More on the Colón Smear Robo-Call

I got a copy of the notorious Brian Colón robo-call. (Thanks to my source for sending it and to New Mexican Web editor Henry Lopez for getting it on the Internet for me.)

Some of it's garbled. And there seems to be some weird electronic hum in the recording that sounds like it's straight out of the Eraserhead soundtrack. But the viciousness is pristine.

The unidentified female caller actually does imply that Colón stole money from the Moving America Forward Foundation. But as I explain in my story in Tuesday's New Mexican, though the contributors to this non-profit have been kept secret, the expenditures are reported to the IRS and are public record. In fact I wrote about MAFF's final report in my column a few weeks ago.

I spoke with Colón's campaign manager about the call this afternoon. He verified that the candidate was born in New York, as the robo-call said (though his family moved to this state when Brian was an infant). But contrary to what the call said, he never was a Young Republican -- and in fact worked with a union during his college years.

Listen to the recording yourself below.

Anti-Colon robo call

Henry Lopez's Podcast

UPDATE 5-25-10: I just had a nice chat with Lawrence Rael, who also is running for lieutenant governor. He wanted me to know that he was the first candidate to call Brian Colón to disavow the robo-call.

A Song for Senate Bill 254

I can't resist. A bill passed by the Senate yesterday reminds me of a Merle Haggard song.

I'm talking about Senate Bill 254, sponsored by Sen. Clint Harden. This would remove the question “Have you ever been convicted of a felony?” from State Personnel Office applications.

Harden said the bill does not prevent employers from asking about conviction status, nor does this bill prevent criminal background checks. “By delaying the inquiry on conviction history until the interview process, previously incarcerated persons will be on a level playing field with other candidates with similar qualifications,” Harden said. “They are just hoping for a fair shake after they have paid their dues to society.”

The bill passed the Senate 35-4 and goes on to the House.

I think Merle would agree with Harden. Here's the song.

Branded Man - Merle Haggard

The Furlough Song

Now that state employees have a little more personal time -- thanks to the recently imposed unpaid furloughs -- at least one of them used it in a creative way.

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There are more lyrics (sung to the melody of "The Banana Boat Song"):

Work at my state job all day long.
Friday come and we gotta stay home.
Work real hard, don't do nuthin' wrong.
Friday come and we gotta stay home.

Come Mr. Governor help me with my pay check.
Friday come and we gotta stay home.
My poor bank account looks like a train wreck.
Friday come and we gotta stay home.

Well it's one day, two day, three day, four.
Friday come and we gotta stay home.
Five days this year, next year more/
Friday come and we gotta stay home.

Furlough, furlough. Friday come and we gotta stay home

One employee union leader says they're looking for a sponsor to make this the Official State Employee song. Whoever holds the copyright to Harry Belafonte's hit might have a problem with that, but who knows?

"Go on. All of you. Go on to jail."

The state Supreme Court today is going to take up the case of Taos District Judge Sam Sanchez, who last November ordered the arrest of more than 30 people in his courtroom on charges of contempt of court following a brief disturbance following a hearing.

The high court, one day after the incident, ordered the release of all those jailed -- almost all of whom were members of Taos Pueblo. And Sanchez, a couple of days later dismissed all charges of contempt of court. But the court wants Sanchez to explain "the appropriate procedure for a judge to follow when contemplating contempt for unruly behavior in a courtroom."

The Nov. 19 hearing in Sanchez's court was about a request to reconsider the sentence of Dominic Bau, who pleaded guilty to raping an underage relative at a hotel in 2007. Bau was sentenced to 12 years in prison in April. Sanchez, literally about a minute before he ordered the mass arrest, ruled against Bau's request for a reduced sentence.

My story in today's New Mexican is HERE.

Did Sanchez overreact as those he jailed have said? Or was there real concern about the safety of the rape victim, her family and court staff?

Decide yourself. A tape of the incident can be heard on the player below.

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Bruce Talks With Kate, 2007

Here's an interview with former Gov. Bruce King by Kate Nash in 2007

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My Brilliant Observations: On the Radio

I was interviewed this morning by Harvey Twite on KEDU in Ruidoso. (Yes, I play the Devil's music until midnight on KSFR, then I'm up talking on Christian radio in the morning,)

There's an MP3 of the interview HERE. (Right click to download, click to stream)

Gary vs. The Godfather

Look out Don Corleone! Beware Tony Soprano! Gary King is ready for you.

Or at least he will after he gets back from Italy from a special Mafia fighter workshop.

Here's the press release from the Attorney General's Office:

Attorney General Gary King is joining AGs from Mexico and Italy next week to discuss how Italy battles Mafia-related organized crime; the government's collaboration with the civilian sector; and how those efforts can be applied locally.

"The current violence in Mexico is linked to organized crime drug traffickers and it is clearly in New Mexico's best interests to study what Italy has done to address similar crimes," says AG King. "My office has been working closely with our Mexican counterparts to deal with organized crime activities along our border so we all hope to bring back strategies and practices we can employ here."

Attorney General King and the AG's from Idaho and North Dakota are attending the Rome meeting at the invitation of the Conference of Western Attorneys General (CWAG). AGs, other law enforcement and community leaders from five states in Mexico are scheduled to meet with Italian prosecutors, academics, community leaders and others during the week-long summit that gets underway Monday, June 22. AG King will attend the first three days only.

Not Worth a Darn

Here's a recording made by Kate Nash of the confrontation between House Speaker Ben Lujan and Senate Finance Chairman John Arthur Smith.

Kate has some context:

The committee took up an amendment put on the bill, which deals with financing of charter schools among other projects. The amendment, put on by House Speaker Ben Lujan, raised the eyebrows of Smith, who questioned whether it was allowable. The committee took out that amendment.

Smith is talking first. Lujan comes up and tells him he's "full of shit," a "racist SOB" and "not worth a darn."

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SINE DIE!

The Senate is calling it quits.

A Song for All of Us

For everyone involved in the Legislature -- lawmakers, staff, Capitol workers, lobbyists, activists, reporters, bloggers, and you gentle readers who have been following the session:

A song for us all:

ROUNDHOUSE ROUNDUP: MORE ON VAL AT THE ROUNDHOUSE

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
February 5, 2009


It's not that unusual to see Hollywood celebrities at the state Capitol during a Legislative session. Ali MacGraw, Shirley MacLaine and Marsha Mason — all of whom have homes in or around Santa Fe — have been spotted here in recent years.

But none of them are rumored to be running for governor in 2010. And Val Kilmer, who paid a visit to the state House of Representatives on Wednesday, is.

Kilmer, who owns a ranch near Pecos, sat on the rostrum of the House for a few minutes before he was introduced by House Speaker Ben Luján moments before the House adjourned for the day.

A few minutes before that, Kilmer was spotted by a television reporter, then me, outside the House Chambers.

What was the actor doing at the Legislature? "Just saying hi to some friends," he said.

Kilmer — who has portrayed Batman, Jim Morrison, Billy the Kid, Doc Holiday and "Big" John Holmes in the movies — would neither confirm nor deny that he's auditioning to play governor in a couple of years.

"No, I just don't have any plans. I'm looking to be more active in the many concerns I have and that we all do," he said.

"My kids are in high school now," Kilmer said, "and so I'm more available. I'm available to serve."

So how about that report by The Associated Press last year — when the Val for Gov rumors started surfacing — that Kilmer had never voted in New Mexico, at least not before the 2008 election?

He said the AP story wasn't exactly true. But, he admitted, "like a lot of Americans in this year's election, I've realized I need to be more responsible. I've done a lot of substantial work in a lot of areas, but it's true I haven't voted much, which I regret."

Wouldn't that hurt in a gubernatorial campaign?

"No, I think we're a forgiving people," Kilmer said. "But (we're) also very serious about the need to be more active. I think it's an invitation by President Obama in this new administration to be more responsible, and that's going to become a demand."

Then he got even more philosophical. In an almost New Agey way, Kilmer said New Mexico "already has a jump on the whole country, (in) working out race issues 100 years in advance." Kilmer said the state has an appreciation for the arts and "you've got a really strong acceptance of different lifestyles and spiritual outlooks. It's very real to us."

Summoned by the Lt. Gov.: Kilmer later went up to the Fourth Floor and spoke with Eric Witt, Gov. Bill Richardson's point man for the movie industry.

"What do I look like, The Riddler?" Witt joked when first asked about his meeting with Kilmer.

"We just talked about the movie industry and a couple of economic-development project ideas he has," Witt said. He said the projects deal with the arts, but he couldn't discuss details. Kilmer didn't meet with Richardson, Witt said.

At one point Wednesday afternoon, there was a page for Kilmer over the Capitol public address system, saying he was wanted in the lieutenant governor's office.

Some who heard the announcement assumed it was a prank page. Lt. Gov. Diane Denish is running for governor as a Democrat next election.

But, according to a spokeswoman for Denish, the lieutenant governor really did page her possible opponent.

Denish spokeswoman Danielle Montoya said her boss wanted to thank the actor for serving on Denish's short-lived transition team — put into place in December when Obama chose Richardson as his nominee for commerce secretary and dismantled after Richardson withdrew his nomination. Kilmer was on the Economic Stability Team, Montoya said.

But apparently by that time, Batman had left the building. The meeting didn't happen.

How does Denish feel about the possibility of running against Kilmer in the 2010 Democratic primary? Through Montoya, Denish sent in a prepared statement.

"I am committed to running for governor in 2010, and I'm focused on fighting for New Mexicans during tough economic times. I think that voters are smart and that they will elect someone into office who is clearly committed to New Mexico. I'm not going to speculate on opponents right now."

Blog Bonus:

Here's an audio clip from our short talk with Val Kilmer Wednesday.

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RICHARDSON MEETS THE PRESS

For the first time since mid December, Gov. Bill Richardson met with New Mexico reporters.

He gave a brief statement, basically saying the same thing he did in his written release on Sunday.

I asked him what Lt. Gov. Diane Denish's initial reaction was. "We had been having conversations prior to that about, you know, a potential delay. She was disappointed, but she emphasized she wanted us to work closely together as we always have been. And as I've said, I think she's going to make a very fine governor some day."

Richardson refused to answer a question whether his administration had conducted an internal investigation of the CDR contract. He also wouldn't say whether he'd hired a lawyer. (I wrote about that a couple of weeks ago.)

The governor almost showed a bit of emotion at one point during the news conference. "You know, yesterday, I was hurting over this decision," Richardson said, speaking uncharacteristically slowly as if he was deliberating over each word. "I lost a cabinet appointment."

Then he resumed his political personality. "But I think we have to focus on what people are losing in this country. You know the American people, people in New Mexico, are losing jobs. They're losing their savings. They're losing their homes. That's the real tragedy. You know, mine is minor compare to that."

Here's the audio.

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