the dot connection in new mexico

The Great Taming of Lead Coal Gathering last Friday, July 15, was the first action I participated in around pedestrian issues. Around 60 folks gathered at a corner of Lead Ave in Albuquerque’s Nob Hill neighborhood, bringing their bikes, their kids, their lawn chairs, and signs to remind the drivers speeding past at highway speeds that people live here, people who want to walk, bike and play safely in their own neighborhood.

The overall feel was that of a neighborhood gathering, which indeed it was. The majority of the participants came from the Nob Hill neighborhood, many living right on Lead and Coal where they daily experience the hazards of life along a major traffic arterial.

I've been doing pretty good with getting around my neighborhood by bike. It's been harder, when I'm neeing to trek out a little further, to make the time to ride the Albuquerque bus. It's so hard to choose what might be an 1 1/2 trip all told when you know it's only 20 minutes by car!

Today I wanted to go to the Patriot Act Town Meeting (www.reformthepatriotact.com) at the Peace and Justice Center (A two bus ride for me), and had plenty of time before and after, so I decided it was a good day to go for it.

It took just under an hour to get to the University area, which gave me time for a pleasant pit stop at El Patio before the meeting. I enjoy riding the bus. It's nice to not be driving and not be hurrying--to have the time and space to just space out. Good people-watching also. It reminded me of what I like so much about riding the subway when I visit my sibs in NYC.

concerning a domestic partner benefits bill and opposing a DOMA, there were a few stellar, supportive democrats (in some key legislative committees), during the new mexico 2005 legislative session. however, should either the DOMA or the domestic partnership bills have made it to the floor, there likely wouldn't have been the needed support from a large enough number of democrats to defeat the DOMA or pass the DP bill. that's why it is amazing and great news (thanks in large part to a few active and devoted queer democrats Robert Adams, Lynn Perls and others) to see that the Democratic Party of New Mexico adopted the following resolution last Sunday:

Genia nailed it! Eric Rudolph is a T E R R O R I S T.

and if you don't follow her SistersTalk, you should. she's right on with most of her commentary!

hmm, after reading this i wonder if the ban of same-sex marriage was motivated by gay rights advocates freaking out that their civil union bill may not pass in the 11th hour or if it really was just bigoted legislators introducing things at the last minute. none-the-less, if you introduced the bill, you always have the ability to pull it. i guess some could argue that it would be a shame to pull a bill after getting it this far. or is it a shame? simply by going with civil unions (instead of marriage equality) it says you're making a compromise. you are saying for now, it's a good thing in order to make forward progress on gaining some rights. but to allow the ban of same-sex marriage in the same bill as your civil unions, may not be such a good idea...i guess we'll see how that plays out in the long run.

i cary my camera and film about every event i go to. it's great -- there's now an amazing amount of film - mostly about gay marriage stuff, but also from some of the early peace marches (before the war). this recent post from the new york times, Videos Challenge Accounts of Convention Unrest makes me really happy. especially these pieces:

A sprawling body of visual evidence, made possible by inexpensive, lightweight cameras in the hands of private citizens, volunteer observers and the police themselves, has shifted the debate over precisely what happened on the streets during the week of the convention.

sometimes political activism can be terribly hard. it's hard not just because what we are facing is often huge and ominous, but many times because "fun" is rarely one of the objectives. sometimes it might even seem "wrong" to have while doing our oh-so-serious work. there are a few groups who regularly make it a point to inject fun into their work and it is a good reminder for me as i engage in several areas.

act up has a history for changing the way the government and churches felt about at aids and aids funding. much of what was accomplished in the past 18 years (i can't believe it's been that long) has been as a result of direct actions and civil disobedience -- and having fun.

there is no one "sane" voice on gay marriage. a year ago i would have said -- ick -- marriage for gay people. who wants it? who cares? when all of a sudden on feb 20, 2004 our whacky, republican, sandoval county clerk started issuing marriage licenses to same gender couples. 64 same-gender couples got married and as you can imagine it threw a kink into our already nicely running campaign to protect the human rights act from being repealed (which added lgbt protections and was passed in 2003).

there was a quick emergency meeting to figure it all out, and at that meeting two of my friends (and fellow activists) decided to have their ceremony right there. it was that wedding that galvanized my commitment toward working for marriage equality. i was fortunate enough to film their ceremony and i still cry every time i watch it. everyone should have the choice to marry and get the same rights, responsibilities and protections that the state and federal marriage laws provide for. and it's clear that there are a number of other view points out there. that's why when i see libertarians say things like "both sides" it boggles my mind a bit.

Feds May Regulate "Political" Blogs and Other Political Content Providers - The Federal Election Commission is considering regulating and restricting online entities and activities which run to the political, including political blogs and other political content providers and sources...
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i'm so disappointed -- after two years of wanting to create a site like this, i finally got off my butt and did it -- what do you know, the feds are talking to shut'er down. what a slippery slope! access to the other media outlets (like print media, tv, and radio) is already so limited these days. it's limited by who we are, who we know, and what we can afford. it's been suggested that the free expression of ideas and access to free media are the biggest factors that influence the success of a democratic society.