Urgent action in support of Ken Mayer TODAY at noon. Plus info on other actions this week and a brief commentary on the legislative session, just completed. Read on.
Roundhouse Ruminations. While gone, I’ve read emails from the ACLU, Sierra Club, Somos un Pueblo Unido, and NM Voices for Children announcing their Roundhouse successes. I want to continue to review the results before more comment, but would offer that while we and our allies did have some tremendous successes, we also suffered some devastating loses, in most all cases due to the votes of Democrats who betrayed Democratic Party principles, the platform and voter expectations. And so, in each vote that cost us a good bill, we will name names and organizing in Districts with Democrats who failed to support good legislation will begin in April. So we got some great bills passed and we identified the impediments to passing still more great bills and we will be reporting on this in the coming days and weeks. In the meantime, hold April 18th as the date we will celebrate what we’ve achieved and recommit to moving forward and finishing the job. Info on the Retake Celebration of our Roundhouse Advocacy is at the bottom of this post.
Ken Mayer, Local Activist Arrested, Held Without Bail in Ireland Antiwar Protest. See below for opportunity to show support for Ken at noon today. Democracy Now! reports that a Santa Fe activist has been arrested in Ireland. Ken Mayers, 82, is in custody in relation to “an alleged security breach” at an Irish airport on March 17, and authorities there say he’s a flight risk, so they’re holding on to him. Mayers, who is a member of the activist group Veterans for Peace, and another man were protesting US war planes refueling ($) en route to the Middle East via Shannon Airport. They entered the airfield carrying an anti-war banner, and could now be held for up to two years before their trial. Their fellow vets for peace are urging the public to take action (that last link has both a news story with details and ways to get involved, if you’re so inclined). Click here to find current updates on the status of Ken’s legal challenge. Click here for an article with how to help: Here are the links to call or email legislators and others to ask them to help:
- https://lujan.house.gov/contact
- https://www.tomudall.senate.gov/contact
- https://www.heinrich.senate.gov/contact
- US Dept. of State: https://register.state.gov/contactus/contactusform
And perhaps most importantly, send email to the US embassy in Dublin:
ACSDublin@state.gov
A suggested message to leave or send:
Please help obtain the release of U.S. citizens Ken Mayers and Tarak Kauff, who were arrested in Ireland after a peaceful protest and were refused bail at Ennis District Court on Tuesday, March 19. They are being held in jail in Limerick, Ireland. Please ask that they be given bail and allowed to return home (to the U.S.) until their trial.
PLEASE attend the weekly vigil on the corner of Cerrillos and St. Francis from 12 – 1pm. Remember, unless he was out of town, Ken never missed this weekly vigil (since 2003). I hope to see a lot of you there!
Saturday, March 23, 10 a.m. at Ortiz Middle School. Santa Fe County Election of State Central Committee Members and County Chair/Vice Chair. Santa Fe County Central Committee members will convene to elect a County Chair and Vice Chair, as well as 51 members of the State Central Committee of the Democratic Party. If you are a County Central Committee member please plan to attend and vote. Estelle Berger and Joe Maestas are unopposed in running for chair and vice chair respectfully, but the election of SCC members is important as they are the body that sets state Party policy, approves the platform, and votes on who will represent NM on the DNC. Click here to review a list of candidates for State Central Committee who have submitted bios to the County Democratic Party leadership. You will find several candidates from Retake leadership on the list (including Roxanne and I). I suspect that there are more candidates planning to run. If you are interested in running, contact Estelle Berger Interim County Chair at Estelle.berger@gmail.com.
Retake Our Democracy on KSFR, Saturday, March 23, 8:30 a.m. We will be in Pledge Week mode and I will do a live show with Hannah Laga Abram, a student leader of the Santa Fe Sunrise Movement (Green New Deal) and the student strike For the Future last Friday. Also in studio will be Rep. Andrea Romero and City Councilor Renee Villarreal. We will talk about student advocacy, the Green New Deal, and how we might be able to advance GND principles at a state and local level. Since it is Pledge Week, we’d really like to have a ton of calls and donations between 8:30-9 a.m. this Saturday. I don’t know about you, but it is really hard for me to remember to listen in to the show. It is always 9:30 and Roxanne and I go…”we forgot to listen….” So how about you all put 8:30 Saturday in your phone alarm and then call in to the studio at 428-1393 and make a donation. It is always great to have a bunch of Retake supporters making calls and contributions.
The Promise to Protect, Saturday or Sunday in ABQ. The Promise to Protect is full day training designed to prepare you to back up your commitment to resist fossil fuels where you live and prepare to take creative action along the Keystone XL pipeline route when called upon by Indigenous leaders. This training — designed and coordinated by Indigenous leaders — is for anyone who’s ready to fight fossil fuel infrastructure, from pipelines to export terminals to fracking. The Promise to Protect Training Tour will be guided by Indigenous leaders who are on the frontlines of local fossil fuel resistance campaigns, like the fight to protect Chaco Canyon. You’ll learn about non-violent direct action, support roles that make nonviolent direct action possible, protocols for mobilizing in Lakota territory, and how to apply these lessons locally.
With millions of dollars being poured into fossil fuel projects each year and TransCanada planning to begin building the pipeline this June, we must be ready to mobilize and fight back to protect our land, water and climate. This training will educate, empower, and elevate the voices and skills of community members to resist and push out extractive oil and gas companies. After the training, community members will be equipped with the knowledge and support necessary to organize their own actions to stop the fossil fuel industry and, if invited by Indigenous leaders, be prepared to take immediate action on the route of Keystone XL. RSVP now to save your spot.
Monday, Next Systems 8-Week online class on system transformation. A free online course starts Monday that is a master class in movement building for a sustainable, democratic, and socially just political economy. The eight-week course, “Towards Co-operative Commonwealth: Transition In a Perilous Century,” is ideal for both newcomers and veterans to social change work, and participants can leverage the course material and instruction team expertise to advance their own projects and activist work locally. The course is presented by Synergia Institute, a cooperative of educators and practitioners committed to progressive system change, and the Canada-based Athabasca University.
From two of our allies, we provide their synopses of the 2019 Legislative Session. You will notice a distinct difference in content and tone of Sierra Club’s analysis from Retake Our Democracy’s assessment of the legislative session.
Save the Date: Thursday, April 18, 6-9pm at the Center for Progress & Justice, 1420 Cerrillos. Retake Our Democracy Roundhouse Advocacy Celebration. We will provide the food, you will bring something to drink and your own reusable plates, forks and drinking glass (we want a close to zero waste celebration). RSVP, by writing to me at Paul@RetakeOurDemocracy.org. The only “cost” for admission is your RSVP, which is required to attend. We know Santa Feans are reluctant to RSVP for much of anything, but we are reluctant to buy food without knowing how many will be attending.
Great to be back. Hope to see you on Cerrillos and St. Francis at noon.
In solidarity,
Paul & Roxanne
Categories: Uncategorized
RE: Roundhouse Ruminations. That the Sierra Club and other SO-CALLED environmental agencies are sugar-coating the DEVASTATING, ANTI-CLEAN WATER bill, HB546/SB186: Produced Water & OCD Fines, is a huge mystery and disappointment. This bill has the potential of releasing toxic water from fracking into agriculture and streams and rivers all over New Mexico. WHAT THE HELL IS GOOD ABOUT IT? They talk about the fines being a good thing, but what help is that when clean water is allowed to be polluted? There is no reversing that.
This is my personal opinion and observation, but Paul, the public is not being told the truth about the effects of some of these absolutely anti-environmental bills (produced water is toxic water waste the industry wants to sell to make even more money at the expense of us all) that passed and the sad results of those that didn’t.
I am not articulate enough to comment publicly, but someone needs to tell the truth about the bills, maybe on your radio show. Why are these organizations who claim to be pro-environment protection NOT telling the truth, even touting the bills as good legislation?
Perhaps they don’t want to offend the assholes (Democrats) who voted in favor of the oil and gas industry, but why? Who wants to donate to organizations who appear to be as gutless as the Dems who voted in favor of pollution for profit?
–Janiece Jonsin.
For someone apologizing for being articulate, I think you nailed this on the head and I would like to excerpt a bit from it for a blog perhaps as early as tomorrow or Sunday. The high fives around 546/186 are as misplaced as the dancing in celebration about SB 489 another terrible bill for which these same groups expended enormous energy. The New Mexican had it right in their above the fold headline: PNM Bill Goes to the Governor.
So did Michelle sign HB546? Do we still need to call her office or is it too late?
I, too, have been wondering what is going on with the local Sierra Club. During the Sandoval County Commission election last year, the Sierra Club threw its support behind a candidate with sketchy credentials, including but not limited to owning and operating a pit mine. Katherine Bruch did win the seat, but in a narrow victory. Thank you Lordy! She is our only sane and competent commissioner. But the Sierra Club, in the eleventh hour, sent out a mailing endorsing the other candidate. What a kick in the teeth to Katherine. Has the Sierra Club been infiltrated &/or influenced by dark money? Most troubling.