Category Archives: Recommended

GOP Hijacks Slavery Resolution

6
  by: IndyNinja Wed February 6, 2013 at 12:40 PM MDT

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Remember when the GOP delayed action on a few dozen bills to delay action on Civil Unions? And remember when games like that got them kicked out of the majority office by the voters? And remember when a few of them said they'd learned their lesson?

Well, if you were paying attention yesterday morning, you would wonder if they even remember 2012. 

As Joe Hanel of the Durango Herald reports: Slavery resolution a tool in gun debate

In a sign of how much resistance Democrats can expect to their gun-control bills, House Republicans tried to derail a Democratic news conference by stalling on a resolution about the Emancipation Proclamation. 

Former Speaker of the House Frank McNulty, R-Highlands Ranch, wanted to amend the resolution by adding the full text of the document that led to the end of slavery. That led to a skirmish over parliamentary rules, with Speaker of the House Mark Ferrandino accusing Republicans of trying to stall and delay the news conference.

Republicans denied that they were purposely delaying the news conference, but a GOP member later admitted that was the strategy.

On the House floor, Rep. Jovan Melton, D-Aurora, confronted House Minority Leader Mark Waller, R-Colorado Springs.

“It’s the Emancipation Proclamation. This directly affected my family in North Carolina. It’s extremely insulting,” Melton said.

Stay classy, GOP.

Word is that both the Denver Post and the Colorado Statesman are going to have more detailed stories out in the next day or two. I, for one, can't wait to hear what they turned up. 


Full story: GOP Hijacks Slavery Resolution

Chutzpah: GOP Senator blames GOP budget cuts for fewer cops

2
  by: JeffcoBlue Wed January 30, 2013 at 4:12 PM MDT

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Think Progress reports on Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina in today's gun control hearing in Washington. Speaking to the police chief of the city of Baltimore, Maryland:

GRAHAM: The point is, we have different perspectives on this. The reason I will oppose the legislation, Chief Johnston, is because i respect what your do as a lot — what you do as a law-enforcement officer. Has your budget been cut?

JOHNSON: Yes.

GRAHAM: Do you think it be cut in the future?

JOHNSON: I am optimistic that it is not.

GRAHAM: Well I hope your right, but I can tell people throughout this land, because of the fiscal state of affairs we have, there will be less [SIC] police officers, not more, over the next decade…I honest to god believe that if we arbitrarily “say nobody in this country can own a 10-round magazine in the future, the people who own them are the kind of people we’re trying to combat to begin with.” There can be a situation where a mother runs out of bullets because of something we do here.

(more…)


Full story: Chutzpah: GOP Senator blames GOP budget cuts for fewer cops

Republicans: we’re not the problem

9
  by: JeffcoBlue Sun January 27, 2013 at 1:07 PM MDT

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

If you were hoping Republicans might get the message after 2012's defeats and change course, I'm about to dash those hopes.

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/01/gop-leaders-insist-no-overhaul-needed-86757.html?hp=r4

The party’s main problem, dozens of Republican National Committee members argued in interviews over three days this week, is who delivers its message and how, not the message itself. Overwhelmingly they insisted that substantive policy changes aren’t the answer to last year’s losses.

Moderation, at least at this stage, is no virtue at the RNC.

“It’s not the platform of the party that’s the issue,” RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said Friday after being easily reelected to a second, two-year term. “In many cases, it’s how we communicate about it. It is a couple dumb things that people have said.” (JeffcoBlue emphasis)

A slide presented during a closed-press strategy session said that Mitt Romney might be president if he had won fewer than 400,000 more votes in key swing states.

“We don’t need a new pair of shoes; we just need to shine our shoes,” said West Virginia national committeewoman Melody Potter.

Fellow Democrats should be ecstatic if Republicans are already rationalizing away all of the problems 2012 revealed for them. The Republican Party's problem is much more than a "couple dumb things people have said," it is that they have become the party of people who say dumb things. Their shoes don't need a shine, their entire platform must adapt to the modern age, or die like other political movements that ended as anachonisms. For too many years, the GOP has won ideological battles whether or not they were in the majority. Now, they're running out of excuses as the consequences of their ideology show up everywhere.

But forget that. It's time for more denial…


Full story: Republicans: we’re not the problem

Denver Nuggets Player Kenneth Faried Voices Support for Civil Unions in Colorado

6
  by: One Colorado Fri January 25, 2013 at 11:28 AM MDT

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

fariedmoms

Denver Nuggets star player, Kenneth Faried, has made a video with his two moms voicing their support for civil unions in Colorado.

“Nobody can ever tell me I can’t have two mothers because I really do,” said Faried.

Faried’s two mothers, Carol and Waudda, have been together for eleven years. Waudda has lupus, and the protections of a civil union have helped Carol care for her partner through the ups and downs of life.

“Gay and lesbian couples share similar worries as everyone else, like taking care of a loved one in sickness and in health,” said Brad Clark, Executive Director of One Colorado, the lead organization advocating for passage of civil unions in Colorado. “The story of Kenneth’s mothers remind us why civil unions are an important part of building the security we all long for.”

Click here to thank Kenneth Faried and his moms for supporting civil unions.

(more…)


Full story: Denver Nuggets Player Kenneth Faried Voices Support for Civil Unions in Colorado

Colorado ASSET: What progressives need to know

0
  by: JeffcoBlue Thu January 24, 2013 at 1:45 PM MDT

I just got this email from ProgressNow Colorado. Excellent information:

coassetfacts.jpgToday, the “Colorado ASSET” bill, which will allowВ allВ qualified Colorado resident high school graduates to attend college at in-state tuition rates, is expected to pass its first test in the Colorado Senate Education Committee.

There is a great deal of misinformation being put out about this important legislation by opponents, and we as progressives have an obligation to help set the record straight. Here are some basic facts aboutВ Senate Bill 13-033: learn the truth, thenВ contact your Colorado Senator and urge them to SUPPORT this important bill.

The Facts About ASSET

The fact is, we have already invested thousands educating all of the children who will benefit from Senate Bill 13-033. We have invested in their K-12 education, and these students have responded by succeeding academically in Colorado schools. By providing a path to these bright students to continue their studies, all we’re doing is following through on an investmentВ we’ve already made.

Colorado has a constitutional obligation, backed by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, to provide a K-12 education to every child in our state regardless of their documentation or immigration status. It therefore makes no sense to create barriers for children who have demonstrated academic success in Colorado schools to completing their education. By making college an attainable goal for all Colorado students, ASSET will increase revenue for our cash-strapped institutions of higher education.

Remember, Colorado ASSET will only allow the children affected by the bill to pay in-state tuition at Colorado colleges and universities provided they can meet the following criteria:

  • The student must have already attended a Colorado public or private high school for a minimum of 3 years.
  • The student must have graduated from a public or private high school in Colorado, or received their general equivalency diploma (GED)–here in Colorado.

And of course, the student must meet all of the academic requirements and be admitted to a Colorado institution of higher education.

Many of the currently undocumented students who would benefit from Colorado ASSET are already working their way through the U.S. immigration system and are able to be legally employed. All other students who might benefit are required to seek lawful presence as soon as possible.

Please help us spread the truth about this important legislation.В Click here to send a message to your Colorado Senator right now, urging them to support the Colorado ASSET bill. And forward this message to all of your friends and neighbors so they can get the facts as well.

Thank you. This is legislation that we expect to pass with at leastВ someВ bipartisan support, but it’s critical that we as progressives do everything we can to educate our friends and neighbors, and dispel misinformation. We support Colorado ASSET because it’s the right thing to do, and the right thing for Colorado’s competitiveness in a global economy.

And working together, our great state is going to take this positive step.

Read the full text of the Colorado ASSET bill as introducedВ here.


Full story: Colorado ASSET: What progressives need to know

Great idea! School security guard leaves gun in bathroom

0
  by: JeffcoBlue Fri January 18, 2013 at 6:04 PM MDT

Raw Story has a story that’s so funny it was almost a tragedy. It’s not the whole reply, but here’s one to mention when you debate your gun nut relative next time:

A prosecutor in Lapeer, Michigan says, “No harm, no foul,” after a charter school took the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) advice and hired a armed security guard who promptly left his handgun unattended in a student bathroom.

Chatfield School co-directors Matt Young and Bill Kraly announced last week that they had hired retired Lapeer County Sheriff’s Dept. firearms instructor Clark Arnold as a security guard in response to the December mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

[...]

Wednesday, the school had admitted to The Flint Journal that the retired firearms instructor had made a “made a breach in security protocol” and left his unloaded handgun unattended in the school restroom “for a few moments.”

“The school has put additional security procedures in place that follow local law enforcement practices and guidelines,” a statement from Young said. “At no time was any student involved in this breach of protocol. We will continue to work on improving school security.”


Full story: Great idea! School security guard leaves gun in bathroom

Seven state GOP Senators voted against civility? What’s up with that?

11
  by: Jason Salzman Thu January 17, 2013 at 12:42 PM MDT

(“Civility,” apparently, is for wussies – promoted by Colorado Pols)



On Tuesday, the Colorado Senate passed a resolution:

That we, the members of the Colorado General Assembly, agree to conduct ourselves at all times in a manner so as to reflect credit on the Colorado General Assembly and its two houses and to inspire the confidence, respect, and trust of the public in the laws, the Colorado General Assembly, and democratic government.

There was more to it, and you can read it here, but you get the idea.

You’d think a “no” vote by seven Republican Senators, including Senate Minority Leader Cadman, would catch the attention of the Capitol press corps.

What’s up with a no vote on a bipartisan civility resolution?

The No’s were: Scheffel, Baumgardner, Brophy, Cadman, Crowder, Grantham, and Lambert.

YES 28 NO 7 EXCUSED 0 ABSENT 0

Aguilar Y Guzman Y Kefalas Y Roberts Y Balmer Y Harvey Y

Kerr Y Scheffel N Baumgardner N Heath Y King Y Schwartz Y

Brophy N Hill Y Lambert N Steadman Y

Cadman N Hodge Y Lundberg Y Tochtrop Y

Carroll Y Hudak Y Marble Y Todd Y

Crowder N Jahn Y Newell Y Ulibarri Y

Giron Y Johnston Y Nicholson Y President Y

Grantham N Jones Y Renfroe Y


Full story: Seven state GOP Senators voted against civility? What’s up with that?

CO GOP Chair Ryan Call to be Challenged by DougCo GOP Chair Baisley

2
  by: Michael Lund Thu January 17, 2013 at 9:33 AM MDT

( – promoted by Colorado Pols)



When it comes to Ryan Call, Ken Clark and Jason Worley are not impressed.

In the past week on Grassroots Radio Colorado (airing weekdays from 5 to 7 p.m. on KLZ 560 AM), show hosts Worley and Clark have been heard to call for current GOP State Party Chairperson Call to own up to his responsibility for the devastating November election losses “like a man”, and step down from his leadership position.

Last Friday on Grassroots, Arapahoe County Tea Party Chair Randy Corporon was filling in as guest host, as he often does.  Worley and Clark were on a “top secret” special assignment.  The guests that day, freshman State Representative Justin Everett (HD-22) and John Ransom from Townhall.com/Finance pleaded with Corporon to throw his hat into the race for the GOP Chairmanship.  Their enthusiastic request was modestly evaded.

And then yesterday, Mark Baisley, Douglas County GOP Chair, appeared on Grassroots to announce his candidacy for the position.

Ryan Call probably isn’t too worried.

He has endorsements from approximately half of the current County GOP Committees that will eventually vote to decide who leads the state party, as well as support from GOP notables such as AG John Suthers, and Rep. Cory Gardner.

Call’s ascendency two years ago came in a firestorm of name calling and finger pointing around previous Chairman Dick Wadhams, who withdrew his candidacy for reelection after the debacle that was The McInnis-Maes-Tancredo Show and Ken Buck’s losing challenge to Democrat Michael Bennet’s senate seat.  

Stating his frustration with trying to herd the un-herdable cats of Colorado’s GOP, Wadhams said in a recent Lynn Bartels blog post for the Denver newspaper’s political blog, The Spot (January 11, 2013) “he was “tired of the nuts who have no grasp of what the state party’s role is.”

In the same column, Bartels quoted Wadhams pointing to fundraising as another piece of the fallout from his decision to withdraw. He said donors were reluctant to give money to a GOP that is “run by an idiot.”  Wadhams said that Call was the donors’ pick for the CO leadership position.

The “idiot” refered to in Wadham’s quote is most likely Senator Ted Harvey, who was challenging Call at the time with support from liberty and grassroots groups in the GOP.  

Could the same divisive scenario be setting up for this spring’s GOP Chair election?  Well, Baisley is no Ted Harvey, although they appear pretty similar on paper.

Worley and Clark were happy to give Baisley a soapbox to announce his candidacy, as they have with other successful GOP candidates.  But they didn’t hold back with their criticism of Call, who they said runs a party that’s not all too inviting to liberty groups’ participation.  Worley points out that he and Call went to high school together, but they still butt heads.

Callers to Grassroots Radio last Friday echoed some of Wadhams’ concerns from 2011, namely the danger of splitting a minority Party whose wounds continue to weep along ideological fractures, and the proven abilities of a candidate to deliver in the Chairmanship’s two biggest responsibilities:  winning elections and fundraising.

Baisley addressed both concerns.

He asserted his longstanding friendship with Ryan Call and said they have always worked well together.  He’s offering to unite the all who believe in limited government with his “model of respect,”  where everyone is invited to share their talents in defeating the Dems – apparently to include  ”nuts” and “idiots.”

As proof of his capabilities, Baisley cited his success in organizing over 3,000 Douglas County volunteers, activitating a localized ground game for getting out the vote, and the notable coup of electing seven conservatives to the Douglas County School Board which eventually tossed the American Federation of Teachers union from the district.

As far as fundraising, Baisley reduced its importance as secondary to the ground game, but noted his successes, just the same.  On the finance committee during Bruce Benson’s tenure ten years ago as leader of the Colorado GOP, he helped raise more than $10 million for the Party.  In Douglas County this election cycle, enough funds were generated to cover all GOTV costs, max out a contribution to Mike Coffman’s congressional campaign, while filling in gaps in other legislative races, he said.

Addressing Ryan Call’s claim of early support from the counties, Worley and Clark enthusiastically point out that new leadership in the counties committees could undermine some of those initial endorsements.

Then  Baisley said he had heard from some county leaders, who said if they’d known Baisley was running for the Chair, they would never have endorsed Call.   They promised Baisley they wouldn’t be seen campaigning actively for Call.

It all sounds very encouraging for Baisley, if you can believe Grassroots Radio.

But can he herd cats?


Full story: CO GOP Chair Ryan Call to be Challenged by DougCo GOP Chair Baisley

Big Oil’s paying the bills at Colo. School of Mines oil shale research center

1
  by: checks-and-balances Wed January 16, 2013 at 2:03 PM MDT

Dr. Jeremy Boak, Director of the Center for Oil Shale Technology and Research (COSTAR) has been working hard this past year, trying to downplay fears about oil shale’s impact on western water supplies. And, while Dr. Boak has plenty to say, he fails to mention that the companies experimenting with oil shale fund his program.

This sort of corporate sponsorship for academics isn’t new, but it’s the sort of thing people should know when considering his opinions. After all, the saying “don’t bite the hand that feeds” could be seen to apply here.

COSTAR is a program at Colorado School of Mines, which was started in 2008 with funding from three oil companies – ExxonMobil, Shell and Total Exploration and Production.

According to a Colorado School of Mines press release, COSTAR is a $900,000 per year research center.

COSTAR’s website lists corporate money first among its funding sources. So, we think Dr. Boak has a pretty strong incentive to see oil shale speculation and experimentation continue.

The Guardian published a story last week on a similar situation, but with fracking instead of oil shale. According to the article, the gas industry has been buying up academic research so that data will show only the benefits of hydraulic fracturing, not the risks. After all, academic institutions have long been trusted sources for independent, third party research. Some might say, it’s hard to remain independent when the industries institutions studying are paying their bills.

The Guardian calls it “frackademia,” and sometimes the result of these relationships can be pretty obvious. Take this example:

Dr. Charles “Chip” Groat took early retirement from the University of Texas at Austin after his financial ties to the industry became public. The researcher, whose study had concluded that there is “no link between hydraulic fracturing and water contamination”, sits on the board of Plains Exploration and Production Company, a Houston-based fracker. Groat has received over $2m in cash and stock options from the company since 2007.

We don’t know what, if any, financial ties Dr. Boak has to oil shale companies, other than that they subsidize his paycheck as Director of COSTAR. In 2012, Dr. Boak spoke at an API-sponsored briefing on oil shale in Washington, D.C. Was he paid to appear and speak there? Who paid for his plane ticket or hotel room? Did the Colorado School of Mines have to foot the bill for his API press conference appearance? These are questions only Dr. Boak can answer, and maybe he should.

At the very least, the fact that Dr. Boak’s income is funded by oil companies should be mentioned whenever he’s quoted, and he shouldn’t be listed as an “academic” source. When Dr. Boak gives his opinion, he’s cashing a check made possible by the same companies promoting oil shale.


Full story: Big Oil’s paying the bills at Colo. School of Mines oil shale research center

Republicans who support ASSET mostly absent from media coverage of bill’s introduction

3
  by: Jason Salzman Wed January 16, 2013 at 12:41 PM MDT

( – promoted by Colorado Pols)



Among numerous reports on the Democrats’ news conference at the State Capitol yesterday announcing the introduction of a bill offering in-state tuition to illegal-immigrant students, only Rocky Mountain Community Radio reporter Bente Birkeland found a Republican lawmaker willing back the “concept.”

That would be freshman Sen. Larry Crowder, who reiterated his support not only for reduced tuition but a path to legalization, which is abhorred by many Colorado Republicans. Berkeland reported:

“I do support the concept.  I believe that if an individual has went through our school system for a period of 6,8,10 years, we already have that investment in him for public education.  It’s an issue here where we want people to become legalized.”

Berkeland also quoted Republican Majority Leader Bill Cadman, who opposes the measure.

Other reporters covering yesterday’s news conference quoted Republican legislators’ opposition to ASSET.

KMGH 7′s  Marc Stewart found GOP Sen. Ted Harvey continuing his opposition:

“I think they’re being honest with the voters. Last time, they mini-subsidized (tuition) if you will. This time they’re going to completely subsidize it,” said Sen. Ted Harvey, a Republican from Highlands Ranch.

The Associated Press’ Ivan Moreno quoted Rep. Brian DelGrosso, who felt the measure is unfair to out-of-state kids but, in other interviews, he saw some merit in it.

“You got a lot of students who come here to Colorado [from out of state] to go to college, and they’re paying the high, out-of-state tuition fee. And they’re like, ‘Why should I not get the same benefit as some of these other students?’” DelGrosso said.

He also said he disagrees with the notion that Republican opposition to the bill hurts the party’s courtship of Latino voters, who have largely favored Colorado Democrats. He said Latino families who have gone through the process for legal residency feel like it undermines their efforts.

“I don’t think that the entire Latino community is a hundred percent behind this. It’s unfair to say that it’s us against the Latino community because we have definitely heard from several folks in the Latino community that quite frankly don’t want us to go this route,” he said.

House Republican Leader Mark Waller, told the Associated Press’ Kristin Wyatt that a path to citizenship should come before reduced tuition:

“Let’s define a clear path of citizenship for these kids,” Waller said. “Because giving education without citizenship does nothing to providet opportunity for them.”

Wyatt should have pointed out that Obama has granted undocumented students the ability to get work visas.

Reporters were right, obviously, to quote GOP opposition to reduced tuition for undocumented students, but there’s a small minority of Republicans who are behind it, and they should be heard.

But, as they present this view, Reporters should note that the vast majority of the GOP remains opposed.


Full story: Republicans who support ASSET mostly absent from media coverage of bill’s introduction

First Law of 2013

0
  by: IndyNinja Wed January 16, 2013 at 8:33 AM MDT

Update 9:21am  -  HB 13-1057 has passed the House on second reading and is scheduled for third reading tomorrow.

–

Scheduled for second reading today (and likely final passage in the House tomorrow) It looks like the first piece of legislation to pass out of the 69th General Assembly will be:

HB13-1057

by Representative(s) Mitsch Bush, Pabon; also Senator(s)Nicholson–Concerning  the  retention of the  avalanche information  center  within  the  department  of natural resources.

This bill basically prevents one of last year’s laws from going into effect on January 31st, which is why it is being hurried through the process.

Legislation passed last year (sponsored by Rep Gerou (R)) shifts the Colorado Geological Survey into the School of Mines and the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CACI) with it. But School of Mines says they are not the people for that job, which involves daily reporting of activity and conditions. So lawmakers of the newly minted House and Senate are rushing to pass 1057 in order to keep the CACI where it already was, with the people who know how to do it.

Government at its finest.

1057 is expected to pass the House tomorrow and finish the rounds in the Senate by the end of next week, giving the Governor a few days to think about it before he signs.  


Full story: First Law of 2013

It’s Anti-Immigrant, Not Anti-Illegal Immigrant

25
  by: lyjtrpcnf Wed January 16, 2013 at 7:26 AM MDT

( – promoted by Colorado Pols)



Many people opposing immigration reform protest that they are not anti-immigrant, but rather anti-ILLEGAL immigrant.  But is this really true?  

Let’s think this out.  At a basic level there are two reasons to oppose an unauthorized immigrant being here: (a) he/she has not gone through all the correct checks (“Class A”); or (b) he/she is here in the first place (“Class B”).  By way of a quick example – if the wife of a US Marine snuck into the country, I am probably not against her being here, rather just against the fact that she did not come in legally.  On the other hand, if a member of Al Qaeda is the one who snuck in, I am against not only the fact that the member of Al Queda snuck in, but also the fact that he/she is here in the first place.

Now what implications does this have for the correct use of terms?  If the only opposition to an immigrant’s presence is based on Class A concerns, the solution is simple: you create an avenue for the same to be here legally.  However, if the opposition to the presence is based on Class B concerns, then there is no desire to create such an avenue – because you don’t want such an immigrant here at all.

In the current immigration debate, one of the major groups is NumbersUSA.  It supports not just opposition to illegal acts of immigration, but also supports “reductions in immigration numbers.”  

https://www.numbersusa.com/con…

This is opposition not just to illegal immigration but also legal immigration. Others, who don’t care about numbers so much but rather are fixated on opposing legalization for unauthorized immigrants because they “broke the rules.”  This opposition is not just to the fact that these immigrants broke rules, it is also to these immigrants’ mere presence.  Opposing these immigrants’ presence, and not just their prior rule breaking, is more than just being anti-their-illegal acts.  It is also being anti-them-immigrating-here-at-all. And what is another term for being against a person immigrating here at all?  Oh yeah – anti-immigrant.  

So let’s start being honest in this debate.  If you are against a person being in this country, just say so.  But don’t pretend that it is just their illegal acts you oppose.  Often it is more than that – it is the presence itself.  For if otherwise, the solution would be simple: legalization.  


Full story: It’s Anti-Immigrant, Not Anti-Illegal Immigrant

Gov. Hickenlooper, we have a problem

6
  by: ProgressNow Colorado Tue January 15, 2013 at 1:58 PM MDT

With a new progressive majority in the Colorado House, and new progressive leaders in our state boldly tackling the big problems, we at ProgressNow Colorado are excited about where Colorado is headed in 2013.

But we’ve got a problem, and we need your help.

Gov. John Hickenlooper has proven to be a friend of progressives on many issues: basic rights for committed gay and lesbian couples, expanding access to health care, reducing violent gun crime, and providing a great education for all of Colorado’s students. But on the issue of oil and gas development and fracking, Gov. Hickenlooper has repeatedly sided with the oil and gas industry against protection for Coloradans. Last year, Gov. Hickenlooper even starred in a pro-oil industry ad that falsely claimed fracking has not resulted in groundwater contamination. (1)

hickenergy.jpg

Colorado is in the midst of an energy boom made possible by an extraction method for oil and gas called fracking. Energy production is an important part of Colorado’s economy. Striking the right balance between developing these natural resources, and protecting Colorado’s water supplies and communities, is one of the most important debates taking place today.

Click here to respectfully tell Gov. Hickenlooper to stand up for Colorado’s water and families, not out-of-state energy companies.

Earlier this month, Hickenlooper’s administration approved new groundwater testing and setback (minimum distance from existing structures) rules that fail, according to many experts, to adequately protect Colorado families from the harmful effects of oil and gas production near their homes. Some of these new rules, like a far less comprehensive water testing regimen, appear to be outright giveaways to energy companies at the expense of the health and safety of Coloradans. (2)

At ProgressNow Colorado, we applaud Gov. Hickenlooper for the things he has done right, but we can’t ignore his blind spot on conservation issues any longer. Click here to send a message to Gov. Hickenlooper right now, asking him to stop siding with energy interests over the interests of local communities threatened by drilling across the state.

We all know that energy production is going to happen. Working together, let’s make sure it’s done responsibly–and that our families and other irreplaceable resources are protected. Thank you for doing your part.




Full story: Gov. Hickenlooper, we have a problem

Discussing debt ceiling, Gardner raises specter of Nazism in America. Time for GOP Reps to grow up?

51
  by: Jason Salzman Tue January 15, 2013 at 10:48 AM MDT

(Godwin’s Law of Nazi Analogies, folks. Don’t act so surprised – promoted by Colorado Pols)



You’d think the upcoming deadline to extend the U.S. debt ceiling offers the perfect moment for one, just one, congressional Republican from Colorado to pull on his big-boy pants and say something like, “Hey, we created stock market gyrations and induced the first-ever U.S.-credit downgrade when we held up the debt increase in 2011. We caused similar instability last year. Let’s get real, extend the ceiling, and debate budget cuts during the budget process.”

Which is what Democrats and Republicans have done over 100 times since 1940, with little opposition (until 2011). Reagan did it 18 times; G.W. Bush seven.

Instead, it looks like Coffman (here), Gardner (here, here) are readying themselves for a fight that could lead to an economic mini-tizzy if not a large one.

Or maybe not. Can a Colorado Republican step up and be reasonable? Any of them? That’s what editorial writers at The Denver Post and elsewhere should be asking.

In just the latest example of extreme craziness, Gardner used the debt-ceiling debate to raise the specter of the rise of Nazism in America. Here’s what he said on KFTM radio’s Big Morning Show Jan. 14:

Gardner: I think you’re going to see a whale of a fight over the next two months….

Host: Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. And really, how is this any different than what Germany went through in the 1930s when you had to literally have wheelbarrows full of German Marks in order to even buy a loaf of bread?

Gardner: Well a period of hyper-inflation, of course, we all know what that led to, the instability economically and what that led to. And we see quantitative easing taking place in the United States. We see devaluation of the dollar. We see inflationary pressures and threats and how that’s being dealt with. And yet there is no clear path to address those concerns. This nation faces the real possibility of a debt depression if we don’t get a hold of the financial situation right now.

Listen to Rep. Gardner on KFTM Radio 1-14-2012 raising specter of Nazism in America .



Coffman has more incentive than Gardner not to go Nazi. Yet he told Fox 31′s Eli Stokols in early January:

Coffman: “But the real big deal is what’s upon us and going past the debt limit. I have to see a way out of this, real spending cuts, before I vote to raise the debt limit.”

The Denver Post’s Curtis Hubbard wrote a column recently pointing out that normal people in Aurora expect normal behavior from Coffman. Hubbard wondered if they’ll get it.

Hubbard was right about the expectation that Coffman should change his behavior.

But the same could be said of any of the Colorado Republicans in Congress, if they want to raise their party’s standing in blue (?) Colorado.

On the debt limit, which CO Repubulican Congressman will break from their comrades and act like a grownup?


Full story: Discussing debt ceiling, Gardner raises specter of Nazism in America. Time for GOP Reps to grow up?

Gun Control is not necessarily the answer

1
  by: dwyer Tue January 15, 2013 at 8:48 AM MDT

There are four categories of violence in which guns are the weapon.  Each category presents its own problems. Gun control is only a minor, in my opinion, solution.  Hear  me out.  Here are the categories.

Massacre in public places by a shooter who gives every indication of being insane and whose victims are not personally known to the shooter

The problem here is identifying insanity before the violence occurs.  The dilemma is that confidentiality is a critical component of any treatment and mental health professionals are reluctant to “out” a patient unless there is a clear indication of danger to himself or others, according to strict legal definition.  

People with mental health problems may not seek help because of the fear of public disclosure with its implication for employment, etc. There are constitutional issues around the right to privacy and due process.

There is a subcategory of concern and that is the use of psychotropic drugs, that may have the opposite effect. The Colorado shooters – John Hickley, Eric Harris, the man who killed students at a Mission school in Arvada and then went to Colorado Spring church and killed two more, and Holmes – all were involved with the mental health system. I think that all may have been on medication.

The facial expressions on the pix of the Arizona shooter, the Aurora Theater shooter and the Newtown killer are all frighteningly similar. That needs to be investigated.

It is not clear how any of existing or proposed gun laws would have prevented these crimes. Nor is it clear that expanding mental health funding would have helped prevent any of these crimes or future crimes. The dilemma is that these are the crimes that is being used to justify more gun laws and more mental health.



Political violence by terrorists with a specific political target

Abortion murders and attacks on churches would fit into this category.

But, the most horrific crimes were not committed with guns but with bombs

And airplanes.  

Gun laws, particularly if they included putting suspected terrorists on a Do Not Sale list, might be helpful. But constant vigilance is the real prevention.



Criminal Activity

Organized crime, gangs, drug cartels as well as property crimes do involve guns.

Stricter gun laws may be preventive.  Certainly big city mayors think so.  However, illegal gun traffic is a source of income to criminals.  

Domestic violence perpetrated by one family member or friend on another family member or friend.

There are already laws preventing the sale of guns to individuals with a record of domestic violence.  But early and effective intervention in domestic conflict is the real prevention.

Gun laws requiring universal background checks for all gun purchases might be helpful.


Full story: Gun Control is not necessarily the answer