[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 26 (Thursday, February 29, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1447-S1448]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  NEW MEXICO, THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT

  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, once again, 1 of our 50 is missing. If 
that seems like an enigmatic statement, bear with me a little longer. I 
have a story to relate to you that proves true once again the adage 
that truth is often stranger than fiction.
  On Tuesday of this week one of my constituents, a man named Wade 
Miller, of Santa Fe, NM, called the Olympic ticket office in Atlanta, 
GA, in the United States--Atlanta, GA, USA. He was calling them to 
request tickets for the Olympics, I say to my friend from New York. 
Instead, imagine his surprise when he was told that since he was 
calling from New Mexico with his request, he would need to consult with 
the Mexican or Puerto Rican Olympic Committees in order to get 
tickets--not the Olympic office in Atlanta, which, I repeat, is in 
Georgia, USA.
  Keep in mind that the area code for New Mexico is 505. The area code 
for Atlanta is 404. I checked it myself, and this does not register as 
an international call. If it was, my poor constituent, who argued with 
them for a half hour to 45 minutes trying to convince them that New 
Mexico was, indeed, in the United States, would have a real telephone 
bill. There was even some debate about old Mexico versus New Mexico. 
But when all was said and done they still told him that, no, you cannot 
buy any tickets from us. You have to get them from either the Mexican 
or Puerto Rican--they were not sure, I guess--Olympic office.
  Finally, Mr. Miller produced a mailing address in Arizona and asked 
if his tickets could be mailed to that address. They established on the 
phone that yes, Arizona was in the United States and that tickets could 
be sent there. Alas, the identity crisis for New Mexico, USA, seems to 
continue. And while I'm pleased we could all agree that Arizona, our 
distinguished neighbor to our west, is a State, I must point out that 
New Mexico was actually a State even before Arizona, although not by 
much.
  So, as the Senator from New Mexico--although I guess the Olympic 
Committee would simply call me a delegate, not a Senator--I must once 
more rise to refresh everyone's memory. New Mexico--that large span of 
land between the oil wells of Texas and the saguaros of Arizona--is in 
the United States. I flew home during the last recess and they did not 
book me on an 

[[Page S1448]]
international flight, nor did I need to pass through customs on my way. 
And while my passport is in order, I can assure you I did not need it 
to land at Albuquerque International Sunport.
  I might also remind the Senate, and also the Olympic organizers in 
Atlanta, that New Mexico was admitted to the Union as the 47th State in 
January 1912. It lies directly south of Colorado, east of Arizona, west 
of Texas, and north of the Mexican border. Let me repeat, north of the 
Mexican border. You may know it as one of the larger pieces in jigsaw 
puzzles of the United States.
  In fact, New Mexico has one of the longest histories of any State in 
the Union, starting with our ancient Indian cultures, almost four 
centuries of Hispanic ancestry, and nearly 200 years of American 
settlement. It is a dramatic land of scenic vistas and 1.5 million 
proud citizens.
  And let me remind the Olympic office that we had good reason to be 
proud during the last Olympics, for we had a great champion from New 
Mexico--Trent Dimas, who earned a gold medal in gymnastics. When Trent 
Dimas won this medal, it wasn't ``O Fair New Mexico,'' New Mexico's 
State song, that was played during the ceremony. They played the 
National Anthem of the United States--surely an indicator that even in 
the context of the Olympics, New Mexicans are proud U.S. citizens. And 
those New Mexican athletes who visit the State of Georgia this summer 
to attend the Summer Olympics will do so as citizens of the United 
States, cheering our other terrific American athletes.
  Let me wrap up by assuring the Atlanta ticket office that we in New 
Mexico are well practiced in the use of U.S. currency. We, too, use the 
dollar and not the peso. We're also well accustomed to potable drinking 
water and to driving our cars on the right side of the road. And I 
can't even imagine that those unique Southern accents will give New 
Mexicans any trouble.
  So today, I put a little note in Senator Nunn's and Senator 
Coverdell's mailboxes, asking them if they would do us a favor in New 
Mexico and vouch for us to the Olympic Committee in Georgia--and I'm 
assuming that would be Georgia, USA, not Georgia, Russia. Perhaps they 
could each send a note to the good people of Georgia to remind them 
that New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment, is a State. No need to refer 
New Mexicans to any embassy, customs office, passport center, or 
currency exchange office. We're one of you.

                          ____________________