It's tough being a once-a-month columnist. In a way it's harder than being a weekly columnist, something that I did for almost 10 years for another paper. The problem with being a once-a-month writer is that there are so many local, national and international issues to comment upon and analyze, that the once-a-month format restricts you severely.

For example, I wanted to discuss my disgust about the alleged acts at Penn State and the fact that as New Mexican Catholics we were the first to shoulder the horrific pain of child molestation before this heinous crime was exposed nationwide.

But then I was terribly troubled by the fact that Israel was rumored to be planning to bomb Iran because of Iran's advancement in a possible nuclear weapon that might threaten Israel. Even if it is a rumor, anyone who is aware of Israeli intelligence knows it is a situation that clearly demands commentary and analysis. Is Israel ready to deal with the possibility of an all-out war with all its neighbors? And does it realize the diplomatic stress it is placing on the United States, its staunch supporter? Or is this threat meant to move the U.S. against Iran's ambitions?

Then there is Italy's possible fiscal collapse, going the way of Ireland, Portugal and Greece. However, this country's debt is so large that bailing it out would cause major stress on the euro. You would say, so what? It used to be that if the U.S. dollar sneezed, the rest of the world would catch the flu. If the euro, a much stronger currency than the dollar, sneezes, the U.S. will get pneumonia. It threatens the already weakened U.S. currency, the once-almighty dollar. The repercussions are very real as international markets, already fragile, would react negatively, affecting all of us.

I also wanted to write about Smokin' Joe Frazier's death and my disappointment that the women's liberation movement has accepted women's boxing as an achievement for women's lib. It upsets me to no end that we have laws against cockfighting, we get all wound up against killing bulls by bullfighters, yet we allow men and now women to pound each other in an arena filled by mostly men and have the audacity to call it a sport.

There also was the desire to write about greedy national banks, including Wells Fargo, which lost $40 million by investing in Indian casinos. What kind of financial adviser (moron) tells a huge conglomerate like Wells Fargo to invest in Indian casinos when investors might not get a dime back because the tribes are going to hide behind Indian sovereignty when it comes to collecting the bills?

Occupy Santa Fe? We need to tell all corporations that their version of capitalism is downright unpatriotic and is destroying our country because of your greed. Doesn't it say somewhere that greed is a sin? I'm sorry, I forgot that sin is no longer relevant these days!

Locally, I wanted to visit Tesuque Pueblo's decision to remove its longtime tenants from its trailer park on the grounds that they are undocumented migrants. Even U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman's office was cited in this paper as saying Tesuque Pueblo "can't use federal laws to hide behind them and use that as an excuse to ask for proof (of legal residency)."

Another related local issue I wanted to address was the recent revelation that the gambling tribes owe the state of New Mexico some $15 million, according to David Norvell, chairman of the Gaming Control Board. Why is this important to taxpayers? It is not just the huge amount, $15 million, which the state desperately needs. Come the legislative session, the tribes and their lobbyists will be the first to ask for pork in the form of capital outlay that has little oversight at best.

Oh, so many issues and so little time!

Writer/historian Orlando Romero may be reached at Nambe1@aol.com.