John Hickenlooper fundraising letter says he’s within $30,000 of catching up to Scott McInnis

by Donald E. L. Johnson | 8:55 am, April 23, 2010

“Our opponents have been raising money for this campaign for nearly a year. And we’ve only got until this Sunday to raise the last $30,000 to make sure that we’re on-track to catch up,” John Hickenlooper says in a fundraising e-mail to supporters. Looks like he had a big quarter. He says he’ll report his results next week.
How’s Scott McInnis doing on the fundraising front? 

Pass the Popcorn: Come to Special Denver Screening of The Cartel Movie on May 4

by Eddie | 8:49 am, April 23, 2010

Break out the heavily-buttered popcorn, and don’t forget the Kit Kats and Junior Mints. Movie night is coming! And not just any movie… My Education Policy Center friends are co-hosting a special screening of The Cartel on Tuesday, May 4, at 7:00 PM, at Denver’s Chez Artiste Theatre. Besides the special screening event — at [...]

More Legal Ammunition Regarding Constitutionality

by Jon Caldara | 6:19 am, April 23, 2010

Being the accomplished legal scholar that I am, I peruse the Volokh Conspiracy website daily, eagerly gobbling up the finer points of law, litigation, and recent court rulings. Okay, not exactly. But it truly is a wealth of information for all you law geeks out there. Research Director Dave Kopel blogs regularly [...]

Just not quite gay enough; politically-correct readers please stay away

by Rossputin | 5:07 am, April 23, 2010

On Tuesday, three bisexual men filed suit in Seattle against the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA) because the organization ruled that they were not gay enough to participate in the NAGAAA’s Gay Softball World Series.

In particular, “During the championship, D2 (the team with the players in question) learned that another team challenged their  eligibility to play based on a tournament rule that each team could have  no more than two straight players.”

In a way, the story is hilarous.  As a member of my junior high school’s semi-fictitious “society to perpetuate harmful stereotypes” (which was in fact populated by a small number of such geeks as me who would in reality be the last people to do such a thing), it’s very hard for me not to imagine a baseball game of the biggest “queens” in town.  You can paint your own picture; I’m probably causing enough trouble for myself already.

And the idea that if someone likes girls some of the time but guys some of the time, he’s just not quite “gay enough” is also knee-slappingly funny (at least to someone of undiluted heterosexual persuasion.)  Really, if you ask your average straight guy whether a guy who likes sex with both men and women is basically gay, I bet 3/4 will say yes.  As for “gay enough”, well, that’s a concept I can’t even say I really understand.  Anyway, NAGAAA said the bisexual men were “nongay” and therefore ineligible to play.

Can you imagine the questioning of those guys?  “How many times have you _____ with a woman?”  “When was the last time you ___ _____?”  Again, I better stop…

And I don’t know what to make of the fact that the plaintiffs are being represented by the National Center for Lesbian Rights.  Let’s think about this…since the guys also like girls some of the time, they have enough in common with lesbians that the lesbian rights law firm wants to represent them?  Give me a break.

But the story has some serious implications for what our society has become.

If there were a black softball league and Barack Obama wanted to play, would they kick him out for not being black enough (since his mother was white)?

If there were a white softball league, how many seconds would it be until lawyers and the media destroyed it (an action which I might not totally object to even though I do believe that private organizations should have the right to “discriminate” against people for any reason they want)?

Given the intellectual pretzels one’s mind must twist into to try to understand the mentalities behind this case, it probably comes as no surprise that the lawyers for the nongay guys who like to have sex with other guys are also claiming the decision was racist!  (That’s part of the story you probably won’t find reported in the few other outlets for this story.)  Yes, the three guys filing the lawsuit are…ummm…”nonwhite” and most – but not all – of the panel that made the decision was white.  They’re really throwing the whole PC panoply at NAGAAA.  “Do you hate us because we think chicks are hot too or because we’re not white?”  It’s the victim group equivalent of “have you stopped beating your wife yet?”

According to Fox News, the men are suing for $75,000 each for emotional distress.

So, if I were Judge Ross with my own afternoon TV show, here’s how the ruling would go:

If NAGAAA’s rules specify that bisexual is indeed “nongay”, then the plaintiffs lose and have to pay NAGAAA’s attorney’s fees. I would also tell them to stop being such crybabies and to go start their own league where a team is only allowed to have two players who have not put their mouths on both….yeah, I really better stop.

If NAGAAA’s rules don’t define bisexual as “nongay”, then I rule that if a guy has had sex with another guy, even once – and yes, even if he was drunk, then he’s gay enough to play in that league and the league needs to replay the championship game but would be free to modify their rules for the following season to exclude the guys who aren’t gay enough. A club can set its own rules just as the Catholic church can say nuns can’t become Pope.  NAGAAA would not have to pay any money to the plaintiffs other than court costs (but not attorney’s fees.)

Also, if I were convinced that race had something to do with the decision, I would say “Well, you deserve what you’re getting for working so hard to set up a society where every person can be part of a narrowly defined minority victim group.  If you want to be able to discriminate against people for being straight (even if you’re straight three days a week), you have no right to say you shouldn’t be discriminated against for being black (or gay or nongay or someone who likes to play backgammon, etc.)

Actually, I just had a flash of inspiration and I think I know the answer:  If these men really did suffer emotional distress because of not being able to play in a softball game, then they clearly are gay and should be allowed to play.

So ruled.  Case closed.

Colorado Supreme Court aids and abets Colorado Legislature assault on privacy via “unreasonable searches” of online sales

by CTBC Director | 11:45 pm, April 22, 2010

Clear The Bench Colorado was at the forefront of the opposition to the unconstitutional “Dirty Dozen” tax increases passed by the Colorado Legislature at the start of the session – testifying before the House and Senate Finance Committees that the tax increases were violations of the rights of Colorado citizens under the Taxpayers Bill of [...]

Norton Goes Negative?

by Al Maurer | 8:12 pm, April 22, 2010

Very interesting developments in the GOP senate primary. Last week, Jane Norton announced that she was going to petition onto the primary ballot. For those–like me a couple of months ago–who are not aware of the intricacies of Colorado election law, a candidate can get on the primary ballot in one of two ways: either [...]

Watermelon Man and Earth Day

by Mr. Bob | 2:29 pm, April 22, 2010

#tcot #watermelonman #globalwarming #obama #algore
Watermelonman sports a spiffy new British accent and responds rudely to The Lioness’s cryptonite.

DMYR April GENERAL MEETING, featuring Colorado Attorney General John Suthers

by Brett Moore | 1:04 pm, April 22, 2010

[ April 27, 2010; 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm. ] Join DMYR April 27th for our April General Meeting. This month we are pleased to welcome a great friend of DMYR, Colorado Attorney General John Suthers. As the only current Republican state-wide elected official, AG Suthers has been working hard for the people of Colorado and we are excited to have him join us!

In his [...]

Redistricting to their advantage

by Amy Oliver | 12:44 pm, April 22, 2010

The Denver Post, in a house editorial, appropriately asks “What are Colorado Democrats up to?”
The question is in reference to HB 1408, recently introduced redistricting legislation that would strike all statutory “neutral criteria for judicial determination of congressional districts.”  In other words, let our courts redistrict at will. Think CD 7, with its odd shape [...]

Haggis or tripe today, sir?

by David K. Williams, Jr. | 11:55 am, April 22, 2010

Jonah Goldberg has offered his take on where the Tea Partiers where while George W. Bush was expanding government and spending money he didn’t have. (See “Tea parties a delayed Bush backlash.“)

Happy Earth Day: Reminding Colorado of Need for Balanced Education

by Eddie | 10:08 am, April 22, 2010

Happy Earth Day. Remember a couple weeks ago when I told you how parents here in Colorado and elsewhere could help put Earth Day education back into balance? The nice lady Carrie Lukas explained it all on an iVoices podcast.
Well, since we posted the information, a couple Colorado parents have chimed in with their stories [...]

Mike Coffman and Andrew Romanoff on ‘Seng Center’ College Radio Show 6pm Tonight

by Jimmy Sengenberger | 10:00 am, April 22, 2010

Rep. Mike Coffman labels Obama’s Iran and nuclear policies “fuzzy-headed” and Andrew Romanoff says Clear the Bench is “politicizing” Colorado Supreme Court.  Hear the full exclusives TONIGHT! —————————– TONIGHT at 6pm on krcx.org, the Regis University Seng Center radio show will play our in-depth college radio EXCLUSIVES with both U.S. Congressman Mike Coffman and Democratic [...]

If You’ve Got a Porn Addiction, Watch Out

by Jon Caldara | 8:38 am, April 22, 2010

When the Colorado legislature passed the infamous “Amazon tax,” we got angry. When that caused Amazon to drop its Colorado affiliates, that made us even more mad. Imagine just how furious we’ll be if and when this happens:
Prior to Colorado, the New York and North Carolina state legislatures passed an “Amazon tax”, ostensibly [...]

Dean Boehler’s Emerging Campaign Shows 2010 Election Uncertainty

by Ben DeGrow | 8:15 am, April 22, 2010

Update: For comparison, a video of Ellen Roberts’ SD 6 assembly speech also has been posted.
It’s been a few months since I provided an update of Colorado state senate races. I rated Senate District 6 — in southwest Colorado, on the other side of the state — as the number one Republican target, noting with [...]

Is it Too Easy to Amend the State Constitution?

by Jon Caldara | 6:05 am, April 22, 2010

Is it too easy to amend Colorado’s constitution? Tune in to Independent Thinking and find out as Alicia Caldwell from the Denver Post and Elena Nunez from Colorado Common Cause join me to discuss draft legislation that would significantly impact the ability of citizens to put initiatives on the ballot in Colorado. That’s [...]

Major shakeup of Jane Norton’s campaign staff; Josh Penry new campaign manager

by Rossputin | 5:18 am, April 22, 2010

Yesterday, the campaign of Jane Norton, running for US Senate, saw some big changes, with campaign manager Norm Cummings being replaced by State Senate Minority Leader (and briefly candidate for Governor) Josh Penry. Rich Beeson will also join the campaign as General Consultant, opening an interesting question of how responsibilities that Cummings formerly held will be divided between Penry and Beeson.

The selection of Penry will bring substantial credibility among grasssroots conservative and Tea Party activists to a Norton campaign which is suffering from two particular reputational issues: That she may be too “establishment” (code for too close to John McCain or possibly likely to bend to pressure to vote like a RINO) and that she is too “scripted”.

The change may also be a recognition by the Norton campaign that there have been serious questions about the wisdom of her deciding to bypass the state assembly, particularly given widespread opinion among political insiders that she almost certainly already had enough delegates in hand to ensure a place on the ballot.

I hope that Penry and Beeson encourage Mrs. Norton to show a little more passion, a little more ad-libbing while on the stump, much as I’ve heard she did when she recently heard one-too-many times a question about whether she’s going to be like John McCain.  (Isn’t it remarkable how the most recent Republican candidate for president is so universally a negative litmus test for grassroots Republican activists?)

To be clear, I understand the “scripted” concern, but having met with Mrs. Norton one-on-one, I think the fears of her not having the spine that we desperately need these days is overblown.  If the Norton campaign were to ask my advice (which they won’t) I would suggest that many activists will confuse a reserved, even polished, personality with a lack of passion and extrapolate that a lack of passion means a lack of commitment to principle which means an uncertainty about how “solidly conservative” a vote she would be.  I would suggest that Jane Norton needs to show passion, even anger, as part of her approach to the serious issues facing this country, an approach that shouldn’t come across as hypothetical, overly analytical, or detached.

When people think of Ken Buck, they may have concerns, but it’s not about whether he has the backbone people want right now.  (I also met one-on-one with Mr. Buck, who will be a guest on my radio show this Sunday, as Mrs. Norton was two weeks ago.)  In times like these, consistency in the service of principle is extremely high on people’s list of what they care about in a candidate.

If Jane Norton would indeed be as good (or better) a Senator as Ken Buck, it would be a shame if the only reason she doesn’t get the chance is because she didn’t express herself forcefully enough.  Therefore, I hope that her new campaign leadership will encourage her to show some passion, some deeply-felt commitment to principle, and most importantly, to forcefully make clear that she is her own person and will never be the next John McCain or Lindsey Graham.  If she can’t make that case, then she shouldn’t win the Republican nomination.  If she can make it, she deserves a serious look by any Republican, whether Tea Party activist or not, and a fair shot at having the decision on the vote be made by hearing from her not from innuendo or simple lack of information.

At the end of the day, I think Jane Norton and Ken Buck are both excellent candidates for the US Senate.  I don’t think Colorado goes wrong with either one.  And I think that a spirited but not too negative primary season (hear that, Jerry Morgensen?) which shows voters that Republicans are about principles, ideas, and good government – represented not least by supporting policies which won’t bankrupt our children – is an unvarnished positive for whichever candidate emerges as the nominee and an unvarnished positive for the state.

On a more personal note, as an enormous fan of Josh Penry’s, his decision to accept the position carries a lot of weight.  It broke my heart to take my Penry for Governor sticker off my car, though having had a talk with Senator Penry about his decision I do understand it. As with all things he does, I wish Senator Penry success.

Looks like paid bloggers are attacking Jane Norton big time

by Donald E. L. Johnson | 3:34 am, April 22, 2010

In an obviously coordinated attack on Republican Jane Norton, bloggers supporting Democrat Michael Bennet and, most likely a few amatures who are supporting Republicans Ken Buck and Tom Wiens, are showing how the comments sections of blogs can be used to spew hatred and lies about their political opponents. These attack artists are making Tea Party activists look like pacifists.
While I can’t prove it, I strongly suspect that 

Colorado HB 1160: Wellness programs for discounted insurance

by Brian Schwartz | 1:30 am, April 22, 2010

Colorado HB 1160 echoes what might be the only pro-liberty aspect of ObamaCare. (I did not expect any!)  The New York Times reports:
Workplace wellness programs are becoming more and more popular as businesses try to rein in runaway health costs. At American Express, for instance, employees are offered a $100 reward [...]

Three cheers for the Free Market!

by Al Maurer | 9:15 pm, April 21, 2010

I seem to be writing more about limited government than the free market but the two go hand in hand and today I’ve been reflecting on the marketplace. This morning I went to the orthodontist to have a plastic retainer re-made. Everyone was friendly and helpful. They made a plaster impression of my upper teeth [...]

Critics of the Tea Party – An Analysis (Part 2)

by james baker | 4:59 pm, April 21, 2010

 ( – promoted by Rocky Mountain Right – )
Earlier, I posted an analysis of Ali Mickelson’s comments in "Critics of the Tea Party." In this Part 2, I analyze Ray Harlan’s comments appearing in the same video footage. Ray is representing t…

Modest Sentencing Reform Bill Long Overdue

by Mike Krause | 4:32 pm, April 21, 2010

On April 15, the Colorado House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed House Bill 1352, which nibbles at the edges of some of the more egregious aspects of the disastrous war on drugs by reforming some of Colorado’s controlled substance statutes.
This is a hugely important step for Colorado lawmakers in taking back their rightful prerogative to both [...]

The Adventures of Watermelon Man – 1st in a series

by Mr. Bob | 4:16 pm, April 21, 2010

#tcot #watermelonman

How can Republicans fight fire with fire? What’s the GOP’s message?

by Donald E. L. Johnson | 1:59 pm, April 21, 2010

After I outlined my thoughts about Colorado’s Senate, gubernatorial, secretary of state and state treasurer political races at this morning’s Greeley Republican breakfast, a member of the audience asked how Republicans will fight the Democrats’ fire with fire. What’s the Republicans’ fire? he asked.
In other words, 

Jane Norton names Josh Penry campaign manager, Rich Beeson general consultant

by Donald E. L. Johnson | 1:07 pm, April 21, 2010

Why has Jane Norton replaced an experienced campaign manager from Ohio, Norm Cummings, with State Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry?
We’ll probably never hear the real story, but anyone who’s ever run for or run anything knows that top lieutenants come and go for a lot of reasons and that such changes hardly are rare in big league politics.
I haven’t discussed the changes with anybody. So all of what follows is pure speculation.
 

Asher Embry: Obama’s salt, too

by Rossputin | 12:58 pm, April 21, 2010

H/T American Spectator

Obama’s Salt, Too
By Asher Embry

Obama’s nanny FDA
Is set to take our salt away.

Popcorn, pretzels, Ranch Doritos,
Triscuits, Pringles, Crunchy Cheetos;
Any snack from Grandma Utz;
Almonds, pecans, cashew nuts,
Ruffles, Saltines, aged Slim Jims,
Pickles, Margarita rims.

Barack will wage an all out war
On all these food that we adore.
When his paternalism’s won –
Arugula for everyone.

The Mullahs nearly have the Bomb.
About that O’s relaxed and calm.
The threat Barack instead attacks?
Our most beloved salty snacks.

Our salt is gone, but O still gets
The fix he sneaks from cigarettes.

(You can read more of Asher Embry’s Political Verse at www.politicalverse.com.)

Freedom of the Press?

by Amy Oliver | 7:37 am, April 21, 2010

Apparently not.
The most transparent White House ever?
Nope.
Recently the White House press corp met with White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs to air “grievances” about lack of access to President Obama.
And yesterday, Politico reported:
Police chased reporters away from the White House and closed Lafayette Park today in response to a gay rights protest in which several service members [...]

Gallup: Obama approval under 50% in fifth quarter of presidency

by Rossputin | 6:08 am, April 21, 2010

Yes, I realize that “fifth quarter” sounds a little odd at first, but given that a four-year term has 16 quarters (explained for the benefit of those of you who, like me, went to public junior high schools, the Gallup story makes sense.

In their poll released yesterday, Gallup shows Barack “The One” Obama with an approval rating of only 48.8% at the end of his fifth quarter in office, making him only the third elected president to be under 50% since the end of World War II. (Interestingly, the other two were Carter and Reagan.)

Gallup’s weak attempt at pro-Obama spin amused me (maybe in the same way Tea Parties amuse Him) when they said that his 48.8% rating “is the lowest of his presidency to date, though not appreciably worse than his 50.8% fourth quarter average.”

Just what would Gallup call “appreciably worse”?  And why no mention of the obvious trend of Obama losing 2% a quarter in popularity for three quarters in a row?

Gallup tries again to make us pay no attention to the man behind the curtain when they suggest that “Obama’s ratings have generally been stable over the last six months.”  To paraphrase the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, this must be some new definition of “stable” I wasn’t previously aware of.

And as if all that furious spinning wasn’t enough, Gallup then mentions Obama’s extremely high first-quarter approval rating due to all the “hope and change” pinned on the blank slate of a man, and concludes “The net effect is that Obama’s 56% overall approval rating for the first five quarters of his presidency is essentially the same as the historical average approval rating of 54%.”

I’m sure Obama appreciates Gallup’s attempt to color our interpretation of the data.  But rather than think about Obama’s average approval rating, I think there are better approaches.

One is the metaphor I’ve used before: A man with his head in the oven and feet in the freezer who is, on average, at just the right temperature.

Another would be saying that a basketball team which was leading by 20 points in the first quarter and ends up losing by 20 points was, on average, tied with the other team.

Take your pick.

No matter how you slice it, no matter how Gallup colors it, the people are realizing that Obama fooled them with his campaign facade of moderation. They are realizing that he is bankrupting our children and destroying our liberty, whether through Obamacare, his EPA’s attempt to regulate (and soon tax) everything that requires energy to produce or transport, and even his FDA’s attempt to tell Americans they can’t eat as much salt.  They are realizing that this man has no connection with, understanding of, or respect for fundamental American values of limited government, free markets, and personal responsibility.  They are realizing that the Nanny State is more like a horror-movie murderess about to smother Americans’ freedom with a musty pillow of taxes and regulation.

And Obama knows that America is recognizing him his radical leftist co-conspirators in the House and Senate for what they are – and that these next few weeks represent their last, best, and only chance to “transform” America into their dreamed-of socialist/fascist dystopia.

If Gallup thinks the fifth quarter was bad, just wait until they see the results 3 months from now…

Critics of the Tea Party – An Analysis (Part 1)

by james baker | 12:10 am, April 21, 2010

 

 

Caricature Assassination as Political Strategy

by Rich Bratten | 10:19 pm, April 20, 2010

Caricature Assassination as Political Strategy Interestingly I was listening to Caplis & Silverman on my way back from Kansas to Denver yesterday, and three of the callers in a 2 hour time period (out of maybe 7-8 callers on air) accused the tea party movement of being racist. I think there is a legitimate concern [...]

Clear The Bench Colorado media coverage at Tax Day Tea Party rallies across the state – updated and continued

by CTBC Director | 9:12 pm, April 20, 2010

Clear The Bench Colorado was well represented at several of the Tax Day Tea Party rallies across the state – Director Matt Arnold spoke at both the Denver and Fort Collins events, and spokes-people (no spokes-dogs, this time) were also at the Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and Grand Junction events.
Although the mass-media (lamestream?  LEMMing?) coverage of Colorado’s Tax Day Tea Party [...]

« go back — keep looking »

Featured Posts

• Judge Rules Americans Can Be Forced to Testify Against Themselves

  In order to protect our rights, our security must be protected. In order to protect our security, our rights must be invaded. Nothing wrong with that, is there?

• World Economic Forum in Switzerland: Global Elites Celebrating Hypocrisy
• SCOTUS decision on warrantless GPS surveillance produces an expected friend of privacy
• You didn’t want your Fifth Amendment rights, anyway, did you?
• Keynesian Economists Finally Catch Up and Agree: China to Have Hard Landing
• The Beauty of Private Property—from China?
• Regime Uncertainty, Regulatory Surge, and Unemployment Numbers