Carol Harrisville Young

The Trinity Site: A Sorrowful Legacy for New Mexicans

July 17th marks the 76th anniversary of the world’s first nuclear explosion test of the “Gadget,” a plutonium device detonated on the desert plains of the Alamogordo Bombing Range, known as the Jornada del Muerto. Robert Oppenheimer dubbed the test “Trinity,” and on that day at precisely 5:30 in the early morning hours, the Gadget released 18.6 kilotons…

The “Big Lie” Just Got a Boost

This past Thursday, the Supreme Court upheld two Republican-sponsored Arizona voting restrictions that will make it harder for minority voters to cast a ballot. Not surprising given that the highest court in the land is stacked with three Trump-appointed judges who have a proven right-leaning track record. The ruling has dealt a sad blow to the Voting…

Without a Trace….

New Mexico’s Deb Haaland, head of the Department of Interior, and the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet secretary announced a few months back that she would spearhead an effort to address the long history of unsolved cases involving missing and murdered Indigenous women in this country. The rate of missing persons and violent acts…

Where is the Accountability?

A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody Thomas Paine Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) released the DOJ documents this week to the Washington Post that outline the extent to which the former guy, Donald Trump, was willing to go to steal the 2020 election. For weeks, President Donald Trump…

Anti-Vaxxers: An American Tradition

Thanks to vaccines, social distancing, and masking, New Mexico and other states are lifting COVID-19 restrictions, and Americans are slowly returning to something resembling the lives we all had before the pandemic. However, I think that the new normal may be somewhat different from what we were used to before this horrific virus took the…

June Is Pride Month, but LGBTQ+ Rights Are Still Under Attack

June is pride month, a time to recognize and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. However, let’s not ignore the fact that LGBTQ+ rights are under attack from all angles. From the numerous sports bans on trans athletes in High Schools to the Tennessee “no-bathroom bill” that requires businesses and government facilities to post a sign if they let transgender…

Sacrifice

This Monday, May 31st marks Memorial Day. A day where we honor and remember those in uniform who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Memorial Day dates back to 1868, and since then more than 1.3 million service members have given their lives in the service of our nation. Over the past 20 years, nearly 7,000 military personnel have paid the ultimate…

The Continued Assault on Women’s Bodies

Women’s bodies and equal rights are again under assault. This week, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a case originating from a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. On Friday, Texas governor Greg Abbott signed a law banning all abortions the moment a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which is about six weeks (at six weeks most women may not even realize they are pregnant). Tennessee and South…

The GOP has Issues with the Truth

“There is beauty in truth, even if it’s painful. Those who lie, twist life so that it looks tasty to the lazy, brilliant to the ignorant, and powerful to the weak. But lies only strengthen our defects. They don’t teach anything, help anything, fix anything or cure anything. Nor do they develop one’s character, one’s…

Critical Race Theory, the 1619 Project and White Denial

The first step to solving a problem is admitting there is a problem to be solved – Pete Seeger Two bills (Senate Bill 2202 and HB 3979) circulating in the Texas Legislature recently aim to ban the teaching of controversial subjects such as racial injustice and social inequality in public schools and colleges. These bills appear to be…