Regarding "OK, so just what is my vote worth," Gregg Bemis' Dec. 7 column: While I appreciate some of Bemis' concerns about same-day voter registration, I believe he proceeds from the false assumption that when a voter registers is indicative of how responsibly that voter will cast his or her ballot — or, more cynically, the "worthiness" of that voter. The fact is that I can easily imagine circumstances that would prohibit a voter from registering early; there may be a very small probability that these circumstances will occur, but that's not the point.

If there's a possibility that a single citizen can't exercise his or her right to vote because of an arbitrarily determined cut-off date — and let's face it, registration cut-off dates are arbitrary — then the process is clearly flawed. If sufficient verification protections are established, what possible objection can there be to maximizing the opportunity for citizens to exercise their rights to vote, even if it means registering at the last possible minute?



I am pleased with The New Mexican for providing a section of the Dec. 7 Opinions section to Native American student responses to the razing of the old Santa Fe Indian School. Many thanks for your insight and for the excellent student letters.

As for me, I support the destruction of the buildings, which served as a reminder of the cultural and spiritual devastation of thousands of Native Americans. No amount of murals and architectural history could have justified their preservation. Perhaps a short-sightedness on the part of the Eight Northern Indian Pueblo Council was the destruction of all the buildings. One should have been preserved and established as a Native American Holocaust Museum. For those of you who think holocaust is too strong of a word, I encourage them to study Native American history before responding to this letter.


Thank you for including the safe-shopping tips from the Santa Fe Police Department on Nov. 30. So many "safety tips" make being safe sound impossible, causing people to feel they should never go anywhere alone or at night. The tips you published, however, were great because they were practical, pro-active and increased awareness instead of fear. They suggested being responsible instead of being afraid.

I would like to share another resource: IMPACT Personal Safety is a local organization that empowers people to live more safely by teaching them to defend themselves against verbal, physical, and sexual violence. IMPACT teaches classes for women, children, teens and men.