Yes, Bill Richardson is just another Liberal but...

Yes, Bill Richardson is just another liberal. What sets him apart is his success as a governor of New Mexico as well as his vast experience as a former cabinet member and his international diplomatic experience, which the other Democratic candidates sorely lack.

Here in New Mexico he has cut taxes and been very pro-business. This has improved living circumstances immensely. I live in one of the cities that is experiencing tremendous growth and a rise in the standard of living (although, admittedly, vast poverty exists south of us due to the swell of illegal immigration.)

I am not a Democrat, but if my values were in agreement with theirs, I would consider Richardson the most qualified candidate of all in the field. Here’s hoping Hillary’s skeletons come out of the closet to haunt her, and that Obama’s charm is a thin veil revealing his shocking lack of experience and extreme views.

Bluewater Lake State Park

If you are a camping fan and happen to be rolling through Western New Mexico, you will want to consider the Bluewater Lake State Park near Grants. We spent a very relaxing weekend there during my blogging absence.

Located on the north edge of the Zuni Mountains and ringed with Pinon Pine trees and Cedars, Bluewater Lake State Park is not only a good campsite with excellent amenities, but it is a lovely scenic place to set up your tent. Being conveniently located off I-40, you could use this campsite as a base for further exploration. That is what we did, traveling to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert 125 miles away in Arizona.

The lake and creek are stocked with trout and catfish. This site is also favored for winter ice fishing! Don't miss the trail that leads to the Bluewater Creek!

If you look carefully at the limestone that surrounds the reservoir, you will find snail and brachipod fossils. The limestone comes from the time when the Bluewater Lake area was an inland sea.

At this state park there are sites for RVs and tent camping. You can choose a primitive site for $8 a night, an improved site for $10 a night which includes a picnic table and a fire ring with your tent site. there are also RV and tent sites with electricity for an additional $4 fee. Both flush toilets and outhouses are on the site, and they are kept clean. The two sites with flush toilets are heated, and in one of them is a shower house with two shower stalls per gender. The showers are push button operated. The water is well heated and feels great when you are all sweaty and need to clean up. A trick about the push button showers is to keep pushing to get a steady stream of water. Otherwise, the water will peter out in a few seconds.

If you end up visiting Bluewater Lake State Park, leave me a comment about how you liked it.

Radiant

Survey Results on Sister Blog

The results of the New Mexico Middle School Choral Directors survey is online now here.

Is this legal??? Is this right?

The Santa Fe Police Department is thinking about hiring Mexican Nationals to fill vacancies in the Police Department. The people they are thinking about are here in the US legally, but are not citizens. New Mexico Police Academy regulations prohibit non-citizens from serving as police officers.

What do you think about this???

I want to know if the Mexican Nationals are in the process of acquiring citizenship and have a clean background history. If not, they should be barred from the police force. I think that without some proof of loyalty to the United States of America from the potential applicants the Santa Fe Police Department would open itself to security risks.

I am all for legal immigration as this country is the land of opportunity, and I do believe the immigration process is painfully slow (my mother went through the process when I was a child). But if the Mexican Nationals have no intention of assimilating into our culture and becoming Americans, let them seek out other employment than that which is a critical link in our national security.

New Mexico Spaceport

There is a measure on the ballot here in Dona Ana County that asks whether or not tax money should be used to fund a Spaceport in Southern New Mexico. While there are some nay-sayers, I believe the Spaceport will be a positive thing for this area. It will provide high tech, higher paying jobs for this area, and will benefit this state economically. It will encourage schools to produce a better product in the children that are taught so they will be prepared for the new jobs that are coming. It will benefit New Mexico State University with more research grants, and raise the status of the university as they train many more engineers to work in the subsidiary businesses that are attached to the Spaceport. The site is very remote, and noise would not be a major problem. As far as the Camino Real trail, it is possible for it to co-exist with the Spaceport.

New Mexico has been one of the lowest producing states for many years. The Spaceport gives the "Land of Enchantment" a way to thrust itself into higher orbit among the states of our nation.

Sister Blog

I've started a new blog for those of you interested in vocal music education, particularly in the American Southwest. This site: New Mexico Choral Education Information is part of my graduate project and is designed to provide resources for choral educators in New Mexico.

Let me know if this site is helpful for you. Thanks.

The Cult of Bush Bashing

It becomes more and more obvious as time goes by that the hatred of President Bush is becoming a religious cult, and not based in rational thinking whatsoever. Bush is vilified the world over as the causer of wars, the oppressor of migrants, as the cause of global warming and the root of all that is wrong in the world. Forget the fact that America gives more foreign aid to everybody, even our enemies and even the Palestinians - an open enemy of the United States and freedom everywhere. Forget the fact that most research and development that benefits the poor of this world originated in the United States. Forget, even, that the United States is a country that people swarm to because of the promise of freedom and opportunity. You don't see many people emigrating to Saudi Arabia, Iran, North Korea, or Pakistan, do you, unless they have been radicalized into some state of fascism.

An almost hilarious article appeared in the Washington Post this morning. Mayan Priests are planning to "purify" sacred sites after they become "defiled" by a visit from President Bush this week.

Mayan priests will purify a sacred archaeological site to eliminate "bad spirits" after President Bush visits next week, an official with close ties to the group said Thursday.

"That a person like (Bush), with the persecution of our migrant brothers in the United States, with the wars he has provoked, is going to walk in our sacred lands, is an offense for the Mayan people and their culture," Juan Tiney, the director of a Mayan nongovernmental organization with close ties to Mayan religious and political leaders, said Thursday.

Bush's seven-day tour of Latin America includes a stopover beginning late Sunday in Guatemala. On Monday morning he is scheduled to visit the archaeological site Iximche on the high western plateau in a region of the Central American country populated mostly by Mayans.

Tiney said the "spirit guides of the Mayan community" decided it would be necessary to cleanse the sacred site of "bad spirits" after Bush's visit so that their ancestors could rest in peace.

It has been almost forgotten that the Mayan culture practically destroyed themselves by barbaric practices. It was not bad spirits that destroyed the Mayan culture, but bad leadership.

I wonder if today's Mayan priests are eating food or are clothed or have medicine provided by the technology and generosity of the United States? I wonder if they know the reason they are not part of the communist Cuban regime is because of the Monroe Doctrine? I wonder if they are aware that Bush has been more sympathetic and has built more alliances with Mexico than any president has done in the last century. He speaks almost fluent Spanish, and governed a state that was a border state with Mexico. He influenced NAFTA, which has been a blessing to Mexico and all Latin American countries.

About "persecuting" immigrant brothers and sisters - we don't machine gun down people who cross......they get three hots and a cot when they are caught and get sent back. In one piece. We do everything we can - not perfectly - to promote free trade with Mexico and all of Central and South America, because this is in the common interest of all countries . Even Venezuela which would not last a month if we did not purchase their oil. Stuff that in your pipe, Chavez!

My government engineer friend tells me about highly intelligent co-workers who state that Bush is the "worst President ever". What does that mean? Apparently they have forgotten near history. Here is a list of the 10 Worst Presidents ever by real historians - not the biased pseudo-media. Bush is nowhere near the notoriety of this group!

Bush is so often referred to as "evil," that he is the "devil" and "Hitler." He has been demonized and become the culmination of everything that is evil and wrong in the world with religious and fanatic zeal. Fantastic quotes like "Bush killed my son!" (Cindy Sheehan) , attribute almost godlike powers to a mere man. In the near future, will people use the expletive "Bush!" instead of other common expletives when they whack their thumbs with a hammer?

I am by no means a "Bush or die" person. Bush will probably go down in history as a mediocre president who entangled our nation in an unpopular war against a religiously charged irrational enemy. In the end, we hire a president to keep us safe - not to make us feel good. We need to remember this when we hire the next president.

Who will be the next religious Icon of all that is evil in the world when Bush is gone?

Concert Update

Every Spring New Mexico State University Choirs presents the Jack Ward Invitational Choral Festival where we highlight the work of choirs and local music teachers in the Southern New Mexico/El Paso area.

This year Dr. David Dickau was commissioned to write two pieces for the Choral Association of Southern New Mexico (CASNM) for adult and children's choirs. The songs - "Piping Down the Valleys Wild" and the "Laughing Song" - are beautifully written and a delight to sing!

The Gadsden School District Honor Choir from southern New Mexico were invited to perform these pieces with us. Additionally, they sang three pieces of their own - one of which was my composition "Sea Fever" for treble choir ( and which I had the privilege of conducting on the concert).

Also on the program is "The Raven" a multi-movement piece based on the poem by Edgar Allen Poe, by Justin Raines. I conducted the world premier of the first and third movements last fall, and Dr. Dickau conducted the whole piece in the concert.

Last night's concert was very successful, and we have one more night to perform. If you are in the Las Cruces area, this concert would be a high quality cultural experience.

My Quandry

This election season is very frustrating for conservatives. I’m disappointed in the choices we have on both sides. It seems the Republicans who are running are really Democrats at heart. Additionally, very few potential candidates have any real experience in statesmanship.

This puts me in the quandary of having to possibly cross party lines to find someone with some experience whom I could trust to do the best for our country. They all say they will, but the only one with the experience necessary to be president is Bill Richardson of New Mexico. As a resident of the state of New Mexico, I’ve seen the progress he’s made in this state in education and economic growth. He has shown he knows how to run a troubled state, and I think he has the skill to run our country.

As a conservative, I know that voting for Richardson will mean a compromise of my social values, but he would do a good job as president while the Republican party finds some real conservative candidates who can communicate well, have proven experience in governance, and who are skilled negotiators who are able to win the trust of those who are of a liberal persuasion.