In Flanders Fields

By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)

Canadian Army

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, say sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

RANGE Magazine has sent me 50 copies of the Summer edition which includes my story Remembering White Sands. I also have special subscription rate forms which will save you 20%. Leave a comment here or call me at 434-2723 and I will make sure you get a copy. Allow me to suggest that this would be an excellent way to contribute to my campaign and get something of value in return. My heart felt thanks to C.J. for her generosity.

The People for Otero meeting last night was excellent even though our guest speaker, the County Administrator, was not there and we did not have access to the air conditioning. You could have hung beef in there. So much for conserving our resources.........More about the meeting later.

Eagle Forum will meet Tuesday, May 30, at noon, Margo's Restaurant. The guest speakers will be three local Minutemen. Come a little early to get a good seat as the Minutemen draw a big crowd. I will show photos I took in April because a picture is worth a thousand words.

Call Senators Domenici and Bingaman and tell them not to pass Senate Bill 2611 which gives amnesty. Ask them to enforce the laws that have been ignored since 1986. Here is a toll free number (800) 833-6354 to call both the Capitol and the White House. Thanks, Cliff.

Renegade elites vs. the laziness of the American people. Get off your couch and carpool to water meetings. You will be healthier and wiser. You will meet wonderful folks. All around us, the justifiably concerned are coming together to get answers to our water woes.

The South Sacramento Water Group special meeting was packed last night. Notably absent were our local politicians. Am I starting to sound like a broken record? Estevan Lopez - Interstate Stream Commission (with ISC attorney) was the featured speaker. Also present was Mr. Bill Hume representing the Guv.

Guess what? The ISC needs more money, about 8-10 million to do the Salt Basin studies. Right now they get $250,000 a year for 5 years. Let's do the math.....$ 8,000,000 divided by $250,000 per year means that it will take 32 years to study. After the studies are completed, it is entirely possible the water will be long gone to the highest bidder. Don't say you weren't warned.

NAIS Stinks to High Heaven. This is the National Animal Identification System.
Get familiar with this subject because you are going to, if you haven't already, hear it often. In my opinion this whole scheme is bogus... the only benefactors are the people who produce chips to be implanted.

NAIS will not "reunite lost puppies with their owners". (We will have to have a whole new bureaucracy to monitor one-eared dogs and cats.) It will require you, at your expense, to register your premises. Costly and Orwellian, this must be shot down as effectively as an NPS sharpshooter taking out an Oryx at White Sands National Monument. Hey, that's a thought, let's chip not kill. Can't wait for PETA to get in the middle of this.

Contact : Liberty Ark Coalition at http://libertyark.net/pledge.dyn

Follow the money, Honey. Or in this case follow the land exchanges. Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee will meet this Wednesday, May 24 to consider the following items, among others:

H.R. 486 - To provide for a land exchange involving private land in the vicinity of Holloman Air Force Base (owned by Randal, Jeffery, and Timothy Rabon) of approximately 241 acres for approximately 320 acres of BLM land. Sponsor: Stevan Pearce, Republican, New Mexico.

H.R. 482 - To provide a land exchange involving land owned by Lubbock Christian University and Lincoln National Forest. In this one the costs of exchange are shared by the University and FS and involves approximately 80 acres of LCU and approximately 80 acres of FS land. Sponsor: Randy Neugebauer, Republican, Texas.

If you want or need more information, just let me know.

Lincoln National Forest is closed due to extremely dry conditions. Add to that the lack of forest management by the United States Forest Service. They manage about 2% a year. I could hardly believe my ears at the Grazing Advisory Board meeting yesterday when Forest Service officials seemed to blame everyone but themselves. "It is a matter of coordinating" a FS decision maker said. Are we supposed to believe that the trees can be taught to "coordinate" to thin themselves? Next it will be sensitivity training for the trees so they won't overcrowd.

RANGE Magazine is out !
On page 87 you will find Remembering White Sands, the dark side of the National Park Service by Janet T. White If you cannot find it at your bookstore or market, ask them to get it. If you have no success, let me know, I have copies on the way or go to the link for RANGE.

I will comment on tonight's Regular Session of the Otero County Commission under "comments" below.

Reminder: Otero County Commission Regular Meeting, 6:00 pm, Tuesday, May 16, 2006, Commission Chambers, Room 253, County Courthouse, New York Avenue. The very best way to know how YOUR county is being run is to attend the regular, work sessions and budget meetings.

Mark your calendars:

Monday, May 22, 6:00 pm, Mayhill Community Center
Special session of South Sacramento Water Group
Estevan Lopez, Director Interstate Stream Commission,
will discuss the proposed granting of rights to draw vast
amount of water from the base of the Sacramentos to
meet water short falls throughout the State!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, May 23, 7:00 - 9:00 pm, People for Otero, first
floor, County Courthouse.

Monday, May 29, Memorial Day Observed.

Tuesday, May 30, noon at Margo's. Eagle Forum's speakers are local Minutemen (women). Get there early as this topic is very popular. I am bringing photos of my last border watch near Columbus and Palomas, Mx.

Fact: The Lincoln National Forest encompasses over ONE MILLION acres. In 2004, the Forest Service managed 22,987 acres (2.1%) and in 2005, the Forest Service managed 23,688 acres (2.15%). At this rate we can expect Lincoln National Forest to be healthy in about 50 YEARS! Courtesy of W.Coffman's Weedpatch, Weed Water Fun Fact Sheet. Sources: USFS Website/Press Release.

May 13, 2006
There will be a candidates' debate at the Cloudcroft Pavilion today at 2:30 pm. Hope to see you there.

At the suggestion of H.S., I removed the irrelevant stuff from my profile which showed up when I put in my birthday. H.S. also asked about credit card contributions. Thank you.

Prediction: President Bush will try to sound like a Minuteman Monday night. Tune in and see.

The link to Numbers USA allows you to quickly and easilty send faxes to our Senators and Congressmen. It is free and you receive updates when communication is critical.

Regarding Property Rights (zoning, conservation easements, and the like): "If we want our nation to remain free, it is definitely time for a property rights revival...when we see legislators trying to help...we must get off the couch and lend our support. When we no longer have property rights, we will no longer have a free and sovereign nation." Joyce Morrison, NewswithViews 2/15/06

Only those who risk going too far will ever know how far they can go. Unknown.

UPDATE: Wednesday, May 10, 2006, Otero County Commission Work Session:

Timberon citizens attended to voice their concerns of an estimated 50-60 goats roaming the Village. Commissioner Moore, had a folksy approach. He said he would take his truck up to the Timberon, sprinkle corn around and lure the young goats into his vehicle. Some reference was made to barbeque goat on the Fourth of July. Some time ago he boasted he was going to take a chain saw to the Lincoln National Forest to start the thinning. Has that ever happened?

Commissioner Moore appears to be vacilliating on the NAIS, National Animal Identification System. The NAIS stinks to high heaven in my opinion. Now, Commissioner Moore appears to be having second thoughts. I would invite Commissioner Moore to take a firm stand against NAIS instead of skirting the issue. Speaking of revisiting issues, the Checkerspot butterfly is back. Commissioner Moore wants the "butterfly ladies" back for another survey.

The afternoon was dedicated to finalizing the budget. I still cannot figure out what "plumbers' math" is and what relationship it has to tax payer dollars. Thank goodness the plumbers I have had in my home use real math and get the job done.


The next Regular Meeting is May 16, 2006, at 6:00 p.m. The above items and more will be on the agenda.
See you there.

Today was a GREAT DAY for the MINUTEMEN. I am proud to be one. Can't wait for President Bush's speech on Monday.