September 23rd Town Hall Controversy

On Septembr 23rd, a GOP Town Hall was held. It was put together by Ward 22 volunteers. The purpose of which was to get all the GOP Gubernatorial candidates together to answer a series of questions, direct answers to direct questions. The questions were based on what would they do if they were elected governor and they covered a wide range of subjects: economy, crime, and education to name a few.

To effect that purpose, candidates were asked to sign an agreement that they would stick to the format and NOT attack other candidates or directly engage in back and forth with those candidates. The reason for this was two fold: time constraints at the venue and to allow all the candidates to give direct answers to questions within the allotted time.

Six of the candidates agreed and they signed a pledge to abide by the rules. One candidate declined, Karen Bedonie. (This is verifiable on her Facebook pages and those of her campaign manager, Crystal Meiwes.) 

There were multiple requests for Ms Bedonie's attendance. All were refused. It was stated by Ms Meiwes that there were prior engagements and her calendar could not be cleared. Okay... that's fine. However, what is not fine is that Ms Meiwes implied that  multiple requests were a problem. And, she also implied that since she rejected the request to attend there was some underhanded skulduggery happening with posts by Ms Bedonie's supporters, such as posts being moderated, removed & more. I get the distinct impression she is implying that the posting problem is due to racism against Ms Bedonie because she is Navajo. 

As much as I like and admire Karen Bedonie, as much as I support her, I have to make a stand against these remarks, these insinuations. They are wrong and should never have been made. They are beneath the character of Ms Bedonie and, as such, should be against the character of those who represent her.

I personally know the moderators of the New Mexico Rising group and there isn't a racist or bigoted one among them. Ms Meiwes insinuations are unworthy of her and of Ms Bedonie. Because of these insinuations, I personally believe that Ms Bedonie needs a better campaign manager, one more worthy of her. Ms Meiwes is not doing Ms Bedonie any favors, especially with crap like this. The Karen Bedonie I know, respect, and love is an honest, hardworking woman with a deep and abiding faith in God. Her honesty and passion for people and her family are what draw her supporters, not her race, not the fact that she's a Navajo woman. I find these insinuations beyond disgusting. 

The 2nd part of the controversy was Ms Bedonie's unequivocal refusal to sign the candidates' pledge. 

I have no idea to which "political games" she is referring, but I can assure you that there were no "political games" being played by a group of volunteers who wanted people to hear and see all the candidates together, in one spot, at one time. To me, this sounds like more of Ms Meiwes putting some kind of venom in Ms Bedonie's ear. The volunteers were acting right. I do not understand Ms Bedonie's refusal. My Representative is working for we the people in the East Mountains. I'm not sure I can say that about others. As far as I am concerned, this attack on the volunteers and on my Representative, Stefani Lord, are unwarranted. 

Before the event, when the flyer was first published on Facebook, I asked Rep Lord and the Ward 22 Chair, Gary Person, why Ms Bedonie wasn't included. They told me that she declined due to prior commitments. Knowing them, I accepted that at face value. So, imagine my surprise when I attended the event on the 23rd and Ms Bedonie walked into the room, asking to participate. The moderator and host of the event, NM State Rep Lord, asked security to remove her for several reasons, not the least of which was a vote taken by the Ward 22 volunteers to remove disruptive people. Ms Bedonie's presence there was seen to be for disruptive purposes. That being said, when people argued for her to be allowed to speak, she was given a chair and allowed to participate. When asked if she signed the candidate's pledge, which she had not, she was still allowed to participate with the knowledge that the microphone would be turned off if she violated the pledge and/or ran over the allotted time. The mike was turned off on her, 1 time, due to going longer than the allotted time. There was a time keeper. 

As far as I am concerned, this entire fiasco could have been avoided and it was only a controversy due to the actions of the Bedonie campaign and the resulting actions & comments of her supporters. 

Sen Martin Heinrich Protests with Climate Activists

On 20 Oct 2021, New Mexico Senator, Martin Heinrich, invited people to "protest" against affordable energy & to push the "Build Back Better" bill, which will have disastrous effects on the American & New Mexican economy. 

The "plan" will crush the middle class under higher taxes, kills jobs and burdens future generations with outrageous new debt. 

All New Mexicans, especially the poor and those on fixed incomes, need to ask our Senator, "Hey Marty! Who's going to pay my energy bills this winter?" 

Since you live near D.C., I suspect you are unaware for whatever reason of how many New Mexicans are finding it more & more difficult to pay their utility bills. Why is this important issue absent from any & all debate about our energy future? For those on fixed incomes, increasing energy prices mean that the gap between what they can afford to pay and what they are paying is getting bigger & bigger. Many are now having to choose between food on the table, keeping lights on, and/or having a warmish house in which to live. 

Folks on natural gas are getting notices from their providers that the cost of natural gas is going up. How much is it going up? So far, the price of natural gas, the most common way to heat homes & a top resource for generating electricity, has risen more than 180% in the last 12 months.  Natural gas hasn't been this expensive since 2014! And, since gas is rising, those electric bills are going to rise also. Those costs are passed right on to the consumer. By the way, just so everyone knows, to be considered "affordable", utility bills should not exceed more than 6% of one's income. Currently, energy costs are exceeding 20% of income for many of the poorest Americans & New Mexicans.

And, please, let's not forget that inflation is rearing its ugly head. Current inflation rates are greater than 5%. 

Inflation Rate - https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/inflation-cpi

So, Marty, are you going to pay my energy bills? Are you going to be buying me groceries? I am a constituent but I don't live in Albuquerque. I live in a rural area and am on a fixed income. One things certain, you make a helluva lot more money than I do, especially when you represent powerful & well funded special interest groups, while ignoring the plight of those New Mexicans you are supposed to represent. Last I read, your net worth, as calculated by Forbes & others, is greater than $1.5 million. I can see that our struggle is not one that you share. 

Methinks you, Sen Martin Heinrich, have lost touch with us commoners, you know, those who you are supposed to represent. 

F.A.A.R.T. - Fast Acceleration & Rapid Transit

 F.A.A.R.T.

DYNO-MUTT SYSTEMS

A Division of Yummy Mutt Feeds

 

PRESS RELEASE JULY 1996

Introducing the newest system of integrated greyhound design and utilization, Dyno-Mutt Systems is proud to announce the release of FAART (Fast Acceleration And Rapid Transit).

 FAART is an innovative, gaseous system that integrates several purposes of the flexible greyhound design. It provides both rapid acceleration and transport for the dogs. And, most importantly, it surpasses the stringent California EPA standards for fuel powered vehicles.

 FAART can be used in the following ways:

 Hook FAART up to the existing fuel system of your transport vehicle. Not only will you get a cleaner exhaust and non-polluting vehicle, but the higher octane rating (200) provides more pickup than ever with the benefit of increased mileage! A FAART equipped greyhound not only provides the fuel to get to a lure course, but then can run also!

 FAART provides quicker acceleration off the line and provides an extra boost during long straights for coursing dogs. It is completely legal according to existing ASFA and AKC rules.

 FAART equipped greyhounds are currently being used to provide natural gas (methane) for the City of Albuquerque to run its public transportation system and to heat public buildings (higher BTU value = less fuel used). NOTE: since the introduction of FAART, Albuquerque has been recognized as a "clean air city" from the EPA.

 FAART equipped greyhounds are an effective anti-crime device. During the execution of a crime against a FAART equipped system, FAART erupts and incapacitates the criminal, leading to an easy arrest. A word of caution, those in the company of a FAART equipped greyhound need to stay upwind or suffer the same debilitating consequences as the criminal.

 FAART is effective fumigation for pesky, ground digging critters (see gophers, prairie dogs, woodchucks). It is quiet and efficient (subprogram SBD). During the testing process, an incident took place proving FAART's effectiveness at fumigation. A burrowing owl was downwind of the test area in an abandoned prairie dog town. As the gas permeated its underground nest, it reportedly staggered from its burrow saying, "give a hoot, don't pollute". 

 And, FAART is sub-sonic, so as not to disturb any protected, threatened, and/or endangered species in your area, i.e., black footed ferrets, desert kangaroo rats, mountain lions, Mojave totoise, etc. 

 FAART does not use expensive fuels (ethanol and/or petroleum) that are notorious for polluting the atmosphere. It uses a cheap, readily available fuel source in the form of soy and soy by-products. This fuel can be purchased at any grocer, pet or feed store. It can even be legally grown at home and is good for the planet. Whatever is not used can be 100% recycled. FAART is environmentally friendly.

 When not in use, FAART can be shut down using Pepto-Bismol, Di-Gel, Gas-X, or any of the other gas reducing/eliminating items available in your local market or pharmacy reducing the possibility of a ruptured fuel cell or accidental leakage. FAART can also be disabled by the introduction of soy free fuels.

 What is better than existing propulsion systems? Why, FAART, of course!

 

Rob Summerhill

CEO and Top Dawg

Jemez Volcanic Field & The Valles Caldera

The Jemez Volcanic Field, which is located at the junction of the Jemez Lineament and the Rio Grande Rift, started life some 14 million years ago (14 mA). It was a normal volcanic field composed of many small eruptive cones. It is generally thought that there has never been a single, large volcanic cone or mountain like Mt St Helens. 

Over the course of 12 million years, continual extrusions of magma formed a complex landscape of domes, dikes, lava flows, ridges and valleys. The extrusions were fundamentally basalt ranging into more intermediate and silicic lavas such as dacite, prior to the catastrophic, rhyolitic, caldera forming eruptions. 

The unique location of the field caused it to erupt for the longest time and it is, in fact, one of the longest lived volcanic fields with the most recent eruptions occurring 50-60,000 years ago. It has produced the largest amount of erupted volcanic material anywhere along the Jemez Lineament. 

According to the New Mexico Natural History Museum, the continual eruptions caused the individual magma chambers of the numerous small cones to merge into one large chamber, which was the source for at least two caldera forming eruptions: Toledo Caldera (Valles I) and Valles Caldera (Valles II). It is believed there was a third eruption which preceded the Toledo one by some 400,000 years.  resulting in three members of Bandelier tuff: La Cueva, Otowi and Tshirege. 

The La Cueva member was formerly known as the San Diego Canyon ingnimbrites to the southwest of the caldera. It has been dated at around 1.8 mA. Source vents for this member and any other evidence for a caldera forming eruption was obliterated by the Toledo caldera forming eruption. 

The Toledo Caldera eruption (Valles I) occurred about 1.6 mA. It erupted the Otowi member of the  Bandelier tuff, which is hundreds of meters thick in some locations. This member includes the Guaje  pumice beds (Bailey & others, 1969) and was laid down in 2 eruptive sequences. 1st the Guaje pumice beds followed by ash flow deposits aka pyroclastic flows. The Toledo caldera is thought to be approximately the same size as the current Valles II caldera, however, it was destroyed during the Valles caldera eruption. 

Tshirege member: tuff over ash fall

The Valles Caldera eruption (Valles II) occurred about 1.2 mA and erupted the Tshirege member of the Bandelier tuff. The eruption spewed out >400 cubic km of ash, mostly in pyroclastic flows, which traveled up to 35 km from the source. Ash from the eruption has been identified as far east as Kansas & Iowa. The Tshirege member, like the Otowi member, was laid down in two eruptive sequences: 1) Tsankawi pumice bed and 2) ash flow deposits, which form the major portion of the canyon cliffs. By the way, Bandelier tuff can be either welded or unwelded. 

The Jemez Volcanic field and the Valles caldera are considered active.

For more info & info much better than what I've put together can be found at the following links.

Here's a YouTube video, a short clip from the documentary, Valles Caldera: The Science describing the formation of the caldera.

Valles Caldera Story Map