New Mexico Mercury

The Art of Clifford Berryman Or, Why Do Things Remain the Same?

George Santayana famously wrote that those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

Examples of this axiom can be found everywhere in our nation’s history. Sometimes, however, it’s necessary to look to our artists to reveal them to us.

Clifford Berryman was a political cartoonist who worked for the Washington Post during the start of the last century. He worked until his death in 1949. He was the man who in 1902 first associated President Theodore Roosevelt with a small bear cub, one he refused to shoot, thus earning him the nickname “Teddy”—the cartoon, “Drawing the Line in Mississippi” inspired New York store owner Morris Michtom to create a new toy and call it the Teddy Bear...

Provincial Matters, 4-29-2014

V.B. Price's weekly collection of appreciations and observations.

Insight New Mexico - Rey Garduno on APD

V.B. Price speaks with Albuquerque City Councilor Rey Garduno about APD and their latest officer-involved shooting, the Police Oversight Commission and what it will take to fix APD's systemic dysfunction.

El Machete - Gabriel García Márquez, Rest in Peace

Gabriel García Márquez, Rest in Peace

Insight New Mexico - Hector Balderas

V.B. Price talks with Hector Balderas, current State Auditor and candidate for New Mexico Attorney General, about the behavioral health audit, the Governor's racino deal, APD, Texas/NM water lawsuit and more.

Mark Rudd: The Albatross Around Alan Webber’s Neck (You Should Be Scared!)

Stop the presses. In a copyrighted story this morning, the Albuquerque Journal’s James Monteleone links those two forever political siamese twins, Santa Fe candidate for Gov., Alan Webber and far, far leftist Weather Undergroundie Mark Rudd. I for one am shaking in my boots, or my sandals, as the case may be. 

Rumor has it that in 1532 Rudd rode with Pancho Villa. Rumor has it that Rudd was spotted somewhere near a place where Fidel Castro coughed after lighting up a stogie. Rumor has it that some forty years ago Rudd didn’t like the little military scuffle in Vietnam one bit. Rumor has it that he became a terrorist who wanted to blow up government washrooms and buildings, which is probably why he ultimately became a math teacher at CNM.  Teachers are pretty much all terrorists, you know...

Climate Foreclosure / Climate Migration

Climate migrants may soon be a new breed: the latest wave of those forced to leave their homes and seek refuge elsewhere. These will not be people fleeing political violence or poverty. Or not simply those two things. They won’t be leaving only their homes and the graves of their ancestors behind. These will be the hundreds of thousands—perhaps millions—forced to migrate because their homes, ancestors’ graves and every bit of familiar landscape will have disappeared, beneath the rising sea levels caused by global warming...

District court ruling removes Rep. Jeff from the June 3 primary election ballot

Conservation Voters New Mexico (CVNM) and plaintiff Larry King announce that the New Mexico Eleventh Judicial District Judge Louis DePauli ruled yesterday that State Representative Sandra Jeff did not gather enough valid petition signatures to appear on the June 3 primary election ballot.

Plaintiff Larry King said that “the judge did the right thing today. His decision confirms that everyone has to follow the rules.”

We commend Judge DePauli for examining each signature individually over two full days. He left no stone unturned in the search for the truth...

A Great Test of Democracy in Albuquerque

The uproar over shootings by the Albuquerque Police Department is transforming into a broader struggle over governance.  Defining moments in democratic rule, government transparency and official accountability and impunity are playing out in Albuquerque.

Hey, remember…

Hey, remember the New Mexico Commission on the Status of Women? Of course not.  Temporary Governor Martinez killed this stupid commission that served women thoughout the state with a line item veto that severed the funding.  That was one of her first and signal acts as Temporary Gov. Yippee KiowKaiyay!

Recently an article in the shamelessly liberal, slanted, and desperate Mother Jones quoted our soft and caring ersatz governor saying right before her blessed election, “What the hell is that?  What the hell does a commission on women’s cabinet do all day long?”...