SPEAK UP! !?!

THE JUVENILE games played between the pro and con UNM employees for unionization would normally be worth a chuckle. But it’s very indicative of those who are afraid for their jobs because they don’t measure up. And it will only cost the taxpayers and students even more in taxes and fees if unionization succeeds. JW

OUR CURRENT president reminds me of the genie in Aladdin: “You ain’t never had a friend like me.” With friends like him, who needs enemies? Just ask the Kurds. WC

PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRAT Albuquerque City Councilman Pat Davis blames two 7-Eleven stores for the uptick in crime in his district. Let’s see, 7 Eleven has more than 8,500 stores nationwide and about a dozen in Albuquerque, and they are pretty much all carbon copies of one another in terms of how they operate and what they sell. The only difference is location, so maybe the problem is not 7-Eleven, but the bad actors in the councilman’s district. Crimes are committed by people and isn’t it about time the people who commit crimes be held accountable? RS

MY SON ask(ed) me why there was a holiday honoring the Motor Vehicle Division. I had to explain to him the difference between indigenous people and indignant people. MS

THANK YOU, Mr. Mayor, for the overnight disappearance of all the drugaddicts, panhandlers and encampments in our city, just in time for the Balloon Fiesta. The reprieve was glorious, however temporary, as they reappeared the following weekend. I’m not sure if you set them up in area motels and/or paid them to stay off the streets. … SI

I UNDERSTAND the importance of celebrating indigenous people. However, there are several other days in the year that it can be celebrated. It’s important to not erase history. It should be celebrated that Columbus found this land. Had it not been him it would’ve been someone else. JS

WHEN WILL the ABQ Journal offer balance on the front page? Even the most recent take with “the Allsup’s family calling it quits” reeks (of) judgment and negativity. Maybe it was a very difficult decision for the family. Change isn’t always a bad thing. It’s time to change the front page! AM

MANY THANKS to Sheriff Manuel Gonzales for refusing the $1 million from Commissioner Debbie O’Malley to put lapel and dashboard cameras on the officers and vehicles! They are not needed and he is saving us a lot of money. Perhaps he should run against O’Malley the next time she has to run. However, that would result in a pay cut for him and also possibly put someone responsible and intelligent on the commission. DAW

THE PARTY Patrol as City Council has proposed is an excellent idea! APD should restart/continue this Party Patrol program. When APD shows up, let’s have “enforcement” and not intervention. Remember, as President Reagan stated, “We must reject the idea that every time a law is broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for their actions.” It is a teachable moment. AL

TO NANCY Pelosi: It does not matter if the Senate will not find Trump guilty, which is most certainly assured with Republicans voting the welfare of their party over their oath to uphold the Constitution. It is necessary to display the corruption that dominates this presidency. … JS

CORY BOOKER recently spoke at a local brewery. There’s no doubt he heard about APS’ failure to educate and decided to meet as many graduates at a place they’ll spend most of their time. LC

WE LIVE in an era of media-driven copycat mass murderers. The media refuse to conceal the names and manifestos of these murderers to reduce their incentives. The pen is more deadly than the sword. Therefore: Let’s tax newsprint and video equipment 10,000%. KM

SO THE (Sept. 2) Road Warrior column informs us that Isaac Benton’s unwanted roundabout at Rio Grande and Candelaria is nearly completed. At this point, I am so accustomed to using alternative routes to avoid all that mess that I am likely to continue to do so. EJG THOSE BRILLIANT climatologists and politicians who predict the effects of global warming with no doubt or hesitation 12 years, 17 years, 23 years, 50 years from today can’t even tell you the path of a hurricane an hour from now. That’s all you need to know about climate change. RDH I WAS under the impression we had three branches of government that were included in our Constitution. These being legislative, judicial and executive. However, seems to me that the Senate majority leader has ceded the legislative component to the executive branch. … JG

CITY COUNCILOR Isaac Benton must not use the downtown library. Those of us who use it regularly do not want a toilet next to it to attract yet more street people to the site. In fact, the bus stop next to the library’s front door should be moved to an entirely different location as it attracts street people who loiter there all day, every day, litter, sleep, vomit, spit and worse. This eyesore problem spot is impossible to avoid when visiting the library. KKW SOLVING APD recruitment: Easy-Peasy: See how other departments bring in recruits. Do a Google Image Search for, e.g. “Dubai police cars.” Bet ya could cut early retirements in half; even reduce overtime salaries! BM

IN A … debate, Jeb Bush said “you can’t insult your way to the presidency.” Insults worked in 2016, so Trump is making the insults even worse. I guess he figures that will ensure him a win in 2020. CM

THANK YOU to former (Santa Fe) Mayor Sam Pick for his (Sept. 25) letter about Valerie Plame and her anti-Semitic views. The New Mexico congressional delegation already contains one anti-Semite; we don’t need another. KK

GRETA THUNBERG is an environmental heroine for sailing across the Atlantic to attend a U.N. climate conference. I wonder how she (will return) home. By plane, perhaps? How about the crew that flew over to sail the boat back to Sweden? For the left, symbolism counts above all else. AB

COMPARE TRUMP’S canceling an important diplomatic trip so he could stay abreast of Dorian and help if he could with Obama’s when our embassy was attacked. He was leaving for a fundraiser the next day so he couldn’t be bothered. … BD BEFORE HE attempts to confiscate guns with his red flag law (Op-ed Sept. 2), the Corrales Democrat legislator should examine the case of former Marine Shane Kohfield, whose guns were confiscated after he said in Portland that he would kill members of Antifa, a violent left-wing terrorist organization, if they attacked him. Laws like Oregon’s have a chilling effect on the exercise of both our First Amendment and Second Amendment rights, (and a) possible violations of our right to due process. RB

PLASTIC BAGS from grocery stores are bad because they become litter and take forever to degrade, if at all, in landfills. Response in ABQ, we are taking 300,000 of these bags and tightly knitting them together, making sleeping pads for the homeless. Just what happens when those pads get ripped or soiled? Those tightly knitted pads will become one giant piece of litter that a city employee will have to gather up for internment at the landfill. Yep, plastic bag problem solved! MBB

HERE’S AN idea — the next time you need to change lanes, use your turn signal, give traffic time to see it and then let the car next to you pass and move in behind it; don’t cut in front of the car! It’s simple really; be courteous, as you would in a line in a store. CB

WHY, OH why do the poor children of this state have to start school in the heat!? My grandchildren in Phoenix are on this schedule as well and cannot even go outside some days. I agree with others about adopting the West Coast schedule. This year, they start school on Aug. 28 and end on June 12. … The climate in Albuquerque is changing and the adults should recognize that adjustments must be made. JG THANK YOU BCSO! I have lived in SE for 47 years, bought the house I grew up in. In the past year: Car window shot out, truck stolen, house broken into, wife’s purse stolen. APD did nothing. Having the presence recently of State Police and now BCSO has made many of us feel a whole lot safer. For the sake of the tax-paying citizens in the SE we hope BCSO, NMSP and APD figure it out, and maintain a presence in our community! And thank you, HUB66, for orchestrating this collaboration! PGA

THE DETERIORATION of older Albuquerque neighborhoods, such as mine, is primarily caused by residential rental property. Therefore, the city should require every landlord and apartment manager to complete a training course and purchase a license, which could be revoked if their tenants cause repeated problems in the neighborhood. AC

GREAT JOB by the Bernalillo County Sheriff in the South Valley focused effort. I see where the usual unhappy “suspects” are complaining about this effort. … Too bad some elected officials can’t focus on solving crime, but rather are constantly complaining about those who are trying every day to reduce crime and keep us safe. BS COOKING THE books! Does anyone actually believe crime is down in ABQ? Talk to a cop! They laugh! Citizens on hold for hours requesting service! Come on, Albuquerque! Time to hold the mayor and city accountable for the truth! Anyone paying attention doesn’t believe crime is down! … PB THANK YOU, PRC, for looking out for the ratepayers, no one else in Santa Fe was … to get ETA passed. BC

TO ALBUQUERQUE Police Department recruiters: Might California police officers be considering other opportunities? Sept. 3: California Governor Newsom signed a bill repealing an 1872 law making it a misdemeanor to refuse to provide assistance to a cop asking for help if you are 18-plus and able-bodied. BM

ONCE AND for all, the United States of America is NOT a democracy. The United States of America is a REPUBLIC. For anyone confused, look it up. LRH

IN RESPONSE to Marg Elliston, chair of the Democratic Party: Why are you saying the president has attacked and demonized hard-working communities in New Mexico? You are doing a good job all by yourself. With Democrat control of our state, with all the shootings and violence, we will not go to Albuquerque or Santa Fe. Thanks for nothing. GD

… THE CITY buying electric cars at this time does not to help the environment. Why? Currently, coal provides about 50% of New Mexico’s electricity, natural gas produces about 30% and renewables 20%. So, if you drive an electric car in New Mexico now, when you charge your electric car from a standard electrical outlet … you really have mostly a coal-fired car. BMS

… EDITORIAL: “AS a huge oil and gas revenue stream flows in, it’s important NM spends wisely, not quickly.” (Journal Sept. 8). Yes, be sure to save some for the next Republican state administration. No, quick or slow is not the problem, applauding … Trump fast-tracking new pumps is the problem. Oil needs to stay in the ground. MK

KEEP IN mind that the bigger the tax cuts, the bigger the resulting income inequality. RDM

FOLKS ARE so certain that they “know truth” about events and trends in politics, social arrangements and even religion. Our ignorance concerning reality and our forgetfulness about the little we actually know far surpass our grasp of reality. A little modesty and embrace of uncertainty would go a long way toward improving comity in this world. RBC

(SEPT. 9) saw a photo of the secretary of state attending the arrival of a deceased soldier’s body returning home. How about every U.S. representative and senator, led by the president and vice president, attending the funeral and burial of every U.S. armed forces member killed in action? … JH

THE PEOPLE in the border facilities made a choice to come here. They know it’s illegal for them to be here, yet they are upset when an (undocumented) family member is deported? Go back home and clean up the mess there yourselves. Like we did! A lot of us suffered and died, but it was worth it. Patriots know that pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. RLL

UNPRECEDENTED CORRUPTION and lying. Incoherent foreign policy. Committed a crime when he changed an official National Weather Service map with a Sharpie so he wouldn’t have to apologize. Crocodile tears over mass shootings and no willingness to support any gun control measures. Have you had enough, Republicans? I don’t feel safe, do you? MAJ

ALL OF us honest, decent people in this world are losing our rights and freedoms real fast because a small group of Libs want instant useless gun laws the bad, crazy people will never follow. Legalize marijuana to destroy families so these same Libs can feel happy and say “Look what I’ve done for you ignorant masses.” EC