1-6 What happened to our drone?

10612 reverse engineering

SANTA FE – Two recent columns assured there is no worry about Iranian scientists reverse engineering the U.S. drone that mysteriously landed in Iran. But Santa Fe reader Mike Patel reminds that although Iranian scientists couldn't reverse engineer a baby buggy, they can provide access to interested countries.
Pitel notes that our friends in Pakistan gave China a look at our crashed stealth helicopter used in the killing of Osama bin Laden. They later gave us back the helicopter's remains .Iran was asked to give the drone back but that's not going to happen.
And you can bet that China already has paid a visit to the drone and may eventually have it in its possession. The price wouldn't be cheap. Pitel suggests the trade-off might be 25 years of Chinese take-out.
My columns also mentioned our country's inability to reverse engineer the space craft that crashed in Roswell in 1947. With the fall of Germany, we had recently captured the best rocket scientists in the world. And they couldn't produce anything like the flying saucers we were hearing about.
Does that mean there is a limit to reverse engineering? It very likely could mean there was no flying saucer to reverse engineer. Or it could mean our military didn't want to turn over alien technology to a bunch of guys who were loyal Nazis a few years before.
We do hear stories occasionally contending that the amazing advances in communications and electronic technology could have come from reverse engineering some sort of alien technology.
The great scientific advances of our society bear little resemblance to the science fiction I read about 60 years ago. Science fiction writers have a reputation of being on the cutting edge of scientific advances. But those guys had it wrong. We still don't have flying cars or a robot in every kitchen.

So we don't know how this apparently undamaged super-secret aircraft got into enemy hands. And believe me, the plane is a marvel of engineering. It looks nothing like the model airplane we see in every television shot of stories about it.
But there seems no denying that they have it. How could we ever have let that happen? Top officials of the Iran's theocracy say God brought to them safely. Military officials say their computers took over control of the plane, which is operated from the United States. Oh, and it had a U.S. flag flying from it.
Iran also claims it is in the final stages of decryption and soon will be manufacturing the drone, with improvements, in mass quantity, for use in the United States.
So much for fairy tales. How did we ever let this happen? There is so much we don't know.
Our military claims the drone was flying over Afghanistan and strayed off course. We've heard that one before. If both countries are telling the truth, Iranian computers are very good to take over a plane just as it enters Iran's air space.
If our drones can be guided to pick off so many al Qaeda leaders, why can't we keep them from straying into Iran? How can we let such a valuable piece of scientific equipment land in enemy territory unharmed?
Was all the drone's scientific equipment automatic equipment automatically destroyed upon losing U.S. control? Why wasn't the entire drone exploded? Why didn't we send another drone to destroy the downed one? Why don't we find where the drone is now and bomb the building?
Our drones are reported to automatically return to the base from which they took off, if control over the craft is lost. That didn't happen in this case.
Obviously, I should have been more worried about the loss of one of our country's most advanced pieces of military equipment. It may provide a primer for many of our enemies. There is much more we need to know.

1-4 Gary goes Libertarian

20411 Gary the Libertarian

SANTA FE – Gary Johnson is moving. A few days ago, I told you where several of New Mexico's former politicos are hanging out. I said former Gov. Gary Johnson usually could be found in the mountains of New Hampshire doing something adventurous plus a little politicking.
Johnson felt like the victim in the famous movie "Catch 22." He couldn't get on the stage with other candidates for debates because his poll numbers were so low. And his poll numbers were low because the national GOP and its state affiliates omitted him from the ballots they prepared for news organizations to use in determining the candidates invited to speak.
It was obvious to Johnson that it had been decided in a board room somewhere that the Republican Party did not want him to be a candidate. My guess is because Johnson is too conservative on fiscal issues and too liberal on social issues.
So Johnson decided to concentrate on New Hampshire, which has an early primary and is more in line with his beliefs. But a good showing in New Hampshire was looking less likely. So Johnson started talking with Libertarian Party officials, who had been interested in him for 12 years.
In 2000, Johnson likely could have had the nomination for the asking. Now he has to work for it because nine other Libertarians have entered the race. The national nominating convention will be held May 4 and 5, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
It will be a process of lining up convention votes just as he had to do back in 1994 to get on the New Mexico Republican primary ballot. Johnson had trouble then and it won't be easy this time either. Johnson will have to get staff and volunteers working Nevada hard because that is where the convention will be held.
One good sign is that the Libertarian leadership knows him. Johnson has always had a Libertarian philosophy and has long talked a Libertarian game.
Mike Blessing, chairman of the New Mexico Libertarian Party says he thinks Johnson has a good chance of winning the national Libertarian nomination.
The chairman of the National Libertarian Party flew to New Mexico to be present at Johnson's announcement. In his remarks Mark Hinkle said that Johnson is the first two-term governor of any state to join the Libertarian Party.
Johnson ran as a Republican only because Republicans are more electable in general elections. Now he has to try it another way. In addition, Johnson will need at least a minimum effort in every other state. He has little staff and little money so that won't be easy.
The National Libertarian Party works very hard at always being qualified for the ballot in every state. So Johnson won't have to bother getting signatures around the country.
What will be Johnson's effect on the national presidential race? Minimal, probably. He'll peel votes from both Republicans and Democrats. Independents may be more pleased with his candidacy. It gives them another choice plus maybe a platform they could like better.
The biggest effect could be in the Electoral College. Although Johnson's total vote will be small, he could make a difference in who wins a state, especially a small state like New Mexico.
We have had some exceedingly close votes in presidential races.
Al Gore won this state by 366 votes in 2000. Johnson will get more than that. A poll early in the GOP presidential primary season showed Gary Johnson winning the state against the Republican candidates at the time. He still will do reasonably well.

Can New Mexico's five electoral votes make a difference nationally? Every year political prognosticators come up with scenarios in which a few electoral votes can make a difference.
Remember back to 2000 again when Florida was figuratively hung up over a hanging chad. The U.S. Supreme Court had to decide that one.
So Gary Johnson's address will change from New Hampshire to America.

new Year Predictions

NN10212 New Year

SANTA FE -– Happy New Year. Let's see how the crystal ball looks this year. HMMM,,, It looks clearer. Maybe that is because we've had a year to get acquainted with the new state administration.
Oh, I see Gov. Susana Martinez pushing her drovers' license bill up another steep hill. Maybe she should wait until next year and hope she has a Republican Legislature.
I don't see any bill to eliminate the $25 million film rebate cap now that the governor is a supporter of the film industry. Maybe that one is waiting until next year too.
I see the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. We started knowing that last year when items from Marilyn Monroe, Eli;abeth Taylor and Billy the Kid started selling at many times their expected value.
I see Iranian scientists scratching their heads trying to figure out how to reverse engineer the drone airplane they captured.
I see the Aggies beating the Lobos at football once again. That makes how many times in a row?
I see the protest movement morphing several more times to include any cause a group is willing to finance.
I see no more $10,000 bets made on live television – but much joking about it.
I see Mitt Romney h winning the Republican nomination for president.
I don't see New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez as Romney's running mate. But nice comments are made about her.
The ball has a cloudy spot but that looks like Happy Heather Wilson capturing the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate.
Somewhere in New Mexico, school will start next year in July – and it won't make kids any smarter.
Cursive writing will be taught next year as a sophomore elective, So will multiplication tables.
Albuquerque Mayor R.J. Berry will keep Republicans on pins and needles over whether he will seek reelection.
State Economic Development Department Director Jon Barela already has the GOP on pins and needles over whether he will enter the 1st Congressional District primary. He nearly won it his previous try but now he has a job he likes and a regular paycheck he probably needs.
The crystal ball is way too cloudy in toward November to see general election results. Will it be another Republican landslide, as in 2010? Will it be a Democratic landslide for Democrats, as in 2008? Too much has to happen at the national level between now and then that will affect New Mexico races.
The towns of Anthony, N.M. and Anthony, Texas no longer will be the Leap Year Capital of the World. For 20 years, they have held that distinction with leap-year babies coming from around the country and even foreign countries. But hard times have ended the celebration unless Santa has a leftover gift for them.
Gary Johnson Will win the national Libertarian primary in May only to learn that his is not the only third party vying for the presidency.
And finally, the world will not end on Dec. 21, 2012. The Mayans insist their calendar has ended before and they know how to make a new one. Other groups also believe the 12/21/12 date has something magical to it. But go ahead and make plans for Dec. 13. Don't give away all your stuff unless you want to send it to me – or to the Anthonys.

12-28 column (with editing)

122811 films

SANTA FE --—Republicans and the Hollywood crowd seldom seem to be a very good match. Good reasons exist for this standoff. With a few notable exceptions, Hollywood types are more liberal in their thinking than most Republicans, especially on social issues.
Family values are another place the two part company. Certainly not all Republicans behave themselves, but as a whole, their expectations are much higher.
And when it comes to money, Hollywood has been much more generous to the last two Democratic presidents than it has to Republicans.
But why, when a filmmaker wants to film in a New Mexico community is there so often resistance? They bring jobs. They buy in the community. They're not that seedy, are they?
And why, when a movie claims the 25 percent tax rebate, does the governor charge that the money is coming from children's education?
New Mexico needs jobs. We're in bad fiscal shape but does the 25 percent rebate further bust our budget? Other red states, such as Louisiana and Georgia, rebate even more and think they're getting a good deal.
So is it just New Mexico Republicans that don't like Hollywood? Or is it something we're not seeing? One factor we're not seeing is an accurate cost analysis of New Mexico's 25 percent rebate.
Two studies in the past showed that the state is getting back either 15 cents or $1.50 on the dollar for our 25 percent rebate.Gov. Susana Martinez promised a comprehensive study of the rebate when she vetoed a bill to do just that last April. We've seen nothing of the study thus far.
Further confounding this situation is news that with seemingly no additional information on the film industry, Gov. Martinez now is talking with top studio executives, which she hasn't done before and seems to have changed her mind about dealing with Hollywood.
State officials are being very vague about whether the uncertainty of the film industry about New Mexico's feelings is hurting business. We do know of productions that have left the state or are considering it. Maybe that is why Gov. Martinez is putting on her current happy face.
***
On the heels of Gov. Martinez's Hollywood shocker, comes an announcement from Politico magazine that former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson will switch his allegiance to the Libertarian Party today, Dec. 28, in Santa Fe.
Johnson is disillusioned with the GOP over its failure to accommodate his libertarian beliefs in the Republican big tent. About the only right both parties agree on is the right to bear arms. They are both in the same militia on that issue.
Johnson has maintained his dues-paying membership in the Libertarian Party since before he first ran for governor. As I recall, Johnson also was a dues-paying member of Ross Perot's Independent Party at the time.
Johnson still will have to compete at the Libertarian convention for the Libertarian nomination. He could have had it for the asking 12 years ago when he still was governor and was being courted heavily by the party.
But the Libertarians still are interested in him, as they are with any Republican willing to defect.
Running as a Libertarian isn't going to help Johnson win the presidency any more than trying to get the Republican nomination. But it could make him a spoiler in a state or two and maybe enough to lose the race for the Republican nominee.
New Mexico is one of those states. Polling numbers show him still running strong here. Johnson could take away just enough votes from the Republican nominee to throw the race to the Democrat.
Ross Perot may have done that in the 1992 presidential election between President George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Former New Mexico Lt. Gov. Roberto Mondragon, running as a Green Party member, may have taken enough votes from Gov. Bruce King to put Gary Johnson over the top in 1994.

12-30 How clear was my crystal ball?

123011 crystal ball

SANTA FE – So how good were my predictions for the year? In keeping with long tradition, this column made predictions at the beginning of the year about New Mexico politics. Let's see how I did.
The first year of a new administration always is difficult to foresee. Would new governor, Susana Martinez, be able to carry out her campaign promises? This column will deal with those gubernatorial predictions.
Actually she has done a decent job of accomplishing her purposes. She's just doing it more subtly than expected. Her two predecessors, Gary Johnson and Bill Richardson, tended to do things with a flourish.
Gov. Martinez promised bold action. We wondered why she copied Gov. Richardson's slogan from eight years earlier until it was discovered that the words are out of the GOP's national playbook. Many new Republican governors around the country are using the same phrase.
Martinez announced that her top priority would be to cut $500 million out of the state budget but only proposed about a $150 million cut but, quietly, she has slashed much more by reducing staff and lowering salaries.
We predicted she would be different. And that, she is. We predicted she would listen carefully to her party advisers. She has done that more than any other governor.
Since government corruption was a major part of Martinez's campaign, we predicted an emphasis on ethics legislation during the regular legislative session. But, as usual, little happened.
We knew Gov. Martinez's concern about illegal aliens but we didn't mention the drivers' license issue. That became the cause she bled the most for during both the regular and special sessions.
The issue of voter fraud, a Republican staple everywhere, was left to new Republican s ecretary of state Dianna Duran. Since nothing has come of that, so far, Gov. Martinez has managed to avoid any fallout from the issue.
Reorganization was expected to be a major topic of the Legislature this year. The governor's office introduced legislation to merge departments but interest waned, just as we had predicted, when the projected savings didn't turn out to be as big as expected.
But Martinez has proceeded on her own, to quietly merge various functions of several departments.
Surprisingly, she has retained some of the public information officers that former Gov. Richardson had hired out of the media ranks. But they have assumed double duties with other departments and at a lower salary.
Other duties have been combined between departments and many more are expected. All cabinet secretaries were hired with the understanding that their departments might be combined with others and that their salaries could well be lowered.
It appears that Martinez will try to accomplish as much reorganizing as she can without legislative action. She may get away with quite a bit of reorganizing since many lawmakers also see a need for streamlining government.
At some point, a line will be drawn and the governor will find herself in court again for exceeding her powers. Some of that already has happened and Martinez has not fared well.
Quietly, she likely is very irritated but she hasn't taken the approach of former Gov. Johnson, who used to describe our Supreme Court as a bunch of guys who sit around and arrange chicken bones in order to reach decisions.
This seems to be Martinez's style. She hasn't directly confronted her opponents as some other new Republican governors have taken on unions in battles that end up in court or recall elections.
Her style is working, for now at least. Most polls show her popularity increasing since being elected. She is said to be one of only 11 governors in the nation with an approval rating of 50 percent or better. And she is the most popular of the new Republican governors.
Gov. Martinez has fared better than I expected for a district attorney who never had been to Santa Fe. Will next year be as tranquil or will behind-the-scenes tensions erupt?

12-28 Governors pulling the old switcharoos

122811 films

SANTA FE --—Republicans and the Hollywood crowd seldom seem to be a very good match. Good reasons exist for this standoff. With a few notable exceptions, Hollywood types are more liberal in their thinking than most Republicans, especially on social issues.
Family values are another place the two part company. Certainly not all Republicans behave themselves, but as a whole, their expectations are much higher.
And when it comes to money, Hollywood has been much more generous to the last two Democratic presidents than it has to Republicans.
But why, when a filmmaker wants to film in a New Mexico community is there so often resistance? They bring jobs. They buy in the community. They're not that seedy, are they?
And why, when a movie claims the 25 percent tax rebate, does the governor charge that the money is coming from children's education?
New Mexico needs jobs. We're in bad fiscal shape but does the 25 percent rebate further bust our budget? Other red states, such as Louisiana and Georgia, rebate even more and think they're getting a good deal.
So is it just New Mexico Republicans that don't like Hollywood? Or is it something we're not seeing? One factor we're not seeing is an accurate cost analysis of New Mexico's 25 percent rebate.
Two studies in the past showed that the state is getting back either 15 cents or $1.50 on the dollar for our 25 percent rebate.Gov. Susana Martinez promised a comprehensive study of the rebate when she vetoed a bill to do just that last April. We've seen nothing of the study thus far.
Further confounding this situation is news that with seemingly no additional information on the film industry, Gov. Martinez now is talking with top studio executives, which she hasn't done before and seems to have changed her mind about dealing with Hollywood.
State officials are being very vague about whether the uncertainty of the film industry about New Mexico's feelings is hurting business. We do know of productions that have left the state or are considering it. Maybe that is why Gov. Martinez is putting on her current happy face.
***
On the heels of Gov. Martinez's Hollywood shocker, comes an announcement from Politico magazine that former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson will switch his allegiance to the Libertarian Party today, Dec. 28, in Santa Fe.
Johnson is disillusioned with the GOP over its failure to accommodate his libertarian beliefs in the Republican big tent. About the only right path parties agree on is the right to bear arms. They are both in the same militia on that issue.
Johnson has maintained his dues-paying membership in the Libertarian Party wince before he first ran for governor. As I recall, Johnson also was a dues-paying member of Ross Perot's Independent Party at the time.
Johnson still will have to compete at the Libertarian convention Libertarian nomination 12 years ago when he still was governor when he still was governor and was being courted heavily by the party.
But the Libertarians still are interested in him, as they are with any Republican willing to defect.
Running as a Libertarian isn't going to help Johnson win the presidency any more that trying to get the Republican nomination. But it could make him a spoiler in a state or two and maybe enough to lose the race for the Republican nominee.
New Mexico is one of those states. Polling numbers show him still running strong here. Johnson could take away just enough votes away from the Republican nominee to throw the race to the Democrat.
Ross Perot may have done that in the 1992 presidential election between President George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Former New Mexico Lt. Gov. Roberto Mondragon, running as a Green Party member, may have taken enough votes from Gov. Bruce King to put Gary Johnson over the top in 1994.

12-16 Centennial celebration coming quickly

122611 centennial

SANTA FE – New Mexico's centennial activities are in full swing around the state. My two columns recapping major events of New Mexico's 66 years of trying to become a state and the 100 years that followed have brought responses.
Both columns were written from information on two large posters prepared by the state Department of Cultural Affairs. The posters are designed for school classrooms.
Author-historian Dave Clary, of Roswell, reminds that New Mexico almost became a state in 1850, when the Mexican-American war ended and California became a state.
Clary and other scholars mention that President Zachary Taylor wanted statehood for the entire route to California. At the time, the New Mexico territory extended all the way from Texas to California.
But other compromises had to be made. It was a time of great controversy among the states concerning slavery and other issues. So New Mexico lost out on quick statehood in the Compromise of 1850.
I mentioned in my recap of the last 100 years that the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant was opened in 1988.That is the date WIPP was completed. It didn't receive all its clearances to open until 1998. The mistake was mine.
Albuquerque's International Balloon Fiesta was listed as having begun in 1973. A company that helps publicize the event informs us the date should be 1972. That is important information when a 20th anniversary is being planned.
The Grand Centennial Ball is being advertised prominently. It will be held on Jan. 6, our anniversary of statehood. Tickets for the Santa Fe event begin at $250.
Proceeds from the ball will benefit the newly-created Centennial Children's Legacy Fund. It is advertised as "New Mexico Governors' Initiative for the Next 100 Years."
The Fund will benefit children's activities throughout the state. It sounds similar to the New Mexico Children's Foundation created by former First Lady Alice King 20 years ago.
Tom Sharpe of the Santa Fe New Mexican came up with an interesting factoid about the centennial a few months ago. New Mexico was the 47th state admitted to the union.
The Museum of New Mexico has three of the 47-star flags that flew during the 39 days before Arizona became the 48th state. I have received a report that Alamogordo and Portales also have 47-star flags.
Technically, those flags were illegal. Sharpe says an 1818 law provides that when a new state joins the union, its star may not be added to the flag until the next July 4th.
Tomas Jaehn, head librarian at the Fray Angelico Chavez History library, says no one seemed to mind back then. Likely, no one will mind too much if we break the law just a little next month.
***
Such acceptance, however, was not the good fortune of Gov. Susana Martinez and a bipartisan group of legislators who had reached agreement on a map for redrawing the state's three congressional districts.
That agreement was along the lines of the least-change formats usually favored by the courts.
The controversy centers on the makeup of congressional districts 1 and 2. District 1, centered around Albuquerque, can swing either way. So naturally, both parties would like to make it lean their way just a bit.
District 2 is a different proposition. It has been solid Republican, except in the Democratic landslide year of 2008. But some Democrats see the district slowly headed their way and don't want to take any Republican precincts that District 1 Democrats would like to throw their way.
The result was that the judge went ahead and heard the presentations of all sides, meaning that the legal fees on that case will be as high as ever.
There have been no bipartisan agreements on redistricting the state House or Senate or the Public Regulation Commission. Those cases all will be heard by the same judge, culminating in early January with a judicially imposed redistricting and a legal bill running in the millions when all lawyers are paid.

12-23 How to create jobs

122311 jobs

SANTA FE – What is the secret to creating jobs? Candidates promise it is their top priority but when legislative sessions roll around, conversations turn elsewhere. Blogger Joe Monahan is compiling a list. Most of the suggestions presented to far have involved the construction industry or the film industry.
Both of those industries provide somewhat seasonal jobs. But with the state of our state economy, seasonal jobs are just fine. The state has a big pile of capital outlay money sitting around but disagreements in the regular and special sessions this year prevented most of the money from being spent.
The more capital outlay funds that are spent, the more construction jobs we will see. And the beauty is that this is money that doesn't come directly out of taxpayers' pockets.
The film industry has been providing a large amount of employment in the last several years. Lawmakers suggested a thorough study of the rebate system. Gov. Susana Martinez vetoed the legislation and said she would do it herself.
So far, nothing has happened. Now that the governor's relationship with the film industry has mysteriously warmed, industry representatives are suggesting a joint study by a well- respected group.
As for other job producers, Gov. Martinez and Republican lawmakers would like to see lower taxes, especially on businesses and the wealthy because they are the ones that create jobs. They also want fewer regulations that might impede businesses.
Democrats have been trying for several years to force out-of-state corporations to pay taxes on their sales in New Mexico. Current law allows corporations operating in several states to declare New Mexico profits in states that have lower tax rates.
Lobbyists for those corporations have been able to beat down the legislative proposals. That likely will continue. Businesses operating only in New Mexico are disadvantaged by the current arrangement.
In fact, businesses based in New Mexico because they want to be in New Mexico have long been taken completely for granted. Large amounts of money have been spent by the state and local communities on travel and entertainment to lure new business to the state.
Even more money is then spent on tax incentives spread over many years. Big press conferences are held with great media coverage. Politicos from the state and local levels show up to share in the credit.
But not many of those jobs remain in the state. Once companies indicate they are movable, other states continually try to entice them into moving again. As soon as a better offer is made, those companies move again.
New Mexico must begin to pay attention to its small companies that already are here because they want to be here. It didn't take any money to get them here and it won't cost anything to keep them from moving.
What we need to worry about is keeping them in business and helping them grow. If each of our state's thousands of small businesses could be helped to add one more employee, the effect would produce many times more jobs than bringing in big companies for a brief stay.
The problem is that it isn't as sexy. It isn't as flashy for politicians and no one gets to take expensive trips or pick up the tab for big meals.
For 10 years a non-profit group in Santa Fe called Santa Fe Economic Development tried to convince state and local governments that growing our own would prove to be more reliable for creating jobs than luring new companies.
Its president, Catherine Zacher, and staff got out in the community and found out who needed help and what kind of help was needed. Training, networking and loans were arranged. Companies grew.
But the recession brought added pressures. The economic development group's resources dwindled and no governmental agency was willing to help pick up the slack.
The state must look for ways to help its loyal, home grown businesses with the level of financial resources it spends betting on strangers.

12-21 The Presidents Roosevelt in the news

122111 Teddy

SANTA FE – Teddy Roosevelt has long been a popular president.
Recently he has become even more so as President Barack Obama and presidential hopeful Gary Johnson have compared themselves to him.
In his effort to prod more tax money out of the rich, President Obama has likened himself to Teddy the trust buster, going after greedy Wall Street robber barons.
For his part, our former governor, Gary Johnson has taken a very different tack. He compares his adventuresome lifestyle to what Roosevelt termed his strenuous life of hunting, boxing, rowing and exploring. So far the comparison hasn't done Johnson much good.
He has combined many of his public appearances with athletic endeavors. It gets him some local notice wherever he happens to be but so far, the persona just hasn't caught on.
Johnson has been working the strenuous life angle for quite some time. Late in his second term as New Mexico governor, Johnson attended a National Governors Association winter meeting at which the U.S. Olympic ski team put on a demonstration.
Johnson convinced the team to allow him to take part. He skied off a ramp, doing a back flip in front of his fellow governors. In a recent interview with "Outside" magazine, he admitted it didn't go him much good with his fellow governors.
***
In other political news, U.S. Sen. Tom Udall has re-introduced legislation he first proposed as a House member in 2008 to honor the veterans who defended Bataan and suffered through the Death March 70 years ago.
Udall proposes a group Congressional Gold Medal for Bataan's brave defenders. In recent years group gold medals have been authorized for the Navajo Code Talkers, the Tuskegee Airmen and the Women's Air Force Service Pilots.

Some 12,000 Americans were sent to the Philippines in mid-1941, before World War II began for the United States. The Philippines were the last cog in Japan's grinding effort to rule the Pacific, including Australia.
Sure enough, the Philippines were attacked on the same day Pearl Harbor was hit. On the calendar, it appears as Dec. 8 but the difference is that pesky International Date Line.
The defenders soon were all pushed onto the peninsula of Bataan where they mounted a defense without which Japan could not have been stopped in the Pacific.
And they did it without logistical support. No one knew that President Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill had secretly agreed on a "Get Hitler First" strategy of fighting World War II. The Japanese were left to run rampant over everything they wanted from the Aleutian Islands to the South Pole.
The Bataan troops were constantly assured that more supplies and more troops were on their way. But they never came. The awful truth became obvious when Gen. Douglas McArthur left the Philippines for a base in Australia.
The weapons and ammunition that did arrive for New Mexico's 200th Coast Artillery was soon recognized as the duds discarded from the World War I artillery used in their training at Fort Bliss, Texas a year before. Fortunately New Mexico's farm boys could fix anything with some bailing wire and a wrench.
Our guys were willing to hold out until the end but malnutrition, malaria and starvation coupled with no resources and no reinforcement forced those in commend to surrender their troops. New Mexico's 1,800 have always insisted they didn't surrender. They were surrendered.
So that's the story. The Bataan veterans made the ultimate sacrifice so the United States could mobilize and Europe could be won first. That certainly deserves someone's gold medal.
***
Our military is worried that Iran will reverse engineer the U.S. drone that fell into its hands. Don't they realize how hard reverse engineering is?
We've been working on it since 1947 when the Roswell Army Air Force Base announced it had captured a flying saucer. We had just captured the top rocket scientists in the world from Germany. Iran and scientists don't belong in the same sentence.

Merry Christmas

We're headed to Phx a little early to sneak between storms. I'll have computer. Cell: 505-699-9982

1219 Is Christmas Different This Year?

121911

 

     SANTA FE – Does Christmas season seem different to you this year? I've noticed a difference so far. In the past we've seen grumpy old men complain about how Christmas has been stolen away from Christians and how Christmas is so commercial that the true meaning has been lost.

     This year we hear every day about how well retail sales are going and how much higher they are over last year. And now, Black Friday has been augmented by Cyber Monday, and two weeks later, Green Monday.

     But the biggest difference is the Republican presidential race. With caucuses and primary elections getting started immediately after the New Year, there doesn't seem to be time for a Christmas break.

     The airwaves are full of talk about who is ahead in the polls this week and who bombed the worst in the last debate. And then there are the negative ads for the presidential race. Our primary isn't until June but since New Mexicans almost always seem to predict the winner, candidates still want to influence us.

       We'll be spending Christmas in Phoenix again this year. That's no big change. It's easier on the kids and grandkids and our son-in-law usually is on call at Mayo Hospital on Christmas Day.

       The difference this year is that Jeanette and I no longer look forward to a white Christmas. It seems like every year, we have to fight the snow getting to Phoenix with a carload of gifts and pots of chile and posole.

     We no longer dream with Irving Berlin about a white Christmas. Interestingly, the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, in Phoenix, claims Berlin wrote "White Christmas" while sitting beside its magnificent pool.

       The verse of the song mentions orange and palm trees swaying but it also mentions being in Los Angeles where Berlin spent time writing movie scores.

     The Biltmore says Berlin also was known to stay at its hotel and write songs. The only reason he didn't say Phoenix is that it doesn't rhyme with much of anything.

   The Biltmore has been a landmark for nearly 80 years and has hosted many stars. Its pool is said to have been Marilyn Monroe's favorite. Many political events also are held there, including John McCain's election night party.

   New Yorkers, of course, say Berlin wrote the song there despite the orange and palm tree references. They contend that since Berlin didn't read or write music, he composed on a piano, which would have been difficult by the pool.

   Maybe Berlin wrote it both places. Since he wrote both words and music, he might have written the words by the Biltmore pool. Regardless, it has long been the world's most popular song.

   Berlin got the secular Christmas music tradition started on Tin Pan Alley with "White Christmas." Numerous others followed during the 1940s, mostly written by Jewish songwriters.

   They weren't offended about Christmas. Many were immigrants, as was Berlin, and they were embracing everything American. And since America is majority Christian, they were willing to participate in the experience without partaking of the religious aspect.

  Oh, that everyone could be that tolerant.

  Actually, the observance of Christmas has had a mixed history in the United States. Early settlers on the East Coast strictly opposed Christmas celebrations because they encouraged public drunkenness, shooting and swearing.

   The attitude spread to mainstream churches. Throughout the 1800s, mainstream churches still were trying to hold the line on Christmas celebrations by not accepting the day as a holy one. And since the Bible doesn't mention Dec. 25, the date must have been derived from pagan customs.

   But gradually feelings began to change. Clement Clarke Moore's "Visit from St. Nicolas" at mid-century gave a family feeling to Christmas. 

   By the early 1900s, the retail industry had caught on that Christmas could become a buying bonanza. It is now abundantly obvious where that has led.

   Will Christmas always be celebrated in the manner it is now? We always have had a dynamic society. More change could be coming.

 

12-16 where are they?

121611

SANTA FE – As we near the end of the year, let's pause to see where New Mexico's political personalities are and what they are doing.
One of the most frequently asked questions wherever I go is "What's happening with Bill Richardson these days?" He's back in the news again for a fourth grand jury probe but for those of you who want to know what he's doing the rest of the time, Richardson has a website www.billrichardson.com.
The site tells about our former governor's recent trip to central Africa and a recent appearance on Meet the Press. Under the heading "Upcoming Engagements" is the note: No upcoming engagements are available currently. Please check back soon.
So the answer may be that he's not doing much these days. You'd think he'd get invited to a few Christmas parties or something.
Bill and wife, Barbara, have just finished the purchase of a $1.67 million Cape Cod vacation cottage. Barbara is from the area and loves it. Their permanent residence still is in Santa Fe however.
***
Gov. Susana Martinez doesn't spend any more time in Santa Fe than necessary. She isn't missing any national meetings of governors and she gets down to her hometown of Las Cruces as often as possible.
When the governor is down south, she'll dash across the border to see family and her ailing father as often as possible. Our state constitution says that when she is out of state, she also is out of office and the lieutenant governor takes over.
It is a useless requirement in this day and age. She stays in close contact with her staff, which can handle anything when she is gone. The solution is to not even mention the absence. No one is hurt. Lt. Gov. Sanchez doesn't file for the extra pay he receives while acting as governor. He's not complaining but others have noticed.
***
Although John Sanchez has an office and staff at the Capitol, reports say he's usually at home in Albuquerque, conducting state work and probably some personal business and some congressional campaigning.
He can be in constant touch with his staff and the constitution doesn't require him to live in Santa Fe as it does for other elected officials. That's because the constitution didn't envision the lieutenant governor ever being a full time job.
***
Former Governor Gary Johnson is still in the Republican presidential race but he's usually on a mountaintop in New Hampshire these days. The former New Mexico governor is disillusioned with the national Republican Party for basically ignoring his presidential candidacy,
It is a strange state of affairs. Former governors usually aren't given such short shrift. Johnson at least expected to get an opportunity to present his views on stage with fellow candidates. He has been shut out of nearly every debate and his name hasn't been included in most polls that help determine who gets into the debates.
What's his problem? Johnson's libertarian views are embraced by the Republican Party only when relating to smaller government. And Libertarians like a much smaller government than Republicans.
And when it comes to individual rights, they differ even more. Both Republicans and Democrats believe everyone should have the individual rights with which they agree. Otherwise they make them illegal.
So issues such as gay marriage and legalized drugs drive a huge wedge between the two party beliefs. U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas has managed to establish a position for himself on stage at Republican debates after having been excluded four years ago.
Johnson had hoped Paul, 76, would choose not to enter the presidential race again this year and would encourage his followers to get behind Johnson. But it didn't happen.
Might Johnson, like Paul, decide to make another try in four years, hoping that the Republican Party and the news media will give him a shot next time?

12-14 More troubles for state law enforcement academy

12-14-11


SANTA FE – The state Law Enforcement Academy is still having big problems. This time it involves police, who have been fired, moving to similar jobs in other communities because the Academy never files statewide charges against the officer.
The Albuquerque Journal in a copyrighted story has covered the present situation well. The following is a review of what happened three years ago when the academy was called on the carpet. Both times the problem apparently was disinterest by Attorney General Gary King.
In November 2009, an interim legislative committee heard evidence that police brutality charges never get prosecuted by the state...
Testimony indicated that complaints to local officials seldom result in any action. Albuquerque has some police oversight mechanisms but no one present recommended those mechanisms as being models others should employ.
Generally, there appeared to be agreement that law enforcement misconduct should be handled at the local level but that most attempts to do so are not working because local officials tend to support each other.
Likewise, internal affairs investigations by police departments seldom result in any penalties against officers. According to testimony internal reviews protect law enforcement from the public and there is no mechanism for protecting the public from police.
The New Mexico Law Enforcement Academy trains and certifies law enforcement officers and can decertify them after receiving and investigating complaints. Typically it is a cumbersome, slow-moving process that doesn't result in many decertifications.
Arthur Ortiz, director of the academy, testified to the committee that he was speeding up the process but that failure of local sheriffs and police chiefs to report misconduct is his biggest problem.
Paul Borunda, a citizen from Las Cruces, presented the panel with numerous instances of police misconduct that have gone unpunished in Las Cruces because of interlocking relationships among local law enforcement officials. He recounted his efforts to find anyone at the local or state level to take any responsibility for overseeing law enforcement misconduct.
Borunda also spoke of efforts to get Attorney General Gary King involved in law enforcement misconduct but his reply was that his job is to protect the state and not the people.
King then told the committee that his client is the state and not its people. He said misconduct charges should be taken to local elected officials and if they aren't handled to the satisfaction of the public, they can be turned out of office at the next election.
Committee Chairman, Sen. Cisco McSorely, of Albuquerque, complimented Borunda on his tireless efforts doing what no local or state agencies do.
McSorely concluded that since law enforcement oversight is not working at the local level, an entity should be created at the state level to oversee, investigate and punish law enforcement misconduct. He asked King to compute the costs of establishing a state review board.
It seems as though our country is missing something if we can't protect our citizens from those few cases when law enforcement officers get out of hand. Our founding fathers knew the horrors of living in police states. They wanted to protect the public against such a system.
They provided us with a judicial system to insure that protection but that is a very cumbersome and expensive process. And if local law enforcement violates a person's civil rights, the answer can't be found in local or state courts. Only federal courts handle such charges.
It seems to me I have heard attorney general candidates run for office as being the people's lawyer. It sounds good in campaign material. But it's not the truth. The attorney general defends the state against its people.
Have you noticed that when governors take an action requiring legal defense, they hire their own lawyers? Sometimes the attorney general is on the other side of the case. So who is representing the people? Both the governor and the attorney general would say they are. But are they really?
JAY MILLER, 3 La Tusa, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(ph) 982-2723, (fax) 984-0982, (e-mail) insidethecapitol@hotmail.com

12-12 Billy the Kid Always Will Be an Icon

121211 Billy

SANTA FE – Billy the Kid keeps producing for New Mexico. Recently he was the subject of a statewide treasure hunt which put millions of extra dollars into the state tourism industry, according to new Tourism Secretary Monique Jacobson.
More recently, The Kid was the subject of a History Channel documentary, which is still in reruns. And next month, a Public Broadcasting System hour-long special on Billy will begin airing featuring many New Mexicans and other authorities in the field.
Why, you ask, is a long-dead, no good cowboy having so much effect on our culture? Well former Gov. Bill Richardson spent over a year soon after he took office in a controversial effort to dig him up. That controversy stretched from Texas to Arizona and involved numerous lawsuits, some of which still are continuing.
Then there was Richardson's abortive effort to pardon Billy for shooting Sheriff Brady on the main street of Lincoln, N.M. Former Gov. Lew Wallace may have promised Billy a pardon on that one, but if so, he reneged and Richardson wanted to know why.
In the process, people from around the world weighed in on the question and Richardson ended his term without granting the pardon.
But the real reason The Kid attracts so much attention around the world is that to a great many he isn't a juvenile delinquent, cattle thief, cop killer, as many New Mexicans see him.
Billy the Kid also was a talented, orphaned, fighter for the little guy against a ruthless government. Billy didn't rob banks, stagecoaches or trains. He took what he needed to survive and shared the rest with the needy.
He was intelligent, had excellent handwriting, was musical and somehow knew the words to all the church songs. Fate led him to having to scramble for a living in the Old West. And I may not need to tell you how much the Old West is revered in much of the rest of the world.
So we may just have to learn to accept our most famous New Mexican as an attraction to the rest of the world.
` The two film productions out now aren't perfect attempts at reality. Billy and the story are so complex that 52 minutes just won't do it.
Every production has to have an angle to capture viewers. The History Channel's "Billy the Kid Decoded" is an effort to present several versions of The Kid's story and let the viewer decide what happened.
That's fun, but the leading authorities all are basically in agreement that Sheriff Pat Garrett killed The Kid in Fort Sumner and that is where he is buried.
But people don't want to see their heroes die. That is why so many are willing to believe every crackpot who comes along claiming to be Billy or Elvis or other heroes.
Next month, public television's "American Experience" history series will feature The Kid. The series has won many awards over the years for its coverage of people and events.
PBS is beginning a new series on the Old West. Billy the Kid won out over many other candidates to kick off the series. Last week, the program's producer and director were in New Mexico to help promote the series.
Along with some Billy the Kid consultants, they appeared at roundtable discussions in Albuquerque and Santa Fe to screen clips of the film and to describe their efforts to humanize The Kid by getting into the "interior" of Billy to understand who he really was.
Perhaps the most telling observation came from writer Hampton Sides who said just a year ago he wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times describing his amazement about the governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, wasting time deciding whether to pardon a two-bit thief and murderer.
Sides says he got beaten up by so many people throughout the nation and world that he decided he had better become an expert on The Kid also.

120811 Guv

SANTA FE – Gov. Susana Martinez has been in office almost a year now and we're still not sure who she is. That's because she still is a work in progress.
Gary Johnson came into office in 1995 with no gubernatorial or legislative experience and so did Garrey Carruthers in 1987.But Carruthers hired longtime Legislative Finance Committee Director Maralyn Budke as his chief of staff. Budke also had been Gov. David Cargo's chief of staff. She knew New Mexico government from all sides.
Gov. Gary Johnson hired David Harris as chief of staff. Like Budke, Harris had headed the Legislative Finance Committee for many years. He also knew state government inside and out. He knew how legislators think and the maneuvers they make.
Susana Martinez hired Keith Gardner of Roswell as her chief of staff. He had been a respected and efficient House minority whip and frequently the spokesman for House Republicans.
But Gardner was a part time legislator. He wasn't immersed in the intricacies of operating government from the inside on a day-to-day basis.
And neither Johnson nor Carruthers had their former campaign chairman making major decisions about how government operates. Campaign consultants think very differently than government managers.
They don't spend any time working on building coalitions with the opposition party to make things happen. So Martinez didn't spend much time with talking with legislators at all.
During the special session of the Legislature, Martinez called most lawmakers to her office to pitch the issues she was squeezing into the redistricting session. But to my knowledge, the subject of those conversations did not involve finding out what legislators had on their minds.
But Martinez is showing signs of learning. Currently she is working with a bipartisan group of legislators to promote a congressional redistricting plan to Judge James Hall who is hearing the cases.
The plan involves making as few changes as possible, a solution judges tend to like. Other groups are trying to change the balance of power in the central and southern congressional districts.
Gov. Martinez also is softening on some of her early positions opposing programs former Gov. Bill Richardson had pushed. She has surprised many observers with her friendly positions toward the spaceport and the film industry.
Her early comments were that if the spaceport is going anywhere, it will be with private industry sharing the bill. Private industry makes huge investments in developing space hardware but it sounded as though she was asking for help financing spaceport construction.
Martinez didn't show up at the dedication of the two-mile runway last spring but when the terminal building was dedicated this fall, she was all smiles and enthusiasm, even saying she'd like to go on a flight herself.
Fortunately Virgin Galactic owner Sir Richard Branson remained loyal to New Mexico during that period. He is training travel agents to handle those who will be attracted to New Mexico by the action. And he is handling the publicity.
Then there is the film industry Last January it was depriving kids of an education with its big rebates. At Martinez's insistence the rebate was capped at $50 million – half of what had been paid out the year before. And free loans were eliminated.
Legislators passed a bill designed to track the rebates but the governor vetoed it, saying she would do it herself.
But before telling us anything about those figures, Martinez suddenly has gotten quite friendly with movie execs. We're not sure what caused the change in attitude and we're not sure but what New Mexico may have lost the momentum it was building with the movie industry.
Might we see an effort to uncap those rebates in the 2012 Legislature?
As for other Richardson pet programs, the Rail Runner isn't back on anyone's favorites list. The Richardson penchants for cronyism and pay-to-play are beginning to rear their heads in this administration. Only time will tell where those will go.

12-7 NM Troops Aslo Attacked 70 Years Ago on Pearl Harbor Day

By JAY MILLER
Syndicated Columnist

SANTA FE – On Pearl Harbor Day, Dec. 7, 1941, New Mexico's National Guard troops, deployed to the Philippines, knew the Japanese would attack them the same day.
They had been watching reconnaissance planes fly over every day, but had orders not to fire. Our reconnaissance planes saw the huge buildup on Formosa. Japan had captured everything to the north, including China. The Philippines were the last major obstacle on the way to Australia.
Our men just didn't know when the attack was coming. When Pearl Harbor was attacked, it was about 4 a.m., on December 8, in the Philippines, on the other side of the International Date Line. The attack on the Philippines was planned for 8 a.m., but clouds over Formosa delayed it until noon.
That gave eight hours advance notice. During that time, rumors of the attack spread among various units of our troops, but they received no orders to mobilize. Some of the delay was attributed to sabotage.
Clark Field was a prime target of the air attack. Tommy Foy, later a New Mexico state legislator, was unable to get through to Clark Field from his post. Neither could anyone else. The warning never got through. The planes and trucks, lined up with military precision made perfect targets for strafing runs.
Washington had not shared everything it knew with its military commanders in the Pacific, but many still wonder why Gen. MacArthur wasn't better prepared for alerting his troops. The 200th Coast Artillery still hadn't gotten all its guns and equipment unpacked. That task had to be finished under fire.
The story of the equipment was the same as before. It was either defective or outmoded. The ammunition was corroded and most of the shells were duds. As box after box was opened, our men realized that these were their rejects from Fort Bliss, where they had trained outside El Paso. Much of it was left over from World War I.
But despite only one out of 10 shells being good, they scored five confirmed hits the first day. Four years later, in a speech at Deming, Gen. Jonathan M. Wainwright confirmed that that the 200th had been the first unit in the Philippines to fire on the enemy.
It didn't take long for the competence of the New Mexico guardsmen, who comprised the 200th Coast Artillery, to be noticed. That first night, the undermanned 200th, too small to defend Clark Field, was split.
A third of the regiment was sent to Manila and christened as a new regiment, the 515th. It was America's first war-born regiment, composed of only 500 men, instead of the usual 1,800. The following day, another 200 men were transferred to other units in need of their expertise. "The old 200th" was now down to only 1,100 men.
The equipment situation was just as bad in Manila as it had been at Clark Field. Nearly everything, including communications equipment, was World War I vintage. But our guys got everything working well enough to go into action within 24 hours of their arrival.
As our troops were approaching Manila on December 9, the Navy was pulling out, headed south to the Dutch East Indies. But reinforcements for our anti-aircraft units were on the way. Seven ships and a heavy cruiser were headed to Manila with planes, artillery and ammunition.
Later that day, however, Washington redirected the convoy to Australia and turned four troopships, bound for Manila, back to San Francisco. MacArthur was not told, nor was he informed of the secret Roosevelt-Churchill accord to "get Hitler first." Instead Gen. George Marshall radioed him to "expect every possible assistance."
On December 10, Japanese assault forces began landing, preparatory to a full-scale invasion, and Japanese bombers and fighters began massive assaults on air fields and Manila Bay.
And thus began a terrible four months, holding the line to disrupt Japan's quick advance to Australia, and control of the entire Pacific.
FRI, 12-07-07

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

12-5 column continued

12-5 column cont.

My previous column on redistricting, touting independent commissions drew comments from academics in several states explaining how independent commissions still can be thwarted by majority political parties in any state.
These academics are developing various formulas to objectively apportion districts. No legislature ever will adopt them but in states where voters still can put them on the ballot, there is plenty of time before the next round of redistricting in 2021.
That still leaves New Mexico out of the game. But if today's court hearing results in a bipartisan congressional redistricting plan, New Mexico can hold its head high.

12-5 Redistricting always dirty

120511 Redist

SANTA FE – Redistricting of legislative and congressional seats has to be the most politically dirty activity in government. Any party in control will attempt to draw new districts to benefit itself in any way possible.
No one's seat is safe. The majority party leadership may be the safest. But a governor of the opposite party might be able, through a veto and subsequent court action, to make the road bumpy.
Former House Speaker Raymond Sanchez made it rough on himself by letting his district move closer to the Albuquerque Heights in order to give fellow Democrats easier precincts in the Valley.
The strategies involved in putting together district maps are complex and often very subtle. It is easy to spot a gerrymandered district when it looks like a salamander designed by its namesake Elbridge Gerry. But a district can be fairly compact and still have political or racial subtleties that are difficult to spot.
That is why a group of Republicans has asked for and received communications between Democratic leaders and Brian Sanderoff, the Legislature's redistricting consultant.
Democratic leaders claimed those communications were privileged but redistricting Judge James Hall ruled that even if they were privileged, they lost their status when Sanderoff's name showed up on the expert witness list provided by the legislative leadership.
The leaders claim the release will have "terrible policy implications" but the judge ruled that Republicans are entitled to know the instructions given Sanderoff so they can determine Democratic motivations.
Legislators always have maintained that the determination of legislative motivation protected by the state constitution. Judge Hall steered clear of that subject by saying Sanderhoff would have to answer all those questions on cross examination anyway.
This could be a crack in the dike that may be explored more fully on a future occasion. You can be sure Republican lawyers are, at this moment, sifting through all the memos, emails, notes of conversations and other documents in preparation for court hearings scheduled to begin today.
A very promising sign is the announcement to Judge Hall last week that a bipartisan agreement is in the works on the congressional redistricting map. The changes would be minimal. A few details need to be worked out before the hearing scheduled to begin today.
Changes in legislative district maps will be heard later this month and into January. No public word has been heard on any behind-the-scenes negotiations on those maps. The recent flak around release of the Sanderoff communications won't help any agreement there.
But possible agreement on congressional alignments would make New Mexico stand out nationally. All states are having problems.
Recently, I wrote about the only states in the nation with a fighting chance for agreement on redistricting are those in which citizens are allowed to put constitutional amendments on the ballot without them having to go through the legislature and being signed by the governor.
Those states have created independent redistricting commissions. But now the news has been pouring in showing that even in those states political leaders are doing everything they can to override the will of the people.
In Arizona, Gov. Jan Brewer fired the chairman of the independent committee even though she had no power to either appoint or remove the chairman. The state Supreme Court ruled she couldn't do it but the governor insists she is going to do it anyway.

 
I have a couple of final paragraphs to add but am still wrestling with this new computer and can't get them tacked on right now.