Big Gov, Big Tech & Big Media put their thumb on the scale for Big Dems
Was the 2020 Presidential election stolen from Donald Trump, or was the 2020 presidential election unfair to Donald Trump? There is a difference between the two, and that difference is essential for Americans in future elections.
Stolen Election
Donald Trump led by wide margins in multiple states on election night, only to lose by large margins the following day or days. Trump supporters believe this indicates that Joe Biden and his supporters manufactured millions of votes. However, this “false election day Trump win” was predicted in the AXIOS article, “Exclusive: Dem group warns of apparent Trump Election Day landslide.” Because the Democrats’ strategy was for Democrats to vote early or by mail which takes longer to tally, at the same time, the GOP’s strategy was to get Republicans to vote on election day, which takes substantially less time to add. These two strategies caused the lead to switch from Trump to Biden.
Joe Biden Democrats collected ballots before they reached the voters, filled in the votes, coerced voters, or destroyed Republican ballots. Trump supporters believe there were enough close states that illegal activity associated with ballot harvesting could make a difference. However, without knowing which states will be “close enough,” millions of ballots would have been created, destroyed, or changed across many states, and there is no evidence that happened.
Democrats are said to have changed votes from Donald Trump to Joe Biden by hacking Dominion Software. Do Trump supporters believe that since software/websites/databases are susceptible to being hacked by evil characters of the world, why couldn’t voting tally software by Dominion be any different? Changing a few hundred votes could occur unnoticed, but not millions of votes.
Big Government fabricated the Russian Collusion that hamstrung the Trump presidency and hobbled the 2020 campaign. The November 5, 2021, National Review article headline, “Durham Is Steadily Exposing the Real “Russia Collusion” Scandal.” Clinton’s campaign team must have been shocked by their Trump opposition research; the FBI and NSA used the Steele Dossier to justify investigating Donald Trump and Trump Presidency.
When you are asked, “Do you believe the 2020 Election was stolen?” respond with, “Evidence shows Big Gov, Big Tech & Big Media covertly supported Democrats and silenced Republicans. As a result, those organizations made the 2020 election unfair to Donald Trump and Republicans.
You can call out the media when they propagandize and do not report the news. An example is the Albuquerque Journal’s article by Elise Kaplan, “Trump lawyer’s ties to NM run deep,” in which the reporter used others to slander John Eastman. Kaplan quoted individuals who described Eastman as “a prick,” “He was a jerk, he was arrogant,” Mr. Traitor.” “This is not reporting; this is propagandizing. You can email the Albuquerque Journal’s managing editor at kmoses@abqjournal.com AND demand that they correct the story.
You can file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission that Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Pricilla Chan, should be prosecuted for manipulating federal elections. Click on the link to learn How to file a complaint with the FEC. You can also file a complaint when Federal Government employees abuse their office to favor one party or candidate at Where to Report Fraud, Waste, Abuse, or Retaliation.”
Your Independent media are working to report the real news. That is what Mick Rich 2 the Point is about. As well as… Harvey Yates with the Artesia and Espanola newspapers, Mary Alice Murphy with the Grant County Beat, John Block with the Piñon Post, Dinah Vargas with ABQ Off the Cuff, Carla Sontag with New Mexico Sun. Support these independent voices.
Being a Republican in New Mexico is difficult, especially on voting day. To stop voter intimidation of vulnerable Republicans, the NMGOP should assist those Republicans to vote by mail and help them mail their ballots. For the remaining Republicans, encourage Republicans to vote early or by mail to foil the Democrat’s strategy of hindering Republican voters.
In 2020 I stood before five hundred people and announced my four goals, one of which was to bring conservatives together under the broad tent of the Republican Party. The first step of uniting Conservatives was our event in January. Next week I will report my progress in uniting conservatives and the challenges ahead.
Host, “To the Point with Mick Rich.” 2018 Republican nominee for U.S. Senate (NM). Founder & CEO, Mick Rich Contractors. Husband, father, grandfather. Read more from Mick rich at MickRich.substack.com.
Opinions expressed 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.
Climate activists and their Democrat politicians are waging a clandestine war against the American people. This war is being waged from the Nation’s Capital to every home without identifying the verifiable factors that prove the “Climate Will No Longer Change.” Nor the cost of the American people’s Blood and Treasure in achieving their dream.
While climate activists and their Democrat politicians say they support clean air, their clean air legislation is targeted to shut down industries they don’t like, not improving the air we breathe. As an example, Earth Justice’s (motto “Because the Earth Needs a Good Lawyer”) states, “Exposed communities need solidarity and support from people around the U.S. to ensure EPA adopts the most robust and protective limits on toxic air.” “In 1977, 0.2 million barrels of refinery capacity was added (the last refinery constructed), and in 2019, 1.5 million barrels of refinery capacity were eliminated. From 1977 to 2022, the American population increased by almost fifty percent, and oil refinery capacity decreased by nearly 5%. No wonder diesel stockpiles are at record lows.
Before 2016, Climate activists and Democrat politicians told us the goal was to clean up coal-fired power plants’ exhaust gases. However, by 2016 Hillary Clinton clearly stated her and the climate activist’s dream, “We’re going to put a lot of coal miners and companies out of business.” Since then, coal mines and coal-fired electric power plants have been under siege. From 2016 through 2022, coal-fired electrical generation has decreased from 1,250 to 800 billion kilo-watthours. It is projected that another 200 billion will be removed by 2029. So much for the billions wasted cleaning up the exhaust stack gases when the actual goal was to shut them down.
Climate activists and their Democrat politicians say their energy policy will save us money, but it does the exact opposite. A Washington Post article,” Fuel to power your car, heat your home or cook your food is all more expensive and driving inflation,” statesthat natural gas, coal, or petroleum is the primary driver of inflation. In addition, the US Congress Joint Economic Committee reported on June 10, 2022, “For the average American household, inflation will cost an extra $7,620 in the coming year. For the climate activist, no cost is too high for the American people to pay.
Write your Members of Congress and state legislators to demand they provide verifiable evidence that the climate activist policies they are enacting will stop the extensional threat of climate change at what cost? Otherwise, they are risking the lives and livelihood of the American people.
Host, “To the Point with Mick Rich.” 2018 Republican nominee for U.S. Senate (NM). Founder & CEO, Mick Rich Contractors. Husband, father, grandfather. Read more from Mick rich at MickRich.substack.com.
In 2016 Donald Trump was the most popular candidate in the Republican Primary while spending nearly the least amount of any candidate. At the same time, Jeb Bush was spending the most of any candidate and was among the least popular candidates. News pundits explained the disparity between Trump’s brash behavior and celebrity status. I believed there was more to the story and why it is important today.
Donald Trump was a celebrity and understood how to get earned media (news coverage vs. paid advertising). As a casino owner, he understood the importance of data mining, obtaining as much information on individuals as possible and tailoring a message to them. The message can be delivered by direct marketing (letters and postcards), and casino upgrades, but the most important is social media outreach.
According to Politico, Hillary Clinton and her allies raised $1.2 Billion verse Donald Trump and his allies raised $600 million. Clinton outspent Trump in every category except digital and online advertising. In that one category, Trump outspent Clinton by almost five to one. Add earned Big Media to the mix, and Trump won the election.
Imagine the dismay of Big Tech and Big Media in the days after the 2016 election when they realized their industry inadvertently assisted in the election of Donald Trump. Donald Trump made a fool of the lot. They would not be played the fool the second time, and they weren’t.
Despite New Mexico’s media declaring themselves independent and moderate (The Albuquerque Journal editor stated, “as a moderate,” it is hard to choose between Vasquez and Herrell), they are anything but moderate. The reporting or lack of reporting of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse of young women and the blackmailing of powerful people is an example of New Mexico’s newspapers protecting Powerful Santa Fe Democrats.
Elon Musk has uncovered the censorship of conservatives and the government’s manipulation to silence opposing viewpoints on Twitter. New Mexico’s Independent voices are covering the news that is not reported here in New Mexico. Whether it is Dinah Vargas of Off the Cuff, John Block of the Piñon Post, and D. Dowd Muska with No Dowd About It. Mary Alice Murphy was one of the first in New Mexico to publish an online newspaper. Her Grant County Beat publication now rivals the printed newspaper in Southwest New Mexico.
Being an Independent Voice in New Mexico, where the Santa Fe Democrats have the power to punish dissenting views, is risky. Each of them, including myself, can share stories where the Santa Fe Democrats have taken or attempted to take a pound of flesh for an unfavorable news story. Support these Independent Voices with a donation, a subscription, or becoming an advertiser. We need more New Mexicans to hear the truth.
Miserable to watch a team struggle as a group of individuals
I completed every project stringing together a thousand projects in my career. Not one construction defect claim (we did have warranty callbacks) nor any severe injuries (we did have a few cuts, abrasions, and broken bones) in those forty years. A few of those projects were internationally recognized. Before we turned a shovel of dirt, we built our professional construction team. Otherwise, my record would have been that I started one construction project in my career.
The early lessons in my career
I moved a couple of hundred miles from home to work on a construction project at eighteen. I was amazed that men on the project could have more than heated arguments during the day and drink and gamble at the casinos at night. There was animosity between the men, but it never got in the way of getting the project built and having a good time.
I was a Resident Assistant at Hawley Hall during my last year at Oregon State University. RA’s had little authority and plenty of responsibility; there were fifty young men on my floor. I kept the peace and everyone safe while they focused on graduating and growing up. I learned how to encourage behavior rather than punishing rule breakers. It was a successful year, with no injuries, suspensions, or probations. I remember when the fifty young men began referring to me as “my RA.” Not the fourth-floor RA.
At twenty-three, I was assigned to oversee Ronny Farmer and his crew of ironworkers on the company’s 35-million-dollar project. I ensured they had what they needed (material, equipment, and information) to accomplish their job, and they put up with me being a recent college graduate. It was not until they heard that Billy T, the carpenter general foreman, told me, “You know the best crew on the project are the carpenters.” I responded with, “no, there is no better crew than Ronny’s,” that I earned the respect of the Ironworkers.
A year later, the project manager promoted me to general superintendent. The project had a year to finish, fifty men on the payroll, and I was stuck with Billy. Billy wanted my job and undermined my efforts to complete the project. He got my job and later complained about the responsibility of the position. Billy taught me a valuable lesson; there are worse things than being down a critical team member.
We started Britton & Rich Construction when I was twenty-eight, with two pickup trucks and a few tools. We looked at every competitor as a threat and an enemy. Five years later, we split up, and I was on my own. By then, I understood I had competitors, not enemies. I joined Associated Builders and Contractor, and my fellow members and I worked together to improve the construction industry with apprenticeship programs and safety courses. My competitors made me a better contractor.
A team of construction professionals versus a bunch of construction workers
As a young project engineer, I watched our 70-ton truck crane operator and three laborers place concrete. The crane operator stopped the hook over the full 1.5 cyd concrete bucket at the back end of the concrete truck; the laborer hooked the bucket, and the operator began lifting and swinging the bucket seventy feet and down twenty feet to the water tank foundation. As the bucket reached the vertex of swinging, the laborer pulled the line releasing the concrete. The bucket continued the swing back to the concrete truck. Meanwhile, the empty concrete bucket was now full. The empty bucket sat down at the concrete truck and was un-hooked; the full bucket was then hooked. This happened every minute for several hours. It was as graceful as Rita Hayworth and Fred Astaire dancing. Allen Bradford’s company operated that way, from the operator and laborers to the C Suite. Allen’s company in the 1970s set the standard for Heavy / Industrial Construction on the West Coast. We were second to none, including Kaiser, Bechtel, Jacobs, and Guy F Atkinson, to name a few.
I left Allen’s company and moved to Portland, Oregon, to be closer to Marion. I hired on with an old-time construction company owned by two brothers. It did not take long to understand that this company was in trouble. During my first week, there were hushed discussions that a worker holding a tagline had been killed when the crane boomed into a high-voltage power line. Ralph, and Henry, blamed each other for any mistakes, and that behavior continued to the laborer in the field. The company culture: keep your head down, do what you were told, and don’t make waves. Despite the culture, I spoke up when I had concerns when a subcontractor or client was taking advantage of them. My concerns were dismissed, and Ralph, Henry, and I parted company. I heard later that the subcontractor cost them tens of thousands of dollars, and the client cost them their company.
Whether in sports, business, or politics, you build your team first. Together you establish the goal and develop the plan. You execute the program and make the necessary adjustments to achieve the goal. Allen did and shared the successes. Ralph and Henry did not; they lost their company, and everyone lost their jobs.
Without the lessons I learned as a young man, I would never have had the success I did in construction or politics. I look forward to seeing how our team does this January 2023.
Host, “To the Point with Mick Rich.” 2018 Republican nominee for U.S. Senate (NM). Founder & CEO, Mick Rich Contractors. Husband, father, grandfather. Read more from Mick rich at MickRich.substack.com.
Opinions expressed 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.
For the holidays, the Democrat Party of New Mexico (DPNM), which is funded by disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, is affirming the radical far-left policies it shares with extremist groups.
In a Saturday email, DPNM wrote, “As Democrats, we try to support our New Mexican neighbors and communities with a giving spirit throughout the year,” then gave a list of “organizations that share our Democratic values and need your support this Holiday Season.”
The groups include the anti-Hispanic hate group “Tewa Women United” (TWU), which promoted tearing down the Soldiers’ Monument in the Santa Fe Plaza. TWU has backed canceling words it deems “offensive” and promotes the “deconstruction of museums” and “monuments,” claiming they promote white supremacy. The group also backs canceling famous artist Georgia O’Keeffe.
Another group the Democrat Party is promoting that share its “Democratic values” includes the racist abortion up-to-birth group “Indigenous Women Rising,” which labels being pro-life as “white supremacy, even if you’re a person of color.” The organization crowdfunds the killing of Native American mothers’ babies through abortions.
Planned Parenthood New Mexico, another abortion up-to-birth group, was on DPNM’s list of groups it is urging its supporters to fund.
Other “social justice” groups the Democrat Party backs include the sue-happy American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the anti-police group New Mexico Center for Law and Poverty, the pro-transgender group “Equality New Mexico,” the enviro-Marxist group Natural Resources Defense Council, among others.
DPNM concluded in the email, “The Democratic Party of New Mexico wants to express our sincere gratitude for your support of the organizations and causes that lift our voices and take care of our people. Happy Holidays and may you and yours have a wonderful New Year!”
The extremist groups promoted by the New Mexico Democrat Party further affirm these fringe anti-police, anti-Hispanic, anti-life, and anti-energy sentiments rest well within the fabric of the Democrat Party.
That vibrant red color that Republicans wear so proudly should be indicative of the leadership and life of the party. With the 2022 Midterm Elections in our rearview mirrors, it is time that each of New Mexico’s 33 counties elect a young Republican who can resonate with college-aged individuals who have the power to make New Mexico go from a lifeless blue to that vibrant red chile color symbolizing economic prosperity and individual freedom.
The winds of change are here, and young Republicans are the key to getting New Mexico out of this dark, cold, blue abyss. All 33 counties need a young Republican to go to local high schools and college campuses to encourage the youth of this state to vote with the values they already have. Believe it or not, a good majority of young people hold the same values as Republicans.
Young voters want jobs, and this state does not provide them with that luxury. Young voters do not want to continue paying taxes without any kind of return to their own community. Young voters want New Mexico to start climbing the ladder from being ranked last in everything with the exception of being highest in crime. Young voters do not want a tyrannical government telling them how to live their lives. Young voters value the Second Amendment, as many of them are hunters and enjoy time outdoors.
Much like the established Republicans, the young Republicans with aspirations to be a part of local and state leadership hold the same ideas and love for New Mexico. The major difference is young Republicans can communicate with and relate to those young voters that the Democrats have swayed in their direction with broken promises.
Now is the time for each county to support their young Republicans, whether they are part of the Millennial Generation or Generation Z. We, the young Republicans, are here to stay, and we are here to help the party progress and grow to ensure we do not lose the New Mexico that we grew up in.
It is up to you, the established Republicans of each county in New Mexico, to embrace this excellent opportunity to become that vibrant red and full-of-life party by including the younger Republicans in each county’s local leadership to hold an elected office and help invoke much-needed improvements to the Republican’s current platform. The current platform is ineffective and on the brink of shattering. Thus, needing that last puzzle piece which is the young Republicans, to help lead the party into tomorrow. We need to make the leaders of tomorrow the leaders of today, so we can save New Mexico from the county level on up!
Written by native New Mexican Sami Morales, B.A. Political Science & MBA. Born in SilverCity, NM, and candidate for Grant County Republican Party’s 2nd Vice-Chair seat.
Thank you all for running for office. It was exhausting work, knocking on doors, writing letters, and making calls; thank you. Thank you for donating your money to run for office without expecting it back. You risked your reputation to run for office; thank you.
To the County Party Officials
Thank you for your efforts. Organizing and energizing volunteers is demanding work.
To the State Party Officials
I still cannot find the words for how I feel.
To the Political Consultants
Your strategy got your candidates through the primary election.
To the Media Up and Down the Rio Grande Valley
You magnified the Republican failures while ignoring the Democrat failures. Your efforts tainted those elected you helped and diminished your profession even further.
To the Future
In the forty years I have owned my construction company, we experienced our greatest successes after our biggest failures. That is a common experience in many companies.
Based on the failures of the past few election cycles, we should have great election successes ahead. However, we cannot keep doing what we are doing or hundred-eighty degrees from what we have done, nor depend on those who derive their power or money from us.
Santa Fe Democrats continue to rack up election successes despite keeping New Mexico at the bottom of all the states. Once the voters realize the Santa Fe Democrats sacrificed their children for gold and power, the Santa Fe Democrats are done. This is what makes the Santa Fe Democrats such a ruthless adversary.
In the 1980 Winter Olympics, the seasoned Russian professional hockey team was expected to win the sixth straight gold medal. The young American amateur hockey team was expected to lose early. Somehow the young Americans began to win. The young Americans faced the Russians in the semi-finals and won “The Miracle On Ice.” In the next game, they won the Gold Medal. No one in the stands or press box knew the dedication and determination of those young men. But their coach knew, believed in them, and coached them to victory.
Democrats will not let go of the power without a brutal fight. It is incredible Republicans stepped up to run knowing what was ahead for them. But they stepped up because they knew what was at stake: their and your children.
New Mexico Republican Party is holding its convention on December 3 in Las Cruces. The Republican Delegates at the convention will be choosing new Republican State officers. Could you please sign up and attend the convention? Listen to the candidate’s speeches to ensure their words match their past actions. Will they coach and lead our candidates to victory in 2024? Do they care about all our children? Do they believe New Mexico can be the best state in the Union?
Host, “To the Point with Mick Rich.” 2018 Republican nominee for U.S. Senate (NM). Founder & CEO, Mick Rich Contractors. Husband, father, grandfather. Read more from Mick rich at MickRich.substack.com.
I love New Mexico. There is nothing more important to me than protecting the ones I love and the land that we all call home.
We New Mexicans are a different breed. Our way of life is rich in the deeply embedded cultures our people have lived by for generations going back hundreds and thousands of years.
But before going to pick up that delicious Blake’s breakfast burrito Tuesday, go vote first.
The only way to save our way of life in New Mexico is by taking meaningful action. That can be done at the polls.
Over these last four years, we have seen our culture, our economy, our children’s well-being, and our very identity be torn apart day by day. Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham not only did what she could to kill our New Mexico jobs and small businesses — she has aided and abetted in the slaughtering of our culture.
While she and others love to pander to New Mexicans with slick commercials standing in acequias or bragging about our state’s culture, they have been working overtime to destroy the fabric that binds each New Mexican together as one.
Lujan Grisham’s administration aided Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber in removing the Don Diego de Vargas statue that used to live in Santa Fe’s Cathedral Park.
Her administration went into overdrive to indoctrinate New Mexico school children with Critical Race Theory while demeaning “territorial” settlers who came to our state for a better life. Our education system is ranked 51st in the nation behind even the failing District of Columbia, despite a supposed “moonshot” of cash slung at the schools to help plug the gaping hole. Our children remain underserved. As a graduate myself of our state’s school system, I’m surprised I can read and write, much less have graduated college.
But now, Lujan Grisham is devaluing college educations by forcing the taxpayers to finance “free” college handout programs that will plunge our state into financial ruin. She also is trying to ram a constitutional amendment down our throats to rob the permanent fund of cash to fund “free” daycare programs in the state. This gives even more government control of our children’s education despite our actual education system being a massive catastrophe already.
Under her regime, Lujan Grisham has systematically taken apart our state’s identity and crushed our citizens.
During the pandemic lockdown, she killed over 40% of our small businesses, many family-run establishments that have been in operation for decades, if not centuries. Her lockdowns resulted in families not being able to see their loved ones at the end of their lives while irreparably harming children with education loss and medical issues due to the lack of in-person learning and the forcible masking when back in the classroom.
Albuquerque, where my family used to go for a weekend vacation to see the zoo or visit the Balloon Fiesta, has now morphed into a warzone. Heroine needles are strewn about on public sidewalks, vagrants cluster around town in tent cities, shops are forced to board up their windows, and many have fled due to the record homicides and violent crime plaguing the city.
This issue is by no means exclusive to Albuquerque. It has seeped into each and every community in our state. The governor’s refusal to take the border crisis seriously has led to countless families losing their loved ones to illegal drugs like fentanyl. New Mexico remains one of the top states for drug mortality.
While our state benefits from the generous revenues produced by the oil and gas industry, Lujan Grisham’s administration has done everything possible to kneecap the vital industry that provides critical money for our state’s education and health care systems, not to mention infrastructure.
Lujan Grisham’s Green New Deal (Energy Transition Act) passed in 2019 is ravaging our state, with jobs lost and blackouts/brownouts on the horizon after shuttering critical energy resources such as the San Juan Generating Station. Many Navajo workers lost their good-paying jobs.
The Democrat regime under Lujan Grisham is hell-bent on ripping away our Second Amendment, with Red Flag bills passed to evade our constitutional rights and infringe on our right to bear arms. Lujan Grisham is shamelessly lavished with endorsements and contributions from gun-grabbing groups such as the Giffords Center and Bloomberg’s Everytown group. She also bashed constitutional sheriffs, claiming they were “rogue” and having a “pity party” after anti-gun bills passed.
In 2021, the governor signed a bill legalizing abortion up-to-birth and infanticide in New Mexico, stripping all protections for mothers, babies, and medical professionals. During this election, her only issue to run on is her rabid support for killing children in the womb up to the baby’s birthday while gaslighting her Republican opponent Mark Ronchetti. She now wants to spend $10 million on an abortion mill in Las Cruces to kill more Texas and New Mexican babies while also wanting to “codify” unlimited abortion into state law. In 2021, she also signed a bill legalizing assisted suicide via a cocktail of dangerous, lethal drugs.
A New Mexico under Michelle Lujan Grisham is unrecognizable now, with the devastation she and her party of far-left radical Democrats have brought on in such a short time.
It is time to restore balance, order, respect, and common sense to our state, and we must flood the polls on Election Day to save our very identity. That’s why I stood up to run for the state legislature this election and also why I ask for your vote if you live in House District 51 in Alamogordo.
I’ve had enough, and it’s time for We The People to take back our country. The only way we can make that happen is by taking a few minutes out of our day on Tuesday, November 8th, and voting up and down the ballot for Republicans while rejecting every single judicial retention question, every single constitutional amendment, and every single bond issue.
I love our state with all my heart, and I know you do too. We must save it on Election Day. Our votes are more than just a statement. Our votes are a potent weapon to defend New Mexico against the extremists who hate us, our culture, and our way of life. Please join me in this fight by taking up arms and VOTING to save New Mexico. God bless you.
John Block is a native New Mexican and a proud Alamogordo resident. He’s the editor and founder of the Piñon Post, New Mexico’s #1 conservative news site. He has exposed waste, fraud, and abuse across the state while bringing a conservative voice to New Mexico media through the platform. As a legislator, John hopes to FINALLY send a fighter to the Legislature to battle the Radical Democrats and restore New Mexicans’ confidence in the political system.
Most New Mexicans live in one of the cities along the Rio Grande, while the rest are scattered across rural New Mexico. In my travels across the state, neither “city folks” nor the “country folks” trust or understand each other. The newspapers and media contribute to that divide, which is most apparent during the election season.
A newspaper editor wrote that it was hard to choose between the two candidates for the NM CD-2 race because she was a political moderate. I smiled; just because the editor is just right of her fellow liberal writers does not make her moderate, only slightly less liberal. An average person does not label themselves as moderate. Their actions do. The same can be said of the newspapers.
The Rio Grande Newspapers published Jon Hill’s letter to the editor seeking volunteers for their bipartisan organization. A scan of the letter indicated it was a partisan organization, and a more straightforward search uncovered it was a Super-PAC supporting the NM CD-2 Democrat candidate. When I notified the newspaper’s editors of their error of judgment, it was met with silence.
The combined image from NM Democrat Party Flyer Image on the right is from NM Republican Flyer.
The image on the left is from Herrell Campaign. The image on the right is a doctored image.
The Rio Grande Newspapers published in-depth articles on the republican flyer of the barber with dark hands, including lengthy interviews with Democrats. The Rio Grande Newspapers were silent on the democratic flyer of the candidate with a bleached face and did not interview the Herrell campaign organizations.
The Rio Grande Newspapers were silent when the Democratic NM CD-3 whitewashed the Republican candidate’s last name by omitting Martinez. Again, silent when New Mexico Democrats run television advertising with Republican candidates with stark white skin in black and white photographs while their candidates are in color videos with warm skin tones.
Observation Platform near Animas, NM. Puerto Rican National Guard personnel are in the GSA Pickup. Photograph by Mick Rich.
The Rio Grande Newspapers wrote about Florida Governor DeSantis sending illegal immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard. In contrast, silent when Florida Governor DeSantis sent Florida National Guard troops to New Mexico’s Southern Border to help secure our border. Meanwhile, NM Governor keeps NM NG in their barracks.
The Rio Grande Newspapers are silent about Puerto Rico’s National Guard now on New Mexico’s Southern border. Silent that Puerto Rico’s Air National Guard has aircraft while New Mexico’s Air National Guard has none. They are silent while the US Air Force considers downsizing their fleet by thousand aircraft and what impact that will have on Holloman AFB.
The Rio Grande Newspapers endorsed Democrats for NM CD-1,2,3. Already New Mexico delegation has little clout in Washington despite having a Democrat President, a Democrat majority in the US Senate & House, Democrat Governor and Democrat Legislature, and a Democrat Congressional Delegation (less Rep. Herrell). If New Mexico has an all-Democrat delegation and Republicans control the Senate and House, New Mexico will have no clout in Washington.
The Rio Grande Newspapers endorse the Bernalillo District Attorney even though he and his fellow Soros DAs created a violent crime epidemic in their communities. In his appearance on “To the Point with Mick Rich,” Gerald Madrid stated that he observed an Assistant DA play video games in the courtroom while the defense attorney prepared. Once they stood before the judge, the Assistant DA agreed with the defense attorney. As a result, another violent criminal was released back into Bernalillo’s streets.
One Rio Grande Newspaper asked a republican state house candidate if they supported their liberal democrat sister running for state house. Her response was, did you ask my sister that question? The reporter’s response was no. Not surprising.
Rio Grande Newspapers did not endorse any Republican candidate that supported the idea that the 2020 election was stolen. No Democrat was asked if they believed George W Bush in 2000 or Donald Trump in 2016 stole the election. They needed to identify what constituted a stolen election. Does Stolen Election mean: counting illegal ballots, not counting legal ballots, hindering legal voters from voting, allowing non-legal voters to vote, censoring candidates and candidate’s supporters, government interference in campaigns, and illegal activity of government agencies in campaigns?
Journalism Departments should require their students to study classical physics and the life of Galileo. Today’s journalists view the universe from where they are standing, while physicists view where they are standing from the universe. Galileo died after eight years of house arrest, un-swayed in his proof that the earth rotated around the sun. As then, today’s Conventional Thinkers are trying to banish the Free Thinkers.
I have many individuals commenting that they like my unique perspective on what is happening in our community, state, and nation. I also have others commenting on my inability to write. Both comments stem from the same root. I have an engineering degree, two years of required math and sciences, one year of engineering needed sciences, and one required writing class. Please share a free subscription with others if you like what you read.
Host, “To the Point with Mick Rich.” 2018 Republican nominee for U.S. Senate (NM). Founder & CEO, Mick Rich Contractors. Husband, father, grandfather. Read more from Mick rich at MickRich.substack.com.
Over the past few weeks, a self-proclaimed “progressive” calling himself Chris Edwards — also known as “Martin Christopher Edwards” — has been launching vicious attacks against conservatives, specifically pro-lifers who he opposes in Alamogordo. They include conservative Alamogordo City Commissioner Karl Melton and myself, the Republican nominee for New Mexico House District 51.
Edwards has a so-called media operation that is seeking to mislead Otero County Republicans and infiltrate our conservative community with far-left radicalism. Beyond his “progressive” views, Edwards is also a convicted felon with a long criminal record who had fled to Mexico, suffers from undiagnosed bipolar disorder, according to his attorney, and has actively promoted Democrats, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), along with longstanding support for Planned Parenthood.
Otero County Republicans should read on to learn the dangers of this shady individual and should also be wary of trusting anything published by Edwards’ blog “2nd Life Media” and a publication Edwards is closely connected with, “New Mexico’s Influence Magazine.”
Chris Edwards’ Far-Leftist Activities
Edwards is a fervent supporter of Planned Parenthood and social justice causes. He is pro-lockdown and pro-Dr. Fauci. Edwards says he has “consulted” on at least two local Democrat candidate campaigns in the 2022 Primary and General elections. He claims his clients include pro-abortion judge candidates Rev. Warren Robinson and Claudia Powell. Despite the claims, according to finance reports, Edwards is on neither of the candidates’ payrolls.
As he wrote on his own website, in 2020, Edwards “aligned” with two left-wing organizations to attack conservative candidates via “opposition research” and previously publicly shamed donors to a political action committee that supported a ballot measure he opposed. On his LinkedIn profile, he writes that he “has demonstrated results in crafting opposition negative campaign ads,” along with “opposition marketing tactics.”
He is the “co-owner” and “CEO” of an entity called 2nd Life Media/ ROADRUNNER EMPORIUM Inc. on New York Avenue in Alamogordo, according to a filing with the New Mexico Secretary of State. The other owner is his partner, a man named Rene Lee Sepulveda.
According to Edwards’ blog, “2nd Life Media Inc is a vertically integrated consulting and operating company.” He calls it a “multimedia and consulting company” partnered with “Roadrunner Emporium Fine Arts, Antiques and More Gallery, Gallery 1209, and via the soon to be revitalized Sands Theater Partnership.”
A twice-failed candidate for Napa City Council in California, Edwards was accused in his previous races of “dirty politics” for misleading elderly voters during candidate forums.
Dee Cuney, a woman who attended Edwards’ controversial forum, said, “It’s very, very disappointing that people were misled,” adding, “That’s dirty stuff.”
Edwards has posted on his Facebook page a multitude of “LGBTQ+” pride content, anti-Trump posts, support for the ANTIFA-linked Black Lives Matter hate group, and photos with Democrat politicians and activists, such as Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and George Takei. Other posts include photos reading “#IStandwithPP” (Planned Parenthood) and “Unapologetically Pro-Choice (Abortion),” support for failed Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and former President Obama, posts reading, “I stand with Fauci,” “I support DACA,” among others disparaging conservatives and promoting far-left politics. Yet Edwards is trying to dupe conservatives into believing he is an “independent” voice. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Edwards’ Long Criminal History
Along with his “dirty” left-wing political activity, Edwards has a years-long past of criminal activity, pleading guilty and being convicted of felony mail fraud and tax evasion in 2014. The Department of Justice charged him after he was wanted by the FBI as a fugitive for 23 counts of mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. The “fraudster,” as the Bureau put it, was finally apprehended after fleeing to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, seven months following his failure to appear in federal court. He was found at Hacienda Escondida Private Villas, where he claimed to work as a “sales marketing director,” according to his LinkedIn profile.
The Department of Justice charged Edwards, and he was found guilty of embezzling $900,000 between May 2010 and October 2012 from his employer, the online fulfillment wine company, The Wine Tasting Network, a subsidiary of 1-800 Flowers. He did this by directing the network to make large payments through a fake entity he set up called Dufrane Compliance Trust. The Department of Justicesaid that the fictitious entity “purported to provide compliance services to wineries and wine retailers.”
According to the FBI, “Edwards … deposited these funds into an account he controlled and withdrew them for his own personal use, including the purchase of a BMW, which has since been seized by law enforcement authorities.” Along with the BMW, Edwards used the embezzled funds for “ expensive vacations and lavish meals.” According to Edwards’ Twitter account, he spent time on vacation in such places as Hawaii. He claims to have “traveled to 46 countries.”
One portion of Edwards’ criminal indictment reads, “MARTIN CHRISTOPHER EDWARDS, did knowingly and intentionally devise a scheme … to defraud, and to obtain money and property by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses … and concealment were false and fraudulent when made, and, for the purpose of executing such scheme and artifice, did knowingly cause the following items to be sent and delivered by the United States Postal Service, and private and commercial interstate carriers (emphasis added).”
According to the Napa Daily Register, Edwards’ lawyer claimed during the trial, “Edwards suffered from chronic depression, a bipolar disorder, drug and alcohol addictions, all of which contributed to his compromised judgment.” Whether or not Edwards is currently treated for bipolar disorder is unknown.
Edwards was sentenced in September 2014 to nearly three years (33 months) in federal prison and ordered to pay $894,222 in restitution to the Wine Tasting Network. Bay City Newsreported that prosecutors “said Edwards did not declare any of the [embezzled] money on his federal income tax returns in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Edwards’ plea agreement also included an enhancement for obstruction of justice for a flight he took to Mexico to avoid prosecution.”
This is not the first run-in Edwards had with the law.
Previously, Edwards was convicted of two misdemeanors for larceny-theft in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. He was initially charged with two felony counts of embezzlement for defrauding the fast food company Hardees, where he worked at the time in its corporate offices, “but Edwards agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of larceny for an amount more than $200 and was ordered to pay restitution,” according to the DailyRegister.
The news of his previous conviction came out during Edwards’ failed 2005 run for Napa City Council, where he said he was “dismayed that public records still contain information about his conviction,” according to the newspaper. With his later 2014 conviction, it appears Edwards did not change from his old ways.
Edwards Attacking Alamogordo Conservatives
Edwards has recently transplanted himself to Alamogordo, New Mexico, where he admits to pushing progressivism in the heavily conservative area, including viciously attacking conservative candidates and pro-life policymakers who are moving the community forward.
The attacks ramped up as Alamogordo City Commissioner Melton proposed, and the Commission successfully passed a resolution declaring Alamogordo a sanctuary city for the unborn in August. The only two dissenting votes came from Mayor Susan Payne and Commissioner Sharon McDonald. Payne insisted she is “100 percent pro-life” but refused to support a resolution protecting life.
A long-time supporter of Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry, Edwards wrote in 2017, “I have supported the missions of Planned Parenthood for years,” while bashing pro-life sidewalk counselors outside of abortion clinics as “extremist.” He added in the post, “ I stand pink to show my support of Planned Parenthood.”
Screenshot of Edwards’ post professing to support Planned Parenthood for “years”
Apparently angered that Alamogordo stood up for the lives of the unborn, he attempted unsuccessfully to elevate pro-abortion organizers’ petition demanding a special election for a referendum on the pro-life resolution.
After the pro-abortion petitioners, calling themselves “New Voices Otero,” failed to reach the mere 589 signature goal despite having 30 days to organize, Edwards wrote a blog post viciously attacking Commissioner Melton and myself, paying homage to his former days of “dirty politics” in Napa. He claimed criticisms of the mayor were “propaganda” despite her vote against the pro-life resolution and her signature prominently featured on a petition, which bashed the commission that she oversees as “extremist.”
Increasingly angered by his political loss when the petitioners’ signatures were thrown out by the City Clerk, Edwards decided to attack me, claiming with absolutely no evidence that I or someone affiliated with me sent copies of his federal indictment to unknown individuals via the U.S. Postal Service. Now, Edwards is falsely claiming mail fraud, when in actuality, he spent years in federal prison after being convicted of not only mail fraud but also tax evasion and larceny, among other crimes. Mr. Edwards appears to be projecting his own previous criminality. If such letters did, indeed, get sent out, the plausible suspect would be himself.
After Edwards’ attacks against myself and Commissioner Melton fell flat, Edwards filed a slew of frivolous Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) requests with the City of Alamogordo, attempting to undermine the premise of the resolution, claiming there was no support for it. In the process, Edwards doxxed a local resident who requested Commissioner Melton propose the measure. He posted in a blog entry a screenshot of an email showing personal information about where she lived and even published her unredacted email address.
For someone who claims to be so invested in Alamogordo and has so much at stake, he seems fine with wasting city staff’s time and money with his manic IPRA requests.
In one subsequent unhinged blog post, Edwards got confused and falsely accused Commissioner Melton of submitting a September IPRA request under my name, despite not checking the signature. A simple signature match could have proven he was incorrect. Still, he published the defamatory article anyway without a hint of fact-checking. More Napa Valley “dirty politics.”
Edwards has continued to attempt to lace together conspiracy theories about Commissioner Melton, who owns a legitimate conservative consulting service, Conservative Compliance LLC, unlike Edwards’ fictitious Dufrane Compliance Trust that defrauded nearly $1 million. Edwards cooked up multiple far-out conspiracies through his “2nd Life Media” Facebook account. One such false claim was that Conservative Compliance’s client list included County Commissioner Couy Griffin, even though that would legally be required to be reported to the Secretary of State’s office.
While trying to shift the topic after his theories disintegrated, Edwards ended up claiming that non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations are a “tax dodging ploy” in the apparent attempt to attack non-profit pro-life groups. His baseless theories seem to be a projection of his days sitting behind bars for tax evasion.
In one of Edwards’ Facebook posts, it shows an image of him with a filter reading, “I pay more taxes than Trump,” ironic since his lack of paying taxes when he systematically defrauded 1-800 Flowers landed him behind bars for nearly three years.
A photograph posted by Edwards on Facebook.
Edwards wrote in one of his blog posts that he will not quit harassing conservatives in Alamogordo until “they rise to the occasion of true leadership, end the attacks on those that differ in opinion and embrace open dialog with a civil tone to seek areas of compromise for a better Alamogordo.”
If only Edwards would take his own advice and end his obsessive attacks against people fighting to move Alamogordo forward and represent the conservative values of our community.
Now, the far-left Chris Edwards continues to ignore his self-righteous standards and instead launch vicious attacks against Alamogordo conservatives. As he keeps attacking with his Napa Valley-style “dirty” smears and promoting abortion up-to-birth/LGBTQ+ groups, locals should watch carefully the many ventures he is closely affiliated with. That includes a new magazine, “New Mexico’s Influence Magazine,” and the businesses he has purported to own or operate. At face value, the magazine attempts to come off as even-handed. However, knowing “progressive” Edwards is behind it, conservatives should use extreme caution.
More information will be released in due course on individuals such as Edwards; This first report just scratches the surface. New Mexicans must continue to be vigilant of leftists, many with crime-filled, shady pasts, attempting to implement far-left California policies into our conservative community.
As Edwards wrote in one post, “We are working to change the extremism, But we need the help and support of progressive businesses like those downtown Roadrunner Emporium, ReneFit, New York Art and Music Studio, the Game Shop on New York and others.”
What exactly is the “extremism” Edwards is trying to cut out of Alamogordo, and how exactly does he intend to do this through “progressive” businesses, many of which he has a financial interest in? It is still unclear if the $894,222 ordered in restitution for Edwards’ embezzlement has yet been paid.
While the facts presented in this article have been extensively verified for correctness and accuracy, the author’s recommendations on actions Otero County conservatives should take are purely opinion.
