SPEAK UP!

Speak Up Rules

If you want to gripe, grouse, whine or bellyache about a generic topic, submit your message at www.abqjournal. com/letters/speakup. The same goes if you want to dish out praise or thanks. Either way, you have to do it in close to 50 words. Keep it clean. No cursing, please. We don’t need your name, just initials. And it’s cheaper than therapy.

OUR LOCAL, state, and federal elected officials — all Democrats — are amazed the Air Force selected Huntsville for the Space Command HQ, implying the decision was politically biased, and plan to appeal. If they spent half as much time fixing ABQ/N.M. rampant crime, failing schools, and economy we might be competitive. JNR

WELL I for one am glad to see the old weatherman in Albuquerque back on the air. Sorry to read the only comments about him in this space on Jan. 14 were both very negative . ... MU

WHAT A surprise, the Space Command selected Alabama rather than N.M. I wonder if our great educational system, usually last in the U.S., or our great crime rate, which is usually in the top of the nation, had anything to do with the decision. I have lived in N.M. all my life, 77 years. Until this state starts electing good qualified people instead of recycling the same good old boys, nothing will change. RCS

SPACE FORCE goes to Huntsville instead of ABQ. Shocking. New Mexico: Most locked-down state in U.S. Economy disintegrating. Terrible crime problem. Sanctuary status for dangerous immigrants, many with criminal records. Taxpayer money to non-citizens. Gross receipts tax-pyramiding. Property taxes up every year . ... Recent national listing placing N.M. as one of the worst places to raise a family. What’s not to like? LC

WELCOME BACK Mark Ronchetti. We really missed you. BH

SO ALBUQUERQUE lost the race to host the U.S. Space Command. Sen. Luján and Mayor Keller question the integrity of the selection process. My guess is that our high taxes, high crime rate and low educational system had more to do with us losing this bid. Interesting the Democrats only question integrity of selections or elections if they lose. Stop being sore losers and work on improving Albuquerque. VC

JAN. 14 in the Journal ... the state is proud they have dispensed two-thirds of the vaccine they received. Would you be happy with two-thirds of your Rx? Jab, jab, jab you silly paper pushers. If Walgreens was doing this it would have done half a million. DD

AFTER READING the 14 January Speak Up and vile comments about our returning weatherman, it’s clear we have a lot of hate stewing in New Mexico. JBR

PREDICTABLY, THE false equivalent crowd is vainly attempting to equate the destruction that rioters did to American cities last summer with the assault on our democracy perpetrated on Jan. 6. Yes, both acts were wrong. But to plant the idea that they fall into the same category is utter nonsense. FVB

I AM a 72-year-old female with breast cancer. I also have high BP, very high. I have signed up in the NMDOH website to receive a vaccination. My surgeon says we have to wait to operate until I get my shot. Well, I have friends six years younger than me that have an appointment for their vaccination, and they don’t have my problems. We just learned everybody received a text or an email Jan. 16; we received nothing. I ask you, how am I supposed to survive breast cancer and COVID if every agency here does not help me? Come on governor, help me. BAT

THE LEGISLATIVE insert is such a good idea! The map with names of legislators and their emails is very helpful. Providing feedback to our legislators is supposedly encouraged, although over the years it has been made increasingly more difficult. I’ve been around long enough to notice . ... BL

IT IS terrible our Channel 13 station elected to bring back the meteorologist who supported the president and stated so when he ran for Senate. In light of the latest attack on our democracy, we have changed our viewing of the news and weather to other stations. Let’s hope the sponsors come to realize it is not in their best interest to continue to support KRQE and subject viewers to tie this person to images in D.C., which will be in our minds for a long time . ... CNL

SUNDAY’S (JAN. 10) editorial on Trump and need for healing was excellent. “… acceptance of the rule of law is what binds us.” That’s our core. Those who were misled into believing the election was fraudulent and were looking for an outlet for their anger damaged our nation and need to be held responsible. It’s sad so many Americans were so gullible since Trump’s dishonesty is so apparent. BS

FOR THE Ronchetti bashers: Sure, kick him when he is down. Stop the hate. He had the courage to declare and run for office, which is part of what America is all about. Xochitl also lost, but isn’t being anonymously beaten up in print. Be better and heal our country. BH

... MEDICARE AND Medicaid are socialized medicine. In case you haven’t noticed they are lifesavers for the poor and elderly. What is causing the glut, in case you’ve not been reading the Journal or watching the news, is people getting sick from and dying from COVID because other people insist on not wearing masks and staying home as per recommendations . ... GLS

RONCHETTI ALIGNED himself with Trump, the Republican candidate, because he is a Republican. Stop making him sound like he is a villain. We live in a country where we have the right to choose what party to belong to. We are glad he is back at KRQE-TV. DF

THE $2,000 COVID relief checks were first proposed and passed by the Democrats in the House. Your recent headline should read “House reaffirms its call for $2K checks” instead of implying that Trump initiated the idea. RA

THE RIO Grande Society of Professional Journalists needs to come out from under its rock. Mainstream media is decidedly progressive — only have to witness NBC “Today” broadcasts to determine that. Do they fear the weather will turn conservative? They just demonstrated their bias. Maybe instead of pretending to be “journalists” they should get a real job like Ronchetti. KJ

SOME BUSINESSES recently filed a lawsuit against our governor. The suit says in part the coronavirus is not any worse than the flu and stay-at-home restrictions and a mask mandate aren’t necessary.

This is a good demonstration of how hard the hold of a cult can be on a person and why it is near impossible to talk them out of it or for them to break away . ... MF

IT SEEMS from last week’s Speak Up and an article in (Jan. 18)’s paper, Mark Ronchetti, now back on TV, has become toxic after his Trump-leaning run for Senate. I didn’t vote for him nor agree with his politics, but I will not subscribe to any public hate or shame based on another’s political leanings. We’ve already tried that. Time to heal. Let the man do his job. CKB

... (GOV.) MICHELLE (Lujan Grisham) would be wise to silence her court jester Tripp Stelnicki, as his rude, condescending attitude is offensive to most New Mexicans. With the history of what she has done to this state during the pandemic, she is going to need all the friends she can get if she thinks she might even have a prayer in the next election. KE

I JUST left the Lobo-Utah State game. The score was 18-4 Utah State. You know whose fault it is that the score is that lopsided? Not the players and not the coaches. The blame lies with the woman sitting behind the governor’s desk in Santa Fe. ... HK

BEFORE HIS Senate run, viewers were unaware of Mark Ronchetti’s political leanings. He just gave the reports and did a great job. I, for one, missed seeing him on TV and don’t think that politics are going to be an issue with Mark’s weather forecasts. JMM

THANK YOU ABQ Journal for publishing a wide variety of puzzles, games and activity pages. I daily clip them, along with various articles and stories, and mail them to my elderly parents who live out of state. These clippings have become a bright spot for them during this long quarantine, and we appreciate it. AMM

AN ATTEMPTED break-in to (the) home of two seniors on William Moyers Avenue Dec. 6 and two calls to 911 from us, with two other 911 calls from neighbors, and no police response! Were terrorized for close to two hours with no police coming to home. Have paid taxes for 30-plus years for this protection, so complained to Mayor Keller. His response is (someone) will look into it. To date, one month-plus, and still no explanation. How long does it take to verify 911 calls? What is a priority call? Apparently not your safety/life. I wonder how the mayor would respond if it were his parents? ...RM