Archive for National Affairs
A Clarification
by John Weckerle
Photo that was attached to the e-mail message
New Mexico Central doesn’t typically get too wrapped up in national affairs; however, once in a while we find a need to address a situation. In this case, we find that an e-mail response sent by your editor was tampered with, and now is out there on the Internet with his name still on it. Accordingly, this article clarifies the situation.
This morning, I received an e-mail message from a Valley resident with the picture shown here and the following text:
Let’s take the bugger down through the Internet… Seems the majority of
the press are worshiping at his feet….Someone could put this on facebook..
If each person sends this to a minimum of twenty people on their address list, in three days, all people inThe United States of America would have the message. I believe this is one proposal that really should be passed around.THIS WILL CURDLE YOUR BLOOD AND CURL YOUR HAIR
The name of the book Obama is reading is called:
“The Post-American World,” and it was written by a fellow Muslim.
“Post” America means the world After America! Please forward this picture to everyone you know, conservative or liberal. We must expose Obama’s radical ideas and his intent to bring down our beloved America!
Your editor is known to have a bit of a pet peeve where inaccuracy and misleading information in widely circulated e-mails is concerned. I replied: »» A Clarification
Dancing In Carbon Shoes
by John Weckerle
As most of our readers know, New Mexico Central has not typically focused extensively on national/global issues. Global climate change has been the subject of a single article thus far. However, given some of what we’ve been reading, we think perhaps it is time for article number two.
We have watched with some interest the exchanges in the letters-to-the-editor at the Mountain View Telegraph between Scott Brooks, Ken Johnson, and Bob Clancy, a debate into which your editor even waded once. Mr. Brooks and Mr. Johnson believe that evidence and analysis supporting the concept of anthropogenic climate change are the bogus result of some sort of vast conspiracy among the grand majority of climate and environmental scientists. Mr. Clancy disagrees, as does your editor. Mr. Clancy, to a lesser extent, myself, and others have at times looked into the issues raised by the climate conspiracy theorists and tried to correct the misconceptions presented. For the most part, the reaction seems to have been a combination of dodge, hustle, regrouping, and diversion. A tactic? Perhaps. A strategy? Well…
The issue has begun spilling over into the local blogs, with Gadabout-Blogalot.com blogger Chuck Ring weighing in on the subject, referring to “man’s so-called climate change” and stating “Carbon footprints are of little interest to me at this time because it seems that the whole “global warming/climate change” effort has tumbled rear-end over teakettle … at least for now and maybe far into the future. Something about scads of emails and weather cold enough to freeze the horns off of a brass billy goat.” Mr. Ring has made a number of other comments suggesting that he is embracing a certain skepticism on the subject of anthropogenic climate change, apparently on the basis of the notorious “Climategate” e-mails. If Mr. Brooks and Mr. Johnson’s constant barrage of letters to the Telegraph didn’t make this a local issue, Mr. Ring’s entry into the discourse certainly does, as he is running for local office. With all that in mind, we’d like to address a few of the relevant claims recently made. »» Dancing In Carbon Shoes
Mr. Johnson Goes To Washington
by John Weckerle
As reported by Politico.com and the Albuquerque Journal, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson will join U.S. Representative Steve Cohen and recently reunited comedy team Cheech and Chong at next Wednesday’s Marijuana Policy Project’s 15th anniversary celebration in Washington, DC. Mr. Johnson – who claims to have quit indulging many years ago, and advocates that others do likewise – has for years been an advocate of legalizing marijuana, citing the costs and effects associated with maintaining its illegal status.
Mr. Johnson is reportedly thinking seriously about a 2012 Presidential bid – and thinking aloud, having set up a political advocacy committee, as well as what appears to be the beginnings of a campaign web site. New Mexico Central is not generally in the habit of endorsing candidates for political office, but if nothing else, a Johnson foray into the fray might make the campaign more interesting than it might be without him.
Wolves Wend Way to Wildlife West
by John Weckerle
Yesterday saw the arrival of three very important personages at Albuquerque’s Double Eagle Airport aboard an aircraft provided by Lighthawk, a conservation organization of volunteer pilots providing support to environmental and ecological efforts. Three Mexican grey wolves arrived from the National Zoo to begin the last leg of the trip to their new home – Wildlife West Nature Park in Edgewood, New Mexico. The plane was scheduled to return east with a retired female wolf from the Sevilleta Wolf Management Facility, bound for New York.
The arrival of the male and two females represents a substantial increase in Wildlife West’s participation in the wolf recovery effort, more than doubling the Park’s population of lobos. The new arrivals will take up residence in new habitat space adjacent to the existing wolf enclosure.
The Park’s Christmas present comes with a price, however; food, veterinary care, and other expenses will require financial resources that are already strained. Those wishing to help the Park and its participation in the wolf recovery program would do well to visit the Park’s web site and consider making a donation; any support would certainly be appreciated.
A Game Of Dodgeball, Anyone?
by John Weckerle
Yesterday, we published an article in counterpoint to an October 9 article by Chuck Ring at GadaboutBlogalot.com, which claimed that West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd had obtained a budget earmark for a nonexistent company. We researched the company, contacted them to confirm that they existed, and found that the company had been bought two years earlier, and had begun operating under the parent company’s name this past July – after the earmark request had been submitted. In light of the inaccuracy of the original report by Gadabout-Blogalot.com and the referenced biggovernment.com “Pork Report,” we decided to follow up on the other supposed transgressions in the “Pork Report,” and published our findings.
Apparently, we struck a nerve. An article appeared at Gadabout-Blogalot.com in response this morning. (We will note here that Mr. Ring did not directly reference our article, and referred instead to “another blogger.” This is a breach of etiquette for which we have criticized one of the local newspapers, and we hope that we will not see it again from Gadabout-Blogalot.com.) Inexplicably, Mr. Ring stated that his article had not misrepresented the situation, but by way of providing support to the argument referenced a blog post that demonstrated that his article had done just that. Specifically, the article disclosed that the company did, in fact, exist; that it was named Information Management Corporation at the time the earmark was requested; and that it changed names after Senator Byrd’s request for the earmark. »» A Game Of Dodgeball, Anyone?
Byrd Unfairly Maligned, Pork Report Dissected
by John Weckerle
In an October 9 article, Gadabout-Blogalot.com editor Chuck Ring unfairly criticizes U.S. Senator Robert Byrd for supposedly obtaining a budget “earmark” for a company that does not exist. The accusation is demonstrably false. How do we know that? Because we followed the link to the referenced biggovernment.com “Pork Report“, looked the company (Information Manufacturing Corporation (IMC) of Rocket City, WV) up online, and dialed a phone number listed on one of the search results. Perhaps predictably, somebody answered the phone. We spoke with Dave Porter of National Interest Security Corporation (NISC). He advised us that NISC had purchased IMC about two years ago, and that the IMC organization was now operating under the NISC banner. According to RollCall.com, the funding is intended to be used to digitize files for the Naval Criminal Investigation Service. Lauren Holly and Mark Harmon must be thrilled, but we see little cause for outrage; digitization of paper copies is a common practice and can be very useful in reducing the massive quantity of paper stored by Federal agencies. »» Byrd Unfairly Maligned, Pork Report Dissected