We Are Not Sheep

Joe Wilson talks about new life in Santa Fe.

In this liberal-leaning tourist town known for its handmade turquoise-and-silver jewelry, Joseph Wilson has just bought his wife something special in a downtown shop: a red-and-blue pin that reads, “I’m not anti-Bush. I’m pro-intelligence.”

Wilson and his wife, outed CIA spy Valerie Plame, are finally getting a chance to unwind. Three weeks ago, they arrived at their new 4,600-square-foot hilltop adobe home and have traded in their Jaguar for a pickup truck. Their 7-year-old twins already have found new friends and spotted three snakes.

Most of the article deals with the future plans of the Wilsons, along with their reasons for moving to Santa Fe. The commenters seem to be focusing on the characterization of Santa Fe as “liberal-leaning”.

… liberal leaning??? There are only about 60% far left wing Democrats, and about 35% socialists, guess you could call that liberal leaning. They will fit in fine. But get a “No War” and “Kerry-Edwards” bumper sticker and an old Volvo, Subaru, or Saab to stick it on, then you are in.

True enough.

Whatever your position on the prospect of building fences between the United States and Mexico, it should be remembered that humans aren’t the only migrants (legal or otherwise).

I’ll admit to having forgotten this myself, until I saw the following Letter to the Editor in the Santa Fe New Mexican:

Oughta be a law

Isn’t there federal law that mandates completion of an environmental-impact Study before something like an international fence can be built? It will greatly affect wildlife migration patterns through the magnificent Sonoran Desert. The landscape and the wildlife have always been free of political struggles, however this line we are drawing in the sand entangles both landscape and wildlife in twisted politics.

Rob Wheeler

Pecos

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum outside of Tucson is one of my favorite southern Arizona destinations. Can anyone tell me if they’re focusing on this problem?

I’m not sure how many law enforcement officials are bloggers (I’d suspect not too many, though I haven’t looked), but I’m happy the Santa Fe County Sheriff does.

Greg Solano writes frequently about law enforcement issues, in Santa Fe County and elsewhere. While there will certainly be those that disagree with him (his support of immigration reform is particularly contentious around here), it’s refreshing to see a sheriff speak openly about civil rights, law enforcement and politics in general. Taken from his review of red-light cameras:

The bottom line is we give citations as educational tools, not to raise money. They final question I have is do we approve that the owner of the vehicle should pay the price no matter who is driving when the red light is run? Drivers are not usually identified so the car and the owner are cited not the actual driver. So what do you think? Do the problems of red light runners and the high amount of accidents they cause justify the use of the red light cameras? Take the poll by clicking on the button below. Also feel free to comment on this post.

Transparency in government is a good thing. The fact the the sheriff is also a writer doesn’t hurt.

Since many of my readers live in New Mexico, I thought I’d forward on a request by Native photographer Ken Blackbird, who’s looking for a Native wedding in North America to photograph in the next few weeks for a German newspaper.

Further details and contact information at the link provided.

Thanks, and pass it along to those who might be able to lend a hand.

Last year, for some illogical reason, I drove to SxSW from Santa Fe.

Through the Texas panhandle, where this past weekend seven people have died due to wildfires.

At home, snow did fall on Sunday, but not nearly enough. Perhaps we should borrow some from Steamboat Springs.

I’m one of those people who can (and has managed to) sunburn at 9 am. When I went to FlashForward San Francisco in 2002, I managed to get a sunburn on Easter Sunday, just before the conference started.

That’s right, a San Francisco sunburn in March.

I’m now in Austin for SXSWi, where it was a glorious 87° F on Friday. Knowing my tendency to turn red just from taking a hot shower, I dutifully put on the sunblock before venturing out to the wonderful Pasta & Co., where we were meeting for Meri’s second (annual?) Geeks With Guns event.

Even after adding additional sunblock (provided by Elly), I still managed to burn a bit. It seems I missed a large portion of my right forearm.

Maybe I should start going to conferences in Seattle or Buffalo?

Not that it’s impossible for me to tan at all. It just has to be in the right locale. I think I managed it in Nova Scotia once.

Okay, not really, just a bit depressed.

You see, the spousal unit (believe it or not, he actually likes that I call him that) likes hot weather. It’s been unseasonably warm this “winter” in Santa Fe, to the point that the daffodils in our front yard started blooming the last week of February.

He’s currently out of town (should return Thursday sometime) and the weather has shifted from upper 60s F to the normal much colder and windy. While I’m in Austin, Santa Fe should see highs in the 30s and 40s, with potential for snow, much needed rain, and not needed wind (fire season will start early this year, so wind is bad).

Right now, it looks like the 50+ degree days won’t return until I do.

The Austin forecast? A little warmer. The lows will be warmer than the Santa Fe highs. Good thing I remembered to pack the sunblock. Yes, we’ll be inside most of the time, but I can burn at 9 am in high altitude New Mexico, so the lunch breaks could be dangerous.

Since Austin is always trying to sneak in a little rain this time of year, I also remembered the tiny travel umbrella, just so I won’t need it.

Oh yes, I made yvonneadams.com live a couple of days ago. More techy things will start to live there. I had a long post I thought I’d make this evening, but the connection is too slow for the links I need to get. Maybe I’ll write part of it on the plane as a draft, and pop the links in during my Dallas layover.

So, I’m sitting here thinking that it’s about time I start packing for SXSWi, since I’m leaving sometime today (I have a 7 am flight tomorrow, and decided to make the drive to Albuquerque tonight instead of trusting myself to get up at 3 am).

My sinuses were reminding me that I should pick up some decongestant for the trip, when I suddenly spotted snow flurries outside.

Since this is just about the driest winter on record, this is a good thing.

In the brief time it’s taken me to type this, the flurries have stopped. Somehow, I don’t think that 0.0000000000001 inches of precipitation is going to make much difference in the fire season.

So, we’re in the home stretch as far as getting ready for SXSWi goes. As promised, I will have a new domain set up by then (it’s set up now, but I’ll not link to a “Welcome to Wordpress” post), even if the visuals will initially be sparse.

Today is election day in Santa Fe. I’ve said absolutely nothing about it, not that I don’t care about local elections, but more that I really needed a break from writing about politics. Sadly, that break appears to have included writing about anything at all. Another reason to split out the tech/web I suppose.

For the past year or so, I’ve included reznet in my must reads. A group blog by Native American journalism students, it gives insight into a part of society few anglos see, even here in New Mexico. From academic issues, to single motherhood and assorted “mundane” aspects of life, to the more global insights into the world at large, it’s worth a read, even if the posts are sporadic as students move in and out.

In response to a New York Times series, Craig Henry gives his perspective on getting the hard stories out of the reservation, whether reported by Natives or non.

Tough stories must be told reminds us that the media mustn’t focus only on powwows and craft shows. That’s only a small part of the story.