Bridges versus Walls

“There are 2 kinds of people in the world.  

Those who build bridges, and those who build walls.  

America has always favored the builders of bridges.”

Jack M. Campbell

Governor of New Mexico

September 10, 1965

Rio Grande Gorge Bridge Dedication

Taos, New Mexico

Happy Cabinet

The Washington Post printed this photograph Saturday morning.  Those happy faces belong to members of President Trump's cabinet who were assembled along the porch of The White House when POTUS (President Of The United States) threw in the towel on his grand scheme to get money for that wall.

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Lobbying Advice for Movie Industry

Shooting films, commercials and TV series in Albuquerque and New Mexico has been a real home run.

Let's not spoil it!

There's a great deal of talk in the halls of the merry roundhouse up in Santa Fe about the level of commitment there is for development of the "movie" industry in the Land of Enchantment.

There have been some spectacular winners in the last few years that have helped make our state and its communities a "little Hollywood". 

Think Breaking Bad.

Think Better Call Saul.

Think No Country for Old Men.

Think The Lone Ranger.

Those are just a few of the productions that decided to "shoot" in New Mexico. 

There is consternation in the capital because most production companies benefit from a fund of money that provides rebates for certain expenses that occur during those shoots.

And the aim is at the "liberal elite" big time movie houses who produce the films.

"Why should we line the pockets of the rich?"

Well, I know of a couple Albuquerque based businesses that are benefiting from those rebates.  A couple are spectacular successes that continue to hire folks to drive trucks, edit in a darkened studio, or serve a doughnut at the craft services tent.

Folks, those are our fellow New Mexicans who are working, they're paying taxes every time they cash a check - and we should be thankful.

They're working.

The movie industry would do well to focus their lobbying attention in Santa Fe on the impact these shoots have.

Tell the lawmakers about the store owner or restaurant operator in Las Cruces that sold something to or made a meal for Clint Eastwood.

Tell the lawmakers about the real estate deal that just went down when one of those visiting Hollywood types decided to buy a house.

Show the lawmakers a picture of the parking lot at I-25 Studios, when a production is underway and there's no place to park because of all the folks that are working.  Check the license plates on those vehicles.  Nearly all from New Mexico.

It's a good story.  It's not just the Hollywood elite that are benefiting from the movie project.  (And so what if it is, they're still spending lots of dough in our towns.)

It's all of us that benefit from "the movies"!

Raley's, Walmart, Hastings packed up & left

This at at the intersection of Wyoming & Montgomery.

Time was when the "Hobby Lobby" store was occupied.  HL moved up the street into a vacant property that once housed a K-Mart.  The K-Mart closed.  Before Hobby Lobby, it was a WalMart.  There are other WalMart's within 2 miles. 

In the middle, Hastings.  Remember, they sold books & videos.

They just went bye-bye.

And, on the far right once was a Raleys Supermarket - then they pulled out of town and in the process the grocery store went away.  Then it was the Thomasville Furniture and most recently it's been filled with Halloween Spirits. 

With all the talk of economic progress - it's hard to look at these empty buildings.  

One wonders - the future holds?  

This photo looks like some of those abandoned in an out-of-the-way place in America. 

There's talk every day about the decay of rural America.  Well - it's all relative.

I've said, folks left Roy for the big city of Las Vegas - and folks left Las Vegas for Santa Fe and Albuquerque - and folks are leaving Albuquerque for Dallas, Denver, Phoenix.

What's missing in this photograph?  A tumbling tumbleweed!

Wait 'til March. 

Ze Plane New Mexico needs ze plane

Many of us recall the beginning of Fantasy Island - when the plane arrived carrying the new island guests.

Ze Plane...Boss..Ze plane

Well, New Mexico needs ze plane!

For that reason I offer the following unsolicited (and maybe unwanted) advice for the new Governor of New Mexico:

GET AN AIRPLANE

As much as you hate flying in them, figure out some way for some state agency to own and operate, and at your disposal an airplane with multi-engines and pressurized and capable of carrying at least 8 passengers.  

Now, I'm not talking about some National Guard, Game & Fish, Transportation Department survey plane.  I'm talking about a King Air.  It could safely get you from Santa Fe to any location in New Mexico in an hour or less, and get you to adjoining state capitals in less than two hours.   

Selling that jet might have been appropriate when Susana took over – but she should have replaced it.  New Mexico is just too big to drive from one corner to the other in one day. 

Besides, the Governor needs to have some class!

When I was just a lowly TV reporter in the days of Governor Cargo and Governor King, they made frequent use of a plane operated by the Oil Conservation Commission.  It was a Beechcraft Queen Air - with the tail sign 834-Quebec.  Don't ask why I remember, I just do.

It was not pressurized.

I have a story about that airplane.   I always made it a habit of flying in the co-pilot seat (because I liked it, and probably because the pilot wanted a little more weight in the front of the plane, to better balance it for takeoff, flight and landing.

Anyway  we were headed home.  The passengers in the back of the plane were pretty chatty, and the pilot didn't like that.  He turned to the cabin, faced the passengers and warned of possible thunderstorms ahead. He advised he's be climbing to a higher altitude.

There were no thunderstorms. 

The additional altitude would reduce the amount of oxygen, which reduced the bodily functions and often times brings about a bit of drowsiness.  

The pilot then turned to me, suggested we don the oxygen masks - and he proceed to climb to a higher altitude.  All the while it got quieter and quieter in the cabin behind us.

As we descended into Santa Fe the drowsiness wire off and all was right with the world.  

Here’s my suggestion about the type of plane our Governor should be traveling the state in (pardon ending the sentence with a preposition!)  They’re still in production today.  Not this plane, it's too old and in a museum - but this type of airplane.

The U.S. Air Force purchased a standard Beechcraft King Air with a special VIP interior, designated as the VC-6A, to support President Lyndon B. Johnson and his family. The aircraft was faster and more agile than other light transport aircraft and featured full pressurization for comfort at high altitudes. Other special features included all-weather navigation, de-icing equipment and reversible propellers that allowed the aircraft to land on very short runways.

 Here’s the link to the Beechcraft website 

Go Shopping!

Unsubscribe time

As part of the 2019 cleaning, I'm going through the process of "unsubscribing" to a number of the e-mails.

It seems to me there is something asunder here.

When it comes time to sign up to receive the electronic messages, notifications are sent almost immediately, followed by the messages.

However, when it's time to "unsubscribe" there is a note that indicates it may take up to 20 days to unsubscribe.

Wonder why that is?   Isn't it all done by bots and algorithms?

Woof..Woof..Woof

The clarion call for fans of the University of New Mexico is, holding the thumb against the 2 middle fingers, pointing the "pointer and pinky" into the air and yelling

Woof ...Woof...Woof

Then, I thought about it.  

The UNM mascot is a lobo.

From a PBS story:

In 1893, a bounty hunter named Ernest Thompson Seton journeyed to the untamed canyons of New Mexico on a mission to kill a dangerous outlaw. Feared by ranchers throughout the region, the outlaw wasn’t a pistol-packing cowboy or train-robbing bandit. The outlaw was a wolf.

Lobo, as locals simply called him, was the legendary leader of a band of cattle-killing wolves that had been terrorizing cattle ranchers and their livestock. Known as the “King of the Currumpaw,” Lobo seemingly had a mythical ability to cheat death, eluding the traps that ranchers had set for him throughout the countryside.

It was up to Seton, a naturalist as well as a professional animal trapper, to exterminate this “super-wolf.” The ensuing battle of wits between wolf and man would spark a real-life wilderness drama, the outcome of which would leave a lasting effect on a new and growing movement in America: wilderness preservation.

Hmmmmmmmm!

So, maybe I've been wrong all along.  Maybe the call isn't "Woof...Woof...Woof" -  it's "Wolf...Wolf...Wolf".

In Dreamstyle Arena - The Pit - on Saturday night, January 5, 2019 - the University of New Mexico Lobos played host to the University of Nevada - Reno --- Wolfpack!

The New Mexico Lobos sent the Nevada wolves packin!

It was the first defeat for "the wolfpack" from that Nevada city this year.

Woof...Woof...Woof!

Our New Mexico wolves had best be ready...'cause I think those Nevada wolves are going to be really hungry when the Lobos visit the Biggest Little City in the World, in about a month!

Mr. Trump, not everyone!

There's a report out today that Donald Trump says everyone wants border security except for  "drug dealers, human traffickers and criminals." 

You've opened your mouth, or twitched your fingers again, and guess what, you're lying!

"Everyone" - would include me, and some of my friends.     

Well, I'm not a drug dealer, human trafficker or a criminal - nor do I think my friend are.

We all want "Border Security", but we don't want the wall - or anything that looks like it!

Go play golf!

Watch No More - Switcheroos

When the cold weather restricts outside activity - and the political winds are swirling about - those of us who are interested in (or care about) the happenings in our governments are sentenced to watching a continuing stream of talking heads on TV.

Some of those heads are program hosts.  Some of those heads are our elected leaders.  Some of those heads are paid to be there.

With nothing taken into consideration about who gets paid, and who doesn't - I offer this word of advice.

These people are full of it - and more often than not their appearance is cause for me to do the switcheroo.  In no particular order, these folks have said enough:

#1 switcheroo - Rick Santorum.  This former United States Senator is so full of it.  His lips are tinged with the behind of POTUS.  He just needs to shut up and go home!

#2 switcheroo - POTUS.  'nuff said.

#3 switcheroo - Bernie Sanders

#4 switcheroo - Elizabeth Warren

#5 switcheroo - Lou Dobbs, Sean Hannity - although I've never watched them.

#6 switcheroo - Ari Fleisher

And, most of the local talk radio hosts.

Happy News Year 2019

It's a new year, and a fresh start in our lowly Land of Enchantment.

I'm going to try harder to post stuff on a much more regular basis - some of which will be meaningful to you - some of which is just on a whim - and some which hopefully will result in civil discourse about our times, our people, our state, our city and our country.  Even our world.

To start the discussion - and I promise this won't be the sole purpose of these entries - I present for your information, a story that has appeared on Bloomberg News.

Believe me, it's worth reading.  Very interesting - and more interesting to me because some of my kinfolk come from this part of the world...

Happy New Year!