Friday, November 13, 2009
Veterans Day 2009
Socorro County Sheriff's Blotter
Information for the following items was provided by the Socorro County Sheriff.
Sept. 14
A couple in Polvadera reported that they had been victims of fraud. The woman said that she received charges from Fed Ex and UPS for packages sent to a different person throughout the country. They did not have Fed Ex account and had not sent any packages through UPS. A package that was returned to them contained a cashier’s check which was bogus. Another check was made out to the man, which was also bogus. The officer contacted the organizations from which the checks were written, and found they also have an ongoing investigation. The victims were reimbursed by the shipping companies.
Sept. 18
A man from Grants was driving north on Interstate 25 when he fell asleep at 12:35 a.m. and lost control. His vehicle, which was pulling a camper trailer, exited the roadway at mile marker 138 and rolled over three times. A passenger was trapped and had to be extracted by EMTs and taken to Socorro General. The driver was cited.
Sept. 23
A man in Lemitar reported at 10:30 a.m. that someone forced entry into his home, damaging the front door, and stole items from the residence. The officer was contacted by the Belen Police Department who recovered an item that had been taken from the home. The victim offered the name of a possible suspect.
Oct. 4
A complainant reported at 3 p.m. that a man came to her place in Veguita and started removing parts from a meter breaker box. He took breakers and damaged the meter receptacle. A deputy met with the suspect and some items were returned, but the damage was never repaired. The suspect has called the woman and has harassed her. The suspect may have moved out of the area by now.
Oct. 7
A Socorro woman reported at 4 p.m. that someone stole her laptop and some jewelry from her workplace at the courthouse. She stated that the office is always secure or occupied. No suspects at time of report.
Oct. 10
In response to a DWI hotline tip, an officer was dispatched at 11:15 p.m. to the parking area of the Roadrunner truck stop in Lemitar. The suspect driver, from Bluewater, New Mexico, was sitting in his vehicle with the keys in the ignition and the engine running. A firearm was noticed in the passenger rear seat. An odor of alcohol was detected on the driver, and he was given and failed field sobriety tests. He was arrested and taken transported to the Socorro County Detention Center.
Oct. 13
A driver from Albuquerque was pulled over at 12:21 a.m. for speeding on Interstate 25 at mile marker 167. He could not produce a valid driver’s license, and a check showed it had been suspended/revoked with an arrest clause. He was arrested and taken to the county jail. He also had no car insurance.
Oct. 14
An officer met with the parents of a friend of a juvenile victim at noon over a text message sent to their daughter by the victim. The text indicated that the girl was being battered and that a man was trying to have sex with her. The incident was reported to CYFD.
Oct. 16
An officer was dispatched at 11 p.m. to Kuntz Road in Veguita on a report of shots fired. It was learned that the suspect was discharging his weapon into the air, and that this is not the first time for this type of incident. A search for the suspect proved unsuccessful, but his license plate number was given by one of the neighbors. A check on the plate came back with the name of the suspect, who is to be charged with negligent use of a weapon.
Oct. 18
Three vehicles were traveling north on Interstate 25 at 8 p.m. when, at mile marker 145 what was described as a “black object” in the roadway caused all three vehicles to suffer damage. All had to be towed from the scene.
Oct. 20
An officer was dispatched at 2 p.m. to meet with man #1 who wanted to report that he had run over a dog o Chaparral Drive. The officer was also told that man #2 on Chaparral wanted to report his dog being run over. Man #2 stated that the two men were having an ongoing feud and felt that man #1 ran over his dog on purpose. It was learned that the dog was running loose and in the roadway and not in its yard. The dog had a minor cut and was fine. The man #1 stated that the dog ran out into the road and he tried to avoid hitting the dog but could not. Man #2 was advised that there was a leash law.
A vehicle was westbound on State Road 380 at 11:30 p.m. when the driver came upon a rainstorm. He lost control of the vehicle and struck the side road railing causing damage to his vehicle. It was towed form the scene.
Oct. 26
A man on Pueblitos Road reported at 6 p.m. that someone got into his 1990 Ford pickup through a window and stole prescription pills, a radar detector, CDs, and a trailer draw bar with ball. No suspects at the time.
Sept. 14
A couple in Polvadera reported that they had been victims of fraud. The woman said that she received charges from Fed Ex and UPS for packages sent to a different person throughout the country. They did not have Fed Ex account and had not sent any packages through UPS. A package that was returned to them contained a cashier’s check which was bogus. Another check was made out to the man, which was also bogus. The officer contacted the organizations from which the checks were written, and found they also have an ongoing investigation. The victims were reimbursed by the shipping companies.
Sept. 18
A man from Grants was driving north on Interstate 25 when he fell asleep at 12:35 a.m. and lost control. His vehicle, which was pulling a camper trailer, exited the roadway at mile marker 138 and rolled over three times. A passenger was trapped and had to be extracted by EMTs and taken to Socorro General. The driver was cited.
Sept. 23
A man in Lemitar reported at 10:30 a.m. that someone forced entry into his home, damaging the front door, and stole items from the residence. The officer was contacted by the Belen Police Department who recovered an item that had been taken from the home. The victim offered the name of a possible suspect.
Oct. 4
A complainant reported at 3 p.m. that a man came to her place in Veguita and started removing parts from a meter breaker box. He took breakers and damaged the meter receptacle. A deputy met with the suspect and some items were returned, but the damage was never repaired. The suspect has called the woman and has harassed her. The suspect may have moved out of the area by now.
Oct. 7
A Socorro woman reported at 4 p.m. that someone stole her laptop and some jewelry from her workplace at the courthouse. She stated that the office is always secure or occupied. No suspects at time of report.
Oct. 10
In response to a DWI hotline tip, an officer was dispatched at 11:15 p.m. to the parking area of the Roadrunner truck stop in Lemitar. The suspect driver, from Bluewater, New Mexico, was sitting in his vehicle with the keys in the ignition and the engine running. A firearm was noticed in the passenger rear seat. An odor of alcohol was detected on the driver, and he was given and failed field sobriety tests. He was arrested and taken transported to the Socorro County Detention Center.
Oct. 13
A driver from Albuquerque was pulled over at 12:21 a.m. for speeding on Interstate 25 at mile marker 167. He could not produce a valid driver’s license, and a check showed it had been suspended/revoked with an arrest clause. He was arrested and taken to the county jail. He also had no car insurance.
Oct. 14
An officer met with the parents of a friend of a juvenile victim at noon over a text message sent to their daughter by the victim. The text indicated that the girl was being battered and that a man was trying to have sex with her. The incident was reported to CYFD.
Oct. 16
An officer was dispatched at 11 p.m. to Kuntz Road in Veguita on a report of shots fired. It was learned that the suspect was discharging his weapon into the air, and that this is not the first time for this type of incident. A search for the suspect proved unsuccessful, but his license plate number was given by one of the neighbors. A check on the plate came back with the name of the suspect, who is to be charged with negligent use of a weapon.
Oct. 18
Three vehicles were traveling north on Interstate 25 at 8 p.m. when, at mile marker 145 what was described as a “black object” in the roadway caused all three vehicles to suffer damage. All had to be towed from the scene.
Oct. 20
An officer was dispatched at 2 p.m. to meet with man #1 who wanted to report that he had run over a dog o Chaparral Drive. The officer was also told that man #2 on Chaparral wanted to report his dog being run over. Man #2 stated that the two men were having an ongoing feud and felt that man #1 ran over his dog on purpose. It was learned that the dog was running loose and in the roadway and not in its yard. The dog had a minor cut and was fine. The man #1 stated that the dog ran out into the road and he tried to avoid hitting the dog but could not. Man #2 was advised that there was a leash law.
A vehicle was westbound on State Road 380 at 11:30 p.m. when the driver came upon a rainstorm. He lost control of the vehicle and struck the side road railing causing damage to his vehicle. It was towed form the scene.
Oct. 26
A man on Pueblitos Road reported at 6 p.m. that someone got into his 1990 Ford pickup through a window and stole prescription pills, a radar detector, CDs, and a trailer draw bar with ball. No suspects at the time.
Arizona Woman Arrested On Drug Possession Charge
By John Larson
MAGDALENA - An Arizona woman traveling with her boyfriend through Magdalena has been charged with three felonies after trying to pass a counterfeit bill at the DNN Gas and Convenience store Thursday.
Denice Idel Mullican, 46, of Tucson, Ariz. was arraigned in Magistrate Court Friday on possession of methamphetamine, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia. She is being held at the Socorro County Detention Center, and has been denied bail as a flight risk. Mullican has not yet been charged on possession of the counterfeit money.
On Thursday, Nov. 5 at 4:16 p.m. Marshal Larry Cearley was called to the Conoco Station on First St., on the report of a woman who had given the owner, Nick Innerbichler, a $50 bill that was possibly counterfeit.
In the arrest affidavitt, Cearley said that Mullican claimed to have received the bill from a store in Arizona where she purchased two shirts.
With Mullican was her boyfriend, Gary Michael Strouse, 36, also of Tucson, who was driving the white 1989 Ford F-150.
Cearley asked the suspects to follow him to the Marshal’s Office to write a voluntary statement as to where the counterfeit bill came from.
After obtaining consent from both suspects, Deputy Ed Sweeney conducted a search of the pickup at the Marshal’s Office, with Deputy Terry Flannigan assisting.
Mullican stated she had a small amout on marijuana inside a plastic capsule from a vending machine in a carry-on bag and a marijuana pipe was found in her purse.
Sweeney also found a needle with clear liquid, in a pillow in the back seat of the pickup. Mullican admitted she had more hidden in the back of the truck inside a zipper case.
Sweeney found the zipper case, along with a spring loaded eyeglass case, which contained three needles with clear fluid, under the spare tire in the truck bed. A fishing fly case contained four white colored rocks and a small tin with residue. Mullican stated it was meth and that she needed it.
A $100 bill was found inside Mullican’s jacket pocket which she said was given to her by a friend who asked her to get rid of. It was also counterfeit.
Inside the pickup’s cab four computers and two card readers were found.
A bag with jewels was also discovered inside one of the carry-on bags. The jewels were diamonds, saphires, rubies and emeralds.
Deputies also found a large amount of credit card numbers, note books with numbers, six cell phones, identifications including photographs of elderly people, and tools which are consistent with the use in burglaries.
According to Cearley, the evidence was turned over to an agent of the U.S. Secret Service.
Strouse was questioned and released, although the case is still open, and further charges are pending.
MAGDALENA - An Arizona woman traveling with her boyfriend through Magdalena has been charged with three felonies after trying to pass a counterfeit bill at the DNN Gas and Convenience store Thursday.
Denice Idel Mullican, 46, of Tucson, Ariz. was arraigned in Magistrate Court Friday on possession of methamphetamine, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia. She is being held at the Socorro County Detention Center, and has been denied bail as a flight risk. Mullican has not yet been charged on possession of the counterfeit money.
On Thursday, Nov. 5 at 4:16 p.m. Marshal Larry Cearley was called to the Conoco Station on First St., on the report of a woman who had given the owner, Nick Innerbichler, a $50 bill that was possibly counterfeit.
In the arrest affidavitt, Cearley said that Mullican claimed to have received the bill from a store in Arizona where she purchased two shirts.
With Mullican was her boyfriend, Gary Michael Strouse, 36, also of Tucson, who was driving the white 1989 Ford F-150.
Cearley asked the suspects to follow him to the Marshal’s Office to write a voluntary statement as to where the counterfeit bill came from.
After obtaining consent from both suspects, Deputy Ed Sweeney conducted a search of the pickup at the Marshal’s Office, with Deputy Terry Flannigan assisting.
Mullican stated she had a small amout on marijuana inside a plastic capsule from a vending machine in a carry-on bag and a marijuana pipe was found in her purse.
Sweeney also found a needle with clear liquid, in a pillow in the back seat of the pickup. Mullican admitted she had more hidden in the back of the truck inside a zipper case.
Sweeney found the zipper case, along with a spring loaded eyeglass case, which contained three needles with clear fluid, under the spare tire in the truck bed. A fishing fly case contained four white colored rocks and a small tin with residue. Mullican stated it was meth and that she needed it.
A $100 bill was found inside Mullican’s jacket pocket which she said was given to her by a friend who asked her to get rid of. It was also counterfeit.
Inside the pickup’s cab four computers and two card readers were found.
A bag with jewels was also discovered inside one of the carry-on bags. The jewels were diamonds, saphires, rubies and emeralds.
Deputies also found a large amount of credit card numbers, note books with numbers, six cell phones, identifications including photographs of elderly people, and tools which are consistent with the use in burglaries.
According to Cearley, the evidence was turned over to an agent of the U.S. Secret Service.
Strouse was questioned and released, although the case is still open, and further charges are pending.
Festival Of The Cranes Gets Underway On Tuesday
By John Larson
SAN ANTONIO – Socorro County’s biggest event of the year, the Festival of the Cranes begins next week, and organizers report advance registrations are topping last year.
The Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge has been home to the festival since 1991, when the newly formed Friends of the Bosque formed a partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the City of Socorro. Friends of the Bosque president Paul White said snow geese are arriving from the north daily.
“You can look out over a sea of white and the thrill of watching them all take to the air,” he said. “The count of sandhill cranes is also steadily rising, and there are plenty of viewing areas for the morning lift-offs.”
White said people travel from all over the country to experience the crane fly-outs and fly-ins. “The registrations are ahead of this time last years, and we’re delighted that so many will be participating at a time when people might be tempted to cut back a little,” White said. “That they are staying in New Mexico. Experiencing the wonders we have at home.”
The festival begins next Tuesday and runs for six days, with workshops, hikes, seminars, and other events both at the Refuge and at New Mexico Tech. “We’re delighted that there’s so much interest in a place as magical as the Refuge,” he said.
The Refuge is 57,191 acres located along the Rio Grande at the northern edge of the Chihuahuan desert. Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bosque del Apache is an important link in the more than 500 refuges in North America.
The goal of refuge management is to provide habitat and protection for migratory birds and endangered species and provide the public with a high quality wildlife and educational experience.
Budget Woes Hit Magdalena Village
By John Larson
MAGDALENA – The state’s budget shortfall is being felt on the local level, Clerk Rita Broaddus told the Magdalena Village Board of Trustees at its meeting Monday night.
Broaddus said she received official notice confirming that all capital outlay projects have been put on hold.
“I spoke with a budget analyst with the DFA [Department of Finance and Administration] today and she indicated that were going to have to do some tightening and adjust in budget or we’ll be in bad shape,” Broaddus said. “The village operates on the gross receipts tax – the marshal’s office, the judge and municipal court, utilities, streetlights, all those things – and our gross receipt tax is just whittling down.”
She said that in first quarter of the fiscal year the GRT was down 11 percent, while expenses have risen two percent.
“The fire department, including EMS, is not affected by this. They get a specified amount at the first of the year,” Broadus said. “We will have to adjust the village budget to take into account the deficit in money coming into the general fund, and try to get everybody on board that we need to cut back on expenses at least 10 percent.”
She said all village department heads should think about where money can be saved.
“It will be important to basically not to purchase anything that’s not absolutely necessary,” Broaddus said.
She said a meeting will be held next week with Marshal Larry Cearley, Judge Robert Serna, Joint Utilities Director Steve Bailey, and Deputy Clerk Carleen Gomez “to look a budget to see where we can tighten things up.”
In other business:
• Mayor Jim Wolfe said he has gotten word that FEMA will be using a photographic map and topographical information “to move ahead with its flood plain study and drainage management plan. It’s a pretty comprehensive study.” He said the purpose was to provide flood insurance for people inside the flood plain, at a cheaper rate.
• The board voted to table the first reading of an ordinance to vacate a portion of 12th Street.
• The board approved a request by Cearley to spend $3,000 for EMT training for three new EMS volunteers.
• The board approved the expenditure of $1,909 from the Lodger’s Tax fund to advertise the village in the travel publication Old West Trails.
County Takes ‘Baby Steps’
By John Severance
VEGUITA -- The citizens of Northern Socorro County came out in full force Tuesday night and safe to say, most of them left pretty happy.
With a standing-room only crowd at the Northern Socorro Senior Center looking on, the Socorro County Commission approved Ordinance 2009-09, which was an abatement ordinance. The vote was close with Daniel Monette, Rumaldo Griego and Phillip Anaya voting for it and Rosalind Tripp and Juan Jose Gutierrez voting against it.
After the vote, almost everybody stood up and cheered.
The ordinance addressed the problem of abandoned and substandard mobile and manufactured homes in Socorro County.
Residents detailed their stories to the commissioners about the abandoned mobile homes. They said drug dealers are moving into the area, children are playing in the abandoned structures and gang members are setting fire to the abandoned homes as well.
“It sounds like a horror story but we live it every day,” resident Gwynanne Walker told the commissioners.
The sticking point, not surprisingly, was funding.
“It’s a much-needed ordinance and I like it,” Tripp said. “But in all good conscience, I can’t vote for it. I look at it as an unmandated ordinance. We don’t have the funding.”
“Where are we going to start?” Gutierrez said. “If you start up here, they are going to jump on me out west. … It’s a good ordinance. I will vote for it as soon as we get the funding.”
County manager Delilah Walsh said: “I have reviewed the ordinance and I do feel it meets a need in Socorro County. It is well written and an excellent process. However, my concern is that we do not have funding available to meet the requirements to implement this ordinance. The Fire Marshall’s office has also reviewed the ordinance and recognizes that they can perform the duties called for in the ordinance, but it would require more staffing. We did not budget for staffing in the fiscal year of 2009-10.”
Walsh said an abatement would cost the county between $5,000 and $7,000 per structure.
The three commissioners, who voted for the ordinance, stressed they would take baby steps in working with the ordinance.
The ordinance will take effect on Dec. 12. Monette said it probably will take six to seven months to come up with the rules and regulations to enforce the ordinance. And in the meantime, he said budget meetings for the next fiscal year will be held in March and Walsh also can work on coming up with the grant money to pay for the project.
“It will be a year before anything happens,” Monette said after the meeting. “It will take six to 12 months to come up with the regulations. But I am hoping they can go out and start to red flag some of these places.
“It’s a mess up here. There are rodents, meth labs, tire dumps, you name it. We have to do something.”
“We need something like this in place,” Anaya said. “These are baby steps for us. But I want to thank you people for coming out because you are truly taking some big steps.”
Griego said: “We have to take baby steps and start with the abandoned trailers and once we get some money, we can take those baby steps. Maybe in seven or eight years, we will have the county that we had 20 to 30 years ago.”
Enforcement will lie with the county fire marshal and the sheriff’s office.
“I have no inspectors in my office,” fire marshal Fred Hollis said. “I think it’s a great ordinance and one of these days, we will get some funding and we can do something about this. It’s good, and it’s needed. We need to find money to support the ordinance and it will be a tough ordinance to enforce.”
Later while giving his department news to the commission and most of the crowd had left, Hollis said, “Thank you for passing this ordinance. People are going to get mad because we can’t enforce this ordinance and they are going to throw rocks at me. I’m a big target.”
Sheriff Philip Montoya also was on hand and he said that he has four openings for deputy positions.
“I think it’s something that is needed. We just have to find a way to fund it,” Montoya said.
After the commission finished with their regular business, it went into executive session for about a minute to discuss the union arbitration decision and a collective bargaining agreement.
The commissioners came back out and immediately went back into general session and passed the collective bargaining agreement with the NMCPSO/CWA Local 7911/SSDA, which is the union representing the sheriff deputies association.
“This was the county’s last offer and the arbitrator accepted the offer in full,” said Walsh.
Negotiations had been going on for the past two or so years.
Among the highlights of the agreement:
• Article 2 B – “If the bargaining unit is below eight (8) employees or fails to have a majority membership, the County will cease fair share deductions.”
• Article Section 20 – overtime calculation has been returned FLSA statndard which is hours worked count for overtime. “Vacation or Compensatory time is not time worked and shall not be counted as time worked for the purpose of overtime calculation.”
• Every bargaining unit employee got at least a dollar per hour raise or more.
In other business, the commission:
* Considered publication of a Community Development Ordinance.
* Approved Resolution 2009-72, which is a timekeeping policy.
* Approved a retail advertising agreement with the El Defensor Chieftain.
* Approved JPA with EMNRD, which involved wildland fire protection and suppression.
* Approved a grant agreement with the NMDHS&EM, which would buy emergency generators for the Alamo,
* Approved a MOA with FEMA and a MOU with the USDA Forest Service Service.
* A motion did not carry that would have considered a sponsorship request for $500 to the Merry-Achi Christmas.
* Appointed Monette to the RPO Policy Committee and Walsh will be the alternate.
Fighting The Water Grab
The San Agustin Water Coalition hosted an informational meeting for the public Tuesday, Nov. 10 at the Magdalena Public Library. Speakers Bruce Frederick, attorney with the New Mexico Environmental Law Center (left) and groundwater hydrologist Frank Titus spoke on the delicate hydrogeology of the San Agustin Plains. Titus, a former New Mexico Tech professor, spelled out the possible environmental damage to the southwestern portion of the state should the water grab proposed San Augustin Ranch LLC – owned by Italian businessman Bruno Modena - be approved by John D’Antonio, the State Engineer. The meeting was attended by 45 residents from Magdalena and Catron County.
Magdalena Marshal's Blotter
Information for the following items was provided by the Magdalena Marshal’s office.
Oct. 26
An officer stopped a pickup with no headlights on at 7:15 p.m. on Highway 107 at mile marker 38. The driver was arrested for DWI offense number three, and blew a .12 blood alcohol content (BAC) level. The suspect was taken to the Socorro County Detention Center.
A driver with Colorado plates was stopped at 7:55 p.m. for speeding on First Street. He stated that he had consumed 10 beers and had eaten dinner while traveling on Interstate 25 and Highway 60. It was his first DWI, and he was transported to the detention center in Socorro.
Oct. 30
An officer stopped a subject at 9:23 p.m. in the alley between First and Second streets who was reported by someone to be intoxicated. He was arrested for DWI and taken to the Marshal’s office where he blew a .24 BAC level. Then he was hauled off to jail.
Oct. 31
An officer answered a report at 5 p.m. of an intoxicated subject at Fourth and Spruce streets. The subject was stopped, and it was learned he was wanted by Border Patrol officers. He was charged with public nuisance and for being intoxicated. He was transported to the county jail.
Nov. 4
A vehicle was stopped at 11:20 a.m. for going 38 in a 30 mile zone near the corner of First and Cedar. The driver was arrested on an outstanding warrant from Magistrate Court. And cited for speeding.
Nov. 7
An officer spotted a vehicle at 1:18 a.m. parked on Spruce Street with its headlights on. Upon investigating the officer found an intoxicated male driver behind the wheel. He was taken to the Marshal’s Office where he blew a .10 BAC level. He was then taken to the Socorro County Detention Center.
While conducting a checkpoint at 3:39 p.m. and officer arrested a man for DWI. He was taken to the Marshal’s Office and blew a .13 BAC level. He was taken to the Socorro County Detention Center.
An officer pulled over a vehicle at 8:35 p.m. on Kelly Road after he was almost struck by the vehicle. The driver was arrested for DWI and taken to the Marshal’s Office where he blew a .15 BAC level. He was taken to the Socorro County Detention Center.
Oct. 26
An officer stopped a pickup with no headlights on at 7:15 p.m. on Highway 107 at mile marker 38. The driver was arrested for DWI offense number three, and blew a .12 blood alcohol content (BAC) level. The suspect was taken to the Socorro County Detention Center.
A driver with Colorado plates was stopped at 7:55 p.m. for speeding on First Street. He stated that he had consumed 10 beers and had eaten dinner while traveling on Interstate 25 and Highway 60. It was his first DWI, and he was transported to the detention center in Socorro.
Oct. 30
An officer stopped a subject at 9:23 p.m. in the alley between First and Second streets who was reported by someone to be intoxicated. He was arrested for DWI and taken to the Marshal’s office where he blew a .24 BAC level. Then he was hauled off to jail.
Oct. 31
An officer answered a report at 5 p.m. of an intoxicated subject at Fourth and Spruce streets. The subject was stopped, and it was learned he was wanted by Border Patrol officers. He was charged with public nuisance and for being intoxicated. He was transported to the county jail.
Nov. 4
A vehicle was stopped at 11:20 a.m. for going 38 in a 30 mile zone near the corner of First and Cedar. The driver was arrested on an outstanding warrant from Magistrate Court. And cited for speeding.
Nov. 7
An officer spotted a vehicle at 1:18 a.m. parked on Spruce Street with its headlights on. Upon investigating the officer found an intoxicated male driver behind the wheel. He was taken to the Marshal’s Office where he blew a .10 BAC level. He was then taken to the Socorro County Detention Center.
While conducting a checkpoint at 3:39 p.m. and officer arrested a man for DWI. He was taken to the Marshal’s Office and blew a .13 BAC level. He was taken to the Socorro County Detention Center.
An officer pulled over a vehicle at 8:35 p.m. on Kelly Road after he was almost struck by the vehicle. The driver was arrested for DWI and taken to the Marshal’s Office where he blew a .15 BAC level. He was taken to the Socorro County Detention Center.
OPINION: Chicanery, Darkness Were Their Stoutest Allies
The Pencil Warrior
by Dave Wheelock
by Dave Wheelock
Even as recent announcements proclaimed the technical end of the Great Recession for Wall Street, the rate of unemployment in the United States passed the 10 percent mark, reflecting a level of misery our local California Street had not borne since 1983.
Even as they scramble to save their jobs, their homes, and their health in a new reality, it’s a safe bet millions of Americans don’t honestly know what hit them this past year. Enter Thomas Greene and his merry men, the latest champions of the people’s business.
Without a thorough and truthful finding of the whats-whos-whens-wheres-whys and hows surrounding this past year of woe, we will remain helpless to prevent future economic catastrophes, warnings of which are already beginning to surface in the business press.
And for those with an understanding that “something is very rotten in Denmark,” this nation’s spirit – let alone its economy - will have taken a hit from which it may not recover.
The last president, who presided happily over the final sacking of Wall Street, used vague and hollow language to cover his backside until he could scurry out of town: “We've seen triple-digit swings in the stock market. Major financial institutions have teetered on the edge of collapse, and some have failed. As uncertainty has grown, many banks have restricted lending, credit markets have frozen, and families and businesses have found it harder to borrow money.”
A patch of bad luck I guess, heh heh.
Make no mistake about it, this was a crime.
In fact, it was a crime wave, arguably the biggest in all of white-collar crime wave history. And that’s saying something.
The last time something like this happened, the American people put two and two together and pressured President Herbert Hoover to appoint an investigatory commission that came to be known by the name of its chief counsel, Ferdinand Pecora.
The investigation into the 1929 crash of Wall Street proceeded from April 1932 until Pecora submitted his findings in May 1934. Equipped with full power to compel records and testimony from anyone it chose, the Pecora Commission provided the reading public with frequent fireworks, such as the confession under oath by J.P. Morgan and other Wall Street titans that they had not paid a dime in income taxes for two years.
The Pecora Commission contributed specific information about systematic corruption in the stock market, showing how those at the top took full advantage of the hidden nature of their transactions.
“Had there been full disclosure of what was being done in furtherance of these schemes, they could not long have survived the fierce light of publicity and criticism. Legal chicanery and pitch darkness were the banker's stoutest allies" Pecora wrote in his memoir, Wall Street Under Oath.
Materially, the Pecora Commissioned supplied the political will for the birth of the banksters’ worst nightmare: major legislation such as the Glass-Steagall Banking Act to separate commercial and investment banking, the Securities Act to set penalties for filing false information about stock offerings, and the Securities Exchange Act, which formed the Securities and Exchange Commission to regulate the stock exchanges.
It is instructive to consider that financial lobbyists and like-minded members of Congress have attacked, weakened, and in the case of Glass-Steagall, abolished all of this controlling legislation in the decades since the 1930s.
On May 20, 2009, President Barack Obama signed into creation the Financial Crisis Investigation Commission, with a final report to Congress due on December 15, 2010.
Ominously, where the Pecora Commission was allowed over two years to make its report, it has taken until this fall just to appoint commissioners and organize a staff under the direction of Thomas Greene, a veteran of the California Attorney General’s office.
It remains to be seen whether Greene and Co. can navigate the intense pushback he will encounter if the trail leads to very high places and – you heard it here first - it most assuredly will.
This will also be yet another defining test for the new president. One needs look no further than his own financial team, including Obama's chief economic adviser and the secretaries of the Treasury and Federal Reserve Bank, to find major players in the Wall Street scam that has cost us so dearly.
Citizens have a right to demand a complete reform of the system that is so obviously broken.
As I write, the exact same “too big to fail” bankers go merrily on their way, utilizing the same derivatives, the same credit default swaps, insider information, campaign donations, lobbying firms, and above all, secrecy - that landed us where we are today.
Just as the crusaders of the free market tore down protections against their greed, so must we expose and destroy forever their tools of deceit and ruin.
Dave Wheelock, a member of the Oneida Nation living in Socorro, suggests a look at NewDeal20.org. Mr. Wheelock's views do not necessarily represent those of the Mountain Mail.
OPINION: The Hurrier I Am, The Behinder I Get
Magdalena Potluck
by Margaret Wiltshire
by Margaret Wiltshire
This is a version of a Pennsylvania Dutch (German-American) folk wisdom. It’s similar to the carpenter’s “measure twice, cut once”. Things done in a hurry often need to be redone. When I was young enough for quickness, I resented being reminded of this. I’m much slower today, use to being behind in my efforts. Now I think it is a fine piece of wisdom.
One thing I noticed and still value about this expression, besides the “cute” misuse of the language, is the responsibility taking. It doesn’t say, you hurry, and you’ll mess up and that makes you a blah, blah, blah...
It has empathy. Anyone who hurries may mess up, just like I do, and I wish better for you. The hurrier I go, the behinder I get (I hope we do better). It’s firm, inclusive, and not abusive.
Believe me, if you heard this in the Pennsylvania and Upstate New York dairy farming country, it is a serious suggestion.
In this modern American country we get our folk wisdom from many different cultures. We pick up meaningful oral wisdom, or not wisdom, from movies, books, tv and among our friends and family.
“Use the force”, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn”, “Can’t we all just get along” , “Be Good” and “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’ll get.” There was “where’s the beef?” and now we will probably be hearing “My name is ram and my tank’s full.” Don’t forget, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it any more.” So it goes.
We are a complex society, with a sense of humor.
These “folk” sayings often put a smile on our faces. Yet we often use them with a greater, deeper meaning. If it is written by an Ad person or a film script writer, it doesn’t matter.
When we the people choose them, repeat them, they become our folk wisdom and cultural statements.
Sometimes however, things just “stick in my crawl” and are “hard to swallow” , “gag me with a spoon” and I just want to “spit it back out”. Or I just “can’t digest it.”
More folk wisdom.
“Trust your gut.” “A spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down.” “Take it with a grain of salt.”
It doesn’t always “ring true” that we in the United States want “liberty and justice for all”.
As a people, we always want to make things better, or as GE once said, “Bring Good Things to Life”. Something we all seem to have in common, we want life to be good. When it is not, we want to say something about it.
Before life was a box of chocolates, life was a jigsaw puzzle. Where that came from was before my time. As a kid, I thought life was meant to be a box of chocolates. The jigsaw puzzle thing didn’t mean much to me. How things change.
The bad news is life is like a box of chocolates and many of us have had too many.
The good news is life is a jigsaw puzzle. We are each one piece of many. When we are connected, as we are meant to be, we are whole.
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