Inside Taos Award

This week’s Friction award goes to Beth Pittman for her fine letter and photograph published in The Taos News and posted at Taos Horse Fly. Pittman’s pic demonstrates Taos County Commission support for unfettered free enterprise. Build a 9,000 square foot steel garage on a home-occupancy hobby permit for re-shaping and re-painting old and new cars in a high end neighborhood: Forget about LUDC, Subdivision Regs or potential neighborhood CCRs. Like the residential-agricultural waiver for the Blackstone Bandidos, which got a free ride for its 26-room, commercial kitchen, and two-story lobby guest house aka “Hunting lodge for Eco experiments” down in Ranchitos, Randall’s “Outlaw Garage” is seen as a ground-breaking example for tea-party type red tape cutters.

According to Flavio, the Old Martinez Hall has been grandfathered in as a “Hooter’s Club”—across the way from St. Francis de Asis. Sin on one side of the street; seek salvation on the other. Over in Llano Quemado, a back-yard crematorium for humans and animals is almost up and ready for the mortally wounded. Soon, a pole-dancing joint will open up at the former Ski Valley Junction. And a biomass incinerator at Olguin’s Sawmill will begin burning slash and rubber tires at the new co-generating green energy facility.

“Call it green and the Gringos will support anything,” said a KCEC trustee.

Caveat: These commissioners don’t need no stinkin regs but you must be from the ‘hood. Or, make a donation to “my campaign.” Hey BP got by with no EIS or long-drawn out process. The Man from Manassa (Ken Salazar) has apparently inspired northern New Mexico officials: Fast Track that beast and damn the consequences.

Arsenio Cordova

Fund Raiser at Gallery A: 2 to 5.

As her last act in the “race to the bottom,” Sec. of Education in New Mexico, Veronica Garcia has issued a fatwa to the TMS Board: “Sing Kumbaya or else.” The cantankerous one, Arsenio Cordova said he never heard that song sung at Chicano camp. Board member Chuby Tayofa is unsure whether to support or oppose the Letter from Garcia but he does support Attorney Sam Herrera’s claims for damages against the outspoken Cordova, who has focused on unorthodox practices at CRAB Hall. The benefit today is for legal expenses to help the reformer Cordova at Gallery A in downtown Taos from 2 to 5 pm. Bring your wallet and your sense of humor.

Major Taos Modern

The rarely seen John DePuy will be at 203 Fine Art on Ledoux St. and Karavas Lane from 5 to 7 today. It’s a benefit for the Harwood. DePuy is one of the last modernists still extant (along with Cliff Harmon). DePuy’s work is in all the usual collections and you will have a chance to buy paintings and drawings from one of the last artists still standing from that fertile time in Taos history.

WMD in the Sacrifice Zone

Thanks to Greg Mello and the LA Study Group, we know that NSA (National Security Agency) is “Operating in an integrated fashion with the existing PF-4 facility, the CMRR NF (that) will provide the capability to produce plutonium pits for the nuclear weapon stockpile…This combined capability of the CMRR-NF and PF-4 would include flexibility to produce plutonium pits for some (but not all) legacy warheads as well as preserving the option to produce a new pit type in the event production of a Reliable Replacement Warhead [or other replacement warhead] is approved in the future.”

Build the bomb and pollution will come.

Here’s a recent news headline: “NRC approves operation of New Mexico uranium plant.” According to AP, in “EUNICE, N.M. — The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has authorized startup of a $3 billion uranium enrichment plant in New Mexico, the first major nuclear facility to be licensed in the US in the past three decades.”

We’re way ahead of the poor Iranians and there ain’t no sanctions on us!

Speaking of Headlines: Have you read these stories?
No Price to Pay for Torture (NYT, Editorial, June 15, 2010)
Obama Takes a Hard Line Against Leaks to Press (NYT, by Scott Shane, June 11, 2010)
The Spill, The Scandal and the President (Rolling Stone, by Tim Dickinson, Jun 8, 2010)

Re: torture and whistleblowers, corrupt relations with oil and coal companies, bankers and Israelis, the Obama administrators appear to be channeling Bush & Cheney big-time. Is Barack a wolf in sheep’s clothing? Vote for Alvin Greene, the new democratic party’s answer to Lady Palin. Mr Greene, a laconic politico from South Carolina, who owes nothing to nobody we know about has been nominated for “Man of the Year” and the U.S. Senate. He’s done no harm.

Question: Is BP’s blow-out in the Gulf revenge for Old Hickory’s victory over the bitter Brits at the “Battle of New Orleans?” Listen to Johnny Horton and think about your cajun karma. You’ll never think of the “1812 Overture” in quite the same way again without thinking: Tony Hayward.