NewMexicoMatters.com

More Cases Of GrubeSickness Reported. Dem leaders reluctant to chastise freshmen fool

In classic Terrellian style, the Santa Fe New Mexican's long time political columnist provides readers some good quotes and new information that hint at the presence of a sense of humor (or outrage) one must have when covering our elected officials.

Terrell is the kind of guy that's just as interested in the goo goo dolls as he is in politics making me think he enjoys the benefits of a disconnected sense of humor. I'm cursed with the outrage.

Gov. Bill Richardson, who appeared with Grubesic at a news conference about an unrelated matter last week, did not want to comment on the latest Grubesic incident, a spokesman said. Richardson has been criticized in the past for ordering his state police drivers to speed, though the governor recently said he no longer would do that.

But the chairman of the state Democratic Party had a thinly veiled suggestion for the senator. 

A spokesman for John Wertheim, in an e-mail statement, wrote: "Chairman Wertheim grew up in Santa Fe and considers Senator Grubesic a good friend. (Wertheim) is willing to pick up the tab at Blockbuster if the Senator chooses to rent a certain movie starring Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson."

Spokesman Matt Farrauto confirmed the film in question is Anger Management.


OK, I'll give the Gov a pass on this one since Big BIll went on the record during the session when Grubesic flipped to tell reporters he didn't think Sen. John Grubesic should get referential treatment. "It's unfortunate what happened," Richardson said. "I want to be sure that just because somebody's a public official, a senator, a judge or a governor, that nobody gets preferential treatment."

Assuming the Governor's comments are still operative, let's move onto the oh so clever comments of the Wertheim and Co. who once again reminded us that John grew up in Santa Fe, or is it little texas, and that his familial connections make him valueble in dealing with the likes of Grubesic , who he knows from childhood and considers a friend for whom he'd be willing to rent the movie anger management . I suppose this is a cute way of suggesting that Grubesic tone it down? Anger Management? Come on. This guy is almost the Democratic version of Greg Payne. (this website is classic)

This is the second time this year in which police had problems with Sen. Grubesic at his home. 

In March, while the Legislature was still in session, the senator lost control of his sport-utility vehicle and overturned it on Star Vista Road but told an officer that an unknown person had wrecked the SUV. Sen. Grubesic later admitted he lied to police. However, when interviewed by an Associated Press reporter, he claimed he had told police the truth from the beginning.

Like the confrontation this week, in the March incident, police first encountered the senator's wife, who said she didn't know whether her husband was home. Police later saw the senator through a window. 

He was cited for careless driving. He later pleaded guilty and paid a $175 fine.

The senator apparently wasn't straight with state police that night in March about two handguns found in the overturned SUV. He claimed the firearms weren't his, though he didn't identify the owner.

However, state Public Safety Department spokesman Peter Olson said Thursday that a few days after that incident, Sen. Grubesic came to claim the guns, saying they were his. Police released the guns to him.

Except for recent speeding incidents, Cobau said, she has nothing against the senator. "He's a good neighbor -- except when he's in his car," she said.

Yeah, he's a good guy except when he's driving or when he's talking to the police, to whom he has no problem lying, screaming profanities or verbally assaulting. Not only is Grubesic's behavior inconsistent with the high standard of conduct that we as New Mexican's expect from our community and state leaders, but it's inconsistent with the values of the Democratic Party and the Republican Part for that matter. This guy is behaving like a jerk that's not only above the law of decency towards one's neighbors, but more shockingly, operates with an apparent contempt for law enforcement officials makes me wonder what would happen if a constituent walked in to his office during the session to complain about how he voted on a particular bill. What sort of contempt does he have for regular citizens?

Sheriff Darren White: Defender of the Democratic Process ?

During a late night perusal of some of the NM blogs, I came across Mario Burgos's entry "Who are the REAL Criminals", in which Burgos states that "ACORN encourages fraud in its petition drive practices and then pretends to be innocent." Referencing Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White's recent comments to the abqjournal's Dan McKay, that appeared in a July 26th article, "Suspect in Minimum Wage Petition Forgery Has ACORN Tie," Burgos rails against the community organizing group for providing a financial incentive for petition gatherers to collect as many signatures as possible, regardless of their quality.

My initial response upon reading Burgos' blog was the same as it had been when I first read McKay's article in the journal: Why is Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White investigating an issue involving a city election? Maybe because County Commissioner Tim Cummins had his name supposedly forged? But this is just speculation. I would have thought McKay might have asked White such a question.

My second reaction isn't that different from Burgos'. There is something frustrating about our state's guidelines for the petition process; all it takes is turning in double the number of signatures required, and when you have sufficient funds to pay per signature, though you may end up with a large number of forgeries, the result is almost always the same as having real signatures-getting on the ballot. In fact, this is why the Republicans bank rolled the Nader petition drive and candidacy last summer. The Republicans knew that if they spent enough money on hiring signature collectors and turned in double or more than the number required, even if half were fake (maybe more than half), it wouldn't matter because the Secretary of State wouldn't have the resources to check the validity of each signature. In the case of the city clerk, I'm sure they can't disprove each signature either. Although, it would be to Marty's advantage if the Clerk was able to get the Living Wage off the ballot.

My third thought is where's the Democratic advocate for honesty in the process of collecting signatures? Petition forgery is an issue that bites democrats on as frequent a basis as Republicans, and for some reason there isn't a counter voice to the Sheriff. And when I say counter, I don't mean somebody that would just jump out there to disagree with White, but rather to argue for the integrity of the process from the inclusive philosophy of the Democratic party's viewpoint. In the absence of such a voice, the Dems silence could be interpreted as accepting ACORN's questionable practices simply because the party supports the issue of a fair wage. The question is whether we are willing to get a fair wage through unfair practices?

Getting Sick of Grubesic

In what can only be described as another sad chapter in the increasingly disappointing term of State Sen. John Grubesic, who during the 2005 legislative session somehow flipped his vehicle after a late night at the legislature and then according to KRQE news 13, lied to to state police as to who had been driving the vehicle at the time of the incident, Henry Lopez of the Santa Fe New Mexican reported today that Grubesic is facing more contention over his driving

.

Maloney's Now Serving Baloney

Over the weekend I spent some more time thinking about the alleged beating of Dr. Vincent Moss of New York City by APD Officer Allen Hancock. The known chain of events as of this writing are as follows:

Vincent Moss, an Army Reserve Major and heart surgeon on sabbatical from his practice in New York City had come to New Mexico to perform work for Native New Mexicans in the Gallup area...oh and Vincent Moss is black.

Early last week, according to articles published in the AbqJournal, Moss was arrested outside of Maloney's Tavern in downtown Albuquerque by APD officer Allen Hancock for refusing to obey an officer and disorderly conduct. The following account of events was reported in T.J. Wilham's article of July 20th, 2005

While at the tavern, Moss said he tried for 30 minutes to get served but that all of the bartenders ignored him. At one point he reached over the bar and touched the bartender's arm to get his attention, he said.
The bartender got angry, and eventually Moss went outside to talk to Buehring.
While the two were arguing over Moss' treatment, Albuquerque police officers saw the dispute and stood next to the bar manager.
Once the dispute calmed down, Moss said Buehring went back inside to see if Moss had left his credit card at the bar.
The manager took his identification. Moss said he started to follow the manager inside but was stopped by APD officers who grabbed the back of his shirt.
Moss said he introduced himself as a physician and the officer yelled at him to back up.
Moss said the officer pushed him in the chest as though the officer was being attacked, and then forced him to the ground and cuffed him.
When he was taken down, his shoulder separated and he started screaming for help.

During his arrest, Mr. Moss said that APD officers called him "boy" and "At one point...mocked him, saying "I'm not a heart surgeon, but I stayed at a holiday inn last night."
In an account that appeared in the same article excerpted above, the General Manager of Maloney's Tavern, David Buehring, reportedly stated that the arresting officers had acted professionally given that Moss had been aggressive with his staff and resisted arrest.

Buehring told the Journal on Tuesday that he disagreed with Moss' version of the story. He said Moss was aggressive toward him and his bartenders. He said that after talking with Moss outside the tavern he told him not to come back into the bar, and that is why police officers intervened.
Buehring also showed the Journal video from a surveillance camera, which recorded only a small portion of the incident.
Buehring appears to be backing up while talking to Moss. The tape shows Moss being grabbed by Albuquerque police, but after being taken away from the tavern's entrance, Moss and the officers go off camera.
"As assertive and aggressive he was, what happened would have happened regardless if APD was there or not," said Buehring, who walked back outside with Moss's identification just in time to see the incident. "The officers acted appropriately and professionally."
Buehring said Moss was fighting with officers during the arrest and that his injuries were due to him "resisting."
After being cuffed, Buehring said Moss acted like a "hypochondriac" and "everything started to hurt." -T.J.'s July 20th article.

On Friday July 22nd, 2005 the AbqJournal published an AP piece stating that one of the arresting officers, Allen Hancock, was also named in a 1998 federal lawsuit that alleged Hancock crushed a man's hand with his foot during a traffic stop and that that man was black as well. The AP piece, which essentially reported on an article that originally ran in the Tribune, continued stating that:

Hancock was named in another 1998 federal lawsuit alleging he refused to let a Hispanic man tend his wife after her head was cut when she was knocked down by another officer. The lawsuit alleges Hancock made the man take four blood-alcohol tests that all were within the legal limit, so Hancock broke the device and charged the man with DWI.
The man was found not guilty, and the lawsuit was settled and dismissed in 1999. The Tribune said attorneys in the case could not confirm what the city paid.

In a follow up piece that appeared in the Journal on Saturday, Journal Staff Writer Jeff Proctor reported that during traffic stop that ultimately led to the federal lawsuit,

Hancock "continued to crush the plaintiff's hand even after hearing that police dispatch confirmed that plaintiff was not a criminal suspect," according to the suit.
The case, which named another APD officer, was settled out of court. Philip Davis, who represented the plaintiff, said the monetary settlement was substantial.
"My client felt justice was served," he said.

The second suit stems from a January 1998 incident in which Hancock allegedly refused to allow a man to help his injured wife, who another officer had punched in the face.
Hancock is named as one of 15 police officers accused of using excessive force during an anti-war protest at the University of New Mexico in March 2003.
The fourth suit names Hancock, 18 other APD officers and four Rio Rancho Department of Public Safety officers in a June 2003 incident.
That suit claims the officers threw plastic grenades into the South Valley home of an elderly woman and her daughter.
The officers ordered the women to the ground and injured both of them, the suit states. Nothing illegal was found in the home.
"Any crisis event you are assigned to could find its way into the judicial system," said John Walsh, an APD spokesman.

I apologize for making you read all this to get to the bottom line, which I suppose I could have delivered in the opening paragraph. And to my own surprise, the bottom line is not that I Hancock is guilty, even though his prior record suggests a propensity for behavior consistent with Dr. Moss's account. No, the bottom line is that the only people who actually know happened that night are Dr. Moss, the officers involved and David Buehring, General Manager of Maloney's Tavern. However we know that Mr. Buehring went back into the bar and did not see the events leading up to Mr. Moss's arrest and that the video tape Mr. Buehring showed T.J. Wilham didn't show what happened outside the camera's view.

None the less, Mr. Buehring feels confident enough to say "what happened would have happened regardless if APD was there or not," and that "the officers acted appropriately and professionally." The Bottom Line is that Buehring's comments are troubling. What the hell does he mean that what happened would have happened if APD had been there or not? Are we to infer that Mr. Buehring would have separated Mr. Moss's shoulder and given him a black eye? If not Mr. Buehring, one of his bouncers? On what grounds? Why couldn't a black man get a drink for over 30 minutes ? Why does he feel that such forceful action is a professional representation of APD officers. How often is Maloney's the scene of similar incidents ? Does Mr. Buehring know Hancock ?

If Buehring's statement reflect the sentiment and policy of Maloney's Tavern, then I'm not going to frequent that establishment. In fact, I'm boycotting Maloney's...until....hmmm. I don't know, indefinitely.

The Truth Speaks Volumes

The Associated Press has once again provided us with excellent anonymous reporting: APD Officer Named In Other Excessive Force Lawsuits.

The bar's manager said Moss was aggressive and officers acted appropriately.
Police Chief Ray Schultz has asked the city's independent review office to investigate.
One officer listed on the criminal complaint against Moss is Allen Hancock — one of two officers named in a 1998 federal lawsuit that alleged Hancock crushed a man's hand with his foot during a traffic stop, The Albuquerque Tribune reported Friday.
That man, who is black, settled for a "reasonable'' amount, said his attorney, Philip Davis.
The Tribune said Hancock was named in another 1998 federal lawsuit alleging he refused to let a Hispanic man tend his wife after her head was cut when she was knocked down by another officer. The lawsuit alleges Hancock made the man take four blood-alcohol tests that all were within the legal limit, so Hancock broke the device and charged the man with DWI.
The man was found not guilty, and the lawsuit was settled and dismissed in 1999. The Tribune said attorneys in the case could not confirm what the city paid.

......Wow, now why is this not the story that T.J. Wilham got ? I wonder if it's because it would make it harder for him to get to go on ride alongs. But you know who the biggest scum bag is in this whole thing ? The manager of Maloney's who said the cops had behaved appropriately.

Why Good Doctors Are Hard to Find In N.M.

The article on the Albuquerque Journal's website begins as follows:

Doctor: APD Cops Beat Me

By T.J. Wilham
Journal Staff Writer
A New York City heart surgeon who is on a 2-month sabbatical from his practice to help New Mexican Native Americans says he was beaten up, teased and falsely arrested by Albuquerque police at a Downtown tavern.
The tavern manager says police acted appropriately. The officers say Vincent Moss came toward them with his fists balled.
Moss, who is also a major in the U.S. Army reserves and scheduled to go to Iraq in the fall, said he suspects he was treated poorly because he is black.
The physician says he suffered a dislocated shoulder, a bruised eye and cuts to his wrist during the Sunday morning incident in front of Maloney's tavern. He says that after he was cuffed and screaming in pain over his shoulder that officers called him "boy," a "big-time baby" and "drama queen."
At one point, Moss said, one officer mocked him, saying "I am not a heart surgeon, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn last night."
Moss was booked into jail on charges of disorderly conduct and refusing to obey an officer.
The general manager of Maloney's, David Buehring, sided with the police Tuesday, saying they acted professionally. He said Moss was aggressive with his staff and resisted officers.

I don't know Mr. Moss, but what struck me about this article was that while I expected to read a dry account of events as told by Mr. Moss and the officers involved, I instead felt as if the author of the piece was discrediting Mr. Moss's allegations further. Curious as to the identity of the author, I googled T.J. Wilham and learned all about T.J. (This link is particularly entertaining Muncie, Indiana - TheStarPress.com. ) Not only does Mr. Wilham like 3 Doors Down, which is enough for me question any of his reporting, but he is also a "Police Reporter" who claims to keep a fire truck and police car on his desk. I'm not sure if this is why Mr. Wilham made The SWARM'S list on the Duke City Fix, but if it is, then The Swarm is onto something.

Anyhow, after reading all this information on mr Wilham, I went back and re-read the article on Mr. Moss. I wont come right out and say that there were tones of racism. No, that wouldn't be right. Rather, I will only say that the article's tone and lack of skepticism of the police and their version of events made me uncomfortable. Why?

Because, while New Mexico might not be the first state that comes to mind when you think of entrenched racism, the harsh reality is that there's a lot of racism in our state. For some reason, I get this feeling Mr. Moss, a heart surgeon and a Major in the Army had good reason to be pissed off after being ignored for 30 minutes by bar tenders and even more reason to be angry for the way he was treated by the officers.

Blog Watch for Tuesday July 19th, 2005

Open thread commenting on blogs allows anyone to post an unfiltered comment anonymously. My favorite anonymous comment so far this week comes from "Judas" on the DemocracyForNewMexico.com blog under the comments section responding to the announcement that state Rep. Danice Picraux will be appearing on "We The People This Thursday."

Judas writes:

Go the hell back to TX-

People I know this may not be the proper place to address this issue. but please tell me when and where we can address this issue.

We as New Mexicans do not need another TX telling us how to run our party. As from the days of Moses Mercado and the Kerry camp2004, the last thing we need is an outsider a Texan at that telling us what best for NM. People like Texan Joaquin Guerra at the NM state party continue to address our issues as " well thats not how we do it in TX" Well go the hell back to TX Mr. Guerra. The NM people and the party have survived here well before you and TX, and we will be here much longer than you will be in NM.

If Guerra continues to work as a member of the Democratic party we will have the same outcome as when Mr. Mercado did when he was here in 2004.

We dont need texas telling us what to do!

Oh snap !!! Well, I guess if I were going to spice up this comment a little, I might add, "We don't need ANOTHER Texan telling us what to do !"

Sometimes what's not in the blogs is worthy of blogging. After a fairly hard hitting weekend of bad press for the Governor relating to Rio Arriba Magistrate Court Judg, Tommy Rodella's poor judgement when it comes to doing drunk friends in jail favors, I'm suprised that I haven't seen anything on the political fallout from Joe Monahan, the Duke City Fix or even some of the partisan bloggers like Mario. Then again, maybe we've just grown accustomed to reading about elected officials (appointed in the case of Rodella) getting away with behavior unbecoming of a public official.

What You Can Expect From NewMexicoMatters

I'm a non-blogger with a blog . Bloggers with blogs write with a frequency that hovers somewhere between 4 days a week and 4 times a day. Bloggers seem like the kind of people who might write in personal journals. I've found blogging to be like having a dog when living in an apartment- it requires a routine of care and exercise. And though a blog wont take a dump in your living room if ignored for too long a time, it will find ways of reminding you that you haven't been a good blog owner.

But as I said, I'm not a Blogger. I don't write with that kind of frequency (at least not yet). I'm a New Mexican and a proud citizen of the greatest nation on earth- concerned (and more and more frequently angry and saddened) by the state of our state and the course of our country.

So then what's NewMexicoMatters.blogs.com ? It's more than a URL address and its more than the work in progress it may appear to be. NewMexicoMatters.blogs.com is a medium for conveying an idea and conviction.

NewMexicoMatters.blogs.com = New Mexico (Our Majestic State) + Matter(S) =

[noun ]

1 physical substance in general, as distinct from mind and spirit; (in physics) that which occupies space and possesses rest mass, esp. as distinct from energy : the structure and properties of matter.

2 an affair or situation under consideration; a topic : a great deal of work was done on this matter | financial matters.

4 the substance or content of a text as distinct from its manner or form.

verb [ intrans. ] 1 [usu. with negative or in questions ] be of importance; have significance.

I may not write with great frequency, but when I do, you can be certain that the matter at hand is something that I believe to be of sufficient significance to write about and I hope you will find worthy of the time it will take to read.

Still Thinking

...What Matters in New Mexico and how can we get that info to you. New Mexico Matters is in the process of upgrading services to it's 16 regular viewers or 1 person who has visited 16 times this week so far. One way or another, I know that I've only visited 4 times so far this week, so someone out there is reading. Well, when New Mexico Matters makes it big, we wont forget you.