Michael Morris – In Focus

This is where I usually do my version of a sarcasm monolog. I don’t have one today aside from the title that is not misspelled. You’ll get it later. Alamogordo Times contacted PED after reports surfaced that persons were having difficulty obtaining public records. In response we were treated to an angry and defensive man. I suppose I would be defensive as well if I conducted investigations in the way Paul Calderon, Program Director, Educator Ethics Bureau, NM PED does. In fact they would throw you out of the Don Adams fan club for doing investigations the way he does, but I digress.

Michael Morris – In Focus

No, you did not read that wrong. After years of opposition to the Alamogordo Gross Receipts Tax for Economic Development in its present form I have realized the error of my ways and now urge you to vote YES to make the tax permanent next spring. It turns out that the tax may, in fact, be one of the greatest values going out there when compared to other alternatives.

Michael Morris – In Focus

Just a good ole boys. Never meanin’ no harm… Seems Roscoe (Royse City Police Chief Tom Shelton) and Cletus (Royse City Police Sgt. Jim Baker) have cooked themselves a plan to get that low down rotten Mike Harris. Seems some of their associates aren’t quite willing to accept that raise and contract extension the Board of Trustees down at the schools done gave the varmint. In fact they got em some pictures cousin Clem says proves the Superintendent stole gas. Let’s see how them fellas did.

Michael Morris – In Focus

Throughout the last year there has been considerable speculation regarding the administrative hearings and charges currently pending before the NM Public Education Department (PED) against Alamogordo Public Schools (APS) Superintendent Mike Harris. The problem is that most of the information circulating is the result of a rather prolonged campaign to hype this into something it is not. In several parts I will endeavor to place a little reality into the mix.

Michael Morris – In Focus

To get my bias out of the way right at the start I will say that after what I have seen in the last couple of days concerning the conduct of APS teacher Kathleen Wallis I not only would not believe a word from her mouth, I would not trust her with a hamster. At every turn it is one lie after another, whether on official documents or in person Wallis has no use for the truth, no respect for it and a propensity to exploit those who assume they are being told the truth. Kathy Wallis should never be sanctioned to enter a classroom – ever. At the same time we see the local NEA establishment implicated as accomplices.

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

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.