Hundreds attend Alamogordo forum about school mask choice

On Sunday afternoon, hundreds filled the Flickinger Center for Performing Arts in downtown Alamogordo for a forum put on by the Republican Party of Otero County regarding school mask choice. 

Speaking at the event was Congresswoman Yvette Herrell (R-CD2), who told the crowd, “I trust the people of America and the people of New Mexico more than I trust our government!” 

“What happens now when we start complying with everything that the government says?” “Look, our democracy is under attack. This republic will not look the same if we don’t stand up against the government on every single level and do what’s right!”

Herrell concluded, “So don’t be disingenuous to our families who are quite capable of making decisions for their families. Don’t be disingenuous to me, to my friends that are business owners, to my friends that live here. Don’t be disingenuous to Americans because we are stronger than that, and right now our resolve is being tested and our faith in God. This is not a surprise to God. And let me tell you: in government, you’ve got show ponies, and you’ve got workhorses. Well, I am proud to stand with all of you workhorses!”

Panelists included Republican New Mexico House Leader Jim Townsend (R-Artesia), state Sen. David Gallegos (R-Eunice), attorney Robert Aragon, Dr. Roger Black, and Sarah Smith, a leader of the New Mexico Freedoms Alliance.

Leader Townsend said, “The school board’s responsibility is to set a platform so each and every one of those children can flourish and to their God-given abilities.” 

Sen. Gallegos added, “If we don’t do what we need to right now, we will never recover this state.” Regarding the New Mexico Public Education Department stripping away power from the Floyd School Board, Gallegos said, “They are looking at power. Every time they take power away, they take it away from you.”

Aragon, who is legally representing the suspended Floyd School Board, said, “What this governor is doing is absolutely beyond the pale. There is no statutory authority that allows her to do this, end of discussion.” 

In a presentation titled Dr. Black spoke about the guidance of CDC, NIH, FDA, and about masks, telling the audience, “I have to be machined to see whether my N-95 (mask) works every day. And you think you’re going to stop a virus with a piece of cloth? It ain’t going to happen because I can’t even stop it with my N95 that’s been tested.” He also provided out information on the science behind mask-wearing.

“There’s science right here above me that says ‘I don’t need you to make up my children’s health care [decisions],” Dr. Black continued.

Sarah Smith added to the discussion about adverse effects of the inoculation from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), talking about only 10% being reported to the VAERS system. She spoke about 13-year-olds who died after getting the inoculation, “A boy from Minnesota who has no pre-existing conditions died of heart failure about two weeks after the shot.” She cited other cases.

“New Mexico kids are counting on this. We have to fix this now, and we can do it together,” she concluded.

Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin spoke to the attendees during the question and answer session, and many parents and school board members from across New Mexico asked the panelists how they could help. 

To see the full event, find the video stream here: