For Rumsfeld, a land of disenchantment
Posted on 03/11/2003 6:06:15 AM PST by MeekOneGOP
For Rumsfeld, a land of disenchantment
War protests at defense secretary's hideaways near Taos no vacation
03/11/2003
TAOS, N.M. - Children are blowing whistles on Donald Rumsfeld's privacy outside his digs in northern New Mexico, an area where for decades celebrities have sought seclusion.
Artists, writers and, increasingly, the rich have flocked to this high country resort town to get away: D.H. Lawrence, Dennis Hopper and Julia Roberts, to name a few.
The defense secretary finds he must work harder for privacy since war protests were staged at two homes he owns in the community. That kind of attention concerns some Taos residents and local police.
Last month, children sold plastic whistles at a peace march in El Prado, a small village just north of Taos where Mr. Rumsfeld has rejuvenated an old dairy farm.
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Justin's father, Jeff Haas, a civil rights lawyer, organized the peace protests.
"We picked the most obvious symbol of war," Mr. Haas said. "And in Taos, that's Donald Rumsfeld."
LAURENT GUERIN / SPECIAL TO DMN Edmundo Montoya's grandmother sold her house in El Prado, N.M., to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in 1989. |
The message of the several thousand protesters so far has been simple: Invade Iraq, we'll invade your privacy.
That's a harsh stance in northern New Mexico, where generations of independent farmers and artists value privacy almost as much as their water rights.
A Pentagon spokesman has declined to comment about the peace marches.
The protests are among the biggest hassles any celebrity has endured in recent Taos history, many agree.
"One of the things about this community is that it kind of takes things nonchalant, or laid back," Taos County Sheriff Charley Martinez said. "I've never had anybody complain of anybody stalking or harassing anyone here."
Sheriff Martinez and the New Mexico State Police must pay closer attention to Mr. Rumsfeld's properties now, but so far, the protests have been peaceful and without incident.
"Every time he comes in, it raises an alert, of course," Sheriff Martinez said. "The long and the short of it, so far there haven't been any big issues."
Mr. Rumsfeld and other celebrities, such as movie star Ms. Roberts, employ their own security force, authorities say.
"Had there not been a protest, we never would have been near the Rumsfeld house," said Capt. Quentin McShan of the New Mexico State Police.
LAURENT GUERIN / SPECIAL TO DMN Snow-capped mountains are visible from Mr. Rumsfeld's dairy farm north of Taos, which he bought in 1999. |
Capt. McShan and the sheriff say that apart from some extra patrolling now and then, few expenses have been incurred keeping the peace.
Still, they're prepared for stalkers, lunatics or worse.
"That's a real possibility, and those people are out there," Capt. McShan said. "And measures are usually taken by the celebrity."
Mr. Rumsfeld and Ms. Roberts are regulars at the Old Blinking Light restaurant, where bonfires and brick floors attract a well-heeled crowd.
"This was definitely a respite for him," restaurant manager Mike Yaccino said of Mr. Rumsfeld's visits to northern New Mexico. The protests "kind of put a damper on that."
Mr. Rumsfeld enjoys green chile cheeseburgers, and "when he comes in, he's just like a regular guy," Mr. Yaccino said.
Back at the ranch, Mr. Rumsfeld's neighbors say he's polite but generally keeps a low profile.
"Since he's got this new job, we never see him anymore," said artist Tammy Dobos.
Previously, Mr. Rumsfeld was chairman of Gilead Sciences Inc. and from 1993 was chairman and chief executive officer of General Instrument Corp.
A few hundred protesters walked past Ms. Dobos' house last month on the way to the Rumsfeld dairy farm, acquired in 1999. One marcher got into a shouting match with a neighbor, whose driveway sported the sign: "I love America's freedom. Go Rumsfeld."
The first peace march occurred across the highway at another Rumsfeld property in October.
Neighbor Edmundo Montoya considered blocking the marchers with his car along a private gravel road built by his father in the 1930s.
An old friend and peace marcher talked him out of it.
"I thought about it all night," said Mr. Montoya, a retired policeman. "And I looked out the window and thought, 'What if we have a riot? My mom can't take this.' "
His mother and brother live nearby. Mr. Rumsfeld bought Mr. Montoya's grandmother's house at the end of the lane in 1989.
Mr. Rumsfeld is a good neighbor, Mr. Montoya says, although once he had to confront a government agent for speeding.
"They go through here like a bat out of hell," he said.
LAURENT GUERIN / SPECIAL TO DMN War protesters walked along the highway on their way to Donald Rumsfeld's house near Taos in October. |
Another concern of Mr. Montoya and other locals when celebrities move in: rising property taxes. A $1,000 tax bill can hurt in Taos, where the median income is about $17,000 a year.
"When you can't pay the property taxes, who ends up with it?" Mr. Montoya said. "The guy that just moved in next door."
Still, Mr. Montoya respects Mr. Rumsfeld's desire to get away from it all, even after he watched his neighbor snatch up newly installed telephone capacity on his street, presumably to stay in touch with the Pentagon.
Others, similarly, say the area's peacefulness shouldn't be disturbed.
"If I don't like what someone does at their job, I would take it to their job," Ms. Dobos said. "Not their house."
Andy Lenderman is a Taos free-lance writer.
Artists, writers and, increasingly, the rich have flocked to this high country resort town to get away: D.H. Lawrence, Dennis Hopper and Julia Roberts, to name a few.New Mexico fyi. . .
Perhaps some FReepers could form anti-anti Rumsfeld activities? . . .
Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my New Mexico ping list!. . .don't be shy. 
I think us Texicans need to play some "Cowboys and Traitors" and invade New Mexico to show the leftists some manners. We could even stop by Julia Roberts' digs and blow some whistles of our own . . . from a convoy of eighteen wheelers driven by mad-as-hell truckers.
I wonder if the www.whitehouse.gov would have his e-mail address? I'll try to find it and post a link to it here if I do.
Also: reminder note to self back to #3-4 on this thread. . .
| Contact Information |
| Web Site: www.defenselink.mil E-mail: public@defenselink.mil Phone: (703) 697-5737 Fax: (703) 697-9080 Address: Department of Defense 1000 Defense, The Pentagon Washington, DC 20301 |
Dear Secretary Rumsfeld:I found an article that shows that the Liberal Loser Peacenik Goobers are being disruptive around your residences in Taos, N.M. I am so sorry to hear that. If they want to show their [in my opinion] stupidity, they should do it peaceably elsewhere. Not at or near your private residence.
Mostly I want to say that I FULLY support you in your dedication to fighting the War on Terror and keeping Americans safe from their reach. I support the operation in Afghanistan and I fully support the upcoming Liberation of Iraq/removal of Saddam Hussein. The people in Iraq will be dancing in the streets when Saddam Hussein is ousted by American Allied forces there ! Good luck and thanks so much !
Richard Meek
PS: Here is the article I read. You can go there and look at it if you like. It is posted on http://www.FreeRepublic.com
For Rumsfeld, a land of disenchantment - War protests at his hideaways near Taos no vacation
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/862009/postsFeel free to go there and reply if you would like (I posted that article this morning). Or you can e-mail me at. . .
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