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.
| Also Online | ||||
|
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.
Feel free to provide some links. Or don't you provide any meat when you serve your meal of BS?
New Mexicans and Texans, for your "rusty" 'ol brain's information, get along great together. It's the socialist, feel-good outsiders who stink up the place in both states.
In the old days, most of the New Mexican settlers came from the same families or the same stock as those who settled Texas . . . hence they had no reason to quarrel. But if they had, because of sheer wealth and the discrepancies in the populations based on the boundaries as we know them today, it would've been an unmatched fight. New Mexico had, and probably still does have, some of the fiercest warriors anywhere -- especially those of Native American and Hispanic background -- but the numbers alone would have doomed their cause.
But all this is beside the point. Any native New Mexican or Texan could handle the liberal twits littering our landscapes . . . and that's who are causing the problems. It is these jackasses who need to be taught some manners. A person's home should be off-limits to any kind of BS protesting . . . regardless of their politics.
Where, conversely, the Julia Roberts-types who made their money in more comfortable settings and conditions and were reared in less taxing situations don't have the foggiest ideas about what made New Mexico great.
Are there exceptions? Sure. Tommy Lee Jones lives near me. Obviously, he's a powerful actor and has made a lotta moola and even graduated from an Ivy League college. But click on his link and you'll see what I'm talking about. He's no artsy-fartsy twit.
The part that galls me and most folks native to the areas they live is when "outsiders" of any stripe move into the area and start trying to change the local customs and ethics that have been there for generations. It's not unique to New Mexico. Or Texas. Hell, if I moved to Hollyweird, I would try to melt into the land of the fruits and nuts and not have rodeos in my front yard. Any area deserves the same respect.
Rummy moved to New Mexico for peace and quiet. The natives say he fit in well. Now "outsiders" have decided to target him there. That's unfair and I can assure you that if Martin Sheen tried pulling his nonsense in front of my house, we'd be rolling on the ground in seconds. He's got the right to speak his mind . . . so do I. What he doesn't have the right to do, for example, is protest at a military installation and then block the gates so no military traffic can go in and out.
All most of these protestors are saying is "Hey, World! Look at me! Look at me! Saving the world!" It's ego.
They couldn't find Iraq with an Atlas and a Bedouin guide.
But most importantly . . .
Freedom of Speech is not synonymous with a Freedom of Impediment.
I hope I do this right. It's my first ever FR post...
You did great ! Welcome to FreeRepublic.com ! If you have any questions or whatever, please feel free to send me a FReep mail.
In the meantime, here is a New FReeper orientation I have provided. I hope you find it helpful. Click Here.
That link should take you directly to post #116 . . .
The guy is an activist.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
