Charles “Chuck” Bowden
It’s devastating news. Charles “Chuck” Bowden died last Saturday evening of an apparent heart problem. The author of Murder City: Ciudad Juárez and the Global Economy’s New Killing Fields; El Sicario; Down by the River: Drugs, Money, Murder and Family; A Shadow in the City and many other books and articles, he was a true hero in terms of his work in Juárez and the border. Everyone talks about immigration and border issues but Chuck was one of the few who was actually there, again and again, in the most dangerous times and the most deadly places...
CCNM guide to independent expenditures
Common Cause New Mexico is often asked what “rules” exist in New Mexico for regulating campaign spending by “PACs” and other groups who operate independently of the candidates. No short and simple answer to this question can be given because New Mexico’s law on this subject is currently in a fluid and uncertain state, owing to recent court decisions invalidating most of the current statutes and to recent legislative efforts to rewrite the law to bring it into line with these decisions and with modern campaign practices...
Disabled but not enabled
Over the past 29 years Adaptive Sports Program of New Mexico has given thousands of disabled people the opportunity to enjoy snow and water sports supposedly reserved for the strong and healthy.
This summer more than 100 disabled people are participating in 10 river running and lake events that include kayaking, sailing, paddle boarding and sail boarding. Last winter more than 300 participated in downhill skiing and snowboarding at Ski Santa Fe, Sandia and Pajarito...
Whoa!
Let me tell you —People here in Alburg are very jealous of the little village of Placitas where romantic herds of free-standing, starving, thirsty horses in their thousands surround your car and threaten to kick in the door unless you surrender your water and your Cheetos. Thank you for granting me this moment of wild freedom, my beloved famished and parched stallion friends...
New Mexico Women: Statistics for Conversations and More
The New Mexico Community Foundation has created a new organization, NewMexicoWomen.org, which is a resource for anyone interested in the status of women and girls in our state. Its mission is to "advance opportunities for women and girls statewide, so they can lead self-sufficient, healthy, and empowered lives." In New Mexico, women comprise a majority of the population, 51%, and girls comprise 49% of the state’s under-eighteen population...
Bustin Says, “Goodbye Albuquerque, Land of Violence”
Everybody in Burqueville is talking about Bustin St. Germane who wrote a recent op. ed. piece in the lofty New York Times. Bayor Merry wants to shoot Bustin in the lips for saying what a violent place is our dear Albacore. In his piece, Bustin recited the whole litany about the police who kill the homeless and the teens who also kill the homeless.
Listen, I know Bustin Germane like the back of my hand. Bustin had a little teacher cubicle office right across the hall in the UNM English Dept. from my own cube, so we shared a lot, believe me. I got to know all of Bustin’s innumerable and intimate secrets...
The Prophet Armed: The writings of Norman O. Brown
Al-Kindi, Al-Farabi, Avicenna, three of the most important men of the Islamic Golden Age—but how many of us know these names; or know what they wrote or practiced, or how they contributed to the knowledge of the West?
How many non-Muslims in this country have ever read the Quran? When you consider that the Protest-ants began their split with the Roman church almost five centuries ago, yet in today’s Islamic world the sects of this religion are waging bloody battles against one another, as witnessed in Iraq today, it becomes clear that these internecine disputes are not just about dogma, they are about politics...
Why Democrats should welcome Independents into our primaries
A little over a year ago, I wrote an essay for the New Mexico Mercury entitled, “Why progressives should welcome independents into Democratic primaries.” As this issue has become more visible in recent weeks, and as I find myself advocating for this position, I was asked recently how I came to this strongly held belief. For all of us who run for public office, each election (win or lose) has its share of lessons to be learned...
Suzyredux
Did you notice that her Suzerainship wants everybody on foodstamps in New M. to work for their food…twenty hours a week? I sure didn’t. That’s half time at Mcjobs. All these damn foodstompers will have to get airjobs in the wonderful Albuquerque airjob market and work half of their waking and sleeping hours for their airfood. That’s what her Susership proposes. That’s why she wants to be governor again. It’s the vision thing...
The Longest Night
I disliked my job from the first day, but until that long night in April 1968, I didn’t hate it.
I wanted to cry that night with the reams of copy pouring onto the desk in front of me, stories of deaths and injuries, tears and screams, anger and sorrow, broken bodies and bloodied streets. I wanted to stop and think about what was happening, but there was no time. I wanted to stop and cry, but I could not...