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Letters to the editor

Â  Â  Â I would like to comment on Mr. Tomlin's article about the death of Owen Blackman .I found it extremely distasteful that he felt the need to disturb Mrs.Blackman to get a story under the circumstances surrounding it.







Ruidoso News Published 12:42 p.m. MT July 28, 2016 Letters to the editor(Photo: File)


Re: Blackman story

I found it extremely distasteful that he felt the need to disturb Mrs. Blackman to get a story under the circumstances surrounding it. We are a small community that has seen it's share of tragedy, we need to support and help when it occurs, not sensationalize it. Knowing Judy Blackman personally, she has expressed to me what an unpleasant experience it was to be pressured into an interview so soon after the incident that left her heartbroken. She felt as if she needed to defend her husbands image, less it was besmirched by Mr. Tomlin.

Perhaps the Ruidoso News feels they need to report articles in this fashion to expand their readership; if that's the case how disappointing and unprofessional. We are a small town newspaper, not a "big city rag", if Mr. Tomlin needs to advance his "career" that badly perhaps he needs to seek employment elsewhere. Please stick to emphasizing and photographing positive events going on, such as the Furr Ball. I didn't mind being front page news as that was a public event, no one intruded on my privacy or property to report it.

Lynda Remus -Â Nogal

Editorâs Response:

We are always sorry when a News story causes pain to readers with a personal connection to a sad or troubling event. But we have to disagree that the violent death of a community member is a private matter. In Mr. Blackmanâs case, his death touched on many subjects of intense public concern. These include the effects of easily available pain medications, the state of medical care for veterans, the ongoing suffering of veterans of long-past wars, and the performance of our emergency response and mental health care systems. These are all in addition to the loss to Lincoln County of Mr. Blackman himself. It is clear he was a fine man with caring family and friends. He was one of us. We know it was difficult for Mrs. Blackman to talk about him last week, but without her words the story would not even have begun to do justice to what his passing means to the community. We thank her for her courage in sharing what it means to her.

Washington doesn't understand rural New Mexico

Speaking at a July 25 business luncheon in Albuquerque, former U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said building consensus is the best way to govern. But Mr. Salazar neglected to mention that his unilateral actions to close New Mexicoâs public lands to the public decimated our stateâs rural communities.
On top of Mr. Obamaâs rule-by-fiat EPA regulations, Mr. Salazar's actions have hurt thousands of rural New Mexicans who earn income from public lands through work such as chopping firewood, leading wildlife tours, and extracting natural resources.
Far from âLetâs collaborate on solutions,â Mr. Salazarâs and the entire Obama Administrationâs approach to New Mexico has been dismissive and condescending.
Their stance is, âDonât worry, New Mexico. Weâll take away your jobs and dignity of working, and we will come visit you on vacation.â
This is what compromise looks like. A state with fewer voters and weaker voice gets run over by a federal government pushing an agenda. Meanwhile, 4 members of our congressional delegation celebrated the closing of our public lands. They comply with the president instead of caring for the people they represent.
If you want a future with oil workers making hotel beds for minimum wage, keep voting these folks into office.

Mick Rich, CEOÂ
Mick Rich Contractors, Inc. -Â AlbuquerqueÂ

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