New Mexico Mercury

Weekly Poem: Peace on Earth

He took a frayed hat from his head,
And “Peace on Earth” was what he said.
“A morsel out of what you’re worth,
And there we have it: Peace on Earth.
Not much, although a little more
Than what there was on earth before
I’m as you see, I’m Ichabod,—
But never mind the ways I’ve trod;
I’m sober now, so help me God”...

El Machete: Francis Ruins Christmas

El Machete: Francis Ruins Christmas

For Whom Does the Bell Toll?

On December 19, New Mexico’s Supreme Court rendered its 5-0 decision that denying same-sex couples the right to engage in civil marriage is unconstitutional. This was an early Christmas present for the hundreds of lesbian and gay couples throughout the state who got their licenses from the six brave county clerks who began issuing them last August, for the thousands more who have been waiting for state-wide approval, and to our many supporters of all sexual identities who believe in equal rights for all...

Weekly Poem: I am the faceless man

I am the faceless man
The empty hand
You passed
And left to stand
A stranger on the corner
The friend in the mirror
That you didn’t find
A reflection of your hidden mind...

A Holiday Thank You

Last week, I had the opportunity to be with volunteers from New Mexico who were bringing holiday cheer to thousands of needy Mexican children.

On Thursday, I met up with a non-profit named Amigo Fiel, a program which provides care and education to children at risk in Juárez or, to put it another way, a “home away from home “ program.  It was started by Carlos Garcia of Santa Fe and his brother, Hector...

Flat-Lining New Mexico’s Tax System Would Make it Even More Unfair

New Mexico’s state and local tax system is already unfair—with the lowest-income New Mexicans paying a rate double that of the highest-income earners. A so-called ‘flat tax’ or ‘consumption tax’ would make the tax system even more regressive. Still, there are legislators who would like to enact a consumption tax. Representative Tom Taylor and Senator William Sharer introduced twin bills (HB-369 and SB-368) during the 2013 legislative session to do just that. Although that legislation did not pass, it is all but guaranteed to make a reappearance in January—and in subsequent years if it is not adopted in 2014...

Governor’s proposals continue to demoralize teachers

In the upcoming 2014 Legislative Session I will again seek approval of a bill that would appropriate nearly $68 million to hire intervention teachers to help identify and serve students from kindergarten through the eighth grade who are struggling academically in reading and/or mathematics.

In 2013, Rep. Mimi Stewart and I introduced Senate Bill 474, which sharply contrasted with Governor Susana Martinez’s and Public Education Department cabinet-secretary-designee Hanna Skandera’s past initiatives to retain third graders not reading at proficiency without their parents’ approval of the action...

The women behind a great man who changed New Mexico

The logic would seem irrefutable: The atomic age made modern New Mexico; Robert Oppenheimer was the man most responsible for making the atomic bomb; three women in his life helped shape the man; these women are important for us today to understand.

This logic led me to An Atomic Love Story: The Extraordinary Women in Robert Oppenheimer’s Life by Shirley Streshinsky and Patricia Klaus, which was published in September...

Harmful pesticides not needed around the house

We are using way too much pesticides in our society, in our homes, in our schools, in public buildings and even in our forests. I have covered the many problems pesticides cause many times in my columns. We have to have a system where we use safe and effective methods for pest control. Some companies do this and I recommend them in some instances. Many companies prefer to spray pesticides because it is easier and you really don't have to know what you are doing. Just spray and pray – spray pesticides and pray you kill something...

Weekly Poem: We Considered Ourselves

The towers on Sandia Crest transmit
through sunset    in some other home, Smokey
Bear is dead like a pop song
on a distant radio      I keep
toying with the dials   flipping the brights in a code
here no one remembers     the first fire,
distant suns or one close star...