If you thought that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham was bad, you ain't seen nothing yet if Deb Haaland is elected governor of New Mexico.
To put it bluntly, she's an inarticulate buffoon. That's putting it nicely!
That's why I am supporting Gregg Hull for New Mexico governor.
From the Hull campaign website:
Gregg Hull is the proven leader Rio Rancho counts on. A longtime resident, entrepreneur, and family man, Hull has taken on the big challenges to improve public safety, grow the economy, invest in infrastructure and increase the quality of life for Rio Rancho Residents.
Gregg wants the same success story for New Mexico, and he is ready to work together with all New Mexicans to write our next chapter. Combined with David Gallegos’ extensive legislative experience and deep understanding of New Mexico's regulatory landscape, this ticket offers a stable, results-oriented alternative for our state's future.
To join the Gregg Hull campaign for governor or for more information, go here.
Yesterday, I spent the whole day indoors at home. It started raining in the morning and continued throughout the day.
It was not too heavy, but it was continuous here in Jamestown.
In Gallup, in the meantime, got flooded by the storm. The water flowed like a river on Historic Route 66. A friend said the storm drain system is antiquated and is badly in need of being modernized with water from the surrounding hills flowing down into the downtown area.
Hopefully, it will either cease or taper off within the next few days as I have to go into town to pick up some meds.
Overnight, I was awakened by a heavy downpour around 2:30. Good thing I went to bed at 8:00.
If one thought that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham was bad enough on your Second Amendment gun rights, New Mexico gubernatorial candidate Democrat Deb Haaland is of the same ilk, if not worse.
On The Issues posted a list of Haaland's policy positions on the Second Amendment.
They are:
Extend waiting periods from 3 to 10 days
We need 100% background checks, & close gun show loophole
Ban assault weapons; we need national buy-back program
Support gun-control, according to PVS survey.
Require background check for every firearm sale and transfer.
Democrat Deb Haaland had some ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, so much so that she flew aboard a plane chartered by Epstein.
From the Pinon Post:
New Mexico is once again in the national spotlight for all the wrong reasons after a bombshell report revealed that Democratic gubernatorial frontrunner Deb Haaland once flew on a private jet connected to disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
According to reporting by the New York Post, newly released emails show Haaland was among several passengers who traveled on the aircraft in 2014 while attending a meeting in Washington, D.C. At the time, Haaland was running for lieutenant governor as part of then–New Mexico Attorney General Gary King’s campaign.
Last evening, I decided to take a little Jeep drive on Six Mile Canyon Road after going to the Flying J. I went as far as the corral at the entrance to Six Mile Canyon.
As usual, I am sticking close to home on this Labor Day.
I am planning on barbecuing a steak this afternoon. The National Weather Service forecasts isolated showers and thunderstorms this afternoon after 3:00. That being the possible case, I will fire up the barbecue at around 2:00.
The forecast:
Labor Day
Isolated showers and thunderstorms after 3pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 82. Light and variable wind becoming west 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Tonight
Isolated showers and thunderstorms before 9pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 59. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
This morning, I receive an email from the NSSF, the firearm trade association on the status of the 7-day waiting period for gun purchases in New Mexico.
It reads as follows:
New Mexico 7-Day Waiting Period Update
Last year, the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit ruled in an NSSF®-supported challenge Ortega v. Grisham that New Mexico’s seven-day waiting period for firearm purchases infringes on the Second Amendment by preventing the lawful acquisition of firearms by those who had already passed a NICS check. The case was remanded to the district court, which entered a preliminary injunction as to the named plaintiffs. On August 27, the district court determined that it was bound by the Tenth Circuit’s decision that the law is unconstitutional and granted summary judgment for the plaintiffs.
It is NSSF’s position that the Tenth Circuit was clear that the law is unconstitutional as to individuals who receive a “proceed” from NICS. However, the New Mexico Governor’s office has advised lawyers handling the Ortega case that the state fully intends to enforce the statute against FFLs who are not a party to the case. While NSSF strongly disagrees with the state’s threat to enforce this unconstitutional law, we recommend that FFLs for the time being refrain from transferring firearms to customers who have passed a NICS before the seven day waiting period expires. Lawyers handling the Ortega case are exploring all available legal options in response to the state’s position, including filing additional legal challenges. NSSF will provide further updates as matters develop.
This is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. You are encouraged to consult with your own attorney before making any decisions.
After a two-week hiatus, "Uncle Bob" Weekes and I made it for dinner at Jerry's Cafe in Gallup last evening.
Bob got there at 2:00 and I arrived fifteen minutes later. He put his name with the cashier and waited... and waited. We ended up getting seated at about 2:30. This had to be the longest wait ever for us. But, thankfully, we were in no hurry.
Apparently, the locals were also "going through withdrawals" while the restaurant was closed for vacation for two weeks as it was packed.
We had our usual meals (mine with the No. 3 combination of chile relleno and enchilada).
It was good to be back.
We'll be in Gallup this morning for our usual Saturday breakfast gathering at Grandpa's Grill.
Above, Jerry's Cafe is back open after a two-week hiatus. Photo by Armand Vaquer.
Yesterday, I had some business to take care of in Gallup, including the bank. I also got a badly-needed haircut.
Following that, I went to Blake's Lotaburger and had a breakfast sausage burrito. They rival the breakfast burritos at Grandpa's Grill in my opinion.
Above, the sausage burrito at Blake's Lotaburger. Photo by Armand Vaquer.
In the afternoon, the Blu-ray of EPIC: Elvis Presley In Concert arrived, so I watched that during dinner.
After a two-week hiatus, I'll be meeting up with "Uncle Bob" Weekes at Jerry's Cafe in Gallup this afternoon for dinner. They were closed for two weeks for vacation, etc. It'll be great to be back at Jerry's.
I've noticed that it is getting cooler at night and the sun is setting earlier. Before we know it, it will be autumn. Before long, we'll be shoveling snow here.
Democrat candidate for New Mexico governor Deb Haaland did not exactly have a stellar life when it came to the law in her early years.
According to KJZZ:
A member of the Laguna Pueblo, Haaland was born in Winslow, Arizona, but describes herself as a 35th generation New Mexican. She spent her youngest years on the move as part of a military family, eventually settling in Albuquerque when she was 14.
Personal and professional difficulties followed. Within the next decade, she became a single mom living on public assistance. A drinking problem resulted in two DWI convictions.
According to campaign-finance disclosures filed with the New Mexico Secretary of State, a majority of Democrat Governor-candidate Deb Haaland’s latest campaign contributions came from outside New Mexico—roughly 58% in the most recent reporting period. Earlier reports showed the out-of-state share approaching 80%. - Ant Thornton for NM.
Well, we had our longest sustained rain of this monsoon season yesterday. It rained pretty much all day yesterday (which is what we need) and I stayed indoors for much of the day except for a quick trip to the Flying J. I did watch the 1996 flick, Independence Day for entertainment.
Then, around 2:00 this morning, I was awakened by the sound of a downpour. Once I am woken up, I generally can't get back to sleep.
As of now, my weather phone apps say we're to have a dry day today with a small chance of rain in the afternoon.
For your entertainment, I've posted Jimi Hendrix's "Rainy Day, Dream Away/Still Raining" medley from his Electic Ladyland album.
Above, yours truly at the International UFO Museum in Roswell, New Mexico.
The Library of Congress has hoards of documents (and, I guess, books) on all kinds of topics.
One topic is of UFOs and Aliens Among us.
I perused a webpage from the Library of Congress on UFOs and Aliens and it is loaded with additional pages on UF0-related subject matter.
The page begins with:
UFOs and Aliens Among Us
In the 1940s and 50s reports of "flying saucers" became an American cultural phenomena. Sightings of strange objects in the sky became the raw materials for Hollywood to present visions of potential threats. Posters for films, like Earth vs. the Flying Saucers from 1956 illustrate these fears. Connected to ongoing ideas about life on the Moon, the canals on Mars, and ideas about Martian Civilizations, flying saucers have come to represent the hopes and fears of the modern world.
Are these alleged visitors from other worlds peaceful and benevolent or would they attack and destroy humanity? The destructive power of the Atomic bomb called into question the progressive potential of technology. Fear of the possibilities for destruction in the Cold War-era proved fertile ground for terrestrial anxieties to manifest visions of flying saucers and visitors from other worlds who might be hidden among us in plain sight.
For those who want to delve deeper into aliens and UFOs, go here.
Above, a bear cub at Yellowstone Bear World in 2015. Photo by Armand Vaquer.
Yesterday morning, we had a little bit of excitement in the neighborhood.
I had just gotten onto Interstate 40 to go to Gallup when my next-door neighbor called and said a baby bear was in a tree at a neighbor's down the street (about three doors away) from my home. He was concerned that the mother bear might be nearby.
Bears have been coming down from the mountains lately, probably looking for water. One was killed a month ago on I-40 and another was seen in the town of Milan (around 40 miles to the east) a couple of days ago.
The Department of Fish and Game was called in on the baby bear and they darted her and took her away and is going to a rehabilitation center in Espinola, New Mexico. Apparently, the cub came out of Albuquerque with mom but she abandoned this one and another cub. She was already tagged.
Fish and Game was still at the neighbor's when I got back from Gallup.
Above, barbed wire fence next to Six Mile Canyon Road in Jamestown, New Mexico. Photo by Armand Vaquer.
Barbed wire. Where I live in New Mexico there's plenty of it around.
There's cattle pastures near our community, especially along Six Mile Canyon Road that takes people to Six Mile Canyon of the Cibola National Forest.
The reason I am mentioning barbed wire is that RV Travel posted an article on the "devil's rope." They also call it "the fence that won the West."
The article begins with:
Mention the words “barbed wire,” and I immediately envision growing up on our Iowa farm. Those barbs snagged my chore clothes countless times!
I didn’t fully appreciate barbed wire as a child. Nor did I know then what I now know: There are two (yes, two!) museums dedicated to barbed wire—one in Kansas and one in Texas—and both have become popular roadside attractions for RVers who enjoy discovering America’s history.
You may not have a high interest in or memories of barbed wire, like me. However, the museums dedicated to this invention are worth a stop along your way.
Above, balloons at the Red Rock Balloon Rally near Gallup. Photo by Armand Vaquer.
September is only days away and before we know it, it will be December soon.
This means that the Red Rock Balloon Rally will be coming in early December at Red Rock Park near Gallup, New Mexico.
The rally will be held December 4, 2026 to December 6, 2026.
Above, a campground is near the balloon launch area. Photo by Armand Vaquer.
For those who are RVers, there is a campground right next to the balloon launch area. I have stayed there and it is a nice campground with water and electric hook-ups. There is also a dump station available.
A New Mexico Federal Court made a decision on the 7-day waiting period that is confusing at best and is a clear violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the the U.S. Constitution at worst.
The ruling states that two plaintiffs don't have to be subjected to the waiting period while other New Mexico citizens still are subject to the law. This means we all have to wait for our 2A rights while the plaintiffs get theirs by this decision. Ridiculous!
FEDERAL COURT RULES ON NEW MEXICO’S SEVEN-DAY WAITING PERIOD
Federal court enjoins enforcement of New Mexico’s firearms waiting period law for only the two named plaintiffs in Ortega v. Grisham, but allows government to delay the exercise of Second Amendment rights for all other citizens of New Mexico
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (August 28, 2026) — Mountain States Legal Foundation (MSLF) and its Center to Keep & Bear Arms is disappointed to announce a decision in Ortega v. Grishamthat leaves New Mexico’s seven-day firearm waiting period largely in place.
New Mexico’s waiting-period law requires nearly every firearm purchaser to wait seven days before taking possession of a firearm—even after completing the required background check. MSLF represents New Mexico residents Samuel Ortega and Rebecca Scott, who challenged the law as a violation of their Second Amendment rights.
The case began in May 2024, when MSLF filed a complaint and motion for a preliminary injunction on behalf of Ortega and Scott. Two months later, U.S. District Court Judge James O. Browning denied the request, finding that the plaintiffs had not established that the waiting period law was unconstitutional. MSLF appealed that decision.
In August 2025, the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit issued a significant ruling in the case. The court held that the Second Amendment protects the right to acquire firearms and concluded that New Mexico had failed to demonstrate a historical tradition supporting its seven-day waiting period law. The Tenth Circuit sent the case back to the district court in Albuquerque for further proceedings.
Yesterday, Judge Browning issued a final judgment in the case. Although the judge stated that he continued to believe that the waiting period law was constitutional, he acknowledged that he was “bound by the Tenth Circuit’s decision and the law of the case.” As a result, he permanently prohibited New Mexico from enforcing the waiting-period law against Ortega and Scott.
So, while this ruling provides a total victory for our clients, it appears to leave millions of other law-abiding New Mexicans seemingly still subject to the same seven-day waiting period.
For that reason, MSLF strongly disagrees with the court’s watered-down ruling.
“Unfortunately, Judge Browning decided to take King Solomon up on his ‘great’ idea to split the baby. Big mistake,” said Michael McCoy, Director of MSLF’s Center to Keep and Bear Arms. “What a mess this is going to cause! All Judge Browning’s decision is going to do is create mass confusion among individual citizens and gun store owners in New Mexico over the status of the law. The decision prevents the state from enforcing the waiting period law against our two named plaintiffs, but leaves open the ability of the state to enforce the law against the other 2.12 million people who live in New Mexico. Will each of them need to bring their own individual lawsuits to acquire a similar injunction? Ridiculous! In trying to reach some sort of middle ground, the district court has failed to do what the 10th Circuit made clear needed to be done … declare New Mexico’s waiting period law unconstitutional and permanently enjoin enforcement of it except as to those individuals whose background checks have not yet cleared.”
MSLF strongly disagrees with the court’s decision. Except for our two named plaintiffs, New Mexico may continue to impose an arbitrary seven-day delay on law-abiding citizens exercising their constitutional right—even after they have completed the required background check. The Second Amendment protects the right to keep and bear arms; it does not give the government permission to decide when that right may be exercised.
While this decision is not the clear and complete victory we were hoping for, it is not the end of the fight. MSLF will continue defending the Second Amendment and will consider every available avenue to ensure that the constitutional rights of law-abiding New Mexicans are fully protected.
