Pictured above: We're All in this Together (W. Parker-Wood)
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ABQ Weather or Not
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This Week's Earth Watch
Protect Chaco
Do you know that federal government is proceeding with plans for a December auction of oil and gas drilling leases on thousands of acres of land in the Greater Chaco region?
A comment period on the proposal is now open and will continue through October 31, despite a pending Senate bill that would protect the area, and without a cultural review and consultation promised by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. Miya King-Flaherty, organizer with the Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter, said the government is violating its own procedures by not having a resource management plan in place.
“Expanded fracking in Greater Chaco further threatens irreplaceable cultural resources, as well as the health and safety of nearby communities," Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter Organizer Miya King-Flaherty said in a July 2018 press release, "It is unacceptable for Secretary Zinke to pay lip service to the need for cultural review and consultation while still charging ahead with plans to auction off this sacred landscape to the fossil-fuel industry,” (Read the full press release)
From this morning's NM Political Report:
New Mexico Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich have introduced legislation to protect the greater Chaco region. The bill, called the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act, is backed by the All Pueblo Council of Governors and the Navajo Nation, which said the area has great significance to the state’s indigenous people and any disturbance would be “culturally and morally unacceptable.” (Full Article)
CLICK HEREto see what they have to say about Fracking on Federal and Indian Lands
If you'd like to get involved, please contact the Rio Grande chapter of the Sierra Club
or 
Website
Editor's note: Please pay particular attention to the November election to determine whether Pat Lyons or Stephanie Garcia Richard will become our Land Commissioner. Considering interest earned from the monies held in the Land Trust fund NM schools and some healthcare, there are several issues at play. Garcia Richards has headed up the Legislative Committee on Education while Lyons has been connected with a myriad of questionable public land disputes (google "Pat Lyons, public land scandals').
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This Week in the 'Que
Ongoing through December 3rd:
Formerly The NM Chinese Lantern Festival - Click here for Website
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Wednesday evening:
Address, link, etc. CLICK HERE
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Advance Planning
November 4th:
THIS IS A WONDERFUL COMMUNITY EVENT that the entire City can celebrate (and should - it is so terrific!)
The Mission of the South Valley Dia de Los Muertos Celebration & Marigold Parade include the following:
- To exert cultural self-determination,
- To strengthen community,
- To promote cultural exchange through intergenerational learning and expression through art, music, food, dance and political satire.
- To promote pride in South Valley cultural identity through our grassroots, non-corporate organizing.
Further details, please CLICK HERE
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November 23-25 HOTEL ALBUQUERQUE:
This Artisan Market aspires to be another local endeavor to help local artisans continue to create what they love. "It’s these artisans, who add to our rich history through their craftsmanship and trade skills, that authentically preserve the creative culture that has thrived in New Mexico for generations."
This is their first "at bat" - let's hope this is well curated and a worthwhile showcasing of select artisans - and not another "opportunity lost" situation, which is often the case with area hotel venues trying to be something they really aren't ready for.
If you'd like more information, please click here.
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- The MyVoter Information page is your access to an enormous amount of information, but perhaps most important is viewing your Sample Ballot. The Ballot is a ledger-sized page, front and back - that's A LOT of info to absorb if you're seeing it for the first time when you enter the voting booth. A much better idea is to download it and study it. The back page is ALL bond issues and the front right is mostly judges - and the League of Women Voters' Election Guide is a helpful resource: download pdf
My 2018 Election Bucket List:
A winning combo of a good candidate and an informed voter - those are the necessary components for the NM we all want.Partisanship has really contaminated our political process - people end up voting Party rather than principles.
Take for example, Immigration: if you aren't an informed voter, you probably think in terms of Wall or No Wall. But it isn't (nor should it be) that simple.Instead of swallowing all the bunk that's being served up in these final pre-election weeks about "caravans of Immigrants" about to storm our borders, consider this:
"This is a country of laws. We are not going to admit thousands of undocumented immigrants traveling in a caravan. We do not have open borders. But we are and have always been a country of compassion as well, and we are working with Mexican authorities to protect the safety of these men, women and children."
So don't vote because you see scary and misleading negative ads on TV. Vote and keep in mind that we really aren't a country that tears families apart, we shouldn't be privatizing prisons and subjecting private companies with quotas to keep them filled, and losing track of 100s of children because we're spending money elsewhere when we should be upgrading our border security technology, our immigration infrastructure and focusing on humane immigration reform.
There are very clear choices among most candidates you'll be voting for - use your intelligence and critical thinking in the choices you make. Voting is a right, but it is also a privilege.We shouldn't squander what others have had taken away. When you vote, whether it's early or on Election Day, November 6th - think of the future of our beloved state, our children (see below) , grandchildren and our precious resources.
Look at the voting records of both of our gubernatorial candidates and decide who will best represent ALL New Mexicans, because we are a diverse and inclusive state - and we need to look out for everyone. Especially our children.
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Happiness is a Bluetick Coonhound
I've got a dog, and his name is Blue...