My Stuff

STAIF-II -- 13-15 March 2012, ABQ, NM

2012-01-08T01:09:00.001-08:00

The Space Technology and Applications International Forum (STAIF) II

Albuquerque Marriott Pyramid North
5151 San Francisco NE Albuquerque NM 87109
Tuesday, 13 March – Thursday, 15 March 2012

Announcing a science conference, STAIF II, to happen in Albuquerque March 13-15, 2012. The conference will present peer reviewed scientific papers on physics, exotic propulsion concepts, discoveries about Mars and the use of science to remediate problems here on Earth. The conference will be held at the Marriott Pyramid North. Senior, student and day rates will be available. The banquet speaker will be noted science fiction writer and libertarian philosopher L. Neil Smith.

The purpose of this conference is to enable highly qualified scientists to present ideas that are far in advance of mainstream thinking.

Listing of conferences / sessions (More details)
Regisration – Online or by mail (printable form)
Submit an abstract (Read the format guidelines for papers first!)
Quotes to think about
Links
Sponsorship
Contact Form
Hotel Information

Produced by KCUF Media, a division of Extropy Enterprises. Webmaster Mike Blessing.
This blog entry created with gedit and Notepad++.

Tom Needs Help! Please! Please!

2010-08-26T14:57:00.001-07:00

Current mood: annoyed, cynical

Just this morning, I found another . . . gem . . . in my inbox that landed there with the same plopping noise that my dog makes in the backyard —

Could everyone please send these commericials out to everyone you know to help Tom^[1] get his message out...Thanks

Considering that his "message" seems to be equivocation, slander and libel, as we saw during his campaign against Adam Kokesh, I can't be bothered.

What's the matter — isn't he getting enough money from the GOPNM to run an effective campaign? ha ha ha — serves him right. Serves the GOPNM right, too, for supporting such an unprincipled candidate.

I don't know about you, but I can survive another two years of Ben Ray Lujan in the office. Maybe the GOPNM will smarten up in those two years? Maybe they will, but I'm not betting on it.

See also:

Blowback Comes Home to New Mexico
GOT ADAM!
Tom Mullins — Landmines on the U.S.-Mexico Border

Anyway, those wanting to hear what a real liberty-supporting candidate sounds like need only tune into 1550 KIVA-AM^[2] from 3-4 PM any given weekday, Monday through Friday. And any time he (Adam) wants to come on The Weekly Sedition with me as a guest, the door is open for him.

NOTES

"Tom" being Tom Mullins, the nominated GOPNM candidate for New Mexico's 3rd Congressional District
1550 KIVA-AM for streaming audio, Adam vs The Man.com for streaming video
Reposted —
1. New Mexico Liberty

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Check Your URLs, OK?!

2010-08-19T13:21:00.001-07:00

Current mood: annoyed, bitchy, cynical, geeky

While perusing a recent posting over at New Mexico Liberty, I clicked on http://www.nmpubreporting.certiclear.com/, as linked to in that article, and got the following:

So I changed the URL as specified in the picture above: https://www.nmpubreporting.certiclear.com/, and got the following:

At first, I figured, "What gives here?! Do I have to be a 'registered' senior citizen for this site to show me the data?" Then I re-entered the URL, this time taking out the "www." : http://nmpubreporting.certiclear.com/, and the data shows up.

The Moral of My Posting — Check your URLs to make sure they work before you finalize your post for public consumption. The ego you save may be your own.

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Make Mine Freedom

2010-08-17T23:25:00.001-07:00

Couldn't think this one up for the life of me . . .

2010-08-11T00:48:00.001-07:00

Current mood: amused

Thanks to Mark Quon for posting this one on his Facebook Wall

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Comic-Con vs. Fred Phelps

2010-07-23T12:59:00.001-07:00

Current mood: amused, annoyed cranky

I found this on Facebook —

Nerds vs. the Westboro Baptist Church, Super Heroes vs. the Westboro Baptist Church

Doesn't Fred Phelps have anything better to do with his time than this inanity? Really.

NOTES

Reposted —
1. KCUF Media — Blogspot / Myspace / Xanga
2. Mike Blessing for State Representative / The BTPNM Blog / The LPNM Blog

The Obama Blood Flag

2010-07-20T22:07:00.001-07:00

Current mood: amused

NOTES

Original posting

Truth, Lies and Cigarettes

2010-07-08T15:44:00.001-07:00

Current mood: pissed

"2 Truths & a Lie" from "The Truth"

Guess the Lie!
Cigarettes are 100% safe and pose no health risks to smokers at all
Every 6.5 seconds, someone in the world dies from a smoking-related disease
Sunburns can cause wrinkles; so can cigarettes

Sneaky bastards, aren't they — they put their preferred answer on top, and set the poll script to default to it.

Here's my version —

Guess the Truth!
Smoking is a choice — just like drinking alcohol, smoking pot, crack, or meth, shooting up with heroin, speeding down the highway, rock-climbing, among other things.
Cigarettes fly around on their own, force themselves into smokers' mouths, then self-ignite.
Tobacco companies force smokers to smoke, often by threatening smokers' families with torturous, slow deaths.

NOTES

Original posting
Reposted —
1. KCUF Media — Blogspot / Myspace / Xanga
2. "Darth Mike" — Myspace / Xanga

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The Weekly Sedition Returns to ABQ Ch.27

2010-06-30T00:31:00.001-07:00

Starting Thursday, July 1st, at 8PM, The Weekly Sedition returns to Albuquerque Comcast Channel 27.

Your cordial host will be myself, Mike Blessing, with Bill Koehler behind the camera running the technical side of things.

NOTES

Reposted —
1. KCUF Media — Blogspot / Myspace / Xanga
2. New Mexico Liberty / The BTPNM Blog / The LPNM Blog / Mike Blessing for State Representative

The 100-Word Challenge

2010-06-18T00:56:00.001-07:00

Current mood: amused

New Mexico Turn Around posts a challenge for the rest of us —

CHALLENGE: In 100 words suggest a solution for the economic mess toward which we head.

Oh, really?

Here's my response — let's see if I actually need the full 100 words . . .

Cut spending across the board — no special handouts for anyone.
Cut taxes across the board — no special breaks for anyone.
Repeal regulations across the board — no special breaks for anyone.
Repeal bad, wasteful laws across the board — no special breaks for anyone.
Bring the troops home from Iraq, Afghanistan and everywhere else.
Return to a sound money system (gold? silver?) for government transactions.
Repeal legal tender laws.
Repeal any law repugnant to the written U.S. Constitution or Bill of Rights.

I count 80 words.

And I dared to use That Word Which Shall Not Be Uttered In Contemporary Politics — "repeal" — not just once, but four times! Shame on me!

NOTES

Reposted —
1. KCUF Media — Myspace / Xanga / Blogspot
2. The BTPNM Blog / The LPNM Blog / Mike Blessing for State Representative

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Tom Mullins -- Landmines on the (U.S.--Mexican) Border

2010-06-16T01:19:00.001-07:00

Posted to Facebook —

Way to go, Tom Mullins!

GOP House Candidate Tom Mullins: Consider Land Mines on Border with Mexico But NOT Canada (Audio)

Landmines on the border, to stop immigrants?

Here he attempts to clarify this a bit — Mullins clarifies land mines comment

Now he said in the KOB interview that he's not advocating this himself, but was suggested by someone he met on the campaign trail.

Still, if you go to the archived audio clip, it does sound at first as though Mullins himself is advocating this very sort of thing —

I think well they need to enforce the law. I actually have a couple of ideas and I received these ideas. We talk about a border fence, and really what we get down to is, it's very difficult to have a fence and have that work. But we have some low-cost, low-tech solutions, and I know it sounds crazy, but we used to have land mines. I know it sounds like a crazy thing, but if we wanted to stop, if we have an attack on the United States, if we have a nuclear attack and we find that they carried the nuclear weapon and the people that harmed us came across the border and we say we have got to secure the border, we could put land mines along the border. I know it sounds crazy, we could put up signs in 23 different languages if necessary . . . .

Now, later on in that clip, he does say that he doesn't actually want to use land mines, and that the National Labs can cook up another low-tech, low-cost means to secure the border, but come on now, how many millions will they spend on developing it?

Am I supposed to believe that some future Administration won't fall back upon the land-mine idea as just the sort of low-cost, low-tech solution? After all, back in 1996, we saw an 18-year-old boy (Esequiel Hernandez) who was herding goats, shot dead by a Marine Corps counter-drug patrol because of the .22-LR rifle that he carried. Between that, the whitewash and coverup investigation of the Waco Massacres of 28 February and 19 April 1993, and plenty of other incidents along those lines, why should anyone trust a Republican of the Lincoln-Roosevelt mold?

We saw just how well the Republican-majority U.S. House members exercised their oversight duties in 1998 looking into the Waco debacle, didn't we? They didn't dig too deeply simply because they knew that they would need the Democrats to return the favor and go easy on their Administrations' . . . indiscretions of using federal power. We saw some of those indiscretions from 2001 through 2009, first at Rainbow Farm, then Afghanistan, then Iraq, the USA-PATRIOT Act of 2001, etc., etc.

What really stymies me is that the clown clique behind Mullins ^[1] keeps pushing the idea that things will improve "when our people take the reins of power."

The fact remains that they had those reins of power in the Congress from 1995 until 2007, and in the White House from 2001 until 2009. How much did they actually shrink the reach and intrusiveness of Washington DC? How much did they lessen the costs of Washington DC upon us?

NOTES

I know that Mullins says that he's not part of the GOP Machine, but is the gear in your wind-up alarm clock cognizant of the other gears in the clock, and the other parts that make the hands go around, the alarm go off, and such?
Reposted —
1. Personal blogs — Blogspot / Myspace / New Mexico Liberty / Tumblr / Wordpress

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Upcoming Events for Summer 2010

2010-06-02T00:11:00.001-07:00

Thursday, June 3, 6-8 PM: The Libertarian Party of New Mexico hosts Albuquerque Liberty Forum at Fiesta's Restaurant and Cantina (Carlisle & Montgomery NE). Contact Mike Blessing for details — lpbcnm@gmail.com / 505-515-7015

Saturday, June 5 and Sunday, June 6: Gun Show at the Manuel Lujan Building at the Expo NM complex. Enter through the gate at Copper and San Pedro NE.

Tuesday, June 8, 5 PM: Friends of Capitalism hosts a debate between incumbent Attorney General Gary King and challenger Matthew Chandler at the Rio Chama Steakhouse in Santa Fe. Contact Jim McCaughey for details. Also see the Friends Of Capitalism website.

Sunday, June 13, 1-3 PM: Colloidal Silver Antibiotic Class in Albuquerque. Contact Milt Cumiford for more information.

Wednesday, June 16, 5-7 PM: The Rio Grande Foundation hosts Liberty on the Rocks in Santa Fe at the Rio Chama Steakhouse. The guest speaker will be Jim Scarantino of New Mexico Watchdog.

Thursday, June 17, 5-7 PM: The Rio Grande Foundation hosts Liberty on the Rocks in Albuquerque at the Chama River Brewing Company. The guest speaker will be Rob Nikolewski, who will be taking over Capitol Report New Mexico.

Friday, June 18, 12 PM: The Rio Grande Foundation hosts it second annual Lights of Liberty luncheon. This year's featured speaker will be Deroy Murdock of National Review Online.

Saturday, June 26, 1-4 PM: Coordinated National Screening of Don't Tread On Me! Rise of the Republic. Contact Elisheva Levin for more information. Popcorn provided!

Tuesday, June 29, 5-7 PM: The Rio Grande Foundation hosts Liberty on the Rocks in Las Cruces at the Cattle Baron Steak & Seafood Restaurant on the 4th Tuesday of every month. Guest speaker TBA. The Cattle Baron will offer happy hour prices and a full menu for food selection.

Thursday, July 1, 6-8 PM: The Libertarian Party of New Mexico hosts Albuquerque Liberty Forum at Fiesta's Restaurant and Cantina (Carlisle & Montgomery NE). Contact Mike Blessing for details — lpbcnm@gmail.com / 505-515-7015

Thursday, July 1 / 8 / 15 / 22 / 29, 8-9 PM: The Weekly Sedition will be on Albuquerque Comcast Channel 27, hosted by Mike Blessing. For those that don't have ABQ Comcast, the show can be viewed via streaming video on the Channel 27 site (requires MS Media Player!).

Sunday, July 4, 2 PM — whenever: July 4 Cookout. Contact Elisheva Levin for more info. Burgers, hot dogs and lemonade provided. Bring side dishes, desserts, and other drinks to share. NO FIREWORKS ALLOWED due to proximity to the National Forest.

Saturday, July 10 and Sunday, July 11: Pistol Class in Farmington by Cope Reynolds. Contact Milt Cumiford for registration papers and more info.

Wednesday, July 28, Thursday, July 29, and Friday, July 30: The Rio Grande Foundation hosts Dr. Matt Ladner, Vice President of Research at the Goldwater Institute in Arizona for a presentation of "Turning Around New Mexico's Public Schools — The Florida Model" in Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Santa Fe.

Thursday, August 5, 6-8 PM: The Libertarian Party of New Mexico hosts Albuquerque Liberty Forum at Fiesta's Restaurant and Cantina (Carlisle & Montgomery NE). Contact Mike Blessing for details — lpbcnm@gmail.com / 505-515-7015

Thursday, August 5 / 12 / 19 / 26, 8-9 PM: The Weekly Sedition will be on Albuquerque Comcast Channel 27, hosted by Mike Blessing. For those that don't have ABQ Comcast, the show can be viewed via streaming video on the Channel 27 site (requires MS Media Player!).

Thursday, September 2, 6-8 PM: The Libertarian Party of New Mexico hosts Albuquerque Liberty Forum at Fiesta's Restaurant and Cantina (Carlisle & Montgomery NE). Contact Mike Blessing for details — lpbcnm@gmail.com / 505-515-7015

Thursday, September 2 / 9 / 16 / 23 / 30, 8-9 PM: The Weekly Sedition will be on Albuquerque Comcast Channel 27, hosted by Mike Blessing. For those that don't have ABQ Comcast, the show can be viewed via streaming video on the Channel 27 site (requires MS Media Player!).

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Thoughts on the Debate from the Peanut Gallery

2010-05-31T02:17:00.001-07:00

Current mood: amused

On Thursday, 20 May 2010, I attended the debate between Republican gubernatorial candidates at UNM's Rodey Hall in the Popejoy Arts Center. The debate was hosted by Channel 4 (KOB-TV), the local NBC affiliate, and sponsored by the Rio Grande Foundation. The hour-long forum was moderated by Nicole Brady and Tom Joles.

Don't take my word for any of what I've typed below. Here's the video of the debate — click here to see for yourself.

First, a disclaimer — I'm a Libertarian and a libertarian, so my presence was mostly for entertainment purposes. I haven't considered myself a conservative for 14 years now, and I'm not in any hurry to revert to doing so. For the most part, this debate simply confirmed what I was already thinking about the candidates.

After the candidates took their spots and gave their opening statements, the fun began.

All of the candidates hit on some common themes throughout the hour —

They all cited corruption (pay-to-play, backroom / insider deals, etc.) as one of the State's main problems. Can't disagree there.

It sounded (at least to me) that all of them wanted to drastically cut, if not shut down, the elephante blanco known as the RailRunner, citing fiscal irresponsibility as another big problem in State government. Again, can't disagree there.

Each of them said they wanted the State to adopt a more pro-business attitude — be friendlier towards the private sector, in other words.

Secure the borders, with the National Guard if Obama won't reinforce the Border Patrol.

Pete Domenici Jr. stayed on track for what he wanted to say and didn't get involved in sniping at the others. Still, he pointed out his family connection to New Mexico, which is something I expect to see from Democrats. Not saying that's bad per se, but given the former Senator's fiscal wimpiness and apparent closeness to the Busheviks . . . .

Janice Arnold-Jones disappointed me a bit. Bob Cornelius told me that Arnold-Jones came across strongly, and I would disagree a bit — she seemed a bit frazzled at times, especially during the Weh-Martinez sniping, as Weh took a potshot at her, too. That, and as a legislator, she has done her share of citing "emergency circumstances" as the reason that public project funding is necessary. Sorry, but the word "emergency" to me means someone got hurt or could get hurt, lots of police cars, fire trucks and ambulances with their lights and sirens going full blast. Whether some community center gets built in the next decade does NOT to me constitute any sort of emergency.

Allen Weh provided some comic relief for the libertarian-minded in the audience, with his pissy complaints insider deals within the GOP, and the attack adverts ran against him by the Martinez campaign. Poor boy Allen! I still remember reading how in 2008, when he was the GOPNM's State Chairman, he ruled the Ron Paul delegates to their State Convention in Las Cruces as being "out of order," saying that "We don't operate by Robert's Rules but by pleasure of the chair." Aside from that, just a typical Republican, promising tax cuts and spending cuts.

Also from Weh —

"Everybody hungers for leadership — leadership with integrity"

On the issue of using military force to secure the border — "No one understands the operational issues like I do . . . ."

Susana Martinez is the front-runner in this race, and according to some sources, the Anointed one by the GOPNM insiders. Still, she doesn't seem to be taking this race for granted, considering that the same person I got the link in the last sentence from also said that the reason that Susana is running as a Republican is that she lost the primary as a Democrat the last time and switched affiliations to avoid losing power. Bad, BAD sign there, if true. Of all of the candidates, Martinez harped on the border "issue" the most^[1], taking a potshot at Weh for his previous support of a guest-worker program^[2].

Doug Turner came across as the clear winner, at least to me, and also to a (non-scientific) online poll of viewers by KOB staff. He deviates from the libertarian party-line with his support for an expanded Drug Prohibition and closing the border. Still, he stayed above the Weh-Martinez pissing contest during the debate, and throughout the campaign. Still, he did say to me, "I'm a libertarian," when all of the other candidates would have blown off the very idea of libertarianism, even if I had explained how the Non-Aggression Principle doesn't disallow the defensive use of force.

After the debate, I met Lance and Patrick from the local Ron Paul Campaign for Liberty group. Patrick was verbally arguing with some of the Weh supporters, who allegedly had gotten belligerent with him over his "NO WEH" sign. Leaving UNM property, we met again at the Nob Hill Bar and Grill, where Doug Turner was partying with his supporters.

Finally, a good note — the guy directly in front of me was wearing a M1911-style pistol on his belt in open-carry mode. Good for him! Though I am surprised that no one in the audience called UNMPD out to have him "proned out" facedown and cuffed for "violating UNM policy" and such.

NOTES

Susana seems to be operating under the assumption that EVERY person crossing the border sans approval from the Imperial Washington DC imbecilocracy is intent upon robbery, assault, kidnapping, rape and murder, when the exact opposite seems to be true.

As I was exiting Rodey Hall, one of Martinez's supporters handed me a text-only reprint of an Albuquerque Journal op-ed piece dated 3 October 2007, allegedly by Allen Weh, citing support for some sort of guest-worker program.

Original posting

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Clarke and Dawes on the 2010 EuroCollapse

2010-05-31T00:02:00.001-07:00

Current mood: amused

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Clarke and Dawes on the 2010 EuroCollapse

Current mood: amused

H/T to Allen Cogbill for posting a link to this clip.

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Skipping on Horowitz

2010-05-22T10:51:00.001-07:00

Current mood: cynical

I've been getting repeated emails from the Albuquerque Tea Party reminding me about the upcoming speech, dinner and book-signing by anti-libertarian neo-con David Horowitz:

Click the picture for the full-size version

Some examples of his potshots at Ron Paul in particular and libertarians generally in the past few years —

David Horowitz: "Ron Paul...is a Disgrace"

David Horowitz and a Guided Tour of the “Ron Paul Revolutionary” Mind

Check out this video clip from the Glenn Beck Show from 2007 —

The gems from that video clip —

". . . strain of isolation and anarchy in the American tradition which Ron Paul is tapping into

Washington and Jefferson weren't isolationists, they were non-interventionists, and there IS a difference, despite comments to the contrary from the neo-cons:

Friendship and commerce with all, entangling alliances with none.

Here's the part that really sets me off — I see NO evidence from Horowitz that he's changed from this tune in the past three years:

". . . plenty of unfortunately libertarian websites indistinguishable from the anti-American left — lewrockwell.com and others like that . . . totally in bed with the Islamofascists and turned against this country"

In addition, Horowitz seems to me to be the neo-con version of Morris Dees of the Southern Poverty Law Center, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama.

What Dees (allegedly) does is pick out some Aryan Airhead, then portray that idiot as being ready to take over Washington DC — "but YOU can stop this with your donation! And buy my book, too!" Dees also has a habit of smearing anyone in the militia movement, tax honesty movement, etc., etc., who's ever come into contact with the Airhead. It doesn't seem to matter that said Aryan was kicked out of the militia meeting immediately after showing his "SS" runes tattoo to the membership. It also doesn't matter that the Aryan has no actual hope of gaining any sort of political power over anyone than other Aryan Airheads in their little (infiltrated with federal agents through and through) group.

Horowitz appears to do the same sort of thing where the Islamists are concerned — portray them as just a few steps away from carrying out their dreams of making sharia (Islamic religious law) the core of the American legal system — "but YOU can stop this with your donation! And buy my book, too!" Never mind that, like the Aryan Airheads, the sharia pushers have little to no chance of gaining any sort of actual power in America.

As with the Aryan Airheads, the best answer to the Islamists is to respond with better speech. I prefer to tell them that there's nothing stopping them as individuals from setting the example for the rest of us, and adhering to the tenets of sharia personally. If they want to make it into American law, there's an amendment process all spelled out for them in the Constitution. Until they get 2/3 of the House, 2/3 of the Senate and 3/4 of the State legislatures, it's a no-go^[1]. If they choose the Hamas / al-Qaeda route (suicide bombers, etc.), I look forward to taking corrective action via the Second Amendment.

So what is Horowitz's answer to the prospect of Islamic terrorism here in America? Does he invoke the right of private citizens to own and carry weapons? Nope — for him, it's a reason to expand the reach of Imperial Washington DC, with police-state agencies (DHS, for example) on the domestic side and long-term occupations of other countries for the foreign-policy side.

So Horowitz might have left Marxism back in the 1970's, but I suspect that Marxism never truly left him.

So I'm going to skip seeing Horowitz when he shows up here in Albuquerque tonight — why pay Ø60 to hear this sort of thing when I can get it for free over the net?^[2]

NOTES

Not that this seems to be stopping the Congress lately on anything else.

My attending this event would be a double-hit on me financially — not only would I be out the Ø60, but I'd ahve to take a day off to attend, and thus come up short on next week's paycheck.

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Zbigniew Brzezinski -- People are Politically Awake Now

2010-05-21T00:31:00.001-07:00

Aww, poor Ziggy — now he and his ilk actually have to be up front with us about their plans for us. The horror of it all!

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Armed Citizens in New Mexico, 1959-1979

2010-05-20T14:37:00.001-07:00

Current mood: pleased

The Tribune, Albuquerque, NM, 7/10/79 / American Rifleman Issue: 10/1/1979

When two men entered an Albuquerque, N. Mex., convenience store demanding money, night clerk Reno Petrucci thought they were joking. One of the thugs, however, punched Petrucci and two companions. At that, Petrucci pulled a .38 and held the assailant until police arrived; the second man fled the scene.
The Journal, Albuquerque, NM / American Rifleman Issue: 9/1/1979

The man who held up an Albuquerque, N.M., food store, got a rude surprise. As he approached the fourth checkstand, he found himself face to face with a lady shopper holding a .25 cal. automatic. To enforce her demand that he put down his gun and surrender, the woman told him that she was an undercover policewoman. With that, the thief gave in, dropped his revolver and waited patiently at gunpoint until the real police arrived to make the arrest. Albuquerque police have since offered the housewife a position on the city force.
The Tribune, Albuquerque, NM / American Rifleman Issue: 3/1/1978

Albuquerque, N. Mex., pharmacist Ron Bunt was in his drugstore when two armed robbers entered and demanded narcotics. Bunt filled a small bag with the drugs and handed it to one of the pair, then pulled a cal. .25 pistol and shot one of the thugs to death. The other fled and is being sought by police.
The News-Journal, Clovis, NM / American Rifleman Issue: 11/1/1977

Mrs. Cleo Ainsworth saw two young thugs attack her husband outside their farmhouse near rural Dora, N.M. After calling for help, she got her husband's pistol and fired a warning shot. The men fled.
The Tribune, Albuquerque, NM / American Rifleman Issue: 10/1/1977

When a young robber entered his Albuquerque, N. Mex., pharmacy and demanded narcotics, Delbert Swindle drew a pistol instead and held the man for police.
The Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque, NM / American Rifleman Issue: 7/1/1976

Two men, one armed with a knife, entered Sidney McQueen's Albuquerque, N.M., gun shop, grabbed up some firearms and then bolted for the front door. But one of the thugs turned and pointed a gun at McQueen. The shop owner fired first, killing one robber and wounding the second.
The Alamogordo Daily News, Alamogordo, NM / American Rifleman Issue: 9/1/1974

Awakened by the sounds of a prowler in her Alamogordo, N. Mex., home, Mrs. Teresa Middlestead got her husband's shotgun from the bedroom closet and shouted down the hallway, "I've got a gun." Although Mrs. Middlestead didn't see the intruder, she heard him dash through the kitchen and out the front door. Nothing was stolen.
The Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque, NM / American Rifleman Issue: 9/1/1974

Three youths, one armed with a knife, walked into Mike Seargent's Albuquerque, N. Mex., store intent on robbery. Seargent noticed that the knife was apparently their only weapon, so he took his gun from beside the cash register and held the thieves at bay until police arrived.
The Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque, NM / American Rifleman Issue: 5/1/1974

As he walked his dog near an Albuquerque, N. Mex., apartment development late one night, E.K. Van Aernam and his sister were stopped by two robbers, one armed with a pistol. Van Aernam clutched a handgun in his coat pocket and asked the armed man to "put his gun away." When the attacker refused, Van Aernam slapped the assailant's gun downward and fired six shots at the thugs through his pocket. The men fled, one of them possibly wounded.
Hobbs Daily News-Sun, Hobbs, NM / American Rifleman Issue: 6/1/1973

A man began pounding on the front door of Evelyn Burkey's Hobbs, N. Mex., home and refused to identify himself or say what he wanted. When he started pounding on the back door, Mrs. Burkey got a small revolver and threatened to "blow his head off." At this the prowler dove over a back fence and disappeared.
The Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque, NM / American Rifleman Issue: 2/1/1973

Spotting two suspicious men wandering around his Albuquerque, N. Mex., drugstore, owner Carl De Alderete kept a close watch on the pair. When one man reached for a gun, De Alderete drew his own first. One suspect escaped, but the storeowner held the second for police who took the would-be robber's gun in evidence.
Aztec Independent Review, Aztec, NM / American Rifleman Issue: 1/1/1973

Brian Blacklock, an Aztec, N. Mex., pharmacist, was working late in his store when a rock smashed through the skylight above him. Blacklock ran outside, got a rifle from his car, and ordered the man on the roof to come down. Police arrived and arrested the rock thrower, along with his less-than-successful lookout man.
Tribune, Albuquerque, NM / American Rifleman Issue: 7/1/1967

When 3 men pounded on his back door, laundry owner James Self, Albuquerque, N. Mex., answered and found himself confronted by a robber holding a .410-bore shotgun. Dropping to the floor, he fired a shot from his .22 revolver. The trio fled. Police later got a hospital call — "man with a gunshot wound" — and arrested the wounded man and 2 accomplices on charges of attempted robbery.
Tribune, Albuquerque, NM / American Rifleman Issue: 11/1/1961

Armed with a cal. .22 revolver, a thief three months out of prison after serving a 10-year term for armed robbery, entered John Waldrick's Albuquerque, N. Mex., store, forced Waldrick to hand over his wallet and empty the cash register. As the robber reached the door, Waldrick drew his own weapon and felled him.
Journal, Albuquerque, NM / American Rifleman Issue: 12/1/1959

Thomas H. Myrick was in the back room of his Albuquerque, N. Mex., liquor store when he heard his wife pleading with a holdup man rifling the register. Myrick rushed out with shotgun in hand. As the bandit fled, Myrick fired 4 blasts over his head. When police arrived, they found Myrick standing over the bandit who cowered on the ground, his pistol and robbery loot beside him.
The New Mexican, Santa Fe, NM / American Rifleman Issue: 7/1/1959

In Tierra Amarilla, N. Mex., shopkeeper Albert Wheeler called on neighbor Jack Taylor to cover the front when the intercom alarm rang in the store owner's bedroom. Wheeler went to the rear office where he surprised an armed burglar who attempted to escape. Neighbor Taylor's 12-ga. shotgun dropped him near the door.

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Ronnie James Dio, RIP (1942-2010)

2010-05-19T10:45:00.001-07:00

At about 7:45 AM on Sunday, 16 May 2010, we lost one of the good guys:

"Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45am 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private good-byes before he peacefully passed away. Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all. We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us. Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss. Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever."

"Fear the Boom and Bust" a Hayek vs. Keynes Rap Anthem

2010-05-14T00:32:00.001-07:00

Current mood: amused

Econstories.tv is a place to learn about the economic way of thinking through the eyes of creative director John Papola and creative economist Russ Roberts.

In Fear the Boom and Bust, John Maynard Keynes and F. A. Hayek, two of the great economists of the 20th century, come back to life to attend an economics conference on the economic crisis. Before the conference begins, and at the insistence of Lord Keynes, they go out for a night on the town and sing about why there's a "boom and bust" cycle in modern economies and good reason to fear it.

Get the full lyrics, story and free download of the song in high quality MP3 and AAC files at econstories.tv.

Plus, to see and hear more from the stars of Fear the Boom and Bust, Billy Scafuri and Adam Lustick, visit their site: billyandadam.com

Music was produced by Jack Bradley at Blackboard3 Music and Sound Design. It was composed and performed by Richard Royston Jacobs.

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My Political Compass Quiz Score

2010-05-13T23:16:00.001-07:00

My Political Views
I am a far-right social libertarian
Right: 8.62, Libertarian: 7.22

Political Spectrum Quiz

ABQ Journal Questionnaire for Legislature Candidates [1]

2010-05-13T22:39:00.001-07:00

Political Party — Libertarian Party / Boston Tea Party

Place of Residence — West Side of Albuquerque

Age — 39

Education — Currently a student at CNM, going for a degree in photonics

Occupation — see here

Political / Government Experience — see here for the full list

Highlights —

Boston Tea Party NM State Chair — 1998 — present, National Vice Chair 2009 — present
Libertarian Party, Vice Chair — 1997-2001, Secretary, 2005-2009, Editor, New Mexico Liberty, 2003 — present
US / NM Army National Guard, Alpha Battery, 7/200 Air Defense Artillery — 1994-1998
US Army Reserve, 157th Separate Infantry Brigade (Mechanized) — 1991-1994
US Army ROTC at Penn State University, Abington Campaus — 1989-1992

Major Professional Accomplishment — Ten years as camera technician for New Mexico's Consumer Advocate and on-screen talent for The Weekly Sedition on Comcast Channel 27.

Major Personal Accomplishment — I'll wait til much later in life before selecting any one event in my life as "pivotal."

In dealing with state government revenue downturns, would you generally favor additional spending cuts and government efficiency or tax and fee increases?

I would favor additional spending cuts and greater efficiency, as well as holding the line on creating new spending programs.

Would you support or oppose a New Mexico law recognizing domestic partnerships that would grant same-sex couples most of the same rights afforded to heterosexual couples?

Inasmuch as the State requires any consenting adult to get a permission slip ("marriage license") from the State to enter into any sort of formal relationship with any other consenting adult, I support full equality across the board for everyone in this matter, regardless of sexual orientation. I don't see any reason that LGBTQ people should have to put up with different standards in the legal sense than the heterosexual crowd.

That being said, I don't see any reason why anyone (LGBTQ, hetero or whatever) should have to go to a government official for permission to enter a relationship with another person. Those who want government out of their wallets, businesses and gun cabinets shouldn't have any problem kicking the State out of the bedroom. Nor does it make any sense to support government involvement in other people's relationships. Thus, I would work to get the State out of the marriage-license and -definition business entirely, by repealing the law(s) requiring people to get a "marriage license" before declaring themselves "married."

What should the Legislature do to ensure that New Mexico's pension plans remain solvent?

I don't know that the public pension plans are actually solvent at this time — see this study sponsored by the Rio Grande Foundation that says those plans are currently somewhere between Ø8,300,000,000 and Ø22,900,000,000 IN THE RED — The Government “Gravy Train”: An Analysis of New Mexico’s Private versus Public Sector Employment and Compensation.

Part of the problem is the defined-benefit system currently used by the State, where public employees are promised a specific amount of cash to be disbursed when the pension is cashed out. Replacing this with a defined-contribution system such as 401(k)s or mutual funds will partially fix the problem.

But the best solution to the State pension insolvency is to STOP expanding the State — QUIT creating new agencies for every problem, real and imagined. Check first to see if there's an existing agency that can do the job. Ask if the problem is one that should be properly addressed by the State, and not by the private sector.

What should be done to improve New Mexico public school perfomance and student achievement?

I would first make parents fully responsible for the full cost of each child's public education, by sending them a bill for that cost at the end of the school year. This would cause them to develop an interest in what the kid(s) are learning, if for no other reason than to see where their money is going, and what result they're getting for the expenditure.

Next, I would support ending the compulsory attendance and enrollment laws, along with ending the restrictions upon homeschoolers.

Do you support or oppose the "pit rule" on oil and gas drilling in its current form?

At the very least, I would seek to amend the pit rule make New Mexico's version closer to that of Texas. Think about it — every drop of oil spilled on the ground is a drop that can't be converted to gasoline, motor oil or other usable, salable products. Every drop spilled is a loss off the bottom end for the drilling company.

Would you support or oppose the State Environment Department's establishment of a "cap and trade" regulation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?

Considering Climategate and related scares (see global cooling), I think that those currently ensconsed on the NM Environmental Improvement Board should recuse themselves from further interference in the private-sector economy. I will vote against further restrictions on the private sector, and will sponsor a "precautionary" rule requiring a regulatory impact statement detailing how any new laws will affect the private sector.

Would you support or oppose a new state law requiring mandatory jail time for first-time DWI offenders?

How about liberalizing the liquor license laws so that we can have a bar on every street corner, like Texas has? That way people who drink too much wouldn't have to drive, as they could just walk home.

Have you or your business, if you are a business owner, ever been the subject of any state or federal tax liens?

No — I'm guessing this disqualifies me for the spot of U.S. Treasury Secretary.

Have you ever been involved in a personal or business bankruptcy proceeding?

No.

Have you ever been arrested for, charged with, or convicted of drunken driving, any misdemeanor or felony in New Mexico or any other state?

My crimes against humanity

NOTES

Reposted —
1. Personal blogs — Myspace / New Mexico Liberty / Blogspot / Wordpress / Tumblr
2. KCUF Media — Myspace / Xanga / Blogspot

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Quote of the Day, 7 May 2010

2010-05-07T00:42:00.001-07:00

“Voicing an opinion is costless - anyone can argue that socialism is great, or that the government won’t really inflate a fiat currency.

“Having a false opinion may be costless if it doesn’t affect your life much, and it can produce a benefit of feeling good. So people may choose an opinion based on how it appeals to their hopes, rather on on what they believe is true.

“An example of a more incentive compatible system is gambling. While people often gamble irrationally, gambling still tends to draw out more beliefs and less hope than mere discussion. By placing a wager, you tie your opinion to a personal gain or loss, so you care whether you are correct. Hence 'Wanna bet?' really means 'Do you actually think that, or are you just saying it?', and its a great way to call the windbag’s bluff. People offer absurd opinions much more often than they make idiotic wagers.”
– Patri Friedman

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Harry Brown (the movie) -- http://mikewb1971.xanga.com/726334117/harry-brown-the-movie/

2010-04-30T01:24:00.001-07:00

Harry Brown (the movie)

2010-04-30T00:54:00.001-07:00

Current mood: ecstatic

After I saw the link to trailers for this movie on Facebook, I was intrigued because of the name — Harry Browne was the LP's presidential candidate in 1996 and 2000. What this movie appears to be is a British version of the1974 movie Death Wish, starring Charles Bronson.

The official movie poster — click to enlarge (or here for a PDF version

The official movie site

The movie's American site

The movie's Facebook page

The Wikipedia page

Well, what do you do when the cops give you the blow-off, as they do with Mr. Brown in this movie, as played by Michael Caine?

Click to enlarge

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Moving KCUF Media (Again!)

2010-04-28T00:49:00.001-07:00

A few years ago, I "moved" my KCUF Media blog from Myspace to Xanga, for various reasons.

Now I'm "moving" it from Xanga to Blogspot. Chief among my reasons for this "move" is the fact that I can easily add co-bloggers to a Blogspot project, where it's a royal pain in the ass if at all possible on Xanga.

Still, what I've posted at Myspace and Xanga will remain posted there — I have no intention of deleting anything.

Quote of the Day, 27 April 2010

2010-04-27T23:07:00.001-07:00

"Every invasion of individual rights happens with the eager support of people acting in the sincere and thoroughly mistaken confidence that what they permit the state to do to others will never be done to them."

"Political sovereignty, valuable as it is, must be regarded as a "good of second intent" — something that, while of great worth, is derivative of, or subordinate to, a much greater good. The paramount political good, according to America's founding premise, is individual liberty protected by law."

William Norman Grigg, Pro Libertate,
"The Borders are Closing In"

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Blowback Comes Home to New Mexico

2010-03-16T23:42:00.001-07:00

I recently received via email a copy of the premature declaration of victory by the main beneficiary of the anti-Kokesh smear campaign. It landed into my inbox with the same plopping sound my dog makes in the backyard.
TOM MULLINS FOR UNITED STATES CONGRESS DISTRICT 3
OVERWHELMINGLY TAKES REPUBLICAN NOMINATION

Dear Friends,

Today at the State Republican Party Pre-Primary Nominating Convention I received 107 votes and my opponent received 26 votes, totaling 133 votes. These results give us 80.45 percent of the delegate vote, confirming our expectations. This victory really means two things. irst, that my name will be listed first on the Republican Primary Ballot. Some have said that winning this ballot position is worth up to four percentage points in an election. Second, this result demonstrates that the New Mexico grass roots support that I have been talking about for several months is fully supporting our campaign. Our internal polling information agrees with these results that my opponent has a core group of committed supporters, but will be unable to attract the majority of the support necessary to win against Ben Ray Lujan, Jr. I believe that I am the candidate that will best represent not only the Republican party, but also the party of Knowledge in November. I have never been afraid of competition, but given this level of support, I am hopeful that my primary opponent will decide that he has little chance to win and will join our effort to defeat Ben Ray Lujan, Jr. This is an expensive endeavor and having a united effort, as early as possible, will ensure that we change the culture of corruption and dependence. But, who knows? As a rookie to the political business, the one thing I can tell you is that nothing can be predicted.

The party of knowledge includes Democrats, Independents, Greens, Libertarians, and Republicans. The party of knowledge has spoken in Albuquerque with the election of a new council and Mayor R.J. Berry. It spoke in New Jersey, Virginia, and most recently in Massachusetts. It is my belief that the party of knowledge will speak again in November and elect me to represent the 3rd Congressional Dis

I can't speak for other members of the Libertarian Party, Boston Tea Party, New Mexico Patriot Alliance, and any other organization that I belong to, but I personally refuse to provide the slightest increment of support for this person.

I realize that I'm not a 3rd District voter, nor am I registered as a Republican. But I can still donate, write letters and post blog entries supporting the candidate who best represents my positions. I can promote that candidate's events using the blogs and such available to me.

And the candidate who best represents my views, in all three of New Mexico's districts, is Adam Kokesh.

One of the Libertarians on the BCC list for the above asked me the following —

I was not aware of any smear campaign. Is there a synopsis somewhere for me to look at ?

Basically, the neo-cons are pissed at Adam because in 2007, he protested the Iraq Occupation after being shot at during the Fallujah campaign (Feb-Sept 2004) and being discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps in 2006.

Here's a sampling of links from the smear campaign.

Or just go to thisainthell.com — seems to be the center of the Kokesh Hate Club.

It looks like this is part of a larger campaign by the neo-cons to purge the GOP of its libertarian faction, as the same people going after Kokesh are also whining about Ron Paul for the same "reason" — Paul objects to the Iraq Occupation. They refer to Paul as "RuPaul," "NorLuap," etc., and anyone associated with him as a "Paultard," "Paulbot," "Paulestinian," "moonbat," etc.

They don't limit this sort of trash-talk to Paul and Kokesh, either. They went after Dr. Rand Paul, Ron Paul's son, running for U.S. Senate in Kentucky, Debra Medina, running for Governor in Texas, and B.J. Lawson, in North Carolina.

Libertarians such as myself, they refer to as "libtards." If you take a look at Free Republic [freerepublic.com], you can't miss it — just run a search for "libertarian" or "Ron Paul" there, and you'll see what I mean.

Then they get pissed at us when we (LP members, BTP members, RLC members, C4L members, etc.) don't support their candidates as much as they want us to (which would most likely require us to spend ourselves into poverty). This is part of what gave America Scott Brown as a U.S. Senator.

This is the same Scott Brown, who in 2006, supported MassCare, Mitt Romney's mandatory health-insurance scheme, which I suspect was the template for the mandatory-insurance part of ObamaCare.

This is the same Scott Brown who recently voted for to spend 15,000,000,000 bucks for a "jobs bill."

Here's what Jim Bancroft, one of the anti-Kokesh hate squad, had to say about Scott Brown after I pointed out the "jobs bill" vote —

I have to sadly confess that I did not do my homework on scott brown...

We were so happy that a republican might win the Kennedy seat, I didnt care to look up who he was or what he was about

I went to his rally in Worcestor the Sunday before, was happy as a clam when he won, got totally embarrassed when he said his daughters were available, disowned him when he said he was proud of his posing for Cosmo because it got him exposure...and totally hated him since he voted for the spending bill because it meant 'jobs' for Mass......

The term up here is MASSHOLE...

All I can say is, hey, it was MASS, what did we expect?

the only consolation is it isn't a democrat...except he is now buds with that RINO McLAME???

Brown wasn't in Romney care originally, he was part of the mass care bill, true, I didnt know that either...(sigh)

the things you learn so late, I heard him in his speech say he was sorry he voted for MASSCARE but was totally AGAINST national healthcare...I dont trust him to be any more genuine conservative than LIEberman...

that means he will vote just like McLAME...ie, 90% like Ted Kennedy anyways

makes me so mad I could spit. So, on this one...I wont call you a moron.

Hence my previous comments -- if they don't want our ideas, then they don't deserve our financial and material support.

Here's the links where Mullins takes potshots at Adam —

Tom Mullins: Adam Kokesh is an internet celebrity and a war protestor who makes poor choices

Mullins: Kokesh’s actions “dishonor the military”

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A Letter from a New Mexico Veteran

2010-03-12T12:50:00.001-08:00

From the Kokesh for Congress Campaign —

The following letter is from Tim Dunlap of Farmington, NM:

Personally speaking as a two-time war veteran of both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, I fully support Mr. Kokesh in his endeavor to become a representative in the United States Congress from the state of New Mexico. He has been serving the people of the United States for as long as I have known him. Mr. Kokesh represents New Mexico values. He has what it takes to become one of the best representatives for this state, and he will bend over backwards to assist the people with key issues. The courage and motivation that drives Mr. Kokesh is inscrutably unique.

I am from Farmington, New Mexico. I was born here, and lived here my whole life, except for the time I spent serving our country. During these times I was stationed in Ft. Hood Texas with the 4th Infantry Division, 1/66 Armor. This is who I deployed to Iraq with in 2003. After my service there, I went to Ft. Drum, New York where I served with the 10th Mountain Division on a reconnaissance unit, 3/71 CAV (RSTA). I deployed to Afghanistan with this unit in 2006. One of my good friends in this unit who sacrificed the ultimate price won the Medal of Honor. His name was SFC Jared Monti. During this same firefight I was injured in Gowardesh, Afghanistan, and ended up spending almost three months in a hospital, and another year in physical therapy.

This is when I met Mr. Kokesh. Dealing with overcrowding, patient rights, post-traumatic stress disorder, and the other problems that returning injured solders were facing were significant. Mr. Kokesh had come up and assisted me with some of these issues. It was great to see someone reaching out to help when most were either too busy or just seemed not to care. I have had the pleasure of knowing some outstanding citizens of this country and am proud to say that Mr. Kokesh is one of them.

The values of a state represent the people. These values include integrity, perseverance, and dedication. Mr. Kokesh represents these values and will represent them for the state of New Mexico. He will represent the values of New Mexico for all the people fairly and justifiably. To serve in this sense takes a representative of courage and honor, and I know exactly what it means to serve with courage and honor. This courage and honor that Mr. Kokesh displays is exactly the dedication that it will take to represent the people and veterans of New Mexico.

I knew Mr. Kokesh when I was in the military and he showed exemplified service. Mr. Kokesh served with honor, loyalty, and the many values that this state is in need of. I know exactly what it means to speak out, and he has the voice and knowledge to do just that. Mr. Kokesh will listen to the voice of the people and the veterans, and fight for what is right. Whether it is standing up for the opinions of the people, or stepping up to President Obama, if it needs to be done, he will do it.

This kind of incomparable service that Mr. Kokesh will represent for our state and the people within our state makes veterans like me proud. He will stand up for us veterans with the most sagacious representation and will make the people of New Mexico very proud. Mr. Kokesh has what it takes to beat Mr. Luján in economic issues, health care, and standing up for constituents. Mr. Kokesh will actually make things happen, and speak out for the people. Speaking as a veteran, a citizen, and as a person who is constantly active within his community, I would like to see Mr. Kokesh representing myself, my district, and my state.

NOTES

Originally posted at kokeshforcongress.com

Reposted to resistnet.com, my personal site, New Mexico Liberty, KCUF Media

My Stuff

STAIF-II -- 13-15 March 2012, ABQ, NM

Tom Needs Help! Please! Please!

Check Your URLs, OK?!

Make Mine Freedom

Couldn't think this one up for the life of me . . .

Comic-Con vs. Fred Phelps

The Obama Blood Flag

Truth, Lies and Cigarettes

The Weekly Sedition Returns to ABQ Ch.27

The 100-Word Challenge

Tom Mullins -- Landmines on the (U.S.--Mexican) Border

Upcoming Events for Summer 2010

Thoughts on the Debate from the Peanut Gallery

Clarke and Dawes on the 2010 EuroCollapse

Clarke and Dawes on the 2010 EuroCollapse

Skipping on Horowitz

Zbigniew Brzezinski -- People are Politically Awake Now

Armed Citizens in New Mexico, 1959-1979

Ronnie James Dio, RIP (1942-2010)

"Fear the Boom and Bust" a Hayek vs. Keynes Rap Anthem

My Political Compass Quiz Score

ABQ Journal Questionnaire for Legislature Candidates [1]

Quote of the Day, 7 May 2010

Harry Brown (the movie) -- http://mikewb1971.xanga.com/726334117/harry-brown-the-movie/

Harry Brown (the movie)

Moving KCUF Media (Again!)

Quote of the Day, 27 April 2010

Blowback Comes Home to New Mexico

A Letter from a New Mexico Veteran

A Letter from a New Mexico Veteran -- http://mikewb1971.xanga.com/723426845/a-letter-from-a-new-mexico-veteran/