She Who Wears the Pants
The headline of the February 20, 2014 issue of La Prensa stated that Daniel Ortega, President of Nicaragua had fired two Cabinet ministers. In the first paragraph of the accompanying article, however, it said that differences with First Lady, Rosario Murillo had led to their ouster. In Nicaragua, a cab driver named Ismael told us, “Whatever she says, he does.” Or to quote a man on horseback in Granada, “It’s she who wears the pants"...
Axe’s “Make Love, Not War” Superbowl Ad
As part of Axe's #kissforpeace campaign, Axe first debuted this ad for their new product, Axe Peace, on the internet and then revealed a shorter version during the commercial breaks of the Superbowl. The ad’s tagline, “Make Love, Not War,” initially seems to indicate that this ad will be different from Axe’s usual sexist romps. And while the ad does attempt to dismantle stereotypes about race, terrorism, and war, it ends up reinforcing them. In addition, Axe’s portrayal of romance on the battlefield is disturbing for the ways it erases violence against women during war and glorifies colonialism...
A decade of 100% defense against anti-conservation bills at the NM Legislature
For the 10th year in a row, Conservation Voters New Mexico (CVNM) and our allies successfully defeated every anti-conservation measure introduced in the state legislature during the 2014 New Mexico Legislative session which ended yesterday at noon.
I am so proud to be a part of this conservation legacy that CVNM is continuing for the people of New Mexico. For a decade CVNM has been on the frontlines, fighting the good fight, protecting our air, land, and water for a healthy Land of Enchantment...
Women’s Murders, Justice and Corruption in New Mexico
Since 2009, Frontera NorteSur has followed the story of 11 murdered women and girls found in a common burial site on the West Mesa of Albuquerque, New Mexico. February 2 marked the fifth anniversary of the discovery. Although there has been much talk and speculation about who is responsible for the killings, the crimes remain mired in impunity.
What’s more, women with profiles similar to the West Mesa victims are still missing, prompting further speculation of another clandestine graveyard somewhere out there...
Tax Credit Increase for Low-Income Working Families Would Increase Tax Fairness
New Mexico lawmakers have at their disposal an effective tool for helping the working families in our state who need it most. The Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC)—a credit based on the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)—goes to low- and moderate-income families that work, helping them meet their basic needs. Increasing the credit would do so much for these families struggling to get by on low wages, and there’s a way to pay for the increase that actually helps restore a little bit of fairness to our tax system...
What Does Real Reform Look Like?
When a state’s children protective services fails to serve or protect children it is supposed to help, what is to be done? What is the root of the problem a state faces in trying to help children who are abused in their own families? How can a system that almost everybody calls dysfunctional be reformed?
Since the death of 9-year-old Omaree Varela in Albuquerque last month, legislators, officials of the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department and advocates for children have been asking these questions. So far, they have no good answers...
The New Free Trade Fever
20 years after the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect, little interest has been shown until now by the governments of the signatory countries for reopening the trade pact. But a similar agreement between Mexico and the European Union, signed in 1997 and enacted in 2000, is under review and could be expanded.
Three working groups from the European Commission are expected to be in Mexico February 11-13 for discussions that could lead to changes in the current agreement, especially as they pertain to the energy, agricultural, financial services and telecommunications sectors...
Trickle-down PR in the Journal
You have to give it the corporate elite in this country for their crafty effectiveness in convincing a large percentage of the working poor and the debt-ridden middle class to parrot economic talking points that work in direct opposition to their best interest. A marketing coup made possible with the support of much of the mainstream media establishment at the national and local level.
Winthrop Quigley gives us the latest supporting example this week in an Albuquerque Journal column, “Minimum wage hike won’t fix income inequality”...
Answering response to ‘Reforms in Mexico’
On January 24, I submitted an article entitled “Reforms in Mexico” and writer Margaret Randall filed a very articulate response, finding my ideas “extremely troubling.” She raised three issues to which I would like to respond.
1. My characterization of two-time presidential candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador as “loony” when, in fact, she believes that he is a “genuine revolutionary reformer” and “widely believed to have won the election in his first bid for the presidency.” I agree with part of her criticism. Using the word “loony” was wrong because he’s a very intelligent individual. The word “hypocritical” would have been more accurate...
Omaree Varela article source responds
George Ortega (pseudonym)—the source at the state Children, Youth and Families Department for my article, “Why did Omaree Vaela die?"—responded to the article with following letter:
Wally, Thank you for writing “Why did Omaree Varela die?” Hopefully it will spur some action. I want to clarify a few points you made...