“A Think on Cleve Tidwell”

by Captain Arapahoe | 6:30 am, April 22, 2009

Cleve Tidwell at the RNC Chairman Michael Steele dinner. I’ve been observing with somewhat detached amusement the various “astroturfing” attempts (here, here, here, and even here) by supporters of presumed (as yet officially unannounced, although quite active) Senate candidate Cleve Tidwell.  I had seem him speak at the GOP State Central Committee and at the previous night’s dinner with [...]

New Trove of Cassini Saturn Pictures

by T.L. James | 10:53 pm, April 21, 2009

Eye candy.  Or planet pr()n.

Uncharitable: how regulations stifle charities

by Brian T. Schwartz | 10:47 pm, April 21, 2009

I’ve written many times about how government social programs unfairly compete with charity. Here’s a Reason.tv interview with Dan Pallotta, author of Uncharitable, on how rules for non-profits stifle their ability to be much more effective than they are.

This Is Why We Protest . . . For The MSM and Politicians Who STILL Don’t Get It

by Joss Armstrong | 8:24 pm, April 21, 2009

The tea party activists have been mocked by the mainstream media and ignored by the politicians. Rachel Maddow at MSNBC wonders how we can protest taxes when Obama is promising a tax cut to 95% of Americans. Art Levine at the Huffington Post states “Faux-Populist “Tea Parties” Ignore Tax Breaks for Overpaid CEOs“. Susan Roesgen [...]

RMA 2.0: Rocky Mtn Blogs Radio Show #23

by elpresidente | 2:57 pm, April 21, 2009

**Every Tuesday–next show April 21, 8:30 pm.

The Blog Talk Radio version of the Rocky Mountain Alliance. A weekly discussion about politics–national, state, and local–featuring RMA members bloggers led by featured host and producer Joshua Sharf, with rotating co-host duties from Ben DeGrow of Mount Virtus, Randy Ketner of Night Twister, and Michael Alcorn of Best Destiny.

April 21 lineup–Matt Arnold of Clear the Bench Colorado from 8:45-9:15pm to discuss judicial accountability and retention of judges on the Colorado Supreme Court in 2010.

April 14 lineup–Brian Campbell discusses the April 15 Tax Day Tea Party rally in Denver and the movement in general, and Jessica Corry dishes on the showdown between the Independence Institute and CU over their budget and administrator salaries.

April 7 lineup–In an excellent solo hosting gig, Ben DeGrow reviewed the heated Fort Collins City Council race with co-host Randy Ketner, spoke with J.J. Ament, who is considering a run for state treasurer, and discussed parental rights and homeschooling with Marya DeGrow of the Independence Institute.

March 31 lineup–Nancy Doty talks about a potential run for Secretary of State, and DU law professor Robert Hardaway on HB1299, the bill to replace the Electoral College with a National Popular Vote.

March 24 lineup–we review of the recent state GOP organizational meeting, where Dick Wadhams was reelected as state chair, and Leondray Gholston was elected vice chair after three rounds of voting with Boulder County GOP chair Scott Starin, and David K. Williams, co-founder of the Gadsden Society of Colorado.

Next week–TBD.

March 17 lineup–State Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry was our first guest, followed by Nathan Chambers, candidate for Colorado Republican Party state vice chair.

March 10 lineup–From 8:45 to 9:15, Colorado Republican Party Chair Dick Wadhams and at 9:30 Hassan Daioleslam.

March 3 lineup–two candidates for Fort Collins City Council, Aislinn Kottwitz (District 3) and Andrew Boucher (District 5), and Tom Stone, who is challenging Dick Wadhams for state party chairmanship.

February 24 lineup–Evan Coyne Maloney of Indoctrinate U, whose film of the same name was shown at the inaugural Liberty on Film last Thursday, and Nadeem Esmail of the Fraser Institute, discussing the dangers of single-payer (socialized) medicine from first hand experience.

Indoctrinate U trailer:

Plus two special editions of RMA Radio–the Pork Roast/anti-stimulus rally edition from the steps of the state capitol, as well as extensive coverage of the Larimer County Lincoln Day dinner.

February 17 lineup–Denver-based political activist Chris Maj, also an affiliate of Ron Paul’s Campaign for Liberty, and a look back to today’s anti-stimulus/pig roast rally at the state capitol.

February 10 lineup–State Rep. Cory Gardner (R-63), probable candidate in the CD-4 GOP primary, and Leondray Gholston, Republican activist and candidate for state GOP vice-chair.

February 3 lineup–Daveed Gartenstein-Ross from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and Mike Saccone of the Grand Junction Sentinel.

January 27–Guests included elections expert Jan Tyler and State Sen. Greg Brophy.

January 20–Guests included Todd Shepherd, Independence Institute, and Mark Hillman, Colorado Republican National Committeeman.

January 13–State Rep. Ellen Roberts, R-Durango (HD 59) and State Senator Mike Kopp, SD 22, R-Littleton.

January 6–CU Regent Tom Lucero, chairman of the successful Amendment 54 campaign and a candidate for CD 4 in 2010.

December 30–RMA took a look back at a dismal year in their 2008 year-in-review.

December 23–Joshua and fellow commentators (including yours truly) hosted Jim Pfaff of Americans for Prosperity Foundation and Opinion Times. Pfaff discussed the AFP Colorado report “Keeping Colorado Competitive” and bridging the Christian/libertarian gap.

On December 16 we hosted State Rep. Kevin Lundberg (District 49), and discussed the Salazar appointment as the Secretary of the Interior in the Obama cabinet.

The December 12 edition featured Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier.

Complete list of guests featured on RMA Radio can be found here.

**Bookmark the new RMA Radio home page, with embedded player and calendar of upcoming shows and featured guests.

Stream the show live, or play/download the podcast at your convenience.

I’ll update co-host and guest info for each episode as it becomes available. Stay tuned . . .

RMA’s shows are archived–if you missed any of them, be sure to check out the archive page to stream or download, or scroll down this page a bit, for the embedded archive player.

Tea Parties Were Protesting Republicans Too

by Jon Caldara | 2:34 pm, April 21, 2009

So now that every Obama apologist has used the Tea Party protests to educate the masses about slang terms for oral sex, I think it is time to share a thought about the incredible event last week.  (Interesting though how liberals hate when conservative blowhards like Rush Limbaugh use a play on words to belittle [...]

Dark and Painful Chapters

by TJ Wihera | 1:49 pm, April 21, 2009

In addition to an abiding interest in liberty, I also have something of a fascination with language. So, I was quite intrigued recently when President Obama said that the Bush administration’s use of water boarding (or enhanced, aggressive, harsh interrogation, or whatever the hell you want to call it) was a “dark and painful chapter [...]

Clear The Bench Colorado Director on Rocky Mountain Alliance BlogTalk Radio 21 April 2009

by CTBC Director | 12:01 pm, April 21, 2009

Clear The Bench Colorado Director Matt Arnold appeared on Rocky Mountain Alliance BlogTalk Radio - 21 April 2009 (from 8:45 – 9:15 PM).   Listen to the podcast to hear Matt explain why it’s time to restore accountability to our out-of-control Colorado Supreme Court…

Gov Ritter’s “New Energy Economy.” Can We Afford It?

by Jon Caldara | 11:09 am, April 21, 2009

The Independence Institute invites you
to join us for a panel event to discuss:
Governor Ritter’s New Energy Economy…
Can Colorado Afford It?
Panelists include:
Patty Limerick, Faculty Director and Chair of the Board, Center of the American West at the University of Colorado
John Harpole, President, Mercator Energy
Don Garretson, Economist
Don Shattuck, AQCS Program Manager,
Zachry Engineering Corp.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
5:00 [...]

Why release the “no torture” memos?

by Rossputin | 1:08 am, April 21, 2009

Isn’t it amazing how different the same set of facts can seem based on how it’s presented? Consider two articles discussing the 4 memos released by the Obama administration yesterday about CIA interrogation techniques, the use of which led the left to accuse the Bush Administration of employing torture.

[All 4 memos are available in one 124-page PDF file by clicking HERE.]

In a Wall Street Journal article entitled “The Memos Prove We Didn’t Torture“, David Rivkin and Lee Casey argue that the aggressive interrogation techniques which sent “human rights” organizations into such a tizzy in the past couple of years were sparingly used and essentially harmless to those who were interrogated.

In the UK Times, a reporter analyzes the same memos to reach a conclusion that America was indeed a nation of evil-doers – so much so that Barack Obama “was reluctant to release” the documents.

Personally, I find the former article far more believable.

The Bush Administration knew that it was in America’s interest for the bad guys to believe that they might be tortured, or at least treated very roughly, if they were caught operating against the United States. The liberals’ argument that if al Qaeda knows that we won’t torture them, then they’ll treat Western captives better is simply laughable.

So, although the Bush Administration could have adequately defended itself, they instead stayed silent, letting the media tar and feather them, in order to protect our nation by trying to discourage participation in groups which want to attack the US or our people or facilities abroad.

Now, over the objections of four previous CIA chiefs, the Obama Administration has released these memos which not only say that we don’t really torture, but also disclose how we fool prisoners into thinking that they might be in for some unenjoyable moments if they don’t cooperate.

What do you think the reactions are to this information around the world?

In the halls of power in Europe, it’s probably a combination of a soft liberal happiness that nobody really got hurt and a smug self-satisfaction that Europeans must be as good as Americans in intelligence tactics because they’ve forced us to be as “civilized” as they are.

In the tribal areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan, and in other places where people are scheming against us, the reaction is probably “What utter weaklings. They’ve shown yet again that they are unfit to be anything but our slaves…or dead. Now it will be that much easier to recruit jihadists to attack the Great Satan because we can tell them just what to expect from those gutless westerners.”

The Obama Administration’s desire to be liked rather than respected or feared continues to prove a grave threat to our national security. Lame excuses that they would have had to release the documents anyway are simply cover for what anti-American administration officials wanted to do all along.

HB 1342 Exploits Colorado Supreme Court Ruling, Adds New Tax

by CTBC Director | 10:19 pm, April 20, 2009

As noted in a previous posting, the state legislature moved swiftly to add new taxes – adding a proposal literally within hours of receiving a briefing that advised the Joint Budget Committee that it was within their power, thanks to language in the decision upholding the Mill Levy Tax Freeze.  That proposal became the latest [...]

Is Democrat Jack Pommer Just Screwing Up a Lot of Paperwork Again?

by Ben DeGrow | 9:10 pm, April 20, 2009

Face The State has the details about the Boulder Democrat:

On the April 16 report, [state representative Jack] Pommer lists campaign contributions from registered lobbyists and special interest groups made on February 5. The date is significant, as it falls exactly a month into the legislative session. Under Colorado campaign finance law, it is illegal for [...]

Socialized Medicine Isn’t The Answer; Freedom Is

by Jimmy Sengenberger | 4:57 pm, April 20, 2009

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As featured in The ViIlager Newspaper on 7/16/08

  The thought of nationalizing healthcare is
tantalizing for many Americans. Yet socialized medicine would cost hundreds of
billions of dollars, create lengthy, life-threatening wait lines and result in
inferior care. Not to mention that nationalized healthcare is not truly free
because somebody is going to pay for
it—and that somebody is you, the taxpayer. In order to compensate for the
costs, our taxes would have to go up.

 

  The United States’ healthcare system contains
the greatest innovations, the highest-quality care and some of the best doctors
in the world. The problem with our healthcare system is the disparity between
those who can afford it and those who cannot. Neither Barack Obama’s
nationalization plan nor John McCain’s tax credit proposal addresses the
fundamental reasons healthcare costs are so high. The way to fix this is not
through greater government control or tax credits, but through more freedom in
the marketplace.

 

  The healthcare industry is one of the most
heavily regulated industries in the country, with the net cost of regulation
estimated by Duke University Professor Chris Conover to be $169 billion a year.
As with any industry, in order to pay for the dictates of the government,
institutions of health are forced to raise costs, which extends to consumers in
the form of higher prices.

 

  Government regulations and policies have
essentially mandated a third party-based system that forces the consumer to
work through health insurance companies, HMO’s, employers and other middlemen
that pay the supplier. 84% of all personal healthcare spending is made through
either private health insurance, the government or other private expenditures
that are not directly from the patient.

 

  Simple human nature tells us that when
someone other than the consumer is doing the paying, demand will rise. Why?
Because when an individual is separated from the spending and someone else
is paying the costs, consumers are encouraged to use the service more as the
incentive for individuals to save for themselves diminishes. After all, the
mentality goes, if someone else is paying for it, why should I care?

 

  Simple economics tells us that as demand
rises and supply remains stagnant, prices (premiums) will inevitably go up,
which in turn disadvantages those who pay directly, such as the self-employed.

 

  Encouraging the third-party system are tax
exemptions for employer-provided health insurance that the millions of
self-employed and small business owners and workers who pay on their own do not
receive. The government incentives, policies and regulations put in place, in
large part by the federal tax code, serve to do nothing more than exacerbate
the problem.

 

  The layman’s prescription for healthcare
reform is increased competition and market freedom. Not a day goes by where we
don’t see commercials for Geico, AllState and other car insurance companies
competing over who provides the best service at the lowest price—competition
absent from healthcare because of the third-party system.

 

  To fix this, the healthcare tax exemption
needs to be equalized across the board so that everyone, not just the
middlemen, will benefit from it, and tax-free health savings accounts need to
be expanded. Adjusting
the policies and regulations perpetuating the third-party system, like the tax
exclusion, would increase competition by allowing consumers to shop around for
themselves, decreasing costs substantially while maintaining high quality.
Furthermore, due to the high cost of regulation, deregulation is key to opening
up the market.

 

  Of course these are just a few
starting points that only scratch the surface, but one thing is undeniable:
It’s not more government we need to solve healthcare—it’s more freedom.

SengCenter.com Launched!

by Jimmy Sengenberger | 4:46 pm, April 20, 2009

Hello, my friends, and welcome to SengCenter.com, the online wing of the KRCX radio show hosted by Jimmy Sengenberger!

Here, starting the week of May 3rd, you’ll
be able to listen to Jimmy’s weekly commentary on the issues of the
day, including debates and discussions with folks on both sides of the
aisle, as Jimmy is known to do.

SengCenter.com will also present written blog entries and columns for readers to enjoy and react to.

Jimmy has been featured on several Colorado radio shows, among them Caplis and Silverman, Backbone Radio with John Andrews, The Mike Rosen Show, and John Caldera.  He has also appeared in The Villager newspaper, as a frequent guest columnist, and The Denver Post.

HB 1342 Hearing Tuesday: Democrats’ Latest Attempt to Bypass TABOR

by Ben DeGrow | 9:07 am, April 20, 2009

We have heard Democrats in the state legislature talk out loud about exploiting a partisan Colorado Supreme Court overreach to violate the state constitution and repeal tax credits without a vote of the people. Via an emergency update from the Republican Study Committee, the Democrats’ first real attempt to test their theory comes up for [...]

Posting “a think on Cleve Tidwell”

by Ben DeGrow | 8:11 am, April 20, 2009

So yesterday I receive this verbatim email message from a mysterious “Victorila Rasheem” (all errors of spelling and syntax preserved):
I think taht your website should do a think on Cleve Tidwell. Most say that he has the support of most if not all of the major donors in the state. Also much of the grassroots [...]

420: Your right to use marijuana, medical or otherwise

by Brian Schwartz | 1:30 am, April 20, 2009

Yes, drug prohibition is part of health care policy. Marijuana has proven medical benefits, but politicians and government thugs insist on imprisoning people for the peaceful act of growing a plant, or smoking its leaves, or selling it.  So what if it has many medical benefits, or regardless of that, people have the right to [...]

Ryan Frazier for Senate

by Rossputin | 12:09 am, April 20, 2009

Ryan Frazier has made it official: He’s running for the US Senate.

http://www.frazierforcolorado.com/

Ryan’s an interesting candidate, and I’m sure most Republicans and Independents (and hopefully a few Democrats as well) will find a lot to like about him.

He’s young, energetic, intelligent, has background in the military and the private sector as well as serving in his local government as a member of the Aurora City Council. And, not to put too fine a point on it, he’s black…which I’ve told him directly I think is quite an advantage.

I’ve heard Ryan speak in public and I’ve had several private conversations about him, and I’m quite impressed. In my view, he tends toward the libertarian side rather than the hard-core conservative side, of the GOP, which of course appeals to me.

The dynamics of our system of elections, with its primaries (focused on the party base) and then the general election (in which one must have a much broader appeal to win) makes Ryan’s candidacy particularly interesting.

There’s no doubt that some of the more conservative and single-issue parts of the GOP will think for a while before deciding to support him. Ryan is not particularly hawkish on immigration and although he’s personally fairly conservative on social issues (such as not approving of abortion), he strikes me as loathe to use government to impose morality on the citizenry.

If a social conservative is going to focus on Ryan’s view of this or that social issue, I’d suggest that conservative consider one overriding point: The damage which you perceive as being done to society is more often than not due to activist judges rather than votes of legislators. Frazier has made it clear to me that he will support judges who believe the Constitution means what it says and not what any given interest group wants it to say. I believe Ryan understands that the Constitution is NOT a “living document”, and his support of judges who understand that is, in my view, far more important than any one Senator’s view on any one social issue.

While anyone who runs for high public office must have a bit of an ego, Ryan is a soft-spoken guy, very pleasant to have a conversation with, and (at least in all my conversations with him) both open and genuine. He answers hard questions and he’s not afraid to ask questions of his own. He’s a guy who is not going to pretend to be someone or something he isn’t in order to get your vote.

Back to the issue of primary elections versus general elections: It will be interesting to see whether a more conservative Republican decides to challenge Ryan from the right. Certainly, there are talking points to be made which might appeal to the right-most part of the GOP base. My personal views on issues are far more in sync with Ryan Frazier’s than with any such (hypothetical) challenger from the right. But regardless of that, I’d urge GOP voters to decide whether they want to push the most conservative candidate through the primary just to have him lose to a Democrat in the general election or whether they want to support a guy who might not be perfect on some social issue but is a solid pro-liberty, pro-limited government, pro-capitalism candidate who stands a very good chance of appealing to Independent voters and winning back a Senate seat for the Republican Party.

Let me make one thing very clear: The term “moderate” is used in both correct and incorrect ways. For example, some people call Arlen Specter a “moderate” when he sometimes supports limited government and sometimes doesn’t. Specter is no “moderate”, he’s just a spineless, unprincipled vote-grubber. Moderation doesn’t mean standing up for fundamental principles only some of the time. As for Ryan, while I would consider him truly “moderate” on social issues, he is – in the best sense – not a “moderate” on ideals of liberty: He truly believes in the value of limited government and people being free to live their lives.

For me, Ryan Frazier has, from what I have gathered so far, about the best combination of views that a libertarian-leaning Republican could hope for. I hope that less libertarian Republicans will determine that a one- or two-issue litmus test that leads eventually to the election of a Democrat will clearly be a mistake, and that Ryan Frazier is precisely the type of candidate who can and should win in both a GOP primary and the subsequent general election.

I am pleased to be supporting Ryan Frazier for Senate and I encourage you all to read his site, ask him questions, and donate if you like what you see. (I have made a small donation, and I’ll do more if and when finances allow.)

Tax Day Tea Party, Louisiana-Style: Hundreds Gather for Liberty in Metairie

by T.L. James | 10:20 pm, April 18, 2009

PPC’s New Orleans correspondent “Gen. Ripper” sends us these views of Wednesday’s Tax Day Tea Party.  300+ people gathered at the Veteran’s Memorial in Metairie (the city adjacent to New Orleans to the west/up-river) to rally against fiscal irresponsibility, government expansion, and federal meddling in the economy.   Overviews of the crowd, from the shiny new [...]

420, marijuana legalization, and your rights

by Brian T. Schwartz | 10:12 pm, April 18, 2009

Printed in the Daily Camera, April 18:

Would you argue against government’s banning a book by citing the positive outcomes of free speech? Of course not. This concedes that free speech takes a back seat to whatever authorities consider to be “good for society.” Free speech derives from our individual rights: …

It’s the Ominous Parallels: Why Citizens are Rediscovering “Atlas Shrugged” In the Age of Obama

by T.L. James | 12:41 pm, April 18, 2009

Bruce Webster at And Still I Persist has an instructive post on why Atlas Shrugged is finding new audiences and enthusiastic new fans in our bold new era of Hope and Change™.  The post consists of a summary of the major themes and overall plot of the book, augmented with references and links to recent economic [...]

Homeland Security “Right-Wing Extremist” Report Rankles

by Ikonoclast | 1:29 am, April 18, 2009

By now, most readers have heard of  Janet Napolitano’s Homeland Security Department “Right-Wing Extremism” report, which defined “right-wing extremists” so broadly that about half the population of the United States would qualify: Respecting the Constitution and the Bill of Rights?  You qualify as a “right-wing extremist” for observing: 10th Amendment: “The powers not delegated to [...]

The Pelosi Workout Video

by Rossputin | 1:11 am, April 18, 2009

Thanks to Mike F. for sending this along…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izpU4YJ0ZAA

Snow Day

by T.L. James | 7:53 pm, April 17, 2009

Behold the products of yet another new-to-me Colorado weather phenomenon: the thunderblizzard.
  
I was downstairs when the lighting struck, but I heard and felt the amazingly loud thunder and wondered if there had been an avalanche from one of the surrounding cliffs or an overloaded tree had fallen against the house.  A neighbor who had been snowblowing at the [...]

Tea Party Rallies vs. New Way Forward Rallies: the Pro-Liberty Side Outdoes Anti-Capitalism “Progressives”

by T.L. James | 6:40 pm, April 17, 2009

Compare… The “literally dozens” of people who showed up on Wednesday for a rally demanding small government and fiscal responsibility: …with the thousands who showed up last Saturday to demand a federal breakup of banks and corporations: …and the vast masses mustered to marching by the unions, MoveOn, and ACORN a few weeks back to protest executive bonuses: [...]

Sheeple Watch #18: Science and the Cult of Obama

by T.L. James | 6:20 pm, April 17, 2009

Submitted without further commentary…  Newfound Lichen Species Named for Obama: A newly discovered species of lichen – a plant-like growth that looks like moss or a dry leaf – has been named after President Obama. Kerry Knudsen, lichen curator of the University of California, Riverside Herbarium, discovered the species in 2007 while doing a survey [...]

Bill Ritter and the definition of insanity

by RMR | 5:41 pm, April 17, 2009

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
-Albert Einstein

Some of you may recall that Gov. Ritter recently sent out an absurd, out-of-touch fundraising email bragging of job creation in the state stemming from his renewable energy initiatives. You may also recall that Senate minority leader Josh Penry rightfully took Ritter to task over that email and gained a fair amount of press as a result. Mind you, Bill Ritter’s bloviations about the "new energy economy" creating jobs  during a period of record unemployment doesn’t appear to have had any effect on his fundraising as he brought in only a paltry $118,000 in the first quarter of the year.

So what does Bill Ritter do to kick off his second quarter fundraising effort? He sends out what appears to be a slightly reworded version of his earlier disastrous pitch:

Even during these tough economic times, we are continuing to attract future-oriented new energy companies to Colorado.

Earlier this week I joined two 21st century energy enterprises as they broke ground on new facilities in Longmont. These companies — Abound Solar and GE Energy Control Solutions — will employ hundreds of Coloradans to produce next-generation, thin-film photovoltaic modules and develop the power generation technologies of tomorrow.

See why I believe Colorado’s new energy business development strategy will help our state recover sooner, and stronger, from the global recession.

One would assume that Gov. Ritter would have realized that this message isn’t even resonating with his Democratic base after that lousy fundraising haul. If this is the best he has, he is very vulnerable indeed.

“Shaking Up Colorado’s Highest Court” on Face The State radio (broadcast 17 April 2009)

by CTBC Director | 4:38 pm, April 17, 2009

Broadcast on the Face The State radio minute, 17 April 2009

Bomb Threat In Greeley, Letter In Spanish Demands Release Of Illegal Immigrants

by elpresidente | 2:16 pm, April 17, 2009

Developing . . . “intent to kill the most number of Americans”

And here I thought it was “right wing extremists” we had to look out for:

A bomb threat demanding the release of immigrants being held for deportation was received by the Weld County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday.

The threat was a handwritten letter in Spanish threatening judicial and law enforcement officers with the bombs with the “intent to kill the most number of Americans,” according to a press release.

Currently, there are 58 inmates with immigration holds being held in the Weld County Jail.

In the letter, the writer threatened to place bombs in and around Greeley after April 20 unless the immigration holds are released.

“Sheriff (John) Cooke wants the public to know that the Sheriff’s Office is working diligently to locate and arrested the person or persons responsible for threatening harm to our community,” the press release said.

Undersheriff Margie Martinez said Thursday the sheriff’s office wants the public to “be aware but don’t panic.” Cooke said persons with information about the letter should call (970) 350-9600 or (970) 356-4015.

April 20 is the 10th anniversary of the Columbine High School shootings.

Michelle Malkin has more.

Liberty in Space?

by T.L. James | 1:50 pm, April 17, 2009

Rand links to this interesting post at Cato Unbound on colonizing space and the “future of freedom”:
The critical question then becomes one of means, of how to escape not via politics but beyond it. Because there are no truly free places left in our world, I suspect that the mode for escape must involve some sort [...]

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• You didn’t want your Fifth Amendment rights, anyway, did you?
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