Undesirable Elements at North Fourth Art Center

According to Ping Chong, the problem with most political theater is that it's too preachy. It focuses too much on the message, ignoring form, art and humor. “It's just ranting,” he says.

Corkfest 2006

The concept of a backyard party has been lifted to a whole new plateau. There will be no keg. There will be no slip 'n' slide. But at Corkfest 2006, there will be tons of live music from morning ’til night, along with some of the best local art in the city. Best of all, everyone—and I do mean everyone—is invited.

Ooo, laah, laah—it’s time for Sinatra-DeVine Productions’ beloved annual coming out extravaganza.

National Hispanic Cultural Center

In commemoration of National Coming Out Day, Sinatra-DeVine Productions will perform Paris is Burning … Life is a Masquerade at the National Hispanic Cultural Center (1701 Fourth Street SW) on Saturday, Oct. 7, at 7 p.m. With a cast of over 100, this wildly entertaining annual performance is brought to life by the finest female impersonators in the state. The show features such talents as Geneva Convention and Tequila Mockingbird from the Dolls, dance geniuses Raquel and Throb, and the legendary Angelica Del Rio. Tickets are $15, $20, $25 and are available by calling 724-4771. Proceeds benefit Albuquerque Pride, AIDS Emergency Fund and the BeautyMark Foundation. For more information, visit www.sinatradevine.com.

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“Arabesque” by LaVerne Harper

Gallery Openings

This Friday, Oct. 6, a host of new exhibits will be opening in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Is it possible to make an appearance at every one of these receptions? Probably not. But it wouldn't hurt to try, would it? Come on. Challenge yourself.

A show of work from Spanish painter Alberto Galvez opens at the Nüart Gallery (670 Canyon Road, Santa Fe) with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. The exhibit features 29 of his crisp yet eerie figurative paintings. Runs through Oct. 23. (505) 988-3888, nuartgallery.com.

At the Monroe Gallery (112 Don Gaspar, Santa Fe), you'll find photos of Ellis Island taken by Stephen Wilkes in celebration of the release of his book, Ellis Island: Ghosts of Freedom. The show opens with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. and runs through Dec. 10. (505) 992-0800, monroegallery.com.

Meanwhile, in Albuquerque, the Mariposa Gallery (3500 Central SE) in Nob Hill unveils its annual Day of the Dead display. It'll be up through the end of the month. 268-6828, mariposa-gallery.com.

New work from painter LaVerne Harper and installation artist Susan Wing will be on display at Exhibit 208 (208 Dartmouth NE) throughout the month, too. The reception for this one is from 5 to 8 p.m. 266-4292, exhibit208.com.

A new selection of oil paintings from artist Patti Fox will be showcased at Sumner & Dene Creations in Art (517 Central NW). The reception is from 5 to 9 p.m. 842-1400, sumnerdene.com.

Through Oct. 28, the New Grounds Gallery (3812 Central SE, #100B) will display the etchings of artist Ray Maseman, who specializes in addressing the surreality of everyday life. 268-8952, newgroundsgallery.com.

Finally, this Columbus Day weekend—Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 7 and 8—drive up north to join more than 70 local artists in Abiquiu as they showcase their work, from paintings to traditional crafts. 685-4454, abiquiustudiotour.com.

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OK, so they lied.

And if you don't want to call it lying, call it dissembling. Or fabricating. However you want to label it, even conventional wisdom now holds that the Bush administration led this country to war in Iraq on false pretenses, deliberately muddling the pursuit of Osama Bin Laden with a more ambitious war of choice.

As a result, high percentages of Americans believe that Saddam Hussein was involved in the 9/11 attacks and some of the 19 hijackers were Iraqi. As a political columnist for the New York Times, Frank Rich was camped on the frontlines as the Bush administration promoted these impressions. He watched as talking points—“the smoking gun which could be a mushroom cloud”—appeared in his own newspaper and bounced around the talk show circuit as evidence that Iraq was targeting America.

In the last three years, Iraq became the largest recipient of American foreign aid in U.S. history. What do we have to show for it? Power outages and fuel shortages in every major Iraqi city, and even less oil production than under Saddam Hussein.