Month: March 2011

  • A Personal Message from Bill English

    Current mood: excited     

    I’ve known Bill English for thirteen years now, and can attest to the quality of his character. He’s running for the U.S. Senate seat that will be vacated by Jeff Bingaman in 2013, and getting the cold shoulder from the Republican Party’s Establishment types. Instead they seem to be supporting Heather Wilson, who is cast from the same mold as those who gave us the round of corporate bailouts in late 2008.

    Yes, the same round of bailouts that started the Tea Party groups.

    I’ve known Bill as a Ron Paul Republican for most of that time, long before the term “Ron Paul Republican” hit the big time. I don’t agree with him on everything, but I’ve never known him to waver from his principles.

    Bill’s campaign site is here – billenglish4senate.org

    Anyway, Bill has asked me to organize a modest fund-raising event for his campaign, probably in Albuquerque in the near future. Details later for those interested.

    Below is a note from Bill that he’s asked me to pass on to potential supporters.

    – MWB


    To Fight or Not to Fight – That is the Question

    It has indeed been an interesting week! Most notably is the fact that as a political neophyte, I received the education of a lifetime and discovered that all is not as it seems.

    As many of you know I am (was?) running for United States Senator for the State of New Mexico. Which is a race that hasn’t even made it to the primaries yet, but already has overtones of a feeding frenzy with a pack of piranhas.

    What many of you do not know is that I am a convicted felon. Yeppers, it’s true. About ten years ago I was convicted of a class four felony for aggravated assault because I pulled a gun on a man that was raping my then fourteen year old daughter. I’ve never hidden this fact from anyone, and while New Mexico state law clearly says that as a convicted felon I cannot run for an elected position within the state, it does not say that I cannot run for an elected position within the Federal Government.

    Does the fact that I am a convicted felon make me an evil person? Or does it make me a father trying to protect one of his children from a sexual predator? I also point out that I didn’t shoot the little so and so. I put my neck on the line to protect one of my kids. I am willing to do the same for my state and for my country. The question now becomes, what are you willing to do?

    During the course of the past several weeks it would appear that the consulting firm that I had hired to help me with the election began running endless polls and among the questions asked was “Would you vote for a convicted Felon?” Apparently they didn’t like the answers because very shortly after that they terminated the contract with me, and left me swinging in the proverbial breeze. It also turns out that they also asked if they would vote for someone who’s been divorced. I have, but I am pleased to say that after twenty three years of marriage to my current wife, I think this one I got right. Hell, it took Newt three tries before he could get his right, and I point out that not once did I ever cheat on my first or second wives.

    So! The question now becomes: do I stick it out and fight for what I believe to be right? Do I continue with no money, or no apparent support from those with the power and say so? Or do I quit? I could take the easy way out and quietly fade into obscurity, but then I’d always be sitting there wondering. Or I could continue on in the hope that the citizens of New Mexico will finally take a look at what we got and what we’re going to get, and maybe decide that they need some one like me in office to protect what is New Mexico and its people.

    Whatever else I may be, I am still an American first, and a New Mexican. We have too many problems both on a state level and a national level. As each day goes by we lose more and more. I’m willing to fight for my country and my state. Will you stand by me and help me to do battle against those who would see us destroyed?

    At least with me you know what you’re getting . . .


    NOTES

    1. Reposted –

      1. Personal blogs – WordPress / Xanga / Yahoo!
      2. KCUF Media – WordPress
      3. The Weekly Sedition
      4. New Mexico Liberty / Patriotic Resistance / NMPolitics.org / Duke City Fix


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

  • “KKKOB” — Eric Griego is Just the Latest

    Current mood: amused

    Recently, I had heard about one of our intrepid legislators referring to local radio station 770 KKOB-AM as “KKKOB.” Here’s the article in the Albuquerque Journal and the associated video clip.

    Anyway, I ran a Google search on “KKKOB” NM, and learned that this gaffe from Eric the Red is merely the latest in a string of such comments, some of which go back years.

    Here’s the earliest such that I found on the internet:

    Talk radio could play a key public role, if . . .(Insight and Opinion)
    The Albuquerque Tribune (Albuquerque, NM)
    July 04, 1998
    http://accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-108362053/talk-radio-could-play.html

    Byline: Kate Nelson

    I could call it KKKOB-AM.

    I could tell you to listen to a different radio station.

    I could recommend that fair-minded business owners yank their ads off its schedule.

    But I won’t.

    I’m not a speck shy about saying this: I regularly turn my tuner to 770 on the AM dial – not because Larry Ahrens is the always-on-target observer of the political scene and not because Chris Jackson is such an uplifting fellow.

    Rather, I listen because I enjoy hearing what “people on the street” are thinking. I like getting regular updates of local and national news. I need the traffic reports to help me cope with my . . .

    There’s these comments posted on NMFBIHOP – 19 December 2007, 3 March 2008 and 23 July 2008.

    Over at Democracy in New Mexico3 March 2008 and 13 May 2010.

    “eideard” posted on Kate Nash’s Green Chile Chatter on 28 July 2010.

    “justaUNMstudent” posted a comment at N.M. Politics30 April 2010.

    At DailyKos – 7 October 2009.

    At stinque.com – 7 April 2009.

    The SWOP blog – 1 July 2008.

    At Walled-In Pond: 19 December 2007.

    It isn’t limited to political discussions, either: here’s a link to a posting at The Lobo Lair24 December 2010

    And it’s not just 770-AM that’s received the “KKKOB” nickname – it was applied to KOB-TV on 29 December 2006.


    NOTES

    1. Reposted –

      1. Personal blog
      2. The Weekly Sedition
      3. Tyranny Response Team of New Mexico
      4. Darth Mike
      5. New Mexico Liberty / Patriot Action Network / NMPolitics.org


    Copyright © 2011 Mike Blessing. All rights reserved. Produced by KCUF Media, a division of Extropy Enterprises.
    This blog entry created with Notepad++

  • About Amateur “Ham” Radio

       Current mood: excited

    Recently (10 March 2011), I went to a meeting of a local amateur “ham” radio club. While there didn’t seem to be any formally-established leadership, there were quite a few people who pointed me in the direction of getting started.

    Way, way back in high school, I was one of three people (one was the faculty “advisor” who ran it) participating in the school’s Amateur Radio “club.” As with the group I met with above, there was no formal organization, just that “leadership” was on the basis of who was competent with the necessary technical skills. I didn’t go further with it then because you had to start off as a Novice operator, with Morse Code privileges only – no voice privileges until you passed the Technician test. A modern analogy would be getting on the internet by manually sending, receiving and interpreting the digital ones and zeroes that ultimately make up the relevant content.

    Since then (1988 / 1989), the FCC licensing process has been simplified a bit, and the Morse Code requirements have been dropped from the tests. So when one of the members of the New Mexico Survival meetup group expressed an interest in “ham” radio, my own interest was rekindled.

    Apologies for the digression there – back to the present.

    At the meeting, I was told that resources for beginners are abundant, online[1], in print form[2], and from more experienced users willing to help out the newbies (“elmers”).

    The testing seems relatively straightforward – it runs Ø14 to take the test for a Technician license, the bottom level of amateur radio operators. (The Ø14 test fee was what one of the attendees quoted to me as what it costs when he runs the test. Others may charge more.) IF you pass the Technician test, you then have the option to take the test for the General license at no additional charge. Should you pass the General license test, you then have the option to take the test for the Extra license, again at no additional charge.

    I was also told that the Technician, General and Extra tests cover different material – you can’t just study for the Extra test and expect to pass the Technician or General class tests.

    Club meetings – As I wrote above, club I met with doesn’t seem to have any sort of formal leadership – it’s just a group of retirees who enjoy amateur radio. (I was the youngest one there, at 40 years old.) They show up when they show up, there’s no formal agenda for the meeting. They just show up, have coffee and breakfast, and spend some time talking amateur radio, among other topics. This club meets on Thursdays at 7:00 AM at the McDonalds on the southeast corner of NM-528 and Coors (Alameda Blvd and Coors NW). Breakfast is on the no-host, pay-as-you-go plan.

    The people who showed up there didn’t seem to have any hostility towards other clubs or groups – for example, they told me about another club that meets at the Krispy Kreme near IHOP, behind Kohls on Alameda NW, on Fridays at 1:00 PM.

    If you are looking for a formal club, you can always search the ARRL site.

    P.S. – If you’re a user of citizens’ band (CB) radio, it’s probably not a good idea to mention it too much at a ham radio club until you’ve already established your bonafides. Unless you don’t mind being ragged on and “dissed” a bit.


    NOTES

    1. Online resources
      American Radio Relay League (ARRL) (Wikipedia page)

    2. Print resources
      QST magazine – Official Journal of the ARRL
      CQ Amateur Radio magazine
      Amazon search for ham radio books
    3. Equipment suppliersTexas Towers and Ham Radio Outlet are examples.

      Items available for sale include, but aren’t limited to, transceivers (portable, vehicle-mountable and the base-station variety), guy lines, antenna masts, aluminum conduit piping (for do-it-yourself antenna builders), cabling, connector parts, frequency tuners and analyzers.

    4. Reposted –
      1. Personal blog
      2. Partisans of the American Southwest


    Copyright © 2011 Partisans of the American Southwest. All rights reserved.
    Produced by KCUF Media, a division of Extropy Enterprises. Webmaster Mike Blessing
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  • Albuquerque’s Own Mad Dog Party

    Current mood: amused, cynical

    Recently, I wrote an article about the recent public-employee-union protests against government spending cuts, labelling them the “Mad Dog 20/20 Party.” So far the Wisconsin protests have been the most striking example of this sort of behavior. Well, on Wednesday, 2 March 2011, the Mad Dog 20/20 Party came to Albuquerque.

    I first found about the event here in Albuquerque when I saw a call for a counter-protest on Craigslist:


    Click the picture to enlarge

    So that morning, I went down to the intersection of 5th and Lead SW, as specified in the posting copied above. I arrived at 11:00 AM, figuring that there would be lots of people there, as with the 2009 and 2010 Tea Party rallies in Albuquerque. Wrong – the intersection was deserted, so I killed 45 minutes with a fruit cocktail (non-alcoholic) and iced tea at the Cafe Green, while reading this month’s issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact.

    At 11:46 AM, I left the Cafe Green and went outside. The Cafe Green is on the northwest corner of the intersection. On the southwest corner of that same intersection is Albuquerque’s Social Security Administration building, complete with concrete buffers along the curb to stop any potential Timothy McVeigh copycats from parking too close. At around this time, the Mad Dog Partiers started arriving in ones and twos (mostly just ones at this point). By 11:53 AM, there were all of 17 people in attendance. One guy in a light blue shirt and dark brown tie spent a good bit of time on the cell phone, one hand holding his sign, the other holding the phone to his ear.


    Click the picture to enlarge

    At 11:58 AM, some guy wearing a tan shirt with the SSA logo on the front came up to me and asked “Who are you?” He identified himself as a “retired SSA employee” after I told him that I’m a freelance writer (true – unless someone wants to give me money for this? Hint, hint – I’ll be happy with Federal Reserve Notes). He asked me if I wanted any “facts and figures,” I told him “No,” and he told me to “make it good.” Ha Ha Ha.

    Anyway, this guy told me that of 500 people who are employed at this particular SSA building, 80 had signed up to be present for this event.

    I should point out that although the Craigslist post called for a counter-protest, complete with signs, I was the ONLY person present there who was so inclined – thus I stayed on the north side of Lead Avenue and didn’t raise any stink – there was ONE of me, about 80-100 of the Mad Doggers by 12:15 PM, and well, the union crowd has been known to be physically aggressive at times[1].

    There were a few signs for the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the New Mexico Federation of Labor (NMFL), and one or two from the Communications Workers of America (CWA). I didn’t see any signs from Carter Bundy’s AFSCME, nor any other unions that have local affiliates in Albuquerque.


    Click the picture to enlarge

    On several occasions, vehicles painted in the colors of the “Federal Protective Service”, operated by the Heimatschutzministerium der Vereinigten Staaten, passed by on what appeared to be routine patrols. Funny how they didn’t seem to mind me (or anyone else) taking pictures and making video recordings of the marchers – they’ve established a bit of a reputation for arresting people for doing just that, and being rather obnoxious about it, to boot[2].

    Or maybe such photography didn’t constitute a “security threat,” however they make that determination (outside of whatever’s convenient for the U.S. Attorney’s Office?) – there was a guy with a professional-grade camcorder and matching tripod who set up his gear for several minutes, and went about his business unmolested. Or maybe this demonstration had the under-the-table support of the GSA and FPS supervisors?

    By 12:09 PM, there were about 60 people in attendance. Some of those driving through honked their horns. Around this time, the guy with the camcorder went over to them, chatted a bit, got some close-up shots, that sort of thing. My first guess is that he was from one of the local TV stations, but don’t they usually show up with a vehicle painted with the station’s name and logo on the side? Yet nothing has shown up on the web about this event, aside from this short PR piece from the AFGE.


    Click the picture to enlarge

    At 12:11 PM, some of the gathered started singing “Solidarity Forever.” [YAWN] Again, no visible counter-protest was evident – I was it where those supporting limited government and fiscal responsibility were concerned.

    Some of the signs held up by the protestors included:

    • R U 1 OF THE 80 MILLION WE SERVE

      No, I’m one of the 230 million who get ripped off to pay for this racket.

    • Hands OFF My Check!!

      Hey, toots, how about YOU get your hands off MY check for a change?

    • Keep us working!

      What were these people supposed to be doing besides standing outside this building holding signs? Did this have the support, overt or under-the-table, of their supervisors? If they did, does this constitute tax-supported activity?


    Click the picture to enlarge

    At 12:20 PM, two teen-aged skateboarders were passing through the Cafe Green’s parking lot and were accosted by the Mad Dog Partiers. The kids responded with “Get the fuck outta the way.” So there IS hope for the up-and-coming generation, after all.

    At this time, they started chanting, “Workers – united – will never be divided,” a few times, before splitting up into groups and going around the SSA building. [YAWN]. Was lunch time over? I left at 12:23 PM, as another round of chanting was dying out.

    QUESTIONS

    • Were these people off or on the clock while conducting this picket?
    • Why weren’t the roving FPS patrols harassing and arresting myself and the guy with the camcorder? After all, the event was in front of a federal building.
    • Did this event have any kind of official support? Did they use premises of the SSA building to organize it?
    • Did they have the proper permit from the City of Albuquerque? Back on 17 July 2009, Albuquerque Police Department chased the Tea Party away from the curb outside Tom Udall’s office on 3rd and Central for “not having the proper permit.”
    • Since it seems that this event didn’t merit any media coverage, nor any coverage amongst the local unions on their sites[3], what was the point of it all?


    NOTES

    1. Union thug at Atlanta moveon rally 2-26-2011
      MoveOn.org Protester Teamster attacks Tea Party member 2-26-2011 at Sacramento Capitol
      Madison police detain union operative who tried to destroy Tea Party sound system

    2. Upholding the Law: Photography Rights are Routinely Ignored
      Photographer and Civil Liberties Group Sue Department of Homeland Security
    3. Google search: SSA protest Albuquerque
      Google search: “SSA protest Albuquerque”
      Google search: “SSA protest”
    4. Reposted –
      1. Personal blog
      2. The Weekly Sedition
      3. Tyranny Response Team of New Mexico
      4. Darth Mike
      5. New Mexico Liberty
      6. Patriotic Resistance


    Copyright © 2011 Mike Blessing. All rights reserved.
    Produced by KCUF Media, a division of Extropy Enterprises.
    This blog entry created with Notepad++

  • Coffee, Tea, or Mad Dog 20/20?

    Current mood: amused, cynical

    First came the Tea Party movement[1], sparked by massive, peaceful protests in American cities. (2009 / 2010) The name comes from the Boston Tea Party of 16 December 1773, where the Sons of Liberty “disguised” themselves as Indians, boarded British cargo vessels docked in Boston Harbor, and threw the tea in those ships’ holds into the harbor.

    What are the Tea Party principles? Here they are, as best I can determine:

    • Individual rights
    • Constitutionally-limited government
    • Fiscal responsibility in government
    • Free market economics

    That sounds familiar! Wait a second here – Bill Koehler and I have been pushing the very same ideas on The Weekly Sedition since 1998. That’s thirteen years, off and on.

    In response to the “unseemly” and “disrespectful” tone that many Tea Party protestors showed towards Congresscritters who supported ObamaCare, the “Coffee Party USA” was started. Its stated premise was (still is?) that “government is not the enemy of the people, but the expression of our collective will, and that we must participate in the democratic process in order to address the challenges we face as Americans.”

    If there’s any doubt that “Coffee Party USA” is the Obamaton answer to the Tea Party groups, feel free to check out their mission statement or their “about us” page.

    I don’t know about you, dear readers, but that sounds like Borg-speak to me – “Resistance is futile” and “Freedom is irrelevant. Self-determination is irrelevant.”

    Anyway, see just how the “Coffee Party” takes America by storm!

    In a civil, non-confrontational manner, of course.

    And then there’s the last protest movement to arrive on the American political scene. This one hit just recently, as public employee unions get all worked up over possible pay cuts, layoffs and furloughs due to budget shortfalls. Let’s call this one, for lack of a better name, the “Mad Dog 20/20 Party.” It’s named after the infamous low-end fortified wine named, of course, “‘Mad Dog’ 20/20.”

    After all, they’re getting upset because the never-ending gravy train that they were promised seems to be running out of steam. More precisely, it’s running out of piles of FRNs, taxed away from Productive Class private citizens, that can be thrown willy-nilly into the “boilers.”

    The difference here is that when some private citizen chugs a bottle of good ol’ Mad Dog, only one person gets drunk. But in the current situation with the public employees, while they get to run amok like drunken sailors (I know – I’m defaming drunken sailors, who only blow their own cash), it’s the rest of us that get that reeling, room-is-spinning feeling as we see the public debt (that somehow we are expected to repay?!) explode to new heights, and the value of each FRN these clowns leave us with drops correspondingly.

    The most disgusting thing about the Mad Dog 20/20 Party is that some of its crowd have had the nerve to refer to themselves as being akin to the protestors in Egypt, who recently caused the resignation of Hosni Mubarak. Let’s see – the Egyptians were protesting about police brutality, corruption in government circles, election issues, and the economic malaise caused by the Mubarak regime.

    In contrast, the Mad Dog 20/20 Party complains that they might be out of work, and after all, who will process the welfare handouts while they’re off the job? That’s when they’re not protesting possible cuts in pay.

    I think that We the Taxpayers would make out much, much better if these people were actually drinking massive amounts of cheap alcohol on the job, as in they wouldn’t be as able to intervene in the economy as much, and there might be some “leftover” FRNs at the end of the year.


    NOTES

    1. Often confused with the Boston Tea Party, established in 2006, re-established in 2008.

    2. Reposted –
      1. Personal blog
      2. The Weekly Sedition
      3. Tyranny Response Team of New Mexico
      4. Darth Mike
      5. New Mexico Liberty / Patriotic Resistance


    Copyright © 2011 Mike Blessing. All rights reserved.
    Produced by KCUF Media, a division of Extropy Enterprises.
    This blog entry created with Notepad++

  • LPNM 2011 Annual State Convention

    Libertarian Party of New Mexico

    2010 Annual State Convention

    Theme – The Way Forward: Rebuilding

    Venue – Quarters BBQ
    3700 Ellison Dr. NW, Albuquerque, NM 87114 – See also HERE

    Contact Mike Blessing – 505-515-7015

    Friday, 15 April 2011

    Although there is no formal program for Friday evening, for anyone wanting to arrive early, the early birds will gather in the Quarters BBQ bar area at about 6:00 PM for an informal dinner / discussion – No-host, pay-as-you-go, dinner, cocktails, and networking.

    Saturday, April 16, 2011

    11:00 AM   Registration and pay-as-you-go lunch, order off the menu – Ø25 per person, to include dinner in the evening
     
    1:00 PM   LPNM Business Meeting [no charge for anyone attending ONLY the business meeting]
     
    • All who are registered with the State of New Mexico as Libertarians (“LIB” on the voter registration card) can vote during nominations for public office.
    • Only Caucus Members can vote during LPNM business and internal LPNM elections.
    • Visitors do not vote in any actions or activities.
    • Central Committee meeting after close of the LPNM Business Meeting.

    3:00 PM   Speaker [To be announced]
      
    4:00 PM   Speaker [To be announced]
     
    5:00 PM   Break [so Quarters can prepare for the dinner]
     
    5:30 PM   Dinner [included in the registration fee]
      Family-style – includes BBQ chicken, ribs, sliced beef brisket, sliced pork brisket, hot links, with various sides, and includes your choice of iced tea, coffee, or soda [other beverages are pay-as-you-go].
     
    7:30 PM   Keynote Speaker – [To be announced]
     
    8:30 PM   LPNM Fundraiser Auction [Bring items to donate]
     
    9:00 PM   Convention [and Quarters] closes

    NOTES

    1. Original article

    2. Reposted –
      1. Personal blogs – WordPress / Xanga
      2. KCUF Media – WordPress
      3. The Weekly Sedition
      4. New Mexico Liberty


    Copyright © 2011 Libertarian Party of New Mexico. All rights reserved. Produced by KCUF Media.
    Webmaster Mike Blessing. This blog entry created with Notepad++     

  • An Alternative to the AARP

    Known nationally as “the conservative alternative to the AARP,” the American Seniors Association works hard to fulfill its mission to provide seniors with the choices, information, and services they need to live healthier, wealthier lives.

    Our members’ dignity and security matter most to us, and that’s why thousands of Americans every year turn to the American Seniors Association for the help they need.

    We offer our members better choices to help with:

    • Medicare
    • Insurance
    • Prescription Discounts
    • Travel Services
    • Auto Club
    • Information on Where to Find the Facts

    We are driven by a uniquely American philosophy that starts with the understanding that government doesn’t tax and regulate “things.” It taxes and regulates “people.” Individuals like you and me. That’s why we treat every member as an individual, with a different story and different priorities, freely united as individuals to provide each other with better values in the services we want and need.

    At American Seniors Association, we don’t just take the government’s side like some other associations. We are not some big liberal bureaucracy here to try to scare you into going along with Big Government all the time or telling you what to think. Instead . . .

    • We’ll offer you real, useful information so you can make up your own mind.
    • We’ll ask: What do you think?
    • And, we’ll take your side.

    And instead of pretending to speak for you on every issue, we’ll help provide you with the information and the tools you need to speak for yourself.

    Like we said, we’re different. And we’re working for people just like you.

    If you’re tired of having some association you’ve never met claiming to speak for you in Washington DC, then the American Seniors Association is a perfect new home for you.

    If you’re tired of your opinion being taken for granted and your intelligence being insulted, then join the growing membership of the American Seniors Association.

    You aren’t like everyone else. Neither are we.

    A one-year membership with the American Seniors Association is only $15. And, we’ll be happy to add your spouse to your membership absolutely free. If you are an American Senior who believes in individual liberty, and is looking for a different sort of association, we hope you’ll choose the American Seniors Association. We want to work for you.

    CLICK HERE TO JOIN


    NOTES

    1.    []

    2. Original article
    3. Reposted –
      1. KCUF Media – WordPress
      2. The Weekly Sedition / Partisans of the American Southwest
      3. New Mexico Liberty
      4. Myspace Groups – /
      5. Yahoo! Groups – /


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