To Possess the Water and Historic Preservation?

Who is Manby?

According to friction sources, Santa Fe County and the BIA filed applications with the State Engineer to transfer the water rights in January from Top of the World properties in northern Taos County. The water rights were sold years ago unbeknownst to Santa Fe County. El Valle’s Kay Matthews, the loyal Taosena, who publishes La Jicarita was about the only protestor.

Now we’re told that the Taos County Clerk has no record of the transfer application. Santa Fe County appears to be in violation of the Taos County Public Welfare Ordinance. But the majority of Taos County Commissioners seem to care more about satisfying the movida makers and water marketers who are signatories of the Abeyta/Taos Pueblo Water Settlement than they do protecting water sources and watersheds in Taos. Once again Questa, Costilla, Amalia, Cerro, Sunshine Valley appear to be losing while the downstream towns and municipalities are gaming the system.

The folks up in El Salto and Arroyo Seco East, who count on the Acequia Madre del Rio Lucero, threw out Taos Valley Acequia Association’s Mr. Grande, Palemon Martinez recently as a commissioner and forced longtime commissioner and former mayordomo Fermin Torres to resign. Parciantes described ever so gently issues of self-dealing and what sounded like neglect of duties at the annual meeting.

Now parciantes in Seco and Salto are looking for a candidate to run against Commissioner Tom Blankenhorn, Mr. Regionalism, and chair of the Taos County Commission in the next election. Blankenhorn actively supports the policies of water cronies Palemon Martinez, John Painter of EPWSD, and the policies of the Office of the State Engineer.

Historic Preservation, Geo-Tourism, and The Arts

Tonight at 5:30 pm the Town of Taos will hold a joint meeting between the Historic Preservation Commission and Planning and Zoning Commission. Taos Friction encourages local citizens to attend, citizens who recognize the link between history, identity, and the economics of self-sufficiency. While the cultural activists in the greater community recognize the historic present in Taos and while documents like Vision 2020 and studies re: Arts and Culture have been paid for (and shelved), we’re glad the Town occasionally pays attention to its historic roots.

Those historic roots appeal to both residents and visitors in terms of cultural practices: language and architecture, diversity and the arts, the geographical ramifications of beauty and use, walking tours that feature buildings, the outlaws and the heroes, the rebellions and the resistance to the majority culture. While our isolation preserves us from the scourge of greater American consumer culture, our own elected and appointed officials sometimes get crackpot ideas. You have to watch them all the time if you can divert your eyes from the potholes, which, apparently, the Town intends to preserve.

This year, thanks to Fall Arts and the Taos Council of the Arts, the town is prepared to recognize the 100th anniversary of the Taos Society of Artists. Next year Mable Dodge Luhan gets her due at the Harwood. Last year, while diverted by the Hopper Day doings, the Town ignored its 8oth birthday.

Despite its financial support of fiesta, the Town does little in the way of promoting the Native Taoseno arts during what amounts to the weeklong homecoming celebration. Instead the Town and Fiesta Committee focus less on northern New Mexico and more on selling junk and junk food from China. While the carnival lends itself to the consumption of cotton candy and corn dogs, not so long ago local artisans, shops, and cafes were encouraged to participate. This current Fiesta is more a byproduct of a select few who engage in the “Queen for a Day” political program while celebrating the virtues of adolescent consumerism.

Vendido of the Month

One time liberal, now a turn-coat, Sen. Tom Udall first came to our attention when he promoted the manufacturing of “plutonium triggers” and gave the nuclear bomb industry a boost at LANL. Now Uncle Tom is doing  the dirty work of the American Chemistry Council by advocating for reduced standards per the bill lobbyists wrote, according to news reports. Didn’t Uncle Tom trade “fracking” in Chaco Canyon for the promotion of the Columbine Wilderness area?

He’s all over the national and state news as the Senator for Chemistry. As Flavio says, “Keep your enemies close but your friends closer.” Tommy, Tommy, we hardly knew ye.

Special Thanks

Taos Friction thanks Sheriff Jerry Holgrefe for hiring Elias Montoya, the fall guy in the van-woman incident. Most folks in town like Elias. Besides somebody has to make us pay attention to our seat belts.