Michael Morris – In Focus

Many of you in Otero County received a slick and upscale brochure extolling the virtues of the hotly debated GRT to help finance Spaceport America last week. The sponsor of this seems to be a PAC calling itself People for Aerospace-Otero. I have been asked by a few readers if I know anything about this operation. In response I will offer what I could find on short notice. What I found ought to have Otero County Republicans stroking out all across the county. Can I have a little fun before I get to the good stuff?

Michael Morris – In Focus

I think the only thing more embarrassing than living in the middle of a wholly inept and corrupt legal system is living in the middle of a wholly inept and corrupt legal system too lacking in cerebral resources so as to cover their tracks. In the recent case of Alberto Lueras the corrupt exploited the inept in order to distort our system of laws to a degree that renders laws as we typically understand them, meaningless. Instead of a rope and a tree the clowns and the psychopaths came together in a kangaroo court so transparent subversion of everything we depend on to survive as a free society could be its only goal. You may choose to see Mr. Lueras as a monster, but the law sees him as a citizen, a fourteenth amendment citizen if you will, the same as you. What you visit upon him is the standard to which you are subject.

Michael Morris – In Focus

On September 17 @ 9 am in Jerry Ritter’s Alamogordo Courtroom the Case of Sederwall et al v Maddox, Virden and Herrera regarding some wide reaching election “irregularities” that, if proven, begins the process of establishing the elements of criminal conduct on the part of the Defendants. The upshot of the petition (PDF)[The 40 pages of jurisdictional affidavits from the 25 elector petitioners in the Virden matter have been left out to reduce file size] before the court is that incumbent Sheriff Rick Virden has misrepresented his residence and not qualified for ballot placement for several reasons, that Lincoln County Clerk Tammie Maddox, engaged in criminal and other capricious acts, some recently reversed by the New Mexico Supreme Court and should not be allowed to conduct the upcoming General Election asking that a Special Master be appointed for that purpose. For the first time ever I have a cognizable conflict that I must disclose. Yours truly was served with this invitation to testify in this case (PDF). While I will not really be going into that detail the subject here may obviate the need for me to say a word. You people forcing me into this with your lies have tried my patience. After today there will be no more Mr. Nice Guy.

Michael Morris – In Focus

That title is really dramatic, don’t you think? It is only fitting that the explanation of the drama queen behind this rather silly attempt to see 12th Judicial District Judge James Waylon Counts not be retained this November represented to the world as DumpCounts.com begin on a contextual note because from here on it is straight outrage. At first I was lead to believe that these persons had a legitimate grievance. Once their identities began to become known due to some cohesiveness failures in the corporate glue and darned good leads I found their leader to be worse than I had guessed in my last rant. Want to take a guess?

In fact the anonymous writer is actually more a part of the problem rather than the solution as you encourage fear among fellow citizens while stripping credibility from the story you propose to tell.” - Michael Morris May 16, 2005. (LINK)

”Even more important for us has been to be everything the no name – no signature “Concerned Voters of Socorro” scandal rag was not.” - Michael Morris July 15, 2004. (LINK)

The fact that the name(s) of the publisher(s) and editor(s) was nowhere to be found on this publication only went to discredit this organization. Honestly I would not put my name on such a thing. Of course I would never trade in such scandalous material.” - Michael Morris February 13, 2004 (LINK)

Those who suggested that I may have had something to do with the hooded cowards who engineered the embarrassment known as DumpCounts.com should be judged on that basis. I have a hard time understanding why some, including the authors of this abomination, think I would have anything to do with what amounts to a bunch of poorly educated fools making assumptions and accusations based on their limited grasp of the law or even reality.

Michael Morris – In Focus

For a couple of years now we have been hearing a significant amount of hype regarding New Mexico’s latest and largest Economic Development project called now Spaceport America to be located on the unstable wasteland of eastern Sierra County. Tonight the Otero County Commission is set to hold a hearing claiming to address the propriety of placing the spaceport gross receipts tax on the November ballot. The catch is that the Commission has long since promised to not only place it on the ballot, but to also support its passage. So why is it we are again spending time on a public hearing? Simple. It is a stunt intended to get the press filled with the unsubstantiated claims by the spaceport profiteers out there without any questions.

Michael Morris – In Focus

In the world of politics the only constant is the presence of corruption. Well, in New Mexico, we have the additional component of sloth on the part of many elected official that consider themselves some kind of royalty by virtue of being entrusted to do the People’s business. Lincoln County Clerk Tammie Maddox is by no means alone in criminal behavior in office. Instead she is merely the first to be exposed in what appears to be a widespread corruption regarding ballot manipulation. Yesterday Ruidoso News reporter Julie Carter brought to light the latest felonious act by Maddox. In this case Maddox has been caught willfully subverting the law she is charged with upholding. State law requires that she be imprisoned for this felony.

Michael Morris – In Focus

For me the race for District Attorney in the 12th Judicial District had the potential to be an exceptionally gratifying event. Now I am so glad it is almost over. Ever since day 1 of the “Throw away the Key” campaign one sage after another told me I had no chance of getting rid of the district’s south bound compass needle, Scot Key, or even of getting someone to run against him. As you can see they were wrong. At the same time I have 3 full-time years of my life invested in the improvement of this community and don’t appreciate the juvenile tactics some “adults” have chosen to employ in order to demonize the candidate they do not support. It is your mentally challenged antics that discourage qualified candidates from facing your asinine and childish pranks. Your reward awaits you.

Michael Morris – In Focus

Reading the Alamogordo Daily Blather this morning I am left asking just what the bias is over at the ADN. Then it dawned on me that it is not exactly bias that drives the distortions and unequal reporting that permeates into the public through that miscreant gratuitous assault on trees for its paper and soybeans for its ink. As has been pointed out to me over and over again by executives at Media News Group (majority owner of the ADN) the news department merely supports the efforts of the advertising department. While this explains why the ADN seems all over the map when reporting similar events I have to ask you whether the objective of a free press is met in any way by this sort of “journalism”? First we have to define the benefit of an actual free press.

Michael Morris – In focus

Let’s face it. Without fear none of what we as the body of man understand can operate. In fact a person with no fear is a rather dangerous individual killer or not. Politics is no exception. No matter what political system the basis of power in the world is fear. Whether your party fears an IED through the window or the destruction of species the fear is just product, a commodity bought to enhance market share (offices won). In our system selling that fear to a people distracted by bills, ball games and beer is the way power is obtained. Since the media is focused on the national barkers, rather than compete, I thought it would be fun to trace the fearful roots of some of the taxpayer funded boondoggles we all remember. Just one for today though. Too much fun is like too much liquor.