A4 Tuesday, June 26, 2012
OPINION
Knockoffs rob state jewelry industry and consumers
It’s tourism season again. In New Mexico, that means it’s also time for an uptick in purchases of Indian jewelry. But of all the money spent here for jewelry purportedly made by a Native American, about half is fake. Visitors flying in to Albuquerque can walk into inviting shops at the airport and not find a single piece of jewelry created by a Native American artisan, according to Bruce Bernstein, executive director of the Southwest Association for Indian Art. They will find instead Native American-looking jewelry made in China, Syria and Jordan. This stuff is out there in abundance, even in the epicenter of jewelry making, Gallup. Knockoffs plague a lot of industries, but here the impact is more personal — it reaches right into the pockets of our New Mexico artisans. I sometimes think we do a lackadaisical job of protecting the
EDITORIAL
SHERRY ROBINSON
ALL SHE WROTE
jewelry industry because it’s so dispersed. We have some major manufacturers and wholesalers, but a lot of jewelry is made by the lone artisan working at home. It’s a shadow industry even though Native American art is a $1 billion industry in the Southwest. This has been a problem for years, and we’ve tried various fixes without much impact. In 1989, Navajo lawmakers Sen. John Pinto and Rep. Leo Watchman introduced legislation to sharpen state laws aimed at fraud in Indian art. “Asian imports are flooding the market,” said Regis Pecos, then
Roswell Daily Record
executive director of the state Office of Indian Affairs. “Some may be misrepresented as authentic Indian. The consensus is, it’s getting worse.” And it was expanding into rugs and pottery. Pinto’s bill would have made it illegal to sell a product as Indian when it’s not. It also called for the attorney general and district attorneys to enforce the law. The bill failed. By 2006, state and federal laws prohibited misrepresenting fake Indian art or jewelry as authentic, but they wer en’t enough. Rep. Patricia Lundstrom, of Gallup, carried a bill to require a certification stamp to protect Indian artists. Then-Gov. Bill Richardson, struggling to balance the budget, vetoed the money. Lawmakers tried several more times after that. In 2009 through a memorial, the state Senate asked U.S. Customs to prohibit detachable country of
origin markers on imported Native American-style arts and crafts. Finally, in 2010 after a lot of publicity Sen. Linda Lovejoy and Rep. James Madalena got a bill through that made sales of $500 or more of misrepresented fake jewelry a felony; the pr evious thr eshold was $20,000. So we have some laws, federal and state, but imported jewelry can be labeled with a paper sticker, which hardly discourages fraud. And enforcement hasn’t improved. The attorney general has one or two people prosecuting. “SWAIA decided to turn up the volume on the conversation,” said Bernstein, speaking recently to New Mexico Press Women. “There’s nothing wrong with souvenirs and cheaper materials, but they need to be labeled.” The association now sends “arts ambassadors” out to educate people.
Darrel Begay, a Gallup craftsman, said: “I’ve seen a lot happen in this industry. I’ve seen stuff the traders have done to our craftsmen. Gallup is supposed to be the hub of Native American jewelry. Middle Eastern people came in the 1970s and started to price things differently.” They weighed the silver content and paid only for labor. “When I saw this, I thought, how can I made a living being a craftsman?” He began selling to galleries, but not everyone has this option. The other issue is the mindboggling range of turquoise. Where the fake or stabilized stone was once easy to spot, it’s not any more. The old adage, let the buyer beware, doesn’t quite cut it, but lean budgets mean lean enforcement. One solution: People who know their jewelry need to keep an eye out and report the frauds. © New Mexico News Services 2012
Obama oversteps on amnesty
Democracy is a messy business. It usually takes a long time to push through reforms. But the alternative to lawmaking is rule by decree. That’s why President Obama was wrong to use an executive order to grant an effective two-year amnesty to 800,000 to 2.1 million illegal immigrants who were brought into the United States as children. For several years, Congress has been working on legislation, called the DREAM Act, to do something similar. We have supported these efforts. The Constitution gives Congress the power to “establish a uniform Rule of Naturalization.” The executive branch, overseen by the president, only enforces what Congress decides. Technically, what Obama did — halting deportations of and granting work permits to qualified illegal immigrants — was legal because the president can grant asylum to foreigners who can claim economic or other hardship, said Ilya Shapiro, a senior fellow in constitutional studies at the Cato Institute. “But the problem here is atmospherics,” he said. “Congress specifically has rejected the DREAM Act. The president then went ahead and showed contempt for the separation of powers.” The Founders gave those in Congress exclusive power to make laws because they are in closer touch with the people. It’s fairly easy to meet your local member of Congress at a town hall but almost impossible to meet the president. Congress is considering many other factors the president is ignoring with his decree. The economy is shaky, and unemployment remains high. By contrast, when Ronald Reagan signed the most recent amnesty law in 1986, the economy had been humming for years. Reagan’s policies of tax cuts, stable money and spending restraints were roughly the opposite of Obama’s. Another factor is the fast-approaching November election. Obama obviously is appealing to Latinos, many of whose relatives will enjoy the amnesty and who vote in battleground states such as Florida, Colorado and Arizona. That’s another reason Congress should be involved: Action would have to be bipartisan. Certainly, any amnesty bill likely would have to wait until after the election. But that’s how democracy works. Guest Editorial The Northwest Florida Daily News
TODAY IN HISTORY
Democracy in action takes on Obama
Democracy in action is truly a wonder ful thing to watch. President Barack Obama clearly had political motives for his recent executive order granting a very limited form of temporary protective status for some, though not all, undocumented immigrants under 30 who were brought here as children and who have no criminal record. The numbers prove that while not yet a major swing vote nationally, Latino voters are key to winning swing states like Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado and Florida, among others. It appears that
MARIA HINOJOSA
SYNDICATED COLUMNIST
the president or some others in his administration finally got the message that this Latino electorate was increasingly angered about broken promises regarding immigration reform. The disaffection was looking more real as many Latinos said they didn’t feel the love anymore for the
Doonesbury Flashback
president, who has deported more immigrants than any other in recent history. In fact, some political analysts say this was a brilliant political move that makes it that much more difficult, if not impossible, for Mitt Romney to win now that Obama almost assuredly can count on the Latino vote. In 2008, Obama carried 80 percent of all non-white voters. And the share of these voters has grown in every state. This upcoming election will be a watershed one because, for the first time in history, a president will be elected with the smallest per-
centage of white voters. So Latino voters are even more important. The Obama administration also had other political motives. In the next few days, the Supreme Court will be weighing in on Arizona’s controversial immigration law and, according to the head of the ACLU, more than likely will ratify at least some key parts of the state law known as SB 1070. The Obama administration needed a preemptive strike. But beyond all of the elec-
See HINOJOSA, Page A5
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Today is Tuesday, June 26, the 178th day of 2012. There are 188 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight On June 26, 1912, Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 in D major premiered in Vienna more than a year after the composer’s death; Bruno Walter conducted the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. DEAR DOCTOR K: I have terrible jock itch. Please tell me how to get rid of it! DEAR READER: I understand your urgency. Jock itch is uncomfortable, and scratching where this rash usually appears — the inner thighs and groin — isn’t something you want to do in public. The term “jock itch” refers to an itchy rash caused by a common skin fungus known as tinea cruris. Most often, jock itch develops when tight garments trap moisture and heat. This creates an environment in which fungi multiply and flourish. Many people with tinea cruris have athlete’s foot, too, which is also caused by a fungus. When you have jock itch, a
ASK DR. K UNITED MEDIA SYNDICATE
flat, red, itchy rash first appears high on the inner side of one or both thighs. It spreads outward in a ringlike circular pattern while the center partially clears up. Jock itch can spread to the pubic and genital regions and sometimes to the buttocks. Because jock itch is a fungal infection, your doctor will most likely prescribe an antifungal
cream or ointment for you to apply once or twice a day to the affected skin, for at least two weeks. Treatment for longlasting infections may last one or two months. If you have athlete’s foot, your doctor should treat that as well. Untreated athlete’s foot can cause jock itch to return: The fungus gets carried from your feet to your groin by your fingers. Jock itch commonly comes back, so you need to be extracautious. Apply powder daily to help keep the area dry. Alleviate itching with an over-thecounter treatment such as Sarna lotion. Avoid hot baths and tight-fitting clothing. Men should wear boxer shorts rather than briefs.
The healthier you are, the less likely you are to get a fungal infection. Remaining healthy through diet, rest and exercise is the first step in avoiding fungal infection. Why? It hasn’t been extensively studied, but it’s probably true that a healthy and rested person’s immune system is more efficient at eliminating fungal infections. Here are other steps you can take to remain fungus-free: — Keep your body clean. — Dry yourself well after showers and baths. — Shower immediately after athletic activities. — Wear loose clothing whenever possible. See DR. K, Page A5
25 YEARS AGO
June 26, 1987 • The New Mexico Broadcasters Association has honored Bruce Hebenstreit as broadcaster of the year. Hebenstreit, who died in February of complications of skin cancer, was chairman and chief executive officer of the New Mexico Broadcasting Co., which owns KGGM-TV in Albuquerque. The award was the first presented posthumously by the association, said Dee Schelling, executive director of the NMBA. Hebenstreit took over the family radio station from his father, A.R. Hebenstreit, in 1953 and later expanded the operation into television. In recent years, he became known for his locally produced motion pictures. The award was presented at the NMBA’s 36th annual convention at the Sally Port Inn.