New Mexico-Urgent Support Jan. 3rd Aspartame Hearings Under Corporate Seige

[Guest guest]

Urgent Public Support Needed Tuesday, January 3rd, 9:30 AM - Round Two:

Citizens vs. Irresponsible Corporations on Toxic Aspartame

by <mailto:leland.lehrman@...>Leland Lehrman

Back in October, New Mexico became the first state in the Union to hold

hearings on the possibility of banning the toxic " sweetener " aspartame

(NutraSweet / Equal). There is a deeper meaning to this issue which

Governor Bill explained when he recently endorsed the Nutrition

Council Act and the aspartame hearings. " States need to take back power in

the area of consumer protection because the FDA doesn't do anything at

all, " was his way of putting it. New Mexico is at the crossroads,

positive change won't happen without you so we urgently need your presence

and support on January 3rd at 9:30 AM at the Leo Griego Auditorium, State

Personnel Office, 2600 Cerrillos Rd. Santa Fe, NM. Attorney Minzner

of the Rodey Law Firm will present the aspartame industry's threatened

litigation and their reasons why New Mexico can't have hearings on the

issue at all. His main point - that aspartame was approved by the FDA and

therefore States cannot ban it - is moot given the historic subversion and

incompetence, to say the least, of the scientific oversight community. The

following are just some of the recent national articles - including an

important victim testimonial - written in support of the aspartame

hearings. Perhaps most importantly, the National Institute of Health has

just released a <http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/press/111605.html>peer-reviewed

scientific paper on the carcinogenicity of aspartame.

We still need critical financial support to retain the services of our

until now pro bono attorney

<http://www.sutinfirm.com/Lawyer%20Bios/sdlbio.htm>Stevan Looney, who was

largely responsible for our original success. Call Leland at 505.982.3609

if you can help.

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Will New Mexico be the First State to ban Aspartame?

by Dr. Carolyn Dean, MD, ND and Elissa Meininger

December 29, 2005

December 29, 2005

<http://www.newswithviews.com/Dean/carolyn26.htm>http://www.newswithviews.co

m/Dean/carolyn26.htm

One of the most rewarding things about being part of the ever-growing

health freedom movement, is that there is always an upside to what often

looks like a bleak and losing battle against the monolith we call “modern

medicine”. In addition, some of the people you meet, even if only by phone

or by e-mail, turn out to be spectacular human beings that reaffirm your

faith in your fellow man. In short, ordinary people can do extraordinary

things when put to the test.

If you recall, back in August, Elissa and I wrote two articles

“<http://www.newswithviews.com/Dean/carolyn2.htm>Diabetics to be Tracked

Down by Government Agents” and

“<http://www.newswithviews.com/Dean/carolyn3.htm>The Bitter Truth About

Regulation of Sugar Substitutes” which pretty well covered the sorry tale

of how sugar and sugar substitutes can ruin your health, if not kill you,

outright. These articles also covered the dirty and downright corrupt

politics behind how and why the FDA and other government agencies protect

both the sugar industry as well as Big Pharma.

We barely scratched the surface of this saga of blatant corruption in high

places. For more up-to-the-minute details on the horrors of aspartame, the

center of the fake sugar controversy, the focus of today’s story, and what

ordinary people in New Mexico are doing about it, you may want to check out

detailed information gathered by my friend, Dr. Betty i, head of

Mission Possible at the <http://www.wnho.net/viva_new_mexico.htm>following

website. You may also want to peruse one of the key pages on this site that

provides a document listing 92 symptoms caused by aspartame that had to be

pried out of the FDA’s own records by Freedom of Information Act means.

This should show you that the FDA is not ignorant of the real facts about

aspartame.

At the time we wrote those two previous articles, we were not aware of the

high drama going on in New Mexico. The man most responsible for this

hullabaloo, that has been going on since 1999, is an art gallery owner,

Fox, who, along with his fellow citizens, just got fed up enough

about aspartame in the food supply to take action. Fox, after doing his

legal homework, sat down with a pencil and wrote legislation to create a

state Nutrition Council with statutory powers to challenge the FDA if it

mistakenly approves known carcinogens and neurotoxic food additives. The

2005 version of the bill passed the state Senate by an overwhelming 32-1

but after corporate lobbyists arm twisted their way through the cloakroom,

it was killed in the House by a filibuster on the last day of the session.

[see the video on Aspartame

" <http://www.newswithviews.com/HNV/Hot_New_Videos1.htm>Sweet Misery " ]

Fox and his army of outraged citizens, doctors, lawyers, activists and

victims, armed with the knowledge that New Mexico has the legal authority

to ban aspartame, have just turned up the volume and expanded the campaign.

Please Note Folks, your state may also have the same legal power to ban

aspartame, so you can learn from what Fox is doing and start your own

campaign to make your state’s public servants do a proper job of protecting

your food supply. In fact, when we interviewed Fox, he said he would be

more than happy to help activists in other states and provinces in their

battle to remove aspartame from the marketplace. We already know people who

are going to take him up on his generous offer. You can reach Fox at

<mailto:stephen@...>stephen@....

The 2006 campaign to get rid of aspartame is now expanding on two fronts.

On the first front, another Nutrition Council bill has been introduced with

the political support of Governor Bill , who has enthusiastically

placed it on the agenda for the 2006 short session, which he controls,

doubly endorsing it with an Executive Message.

The purpose of the bill is the same as the last one - to establish, by

statute, a state agency called the Nutrition Council with the statutory

power to challenge the FDA if it approves known carcinogens and neurotoxic

food additives.

On the second front, there is a hearing, scheduled for July 2006, convened

by the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board (EIB) and the State’s

Attorney General, a plan that was conceived after much public pressure from

Fox and company. As you would expect, corporate lawyers from the makers of

aspartame have threatened litigation to prevent the hearing from taking

place, though, at the moment, Governor is standing firm that

there needs to be a fair hearing.

One wonders on what grounds such a lawsuit would be based? Is it the need

to prevent public servants from doing their job to protect the public? Or,

more to the point, the need to protect Big Pharma’s profits over the lives

and health of innocent consumers?

Elissa’s and my fellow health freedom activist, Jim , who has been

the principle critic of aspartame from his earliest days as one of Ralph

Nader’s Raiders and author of The Chemical Feast: The Nader Report on Food

Protection and the FDA, has already provided New Mexico officials his

official legal position on aspartame in the marketplace, which you can read

in its entirety. In it, reviews his 35-year history spent fighting

this poison. He states that aspartame violates both federal and New Mexico

food adulteration statutes and that the FDA approval process was so flawed

as to be legally void.

[<http://www.wnho.net/Jim__s_New_Mexico_aspartame_letter.pdf>Read]

Another high-profile attorney, M. , now retired after an

illustrious career which resulted in his being listed for the past 15 years

in “Who’s Who in American Law”, also weighed in on this campaign. ,

noted for his expertise in several related areas of law including the

relationship between federal and state statutes as well as now being an

owner of a distributorship of health and wellness products, not to mention

being a victim of aspartame-caused brain tumors, offered his legal position

to state officials which also includes the comment, “The banning of

aspartame is not only well within your powers, but is in fact a long

overdue service to New Mexico’s consumers who are ingesting this product

unknowing its toxicity.”

“You are to be commended for having moved this rule change along this far

to take this much needed step of banning aspartame in New Mexico in order

to protect the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the State of

New Mexico. Other states will follow New Mexico’s example.”

[<http://www.rense.com/general67/aspar.htm>Read]

H.J. , M.D. F.A.C.P., F.C.C.P. one of America’s premier physicians,

and author of four books on the dangers of aspartame, has written directly

to Governor several times about the need to curtail and ban

aspartame’s use. In a phone interview for this article, Dr. told

us, “Aspartame should not have been approved in the first place. It was

approved arbitrarily and unilaterally on the advice of in house FDA

scientists. However, the General Accounting Office and a public board of

inquiry both agreed that it should not be approved. After more than 20

years of clinical encounters and research and newer information, we now

know that it constitutes an imminent public health hazard. New Mexico

should be given credit for a lot of courage in looking into this matter

because the Federal Government has not pursued it in any way it should have

considering the large number of complaints.”

<http://sunsentpress.com/>http://sunsentpress.com

As to be expected in a versus Goliath fight of this magnitude, lots

of people get involved and, by coincidence, the clamor about the evils of

aspartame is now being heard 'round the world'.

In September 2005, The Ecologist, a major British scientific publication,

published a 17-page cover story on the tangled web of deceit surrounding

the approval of aspartame by the FDA and other regulatory bodies worldwide.

In addition, the publication of a 2005 Italian study on the carcinogenicity

of aspartame, prompted British MP, , a scientist, after a

year of looking into the safety of aspartame, to state what he found “truly

horrified” him. What he told his colleagues on the floor of Commons was

that “sound science and proper regulatory and political independence had

been notable by their absence from approval of aspartame.”

[<http://www.guardian.co.uk/food/Story/0,2763,1667734,00.html>Read]

The specific statute Fox found that gives legs to the whole New

Mexico campaign, and perhaps in your state as well, is as follows:

“A food shall be deemed to be adulterated

1. if it contains any poisonous or deleterious substance which may render

it injurious;

2. if it contains any added poisonous or added deleterious substance which

is unsafe, and

3. if it consists in whole or in part of …decomposed substance, or if it

otherwise unfit.”

What now remains to be seen is if New Mexico officials will buckle under

the weight of corporate manipulation and/or outright intimidation. The

following letter sent to Dr. Betty i, by New Mexico’s Chief Deputy

Attorney General, Stuart M. Bluestone, outlines the authority of the

Attorney General’s Office, and gives some assurances. We do hope this is

the case.

“Dear Dr. i:

Thank you for your letter raising concerns about aspartame and/or the

presence of mercury/thimerosal in vaccines. We respect your sincerity and

appreciate you taking the time to write us about public health issues.

We at the Attorney General’s Office are lawyers, not scientists or public

policy makers. Policy decisions based on the review of available evidence

are made by the Governor’s appointed policymakers, e.g., the Environmental

Improvement Board or the Board of Pharmacy. Of course, the Legislature and

the Governor also ultimately determine public policy for our State.

We may provide legal advise, subject to federal and state laws,

constitutional provisions and court cases, to elected and appointed state

officials. We always try to do the best job we can to provide objective

legal opinions. As we review the relevant governing laws, please be assured

that we will be mindful of the important need to protect the public health,

safety and welfare.

Thank you for contacting us.”

How You Can Help Right Now

While it is sometimes hard to believe, the most powerful political force in

the world is the will of the people. When enough people demand justice,

politicians, public servants, and even those who run global corporations,

can be brought to their senses to act in the public interest.

The New Mexico Action Matters to All of Us

Ordinary citizens of New Mexico found a law on the books that establishes

that the state has the authority to protect the public from unsafe foods.

Ordinary citizens of New Mexico are promoting a bill to establish a

permanent agency to watchdog the food supply.

Ordinary citizens of New Mexico have successfully petitioned the

Environmental Improvement Board and the Attorney General’s Office to hold

honest public hearings on the safety of aspartame.

So what is the problem? There will be two meetings in the first weeks of

January in Santa Fe, New Mexico that could dramatically alter future

events, or, for that matter, put an end to what the ordinary citizens of

New Mexico have expressly stated as their will. One meeting is with the

Attorney General’s Office and the Environmental Improvement Board and the

other with the Pharmacy Board. At those meetings we hope that the Attorney

General’s Office makes a recommendation that the July hearing goes forward

as planned. So, if we are to act, it must be now to make sure this happens.

Once the July hearing is secured, it’s up to the people to keep the heat on

to make sure it will be fair and impartial and no funny stuff goes on

behind closed doors among the power brokers. Since what happens in Santa Fe

in July has national and international ramifications, it is up to all of us

to lend a hand to those in New Mexico who have done a spectacular job

bringing the aspartame scandal to public view.

Consequently, we ask you to spend a few minutes during your New Year’s

weekend to send this article to all your friends and urge them to join you

in deluging the capital of New Mexico with e-mail messages from all over in

support of the ordinary people of New Mexico.

Please have these e-mail messages sent to:

Governor Bill c/o Chief of Staff Dave Contarino at:

<mailto:dave.contarino@...>dave.contarino@...

Please thank the Governor for putting Senate Bill 525 to create the

Nutrition Council on the Call and giving it his Executive Message.

Please tell him you support states' rights to regulate harmful products

especially now when it is obvious the FDA has failed in its regulatory

responsibilities on a number of drugs and other products such as aspartame.

Attorney General,

The Honorable Madrid

<mailto:ewood@...>ewood@...

Deputy General, Stuart Bluestone

<mailto:sbluestone@...>sbluestone@...

Please tell both Ms. Madrid and Mr. Bluestone that you support their desire

to defend New Mexico's right to challenge the safety of an FDA-approved

product such as aspartame, particularly when it is so obvious it should

never been approved at all.

----------

New Mexico at a Crossroads: Will the Attorney General of New Mexico Stand

Up to Protect Us?

by <%20mailto:permpress@...>Gershon Seigel, Publisher Sun Monthly,

formerly El Dorado Sun

Real consumer protection is not about the easiest path. Corporate interests

need to be held in check and admonished and rebuked when it is necessary —

not after the fact in huge lawsuits for damages like we just saw resolved

in the Vioxx case in Texas.

Over the years the Sun has examined the medical and legal implications of

the artificial sweetener aspartame. For New Mexico, a critical crossroads

is approaching in the very near future, not concerning aspartame as a

potential neurotoxin, but rather questioning whether or not the state of

New Mexico, through its Board of Pharmacy, Environmental Improvement Board

and Board of Education, has the right even to investigate such a potential.

This legal-authority question has been asked of the attorney general,

Madrid, whose office is presently preparing a formal opinion as to

whether our state's boards can legitimately challenge a Food and Drug

Administration–approved product like aspartame. The FDA’s approval was

flawed, if not corrupt, to begin with, as was made clear in the September

2005 Sun article “Rumsfeld's Disease.” Therefore it seems incomprehensible

that such a faulty FDA approval could not be questioned by a state board

having heard a significant amount of evidence thus far.

But this is just what corporate lawyers representing the Japanese firm

Ajinomoto, the world's largest aspartame manufacturer, would like the

boards and the attorney general to believe. Ajinomoto is joined in this

legal effort by an industry front group, the Calorie Control Council. They

have both hired high-powered lawyers to silence the boards on the grounds

that aspartame is " safe " and that, besides, no one but the FDA, Congress

and the federal courts can challenge any of the FDA's approval processes,

at least until someone dies from an FDA-approved product.

In spite of the industry front group’s innocent-sounding name, and given

previous and most recent scientific studies indicating the harmful affects

of aspartame, we take exception to Ajinomoto’s assertion of aspartame

safety. Coincidently, Ajinomoto also happens to be the world's largest

manufacturer of another dubious food additive, monosodium glutamate. We

encourage the attorney general to issue a strong opinion supporting the

boards looking into aspartame in children's medicines and in thousands of

food products.

Neurodegenerative diseases are on the upsurge, especially in children and

in the elderly, and no corporate interest can silence or thwart the ongoing

quest for medical truth. Protecting our children lies at the very core of

our existence, and most certainly the attorney general knows this. We’d

like Madrid to recognize the obvious: that in 1981 the FDA’s approval was

politically motivated and that these corporate interests have stymied the

real truth about aspartame for the last 24 years through the evolution of

" diet " beverages, " sugarless " gum, " low fat " yogurt and other pleasant

delusions whose net effect has been shown to cause neurodegenerative mayhem

in the human physiology. It is time to put an end to this destructive

mythology and corporate deception.

Attorney General Madrid could roll over and capitulate to the corporate

interests, as if it were the FDA itself that is making the preemption

arguments, which is not the case. From a bureaucratic point of view, this

might be the easiest thing to do. However, real consumer protection is not

about the easiest path. Corporate interests need to be held in check and

admonished and rebuked when it is necessary — not after the fact in huge

lawsuits for damages like we just saw resolved in the Vioxx case in Texas.

As part of the attorney general’s statutory duties and powers, it is her

job to protect New Mexicans from further neurotoxic exposure. Therefore, we

strongly encourage Madrid to say no to the corporate clamor insisting that

the Board of Pharmacy and the Environmental Improvement Board remain silent

on this issue, and instead affirm their right to move forward with

aspartame hearings.

In the past, when local laws have threatened corporate bottom lines, big

business has hauled out the Constitution’s supremacy and commerce clauses

to support their profits-over-people argument. This tactic has usually

proved successful. However, let us not forget the tobacco suits of the

1990s, which stunningly affirmed, in effect, that those corporations that

knowingly sell products potentially harmful to the public risk paying

billions in reparations to those states that take seriously the obligation

of protecting the health and safety of their citizens.

The aspartame industry represents billions of dollars annually, and we

understand the courage needed by the attorney general to stand tall at this

critical juncture for the health and safety of the people of New Mexico. As

with the aforementioned tobacco suits, her decision may potentially affect

the actions of other attorneys general throughout the country and,

therefore, affect millions of Americans and even more millions of consumers

worldwide. However, for Madrid to now surrender to the industry’s legal

saber rattling will be nothing less than a complete abnegation of the

powers of her office and a further descent into the growing corporate

control of all government processes.

To voice your input regarding this matter of consumer protection to the

attorney general’s office, call (505) 827-6000 and 827-6004, and ask

toleave a message for the Attorney General and for the Deputy Attorney

General, Stuart Bluestone.

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Aspartame Victim Testimonial

by <mailto:sseiderman@...> Seiderman

Dear Sir, [Originally a Letter to the Editor to the Sun News]

I am writing to encourage New Mexico to go forward with the banning of

aspartame in your state.

I am a typical victim of the nightmare of this additive. I am a slightly

overweight woman, with diabetes, who drank diet sodas for many years -- as

many as 10 or 15 servings a day -- never dreaming of the danger to my

health. I began to suffer tremendous headaches, hair loss and an irregular

heartbeat and then, about two years ago, I suddenly suffered an occlusion

of the main artery to the retina of my left eye. It is now totally blind

and nothing will restore sight.

I went from doctor to doctor, seeking a cause but no one knew what brought

about the occlusion. They only knew that it was too late to help me. Then,

someone mentioned the possibility of the aspartame in the diet drinks being

the cause of my ill health. I investigated and found that Dr. R. G. Walton

had written extensively about reticular occlusions caused by aspartame. He

also described many of my other symptoms. I then stopped using products

containing this poison and immediately my headaches disappeared, but most

of my hair is gone, I still have the irregular heartbeat and I have lost

the sight in one eye. Thank God, I stopped in time to save the other eye.

At the age of 72, this has been a terrible ordeal for me, especially

because my remaining eye is very weak. So I am afraid that I will soon

suffer total blindness...and there is a mountain of evidence that indicates

that it was all caused by my use of aspartame.

Dr. Blaylock, Neurosurgery, has written several treatises on " what

to do if you have used aspartame, " a fairly complete and thorough

biochemical regimen based on vitamins, primarily. It is worth reading but

it comes too late for me.

Now I am doing all in my power to reach out to others to warn them of this

terrible poison. If it is possible to save the health, even the life, of

one other person, I will do all in my power to help. I ask you to support

the movement to ban aspartame from all products in your state. I hope this

will lead to a larger ban in the entire country, and the world. I pray that

you are able to accomplish this.

If the New Mexico Attorney General cannot or will not stand up to the

aspartame manufacturing corporations' demands that the hearings by the

Board of Pharmacy and the Environmental Improvement Board not be held, then

the situation is quite hopeless for future victims of aspartame poisoning

like me. I lost an eye to this neurotoxic carcinogen -- I am certain there

are thousands of New Mexicans with undiagnosed illnesses like Multiple

Sclerosis, seizure diseases, Lou Gehrig's disease, heart and eye disease,

and that there will be many thousands more if your Attorney General gives

in to the toxic corporate demands.

We all know that the FDA is not objecting to the New Mexico Board of

Pharmacy hearings on aspartame; it is the companies that make this additive

who are objecting to these hearings in New Mexico.

I am willing to tell my story to any media source, and am available for

interviews. I will do anything to help make this campaign a success. Thanks

for the opportunity to express my side of this issue.

Sincerely,

Seiderman

8533 Villa La Jolla Drive, #E

La Jolla, CA 92037

858 453-4567

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U.S. Warns Turkey Of Air Strike On Iran And Syria

PHX News | December 21 2005

In an overlooked story, the Turkish press reported last week that CIA

Director Porter Goss went to Ankara recently and informed the Turkish

government that Iran already has nuclear weapons and they should be ready

for " a possible US air operation against Iran and Syria " .

From -

<http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=89033>http://www.turkishpress.com/n

ews.asp?id=89033

CIA’S Goss Reportedly Warned Ankara of Iranian Threat

During his recent visit to Ankara, CIA Director Porter Goss reportedly

brought three dossiers on Iran to Ankara. Goss is said to have asked for

Turkey’s support for Washington’s policy against Iran’s nuclear activities,

charging that Tehran had supported terrorism and taken part in activities

against Turkey. Goss also asked Ankara to be ready for a possible US air

operation against Iran and Syria. Goss, who came to Ankara just after FBI

Director Mueller’s visit, brought up Iran’s alleged attempts to

develop nuclear weapons. It was said that Goss first told Ankara that Iran

has nuclear weapons and this situation was creating a huge threat for both

Turkey and other states in the region. Diplomatic sources say that

Washington wants Turkey to coordinate with its Iran policies. The second

dossier is about Iran’s stance on terrorism. The CIA argued that Iran was

supporting terrorism, the PKK and al-Qaeda. The third had to do with Iran’s

alleged stance against Ankara. Goss said that Tehran sees Turkey as an

enemy and would try to “export its regime.”

<http://www.counterpunch.org/petras12242005.html> Petras discusses the

upcoming Iran/Syria conflict in detail on counterpunch.org

----------

Home Grown Food for Santa Fe

by <mailto:combsjmichael@...> Combs

In my kitchen, I can tell you who grew most of my food: the chicos, beans,

posole, atole, habas, calabasa mexicana, chile molido, dried green chile,

apples, salad and steaming greens, garlic, onions, relishes, jams, mustard,

tortillas, lamb & chicken, mushrooms, goat & sheep cheese, carrots,

rutabagas, turnips, beets and parsnips. This is winter, and I’m eating

winter foods, like stews, hot cereals, breads, baked pumpkin, apples and

sweet potatoes. I’m bummed that the sweet potatoes never showed up this

year from Fort Sumner, and I haven’t found a local source for most of the

grains I eat, but the rich alluvial soils of the Santa Cruz, Chama, Embudo,

Pecos, Trampas and Rio Grande valleys nurture the rootlets of most of the

plants that furnish the fruits, leaves and roots from which I be

manufacturing that weekly pint of fresh blood that pumps through my veins.

I know the farmers and their children, too; I’ve seen some of their houses

and fields, know which ones are new to farming, which are returning,

whether its their grandpa’s land, leased, hoping-to-buy soon fields,

whether they’re thriving or giving a hard look at getting out. I don’t need

to rely on labels to tell me what soil practices they use; I can ask

whatever I want to know.

But I know that my kitchen is an anomaly, that, outside of the hard-core

local buyers, those few score of families that like me will go to nearly

any lengths we have to to find that fresh, yummy, nourishing, satisfying

local-grown foodstuffs, most Santa Fe kitchens will have at most only a few

token smatterings of regionally-produced foods, the odd jar of green chile

relish or the tortillas from Albuquerque. Even the red & green chile found

on local grocery shelves comes almost invariable from Hatch, Artesia, and

Deming. Probably less than 5% of the food consumed here in Santa Fe is

produced within 100 miles; Taos, Mora and Espanola may best us there, with,

I’ll guess, 10% max. But, within living memory it wasn’t so. There are

people still alive who remember when the Acequia Madre flowed and fed other

irrigation ditches, when the Santa Fe river valley bloomed white in a good

spring with apricot, peach, cherry quince, pear and apple blossoms, when a

ring of local dairies turned the alfalfa fields into cream and milk, when

the local greengrocers contracted with farmers from our local valleys to

carry the fruits and vegetables as each came into season. And our local

farmers and ranchers thrived because they had access to the local markets.

----------

2006 Celebration to Honor Progressive Community in Santa Fe

Please mark your calendar to honor Social Change groups in Santa Fe &

nearby community, and to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of the political

community People for Peace.

The event will be Wednesday, Jan. 4 in the Unitarian Church Fellowship

Room, at the corner of Galisteo and Barcelona Street, beginning at 7 p.m.

Meeting breaks at 9:15 p.m.

We need your help to pass this invitation to others about this annual

gathering

at the New Year of our growing and vibrant progressive community in Santa

Fe and elsewhere. Thank you.

Since January 1, 1991, we have been a political community that seeks to

integrate action, support, study - " the hand, the heart, and mind "

Join People for Peace for their monthly meeting, every first Wednesday, in

the Unitarian Church library, 107 E. Barcelona Street in Santa Fe, from 7

to 9 p.m.

Call about seminars on third or fourth Wednesdays. A seminar on Thoreau's

essay " Civil Disobedience " will be held Wednesday, February 15, followed

by a Spring Series of Seminars on the Writings of Mahatma Gandhi.

For information about the anniversary meeting, our regular meeting, and

seminars, call 983.3906 or email

<mailto:lhibbs@...>lhibbs@...

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Let's Level the Playing Field for New Mexico Businesses

by <mailto:pwirth@...>State Representative Wirth, District 47

A good corporate citizen should behave like a good citizen: be a good

neighbor, participate in the community and pay taxes. Unfortunately, some

of our multi-state corporate citizens are using a tax loophole in New

Mexico law to gain an unfair advantage over New Mexico businesses.

As we debate the merits of a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Santa Fe (we already

have one Wal Mart and a Sam’s Club), its time to expose this corporate tax

loophole. It works like this.

A multi-state company earns profits in New Mexico. When it comes time to

pay taxes, the company uses a paper shell game to “expense” its New Mexico

profits to out of state affiliates and move otherwise taxable New Mexico

income to an affiliate located in a state without a corporate income tax.

For example, a multi-state “big box” retailer doing business in New Mexico

has an affiliate in Delaware where there is no corporate tax. The Delaware

corporation owns the company trademark which it then licenses to the New

Mexico company for a fee. Conveniently, this fee just happens to be close

to the profits the company is generating from its operation in New Mexico.

When the big box retailer in New Mexico files its corporate tax return,

most or all of its profits are paid to the affiliate in Delaware for the

right to use the trademark. This allows the big box company to avoid the

7.6% corporate tax New Mexico businesses are paying.

This accounting scheme is rampant in New Mexico. During the recent

legislative session, the Taxation and Revenue Department reported that if

New Mexico closed this loop hole we would generate an additional $30

million annually in corporate income tax. Many think this estimate is

conservative.

Local New Mexico businesses pay their fair share of the corporate tax. Why

should the Wal-Marts of the world be allowed to pay little or no corporate

tax on the money they make in New Mexico?

The solution, which I introduced in the last legislative session (HB 320),

is simple: require “combined reporting.” With this change in the law,

multi-state corporations operating in New Mexico would pay corporate income

tax on their profits earned in New Mexico regardless of how they do their

internal bookkeeping.

Closing this loop-hole will help create a level playing field for New

Mexico owned businesses.

----------

Law has a new show of her work at the 1st National Bank on the Plaza

" Peace, Love and Light " is a retrospective of 's work in the sixties

with a focus on the Anti-War protests and peace movements. She also adds to

this show a look at her life in New Mexico with her family in Truchas and

her friends that came to New Mexico at the same time in the late sixties.

This is a timely show as we are facing the same issues today with the war

in Iraq. Most of the photos are 3 feet by 4 feet and demand one's attention

as soon as you enter the room. also shows Little Joe Gomez at a dance

at the Taos pueblo and her most famous photo taken of Bob Dylan at the

Castle in Los Angeles during his 1966 visit to her home. Tony Price is

playing his atomic Gongs and Corretta King is depicted giving a

speech at an anti-Vietnam rally in San Francisco. This show is not to be

missed as it is the largest show has done because the bank has the

space to hold such large photographs. The reception to the show has been

overwhelmingly positive with customers walking around the bank look at each

image closely, many commenting to the tellers how much they enjoyed the

opportunity to view 's photos in such a format.

" We are stardust, we are golden, and we've got to get ourselves back to the

garden " - From Woodstock by Joni .

----------

Call Mother Media with questions, to sponsor or to advertise at 982.3609.

Our sponsors report good results. $20/week for a paragraph like this in

each email. Event announcements cost $10 for guaranteed distribution, but

all announcements will be considered for publication. Mother Media founder

Leland Lehrman recently joined the Northern New Mexico Sun-News as editor.

We encourage subscribers and sponsors to read and advertise in the

sustainability paper, The Sun-News. Call 982.3609 with stories or for

advertising details. Commission-based advertising manager and distributors

needed, will trade for ad space.

----------

Join the Local Energy Research Team

We are currently gathering data on the energy preferences of Santa Feans,

and we need volunteers to help. As a volunteer, you will assist our

researchers by distributing surveys and making phone calls to your fellow

community members. The results of this research will reveal what local

folks want from their Energy Providers, and will play a crucial role as we

develop our Local Renewable Energy Program.

For details, please see the attached flyer or give us a call at (505)

982-9800. Please join us in building a sustainable, energy self-reliant

Santa Fe. Thanks,

The <http://www.localenergy.org>Local Energy Research Team

----------

Tai Bixby - Natural Homes - Oshara Village Energy costs are skyrocketing.

Current models of suburban sprawl are broken and result in feelings of

disconnectedness and traffic jams. The philosphy of the rugged

individualist has left him isolated in the desert with an empty gas tank

and no friends. There must be a more sustainable approach to housing and

neighborhood design.

Now there is. Oshara Village, located next to the Santa Fe Community

College, features such sustainable features as 100% on site water

reclamation, on-site bus service and passive solar architecture. Oshara

Village offers a lifestyle of reduced dependence on the car through the

integration of homes, workplaces and shopping in a high density, mixed use,

walkable neighbohood. Oshara Village was approved by Santa Fe County

planning authorities in June. Reservation of homesites at Oshara Village is

expected to begin in October. For more information on Oshara Village call

or email Tai Bixby of Natural Homes at 946-2105 or

<mailto:tai@...>tai@... .

Tai Bixby is a progressive real estate broker seeking progressive clients.

If you know sombody thinking of buying or selling a home or who would be

interested in Oshara Village, Tai would like to help them. Feel free to

pass on Tai's contact info or if you can provide contact information, Tai

will be happy to follow up.

Natural Homes is a division of Prudential Santa Fe Real Estate 505-988-3700.

----------

Go Realty - Santa Fe

Want to find the right home for you? Go Realty Santa Fe is a boutique

agency specializing in helping buyers and investors make educated real

estate decisions. Go Realty's clients receive exclusive tools and services,

empowering you to Inhabit Your Dreams. All Go Realty services are Free to

buyers.

Owner-Broker, Aysha , is the author of the " Santa Fe Green Building

Guidelines. " A free copy is available at

<http://www.GoRealtySantaFe.com>www.GoRealtySantaFe.com. There you can also

search all Santa Fe properties for sale. For a Free consultation about the

Santa Fe real estate market and how you can easefully Inhabit Your Dreams,

contact Go Realty at 995-0195.

----------

Mother Media would like to thank its sponsors:

Bill Swinney - Former Naval Special Operations

Go Realty - <http://www.GoRealtySantaFe.com>www.GoRealtySantaFe.com -

995-0195

Wild Things Boutique -

<http://www.faeriequeensboutique.com>www.faeriequeensboutique.com

Indigo Spirit Landscapes -

<http:/www.alienattraxtion.com>www.indigospiritlandscapes.com - 780.3442

New Millennium Fine Art - 983.2002 - 217 W. Water St.

Atomic Grill - 103 E. Water St - 820.2866

Harmony Farm - Saturday Morning Santa Fe Farmer's Market

Tai Bixby, Progressive Realtor - 946-2105

Santa Fe Beeswax Candle - <http://www.santafecandle.com>www.santafecandle.com

Shaman's Den - <http://www.shamansden.com>www.shamansden.com

Santa Fe Hemp - <http://www.shamansden.com>www.santafehemp.com - 105 E.

Water St.

Plants of the Southwest -

<http://www.plantsofthesouthwest.com>www.plantsofthesouthwest.com - 3095

Agua Fria Rd

United Voters of New Mexico - <http://www.uvotenm.org>www.uvotenm.org

Las Vegas Peace and Justice Center - 505.425.3840

The National Organization for Women - <http://www.uvotenm.org>www.now.org

After Midnight Custom Guitars - 995-0638 - 815 Early St.

Ecoversity - www.ecoversity.org - 2639 Agua Fria

EarthWalk Medicine - 505.231.1415

Forest Guardians - <http;//www.fguardians.org>www.fguardians.org

Alien Attraxtion - <http:/www.alienattraxtion.com>www.alienattraxtion.com

Soil Secrets - <http://www.soilsecrets.com>www.soilsecrets.com

To become a sponsor, call 982.3609 for rates and information. Our sponsors

report good results.

----------

Check the website and weblog at

<http://www.mothermedia.org>www.mothermedia.org

Send encouragement by paypal to leland@... or by check to

Leland Lehrman

163 Old Lamy Trail

Lamy, NM 87540

505.982.3609

--------------------------------------------------------

Sheri Nakken, R.N., MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Nevada City CA & Wales UK

$$ Donations to help in the work - accepted by Paypal account

vaccineinfo@... voicemail US 530-740-0561

(go to http://www.paypal.com) or by mail

Vaccines - http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccine.htm

Vaccine Dangers On-Line course - http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccineclass.htm

Homeopathy On-Line course - http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/homeo.htm

ANY INFO OBTAINED HERE NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS MEDICAL

OR LEGAL ADVICE. THE DECISION TO VACCINATE IS YOURS AND YOURS ALONE.

******

" Just look at us. Everything is backwards; everything is upside down.

Doctors destroy health, lawyers destroy justice, universities destroy

knowledge, governments destroy freedom, the major media destroy information

and religions destroy spirituality " .... Ellner