter called “Respect NM Fans,” which is weaponizing the conservative “Respect NM” branding to spread left-wing propaganda. 

The account, which says it was created in July, is utilizing the “Respect NM” campaign’s images, logo and fonts to nefariously trick people into thinking the account is the real thing, but it isn’t. Instead of “Respect New Mexico,” the logo has been slightly changed to “Respect New Mexicans,” and other slight changes. 

Some of the messages promote the use of solar energy, all mail-in elections, expanding welfare, and mandated mask-wearing. 

So, before you share that “Respect NM” meme, make sure it came from the genuine Respect NM account (@RespectNM), and not the leftist campaign Respect NM Fans (@RespectNMFans). Also, it is encouraged to report the account for impersonation.

This is what a genuine Respect New Mexico meme looks like:

Xochitl Torres Small’s radical record cannot hide behind her ‘moderate’ façade

2 Comments / New Mexico, Opinion / By

This article originally appeared in the Alamogordo Daily News.

It’s no secret that during her entire time in public life, Xochitl Torres Small rarely, if ever, has answered a question with a straightforward answer, consistently pivoting, deceiving, and even lying to the voters of New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District.

I spoke to Torres Small at one of her carefully-orchestrated events in Deming in August 2019. I posed a straightforward question regarding her refusal to sign onto the bipartisan Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which gives an infant born alive after a failed abortion basic medical care.

I asked her, “if [a] baby survives an abortion, don’t you think it deserves the same standard of medical care [as] any other baby?” Torres Small answered, “That already exists. If a child is born, they have the right to – that exists.”

I pushed back, explaining to her how “in Albuquerque, there was a case that showed that this baby… did survive an abortion, and it was left to die on the table there, and it didn’t get that standard of care that we need to have.” She responded, “The law already exists to protect them. So, I deeply appreciate your advocacy on this issue, and we are in more agreement than we realize.”

But she did not tell me how infants who survive abortions are already protected. Despite being given examples of infanticide in our state where babies have succumbed to the horror of a botched abortion without proper medical care, she refused to acknowledge it.

To make matters worse, Torres Small used to work for Planned Parenthood, which takes the lives of thousands of babies every day and spoke at fundraisers for the organization while in Congress. She called abortion a “life-saving procedure,” and is a member of the “pro-choice caucus,” as well as a co-sponsor of extreme pro-abortion bills.

But Torres Small often says, “let’s work together,” or some iteration of that phrase intended to push difficult issues under the rug. However, Torres Small has proven to us that she says one thing and does another.

For example, despite her gun-toting 2018 campaign ad implying she supports the Second Amendment, she voted for H.R. 8, also known as the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, the partisan anti-gun “universal background check” bill. Now, Emily Caccamo, an ex-lobbyist for Michael Bloomberg’s dark money anti-gun group “Everytown” is her new campaign manager.

Torres Small also voted to impeach our duly-elected President, despite President Donald Trump winning the Second District by 10 points in 2016. She supports New Mexico’s version of far-left New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s “Green New Deal,” which would eliminate all oil and gas production by 2050 in New Mexico, annihilating lucrative industry in the Second District. Torres Small helped strip away religious liberty by supporting H.R. 5, also known as the Equality Act, which would put men in women’s sports, disadvantaging biological females, enabling sexual assault, and violate First Amendment rights of businesses, charities, and other organizations.

New Mexico’s Second Congressional District has so much potential, from the sprawling forests of the Gila and the Sacramento Mountains to the blinding beauty of White Sands, the towering spires of the Organ Mountains, and the desert prairies alive with diverse wildlife and fertile farmland. However, Torres Small’s corrosive leadership, which has taken the path of partisanship (voting with Nancy Pelosi over 94.5% of the time), is proof that she has no interest in “working together” to solve issues that affect us all. We must take back the Second Congressional District and elect someone who has the people in mind – not Washington, D.C. bureaucrats.

Leftist columnist triggered by Rep. Gregg Schmedes standing up to MLG’s tyranny

2 Comments / New Mexico, Opinion / By

On Monday, the Santa Fe New Mexican’s loudest mudslinging columnist Milan Simonich wrote an op-ed trying to pit Republican against Republican in the apparent attempt to hurt the GOP in their strong efforts to take back the New Mexico state House and Senate. 

In the op-ed, Simonich tries to pit Sen. Stuart Payne against Rep. Gregg Schmedes, who is running for the New Mexico Senate, claiming Schmedes is “waging war on the opposition without regard to decency,” although he is asking tough questions and loudly standing up for the rights of the marginalized, and that includes the unborn.

However. Simpnich’s column, which appears to be another desperate attempt at staying relevant, mercilessly critiqued Schmedes for questioning the New Mexico Supreme Court’s unprecedented rapid action last week to overturn a lower judge’s ruling in favor of the NM Restaurant Association that eateries could open for indoor dining. The lawsuit against Gov. Michelle Luja Grisham’s office was not even warned by a response from Lujan Grisham, which is partially why the lower judge ruled in favor of the restaurants. 

However, Simonich took issue with Schmedes asking relevant questions about the Supreme Court’s ruling with came within hours of the lower judge’s. Schmedes wrote on social media, “Bad news: New Mexico Supreme Court just overturned the restraining order issued against the governor. Must be nice to be able to pick up the phone and influence the judicial process. Corruption?”

Simonich critiqued, “Schmedes had no evidence of anything illegal, unethical or corrupt. Proof isn’t a standard he adheres to. Innuendo will do. Schmedes’ use of it was clumsy, even for a novice politician.” 

The bottom-of-the-barrel straws Simonich is grasping for don’t seem to stick, especially since Schmedes never alleged anything. He asked questions, and also, it does appear that the Supreme Court has a back-channel to the Governor, especially with such swift action on the case that, if upheld, would be a striking blow to Lujan Grisham and her cruel reign upon the people of New Mexico — not allowing most businesses to open while corporate out-of-state big box stores like Walmart, Costco and Sam’s Club are allowed to stay wide open. 

Furthermore, the Supreme Court Justices on New Mexico’s Supreme Court are, indeed, party insiders, such as the Lujan Grisham-appointed David K. Thomson, who was the Santa Fe judge who just so happened to rule the unfair “ranked-choice voting” system in favor of Democrat politicians who would benefit from it, i.e., now-Mayor Alan Webber. Also, the lawyer on that case just so happened to be the current Democrat nominee for U.S. House of Representatives in New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District, Teresa Leger de Fernandez. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is backing both Justice Thomson and Leger de Fernandez in their respective races. Coincidence that these party insiders all work together? Highly doubtful. 

Simonich’s accusations against Rep. Schmedes as a radical right-winger with no regard for facts and careless slander fall flat on their face, as Schmedes has worked with Democrats before on multiple bills and has stood up for Republican values even when times get tough. In times of crisis some more squirrely, “moderate” Republicans in safe Republican districts abandoned their party, such as some who were conveniently absent on votes such as on New Mexico’s “Green New Deal” or “Energy Transition Act,” or straight-up-voted for the radical leftist measure that would annihilate the oil and gas industry. Schemes has loudly and proudly stood up to debate on critical issues, and it is clear that the washed-up opinion column at the Santa Fe New Mexican has shriveled up and died after the departure of Steve Terrell, a more likable, talented, and less pretentious columnist who shewed left but did make good points from time to time.

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