Who Can Sue to Enforce What’s Left of Voting Rights Act

The Supreme Court on 5/18/2026 Punted, on a Fight over the Ability of Voters to bring Voting Rights Act (V RA) Lawsuits, Dodging a Major Dispute over the Landmark Civil Rights Law that the Conservative Majority had already Left on Life Support with a Previous Ruling this Term.

The Justices sent back to Lower Courts Two Cases that had Teed-Up Claims that Only the Justice Department could bring Enforcement Actions under the Law, which Bars Racial Discrimination in Voting, that became Law on 8/6/1965.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, a Member of the Court’s Liberal Wing, Dissented from the Decision, saying She would have Summarily Resolved the Cases to make Clear that Individuals could Bring the Claims, rather than Handing them back to a Lower Court for further Rreview.

Both Cases were Challenges that Voters, Not the Justice Department, had brought to Rredistricting Plans. The Justices told the Lower Courts to take another Look at the Lawsuits, in Light of the Opinion the Conservative Majority issued this Month that Significantly Raised the Bar for when a Voting Rights Act Redistricting Case can Succeed, but that did Not Address the Cause-of-Action Qquestion.

The move leaves a Final Answer on a Qquestion that would Effectively Kill the already Thoroughly Weakened Statute for another Day.

Under Trump (R), the Justice Department (DOJ) has shown Little Interest in Enforcing the Voting Rights Act, and His Administration had even Argued in Favor of the High Court’s Ruling this Month that Significantly Narrowed the Law’s reach in Electoral Map-Drawing.

Courts have Long Assumed that Private Individuals could Sue under the Law, in Addition to the Actions that the DOJ is Authorized to Bring, and the Supreme Court has Previously taken up VRA Cases brought by Voters. However, Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Neil Gorsuch, have Signaled in Writings in Previous VRA Cases that they believe it to be an Open Question.

In One of the Cases, Arising out of Mississippi, a Lower Court Affirmed that Individuals had the Right to Sue in Court under the VRA. In the Other Dispute the justices were Reviewing, the 8th US Circuit Court of Appeals said that Only the Justice Department could bring VRA Cases.

The Supreme Court previously put that Opinion, which set the Precedent for: Arkansas, Dakotas, Iowa, Minnesota, and Missouri, On Hold, over the Dissent of Thomas, Gorsuch and Justice Samuel Alito.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Putin Losing His Grip on Russia

IT arrived not as an Event but as a Sensation, felt Everywhere at once. Putin has led Russia into a Dead-End and, with Nobody has a Map for what comes Next. The First Display is a Shift in the Language used by Senior Officials, Regional Governors, and Businessmen: have Stopped using: "we," "us," "our," and "ours." when talking about the Actions of Authorities in the Country.

As recently as Last Spring, everything was “we” and “ours”. Putin’s War on Ukraine may be Reckless and Failing, but it was Shared. “We” were inside it, and it would be better for all of “us” if it ended Sooner. Now they describe what is happening as His” Story or War.

His Decisions are described as “Strange”. Even Stranger is the Fact that He Decides anything at all. It is not only about Falling Approval Ratings. The Future is No longer discussed inTterms of what Putin will Decide, but as something that will unfold Independently of Him, and possibly already Without Him. The system He Created, Now, for the First time, Russians are starting to Imagine a Future without Him. This is down to a Confluence of Four Factors.

First: is the Growing Cost of Fighting. The War in Ukraine was meant to be a Special Military Operation, Conducted by Selected Groups who received Financial Incentives for their Trouble, while the Rest of Society carried on as Normal. This Model Crumbled as the Wwar grew in Length and Scale. It has led to Higher Inflation and Taxes, Neglected Infrastructure, Increased Censorship, Endless Prohibitions. It is Not a National War, but it is Paid for Nationally, and Society is Not being Offered any Purpose in Return.

Second : Is a Growing Demand for Rules among Elites who have been Forced Back into Russia, along with their Capital. Previously their Property Rights were Outsourced to the West. They used London Courts, Offshore Structures, and International Arbitration. to Resolve Conflicts or seek Protection. Now Conflicts must be Resolved Domestically, without Functioning Institutions. Demand for Rules Grows more Urgent as Redistribution of Assets gathers Pace.

In the Past Three years, Assets worth around 5trn roubles ($60bn) have been Seized from Private Businessmen and either Nationalised or Handed to Loyalists and Cronies, the Largest Redistribution of Property since the Mass Privatisation of the 1990s. It is Not that the Elites have Suddenly Discovered a Taste for the Rule of Law or Democracy. But even those Loyal to the Regime Crave Rules and Institutions that can Resolve Conflicts Fairly.

Third: is the Change in Geopolitical Climate that Putin Himself helped bring about. Russia sees itself as Reshaping the Global Order. In Reality it is a mere Catalyst: Russia’s War on Ukraine has Accelerated the Crisis of Western Democracy, the Rise of Populism and Globalisation Fatigue. Russia now finds Itself in a World where Rules are Weak and Where Economic and Technological Strength and Brute Force Dominate. In the Rules based World, Russia could Exploit Asymmetries: Europe’s Dependence on its Gas, its Seat on the UN Security Council, the Soviet Nuclear Legacy. But Europe now Buys its Gas elsewhere, Russia’s Security Council Seat has been Devalued with the UN itself, and its Nuclear Blackmail has Undermined the Non-Proliferation Regime, Depriving Russia of its Status as an Arbiter. When the Order itself begins to Crumble, the Benefits of Putinist Revisionism Quickly Disappear.

At the same time, Russia is Suffering an Identity Crisis. For the First Time in Generations, it Lacks an External Model to Define itselft. Historically it Defined itself in Relation to Europe and the wider West. They were there to Catch up with, to Fall Behind, to Confront. That Old Axis is Gone. The West as a Single Cultural, Military and Political Entity is in Crisis. There is No “there” against which One can Define “here”. This is Not an Ideological Issue. It is Structural. Any Development in Russia has to have an Internal Source of Meaning, and the Government is Unable to Provide it.

Fourth: is Growing Ideological Control without any Balancing Dividend. The Previous Social Contract, whereby the State stayed out of People’s Private Lives while Citizens Stayed out of Politics, has Collapsed. In the Past the system bought People’s Loyalty with Convenience, Services, and Consumption. Now all it can offer is Repression, Intrusion, and Censorship, of which 2026 Internet Restrictions are the most Striking Manifestation.

The Issue is Not so much Repression itself as Repression without Purpose. An Ideology by Definition Presupposes an Image of the Future. This One Demands Discipline without Offering One. People are Required to be Loyal without being told what Future that Loyalty Serves. The Political Reality does Not look Desirable even for most of the Technocrats involved in its Construction. Optimism has been Burned Out from Within.

All Four Factors create a Situation which in Chess is known as a Zugzwang: when Every Move Worsens the Position. The System can Persist for as long as Putin Remains in Power. But His every Move to Preserve and Expand it Accelerates Decay. His Instinctive Response may be to Intensify Repression. He may start another War. But these Actions would only make things Worse. He Cannot Restore the Connection between Power and the Future. He can Only make the Rupture Bloodier and more Dangerous.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Defense Department Delays 54 TX Wind Projects

Dozens of Wind Projects in Texas are in Limbo, after the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD/DOW) Paused issuing Routine Federal Permits citing National Security concerns, a move that Experts say Expands the Trump (R) Administration’s Crusade against Wind Energy. According to Data collected by the American Clean Power Association (ACP), 54 Texas Wind Projects are Waiting for the Department to Review Development plans to Ensure that Turbines don’t Interfere with Military Operations. It’s part of a Broader Nationwide Logjam that has Ensnared 165 Onshore Wind Projects.

Federal Law requires any Structure 200 feet or Taller, such as Antennas, Smokestacks, or Wind Turbines, to be Reviewed First by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), then the Military, which must determine whether a Structure may Interfere with Military Airspace. Federal Law requires the DOD/DOW to Conduct those Reviews within 60 days of receiving an Application from the FAA. But “right now, the entire process has just ground to a halt,” said Dave Belote, a Wind Energy Consultant who helped Design the Review System when it was Established more than 15 years ago.

Normally, the Defense Department evaluates whether a Turbine is within the Line-of-Sight of a Radar or in a Low-Altitude Military Airspace. If so, the Department and Developer typically Agree on Mitigation Options, a Process that usually takes a matter of Weeks. “In the past, those have been fairly trivial — you meet the requirements and you get the permit,” said Jonathon Blackburn, an Austin-based Energy Consultant.

However, the Department has Not Approved a Wind Project since August 2025, and in April the Department Canceled All Pending Meetings with Wind Developers waiting for Clearance, according to the Trade Group. These Delays have caused Disruptions to Developers’ Projects, Hindering their Ability to Secure Project Financing, jeopardizing Local Permits Contingent on Federal Approvals, and Delaying Construction Timelines, Turbine Orders, and Contractor Scheduling.

“There’s a lot of delay coming out of the permitting process from the federal government, and delays add cost,” Blackburn said. “Maybe the federal government is not able to flat-out stop projects, but they are able to drag them out.” In a Statement, a DoD Official said that the Department is still Actively Evaluating the Projects to Eensure they do Not impair National Security or Military Operations, a Process that Requires High Levels of Interagency Coordination.

The Department’s Evaluation of Wind Turbines “is inherently complex and time-consuming because it involves balancing two critical, and sometimes competing, interests: developing energy sources while ensuring military operations and readiness are not degraded or impaired to the extent an unacceptable risk to national security is created,” the Official said. “It’s not clear why these policies are being implemented during an affordability crisis, but I think it shows the level of disdain the administration has for renewable energy in general and wind power specifically,” said University of Texas Energy Professor Michael Webber.

Texas is Home to more Wind Turbines than any other State, and also has a Number of Military Installations. According to a 2019 Report by the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, there are 17 Military Bases with Flight Facilities in the State, and Large Expanses of Airspace set Aside for Military Operations. This includes Several Training Routes for Air Force and Navy Pilots Flying out of Laughlin Air Force Base near Del Rio, the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, San Antonio’s Randolph Air Force Base, and the Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene.

The Pause is the Latest move by an Administration that is attempting to Slow the Growth of Wind Power across the U.S. Most of the Administration’s efforts have focused on Offshore Projects. Last year, the Administration Suspended Leases for Five Major Projects off the East Coast, citing National Security concerns related to Radar Interference. Federal judges later Ruled Against the Administration in All Five Cases, finding that the Government Exceeded its Authority and Failed to Prove that the Projects posed National Security Threats. All Five Projects have since Resumed Construction.

The Interior Department announced in March, that it had reached an Agreement with TotalEnergies to Pay the Company $1 billion to walk away from a Planned Offshore wWind Project and instead Expand Fossil Fuel Investments. The Interior Department later Negotiated similar Agreements with Two other Offshore Developers on the East and West Coasts, who Agreed to Terminate their Federal Leases in Exchange for a combined $900 million Payment from the U.S. Government.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Feds Sweep Texas Border Counties

A Week Long Federal Crackdown in South Texas, has Resulted in Ccriminal Charges against 211 Individuals for Immigration and Border Security Violations, Federal Officials announced. The Eenforcement Surge, which Ran from 5/8 to 14/2026, Targeted Repeat Immigration Offenders, Human Smugglers, and Individuals with Violent Criminal Pasts.

Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck (R) Announced that the Southern District of Texas filed 49 Criminal Complaints for Illegal Entry and 133 Felony Charges for Re-Entry after a Prior Removal. Federal Prosecutors noted that the Majority of those facing Re-Entry Charges Possess Prior Convictions for Offenses including: Narcotics, Immigration Violations, and Violent Crimes.

Additionally, 26 Individuals were Charged with Human Smuggling, while the Remaining Cases involve various Immigration Infractions and Firearms Violations.

Among those recently Charged are Two Mexican Nationals, German Omar Elbir-Palma and Alejandro Perez-Miramontes, who Both Face up to 20 years in Federal Prison if Convicted of Illegal Re-Entry. According to Court Documents, Elbir-Palma, who has a Prior Conviction for Domestic Assault, was Deported in 12/2025 and Apprehended this Week near Escobares. Perez-Miramontes, who has Multiple Burglary Convictions, was found near Hidalgo. Both Men have previous Felony Convictions for Illegal Re-Entry.

The Federal District also Concluded several High-Profile Sentencings this week, for Individuals who Unlawfully Re-Entered the Country after Multiple Deportations. Jose Alcantar Esquivel Moreno Received a 54-month Prison Sentence, and Esequiel Rueda-Ramirez was Sentenced to 48 Months. More-Eo’s Criminal Record Includes a Felony Conviction for Aggravated Assault-Family Violence. Rueda-Ramirez’s History includes Convictions for Evading Arrest, Illegal Reentry, and Possession with Intent to Distribute both Marijuana and Cocaine.

In a separate Houston Case, Luis Miguel Sanchez-Martinez was Sentenced to 42 months in Federal Prison. Court Records indicate Sanchez-Martinez was First Removed from the U.S. in 2020 and Holds Multiple Convictions for Driving under the Influence of Alcohol.

The Prosecutions are part of "Operation Take Back America", a Broader Department of Justice Initiative Designed to Secure the Border, Dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations, and Aaddress Violent Crime. The U.S. Attorney’s Office Stated that its current Enforcement Strategy Prioritizes Public Safety by Targeting Individuals in the Border and Interior Regions Who have Histories of Human Trafficking, Sexual Assault, and Violence against Children.

The Southern District of Texas Spans 43 Counties, Covers 44,000 square miles, and Serves over 10 million Rresidents, making it One of the Busiest Federal Prosecutor’s Offices in the Nation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys across Seven Regional Divisions: Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Galveston, Houston, Laredo, Victoria, McAllen, Coordinated the Operations.

Investigation and Enforcement Support for these Cases involved a Coalition of: Federal, state, and Local Agencies, including Border Patrol, Immigration, and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement and Removal Operations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

US Expects Health Department to lose Job Protections

Trump's (R) Administration expects Hundreds of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Workers to be Stripped of Civil Service Job Protections, according to an Emailed Memos.

HHS Employees at several Agencies received the email, which said Positions on their Teams could be Affected by the Reclassification, known as Schedule P/C and formerly as Schedule F.

At HHS the Reclassification is Initially expected to apply to Employees "on the order of hundreds, not thousands," the email said, with Additional Tranches to follow.

An HHS official confirmed the email's authenticity and said it "reflects the finalization of previously announced RIFs," referring to reductions in force or mass layoffs. The official said THE RIFs were planned.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Trump DOJ Files Wrong Document in Voting Fraud Case

The Trump (R) Administration's U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), made a Substantial Mistake, in a Court Filing. Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Harmeet K. Dhillon (R) and Several Prosecutors in the Division filed a Motion to Withdraw a Document Filed in Error in New Hampshire Federal Court. The Two-page Motion to Withdraw "respectfully" asks the Court in a 9/2025 Granite State Election Fraud Case to "withdraw its filing" which is a Notice of Supplementary Authority Filed early 5/15/2026.

"The Notice was filed in error and was not intended for filing in this matter," the Motion reads. "The United States respectfully requests that the Court withdraw [the erroneous filing] from the docket." The Mea Culpa also Notes that the DOJ Filed its "intended filing" immediately after Filing their Motion to Withdraw. The Misplaced Supplemental Authority Notice was Actually Related to a Minnesota Voting Fraud Case, which the DOJ Filed against the Land of 10,000 Lakes, as well as the Minnesota Secretary of State, on the Exact same day the New Hampshire Case was Filed 2025.

This is Not the First Time the Second Trump Administration has had to Alert a Court to a Filing Error. And, in fact, the Types of Errors have been quite Different. In early October 2025, the DOJ Filed a 28-page Response in Opposition a Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order, in a Case about the Firing of Federal Workers during the Government Shutdown. A Great Deal of thatWwork was Done with Little Attention to Detail. On at least 19 Occasions, the Document is Pockmarked with various Iterations of the Phrase: "Error! Bookmark not defined." In many Instances, the Phrase is Rendered in All Caps. The Error Message is Native to Microsoft Word and means a User has Updated a Field with a Broken Link to a Bookmark. Or, in other Words, a Change was made Attempting to Point to a Link that No Longer Exists.

The DOJ later Filed a 3-page Errata, a Formal Document Admitting to, and Correcting, certainMmistakes. "In finalizing their Opposition, Defendants inadvertently encountered errors in the Table of Contents required by Local Rules, including a technical error preventing proper display of the page numbers," the Errata reads. "Defendants apologize for the error, and respectfully submit the accompanying correction to their Memorandum in Opposition to Plaintiffs' Motion for Temporary Restraining Order."

Then, in late October 2025, the DOJ Admitted to a Serious Factual Error in a Filing for a Legal Battle over the Federal use of State National Guard Troops to Police American Cities. In a Letter Motion addressed to the Clerk-of-Court for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, the DOJ Admitted that Multiple Prior Representations about Federal Deployments to Portland, Oregon, were "iIcorrect" and Expressed "Regret" for making Numerous such "Errors" in various Court Filings.

"Defendants do wish to correct a factual discrepancy discovered in the course of responding to plaintiffs' letter," DOJ wrote in that Error-Correcting Effort. "We are informed by our clients that this 115 figure was the number of deployments and that some individuals were deployed multiple times. Based on DHS's review of the deployment data, the number of individual FPS officers deployed during the time period appears to be 86 officers."

The Post 'Filed in Error': Trump Admin Admits DOJ filed Wrong Document in Voting Fraud Case meant for another State Entirely.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Trump's Southern Border Wall is Desecrating Sacred Sites

White Sage Burning, Norma Meza Calles gathers Guests at a Mexican Wellness Resort into a Semicircle facing Kuuchamaa Mountain and asks Everyone to Close their Eyes and Feel its Presence. “This is sacred to us like a church for you all. The mountain is our healer, our psychologist,” said Meza Calles, a Kumeyaay Nation Tribal Leader, who Explains that in its Creation Story a Shaman Transformed into the Mountain. "Here is where we gather strength to live in this difficult world.”

Then She calls for a moment of Reflection. But the Silence is Pierced by the Crushing of Rock. U.S. Federal Contractors have been Blasting and Bulldozing Kuuchamaa, which Straddles both Countries, to make way for New Sections of Wall along the U.S.-Mexico Border. Indigenous Leaders say that in the Trump (R) Administration's Rush to build Border Walls, Contractors are Desecrating Native American Sacred Places and Cultural Sites at an Unprecedented Pace, more than 170 years after the International Boundary Split the Territories of Dozens of Tribes.

Barrier Construction has RampedUup along the 1,954-mile (3,145-kilometer) Border, even as Illegal Crossings have plummeted to Historic Lows. Much of it began in 2026 after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Waived Cultural and Environmental Laws. In California, Explosions on Kuuchamaa send Rocks hurtling down its Mexico side. “We feel that in our DNA,” said Emily Burgueno, a California Member of the Kumeyaay Nation, adding that “body” and “land” are the same Word in the Kumeyaay Language. Some Tribal Leaders Met with DHS Officials to Urge them to Protect Kuuchamaa and are looking into Legal Action.

“No one ever consented or supported the use of dynamite on the mountain,” Burgueno said. The Nation consists of more than a Dozen Tribes in California and Mexico’s Baja California. In Arizona, DHS Contractors last month, Carved through a Massive 1,000-year-old Fish-shaped Geoglyph called “Las Playas Intaglio." The Rare Drawing, etched into the Desert Floor much like Peru’s Nazca Lines, was Created on a Lava field in what is now the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge. The Tohono O’odham Nation said it had Pointed Out the Site on its Ancestral Land for Contractors to Avoid.

“This was a devastating and entirely avoidable loss,” Tohono O'odham Chairman Verlon Jose said in an 4/30/2026 Statement. “There is nothing more important than our history, which is what makes us who we are as O’odham. The site was also an irreplaceable piece of the United States’ history, one none of us can ever get back.” U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a Statement that a Contractor “inadvertently disturbed” the site west of Ajo, Arizona, on 4/23/2026, but it Vowed to Protect the Remaining Portion. CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott (R) is Talking to Tribal Leaders to Determine Next Steps.

Members of the Inter-Tribal Association of Arizona (ITAA), which Represents 21 Tribes, traveled to Washington last month, to Lobby against a 20-foot (6-meter) Secondary Wall being built along that Section of the Border, as well as a Primary 30-foot (9-meter) Bollard Wall Planned on Tohono O’odham Tribal Lands. They Met with DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin (R), a Cherokee Nation Member, who Listened, but made Clear His intent is to Build more Border Walls as Fast as possible, the Tohono O’odham Nation said in a Statement.

The Trump Administration says the Barriers are Necessary to keep People and Drugs from entering the U.S. Illegally. It wants Walls to Cover at least 1,400 miles (2,250 kilometers) of the Border. Trump’s “big, beautiful bill ” Devoted over $46 billion to the Effort. CBP has Awarded Contracts or begun Construction on over 600 miles (966 kilometers) of New Brder Wall, with Companion Surveillance Technology. A Double Wwall is Planned or Under Construction along another 370 miles (596 kilometers).

In Arizona, where the Patagonia Mountains descend to the Border, Heavy Machinery Crawls along freshly graded roads to extend a Double Wall that could Block a Wildlife Corridor for Endangered Ocelots and Jaguars. Jaguars have Long Coexisted with the Tohono O'odham, who Consider the Species “spiritual guardians," Austin Nunez, a Tribal Leader, said in a 2025 Lawsuit that Unsuccessfully Challenged the DHS Waivers.

In Sunland Park, on New Mexico's Border with Mexico, Crews in 2026 set off Blasts on Mount Cristo Rey, a Pilgrimage Site topped with a Limestone Crucifix. CBP is seeking to Seize a Strip of the Mountain Owned by the Roman Catholic Church for Wall Construction. The Diocese of Las Cruces asked a Judge in 5/2026 to Deny the Land Transfer as an Affront to Religious Liberties and the “faithful who seek to commune with God on Mount Cristo Rey."

In Western Texas, the Federal Government in February, Notified Ranchers on the Rio Grande East of Big Bend National Park of its Interest in their Land that contains Canyonland Pictographs and Petroglyphs, said Raymond Skiles, a Retired Big Bend National Park Ranger. “There are pictographs, paintings of shaman figures and various things that we don’t know how to interpret,” said Skiles, describing the Drawings on His Family's Ranchlands.

After Community Backlash, CBP's Online Planning Map showed the 30-foot-Wall Pplans were Scrapped for Surveillance Technology, Patrols, and some Vehicle Barriers. A Segment in the National Park andNneighboring Big Bend Ranch State Park, would Rely on Technology Alone. CBP says it Recognizes the Importance of Natural and Cultural resources and is working to minimize the construction’s impact, including leaving drainage gates open in wildlife corridors for animal passage. Illegal border Crossings have Littered, Polluted, and Trampled Sensitive Habitat, the Agency says. CBP also says 535 miles (860 kilometers) of Remote, Rugged Border Terrain will solely rely on Detection Technology. Many Tribes would Prefer that to Walls.

Desecrating Native American Sites is a Felony. Tribes along the Border “are all experiencing the same tragic desecration of our cultural and sacred sites,” said Burgueno, Chair of the Kumeyaay Diegueño Land Conservancy, a Nonprofit Organization in California, that works to Protect Kumeyaay Lands. “This is a great example of the federal government not following federal laws.” Desecrating a Sacred Native American Site on U.S. Federal or Tribal Land is a Felony, Punishable by Imprisonment and Fines. In 1992, the National Park Service Listed Kuuchamaa Mountain, also called Tecate Peak, in the National Register of Historic Places, giving it Limited Protection. It Noted that “discarding or disturbing the mountain’s natural state would be sacrilegious.”

Rising 3,885 feet (1,184 meters) above Sea Level, Kuuchamaa has also Captivated Non-Native People. Sarah Livia Brightwood Szekely said Her Father, Edmond Szekely, felt the Mountain's Healing Energy when He arrived in Tecate, Mexico, as a Hungarian Jewish Refugee during World War II, and Started the Renowned WellnessRresort, Rancho La Puerta, which She now Runs.

“There are all of these people that have a deep relationship with the mountain,” She said. Meza Calles Leads Walks at Rancho La Puerta to Teach Guests about Kuuchamaa. Traditionally, Young Men would spend 40 days at its Base in a Coming-of-Aage Ceremony before becomingWwarriors or Shamans, She said. Today's Rituals are Shorter. People Suffering from a Death, Debt, Ddivorce or other Difficulty seek Kuuchamaa's Healing, She said. “It's sad they are ruining the mountain," She said. “We'll see how far they go. Destiny is destiny. But the fight is not over.”










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker