Letter by Coalition to Senator Heinrich

Dear Senator Heinrich: 

We represent a consortium of Indivisible chapters, Democratic groups, and other progressive organizations from across New Mexico. We are writing to request clarification of your position on eliminating or reforming the Senate filibuster rule. Although some of us discussed this issue with your staff last week during our monthly Indivisible group call, we remain unclear as to exactly what your official position is on this important issue. We understand that some Democrats see the elimination of the filibuster as a double-edged sword that could potentially come back to bite us if the GOP regains control of the Senate. We, on the other hand, see this tool continually used in a way to thwart the will of a democratically-elected government and to give almost insurmountable power to a minority who are opposed to any significant change. Common application of this rule has created a de facto supermajority requirement to pass much legislation in the Senate. The filibuster rule, and what it applies to, has been modified numerous times in the past, most recently in 2017, to allow for Senate confirmation of Supreme Court justices by a mere majority vote. As you also know, there are quite a few bills, some involving major legislation, that are able to avoid the filibuster rule as they are debated and voted on in the Senate. To us it is clear that, with more and more exceptions to the way the rule is applied, the elimination of the rule entirely is on the horizon. For these reasons as well as many others not elucidated here we support the view that the filibuster should be eliminated now, or, at a minimum, significantly reformed. We hope that you support that position as well, but if not, we would like a clear explanation of what your position is on this. Thank you for all you have done and continue to do for all of us, and for taking the time to respond to this letter.

      Respectfully submitted,

Sandoval County Indivisible

 Sandoval County Federation of Democratic Women

 Indivisible Sierra County 

Indivisible Duke City 

Indivisible Nob Hill 

Indivisible 505 

Indivisible SOS Santa Fe 

Rio Grande Indivisible

 Indivisible Santa Fe 

Progressive Democrats of America Central NM Chapter

 Indivisible Las Cruces

 Wheeler Peak Progressives 

Members of Indivisible Santa Fe have published more than 30 letters to the editor and op-ed pieces in the Albuquerque Journal and the Santa Fe New Mexican over the past year.

Letter to Editor, New Mexican 3/13/23 by

Donna Thiersch

Keeping Democracy Alive

New Mexico is being recognized nationally for keeping democracy alive. Our governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham; members of Congress; courts; local and state representatives’ organizations; and citizens are engaged in numerous policies being recognized. We were the first to remove and ban a Jan. 6, 2021, participant, Couy Griffin, from serving as a local county commissioner and holding a public office. Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver backed and the Legislature just passed a voting rights bill to make voting more accessible. Attorney General Raúl Torrez is enforcing laws to protect our citizens from local ordinances that ban abortion health care and securing LGBTQ rights. We are working toward becoming a model for other states in protecting citizens from environmental hazards, establishing climate resiliency and containing energy costs.

Donna Thiersch

Letter to the editor in 3/5/23 New Mexican, written by our own Stephanie Mendez.

If we agree with Cary Streicker (“Worthy candidate,” Letters to the Editor, March 1) about the need to kick Democrats to the curb, Republicans would be free to carry out their polities of restricting voting rights, dictating a woman’s right to choose, denying climate change, eliminating or reducing Medicare and Social Security, eliminating any restrictions on gun ownership and melding religious customs with government policy.

In addition, Streicker agrees with his candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy, that college admissions should be based solely on merit and achievement. He fails to acknowledge the countless privileged students who have been admitted to colleges and universities under legacy programs and family million-dollar contributions, not merit. Jared Kushner is a prime example of an underachieving student admitted to Harvard not long after his father pledged $2.5 million to the school. This is a return to a class system based on elite privilege.

Stephanie Mendez

founding member, Indivisible Santa Fe

Here is Letter to Editor, New Mexican by John House

The Office of Congressional Ethics is a bipartisan ethics office that helps monitor and report on ethics issues involving members of Congress. It has a proven track record of enhancing transparency and enforcement of ethics rules and has gained widespread support among the American public. This office has been reauthorized every Congress since its inception in 2008. Once the new Congress is organized, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are set to vote on a rules package that would gut the ethics office.

Problematic changes include these: “Any member of the board currently serving a term in excess of the limitations of section 1(b)(6) of such resolution shall be considered as removed from the board;” and, “the provision regarding appointment and compensation of staff shall require an affirmative vote of at least four members of the board not later than 30 calendar days after the date of the adoption of this resolution.” The first change is unabashedly aimed at removing long-standing Democrats from the board. The second would make it difficult for the OCE to staff its office because typically, the board has not even been appointed by the end of that time. The House must instead reauthorize the Office of Congressional Ethics as it is, without these cynical, destructive additions.

John House

Here is Op-Ed in "My View" section of New Mexican around October 10, 2022

Late in the summer, the FBI searched former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home and removed at least a dozen boxes of classified documents, some marked as “top secret/SCI,” one of the highest levels of classification.

It didn’t have to go down this way. Trump had multiple requests to turn over the documents, but he refused. The first request was in May 2021, with subsequent requests occurring in the fall of 2021 and January 2022, and yet Trump refused to return all the documents he had stored in his Florida home. It was his own mishandling of classified material and the refusal to comply with the Presidential Records Act that led to the Department of Justice investigation and the grand jury subpoena that was issued June 3, and yet, Trump refused to comply with the subpoena. This refusal led to the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago.

Trump and his supporters within the Republican Party want to paint Trump as the victim of an overzealous attorney general and Justice Department. They have used the same types of extreme, dangerous language that led to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection on the U.S. Capitol, only this time they have endangered the lives of federal agents, the magistrate and all Americans. Their words already have led to an armed standoff and the death of a Trump supporter in a cornfield in Ohio.

I am afraid this is only the beginning. Tweets by GOP representatives to “destroy the FBI,” “suspend habeas corpus” or “defund the FBI” make us all less safe, and are dangerous reminders that while the Republican Party likes to tout itself as the “party of law and order,” it is the party that will say and do anything, including inciting violence and destroying our democracy, to stay in power.

The Republican Party of New Mexico had the opportunity to speak out against this dangerous rhetoric, but instead made shameful comments about “an unethical and corrupt” Department of Justice, being “weaponized” by Democrats and saying the search of Trump’s home is “larger than Trump: It threatens our entire system of government.”

What Republicans, including those in New Mexico, refuse to realize is that by allowing Trump to remain above the law, with no accountability, they threaten our entire system of government. It’s a government built on the rule of law, applied fairly and evenly to all. The only way to prevent the continued rise of this extremism and the ongoing destruction of our democracy is to ensure that no one, not even former presidents, are above the law. Refuse to vote for any candidate who supports Trump and uses dangerous, explosive rhetoric.

Here is New Mexican Sept 8, 2022

Alamogordo Activist Deserves a Movie

Regarding “Motivated mom takes on anti-abortion resolution,” (Ringside Seat, Sept. 5.): I can see it on the big screen now. Virtuous, resourceful mother of three who happens to be terminally ill, rallies the community of Alamogordo against an autocratic action spearheaded by the oafish, evil male members of the city council. The righteous citizens unite legally behind the effort; the hapless Otero County Republican Party minions promote election forgery to quash it, but the noble heroine and her supporters prevail.

       Since this is a movie script and some poetic license is allowed, the happy ending includes a criminal conviction for the bumbling party hacks and a new slate of responsive, civic minded city council candidates. And of course, the heroine goes into remission.

Alexa Bradford

Here is a letter published in the New Mexican Aug 24 

We have three great female candidates who have shown their genuine support and care for New Mexican citizens. They are all seasoned leaders in their area of expertise. Our governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, gave us rebates, protected women’s rights and fought for fire victims’ compensation. Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver was a leader in preserving legitimate voting rights, referring erroneous election claims to the courts, as well as giving us same-day voter registration. Laura Montoya, running for state treasurer, withstood incumbent Treasurer Tim Eichenberg’s attacks during the primary. Montoya clearly demonstrated her ability to remain composed and steadfast in winning the primary; additionally, she brings her years of financial experience as Sandoval County treasurer.

Donna Thiersch

Santa Fe

  Here is a letter to the editor in the New Mexican on July 12 by Mark Friendman.

When will U.S. stop tolerating mass shootings?

How much longer will we put up with mass shootings in this country? How much longer will we allow Republicans and their party of death to let gun "rights" trump public safety? For every person killed or

wounded in gun violence, there are a hundred or more friends and family members directly affected. If vou go to "friends of friends" there are a thousand or more, And this just scratches the surface.  Every

child in the United States now lives in fear of gun violence. And every new mass shooting (over 300 so far this year) adds to their trauma. The Republicans don't care because their party is in the grip of the

National Rifle Assoctation, and the NRA is  in the grip o! a small number of tanatical gun owners who

don't care.

The only answer is to defeat all Republicans at the polls. Only then will sanity be restored to this country We most vote for Democrats in November, here in New Mexico and everywhere in the U.S. Young people in particular must register and vote because they are the ones who will otherwise live with many more decades of gun violence, fear and death, You should know the recent gun compromise is a band- aid on this open wound. At a minimum, we need to ban assault weapons and require 100 percent background checks. This will never happen with Republicans in charge,and don't listen to the Republicans whine about gun "rights" in the Constitution. The Second Amendment is about "a well-regulated militia". How many gun owners are part of a well-regulated milttia? Zero

Here is a letter by Alexa Maros to the New  Mexican June 25

Today we are a country that prohibits a woman’s right to control her body. The Supreme Court has ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade and, in so doing, shredded 50 years of established law. The devastating impact on women’s health, economic independence and overall welfare is beyond words. If you are a Black or brown woman, the pain will be exponentially higher. What impacts women impacts their families, especially the children. The larger issue here is the ongoing attempt to subjugate women (and others) in this country. Rights are being taken away, important life choices are being curtailed, and second-class citizenship is official state policy for 50 percent of our population. We must talk about the status of women in this country and why the religious zealots on the court and nationwide are so invested in taking back a right that is the basis of everything. Our body. Our life.

Alexa Maros

Here is a letter by John House in the Los Alamos Reporter 01/22 and may be coming out in Santa Fe New Mexican 

Buchenwald And Critical Race Theory View  

  A few years ago, during a trip to Europe, my wife and I visited the infamous Buchenwald Nazi concentration camp/now memorial in Eastern Germany.  We arrived soon after the site opened one weekday morning, when there were few vehicles in the parking lot.  We walked around the extensive grounds all morning, coming back to the information center and museum close to noon.  We saw then many buses parked in the parking lot. I assumed they were tourist buses.  I was wrong; they were school buses.  Entering the museum, we found it full of German middle school children.  While viewing the exhibit cases filled with explicit photos and artifacts that graphically depicted the horror of the holocaust, we also were very interested in observing the reactions of the school children.  A schoolgirl, perhaps 12 or 13, stood nearby looking at a shelf that contained photos of piles of naked, emaciated corpses and a bar of soap made in part from human fat obtained from murdered prisoners, I overheard her exclaim in German, “How horrible!”  My wife and I came away feeling admiration for the country’s honest and forthright attitude towards confronting this despicable time in its history.  Rather than sweeping under the rug the Nazi’s genocidal mass murder of Jews and other people deemed “undesirable,” the Germans displayed it openly so that the atrocity wouldn’t be forgotten, in the hope that continuing awareness would prevent something like that from ever happening again.  I later learned that to achieve that aim, the German government had made awareness of the holocaust, including mandatory visits to holocaust sites, an important part of the formal education of their children,.   

       Contrast that with the radical right attack in this country being currently waged on the teaching of “critical race theory” in schools and other instructional venues. The term “critical race theory” has been used mostly by the far right to malign what it characterizes as a deliberate attempt to brand all white Americans as racist and to make them feel guilty about the country’s racist past.  According to a recently updated (January 31, 2022) Education Week article, since January 2021, legislation has been introduced or administrative rules proposed in 36 states aimed at restricting the teaching of “critical race theory” or limiting how teachers can discuss racism, sexism or other topics that may make some people “feel uncomfortable” about themselves.  And 14 states have already imposed these bans and restrictions.  One such bill sponsored by five white Republican New Mexico legislators is being considered in the 2022 legislative session: it is House Bill 91, short titled “Prohibit Critical Race Theory Teaching”.  This bill is so broad and vague that it arguably could be used to prohibit teaching about the general subject of slavery, the Civil War, the Reconstruction Era and the civil rights movement. 

     This effort to restrict knowledge, thought and personal freedom is an unfortunate, misinformed, knee jerk reaction to a nonexistent problem. Critical race theory is not at all what these measures and their promoters portray it to be.  In fact, the term refers to an independent, objective course of inquiry and study–the raising of questions and evaluation of information about our institutions, laws and practices.  It is very much akin to and intertwined with postcolonialism, an intellectual course of study that analyzes the continuing effects of the colonial past of many countries and regions in the world today.  The true aim of critical race theory is to try to understand why, after the spate of civil rights and anti-discrimination laws that have been passed in this country, racism and racial inequality continue to persist.  It is not a “blame game” but rather a problem-solving endeavor.   

      I suspect and hope that most of the same people so opposed to critical race theory would be appalled if they were told that the German government had reversed its policy and was currently considering banning the teaching of the holocaust so that modern Germans wouldn’t “feel bad about themselves.”  Back to what I observed of the German middle school student in the Buchenwald memorial museum: in her facial expressions and exclamation I saw no feelings of personal guilt or discomfort, but, rather appropriately, shock and revulsion.  She didn’t appear to connect herself to the heinous past acts of the Nazi regime.  Instead, she showed she was repulsed by it.  I think that New Mexico schoolchildren of the same age would not blame themselves for the past or present acts of racial injustice of others or the racial inequality embedded in some of our institutions, laws and practices, the creation of which they had nothing to do with.  Instead, I would hope a better understanding of these injustices would instill in them the desire to help eliminate them.  If we deliberately prevent our children from learning about the racial inequalities that persist in this country, they and we will never make it a better, fairer place to live for all in the future.  

      Call and/or write your state representative and urge them vote against HB 91. 

Here is letter by John House in Santa Fe New Mexican 12/15

Fix the filibuster

In 2006, 192 House Republicans voted to renew the Voting Rights Act. But in 2021, not a single Republican senator has come out to support protecting the freedom to vote for the American people. Today’s Republican Party, completely under the sinister influence of former President Donald Trump, is cynically undermining the right to vote in every state they can because they know they cannot win otherwise. This year, using the filibuster, Senate Republicans voted three times to prevent important voting legislation from even coming to the Senate floor for debate.

President Biden must recognize and use the power of his office to demand the Senate abolish or amend the filibuster. Please call 202-456-1111 and/or send letters to President Biden at www.whitehouse.gov/contactand demand he do everything in his power to eliminate the roadblock of the filibuster so we can pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

Here is letter by Alexa Bradford in recent Santa Fe New Mexican:

Listen to Berry

Maine state Rep. Seth Berry’s excellent My View column (“Learn from Maine, avoid disaster,” July 11) reminds us that what’s past is prologue. It stands out among The New Mexican’s many published articles on this issue as a factual and sobering recounting of the actual damage done by granting control of a public franchise for private gain to an investor-owned utility with a complex, foreign-owned corporate structure and powerful profit motive.

Berry’s column documents the “irreversible harm” to the citizens of Maine of the 2008 Avangrid acquisition of Central Maine Power. It is a story of mismanagement, corporate avarice and the worst customer satisfaction ranking in three consecutive national surveys. To dance with this devil, expecting a different outcome, is willful blindness. New Mexico deserves better, and ratepayers should oppose this merger.

Letter by Pam Walker in New Mexican

Locally sourced

Thank you, reporter Teya Vitu, for the excellent article about Nina Yozell-Epstein’s Squash Blossom Local Food (“Business is Blossoming,” July 13). You are helping spread the word about the many benefits of eating local food from local farmers. Eating fresh, local food is the most nutritious way to eat and promotes individual and public health over the short term and the long term.

And by buying food from local farmers or local food from farmers’ markets, subscription services like Squash Blossom Local Food, and CSAs, we help small-scale local farmers make a living and stay on the land, using organic methods to nurture our local soil, water and air. In addition, buying food from local farmers instead of corporate grocery stores nurtures our local economy and culture, and this enriches us all beyond measure.

Here is a link to a recent article about our voting rights protest and voter registration on May 8: 

https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/dozens-rally-for-voting-rights-in-santa-fe-demonstration/article_f08d36cc-ae8d-11eb-a1f6-23334538593f.html  

Here is recent letter from John House

Voting Rights

In 2021, we’ve seen more than 349 bills introduced in the legislatures of 47 states attempting to suppress the vote in communities of color. The reasoning behind these attacks is clear: Those who support them believe if you won’t vote for them, you shouldn’t vote at all. Congressman John Lewis shed his blood and dedicated his life to ensuring that all Americans, especially voters of color, were able to participate in American’s electoral process.

On Saturday May 8 in over 120 cities around the country, people will gather to honor John Lewis’ legacy and to ignite massive public support for critical reforms to our democracy. Together, we will demand Congress pass both the For the People Act (S. 1) and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (H.R. 4). In Santa Fe, join us at noon for a rally at the intersection of South St. Francis Drive and Cerrillos Road to get into some “good trouble”

Letter from Pam Rogers

No to merger

I urge Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to oppose the Public Service Company of New Mexico/Avangrid merger. We cannot afford to let a foreign big business siphon profits outside our state when we could have local control of our state’s amazing resources in wind and sun. Picuris Pueblo has already done it. They are doing it successfully in California and Illinois. We can have a quicker and more certain transition to clean energy and export it to our neighbors if we let municipalities and tribes/Pueblos control energy. It could turn our economy completely around. Or we can let PNM continue to exploit our citizens and resources. The new company already has a terrible track record in Canada and Maine, and the deal they are offering is a steal. We cannot afford this. Our leaders need to represent us, not big business.

 Letter by Donna Thiersch

Confirm Strickland

Margaret Strickland, our own New Mexican attorney, has an excellent reputation fighting for her clients in civil rights case and criminal cases in state and federal courts in New Mexico.

She also advocated and supported the passage of House Bill 4, the New Mexico Civil Rights Act, which allows a person claiming a deprivation of any “rights, privileges or immunities” secured by the Bill of Rights of the New Mexico Constitution to be able to sue and win damages and relief in state District Court. The bill was opposed by municipalities and insurance carriers, with multiple amendments proposed. The New Mexico Civil Rights Commission Final Report and the help of Strickland’s testimony gave New Mexicans in support of passing the bill numerous speaking points communicating with their state representatives. Now Strickland has been nominated to be a federal judge. She is more than qualified to serve as a federal judge for the U.S. District Court.

Here is a recent letter in New Mexican by Ricann Bock

Moving forward

Community solar will benefit renters, homeowners and landlords as it accelerates our transition to a carbon-neutral New Mexico. I commend the Legislature and all the various participants and stakeholders who studied, talked and found compromise, resulting in this bill. And thanks to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who signed this legislation Monday.

Here is a recent letter in New Mexican by Donna Thiersch

I see our newly elected Senator Ben Ray Lujan has been busy in the senate He is co-signer for the  SB51 Washington, D.C. Admission Act, for citizens to have equitable access to the decisions made that affect their lives in Washington D.C. He voted in congress last year to impeach the former president and recently in the Senate voted to convict. I am also encouraged that he may also be supportive for the Filibuster Reform in the Senate as we all want meaningful legislation for our Nation. Although Santa Fe has a higher minimum wage then most of the counties in New Mexico, I  believe it’s critical in the fight for working families that we legislate an increase to a $15.00 minimum wage. Senator Ben Ray Lujan is in the position to support this reform.

Here is a recent letter in the New Mexican by Pam Walker

Cover the trash loads

Regarding roadside litter: I recently spent a couple of nights in Albuquerque, driving from Santa Fe and back. On both legs of the trip, I first noticed more roadside litter than I’ve ever seen, and wondered about the sources of the littering and the lack of cleanup by the state or other political entities responsible. Then I noticed a number of large dump trucks, ones longer than wide, hauling trash but not securely covering their loads. Trash bags and loose trash came flying out of the truck beds. I was afraid of a collision with a large load, especially those containing glass that might puncture my tires. Aren’t there state regulations about covering loads, whether trash or other stuff? If there aren’t, why not? And if there are, what are the problems with enforcement? Roadside litter results from individual irresponsibility, for sure, but what about governmental responsibility or the lack of?

Here is a recent letter in the New Mexican by Alexa Bradford

Misses the point

I believe Paul Gessing misunderstands the intent of Senate Bill 66 (“High-interest loans have a purpose,” My View, March 8). SB 66 is not “eliminating needed financial options for working people.” It merely caps the legal interest rate for the industry at 36 percent.

Payday loans are a form of predatory lending and are not “quality credit” options. They are usurious and abusive, and frequently trap borrowers in an even deeper cycle of poverty. Gessing unfairly excoriates legislators for “passing judgment on people of lesser means.” On the contrary, it appears SB 66 is intended to protect our most vulnerable citizens from legalized financial abuse.

Here is recent letter in New Mexican by Patti LaSalle Hopkins.

Be hopeful, with caution

As our nation surpassed the tragic milestone of 500,000 COVID-19 deaths, numerous other issues captured and competed for our attention. President Joe Biden was wise and thoughtful in leading us to rise above the distractions and pay homage to the deceased and their families. At a White House ceremony, he said, “To heal, we must remember.” We must also remember this: The best way to pay tribute is to pay attention. Experts caution that pandemic progress is fragile, threatened by variant strains as we struggle through its first lethal incursion. Progress with vaccinations does not negate the necessity to wear masks, socially distance and avoid crowds.

Yet here we are on the brink of spring break, when young adults in particular will be tempted to break out of social isolation and flirt with risk. Here in New Mexico, reopenings hold the promise of spring’s reawakening of our everyday lives. But let’s remember. Let’s pledge allegiance to caution and care, even in the light of new hope.

Here is a recent letter by Donna Thiersch

Celebrate and support

This week we must celebrate and support one of our own, U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland as her nomination hearing for the secretary of the Department of the Interior starts Tuesday. The United States has had a long, untenable history with Native Americans. The historical treatment of Native Americans was so mercilessly institutionalized. While the current relationship is bankrupted, fueled by greed and contempt for tribal nations in their own backyards, the future relationships will depend on us acknowledging the broken treaties and ignoring all promises made to Native Americans here in the United States. It is long overdue having a Cabinet leader that can represent broad oversight of tribal affairs and energy development. The future is promising with Deb Haaland, who will have a voice in amending the deceit which has so long plagued us in the United States.

On July 11, from 11 am to noon, members of Indivisible Santa Fe along with sister Indivisible SOS and Represent Us New Mexico will hold a rally at the Federal Building in Santa Fe (across from Scottish Rite Temple).  Clearly voting rights are under attack with Republican gerrymandering and voter suppression, an incredible threat to our democracy.  Please come and show your support for Democracy.

On July 11, from 11 am to noon, members of Indivisible Santa Fe along with sister Indivisible SOS and Represent Us New Mexico will hold a rally at the Federal Building in Santa Fe (across from Scottish Rite Temple).  Clearly voting rights are under attack with Republican gerrymandering and voter suppression, an incredible threat to our democracy.  Please come and show your support for Democracy.