Left behind? Media critic Jason Salzman misses the HuffPo strike

by Kelly Maher | 10:47 pm, March 30, 2011

Left-leaning media critic Jason Salzman has been crossing an “electronic picket line” to write for The Huffington Post. When I first asked him about it, he replied he hadn’t heard of the strike. Once he looked into it, he sent me an email Tuesday that read, in part, “I’m unsure about what to do.”

ProgressNowCO’s Alan Franklin is Colorado Pols, according to SquareState

by elpresidente | 12:09 pm, February 11, 2011

So says “Fong” of SquareState: I used to work at ProgressNow and as far as I can tell, a lot of people already know that Alan Franklin is Coloradopols. He’s the web guy at ProgressNow. I also used to do the books at Soapblox and he pays the bill. For a long time I thought [...]

“Progressive” Tea Party Infiltrators: What You Can Do to Thwart Them

by T.L. James | 12:03 am, April 14, 2010

**Welcome Michelle Malkin readers! **Update 2: Stay up-to-date with Colorado Tea Party developments at #coteaparty **Update: The last time we saw the Revolutionary Anti-Imperialist Movement-Denver folks was during the Democratic National Convention. They’re back to “greet” the Denver Tea Party tomorrow: The Revolutionary Anti-Imperialist Movement is calling on all radicals – anarchists and communists, Mexican [...]

Crash the Tea Party – Colorado Politics Get Dirty.

by wesley | 12:05 pm, April 9, 2010

Image from Face the State photographer as posted by Jon Caldara. Last year, Progressives like Michael Huttner in the above photograph snuck around the rally against Obamacare and, like a peeping-Tom, peered over walls to see what was going on. Expect Progressives’ efforts to become radical and extreme this year. They don’t like you standing [...]

Progress Now: The New Reactionaries?

by T.L. James | 2:02 pm, February 7, 2010

Found another typically-overwrought missive from ProgressNow Colorado’s Bobby Clark in my email this morning, decrying comments made by former CD-6 Congressman and presidential candidate Tom Tancredo at last week’s Tea Party convention. Last week, at the national extreme-right “Tea Party” Convention, former Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo said that “people who could not even spell the [...]

Fifty Ways to Leave Obama

by Ari Armstrong | 10:00 am, September 28, 2009

The following article originally was published in the September 28, 2009, edition of Grand Junction’s Free Press.

Fifty Ways to Leave Obama

by Linn and Ari Armstrong

“I’d like to help you in your struggle to be free / There must be fifty ways to leave your lover.” — Paul Simon

If you’re a leftist Democrat, you may have started to question your love affair with Barack Obama.

Secularists of the left probably noticed that Obama has ramped up George W. Bush’s program of faith-based welfare, trampling the wall between church and state. Civil libertarians may scratch their heads at Obama’s fervor to extend the PATRIOT Act, and he has hardly been a friend to gay rights.

Pacifists can’t be happy that the military remains in Iraq while the war in Afghanistan flares. Anti-corporate Democrats may wonder why Obama advocates so many billions of dollars for corporate welfare and proposes that the federal government force citizens to buy (politically controlled) products from the insurance industry.

If you’re an honest leftie, Obama’s administration has got to seem in many ways like George W. Bush’s third term.

Obviously conservatives dislike Obama’s anti-energy policies and his plans to increase controls of medicine.

Thankfully, as Obama’s inaugural honeymoon comes to an end, there’s a new book out that offers fifty ways to leave Obama.

The book’s authors, however, are so codependent on the Chosen One that they write as though Obama walks on water — when he’s not changing it to wine. Thus, they titled their book, “50 Ways You Can Help Obama Change America.”

But if you get past the title, you will find that the book is mostly about civic participation. Thus, it might be moderately useful regardless of your political goals. Ironically, the book may prove most useful for those fighting Obama’s policies.

The book is written by Michael Huttner and Jason Salzman. Readers may recall that your younger author Ari and Huttner have had a couple of run-ins in the past. Last year, Huttner tried to go after the Independence Institute’s Jon Caldara for saying “bitch slap” on the radio. Caldara was “demeaning women,” Huttner proclaimed. Unfortunately for Huttner, left-wing comments on his own web page used the same phrase, Ari pointed out.

Earlier this year, Huttner went after Michelle Malkin when some random yokel with a sign posed for a photo with Malkin at a rally. The sign inappropriately compared Obama with Nazis. Huttner also blasted gubernatorial hopeful Josh Penry for speaking at the rally, even though neither he nor Malkin had anything to do with the sign.

Again Ari pointed out that many leftists inappropriately compared Bush to Nazis, including posters to Huttner’s own web page.

The lesson in all of this is to adapt Huttner’s political advice with some common sense, lest, like Huttner, you end up looking like a mean-spirited hypocrite.

Though we often disagree with Salzman, we find him to be a more measured and thoughtful activist, and he graciously sent Ari a review copy of the book.

In its policy advice, the book is utterly worthless. For example, on medical policy, the book with apparently straight text cites union statistics on the uninsured and bankruptcy — figures that have been blown out of the water by serious analysts. So just skip the entire first part of the book.

We were initially fearful that you can “help Obama” if you “plant your own garden” or “quit smoking.” Neither of us smokes, and Ari and his wife planted 48 tomato plants this year.

But then we realized that Huttner and Salzman must be growing something special in their gardens if they take their own advice here seriously. “Eating food that’s grown nearby eliminates pollution,” these authors tell us. That’s nonsense: growing a garden requires production of soil, seeds, tools, etc.

Notably, production and distribution of the book also generates pollution, but strangely we found no advice for publishing only ebooks, not paper ones.

Huttner and Salzman also claim to endorse “supporting small farmers.” But doesn’t growing your own food mean you’re not supporting small farmers?

The key point the book misses is that, if you grow your own food, you don’t have to pay taxes on your labor or the produce, and that is surely not helping Obama’s (or Governor Ritter’s) tax-and-spend agenda.

So let’s move on to the serious advice. “Attend a leadership training.” We agree! Some of our friends attend Liberty Toastmasters, People’s Press Collective technology training, and the Leadership Program of the Rockies. Contact legislators and testify at hearings.

“Get news that’s truly fair and balanced.” For instance, read FreeColorado.com and PeoplesPressCollective.com, along with this column

“Stage or attend a rally, media event, or protest.” while the left obviously hates it when free-market advocates take to the streets, we fully endorse peaceful, civil protest.

We’ve followed a lot of the book’s advice in fighting Obama’s agenda of political controls. We urge you to do the same.

“Slip out the back, Jack / Make a new plan, Stan… Just drop off the key, Lee / And get yourself free.”

Linn Armstrong is a local political activist and firearms instructor with the Grand Valley Training Club. His son, Ari, edits FreeColorado.com from the Denver area.

“Rocky Times for Colorado News Media” panel discussion recap

by The Peripatetic Pundit | 8:00 pm, May 2, 2009

“What forces in America’s economy and culture are threatening the survival of newspapers and diverting audiences to other information sources? What are the consequences for us as citizens in a free society?” Former Rocky Mountain News alternating ombudsmen David Kopel and Jason Salzman led a short (one-hour) discussion on the topic of declining newspaper readership [...]

Michael Huttner Lies About Josh Penry Speaking at Tea Party Rally in Denver

by randomridge | 12:34 pm, April 17, 2009

Michael Huttner lied about Josh Penry speaking at Wednesday’s Tea Party rally. Which is no suprise, since Huttner and ProgressNow are paid to make stuff up about those with whom they disagree.

Note to Protest Sign Dumbasses, This Is What Happens When You Don’t Think Through What You’re Saying

by randomridge | 11:30 pm, April 16, 2009

If you don’t pay attention to how others read your message, you give Michael Huttner a case of the feigned outrage vapors. Have a little common sense when you make up your protest placards, morons.  You have to remember that hacks like Huttner are paid by the Democracy Alliance of Billionaires to attend these events and [...]

Michael “the” Huttner

by Joss Armstrong | 2:38 pm, April 15, 2009

ALERT!! I spotted that tightly wrapped package of virility and machismo otherwise known as Michael Huttner at the Denver Tea party. I can’t wait to see what toe-curling episode of manufactured outrage Mikey will bestow upon us. I will keep you, dear readers, updated as the story develops.

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