Housing, Food Forests, new Fruit Orchards, local cannery and apothecary community “bank”, hemp goods, textiles and local clothing, community equipment to make locally grown corn masa. Honey, chokecherry and elderberry farms, solar/bee flower installations for energy independence, horse lands, matanza, and remember the trash sorting and recycling facility we were promised?
Imagine 2.5 million to build more community housing and there is a need for funding of, repair and maintenance of existing and building of additional community neighborhood centers - that can actually be utilized by community members. Sounds good eh?
Remember when the hitching posts were replaced by parking meters? Remember when the Realtors said they wanted to build a Bubble Dome over Taos Valley for a million people?
Who is the who Cares Act funding for? the airport?
A 2.5 Million $ Airport project is Major Development.
Who is adversely effected by the Town’s Regional Airport?
County Communities, Ag lands, animals and migratory corridors, the Sky world and Nature.
County P&Z rules n regs for “Major Development” requires various types of need, environmental and impact assessments plus a public comment period ( unless P&Z waives it). But a Regional airport doesn’t? Town doesn’t listen to County residents except through faux neighborhood associations and County commissioners who also sell and benefit from baloney and relish sandwiches. The change from Municipal to a Regional airport status in collusion with a NEPA process that historically and currently works to approve capitalist cannibalist projects has diminished Taosenos ability to exercise "free, prior and informed consent" unless they decide to Rise Up.
and the Town currently, hasn't given a flying diddley about the devastating abuse from airplane Noise, repeat low flying Flight offenders, (lack of adequate) Management rules n regs, and Military Tactical Training Ops that disrupt sleep like we’re in a war zone.
And let us not forget the claims of respecting the No Fly Zone over Taos Pueblo - A+ rating -
as I witness on a regular basis the violation of the No Fly Zone.
As one town counselor says - “we would never do anything to harm you”. Really?
Who stands to gain from Airport expansion-ism? TSV? Our baloney and relish sandwiches ? Real Estate industry gentrification for 2nd-3rd-4th home buyers who are not full time residents? Military? Hotel-Casino-big box industry dreams? Or how about 2+Million Dollar Retreat Centers with a few jobs that locals will not get financially rich working at? that raise property taxes, and land prices for locals ?
And who and what will be the criteria for “Industrial Parks” ? - More Town and Military collusion like Santa Fe’s LANL expansion of various parts of production of pits for WMD? or Raising the cost of “industrial sites” so that local entrepreneurs have no ability to start grassroots local businesses that are inter connected with Nature, Land, Life and Culture?
The Airport is sold to Taos as Tourism’s “savior” to the “economy”.
Tourism is not a sustainable economy. How many flights would it really take to bring in as many tourists that actually, in reality, buy from locals ? And how many B&B, hotels and motels and food, water and energy consumption does the Local natural ecosystem and people need to provide them with - while local needs to go unmet?
For thousands of years, there were trade routes throughout Turtle Island based on Nature, Ag, Community, Cultural belonging and Relational Responsibility (sovereignty) to and living in Balance with Earth.
Can "Rights of Nature" help protect and preserve Land & Land Grants, Water and Life in the Taos Valley, like the manoonin of the White Earth Reservation
https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2021/08/white-earth-files-manoonmin-rights-of.html
and the Ponca Nation? https://www.therightsofnature.org/ponca-rights-of-nature/
Mother Earth is now responding to human choices.
Will Taosenos choose the scorched earth path or tres hermanas ?
historically - everyone was warned from the airport resisters about the move from Municipal to a Regional airport status.
If hope is the last that is unleashed from pandoras jar, then hope may need to be
a community willing to listen, learn and be guided by a La Coalición.
Is now-time we Honor Our Pueblo and Multi Cultural Existence with Earth.
Man: You ok?
Woman: yeah
Man: You sure?
music: Don’t Worry Baby
Woman: What is it?
Man: Huh?
Woman: What is it?
Woman: Stop. What if you had to tell someone the most important thing in the world
but you knew that they would never believe you.
Man: I’d try …. ahhh
Don't Worry Baby: https://youtu.be/8zCotsGmz7g
Meanwhile Espanola gets a Cares Act grant for a plumbing trade center .... while the Taos Plumbing, Electric and Mechanic population is aging
