As a resident on White Peaks Road in Ocaté, I am familiar with the land being traded between Stanley Ranch and the State Land Office.

As far as I can tell, those in opposition to this trade have never seen the land in question. I have.

The State Land Office manages State Trust Land for the benefit of schools in New Mexico, and this trade will greatly benefit the schools with an increase in value and revenue. The 3,000 acres the state is getting is wonderful elk habitat for hunting and recreational use in exchange for 7,000 unusable acres that is of value only to Stanley, who wants to consolidate his ranch.

The opposition to this trade are old-time hunters used to trespassing with no state management. The trade will allow the state to manage consolidated land, and I, as a hunter on this unit, will have better access and habitat to hunt. The governor and attorney general in opposing this trade are backing cronyism rather than public benefit.


Spiritual disconnect

The fatal flaw of the Abrahamic faiths is a failure to integrate their "knowledge" with actual experience, feeding into the dominator model of society; top down, hierarchical, patriarchal, inequitable and unjust. A conscious populace is antithetical to the dominator model, where distracted slaves are needed for production, proliferation and maintenance of the model.

Prisons, pharmaceuticals and seductive math are created to deal with the resulting mass psychosis. We all must learn how to live in the tragic gap. We need to learn how to hold the tension between what's really going on around us and what we know to be possible. Illusion never makes us whole, and nothing happens when we employ corrosive cynicism, irrelevant idealism, or elite exceptionalism.


County candidate

I would like to endorse Paul White for the position of Santa Fe County Commissioner for District 1. Paul has donated thousands of hours as a community advocate and has been a board member of dozens of local organizations. He is strongly committed to community participation on important issues, as well as collaboration among diverse communities. I urge those in his district to vote for him.


Coss on our side

I am a retired teacher and librarian. I have had the opportunity to be involved with the Santa Fe Public Library as a member of "Friends." I also am working with the Santa Fe Opera Youth Night through the Pueblo Opera Program, and I am also on the board of the Santa Fe Woman's Club. I am writing in support of Mayor David Coss. He is someone citizens of Santa Fe can be proud of. He supports all of the organizations I mentioned above, plus dozens more.

Mayor Coss is a compassionate and intelligent human being with the highest integrity. We are fortunate to have him willing to continue to serve in these challenging times. Santa Fe will be facing difficult decisions in the future, and I believe him to be the one we need to carry us forward. Therefore, I am urging all my friend and colleagues to vote for Mayor Coss.


Wurzburger backer

It's not unusual for an incumbent in city government to seek re-election. But City Councilor Rebecca Wurzburger's record has been a distinguished one. She has provided leadership for water sustainability, regional planning, managed growth, economic development and affordable housing, and has been an advocate for neighborhood concerns. These are things we can build upon. At this time, more than ever, Santa Fe needs proven capability, not unattainable promises.


Kepler's loud, clear

In her Jan. 18 letter, "Where was Kepler?," Gloria Mendoza suggests mayoral candidate Asenath Kepler has not been speaking out on issues prior to her announcing her candidacy. I wonder what planet Ms. Mendoza has lived on for the past four years?

Kepler's diligent work as city manager resulted in her telling certain people in high places things they didn't want to hear, probably leading to her dismissal. The union and community members who endorsed Kepler have known her for a long time and respect her understanding of the problems facing Santa Fe. Ms. Kepler was a regular participant on The Forum, an issue-oriented talk show on KSFR. Anyone who listened to the show would recognize how well-prepared Ms. Kepler is when it comes to discussing international, national and local issues.