12-5 New Mexico Tree Finally reaches Capitol

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- OK, this will almost definitely be the last time we talk about the New Mexico tree that is now standing on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol. Unless, of course, something else unusual transpires.
The two trees from New Mexico forests that have stood on Capitol Hill during the holiday season have both had some very unique experiences.
In 1991, when the U.S. Forest Service chose the Carson National Forest for the tree donation, the people of Taos decided it had to be a live tree. The many problems associated with that project resulted in that being the only year a live tree has ever been transported to our nation's capital.
It appeared this year's experience would be much easier. The Forest Service chose the Santa Fe National Forest two years ago to be this year's tree donor. The perfect tree was chosen in July. Everything was on schedule.
But then a U.S. court ruling in California narrowed the exceptions to when trees could be cut without a public comment period. Unsure about the extent of the court's ruling, the Forest Service scheduled a public comment period for the New Mexico tree.
And then the hand-wringing began. What if there were objections and the tree could never make it to Washington? Our state's two U.S. senators became involved. Following the requisite political posturing by all sides, the situation cooled. The tree was cut and on its way to the Capitol.
But first, it had to make 18 stops around the state, while on life-support from a water pump. The tree was celebrated, serenaded and worshipped by bands, choruses, parades and adoring crowds.
Hundreds of spectators crowded the enclosed truck carrying the tree, eager to take home a pine cone or even a needle as a keepsake of the momentous experience. "You'd think we were transporting gold," observed the truck driver.
After leaving New Mexico, the tree made many more stops along its way to Washington. Forest Service personnel report that at every stop people wanted to know more about the tree and the state that provided it.
The trailer hauling the tree had the words "Capitol Holiday Tree 2005 -- A Gift from the Land of Enchantment" emblazoned across it. The tree even stopped traffic as motorists got out of their cars to take pictures. "People just wanted to be a part of it," said Forest Service spokesperson Delores Maese.
The public response makes it appear all the fuss is worth it. Getting the tree chosen, cut, loaded, transported, and decorated consumes much time and money, considering there is a permanent tree at the other end of the Mall, known as the National Christmas Tree, which is decorated every year.
But that tree is administered by the White House and far be it from the executive and legislative branches of government to get together on a project, even if it is the season to be jolly.
Congress could plant its own tree on its spacious grounds and save a lot of work. But if the trip through the United States creates the stir the Forest Service claims, maybe it is worth it.
One final surprise was still in store for the tree as it reached the Capitol on Nov. 28. On the day of its arrival, the national symbol that had traveled from New Mexico labeled as the "Capitol Holiday Tree" was re-renamed the "Capitol Christmas Tree" by House Speaker Dennis Hastert.
The word "Christmas" was dropped from its name last decade. No one is quite sure when or by whom. It is assumed the reason may have been political correctness.
But some contend that Congress was upset that the White House's "National Christmas Tree" received more attention. And maybe making the Capitol's tree inclusive of all holiday events might attract other religions and cultures to its tree.
Washington may take the Christ out of Christmas, but it will never take the politics out.
MON, 12-05-05

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

 

Fw: 12-2 Richardson Struggling to Make Top Tier

FRI, 12-02-05

SANTA FE -- Gov. Bill Richardson has been pegged by one national political pundit as having the perfect profile for a presidential candidate. He's a Western governor in a red state. He has experience in two cabinet positions, one dealing with domestic issues and one international. He's bilingual, a tax cutter, a leader in his national party and in governors' organizations.
So why isn't he leading the pack? Well, he's from a small state and he doesn't look or act particularly presidential. He's been a leading diplomat, but not your usual distinguished, reserved type. Richardson is an outgoing, fun-loving glad-hander.
Somehow, his suits don't seem to fit. It's probably more due to his casual demeanor rather than poor tailoring. At the governor's news conference following the mistaken report of his death in an airplane crash, the joke was that Richardson looked good, but his suit appeared to have been in a plane crash.
Richardson's vetting as a possible vice-presidential candidate in early 2004 didn't go well, either. He seemed too much a loose cannon to some party strategists. During the controversy about digging up Billy the Kid and his mother, I was contacted by a member of the vetting team, concerned that the governor didn't quickly back off when Silver City and Fort Sumner protested digging in their cemeteries.
But Richardson has paid his dues. He has been a leader among governors. He was the first governor to propose life insurance for Guard members on active duty. That initiative has since been copied widely.
Richardson sometimes is called the most powerful governor in the nation. But the title doesn't really fit. New Mexico has what is called a plural executive, in which other elected officials help administer government.
The situation was vividly demonstrated recently with the extortion charges against the state treasurer. Although Richardson had nothing to do with the situation, the assumption in many parts of the country was that the state treasurer works for the governor. That's not going to help him nationally.
If Richardson does end up being seriously considered as a presidential contender, detractors will have little trouble finding problems he has encountered in New Mexico. The governor's high-speed trips around the state in a large SUV caused him trouble. He since has turned in his Lincoln Navigator for a more modest and energy-saving hybrid vehicle. But somehow, the public hasn't noticed.
A $5.5 million jet airplane also helped garner him a reputation as a big spender. And even though other agencies have used it more than the governor, he still gets the blame for the plane.
Now, the problem is a fib about his budding career as a young baseball pitcher 40 years ago. Richardson claimed to have been drafted by a major league team while in college. But after the Albuquerque Journal checked the claim, it learned there never was paperwork to back it up.
It seems that although the young Richardson was scouted several times and although scouts did talk to him and express an interest, no team ever offered Richardson a contract. At about that time, Richardson's pitching arm gave out from throwing too many curve balls at too young an age. Baseball was forgotten and he moved on to graduate school.
There was no doubt that the young Richardson was a good athlete. He starred in House-Senate softball games while in Congress. I got to play with him in a 1980 July 4th fundraising baseball game soon after he moved to New Mexico. In those days, he looked good in shorts and a muscle shirt and excelled at every position.
But today, he is in trouble for having thrown one curveball too many concerning his baseball credentials. It may not seem major, but a few years ago, a Notre Dame coach claimed a degree he didn't have and lost his job. Similar fates have met titans of industry, who fudged on a resume.
But in the world of politics, untruths are expected and often forgiven.

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Jay Miller

To: Melissa/Lloyd

Sent: Saturday, November 26, 2005 3:24 PM

Subject: 12-2 Richardson Struggling to Make Top Tier

 

11-30 Back to the Teapot Dome Days at Interior

SANTA FE -- A recent column, describing the effort by National Park Service top brass to relax preservation standards while encouraging recreation and commercial use of our parks, has produced a storm of responses.
I was anonymously sent a letter to employees from the federal deputy director's office assuring them that the proposed new management policies had been totally misinterpreted by Congress, the media and Park Service retirees.
The new policies likely had been "misinterpreted" by employees also, but a loyalty oath imposed by the Interior Department makes disagreeing with management quite dangerous. At the least, it will make it impossible to move into upper management levels without signing the oath and abiding by it.
But NPS retirees don't have to sign loyalty oaths. They say it is the deputy director's letter that misinterprets the new policies because the reassurances in the letter don't appear in the policies.
Retirees say many changes are being made. They talk about the obvious, such as signs in national parks, extolling the wonderment of what God hath wrought and attributing the Grand Canyon to Noah's flood.
And they talk about the less obvious, such as granting Indian casino licenses in return for huge contributions to Interior Secretary Gale Norton's favorite charity, the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy, which she created before heading to Washington. I'm not very green, but even I understand that environmental advocacy is not what that organization does.
The scamming of Indian tribes is now coming more into the open. It is the subject of Sen. John McCain's current Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearings. Two of the tribes mentioned in McCain's hearings are Sandia Pueblo on the northern outskirts of Albuquerque and the Tigua tribe, of El Paso, Texas.
Senate committee members called the activities they uncovered unbelievable, disgusting and perhaps criminal. Apparently some of those activities were criminal because one of the top lobbyists in the investigation has since pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe government officials and defraud Indian casinos out of millions of dollars in fees.
These fees were used for lavish entertaining, including fancy golf trips to St, Andrews, Scotland. The scope of activities federal officials feel they are uncovering leads them to believe this is the first great scandal of the 21st century, on a scale that will make the Bobby Baker influence peddling of the Lyndon Johnson era look like a third-rate burglary.
The first member of Congress to lose his job, when indictments come down, is expected to be Rep. Bob Ney, an Ohio Republican, often called the Mayor of Capitol Hill because of all the lavish entertaining heaped on him.
The top lobbyist, who has pleaded guilty, is Michael Scanlon, a partner of lobbying kingpin Jack Abramoff, an extraordinarily well-connected super lobbyist, whose activities already have resulted in a Florida bank fraud indictment. Scanlon was an aide to former house GOP leader Tom Delay, of Texas.
According to news reports, Sandia casino paid out some $2.7 million to these lobbyists before Pueblo Gov. Stuwart Paisano decided they weren't receiving much for their money.
The Tigua story is even sadder. Evidently because of Abramoff maneuverings, the Tiguas lost their casino and then paid handsomely to get it reopened, only to have the new deal fall through.
Of course there is nothing new about the federal government stealing from the Indians. It has happened ever since Europeans hit these shores. And one of the saddest chapters has been the disappearance of royalties due to tribes banished to barren lands long before anyone knew they had oil and gas under them. No administration has been willing to get to the bottom of that.
Other Interior Department atrocities have been of more recent vintage. The Mining Act swindles are on the increase. New proposals would permit steering vast tracts of public lands surrounding mining areas into private hands at a fraction of the value. And a casino near Gettysburg battlefield appears a possibility.
The Interior Department offers many opportunities for fraud. This administration is finding more than its share.

 

11-18 column

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist

SANTA FE -- Here's a quick look at the past year's strange events in the afterlife of New Mexico's most famous personality -- Billy the Kid.
Following the September 2004 victory by the Village of Fort Sumner that secured a dismissal of the suit to dig up Billy, the action quieted for awhile.
November elections were in the offing and the Lincoln County sheriff's office was due for a change. Sheriff Tom Sullivan couldn't run again, so a new sheriff would take over. And Deputy Steve Sederwall, who also is mayor of Capitan, tried running for the county commission, but lost.
Sheriff Gary Graves, in DeBaca County, the third sheriff investigating the Kid's demise was safely in the middle of a four-year term, but a year later, he was recalled by voters in the most bizarre election in New Mexico history.
Not only was it the first time a sheriff had been recalled, it was the first time an election was scheduled, stopped and then restarted.. Graves' Texas attorney, Bill Robins, protested the election to the state Court of Appeals and got it stopped.
But on advice of the district attorney, the election was held as scheduled and though Robins sought an 11th-hour contempt charge against the county clerk and an injunction to interrupt the voting, the Appeals Court did not issue either. Graves was recalled by a vote of 576 to 150.
It also was discovered that Graves' attorney, Bill Robins, is not licensed to practice in New Mexico. That raises the question of whether he followed the correct procedures to represent Graves in this case.
Robins also represented the three sheriffs in the Fort Sumner grave-digging case and was the one who spoke for dead Billy, requesting that he and his mother be exhumed.
No matter what happens, the court appeals are sure to persist and the Billy the Kid case will continue to get more outlandish.
Meanwhile new Lincoln County Sheriff Rick Virden has deputized both Sullivan and Sederwall who are back on the case. Last May, they obtained permission from the state of Arizona to dig up the remains of Billy the Kid pretender John Miller, from the state-owned Arizona Pioneer Home Cemetery.
That exhumation remained a secret until last month, when an article by Julie Carter in the Ruidoso News revealed the dig had taken place on May 21 and disclosed that Miller had buck teeth and a bullet wound similar to the person Pat Garrett shot. The article featured a picture of Sederwall holding the skull -- minus the buck teeth.
The reason for delay in the release of the information remains a mystery. Miller's bones are at a lab in Texas awaiting DNA comparisons with blood from a carpenter's bench on which Billy's body may have been placed.
Meanwhile rumors circulate that more of Miller's bones were removed from his grave than are necessary for an autopsy. Anyone interested in learning more of the John Miller story can read "Whatever Happened to Billy the Kid," distributed by Sunstone Press, in Santa Fe.
Somewhat forgotten in all the strange twists of this story is that the three sheriffs agreed to submit a report to Gov. Bill Richardson following their investigation. That report is to include a recommendation as to whether he should issue a pardon to Billy.
Gov. Lew Wallace had promised Billy a pardon in return for his testimony in a murder case during the Lincoln County War. Billy upheld his end but Wallace didn't and would never answer Billy's letters from jail.
Why didn't Wallace answer? Why didn't he uphold his end of the bargain? Many theories have been advanced over the years.
Most likely is that the political corruption that extended through the judicial and law enforcement arms of government were too much for an appointed territorial governor from the outside to overcome.
Also worth a look is the question of what good or harm a pardon might do at this point.
FRI, 11-18-05

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

Scott Stinnett in Fort Sumner just called with some changes to make paragraphs 5 and 6 more accurate. Sorry for the confusion. As I said in the column, this was the most bizarre election in New Mexico history. My reports from Fort Sumner residents and the Albuquerque Journal were sufficiently unclear to cause me some confusion.

11-28 Thundering Herd of State Job Seekers

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist

SANTA FE -- An amusing sidelight to Gov. Bill Richardson's recent erroneous death report was the long line of job seekers that quickly formed at the door of Lt. Gov. Diane Denish.
My favorite blogger, Joe Monahan, reports that the line disappeared as quickly as it formed upon the first news that the airplane crash rumor had been quashed.
The episode is more than just a funny story. It is illustrative of the interface between government and politics. Until the early 1960s, state government operated on the spoils system. Each governor cleaned house and brought in his cronies for all government jobs, top to bottom.
Gov. Jack Campbell was able to get a state Personnel Act passed that required government employees to be qualified and provided them with some job security.
The top jobs in government were left out of the personnel system so the governor could bring in a leadership team. But those were supposed to be the only ones who still had to jockey for jobs. And that is almost the way it works.
But who you know still ranks right up there with what you know. In the old days, the line outside Lt. Gov. Denish's office would not have been the least unusual.
In fact, it wouldn't have been a line. It would have been a mob that would have included everyone in and out of state government who had heard the rumor that the lieutenant governor was about to move up.
Today, the mobs of job seekers have been reduced considerably. But there is still a network of state employees and wannabe state employees angling for classified jobs covered by the personnel system.
Yes, they have to be qualified, but there are more applicants than jobs and a recommendation from the top makes a big difference. And that network of job seekers works at lightening speed.
This isn't the first time Diane Denish has experienced a line up at her door. In the 1994 Democratic primary election, she and now-Attorney General Patricia Madrid were fighting it out for the lieutenant governor nomination. Madrid was ahead in early returns that night.
Most Democrat candidates were gathered at the Albuquerque Hilton Inn to listen to returns in their hospitality rooms. I happened to have just made a stop at Denish's suite, when Dick Knipfing announced on television that a new batch of returns had changed some of the close races, including the lieutenant governor race.
It was only a matter of moments before the nearly deserted room was packed with small-time politicos assuring Denish that it was the work they had done back in their precincts that had put her ahead.
On the television, Knipfing and analyst Chris Garcia were scratching their heads, while a reporter interviewed Gary Johnson at the Marriott Hotel. Johnson had fallen behind too, but said his reports from the county in question were nowhere near what had just been reported to the state Bureau of Elections.
Soon the figures were double-checked, the glitch was found and the numbers were corrected. As soon as Knipfing reported the change, the Denish suite emptied. It was obvious what was happening.
I followed the crowd at a safe distance to prevent being trampled but arrived in plenty of time to hear the same people telling Patricia Madrid the same stories they had just told down the hall.
Of course candidates aren't fooled. They know it is part of the ritual. The routine will start in this election cycle at the pre-primary nominating conventions that the major parties will hold in March.
Lieutenant governors aren't really the prime targets of job seekers. They have very few employees -- until it appears they are poised to become governor.
As for Denish and Madrid, they will continue to be major targets of job seekers no matter what office they are seeking because both have served notice that they are candidates on the rise.
MON, 11-28-05

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

 

11-25 Statewide Races Taking Shape

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist

SANTA FE -- Statewide races for the 2006 elections are beginning to take shape. Nominating petitions have been available to candidates since October 3.
Statewide and congressional candidates must submit those petitions by mid-February to be eligible for preprimary nominating conventions. Many candidates announced soon after the first of this year. Some have been running hard since summer.
Three key primary races are shaping up. The GOP contest to challenge U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman and the Democrat primaries for attorney general and treasurer are attracting numerous candidates. And the general election in the 1st Congressional District will again be bitterly fought.
The Republican U.S. senatorial primary has nothing to do with beating Sen. Jeff Bingaman a year from now. Once New Mexicans make up their minds on a U.S. senator or representative, they seldom change.
These candidates are lining up to succeed Sen. Pete Domenici in case he decides not to run in 2008. Our senior senator has had health problems for years. The past few years, some say they have seen signs of senility.
But never count Pete out until he says so. He has overcome all those health problems and if you think he's getting senile, you should have listened to him banter with Don Imus on MSNBC last week. He was as good as he was in his college days 50 years ago.
If that's a little longer than you've been watching, just remember back to the last 10 years former U.S. Rep. Joe Skeen was in office. Rumors circulated about his health every two years and prominent Democrats ran against him even though they knew it was hopeless.
They just hoped to choose the election when Joe decided not to run again or when he died in the middle of a campaign as his predecessor, Harold Runnels, did. But Joe just kept on going.
Lined up for the opportunity to run against Bingaman are Republicans Allen McCulloch of Farmington, Steven Gavi of Roswell, David Pfeffer of Santa Fe and Tom Benavides of Plaza Benavides in Bernalillo County. State Sen. Joe Carraro, also of Bernalillo County is taking his usual look at every promising race that comes along.
But Domenici's most likely successors aren't even in that race. Republican U.S. House members Heather Wilson and Steve Pearce have the inside track. Pete chose Wilson as his successor long ago.
And that is why strong Democrats keep challenging Wilson for her 1st Congressional District seat. Judging from the success Democrats have running for Albuquerque mayor, there is no reason they shouldn't have the congressional seat -- except that a Republican already has it.
If Wilson were to move up to the Senate, Democrats would have their chance again. So, it appears they have been able to talk Attorney General Patricia Madrid into being Wilson's challenger next year. That will be a very hard-fought race.
Because Madrid is leaving office, a long line is forming for her spot. That's mainly because the attorney general's post is seen as a good steppingstone.
That was completely untrue for our first 70 years of statehood. But since 1982, when former attorneys general Toney Anaya and Jeff Bingaman won the state's two highest offices, the outlook has changed, even though Rep. Tom Udall is the only one of the three elected since to successfully move up.
Democrats running for attorney general are Gary King, Geno Zamora of Santa Fe, Al Park and Eric Sedillo Jeffries of Albuquerque and Lemuel Martinez of Los Lunas. Republicans are Bob Schwartz and Jim Bibb of Albuquerque.
Park has had the most active campaign going, but now that King has jumped into the race, the Bernalillo County Representative is mulling the possibility of moving over to the state treasurer's race.
After the shocking revelations of the past few months, the treasurer's contest can be expected to have several candidates promising to clean thing up.
FRI, 11-25-05

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

 

11-23 Thanksgiving

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. One of the reasons is that Americans still remember why we celebrate it. Thanksgiving isn't just another holiday, to which we give not one thought other than that it is a day off work.
Nearly all of us truly remember to give thanks and truly celebrate the holiday. Unlike Christmas, there is no stress around giving and getting presents. The purpose of celebrating Thanksgiving is very simple and very easy to observe.
We're told that all cultures observe some sort of day to give thanks. It seems to be a basic human need to back away from trouble, stress and daily commotion and reflect on one's blessings no matter how meager they may be.
In this part of the country, where we can boast a European presence that predates English settlements on the East Coast, we have some fun claiming that America's first Thanksgiving occurred near El Paso in 1598.
That's when Don Juan de Onate and his band of settlers paused on their journey northward to feast and give thanks to God for getting them through the desert and providing them with a river crossing. But it will never replace the story about Squanto and the Pilgrims.
The observance of Thanksgiving is so comfortable. Family gathers, often from afar. Sometimes good friends without family are included. Generations of cooks gather in the kitchen to discuss and prepare old recipes.
The smell of turkey and the trimmings begins to fill the air. Old stories are told, getting better every year. And after dinner, generations of males step outside to toss around a football. And sometimes grandpa is taken to the emergency room after aggravating that old shoulder injury.
Which brings us to those who can't take off for the holiday: the nurses and emergency room workers, police and firefighters, airline employees and truckers, and most of all, those who serve and protect us around the world.
For some, this will be the first Thanksgiving away from home and loved ones. Many of those will be New Mexicans serving in National Guard units called to active duty in locations far, far away. For them, the taste of turkey will have a very special meaning.
Here's some more reasons Thanksgiving is special. It's a four-day weekend for most people. Who works on the Friday after Thanksgiving? Most employers don't even expect it. Employees trade it for a vacation day or for a non-observed holiday like Presidents' Day.
Of course, mall employees work on the day after Thanksgiving, because it is the beginning of the holiday season, the busiest shopping day of the year.
Thanksgiving also is a day when it is acceptable to stuff oneself and grudgingly permissible to watch sports on television all day. Well, almost all day. Do we really have to turn off the Cowboy game during dinner?
And the Cowboys' Thanksgiving game is nationally televised, so it's possible to go anywhere and not miss it.
Many of us in the newspaper business especially like Thanksgiving. It allows us to write clever things about politicians for whom we are thankful. And it allows others to write about everyone they want to label as turkeys.
We had a municipal judge in Santa Fe for many years who was proud of his turkey label. Tom Fiorina held a Turkey Day at his court. Everyone bringing a frozen turkey could get a parking violation dismissed. The turkeys then went to those in need, who otherwise wouldn't have turkey for Thanksgiving.
City officials were furious because it decreased revenues. But Fiorina vowed to continue until Santa Fe took care of its downtown parking problem. He would still be having Turkey Days today, but he was beaten by a candidate who recently was forced to resign after accusations of multiple violations.
Enjoy Thanksgiving and be happy that in this part of the world there's usually green chile in the stuffing and red chile in the gravy.
WED, 11-23-05

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

 

11-21 Bill's Book

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist

SANTA FE -- Gov. Bill Richardson has been getting some of the national recognition he sought when he released his book "Between Two Worlds."
In the past 10 days, I have caught Richardson on MSNBC's Don Imus Show and on C-SPAN2. Both gave him a nationwide audience, although neither is a major network by any stretch of the imagination.
Obviously, Richardson's intent is to embellish his credentials for a presidential run. Many candidates use books to help in that effort. Those with impressive war records, such as John McCain or John Kerry can make their books interesting. Most candidates can't.
Richardson has had enough adventures rescuing hostages, running cabinet departments and growing up in two countries to make his life more interesting than most. He also adds enough blue language to jolt readers awake.
Bill Richardson's two worlds were the two cultures in which he grew up, with an Anglo father and Mexican mother. He lived in Mexico City until going to Massachusetts for high school and college.
That background of straddling two worlds makes him representative of our nation's increasingly multicultural future. And, according to Richardson, New Mexico already is prominently displayed in the middle of that big picture. "I believe New Mexico is what this country will look like in the future," he says.
His dual heritage helped hone the negotiating skills that have put Richardson in the limelight of international relations, including the effort to keep North Korea out of the nuclear weapons business.
At the invitation of North Korea, Richardson went to talk with its leaders about relations with America and its allies. That can't have made the Bush administration particularly happy, but he went with its blessings, aboard a military plane.
Richardson has been amazingly supportive of our nation's Republican leaders. He worked with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on his North Korea trip. He has praised President George Bush on his immigration policy. And he even has been supportive of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff concerning his help on border problems.
Can Richardson win a Democratic nomination talking that way? It gets him accused of talking out of both sides of his mouth. The Democrat's 2004 candidate, John Kerry, has been criticized by party members for going too lightly on the decision to go to war.
And will Richardson's support of top Republican officials help him at all with Republican voters, if he does happen to be the Democratic nominee?
The conventional wisdom is that playing to the other party doesn't work. Famous bank robber Willie Sutton was asked why he robbed banks. His unforgettable answer: That's where the money is. Successful politicians target their efforts where the votes are.
Bill Richardson was an exception to that rule when he won the 2002 New Mexico gubernatorial race. He spent an inordinate amount of time in Republican counties. It may be that his juggernaut campaign had most Democratic votes sewn up and he was looking for a landslide. But that will not be the situation for any Democratic presidential candidate.
And what about Bill Richardson the candidate for New Mexico governor? Were his favorable comments about Republicans aimed at New Mexico Republicans instead of his national audience?
We do know that the governor has a problem with New Mexico voters of both parties when he appears more focused on a national race.
Richardson addressed that problem during his C-SPAN2 appearance and compared himself to Gov. George Bush of Texas during his 1998 race for a second term as governor of that state.
At the time, Bush admitted that he also had his eye on the presidency two years hence and he told voters he understood that some might want to take that into account.
For the most part, Texas voters seemed to be proud that they had a governor who might be president some day. Will New Mexico voters feel the same?
MON, 11-21-05

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

 

11-18 Billy's Bones?

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- Here's a quick look at the past year's strange events in the afterlife of New Mexico's most famous personality -- Billy the Kid.
Following the September 2004 victory by the Village of Fort Sumner that secured a dismissal of the suit to dig up Billy, the action quieted for awhile.
November elections were in the offing and the Lincoln County sheriff's office was due for a change. Sheriff Tom Sullivan couldn't run again, so a new sheriff would take over. And Deputy Steve Sederwall, who also is mayor of Capitan, tried running for the county commission, but lost.
Sheriff Gary Graves, in DeBaca County, the third sheriff investigating the Kid's demise was safely in the middle of a four-year term, but a year later, he was recalled by voters in the most bizarre election in New Mexico history.
Not only was it the first time a sheriff had been recalled, it was the first time an election had ever been held two days in a row. Graves' Texas attorney, Bill Robins, protested the election to the state Court of Appeals and got it stopped.
But the next day, on advice of the district attorney, the election was held again and this time the court did not issue an injunction. Graves was recalled by a vote of 576 to 150. It may have been the first election in New Mexico to be held on a Wednesday.
It also was discovered that Graves' attorney, Bill Robins, is not licensed to practice in New Mexico. That raises the question of whether he followed the correct procedures to represent Graves in this case.
Robins also represented the three sheriffs in the Fort Sumner grave-digging case and was the one who spoke for dead Billy, requesting that he and his mother be exhumed.
No matter what happens, the court appeals are sure to persist and the Billy the Kid case will continue to get more outlandish.
Meanwhile new Lincoln County Sheriff Rick Virden has deputized both Sullivan and Sederwall who are back on the case. Last May, they obtained permission from the state of Arizona to dig up the remains of Billy the Kid pretender John Miller, from the state-owned Arizona Pioneer Home Cemetery.
That exhumation remained a secret until last month, when an article by Julie Carter in the Ruidoso News revealed the dig had taken place on May 21 and disclosed that Miller had buck teeth and a bullet wound similar to the person Pat Garrett shot. The article featured a picture of Sederwall holding the skull -- minus the buck teeth.
The reason for delay in the release of the information remains a mystery. Miller's bones are at a lab in Texas awaiting DNA comparisons with blood from a carpenter's bench on which Billy's body may have been placed.
Meanwhile rumors circulate that more of Miller's bones were removed from his grave than are necessary for an autopsy. Anyone interested in learning more of the John Miller story can read "Whatever Happened to Billy the Kid," distributed by Sunstone Press, in Santa Fe.
Somewhat forgotten in all the strange twists of this story is that the three sheriffs agreed to submit a report to Gov. Bill Richardson following their investigation. That report is to include a recommendation as to whether he should issue a pardon to Billy.
Gov. Lew Wallace had promised Billy a pardon in return for his testimony in a murder case during the Lincoln County War. Billy upheld his end but Wallace didn't and would never answer Billy's letters from jail.
Why didn't Wallace answer? Why didn't he uphold his end of the bargain? Many theories have been advanced over the years.
Most likely is that the political corruption that extended through the judicial and law enforcement arms of government were too much for an appointed territorial governor from the outside to overcome.
Also worth a look is the question of what good or harm a pardon might do at this point.
FRI, 11-18-05

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

 

11-14, 11-16

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- Less than a month after New Mexico supplies our nation's capitol with a holiday tree, we'll be putting our first-ever float in the Tournament of Roses Parade on the opposite coast.
State Tourism Secretary Michael Cerletti says he has been trying to talk a governor into entering the Rose Parade for years. Cerletti also was Tourism secretary under former Gov. Bruce King.
After having no success the past two years with Gov. Bill Richardson, Cerletti met Raul Rodriguez at a function this past year and discovered that he is the foremost Rose Parade float designer.
Rodriguez, who has designed the last 12 consecutive sweepstakes trophy winners in the Rose Parade, was enthusiastic about doing something for New Mexico. He and Cerletti talked basic concepts for a New Mexico float based on the parade theme "It's Magical." Since we are the Land of Enchantment, it was a natural.
Armed with his new ammunition, Cerletti went back to the governor and convinced him New Mexico should have a float in the Rose Parade.
Cerletti says it is some of the best marketing New Mexico can do. California is an expensive market that is difficult to penetrate. In addition, all major networks and several minor ones cover the Rose Parade, making it a national marketing tool also.
Now this part, you're not going to believe, so you may want to skip to the next paragraph right now. Cerletti told the governor he thought it would be a good idea for him to ride the float, but Richardson wasn't so sure. I know, I didn't believe it either.
Finally the governor relented. Now you're back with me? Richardson and First Lady Barbara will ride at the front of the float, in a horse-drawn buckboard, representing early Western settlers.
When you live "Between Two Worlds," you can represent anyone you want. And he'll be in a suit that doesn't fit.
From Cerletti's description, it sounds like a float to make New Mexicans proud. He wants to overcome stereotypes and misconceptions held by those who never have visited our state.
The challenge is to portray New Mexico's complicated blend of language, history, landscapes, cultures, and cuisines on an 18-foot by 55-foot flat-bed trailer. An artist's rendering of the float appears as though it may do the job.
It is centered around a plaza courtyard depicting Old Mesilla, with a three story pueblo behind it. Characters include flamenco dancers, Indian artisans and a Buffalo Soldier. Roses and chrysanthemums will convey New Mexico's sunset hues and earth tones.
Now, all that's left is to find enough worker bees to stuff tens of thousands of flowers on the float. That job will be taken on by dozens of New Mexicans from around the state, who will travel at their own expense to Pasadena.
These volunteers will work from Dec. 26-30. Many of the volunteers represent hotels and restaurants around the state. Many others are affiliated with Jay Miller & Friends, a group that built prize-winning floats for the Hysterical Division of the Santa Fe Fiesta Parade for 25 years.
It was always the hare-brained dream of this group to graduate to building a Rose Parade float. Unfortunately, the Rose Parade does not allow cardboard, paint or paper napkins so the Thanksgiving-weekend Doo Dah Parade in Pasadena was about the only possibility.
But then came the big chance -- an opportunity to do the grunt work on a legitimate Rose Parade float. Cerletti approached the group, of which he is also a member, about the possibility of going to Pasadena and received an enthusiastic response.
On Jan. 2, 2006, when "Land of Enchantment" slowly travels down Pasadena's famed Colorado Boulevard, many New Mexicans will be lining the streets to admire their handiwork and cheer our state's entry.
The California visit will also involve other promotional activities. A Classic & Cool Car Caravan will travel Route 66 from Tucumcari to Los Angeles. And the Tourism Department's staff is planning a two-week marketing trip, featuring our 34-foot "Big Red" traveling showcase.
MON, 11-14-05

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- Billy the Kid continues to haunt the courthouses and cemeteries of the Southwest.
For over two years, Billy has been the subject of an official criminal investigation, court suits and grave-digging efforts, one of which was successful.
And amidst all this, accusations have flown back and forth, two communities have had to spend money they could ill afford, a principal character lost an election and another was recalled.
I have recently had a book published containing over 30 columns recounting the saga of what appeared to begin as an attempt to promote tourism in Billy the Kid Country. It's called "Billy the Kid Rides Again: Digging for the Truth." In the following paragraphs, you'll learn the reasons behind the title.
The tale begins with an investigation by three sheriffs from the area, along with Gov. Bill Richardson, to find the facts about how Billy shot two Lincoln County deputy sheriffs to make his daring 1881 escape.
They also wanted to determine the truthfulness of claims that Lincoln County Sheriff Pat Garrett shot someone else so that Billy could escape and lead a long life in Texas or Arizona.
And the investigation was to look into the pardon promised to Billy by then-Gov. Lew Wallace in return for his testimony in a murder case during the Lincoln County War. Gov. Richardson wanted to know whether he should issue that pardon.
That's a pretty big field to cover, but the governor planned to appoint people to represent all parties, who would then conduct field hearings in Billy the Kid Country and attract international media attention.
So far, so good. But then DNA entered the picture and the sheriffs and governor wanted to dig up Billy in Fort Sumner and his mother in Silver City and compare their DNA.
But the governor's own Office of the Medical Investigator pointed out that the precise locations of both graves was difficult to pinpoint.
Billy's cemetery had been flooded by the Pecos, washing away grave markers, which were later replaced from memory. The cemetery in which Billy's mother was buried was purchased and the bodies moved to a different location. And even if the bodies could be located, 120-year-old bones don't yield usable DNA.
So without the approval of the medical investigator, it was necessary for the sheriffs and governor to go to court to secure approval to dig up the bodies.
Silver City and Fort Sumner both owned the cemeteries in which the bodies were buried. And both communities had misgivings, not the least of which were concerns of descendents that the remains of their loved ones' in nearby graves would be disturbed.
And when the sheriffs went to court, they made it part of an official criminal investigation. That's when an earnest effort at promoting tourism turned into a Keystone Kops circus, complete with three rings.
In one ring was Billy's escape from the Lincoln County Courthouse. In another was Pat Garrett's shooting of Billy. And in the third ring was Gov. Wallace's failure to pardon Billy.
It's difficult to get a criminal case out of that. Who was the criminal? Billy the Kid was a co-petitioner, asking that he and his mother be dug up. Pat Garrett is the champion of the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department, whose picture appears on its shoulder patch.
When the going got tough, Richardson appointed Texas attorney Bill Robins to represent Billy. Never mind that the law doesn't give governors the right to appoint lawyers for individuals. It also doesn't allow dead men to speak in court. But Billy did.
It didn't help, however. Neither court gave permission to dig. But forensic scientist, Dr. Henry Lee, of Court TV fame, volunteered to find DNA somewhere and the sheriffs easily managed to dig up Billy pretender John Miller in Arizona.
So get ready to hear many more revelations of questionable acts and misdeeds. It ain't over yet, because Billy refuses to ride into the sunset.
WED, 11-16-05

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

Double whammy. I got behind and had computer problems. Here are columns that evidently didn't get through directly to newspapers and didn't make it to my Web site.

11-11 NM Tree on Schedule For US Capitol

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- Relax, the Capitol Holiday Tree was cut on time from the Santa Fe National Forest and is scheduled for an on-time arrival in Washington, D.C., for its Dec. 8 lighting.
For awhile there, it appeared a little iffy after a federal court in California ruled against the U.S. Forest Service's new policy to allow certain projects to move ahead without environmental review.
As a result, The Forest Service put a hold on cutting the Holiday Tree, pending a 30-day comment period. There was time to squeeze in the 30-day period, but no one wanted to take any chances.
Worried that someone might comment, New Mexico's Sens. Pete Domenici and Jeff Bingaman asked the U.S. Attorney General and Agriculture Secretary to give their prompt attention to preventing any delay in getting the New Mexico tree to the U.S. Capitol.
In their letter, Domenici and Bingaman stated that they felt the Forest Service response was an unnecessary overreaction. Domenici went on to say that these "reindeer games" needed to stop.
Some New Mexico environmental groups said everyone needed to cool off because there were no protests planned. They suggested it was all an attempt to make the environmental movement appear extreme.
In the end, the tree cutting came off without a hitch. Selected in July, its location was kept secret, known only by global positioning system coordinates kept in the back pocket of the forest supervisor.
Of course it wasn't much of a secret with six federal marshals stationed around it full time. You can tell when I'm kidding, can't you?
Anyway, in our post-9/11 atmosphere, in which we were going to show the terrorists our mettle by not letting our lives be affected, a tree is receiving very tight security in case of a grinch attack.
But then it is a national symbol. And one of the things about which we are most afraid is the defiling of national symbols. And there are many of them, even in the tree category.
Besides the Capitol Holiday Tree, we have the outdoor National Christmas Tree, a living Colorado blue spruce, planted on the Ellipse across the street, behind the White House. It is 40 feet tall and is tended by the National Park Service and is lit in the Pageant of Peace in early December. Each state and territory is represented by 56 smaller trees.
Then there is the indoor National Christmas Tree that is presented on Thanksgiving weekend in the Blue Room of the White House. It is presented by the National Christmas Tree Association and is decorated by the White House floral department.
Back in 1946, Congress designated California's General Grant Sequoia as The Nation's Christmas Tree. Three years later, it named nearby Sanger, Calif. The Nation's Christmas Tree City.
And we must mention the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, the biggest, brightest and most famous Christmas tree on the planet. It's lighting, shortly after Thanksgiving, is an annual television event.
The Capitol Holiday Tree sits on the west front lawn of the Capitol. Every year, the U.S. Forest Service chooses one of the 155 national forests it oversees to provide the Capitol tree.
In 1991, a tree was chosen from New Mexico's Carson National Forest near Taos. The Capitol landscape architect does the choosing and oversees the tree's display and lighting.
The 2005 tree was cut from the forest 25 miles west of Cuba, N.M. It was 83 feet tall, but was cut back to 65 feet because that is as high as the Capitol's cherry picker can go to put on the star. Also cut in New Mexico, from private land, are 65 smaller trees to decorate chief congressional and administrative offices.
Providing the national tree is a big deal for a small state like New Mexico -- this year. In other years, we only see a slight mention of it in the national media. Although thousands of people attend the lighting ceremony on the Capitol grounds, nearly all of them are either from the state providing the tree or from various congressional offices.
This is our year, so let's celebrate. After a weekend of observances in Cuba, the tree will make its way to 15 other New Mexico cities and towns before heading to Washington.
FRI, 11-11-05

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

 

11-9 Death Knell for Hubble?

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- A week seldom goes by that doesn't include a startling new discovery involving the Hubble Space Telescope. Yet, in less than three years, America's premiere eye in the sky will likely crash into the drink.
In the year of Hubble's 15th birthday, its death warrant was signed by a shift in White House priorities. Money that would have been used for necessary maintenance of the grand telescope has been redirected to manned missions to the moon and Mars.
Maintenance and repair missions to Hubble were part of the long-term plan to keep it in service for many years. A space shuttle crew made one of those missions to perform a repair early in Hubble's life.
But further shuttle missions to the telescope have been upstaged by visits to the International Space Station that has almost no scientific value.
When cries arose, not only from the scientific community but from the general public, about allowing Hubble to die, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration agreed that a servicing mission to Hubble would be considered after two successful missions once the shuttles returned to flight.
But the second return-to-flight has been indefinitely postponed because of problems with the first. And NASA has left itself wiggle room to declare the most recent flight not totally successful.
All the parts to fix the shuttle have been assembled at the Goddard Space Flight Center. A robotic mission also is a possibility but serious development of that project has not occurred.
Most scientists are livid. They see little scientific knowledge to be gained from manned trips to the moon and Mars that robots haven't and shouldn't continue to gather. Robots are cheaper, risk no lives and don't take holidays.
The main scientific knowledge gained from sending men to the moon, scientists contend, came from the rocks brought back. The only scientist in the Apollo program was New Mexico geologist Harrison Schmitt.
As for the economic value claimed for such flights, most scientists contend that if there really is such value, private industry will figure a way to get up there and set up shop.
Meanwhile NASA has shut down one of the telescope's three gyroscopes that was operating, in order to save it for later and extend Hubble's life another eight months. The current estimate for its demise is mid-2008.
There is a slight possibility help might arrive in time, but Hubble no longer is an administration priority and talk has started about how dangerous the shuttle mission would be.
Hubble also is being called old and outdated, despite the shuttle being much older, and other equipment used in the space program being even older than that. And some ground-based telescopes still are in use after a century.
The fact remains that Hubble continues to provide pictures that not only have high scientific value, but reveal to us all the beauty and magnificence of the universe.
The main reason for pessimism about Hubble, however, seems to be a feeling that the Bush administration has committed to let it die and no amount of scientific or public pressure can change that.
But there will be pressure. Just last week, Hubble took a look at Mars, during its closest approach to Earth and recorded a dust storm nearly a thousand miles wide and growing. And it's still growing.
Also last week, Hubble reported that Pluto has three moons instead of the one previously known. This discovery is sure to help Pluto retain its planet status.
For many years some scientists have challenged New Mexican Clyde Tombaugh's 1930 discovery. Just last week, the Albuquerque Journal carried a science column declaring "there is little doubt that if Pluto were discovered today it would probably not be classified as a planet." Think again.
The discoveries just keep coming, as more and more Americans become captivated by magnificent sights of phenomena never seen before and often never known to exist.
Letting Hubble crash to Earth is bad science, bad economy and bad politics, says Roswell's Dave Clary, the foremost expert on rocketeer Robert Goddard.
WED, 11-09-05

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

 

11-7 Advertising in our National Parks?

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist
SANTA FE -- Can you hear me now? The answer would be yes, even in national parks, if the U.S. Interior Department has its way.
A proposed rewrite of National Park policies would allow cell phone towers, jet skis, all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles, air and noise pollution, livestock grazing, land sales and commercial advertising.
The proposed changes come as a result of some congressional Republicans who have complained that Park Service restrictions are too severe and are not consistently enforced.
Frequent readers of this column know that I sometimes voice similar complaints myself. But this rewrite appears to have gone way too far in the other direction, judging from its bipartisan reception in Congress.
To top that, the version of the rewrite receiving the negative congressional reception is a considerably toned-down version of the original staff proposal. That proposal generated so much controversy that no amount of soft-pedaling may rescue it.
Tennessee's Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander says his constituents, in one of the most conservative areas of the country, were upset by the original proposal.
As he puts it, "It's like sending out a warm up singer for the Grand Old Opry that's so off-key it ruins the rest of the night."
Another Southern saying may apply in this instance too. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
The Park Service happens to be about the most popular agency in the federal government. Around 96 percent of national park visitors express approval of their experiences.
Of course, not everyone visits national parks. And some of those who don't are off-roaders, who zoom around on lonely trails through the desert, but would love to do the same thing in our national parks.
I've railed against national forests prohibiting snowmobiles because I can't understand how tracks in the snow hurt much of anything. I suppose they would create noise pollution for people who like to slog in solitude through the snow. And noise is one of my biggest pet peeves.
I don't have speakers on my computer. I don't have Beethoven playing in the background. And I don't have a TV set at my side to monitor the national news. I want absolute quiet when I work -- and often when I relax.
So I can understand folks who don't like noise pollution. My biggest irritation of all is cell phone users. I often think of very unpleasant places I could shove that little device.
I have no idea what I might do if I were walking down a quiet forest path and had a guy come up behind me and shouted into his phone "Hey, Mabel, guess where I am."
So cell phone towers are out. I don't mind so much the way they look as that they enable idiots to annoy me.
New Mexico Sen. Jeff Bingaman has received some national attention for his role in questioning the rewritten policies. One of his biggest problems is with the commercialization of national parks.
Although 300 million people enjoy national parks every year, the federal administration and Congress constantly make them less of a budget priority. The money to improve them has to come from somewhere, so the Park Service now has to ask for individual and corporate donations.
To reward those corporate contributors, the Interior Department now is proposing to allow advertising in parks and peddle naming rights for visitor centers, trails and other park features. It also turns park managers into professional fund-raisers.
I'm not one to get particularly offended by advertising everywhere. It's part of our free enterprise system. If people don't like where you choose to put your advertising, maybe they won't buy your product.
But Bingaman may have a point that national parks should be a commercial-free zone. Sen. Alexander says national parks offer an important sanctuary that should not be tampered with.
They may force the Interior Department to come up with a third draft.
MON, 11-7-05

JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com