Below are some of the comments and their source. There are many issues raised in her column that have not yet been addressed, but I thought I should share my initial thoughts on at least part of her column and the responses.
THE WESTERNER
- Leadership in New Mexico is very weak to me,
this state has so much corruption and poorly thought out decisions in Santa Fe..........it's scarey to say the least. Our youth in New Mexico are tremendously uninformed and exhibit a great deal of "lack of knowledge in respect to Civic and state matters that need guidance in making New Mexico a stong and well guided state with common sense decisions in order to make this a state with good examples and good reputation..........instead of a stage with terrible and shameful statistics. Examples.....terrible educations, lack of civic awareness, corrupt tax and commercial business growths, 'brother in law" or cousin appointments, Senators and congressman with "washington" sheep herding. Most of our polititions here in New Mexico run for office simply for the benefits and perks.....instead of working in the true interest of the people. How can they forget that cattle, sheep, foresty , agricultural enterprises, farms, mining, hunting, and recreation are great income sources and create a huge tax base for our state. And, NM is a great source of Uranium for the entire world, but it is being ignored and sold by corrupt polititions. and, without the oil fields and coal mines in NM....getting priority tax breaks.........we are destined to continue as one of the poorest states in America, with the poorest results, with the poorest statistics in the USA. we will apparently lead in the nation with apalling status and reputation.
- I'm a Texan but I love New Mexico--having lived there on several different occasions (including a couple of years with the Ag faculty at NMSU). Also, I'm a member of the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association and enjoy making new friends and renewing old friendships at the annual summer meetings.
With that brief introduction, I'm sad to say that (IMHO) Russell Burris is nail on the head on all counts.
Over here in the Lone Star State, we don't talk about it much in public. But, if you hang out a while in the bars and pool halls you will surely hear the word "secession." Should we ever decide to "secede" we would be more than happy to have you guys join us.
Yours for freedom in our lifetimes.
jtl, 419
- Miss Amanda is going to learn hard lessons soon in her optimistic "need to keep telling our story" reasoning. Problem is there is a deafness in those who already have all the answers and also supply all the questions to fit their answers.
She should perhaps throw a bunch of calves, home school them, and concentrate on tribe, not the unwashed masses. The corral gate has been knocked down and the dust disappearing on the horizon is the only remnant of our once great republic. True. soapweed - 6:46 AM
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Anonymous said...
- Congress must be more pro-active in this fight, and it is a fight, to restore Constitutional republican form of government to our country. There is a huge complex effort to change the United States of America, it has existed for decades and is imbedded in every government branch,level,schools, and agencies.
I know firsthand because it has cost me 14 years, 1/4 of my life, and over $260,000 fighting them in corrupt NM courts.
Bill Weddle
- Miss Amanda is going to learn hard lessons soon in her optimistic "need to keep telling our story" reasoning. Problem is there is a deafness in those who already have all the answers and also supply all the questions to fit their answers.
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RURAL AMERICA.....We better take note....and VOTE...every time we have the chance, to show these IDIOTS that we furnish their food and clothing.......damn, how ignorant can some people be.....please read this article and pass it on......thanks Frank for staying on top of this kind of one-sided, mis-informed and skewed article.Skeebo Norris shared your post — with Russell Burris and 11 others.
- I'm a Texan but I love New Mexico--having lived there on several different occasions (including a couple of years with the Ag faculty at NMSU). Also, I'm a member of the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association and enjoy making new friends and renewing old friendships at the annual summer meetings.
- Mil Sigman Without rural America they aren't going to eat....and rural America buys their goods!Manage
Buddy Adair Wow the Left is hellbent to make America a socialist countryBeef1 day ago1 day agoGreat job Amanda, this is exactly what happens each day as people are further removed from agriculture. I wonder just how many days it would take to change their mind if all the perishable items were gone from their store shelves. We do have a tremendous amount of power but due to our own greed sometimes we would not cause ourselves some discomfort to teach the lesson.
My response
First, let me say I welcome Amanda Radke’s voice on these issues. If it wasn’t for her we wouldn’t know about the reporter’s comments. She is also the one who brings up the difference between a democracy and a republic, and who asserts there is “a reason our founding fathers created the Electoral College.” She’s on solid ground with those points and we should all thank her for her diligence in finding those “tweets” and having the fortitude and foresight to bring those issues to the public. She is also an excellent writer.What seems to have irked some is her belief that “political issues are mostly shades of gray”, and her criticism of those with hard positions (left or right, blue or red, right or wrong) and whose “mentality” leaves “little room for public discussion, compromise, working together and doing things for the greater good of the nation.” She concludes that we must continue to “educate, connect and find the gray areas so we can compromise and work together.”I used to think that way also, but my personal journey has taught me different.There are basically three ways we can address our political problems, and those are administrative, legislative and legal.I spent many years working within the system to try and make it better. Administratively I’ve worked with agency policy memos, field manuals and regulations. Legislatively I’ve testified before both Houses of Congress and written language as a legislative assistant to a U.S. Senator that became law. Within our court system I’ve seen a few victories, but mostly had my hopes squashed by the courts policy of showing “deference to agency interpretation.”I was there for the Sagebrush Rebellion (states), and county supremacy (counties) movements, and I was on the fringes of the Hage case (individual) and right in the middle of the Kit Laney tragedy (individual) . So I’ve seen state, county and individual rights plowed under.I helped write and then implement Sec.8 of PRIA which calls for consultation, cooperation and coordination with permittees. I’ve set across the table from folks I’d rather choke, but negotiated in good faith on behalf of the ranching community I was trying to help.I’m confident the ag community is better off than it would have been if not for my involvement. And I know for certain there are individual producers who still have their family enterprise because of my efforts. But when I’m brutally honest with myself and I ask, “Is the ranching community better or worse off than it was when I first became involved in the mid-seventies?", the answer has to be worse. All those meetings, all those negotiations, all those compromises, all those attempts to find a “middle-ground” and work together, and still the industry is on shakier ground than it was forty years ago.Each of those solutions I mentioned are inherently and entirely political. Politicians write the laws. Politicians appoint the people who administer the law, and politicians appoint the judges who interpret the law. It’s the political process itself that we must address.Then consider one of the things politicians respond to is the media. People like Amanda Radke. The problem is we need more of them. And in the short run, we need people who will tell our story and sit down and try to make things right. Radke says she “can empathize with opposing sides to my personal viewpoints, even if I have no intention of changing my stance”, and I believe her. We need more folks like her.But the Amanda Radke’s need to realize what they are about is a holding pattern, a near-term effort to protect our interests until a more permanent solution can be found. They need to recognize the implications of the “middle-ground” constantly moving to the left. They need to understand they are placed in a better situation to negotiate because those with “hard positions” are out there and raising hell. We’ll help you do your thing until we finally can elect politicians who will implement a permanent solution.In the meantime, the only productive compromising done would be the Radke’s understanding the limitations of their approach and the hard position folks realizing those who are willing to sit down and work with others is the primary thing protecting us in the near term.We need both approaches, which means we need each other.
America is prosperous and productive as a result of our ability to not only feed our citizens but because of a surplus of food that feeds others throughout the globe and Americans spend less of their disposable income on food then any nation on earth.
Why then this attack on rural America? Is it because rural Americans are the last bastion of believers in the US Constitution and the way our government is supposed to work? They believe that private property rights are sacrosanct and the government which governs least, governs best. They believe in earning their way through life by hard work, inovation, and perserverence. They believe in the sanctity of life and a provident God from whom all good things come. They believe they should help the less fortunate who are disabled and cannot help themself. They respect and honor the unselfish sacrifices of those who throughout this nation's history and through this present day serve their country in the military. They have welcomed the legal immigrant to this country to share in it's bounty. (I know this because I am a first generation American.) Their eyes tear up to the strains of the National Anthem and the sight of the Stars and Stripes. These are core values shared by an ever diminshing number of American who believe in our Constitution. These values are dearly held by my friends and neighbors in rural America and they are not ashamed of them, nor should they be.
Remember, "We the People..." give the power to our government to rule only if they follow the rule of law as provided in our Constitution. King George found this out in 1776.