Opinion

Torres Small hires ex-lobbyist for Bloomberg’s anti-gun group to manage her campaign

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

On Wednesday evening, Rep. Xochitl Tores Small’s campaign sent out a fundraising email introducing Emma Caccamo as Torres Small’s new campaign manager. The email, which was signed by Caccamo, reads as follows:

“If we haven’t met yet, I’m Xoch’s new campaign manager Emma! I wanted to reach out today to introduce myself, and say how excited I am to be part of the team working to re-elect Xoch. I joined this team because I believe in the work you and Xoch have been doing for southern New Mexico, and because I know we’re making a difference here. This is one of the most competitive, targeted races in the entire country. The best way to keep up our fight for lower prescription drug costs, improved access to health care close to home, and all the other things we care about is to keep this seat. And on top of that, we’re making sure southern New Mexico has the voice we deserve in Congress.”

The email goes on to ask for money and to get supporters to forward the email to their friends.

Caccamo previously worked as the campaign manager on Teresa Leger de Fernandez’s race up in the 3rd Congressional District, where Leger de Fernandez won against disgraced ex-CIA operative Valerie Plame, state Rep. Joseph L. Sanchez, District 1 District Attorney Marco Sernce, and a handful of others.

During the race, Leger de Fernandez was criticized heavily by her opponents for the “dark money” abortion up-to-birth group EMILY’s List pouring tens of thousands of dollars into the race to support her. At the time, Caccamo said the campaign didn’t know “anything about any other groups and saw their ads when everybody else did.” However, EMILY’s List endorsed Leger de Fernandez, held in-person fundraisers with her and the organization’s founder, and invested heavily in the race. It’s impossible for the campaign to “not know anything about” dark money EMILY’s List’s involvement in helping sway the election toward her.

Far-left, abortion up-to-birth Rep. Xochitl Torres Small is also another benefactor of EMILY’s List, which has endorsed her for her unashamed abortion up-to-birth policies, previously when she worked for Planned Parenthood, and currently as she serves as an anti-life member of Congress.

Another issue both Teresa Leger de Fernandez and Xochitl Torres Small share in common is their unashamed pro-gun control stance. Torres Small has voted for sweeping gun restrictions while in the House, including a “universal background check” bill. Teresa Leger de Fernandez shares Torres Small’s anti-gun stances, telling the Los Alamos Daily Post, “In Congress I will vote for background checks on all gun sales, a red flag law, reinstating the assault weapons ban, and repealing PLCAA, which gives the gun industry unprecedented legal immunity.”

Torres Small’s new campaign manager, Emma Caccamo, is also a friend to gun-grabbing policies, as she worked for nearly five years, part of that time as a lobbyist, for the Michael Bloomberg’s “Everytown for Gun Safety” dark money group, which advocates for extreme, unconstitutional gun bans, such as 2020’s SB-5 in New Mexico, the “red flag” bill. The measure allows the confiscation of firearms merely under the suspicion of another person that a gun owner is “dangerous” and therefore should lose their constitutional right to bear arms and their due process rights. 

Xochitl Torres Small’s former campaign manager in 2018 was Brian Sowydra, a Boston native, who currently is her Chief of Staff in Washington, D.C. Torres Small’s new campaign manager, who hails from California, is surely in-line with Torres Small’s radical far-left agenda and is another clear indicator that Torres Small will spare no expense and go to great lengths to remain in Congress to further Nancy Pelosi’s anti-gun, anti-life agenda.  

MLG posts ‘virtue signaling propaganda’ video telling NM to ‘mask up’—then deletes it TWICE

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

On Monday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham posted what some are calling “virtue signaling propaganda” on her Twitter account, urging New Mexicans to “mask up” by wearing face coverings.

The 26-second video features far-left politicians, including Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, Lujan Grisham’s cousin, Rep. Ben Ray Luján, Rep. Deb Haaland, among other unidentified people, presumably from the Governor’s “Mask Madness” competition, where New Mexicans submitted entries of them wearing unique masks. 

The video features slogans such as “everyone is masking up,” “protect NM,” “protect yourself,” “protect others,” and “it saves lives” flashing in front of the screen. It is not clear if the Governor got permission from those featured in the video before posting.

So, does this appear to be propaganda or just a benign campaign video promoting mask use? You be the judge: 

Lujan Grisham deleted the tweet a little over an hour after it was posted, however, people had already retweeted and shared their comments about it, as the below tweet reflects. The video was then pulled down a second time.

MLG helped fuel the COVID-19 case uptick — now she’s doing damage control

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

On Wednesday, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced “aggressive enforcement” of her mask order, mandating $100 fines for all who dare defy it, with businesses up against the threat of being charged with a misdemeanor.

And on Thursday, New Mexico Gov. Lujan Grisham took to Twitter to scold people under the age of 40 for spreading COVID-19, citing how “60% of COVID-19 cases reported since Sunday are New Mexicans under the age of 40.” She reprimanded them, writing, “Act right. Do not gather in groups. Wear a mask.”

However, that’s a complete shift from her previous position, where she applauded and praised the “thousands of New Mexicans who peacefully protested in Albuquerque” in late May after the death of George Floyd sparked protests and riots nationwide. She went on to announce that “The state of New Mexico will stand ready to assist local governments in facilitating peaceful protests.”

She also acknowledged that these protests were a violation of her strict mass gatherings policy, but said they were fine she was going to “take a leap of faith” in protecting the protesters blatantly violating her rules.

She said, “This is a violation of the mass gatherings, no doubt, but we’re just going to take a leap of faith in protecting protesters who have no other way, quite frankly. Right? There’s no other way to be seen, to be heard, to be respected, and to be clear about your message.”

But now, after she has applauded these “thousands” of protesters, some of whom did not wear masks or social distance, she’s backtracking after she’s allowed these mass gatherings of people.

While scolding young folks for spreading coronavirus, she wrote, “Young New Mexicans – you are NOT IMMUNE.” And these young people she’s blaming for spreading COVID-19 most likely spread it because they were at a protest.

According to Pew Research, 41% of those who recently attended a protest focused on race were younger than 30. Nationwide, only 19% of people are in this age group, so statistically, they were overrepresented by over 100% at protests. 

Now, the Governor is doing damage control, trying to distance herself from her previous praise of the protesters taking to the streets in the thousands, saying, “I encourage them to continue demonstrating in a peaceful and safe fashion.” Clearly, they did not heed her advice to protest in a “peaceful and safe fashion,” especially since photographic evidence shows many protesters did not wear masks and were not standing six feet apart.

Haaland continues cancel culture crusade: demands Washington Redskins change their name

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

On Friday, New Mexico’s representative for the 1st Congressional District, Deb Haaland, called on the Washington Redskins, based in the Nation’s Capitol, to change their name, claiming it’s a “slur.” 

Haaland’s press release reads as follows: 

“We are in the middle of a movement. The Black Lives Matter protests have begun a reckoning with the systemic racism and oppression experienced by Black, Indigenous, and communities of color. From passing the Justice in Policing Act to PepsiCo ending the use of the offensive Aunt Jemima branding, it is clear as Americans will no longer stand for institutional racism and the NFL should be held to the same standard.

“We cannot tolerate the use of racial slurs or inappropriate use of Native mascots anywhere, but especially in the nation’s capital. This is a longstanding issue that the NFL has been aware of for quite some time. These mascots actively harm the well-being of our children by dehumanizing Native people and mocking our culture and traditions. Until we live in a country where racist mascots and the use of racial slurs by sports teams no longer exist, harmful stereotypes will continue to put communities at risk.”

“The national sports organizations like the Washington NFL football team have a role in fighting racism, they must change their name. I call on the fans, my colleagues and people across the country stand against racism in all forms.”

The “woke” mob has already gone after pancake syrup (Aunt Jemima and Mrs. Butterworth), sticks of butter (Land O’ Lakes), packages of rice (Uncle Ben’s), ice cream bars (Eskimo Pies), and the destruction of monuments across the country, showing that no one is safe from cancel culture — with Deb Haaland leading the fight, and taking up her scepter as the “queen of wokeness.”

Leftists are even going after their own — such as with ProgressNow NM now demanding that their founder, City Councilor Pat Davis resign, claiming he is a racist. Nationally, figures such as Jimmy Kimmel and others have had to atone for their previous sins as well. 

Across the nation, and in New Mexico, vandals have been destroying monuments and statues, such as the obelisk in downtown Santa Fe. The cancel culture knows no bounds, and Deb Haaland won’t be happy until her party’s rules are implemented far and wide.  

Blatantly racist anti-Hispanic hate groups target statues of Spanish leaders

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Amid national protests against the unjust death of Geroge Floyd, radical anti-Hispanic hate groups have begun using the memory of Mr. Floyd as a channel to push through their anti-Hispanic rhetoric and take down statues of revered Hispanic figures.

Activists from the groups “The Red Nation” and “Three Sisters Collective” have been organizing vandals to destroy Hispanic monuments in Northern New Mexico and deface government property, including an obelisk in downtown Santa Fe, which was tagged with the word “racist” and the side inscriptions had been destroyed — the monument showing deep cracks.

Three Sisters Collective applauded the violence and destruction, writing on Facebook, “With regard to the graffiti written on the obelisk, although uncomfortable for some, the vandalism of this object pales in comparison to hate crimes against Indigenous, Black and Brown people.” However, the monument was erected to commemorate New Mexico’s role in fighting the Confederacy — the very opposite of support for racism or hatred for Black and Brown people.

The Red Nation is notorious for spewing anti-Hispanic propaganda, most notably by claiming in a 2016 blog post that “the ‘Hispanic’ or ‘Spanish American’ racial identity was a fiction created to make New Mexico appear ‘white enough’ to join the U.S. since both identities privileged a European or Spanish heritage even if the population was mixed or descended from detribalized peoples. New Mexico’s statehood was delayed until 1912 because white Anglos felt the territory did not possess a white majority, so a new ‘race’ of whites had to be created.”

That rhetoric is mild in contrast to the hate they have spread on social media in the comments of their posts, and the sharing of posts from other hate groups, including Antifa. The Red Nation also told the Rio Grande Sun, “Revolution is here… and if you’re not part of it, you’re gonna get swept aside.” 

The Red Nation partnered with Three Sisters Collective in the campaign to tear down statues of Spanish people, such as a statue of Don Diego de Vargas in Santa Fe’s Cathedral Park. De Vargas peacefully and bloodlessly resettled Santa Fe in 1692. While working with Three Sisters Collective, the group successfully convinced Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber to unilaterally remove the statue, without consultation with the City Council or citizens.

Now, Hispanics in New Mexico are fighting back — with over 2,000 signatures on a petition to restore Spanish historical statues to their rightful homes and urge Mayor Webber to cease the removal of any other Spanish landmarks in the city. Another petition to return a statue of Don Juan de Oñate statue to its rightful home in Alcalde has garnered nearly 500 signatures.

It’s clear that no matter how much these anti-Hispanic bigots want to erase us from history, they will not take our identity away from us without a fight. While militant Spanish-hating ‘revolution’ groups try to completely decimate our culture from the history books, we are dedicated to using our grassroots majority — not violence — to plead our cause and protect our Spanish heritage

There is no amount of intolerance, panic, and violence that we can’t overcome with respect and an honest approach. We should continue to urge Mayor Webber to hear our reasonable requests to keep images of our Spanish culture on display instead of caving to blatantly racist anti-Hispanic groups who have no regard for differing opinions. Only together can we stop anti-Hispanic bigotry and drive a culture of unity for all people in New Mexico.

Sign the petiton against the removal of Santa Fe historic landmarks here.

Sign the petition to return the Oñate statue here.

¡Que Viva Nuevo Mexico!

6 Comments / Opinion / By

As kids during fiesta time the fiesta council would show up to our school, we would all wait in the gym for them to come in singing Sí señor, cómo no, vámonos al vacilón… all the kids clapping and chanting. As a small little girl, I hoped they’d pick me for the little Reina at the school and dreamed of one day being La Reina of Fiestas. We grew up enjoying the music, the food, the culture of it all. And as an adult having those same traditions carried on when working for the State hearing the Fiesta Council march in and sing, teaching my children the history and taking them to enjoy the fiestas and machines. I always saw a mixed group of Spaniards, Native Americans, and Mexicans in the fiesta group, so how I saw it was a togetherness… United!

I saw it as the here and now — the diverse, rich culture New Mexico has and how far we’ve come as people from the actions of our ancestors. The Conquistadors may have done horrible things but sadly that’s what happened in those times (and throughout history since the beginning, even in the Bible) you can’t label us with those actions. You can’t erase history. You can’t take away what happened centuries ago and start a war now.

We as New Mexicans (original New Mexicans) have gotten along and have been proud of our State for centuries, but now it feels like they want to reverse how far we’ve come? How many government officials have attended these events, celebrated these events, promoted these events, bragged about our culture to other states, used it as a marketing tool to bring in tourists, or were past fiesta council members themselves? Heck, they even let us leave early from work to celebrate. I’m proud to be a New Mexican, not because of what my people did 400 years and thereafter, but because we are beautiful people, mixed with Native American, Mexican, and European Blood (one of the only states that can say that) ~Mestizo~.

My great-grandpa was a historian who often wrote about criminals. My great grandparents were the King and Queen of the Santa Fe trail, and I’ve had family who was part of the fiesta council they never joined or did those things to say we’re proud of our ancestors’ actions & what they did but because they were proud of our traditions and culture. Most of our families were here before NM was a state.

The statues are part of the history of New Mexico (like it or not) when you take down a piece of history you take down a piece of us. Not the bad but the culture, the unique culture, and how we got here. Even if they were evil, our families, our city, our State is here because of them. We learn from history so that we do not repeat it. We’re not mad because it was Oñate or De Vargas. We’re mad because that’s what led us to be who we are as Spanish decedents. We can’t help where we come from, but that’s our Raza. We are defending our race, not the statue.

So, take down the statues because you can never take down our heritage, you can never strip our last names or the names of our cities, you can never remove our music, or ban any of our cultures. Que Viva Nuevo Mexico!

Crystal Lovato y Gutiérrez-Baca, Proud Nuevo Mexicana

The Radical Left and gutless politicians are erasing our history one statue at a time

4 Comments / Editorial, Opinion / By

Over the past few weeks, the call by radical socialist Democrats have become louder — and unfortunately, public officials are kowtowing to their never-ending militant demands. Across the country, monuments that have been standing for decades, sometimes even centuries, are being ripped down by violent leftists seeking to cause as much destruction as possible in this short window of outrage due to police shootings. 

No matter how outrageous the demands get, such as a Boston petition to tear down a statue of President Abraham Lincoln, the president who freed American slaves, it will never be enough for the Left in their ironic crusade against history.

But unfortunately, as politicians and community leaders cave to the vicious mob, the mobs are showing they will never be pleased, going after everything from statues to bottles of Aunt Jemima syrup. Now, seemingly EVERYTHING is being deemed “racist,” including beloved New Mexico landmarks.

Radicals led by the fringe hate group “The Red Nation” have begun demanding the removal of iconic statues of Spanish conquistador Don Juan De Oñate, with even Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham agreeing with them. A longtime-standing statue of Oñate in Alcalde was ripped down, with leftist Democrat nominee for Senate and Rio Arriba County Commissioner Leo Jaramillo leading the charge — despite him acting as one of Oñate’s conquistadors back in 2010. 

The flip-flop from Jaramillo has led some locals to brand him as a “vendido” or a “sellout.” In the Democrat primary, Jaramillo took out incumbent Sen. Richard Martinez, who was convicted of aggravated DWI. Throughout the race, Jaramillo has branded him as a much more “progressive” choice versus Martinez — adopting a pro-abortion, pro-illegal immigration platform.

But voters do not have to settle for Jaramillo’s gutless platform. Pro-life Republican Diamantina Storment is running against him in the 2020 general election to flip the seat to conservative hands.

Unfortunately, the Oñate statue in Alcalde is just the start of the mob rule by the Left — with radicals demanding a statue of Oñate in Albuquerque be ripped down. The drama created by The Red Nation to tear down the statue resulted in a conflict between protesters, including shoving people to the ground, hitting one man over the head with a skateboard, ultimately leading to a gunshot. Shortly thereafter, police intervened. 

In 2018, The Red Nation successfully convinced the leftist City of Santa Fe officials and the Fiesta Council to cancel the “Entrada” pageant re-enacting the peaceful reconquest of Santa Fe by Don Diego De Vargas over 300 years ago.

Oñate is not the only one on the chopping block — a new petition has emerged aiming to rip down iconography from the historic Kimo Theatre in Albuquerque due to symbols they claim are swastikas, despite the Native American origins intended by displaying the symbol. Now, they claim despite the intentions, the building’s images trigger “feelings of White Supremacy, hatred, genocide, and authoritarianism.” 

Renowned architect John Gaw Meem designed the Kimo Theatre, as well as other structures such as the UNM library, remodeled the Santa Fe Plaza, and did multiple restorations of pueblos across the Southwest. Now, the Left aims to rip down his work that has captured the spirit of native culture. 

At this point, who knows what the Radical Left will go after next, but surely, this is just the beginning of the cancel culture propagated by people who will never be pleased. Once gutless lawmakers began conceding to these radical groups, activists will test just how far they can go until they can completely erase cherished history.

John Block is the editor of the Piñon Post and a longtime New Mexico political activist. With the Piñon Post, John looks to bring true representation to conservatives in the Land of Enchantment and cut through the mainstream media red tape by providing independent, fair, and conservative journalism to New Mexico. Follow John on Twitter @JohnforNM or send him an email at John@PinonPost.com.

MLG applauds decision to rip down Oñate statue ⁠— is okay with statue of bloodthirsty killer Po’pay

7 Comments / Opinion, Politics / By

On Monday, Rio Arriba County crews began taking down a statue of conquistador Don Juan de Oñate in Alcalde. According to the Rio Grande Sun, “Organizers and community members still plan to hold a demonstration for its removal today at 4 p.m. at the County’s Oñate Monument Resource and Visitors’ Center in Alcalde.” Previously in 1998, the bronze statue of Oñate was vandalized, with a radical group cutting off its right foot to supposedly “make a statement about Oñate’s treatment of Pueblo people.”

The move to take down the statue comes one day after an Albuquerque Oñate statue was vandalized with the words “racist murderer” spray pained on the figure, while another Oñate statue was vandalized at the El Paso International Airport. Radical leftists have been seizing on the reignited race war due to the death of a Minnesota man, George Floyd, to force through militant protests and tear down monuments across the country that they see as “offensive.”

Now, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is embracing the toppling of the Alcalde statue, writing on Twitter, “New Mexico’s multiculturalism is its strength. Understanding our complicated history – and acknowledging the imbalanced power structures within it – is a process, and this is a step in the right direction.”

Oñate has been criticized for retaliating against Acoma Pueblo soldiers in 1598 after they killed 12 of his men, cutting off the right foot of 24 surviving men. The Spanish government, however, took decisive action to discipline Oñate’s cruel tactics and “tried Oñate as a war criminal and permanently banished him from New Mexico.” 

But one divisive New Mexico figure still remains standing — and in the U.S. Congress of all places — a figure of the blood-thirsty tyrant known as Po’pay, who is responsible for hundreds of murders and bloodshed upon the Spanish people. The statue was erected in 2005 by New Mexico’s congressional delegation.

On August 15, 1680, Po’pay led the Pueblo Revolt, killing at least 400 Spaniards, including 21 of the 33 Catholic priests in New Mexico. He stomped on Christianity, claiming, “The God of the Christians is dead,” and saying, “He was made of rotten wood.”

But instead of punishing Po’pay like they are with  Oñate, New Mexico leaders are praising the violent tyrant. In a now-deleted Facebook post, then-Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham described Po’pay in a much nicer light, saying the warlord was a “religious leader who led the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 in response to Spanish policies of forced labor and religious [persecution.]” 

We have now come to a point in history, where oppression is picked and chosen based upon skin color and nothing more. While actual oppressors such as Po’pay are honored with 12-foot marble statues in the halls of the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C., other statues are being cherry-picked to rip down, such as that of Don Juan De Oñate. Will the Governor retract her previous statements rejoicing Po’pay’s brutal Pueblo Revolt and demand his statue be ripped down as well? Most likely not.

Who is standing up for our Law Enforcers? They need our support now more than ever

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Over the past few weeks, radical leftists have seized on the carcass of George Floyd and desecrated his memory by pinning radical slogans, agendas, a smorgasbord of supposed “racial injustices,” and political initiatives on him — using one deceased man’s death as a prop to reignite the once-dormant race war.

However, while leftists take to the streets in droves, and in the process infect more people with COVID-19, their frustration is being unfairly pinned on the brave, hard-working men and women in Law Enforcement keeping our communities safe.

There is nothing a good cop hates more than a bad cop, but the Radical Left has begun to spin a firestorm of rabid hatred toward these brave officers — and in doing so, put a target on their backs.

Socialist New York Congresswoman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her “Squad” have pledged “radical solidarity” with fringe protesters demanding police departments across the country be defunded and disbanded to placate misinformed rioters and looters, hell-bent on creating chaos and harming police. 

The list of law enforcers targeted by the savage mob of murderous thugs, unfortunately, keeps growing. Just yesterday, mourners laid to rest longtime former Police Chief David Dorn in St. Louis, Missouri, one of the many victims of leftist violence. He was shot and killed by a looter. 

Dave Patrick Underwood, a Federal Protective Service Officer was also shot and killed while protecting a federal courthouse in Oakland, California. Another officer serving alongside him was shot and is in recovery. 

Other non-law enforcement victims of leftist violence resulting from the George Floyd shooting include Chris Beaty, a black former offensive lineman for Indiana University who was shot dead in an Indianapolis alleyway by rioters, Italia Marie Kelly, a 22-year-old black woman in Davenport, Iowa, who was shot trying to escape a violent mob of looters, and countless others.

While the Left continue their despicable crusade against Law Enforcers, they are left defenseless and vulnerable, seemingly alone in the fight against the angry mob. But some are standing up, like The New York Police Benevolent Association President Mike O’Meara, who passionately defended the brave law enforcers who protect cities, such as New York.

“I am not Derek Chauvin. They are not him. He killed someone, we didn’t. We are restrained,” O’Meara said, referring to the policeman who killed George Floyd. “Everybody’s trying to shame us — legislators, the press. Everybody’s trying to shame us into being embarrassed about our profession. You know what? This isn’t stained by someone in Minneapolis,” holding his police badge up, continuing “It’s still got a shine on it, and so do theirs,” pointing to the policemen and policewomen standing behind him.

Our police officers are the people who enforce laws passed by legislators and keep drug addicts, rapists, murderers, and other nefarious actors off of our streets. Law Enforcers keep our cities and counties and neighborhoods free of crime and sleaze, and without them, there would be no justice at all — not for black people, not for white people, not for anybody.

It is time Americans from everywhere in our nation stand up and resoundingly thank the brave men and women who risk their own lives and safety for ours, so we have the right to protest and speak our truth. Police not only deserve to be respected — they deserve to be praised. They deserve more funding for their departments to keep the peace, not less, and anyone disrespecting these brave law enforcers should face swift consequences.

As noted above, there is nothing a good cop hates more than a bad cop, so let’s not change our entire system to vilify the 99% of officers who serve honorably. We must not legislate for the exception to the rule while punishing those who give their lives in service to our communities. All lives matter and Law Enforcers are included in that.

So, next time you walk down the street and pass a man or woman in uniform, thank them for keeping your community safe and show them respect. Without them, we would have anarchy. Possibly, that’s the Radical Left’s goal. Regardless, it must end, and only together can we unite our communities and mend divisions. 

MLG’s press sec. blasts New Mexicans asking if Guv had salon visits during COVID-19 lockdown

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

In late May, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham was under heavy fire from New Mexico citizens, local commentators, and even national outlets for disobeying her own stay-at-home order to buy expensive jewelry from Albuquerque jeweler Lilly Barrack.

While the Gov. was adorning herself with luxury jewels, New Mexicans were suffering — and still are — from her strict lockdown orders barring small businesses and working families from providing for their loved ones. However, the Governor allowed big box stores such as Costco and Walmart to stay wide open for business. Over 210 restaurants have permanently closed during the shutdown.

During the lockdown, some commenters, such as Rio Rancho’s “Salon Deluxe” opined that the Governor is still getting her hair and makeup done in Corrales, despite her harsh lockdown on such businesses operating. Others also wondered if she had salon visits during the lockdown, one commentator claiming a hairdresser named Nam Tran in Corrales is doing her hair.

In emails obtained by the Piñon Post, KOAT 7’s Nancy Laflin asked Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s press secretary, Nora Sackett, about the Governor’s trips to the salon, writing, “…viewers have said [Lujan Grisham] has been getting hair treatment at a salon in Corrales before news conferences. Is that accurate, and if so, was she following state guidelines?”

Sackett snarkily unloaded on the citizens asking these questions, writing back: “I understand that you have to do your job, but ‘viewers saying something online’ is in no way any actual proof or reason to suspect something. I am so entirely tired of people choosing to spend their time by making up lies about the governor getting her hair done. She has not gotten a haircut, or had it colored, or had her nails done, or anything else that angry people on the internet would like to make up unsubstantiated nonsense about. Nor has she been to Corrales – again, people making things up online does not make them true. Every day, the governor is taking serious action to do her best to save lives and keep New Mexicans from getting sick, and all people ‘online’ want to do is complain about her hair. She has not gotten a haircut, as salons are closed and non-essential person-to-person interactions are not allowed, and she expects every other New Mexican to continue to adhere to the public health order just as she is doing.

Also for what it’s worth, woman to woman, you can clearly tell that the governor hasn’t gotten her hair cut just by looking at it. I mean come on.”

Sackett also defended Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s breaking of her health order to buy fancy jewels, writing in an email:

“There were no state guidelines broken. It was an entirely contact-free purchase. The governor asked if she could make an order and pay for some merchandise online or remotely – as was permitted under the prevailing health order at the time, see Page 6, Section (3) of the April 6, 2020, public health order. To be clear, none of the state’s public health orders have ‘otherwise restrict[ed] the conduct of business operations … in which an employee only interacts with clients or customers remotely.’ The transaction was entirely contact-less and remote. The store was never ‘opened’ and a good safe process was followed. The governor has of course in both her personal and professional lives adhered to all of the public health measures the state has enacted for the duration of this pandemic.”

The Governor’s staff essentially doing backflips to try and explain away whether Lujan Grisham did or did not break her own stay-at-home order speaks volumes to the level in which they will go to justify her actions — which were dishonest, if not worse. The snark given by Sackett toward everyday New Mexicans asking questions about the Governor following the same orders everyone else should be an eye-opener for citizens looking for transparency in government. 

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