European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 2, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                New Mexico can we use american Money there by Doralisa Pilarte associated Pressi f you think the state of new Mexico is Par of Texas you ate ool alone in you think in s a foreign country you have Plonley of company. And if you think in does l exist at All Welcome to the club. New Mexico celebrating its 75th anniversary of statehood this year is the lost state. It s the one Many americans can t quite place. Tho problem alternately annoys and amuses new mexicans. Ii feeds a column in new Mexico Magazine called one 01 our fifty is  11 prompted a Resolution irom sen Pete Domenici , calling on his fellow members of Congress to recognize that to does not represent a foreign country. The slate department has been known to refer my Salt to its foreign affairs desk Domenici said in Iho Resolution that was entered in the congressional record last summer. In addition to this grocery and drugstores in the District have refused to Honor new Mexico Drivers licences staling that l is their policy to Lake checks Only irom american citizens when individuals Are planning a vacation in my Lair stale there Are frequent inquiries concerning visas immunization and the relative drinkability of our  the Resolution came Afler former new Mexico gov. Dave cargo was told by Tho Treasury department that 30 Percon of a Treasury Bond he wanted to put in his son s name would be withheld in taxes because cargo lived in a foreign country i wrote them Back and said i can Only suggest that indeed1 Here is me West of the Potomac and it is on the Banks of the Rio Grande " cargo said. And to think thai . Treasurer Alberine Davalos Olega is from  that was t the Only Ime cargo governor from 1967 Jon Bowman we want people to know that we Are part of tote United states out oof water is  ilium go 1970, has run into trouble Over his state s Ide Lily. Cargo now an Albuquerque lawyer tells of a dinner he attended at the while House during Tho Nixon administration. There was a Cabinet officer s Wile sealed Al the Lable. And there was Henry Kissinger and she turns to me and says i be been listening to you and you speak Beautiful English i just said Well. I try " the woman also informed cargo thai when she and her husband went on a cruise they crossed the Panama canal and Well through new Mexico. I replied that i once went through the sue canal and passed Rhode Island cargo deadpanned. There seems 1o be no end to Iho ignorance thai makes new mexicans feel As Rodney Dangerfield. That they get no respect. We get Quile a bit of confusion As to where it s Al said Jon Bowman managing editor of new Mexico Magazine the state publication thai has published the one of our filly is missing column since 1970. One Florida newspaper Sluck new Mexico in the Texas Panhandle and showed Arizona As now Mexico Bowman said to guess it s because Arizona and new Mexico were supposed to enter the Union  Bui the proposal that new Mexico and Arizona enter As one slate never came to pass and new Mexico became he 47th state on Jan 6,t- 12. When new mexicans began celebrating the 75th anniversary Al the first of 1he year events were held in cities throughout 1he stale including a gathering at the Capilo in Santa Feol several Hundred people who joined gov Carrey Carrel his in singing Happy  Bowman who puts together the column from up to 100 letters received each month said in s the mos popular Section of the Magazine. So popular in Lac i that last year the Magazine compiled the Best examples into a Book by the same title ii is the most popular Book we have published said Bowman whose 65-year-old Magazine is based in Santa be. The Book tells of instances where even next door texans have called Telephone operators to ask if in s Friday in Texas will in still be Friday in new Mexico there also the Story of a new mexican who was slopped by the Highway patrol in Pennsylvania. The Rooper looked a1 the Man s new Mexico License places Ihen asked Lor his Driver s License identification card and his visa. The Albuquerque convention and visitors Bureau purchased 1,000 copies of the Book. I guess they be had trouble convincing people it s a City Bowman said. Last summer a committee from the Bureau travelled through several midwestern slates promoting Albuquerque and new Mexico said Bureau spokeswoman Jana Lee Aspin. What they found was that even the tour operators and travel agents weren t Sura we Are a part of the United states Aspin said. We were getting questions like can we use american Money Sheie and is the water drinkable " the organization decided it was about time to put together a publicity Campaign to Tell fellow americans where the stale is. The Campaign includes asking fourth graders in five Distant states new Jersey Massachusetts Indiana Pennsylvania and new York to Wale their views about new Mexico Aspin said we want people to know that we arc part of the United Stales that our water is drinkable and that we drive on the right Side of the Road she said. We think we re going to get some pretty fascinating answers from those  tuesday june 2, 1987 the stars and stripes Page 13