Category: civil liberties

9/4: An Evening With Dolores Huerta in Corrales

September 2, 2010 by Democracy for N...

Human rights activist Dolores Huerta turned eighty this year. She has generously dedicated her lifetime to protecting the rights of others. Dolores has built bridges across communities to fight for workers, women, immigrants, LGBTQ communities, disenfranchised communities of color and the poor.

Please join us for an intimate evening with Dolores Huerta
Saturday, September 4th, 2010 at 7:00 PM
415 Camino de la Tierra, Corrales, NM 87048 (map)
Hosted by Ennio Garcia-Miera, Ed Goodman,
Linda Hernandez and Carolina M. Ramos

Cartoon of the Day: Mosque No Mas

August 24, 2010 by Democracy for N...

Click image for larger version

More from Tom Tomorrow.

Stephen Jones: A Band of Cowards

August 18, 2010 by Democracy for N...

This is a post by contributing writer, Stephen Jones, who is a progressive political activist and a resident of Las Cruces, New Mexico.

It is another week and with it, yet another grating message of intolerance from the Republican Party. Fast on the heels of last week’s assault on the 14th Amendment of the Constitution and birthright citizenship, the party of “no” now aims to overturn the 1st Amendment and trample upon the most deeply held conviction of the framers of the United States Constitution, cast at the very inception of the nation’s founding, the individual right of conscience.

ACLU of New Mexico: Taser Use in Need of Regulation

August 10, 2010 by Democracy for N...

This is a guest blog by Laura Schauer, Managing Attorney, ACLU of New Mexico.

There is a disturbing pattern emerging here in New Mexico: inappropriate and excessive use of Tasers by law enforcement. Tasers are “less-than-lethal” weapons that use compressed nitrogen to fire two darts that deliver 50,000 volts of electric shock into the target’s body, causing temporary incapacitation. However, this “less-than-lethal” brand is far from certain. Amnesty International reports that over 350 individuals have died soon after having the weapons used on them.

Medical experts agree that Taser use is not without serious risk. Dr. Zian Tseng, a cardiologist at the University of California in San Franciso, believes that Tasers may be fatal if they discharge during the vulnerable period of the heart beat cycle, are used on particularly susceptible populations or are used multiple times for an extended time period. Tseng says, “I think they are dangerous ... You are shocking someone repeatedly. It becomes a bit like Russian Roulette. At some point, you may hit that vulnerable period.”