Mount Virtus

A hearty congratulations must be made to the leadership of the United States Congress for hearkening to their constituents’ pleas for life and justice: the House and Senate have both delayed their scheduled recesses to pass compromise legislation that will stop the starvation of Terri Schiavo and give her recourse to her constitutional rights.

Congressman Bob Beauprez announced the development this during his brief speech at today’s State Central Committee Meeting, evoking a grand expression of support from most of the audience members. Only moments before, Congressman Tom Tancredo spoke eloquently in defense of Terri, making some important points:

As always, to stay on top of developments in this ongoing story, visit Terri’s Fight and Blogs for Terri.

I’ve just returned from the Colorado Republican State Central Committee Meeting outside of Denver. For some of the nitty-gritty details, read up on Clay’s live-blogging Blackberry account.

Most significant to report is that Bob Schaffer won the role of National Committeeman, culminating a sweeping grassroots campaign that started two weeks ago. The vote was closer than many anticipated (59 to 41 percent), proof that negative campaigning does work to some extent. I was disappointed to see the opponents’ use of half-truths and over-the-top rhetoric to try to tear down Bob.

I just hope now they heed their own impassioned cries for party loyalty and unity. With the leadership of Bob Schaffer and new state party chair Bob Martinez, it seems eminently likely that better times are ahead for Colorado Republican politics.

One of the highlights of the meeting was seeing Governor Bill Owens give Bob Schaffer both a hearty written and spoken endorsement. Those who remember the falling-out during last year’s Senate primary especially appreciated this fact. Finally, here are some closing thoughts from two of the Colorado Republican Party’s most influential figures:

“I know the real Bob Schaffer and I know we can count on him to always do what’s best for our Republican Party.” - Gov. Bill Owens, in his endorsement letter

“All Republican officials must support all Republican candidates at all times, and I’ll do that. I give you my word.” -Bob Schaffer, during his acceptance speech

I’ve just returned from the first-ever Blogfest, too frugal to bring my computer and pay the wireless fee - too forgetful to come up with my blogging password (it’s preprogrammed into my laptop). What kind of future is there for a 28-year-old amnesiac? But I digress.

First things first. The focus of Hugh’s show was on Terri Schiavo. Are you frustrated as I am about this? I will continue to blog on the subject… trust me. But one way you can make your voice heard is at Citizen Link, hosted by Focus on the Family. Tell the Republican Florida state senators who turned their backs on evil to reverse their course of action. Tell the United States Congress to put aside procedural and partisan bickering and do something important: like saving an innocent woman’s life from court-ordered starvation!

Thanks to Colorado Mills Borders for graciously hosting the event, to 710 KNUS for treating us like VIPs, and to Tucanos Brazilian Grill for feeding us. If you’ve never been to Tucanos, you’re missing a terrific dining experience. An all-you-can-eat extravaganza where nothing that touches the tastebuds disappoints. Bring an appetite, and come home satisfied!

Hugh didn’t have nearly the exhausting book-signing experience he had during his previous time in Denver last July. He was out of Borders by 9:15 and left noone disappointed. There are many of us out here blogging who are truly indebted to his passion, ambition, insights, and experience. Thanks, Hugh!

The most fun of Blogfest was hanging out with the blogging friends I already know and meeting many more who I am now glad to know. So, hopefully I’ll leave nobody out, but here in no particular order is the list of all the bloggers I encountered this evening -

From the Rocky Mountain Alliance:

And the others (again in no particular order):

I hope I didn’t forget anyone! Many of the above live-blogged the event, but they’re all worth checking out if you haven’t looked at them before.

I’m impressed with the crop of center-right blogging talent in the Denver metro area and am sure that many more will take the plunge into this wonderful avocation after their experience tonight at Blogfest. Not altogether a bad idea, I say. Let’s do it again some time.

Update: A blogger mistakenly overlooked… Steve of A Muse’s Chatter. Thanks for the reminder, Steve!

Note to readers: This is satire. You can find the real story here.

From “King” George’s Fantastic Megalomaniacal Adventures: Chapter 15

…”King” George did not take the news too well. He nearly tripped over his long black robes as he rose from his office chair and pounded his desk with his fist.

“Where is my royal signet?” he shouted, the veins popping on his forehead.

“Y-y-your what, your honor?” the young judicial aide replied nervously.

“It’s not ‘your honor’! It’s ‘your Majesty’!” He stood erect, his shoulders thrown back and his nose elevated in pompous self-absorption.

“Your Majesty… I’m sorry… I-I I must have lost the signet somewhere.”

“Never mind, then. Prepare a royal decree.”

“You mean a court order?”

“A ROYAL DECREE!!” George yelled out, stomping his foot repeatedly to accentuate his point. “I said, ‘A Royal Decree’!”

“Yes, your hon-, your Majesty. What shall it say?” the aide replied meekly, pencil and notepad firmly in hand.

“That the usurping rats, the so-called ‘Congress,’ that whatever they say, or do, their so-called subpoena… it cannot, IT WILL NOT STAND!” George’s fist surged into the air with an impassioned sweep.

As the aide scribbled diligently, George continued with his vainglorious oration. “How dare they? HOW DARE THEY! I have decreed - with my royal signet to prove it - that this peasant serf woman must die! She is to be denied all food and drink until she suffers and dies at last!”

“Sir,” the aide piped in, “er, your Majesty?”

“Not now. I’m on a roll.” He reassumed his royal aura. “Let it be decreed this very day and very hour that the death sentence shall proceed! And no act of so-called ‘Congress’ can do anything to forestall it! So it has been declared, so it shall be!!”

“Turn it into legal speak, right?”

“Yes,” George mumbled. “Whatever must be done….”

At that moment, another aide rushed into the “royal chambers.” He cleared his throat and declared the news: “Congressional lawyers have served the subpoena, your Majesty!”

“Summon the armies! Prepare the royal steed! Within the hour, we ride into battle!!”

The two aides looked at each other with shared confusion, shrugged their shoulders, and sighed. “That’s our judge….”

Since I have no way to turn this blog orange without creating complete havoc, let me just urge readers to use your imagination: pretend the site (or at least this post) is colored a blazing orange!

Why, you ask? In support of Bob Schaffer, who right now is seriously contemplating whether to answer the many calls to run for National Committeeman. Tomorrow is the State Central Committee meeting and the moment of truth. Thanks to all those who have written and urged Bob to run. I feel confident he will make the right choice.

I’ve been active in Republican politics for most of a decade now (one-third of my life!). And I can honestly say, that in all my years of political activity, I have never encountered anyone that possesses and displays the combination of deep principle, vast knowledge, acumen, integrity, personal warmth and good humor of Bob Schaffer.

I moved to Colorado from Michigan in the summer of 2002. In April 2003, a mutual friend arranged a personal meeting for me and former Congressman Bob Schaffer. At that point, he was still quite fresh in his return from Washington, D.C., having impressed countless observers with his decision to honor his term-limits pledge against all the tide of political winds telling him it would be no big deal to fudge it. “What kind of example would it teach my family?” was his chief concern.

Bob came back to Colorado and was taking a lead role in education reform activities. My one-hour meeting with him in a small delicatessen in Denver impressed me beyond belief. He took my resume and a writing sample, and I thought I might never hear from him again. But nine months later he called me back with a new opportunity to help the education reform movement, and I gladly swept it up.

I was at dinner with him and a group of about 8 or 9 people the evening that Ben Nighthorse Campbell announced he wasn’t running for re-election. I remember his remarks about the frequent calls and e-mails on his Blackberry urging him to take a stab at the Senate race. I don’t need to rehash all that history, except to say it was a great honor over the next 5 months to volunteer many hours on his campaign. Even though he lost in the primary, I hold no hard feelings at all.

Now comes an opportunity where there should be no disagreement whatsoever. Bob Schaffer is the man of the hour to run for National Committeeman - a man committed to God, family, and country; a man who represents Colorado values; a man who has a deep and personal connection with the grassroots of the state’s Republican party; a man with the knowledge, experience, and convictions to get the job done.

Let’s do the right thing - to echo the words of Clay: Let’s elect Bob Schaffer!

I hope to see you this afternoon at BLOGFEST.

A real ruckus has been raised after former US Senator and University of Northern Colorado President Hank Brown withdrew his name from consideration for an interim term in the top post at CU, following critical remarks from a black Democrat state senator saying that Brown lacked a commitment to affirmative action and racial diversity.

Hank Brown, a conservative Republican of character, experience, and stature, commands tremendous respect in wide-ranging circles in Colorado. It’s a shame that he decided to withdraw his name from contention, since Senator Brown is a qualified man of class and dignity who could have done wonders for the campus at Boulder. Of course, the charge by Senator Peter Groff (President pro tem of the Senate) that Brown isn’t committed to diversity is a cheap canard, as evidenced in the Rocky Mountain News story.

Now that Hank Brown is out of the running, though, that improves the chances for other candidates seeking the endorsement of the Rocky Mountain Alliance. Following the debacle, the CU Regents may be looking more intently for a permanent replacement - someone outside the state to exert a sane and calming influence on the university: Hugh Hewitt and King Banaian both qualify. But there are also other candidates to consider, and the RMA’s announced endorsement is coming next week.

Yesterday the US House unanimously passed The Protection of Incapacitated Persons Act of 2005 - also known as “Terri’s Law II” - that will effectively save Terri Schiavo’s life before tomorrow’s deadline.

Today the bill, S.539, comes before the US Senate for debate and passage. Please contact your Senators and urge them to vote for “Terri’s Law II”.

We’re proud of the way the House acted, responding to the overwhelming voices of its constituents, to move the bill through so quickly. It’s exciting not only because it portends the hope of saving Terri’s life and getting her the therapy and treatment she has been denied for so many years. It also has the potential to energize America’s mainstream voters to see they don’t have to settle for the silly and sometimes oppressive decisions that certain judges create from whole cloth.

Most Americans want to make sure that good people occupy the federal bench, judges who will interpret the law and not impose their own radical opinions (or an estranged husband’s death wish for his disabled wife). So says a recent poll conducted by the Judicial Confirmation Network:

The survey also found 75 percent of voters agree that “President Bush should keep his promise made during the campaign to nominate a U.S. Supreme Court justice who will apply existing law, not make new law.”

And another poll finding:

Eighty-two percent of voters agree that “if a nominee for any federal judgeship is well-qualified, he or she deserves an up or down vote on the floor of the Senate,” the poll found.

The case of Judge Greer is not an isolated one by any stretch. However, the public scrutiny of the many injustices and unanswered questions in the Terri Schiavo case have helped to add attention to the problem of judicial tyranny across the nation. Next to saving a disabled woman’s life, that would be the best development to come out of this whole affair.

This morning I read with care a column in the Dallas Morning News by radio talk show host Mark Davis: “Zeal for ‘life’ in Schiavo case blinds us to unknown.”

His basic point - without quoting from the column at length - is that we just don’t know what Terri’s wishes are, and since we don’t know with certainty we should be careful about making any judgments in this case. He asks several questions as well, including: Is it right for us to “err on the side of life”? Could the motives of many fighting for her cause be tainted by a zealous political agenda?

Regarding the last question, I find it dangerous to assess the motives of others, but I can honestly say that his description does not fit me. But truly that’s beside the point.

Read the rest of this entry »

While 99% of the population goes on obliviously with their everyday lives, the jockeying goes on among potential and declared candidates for Colorado political offices.

The Rocky Mountain News reports this afternoon that University of Denver President and former investment banker Marc Holtzman still is not an official candidate for governor. I’m not sure this story would be newsworthy except that the state’s political insiders are waiting with baited breath to see if Congressman Bob Beauprez is going to throw his hat into the ring. Holtzman well may be waiting to see what Beauprez will do before officially joining the race. Beauprez in, Holtzman out. Beauprez out, Holtzman in. State Treasurer Mike Coffman appears to be hanging in there for now. And the rumors are flying around former Congressman Scott McInnis.

Should Beauprez declare himself a candidate for governor, he would be the prohibitive Republican favorite. The only danger there would be the critical loss of incumbency in the 7th CD race. The Rocky reports some redeeming good news for the GOP, however. The first Democrat to declare her candidacy in the 7th CD is Joanna Conti, who ran an aggressive campaign against Tom Tancredo in the 6th CD. I have to agree with the Dead Governors: Conti is not the Dems’ best hope and will certainly look like an interloper in that race. But I won’t shed any tears over that.

On the Democrat side of the gubernatorial race, Congressman Mark Udall has already bowed out, and now the Dead Governors have some serious inside speculation that big Dem donors have serious doubts about the Rutt Bridges campaign. Does that leave room for John Hickenlooper? Andrew Romanoff? Jared Polis? Let’s wait and see.

Which gubernatorial candidates - Republican and/or Democrat - would you most want to see square off next fall?

Update, 10:30 p.m.: Word has come directly from Bob Beauprez’s office that the 7th CD Congressman is forming an exploratory committee to run for governor. My guess is that a few weeks of talking to enough people in the party will convince him he’s the GOP’s man to make a run for the state’s chief executive office.

A few weeks ago I posted on a significant case where two Fort Collins parents have filed a formal complaint against the local teachers’ union for violating campaign laws, including using public resources for political purposes.

According to Paul Marrick, one of the parents who filed the complaint, both sides have requested a continuance and no date has been set for the hearing to start. Eventually the case will go before an administrative law judge. And when it does, the light of day will be shined on the union’s practices. If Marrick and his fellow complainant Wayne Rutt are successful, it could be a critical blow struck for education reform in Colorado. Such a result could open up investigations into further violations and offenses in other locations.

Yes, it’s true, and there’s a way you can help to make it happen. The costs to bring the case before the law judge can get steep, and Marrick and Rutt aren’t able to finance it alone. Since what they are doing is not simply on their own behalf, but on the behalf of many others interested in bringing desperately-needed reform to the education monopoly, fellow reform-minded individuals should not hesitate to chip in. Marrick and Rutt are collecting funds through an organization known as the Society for Independent Teachers and Parents. Make a notation that the contribution is for the “Fort Collins Project” and send it to:

Society for Independent
Teachers and Parents
P.O. Box 1996
Denver, CO 80202

They would also appreciate your words of encouragement as they conduct this important fight for justice.

Update: The initial court hearing has been scheduled for May 2. The sooner you are able to help, the better.

Nearly 10 days after a grassroots campaign began, urging former Congressman Bob Schaffer to run for the Colorado Republican Party’s National Committeeman spot, the Denver Post has caught on:

Schaffer has not announced his candidacy for committeeman and refused Monday “to discuss the issue in the press.”

“It’s an internal party matter,” he said.

Conservative backers of the failed 2004 U.S. Senate candidate have launched an intensive e-mail campaign on his behalf.

The cumulative list of those participating in the “intensive e-mail campaign” can be found here, here, and here. Now add the following to the list:

-Terry Kunkel, Chairman
-George Culpepper, Vice Chairman
-Lois Landgraf, Secretary
-Jeff Crank
-Robert Balink
-Matthew Werner
-Colin Mullaney
-John Newsome
-Conrad Gutierrez
-Kent Lambert
-Paul Lundeen
-Amy Lathen
-Amy Stevens
-Anna Bartha
-Amy Mullaney
-Cindy Newsome
-Sam Schafer
-Mary Ann Tebedo
-Allisa Bohall
-Linda Carroll
-Sharon Adams

Four days until the State Central Committee meeting, and still no official announcement from Bob Schaffer. If you have yet to add your voices to those urging him to run, drop him an e-mail at Schaffer.Bob@gmail.com.

Cliff May has posted some incredible pictures of the massive freedom demonstrations in Beirut over at The Corner.

Note to the Left’s Fever Swamps: get back to work coming up with explanations for how all that progress towards freedom in the Middle East is happening in spite of President Bush. You’re falling behind!

Would you be shocked to learn a major teachers’ union is more interested in punishing Wal-Mart than helping kids? The Evergreen Freedom Foundation (EFF) in Washington state originally broke this story last week in a revealing opinion piece.

The Washington Education Association (WEA) to their credit has sponsored a Children’s Fund to provide “$50,000 a year for such things as warm coats, new shoes and basic school supplies to thousands of students who otherwise would go without.” But recently, WEA decided to stop reimbursing teachers for some of their expenses because they were buying goods from Wal-Mart.

The EFF editorial highlights the fact that ALL Washington state teachers’ dues fund the program - just like they ALL fund vast amounts of Democrat political activity - and then brings the point home:

When teachers see a need and want to extend their hearts to a child that comes into class shivering, why should they be restricted in meeting the need by the WEA’s self-serving political agenda? If the WEA claims that teachers are underpaid, why is it penalizing a teacher for trying to stretch her meager dollar by buying a coat at Wal-Mart for $13.88 rather than elsewhere for $24.99? Rather than vilifying teachers’ use of money, the WEA should condone their generous spirit. After all, it’s about the children, right?

The story has been followed up at MSNBC.

Clay has been compiling a list (here and here) of those Colorado Republicans raising their voices urging Bob Schaffer to run for National Committeeman. While Clay is excused to attend LPR, here are a few more who have declared their support:

The Douglas County delegation - which also includes previously mentioned supporters Senator John Evans, Representative Ted Harvey, Representative Mike May, and Laura Teal - has issued the following statement:

We ask our many friends in other delegations to join with us in demonstrating our commitment to Bob, Colorado and our great Republican Ideals, by clapping, cheering and offering other expressions of support, until such time as the Party has tendered, and Bob has accepted the position of National Committeeman.

Eight days to go….

Gary Harmon, columnist for the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel - on the far west end of the state for those unfamiliar with Colorado - has issued a call to the CU Board of Regents to keep it simple when they choose the university’s next president:

Misplaced reliance on a long line of bookworms well steeped in the nuances of medieval animal husbandry or Jackson Pollock-brushstroke patterns as revealed in his lesser-known works was what landed higher education in general in the briar patch it now uncomfortably inhabits. CU just happens to be the institution squirming most at the moment.

No, what the regents need to look for is the kind of leader who can reintroduce the erudite and sophisticated faculty at CU to some rather rudimentary facts that have escaped their notice. Call it the “Sesame Street” approach.

Harmon suggets that current governor Bill Owens would be an ideal candidate for the CU presidency, but it’s doubtful the writer is aware of Owens’ friend Hugh Hewitt’s campaign for the post. His nationally-syndicated radio show is only available on the Internet to folks on the Western Slope. It appears that Colorado’s current Chancellor of the Collegiate Peaks would fit most of Harmon’s qualifications:

The new head Buff also would do well to appreciate football, be generally acceptable to Coloradans from Cortez to Burlington, to say nothing of Delta to Denver, and be looking for a situation.

As it happens, there is someone with a varied background, executive experience, political heft, an appreciation of timely, scholarly work such as that of Victor Davis Hanson and the need for a visible perch for the next five to 10 years.

It’s debatable how much a Buckeye / Cleveland Browns fan can be judged to truly “appreciate football.” Hugh would need an opportunity to clarify his other qualifications. But then again he has been sheltered away in the nation’s capital for some highly sensitive strategy meetings and hasn’t had a chance to promote his candidacy.

Besides Hugh, King Banaian and SWP have also submitted their names for the RMA’s consideration. Are you interested? Drop an e-mail to Jim (jimc@thinkingright.net).

Now that Florida’s Judge George Greer has denied motions:

1) to allow for any form of natural feeding if the tube is removed from Terri Schiavo and
2) to re-open a medical investigation by Florida’s Department of Children and Family,

Terri’s family is stepping up efforts to impeach Greer, citing a series of clear Florida statutes that his rulings have violated.

John at Blogs for Terri sees this as a potential blessing in disguise. He argues that the hubris the judge is showing might arouse some fence-sitting lawmakers to action. To answer his question, we can only hope that pride will be the imminent fall of Greer’s decision.

Seriously, this case just makes my head spin and my stomach turn. The more I read and study about it, the more I see the injustice. Yet I can’t understand why something can’t be done. More prayers, my friends… more prayers.

It’s been precisely three-and-a-half years since the fateful and tragic day of 9/11. Victor Davis Hanson looks back at the “turning points” since that day and judges American foreign policy successes up to this point. As always, Dr. Hanson is a must-read.

Thanks to Amy, who I met last night at the Independence Institute’s Dan Rather party, I’ve discovered some more blog connections. My pastor’s son - who is a lawyer at the same firm as Amy - has been called up from the Reserves to serve active JAG duty in the Middle East, leaving his wife at home with their five children.

Andy has a blog and a photoblog. His wife Amy (different from the Amy I met) has her own blog, too.

A good reminder of what our servicemen and women and their families sacrifice and face on a daily basis. Keep them in your prayers, and send a military person or his/her family your thanks.