The Colorado Index

Why Must the Environmentalist Left Lie?

This past week the Rocky Mountain News reported on a poll done on behalf of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce revealed that there wasn't a lot of support for the attempts by Mark Udall, Bill Ritter and others to stop drilling on the Roan Plateau.

In a related article, the Rocky noted that the environmentalist left didn't like the questions used in the poll:

Mike Chiropolos, lands program director at Western Resource Advocates in Boulder, said "it's dishonest to link drilling on the Roan to oil imports."

"Producing natural gas anywhere in Colorado isn't going to reduce the country's demand for oil," he said.

Chiropolos said that the Roan has no crude oil deposits and argued that no "recoverable" oil can be gleaned from shale.

Noting the poll's linkage of Roan drilling to the nation's dependence on imported oil, pollster Lori Weigel said, "The context of the question is critical to how people will respond."

She added that energy independence "strikes a chord with people" and that the survey's results probably are more a reaction "to a desire for energy independence."

While it is technically true that the Roan will not reduce our dependence on foreign oil, we are importing a growing volume of Liquid Natural Gas from the middle east.  We are importing so much additional LNG that we are having to build new LNG port facilities. 

Mike Chiropolos knows that we are importing LNG.   He chose his words carefully and attempted to misrepresent the facts to a public that isn't always aware of how willing the environmentalist left is to lie.

He couldn't be satisfied to tell one lie.  He went on to claim that no recoverable oil can be gleaned from shale.  The Canadians are already recovering oil from shale.  It is only a matter of time before we will be doing so as well if we have the willpower to shove these liars aside.

To answer the question, the left uses propaganda to produce political outcomes that a fully knowledgeable public couldn't stomach.   

September 29-30 2007 Sweep

Schaffer v Udall  Colorado Anti-War Left Blogger:  Udall an Embarrassment  I'm not sure where this description would fit into a watcher's "Udall is not a moderate scorecard" ... but one anti-war blogger on the Colorado Left has dubbed Boulder liberal Rep. Mark Udall "an embarrassment."

Schaffer v Udall On Calling Mark Udall a Fool  When a politician does something as dumb as encouraging the military to politicize itself, we think he deserves to be called a fool.

Schaffer v Udall   Digging Two Graves   There is a saying about revenge: "Dig two graves." Just by floating it, Mark Udall might have dug his own political grave:

Schaffer v Udall  The Onion Takes on Mark Udall  I think we owe it to the American people to go in and unify them," Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO) said. "After all, isn't a message of unity what we want to send to our children?"

Schaffer v Udall  Fire on Pikes Peak 

Schaffer v Udall  Fisking the Aspen Times Letter  The folks at Drum and Cannon pounded the writer of the letter to the Aspen Times

Schaffer v Udall  Politics Can Be Fun

Schaffer v Udall  Why We Are Different  One of the obligations of a blog or blogger who wants to be taken seriously is to admit mistakes without being asked

Rocky Mountain Politics  Bio Fuels = Mass Starvation + Global Warming Wake up, Gov. Ritter! You’ve made Colorado a leader in death and destruction on a global scale. Your bio-fuels program, which meshes so nicely with Al Gore’s junk science, is a scourge on two levels.

Rocky Mountain Politics  Taxpayer Funded Preschools  Let's put this into perspective: Tuition (minus room and board and fees) at CU Boulder is about 8300 per year. CSU is about 6900 and for comparison, UCCS in Colorado Springs is about 6200. One can imagine the super-duper education a child could have at $9000 per year for part-day preschool.

Rocky Mountain Politics  Paccione out of 4th CD race  Look for Markey's former boss, Ken Salazar, to be very active in this race as well as the big money machine of the Gang of Four.

Rossputin  Gingrich Won't Run in '08  There is a fair bit of disappointment in Republican circles today after Newt Gingrich's announcement yesterday that he will not run for President in 2008.

Rossputin  lightening the mood: Iran invites inspectors to search for gays  Just days after asserting that there are no homosexuals in Iran, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today invited United Nations inspectors into his country to search for homosexuals.

Slapstick Politics  Bud Light's Spanish Billboards: "As Good As The Honky Woman Checking You Out"  There's pandering to the Spanish-speaking Mexican community in Denver

Slapstick Politics  Mark Udall Proposes Resolution Condemning Rush Limbaugh  So, is this a preview of the type of "elevated debate" Udall would bring to the Senate if elected next November?

Slapstick Politics  Quote of the Day

Policy Media  Breaking News:  Newt Will Not Run  The Associated Press is reporting that Newt Gingrich will not seek the Republican nomination for President in 2008. This is the right move for him and his organization. By not running, he puts himself in a very powerful position with the ability to endorse one of the other candidates.

Colorado Charter Schools Charter, Contract, Magnet, Focus, Option:  What They All Mean  Here are the terms used for choice schools and a short definition:

Comment:  Please include original comment in your posts if you want to be certain that your post is included.

Mark Udall: The Fool Who Would Be Senator

This post is designed to provide backup information to the post on Schaffer v Udall "Digging Two Graves."  The left has an unhappy habit of making their mistakes disappear, and the mistake Mark Udall made this week is a whopper.

In the way of background:  1) Last spring, the Democrat Congress required the President to present reports on Iraq in the hope that they wouldn't show progress.  2) When it became obvious that the reports would show progress, Democrats in Congress invited their surrogates to attack the report and the general.  3) The attack took the form of the MoveOn.org "betray us" ad, which was so over the top that it couldn't be defended.  4)  The Republicans maneuvered for a vote in both houses condemning the ad.  5)  It should have been hard to avoid voting to condemn the ad, but not for the major Democrat Presidential candidates in the Senate who depend on MoveOn.org for money. 6)  Mark Udall voted to condemn the ad, earning him anger on his left wing.  7) This week, Rush Limbaugh used the term "phony soldiers," and Udall doubtlessly thinks that turnabout is fair play. 

8)  On Friday, Mark Udall is reported by several left wing blogs to have sent the following Dear Colleague letter: 

September 28, 2007

JOIN AS AN ORIGINAL COSPONSOR OF A RESOLUTION HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES AND CONDEMNING RUSH LIMBAUGH'S ATTACK ON "PHONY SOLDIERS"

Dear Colleague:

On September 26, 2007 the broadcaster Rush Limbaugh told a nationwide radio audience that members of the Armed Forces who have expressed disagreement with current policies of the United States regarding military activities in Iraq are "phony soldiers."

On Monday I will introduce a resolution honoring all Americans serving in the Armed Forces and condemning this unwarranted attack on the integrity and professionalism of those in the Armed Forces who choose to exercise their constitutional right to express their opinions regarding U.S. military action in Iraq.

For more information or to cosponsor the resolution, please contact XXXXXXX in my office at xxxxx.

Sincerely,

Mark Udall

9.  The text of Udall's Resolution:

110TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. CON. RES.
Honoring all Americans serving in the Armed Forces of the United States and condemning the attack by broadcaster Rush Limbaugh on the integrity and professionalism of some of those Americans.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Mr. UDALL of Colorado submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Honoring all Americans serving in the Armed Forces of the United States and condemning the attack by broadcaster Rush Limbaugh on the integrity and professionalism of some of those Americans.

Whereas on September 26, 2007, the broadcaster Rush Limbaugh told a nationwide radio audience that members of the Armed Forces who have expressed disagreement with current policies of the United States regarding military activities in Iraq are ''phony soldiers''; and

Whereas such a description constitutes an unwarranted slur on the integrity and professionalism of members of the Armed Forces who exercise their constitutional right to express their opinions regarding public policy in a manner consistent with good order and
discipline: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),

SECTION 1. Congress makes the following findings:

(1) Americans serving in the United States Armed Forces have volunteered for such service and have not been drafted for that purpose.

(2) Those who serve in the Armed Forces deserve the respect of all Americans for their willingness to undertake that service.

(3) Those who serve in the Armed Forces do not relinquish their constitutional right to express their opinions regarding public policy in a manner consistent with good order and discipline.

(4) The dedication and honor of Americans serving in the Armed Forces should not be impugned because of their exercise of such right.

SEC. 2. Congress --

(1) recognizes the service of all members of the Armed Forces serving in good standing and with honor to defend the United States, and the personal sacrifices made by them and their families;

(2) commits to judge the merits of the opinions of members of the Armed Forces regarding the policies of the United States, including those related to military actions in Iraq, without prejudice or personal bias, including refraining from unwarranted personal attacks;

(3) condemns in the strongest possible terms the personal attacks made by the broadcaster Rush Limbaugh impugning the integrity and professionalism of Americans serving in the Armed Forces who have expressed opinions regarding military actions in Iraq;

(4) honors all members of the Armed Forces and civilian personnel serving in harm's way, as well as their families; and

(5) pledges to debate any supplemental funding request or any policy decisions regarding the war in Iraq with the solemn respect and the commitment to integrity that the sacrifices of these members of the Armed Forces and civilian personnel deserve

The problem, as we pointed out at Schaffer v Udall is that this resolution invites the military to politicize itself.  A military that feels free to address itself on public policy matters verbally will eventually feel free to do more than speak.

There are 220 years of military tradition fostered by laws and military regulations that specifically prohibit active duty military members from freelance comments about policy or personalities. 

Recall that in the early 1990's an Air Force Major General publicly called into question Bill Clinton's fitness to serve as President because of his history as a draft dodger.  That made the national news and the man was immediately put out of uniform.

Recall that General of the Army and Medal of Honor winner Douglas MacArthur was relieved from command in Korea and sent into retirement when he publicly questioned President Truman.

General George Patton's tragic automobile accident at the end of WWII prevented him from publicly advocating an attack on Russia.  He planned to resign so that he could speak out.

We wrote about the Newburgh plot in Schaffer v Udall.  One of George Washington's modern biographers described his "I have grown old and blind in the service of my country" speech to his officers as the most important of his many services to his country.

Congress has the constitutional authority to make separate laws and regulations for the military, and has done so.  Military members do not have an unrestricted right of free speech, and no right at all to speak out against the policy set by the military's civilian masters without first leaving the service.  Most are quite happy with that policy because they realize that it protects them and their own freedom from a military that might otherwise get out of control.

Now comes that fool, Mark Udall.  He would change the 220 years of policy that has made us safe from a politicized military in order to score a political point.  Nothing more.  No Republican will vote for Udall's resolution, and few Democrats who want to be taken seriously on military matters will. 

Mark Udall goes a long way toward helping the Democrats demonstrate their unfitness to be a majority in Congress or hold the Presidency.  He shows his own unfitness to be a US Senator.  His resolution illustrates the cynicism behind the "we love the soldiers but hate the war" strategy.  Just more empty words from empty suits. 

A New Blog Arises

Rockymountainpolitics made its debut on September 7th.  Unlike many blogs, it has multiple authors from all over the state.  We will start including it in our sweep on Sunday.

For the moment, it has an unusual feature.  Each post appears to be about one paragraph long.  You need to click on the title to get the whole post, which isn't obvious.  We are told that is being fixed.  People who access individual essays through this blog will get the whole essay the first time.  Those who go directly to the blog need to know about clicking on the title.

We welcome them to the blogosphere and hope to see something from them daily.

Dear Bentley

We got a personal invitation to Bentley Rayburn's announcement, a part of which appears below:

Debbi and I would be honored to have you join us for the kickoff of our campaign for the U.S. Congress on Thursday, the 4^th of October, 2007 at 6:30 PM.  The Kickoff is going to be held in the Colorado Springs Ballroom at the Doubletree Hotel, 1775 East Cheyenne Mountain Boulevard , Colorado Springs.

Dear Bentley

Thanks for the invitation to your kickoff.  As you may or may not know, I write thecoloradoindex.com.  I can't come to events like this except in a reporter's capacity.  My October is full for reasons that I will write about in late October, so I am unlikely to come in any capacity.

My intention is to remain neutral in all primaries while attempting to discourage those which are against Republican incumbents and interests.  I haven't been successful in discouraging this one, so I plan to treat all three candidates as equally as possible.

If you are kind enough to put me on your list of press release recipients, I will to a limited degree promote your appearances and those fund raisers that you desire promoted.  I will do the same for the others. 

I don't want to turn my site into one that comments daily on the 5th CD race.  In fact, I would prefer not to comment on it at all except when one side or another puts out obviously false or counter-productive arguments or statements, or when the Gazette fails to identify false statements and counter-productive arguments as such.

The Republican party has a history of not healing after primaries.  It needs to heal this year.  Part of the reason it doesn't heal is dirty politicking.  I will be a relentless critic of dirty politicking, including false rationales for the primary,  If the msm does an adequate and even handed job of reporting on a non blogosphere incident, I will probably stay silent because I have other things to write about.

I will wholeheartedly support the winner of the primary, though I hope not to be spending time on the 5th CD during the months after August.  There are other, more important fish to fry.

I wish you well.  You have my email address, and I am in the Colorado Springs phone book.

------

Enough Jeff Crank and Doug Lamborn supporters read this that someone will doubtless forward this to both camps.  My offers to Bentley Rayburn regarding promotion of his events and fund raisers apply to them equally.

I may at some point ask each candidate for an interview, but that isn't in the plans for now. 

September 28, 2007 Sweep

Schaffer v Udall  The Left's Intensifying Tug of War Over Udall's Political Drift  There is no Green Party threat, they say:

Rossputin  John Berthoud: So long, my friend  It is with great sorrow that I report that my friend John Berthoud, President of the National Taxpayers Union, has passed away.

Rossputin  The Freak: If you want peace, prepare for war  The Romans had a saying: "Si vis pacem, para bellum", which means if you want peace, prepare for war. The Romans must have been onto something, because their peace, the "Pax Romana" was one of the longest and most prosperous times in antiquity.

Rossputin  Parts of Patriot Act ruled unconstitutional  Not only am I very pleased to see any judge actually rely on the Constitution and our Founders' intent when making a ruling, I am also pleased to see the over-reaching hand of the Executive Branch slapped back as they try to take the liberty which they are sworn to protect.

Face the State  In Longmont, the Anti-Church Minority May Rule  Longmont – A year’s worth of public review and staff analysis over a massive church-based annexation project may be tossed out the window thanks to the rabble-rousing of a local activist group.

Face the State Despite Screening Software, Porn Readily Accessible at Denver's Central Library    Earlier this week, a Face the State staff reporter investigated allegations surrounding alleged rampant porn use on the library's computers. In a matter of seconds, the reporter gained access to a wide range of sexually-explicit internet material from a randomly selected computer housed on the downtown building's fifth floor.

Slapstick Politics  Boulder High Students Plan Alternative Pledge Of Allegiance  The little Marxists offer their alternative pledge

Slapstick Politics  Sen. Salazar Feels Nutroots' Heat For Not Being A "MoveOn" Democrat; Update: 2010 Primary Urged 

Slapstick Politics  CSU Editor Retains Churchill Lawyer; Update--Hundreds Attend Meeting   Update 3

Policy Media  Newt & Second Life   

Policy Media  Did You Know:  Tim Russert just said on the post-Democratic presidential debate that all three of the frontrunners in the Democratic primary refused to commit to have U.S. troops home from Iraq by...

Exvigilare  schadendouche 

Mount Virtus  Boulder Student Socialists Demand God-Less Pledge   “Student Worker club”? Does anyone really think there’s exaggeration involved when Boulder is described as a mini-socialistic state?

Mount Virtus  Impeach Cheney Moonbat Alert  For Denver  If you’re driving through downtown Denver this afternoon,

Mark Hillman  No Wonder Americans Won't Do These Jobs  Today, our relative prosperity and appetite for instant gratification is becoming our enemy.

Colorado Charter Schools  CDELA  Charter Revocation Rescinded   

Backbone America  A closer look at the Jena affair  The biggest racists in this whole mess are Jesse Jackson and Rev Al Sharpton. The foundational outrage in all of this is the Progressive theological notion that “only the dominant group can be racist”, which is utter nonsense. Either we strive for Martin Luther King’s color blind society or we do not. 

Backbone America  As yet, no one’s the One   “Nixon’s the One,” brags a faded 1968 campaign poster in the political museum that is my basement. Scoffers mocked the boast, but he turned out to be the one, vindicating my vote for him that year (the first I ever cast) and making possible my later service on his White House staff.

Gang of Four  Liberals Love Me Ouch!  Really, David, how could you?  I labor since LBJ's time to build up a reputation on the Right, a notorious name for intemperance and meanness, and you shatter it all with one poison compliment.  What will they say at the Heritage Foundation?  How am I supposed to show my face at the Federalist Society?

Thinking Right 

I’ve been postponing the writing of this piece for some time. I’ve been hoping that it would not become necessary to be the bearer of bad news.

On the 8th of September, it became necessary to admit Jim to the hospital, where he still remains, with asthma and RLL (right lower-lobe) pneumonia. As always, when Jim becomes ill, it has been a struggle for him to maintain adequate levels of oxygen. However, things are beginning to look up a bit, Two days he was transferred from ICU, to a regular medical floor.

If you’re the praying kind, please remember Jim in your prayers. If not, please remember him and hope for his continued recovery.

Guy(Jim’s Dad)

Comment:

LPR Reception

2 Weeks from Tonight

You are invited to

a LPR Reception

Come meet the

NEW

2008 LPR Class

at the Governor's Mansion

400 E 8^th Ave

Denver, CO 

Thursday, October 11, 2007

A Prophecy?

Normally, we don't write really short posts here just plug an editorial.  The thing that makes this editorial so striking is that it is anti-tax and it is from Pueblo, a Democrat stronghold.  That should be setting alarm bells off in Denver.

Sooner or later, we’ll witness another taxpayer rebellion the likes of which saw the approval of TABOR.

The politicians could stretch their revenues by instituting efficiencies in state government. But the institutional ennui seems to make that impossible. So the voters will have to rise up and force change once again.

When? We can’t predict with any certitude.

We can say, though, that it will occur.

Read the whole thing.  It is well worth the read.

September 27, 2007 Sweep

Schaffer v Udall  And the band played on   Mark Udall is not a moderate scoreboard:  .. The funny thing is that it is the Democrats who have painted Mark Udall as a liberal.   

Schaffer v Udall   Udall Votes To Condemn MoveOn's Petraeus Ad, Nutroots Balks    Meanwhile Mark Udall, prepping for his Senatorial run to the middle, has earned the ire of the far left, some of whom are promising to withhold their donations:...

Gang of Four   Obey DeGettes It.   Well, I guess that takes the attention away from Diana DeGette's decision today to vote in support of MoveOn.org, a decision that even Rep. Obey (D - Wis.) characterized as the equivalent of the Republicans not bringing Joe McCarthy to heel. 

Slapstick Politics   Columbuspalooza Countdown Begins!    The anti-Colum-Bush ...march will be featured the morning of the actual parade, not the usual night before:   ... This begins the ramp-up for our opposition to the Columbus Day Hate Speech Spectacle. 

Slapstick Politics  CSU Editor Retains Churchill Lawyer; Update--Hundreds Attend Meeting   McSwane's self-aggrandizing efforts to portray himself as the embattled defender of free speech are undercut by his apparent desire to draw national attention to himself   

Policy Media   Conservative Web 2.0 marches forward   (Today), former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich will host a series of seminars dubbed Solutions Day.   Facebook is the platform today to connect with and motivate online political activists.   

Mount Virtus   Lesson in Journalistic Ethics for CSU Student Paper   ..the Independence Institute’s Jessica Corry and Ryan Olivett (a current CSU student) .. fire back with a sharp reminder in journalistic ethics

Mount Virtus   What is Ritter Hiding?    In crafting a policy that will have an impact on state employees and the entire state budget, Gov. Bill Ritter is withholding documents the public deserve to see.

Mount Virtus   Lt. Col (Rep.) Rice off to Iraq   Godspeed to Lt. Col. (and state representative) Joe Rice, who will be deployed to Baghdad for a three-month stint starting in October

Colorado Charter Schools   FERPA and Charter Schools   FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act is a federal law protecting the privacy of student educational records. Here are a few tips for charter schools: 

Redstate   Regarding a Liberal’s Letter to the Editor   First of all, the town of Aspen and its surrounding area has long been a liberal outpost in what used to be a bastion of politically conservative voters.   

Redstate   Covering MoveOn.org's Back   Even Mark Udall and Ed Perlmutter had the courage and integrity to vote in favor of the bill in the House. DeGette, of course, would probably vote to confer sainthood status to Osama bin Laden.

Comment:   Today's recommended readings are not for the weak-of-heart. 

   

Odds and Ends September 26, 2007

It looks as though Al White may have a primary opponent in the 8th district senate race.  While his prospective opponent may be well known in his area, he isn't known to us. The first time we heard of him was when a certain blog that likes to promote spoiler primaries even if they hand the seat over to a Democrat bragged that he had said on Colorado Pols that it was one of his three favorite blogs. 

That suggests that he thinks of himself as a spoiler, and not a serious candidate.

Dick Wadhams' response:

Wadhams described Hasan as an “energetic, bright young man who I think we’re going to hear a lot from in the future.” Wadhams said he has encouraged Hasan to get involved in the Republican Party, but has not specifically encouraged him to run for Senate District 8, where White “would be a very formidable Republican candidate.”

“I regard Rep. White as an outstanding elected official,” Wadhams said. “I think Al would start out with a huge advantage if there was a primary situation.”

The Vail Daily's assessment:

Should he choose to run, Hasan would face a daunting opponent in White. After first being elected in 2000, White has won the past three campaigns for House District 57. In November 2006, he won a strong victory against Democratic challenger Andy Gold of Tabernash, despite an election that saw widespread victories for Democrats across the country, state and nation.

Bill Ritter's middle name is Taxes.  That is all he seems to think about.  This time he is "cutting taxes."  That's a laugh. 

He wants to do away with the fly-away sales tax on aircraft manufactured in Colorado.  That tax killed the aircraft industry in the state and hasn't been collected for years, according to the Denver Business Journal.

State Economic Development Director Don Elliman said the "fly-away" sales tax, which is charged on planes manufactured in Colorado but not housed in the state, has stifled aerospace manufacturing in Colorado.

While the state hasn't collected revenue from the fly-away tax in recent years, Elliman said that "there will never be another plane" built in Colorado if the tax isn't eliminated. 

Over a period of five years, Ritter wants to increase the exemption for the personal property tax from $2500 to $7,000.  Hmmm, that will really help marginal businesses, the kind that lack the finances to be successful unless they sell a high demand product like...drugs.  A minimally decent Point of Sale program costs $4,000 and up.  A VISA machine is $2000 plus.  We are pushing the $7,000 and we haven't even bought a desk for the back office, let alone fixtures or phones.

And what are our valiant legislators saying?  Nothing that will resonate with the voters or the business community.  "Ritter is stealing our agenda."  Typical politic speak.

What Ritter is proposing is smoke and mirrors.  Legislators should "welcome Bill Ritter back from the dark side" and offer to join with him in a meaningful tax cut that would bring meaningful high investment businesses with staying power to Colorado.  He would run like a scalded rat from that because he is interested in creating the perception of a tax cut, but not the reality.

You don't just need to know when to hold 'em, or when to fold 'em.  You need to know when to call and raise, and this is the time.