Update 2 (move to top): Michelle Malkin has picked up the story:

Diversity worship? Check.

Enviro-worship? Check.

“Choice?” The kind that Planned Parenthood supports, no doubt, and not educational vouchers, I’m sure.

File under: Reason number 10,000,000 to homeschool your children.

Couldn’t have said it better myself. Though we’re left to wonder why the word “comrade” was omitted from the Student Worker pledge.

Update: The latest version of the Rocky story contains a photo from this morning with the student club’s banner showing a large red star – an unmistakable symbol. It’s sad, these kids seem to have no idea what great evil was done and human misery caused in service to this symbol. You can also read their absurd alternative Pledge here.

A handful of Boulder teens carry on their city’s tradition of over-dramatized and inconsequential protest, reports the Rocky Mountain News today:

Waving signs and American flags, Boulder High School students this morning will stage the first of what could become many Pledge of Allegiance protests in the school courtyard.

Members of the activist Student Worker club are inviting their peers to leave class every Thursday at 8:30 a.m. — when the pledge is recited over the intercom — and meet in the courtyard to say a revised version of the pledge that doesn’t reference God.

“Student Worker club”? Does anyone really think there’s exaggeration involved when Boulder is described as a mini-socialistic state? And being that this is Boulder, who isn’t concerned that the administration will bend over backwards to accommodate these students? Here’s how the state-governed policy works now:

[Assistant principal Lynn] Donnelly said Boulder High’s daily pledge announcement starts with this invitation: “Please stand if you want to participate in the Pledge of Allegiance.”

“Then they go on with class,” she said. “It’s not disruptive.”

Since the assistant principal’s description of the practice goes unchallenged, why do the student socialists want a disruptive alternative?

Members of the student group say they have three main gripes with the way the traditional pledge is read at the start of second-period classes: It takes away from school time; it’s ignored or disrespected by mocking teens; and the phrase, “one nation, under God,” violates the separation of church and state.

“Boulder High has a highly diverse population, not all of whom believe in God, or one God,” [club president Emma] Martens said. “We didn’t think it was fair for the whole school to have to listen to it.

The first two arguments look to be fillers: their alternative isn’t a time-saver, and they’re doing nothing at all to propose more respect for the flag or the Pledge. The third argument, though, the meat of their argument, doesn’t mesh with history, the Constitution, or case law. These adolescents need a lot more civics education before telling us convincingly what violates the Constitution. It’s their opinion – fine – but it’s an ill-informed one.

And finally this from the socialist student club president:

“It’s almost religious oppression,” she said.

I hope Ms. Martens and her fellow students come to see that this sort of hyperbolic rhetoric denigrates the meaning of the term, as well as those in other countries who suffer from genuine religious oppression. Sadly, it’s a typical soft-headed, Left-wing tactic.

The administration should say: “We appreciate your right to your opinion, and give you time and space to share your views amongst those who choose to join and participate in your club. But the current Pledge policy is in line with state law, and there’s nothing about it that is disruptive or oppressive. You have the same rights as always to choose whether or not to participate in the Pledge each morning. But choosing to participate in a protest or demonstration that in any way disrupts the school day will result in fairly-administered consequences as provided in the student code.”

Simple, straightforward common sense in Boulder schools? Color me an optimist.

If you’re driving through downtown Denver this afternoon, watch out for the “Impeach Cheney” Moonbats: (more…)

Colorado baseball fans have stood up and taken notice at the amazing, unexpected run made by our Rockies down the regular season homestretch. Ten straight wins in September? Coming back from the brink to the thick of playoff contention? One game back in the wildcard with a chance to win the NL West Division? It’s a feel-good story for a young ball club that is gelling a season sooner than this amateur pundit expected. Clutch hitting, quality starts and fine work from the bullpen have anchored this underdog team.

Michael, a fan with a longer history of Rockies loyalty than myself (Colorado is my favorite National League squad, but all bets are off when they face my Detroit Tigers), has blogged his enthusiasm. Now I’m just waiting for Jared to chime in, but maybe he’s trying to avoid some sort of jinx (in which case, it’s all right if you wait ’till say, Sunday).

Will Coors Field be sold out for this weekend’s huge series against the Diamondbacks? I sure hope so. Go Rockies!

(For now, we won’t worry about the mind-boggling possibilities for endless playoff tiebreakers that could await the National League contenders next week.)

If you’re a Colorado political junkie but not a regular reader of the Denver Post’s Gang of Four group blog, you really should be. Head over there now and catch up on the debate stemming from MoveOn.org’s attacks against General Petraeus, between guest bloggers Jim Spencer on the Left and our buddy Joshua Sharf on the Right.

Godspeed to Lt. Col. (and state representative) Joe Rice, who will be deployed to Baghdad for a three-month stint starting in October, as reported today in the Denver Post’s Politics West:

Rice, who has three young children, said he looks forward to getting the “feel of the street” in Baghdad.

“Unless you are out there on the street, you just don’t get it,” he said.

As an operations analyst, Rice will look for the best practices among reconstruction teams. He plans to spend a lot of time with the Iraqi police force.

Rice, who has been in the Army for 23 years, said he didn’t think about asking for a special deployment exemption because he is a state lawmaker.

I am honored to have met Rep. Rice in May 2006, before he was elected to his current position at the State Capitol. He joins Sen. Steve Ward, who deployed to Iraq in late August, and follows in the footsteps of Secretary of State Mike Coffman, who took leave from his State Treasurer’s job in 2005-2006 to serve in the war on terror’s central front.

As I pointed out earlier upon learning of Sen. Ward’s departure, seeing another state legislator deployed should remind us how important it is to support all our troops.

As the Rocky’s editors bring home today … 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. The question remains: What is Ritter trying to hide?

The story of the juvenile, obscene editorial in the Colorado State University newspaper has prompted the Independence Institute’s Jessica Corry and Ryan Olivett (a current CSU student) to fire back with a sharp reminder in journalistic ethics:

Like a child howling in a candy store to get what he wants, the Collegian substituted a four letter word for genuine political discourse. All for attention. If only McSwane had stepped back for a moment to acknowledge not just his freedoms as an American—but also his ethical obligations as a newspaper editor.

According to the code of ethics espoused by the Society of Professional Journalists, “gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort,” but this doesn’t mean the “pursuit of the news (serves as) a license for arrogance.” Journalists are, therefore, advised to “show good taste.” By printing their juvenile editorial, McSwane and his staff irresponsibly violated this ethos.

El Presidente has been on top of this story since last week. Lesson for the young moonbats: You can’t hide everything you say behind the First Amendment, nor expect what you say to be immune from genuine criticism and/or negative consequences.

Sigh.

In today’s Face the State report, at least one Colorado labor union leader is twisting numbers to recruit allies in their attack on a proposal that would “protect a worker’s right to choose whether or not to join or pay fees to a union as a condition of employment.” This kind of statistical manipulation would make Media Matters proud.

The rightness of Aurora city councilperson Ryan Frazier’s cause is one thing, but the realities of deep union coffers suggest that passing a statewide Right-to-Work ballot initiative in 2008 figures to be an uphill battle. The question is whether defenders of freedom will let the truth become victimized in the political arena. I hope not.

Update: I’m clearly not the only one with this take on the Campos column. Check out Drunkablog’s snide comments, as well.
I’ve been mulling over what phraseology to use to describe this morning’s Paul Campos column in the Rocky Mountain News – screed, armchair psychological fantasy, scurrilous personal attack. (My sympathy for my unnamed friend, who is a law student in Prof. Campos’ class, only grows and grows.) Please note the absence of any shred of evidence or cogent argument:

But how respectable is [Bill] Kristol, really? Anyone who pays the least attention to him soon discovers that the ruling passion of Kristol’s life is to involve the United States in as many wars as possible, with as many enemies as he can find or create.

In short, Kristol thinks about war in much the same way the narrator of Lolita thought about 12-year-old girls: with a constant, obsessive, perverse longing.

What prompts this assessment? You’ll have to look somewhere else to discern the source of Prof. Campos’ profound insights into Mr. Kristol’s psyche. It doesn’t seem that he has actually read and engaged any arguments made in print by the Weekly Standard editor.

But the stunning conclusion about sums up the substance of the vapid piece, in which he favorably compares his filth-peddling neighbor to the Fox News contributor:

For my part, I’d rather give the Porn King the Presidential Medal of Freedom than shake Bill Kristol’s hand.

What’s Prof. Campos’ point? Perhaps a similar point he tried to make when he spuriously compared fellow law professor Glenn Reynolds – the Instapundit – to Ward Churchill. Tear down opponents’ arguments by making bizarre ad hominem attacks through analogies. Judging by the evidence presented, a legitimate in-person debate between Campos and Kristol would be no contest.

Surely there must be another columnist waiting in the wings that the Rocky could employ to make real, reasonable arguments in favor of the liberal worldview.

Facile, inaccurate comparisons are common fare among the Left in Colorado these days. Case in point: Diarist GoBlue on the Dead Governors site, convinced by the fact he has the ultimate “gotcha,” publishes a post that compares a Republican proposal that would allow small businesses to pool together to negotiate health insurance policies with a Democrat proposal that would require state and local governments to accept binding negotiated agreements.

Memo to GoBlue: There is a vast difference between allow and require. There is no Colorado law, nor should there be, preventing voluntary associations of public employees to meet, express their interests, and air their grievances. Such arrangements already exist. Besides, if Governor Bill Ritter’s back-room deals with union bosses were as innocent as liberal apologists try to portray them, can one of them explain the level of secrecy?

No law binds the government to accept arbitrated agreements – it already has the incentive to treat properly one of the highest-compensated state workforces in the U.S. And no law binds workers to pay fees for representation, whether or not they asked for it or believe they benefit from it.

The status quo in employee representation (not the secret Ritter plan) sounds very similar to the Republican proposal that would merely allow small businesses, if they so choose, to band together to get better rates on health insurance. It wouldn’t bind insurance companies to accept arbitrated agreements. And it wouldn’t force businesses to participate or subsidize participation in an insurance pool.

What Ritter wants sounds very different to me. The fact that the Left in Colorado so easily conflates the two proposals demonstrates either their lack of understanding of – or their lack of respect for – the principles of freedom. Time for GoBlue and friends to pull out a dictionary and read up.

Everybody’s favorite libertarian columnist at the Denver Post, David Harsanyi, is unveiling his long-awaited book Nanny State at an event tomorrow (Tuesday) evening at the Denver LoDo Tattered Cover store. The 300-page skewering of “food fascists, teetotaling do-gooders, priggish moralists, and other boneheaded bureaucrats” should be a provocative, page-turning read – sure to tick off people from across the political spectrum (for me, it would be any pro-Yankee stories).

If you’re in the Denver area and looking for something to do tomorrow evening, why not stop in the Tattered Cover, say hey to David, and maybe pick up a copy or two of Nanny State?

For your edification, in case you missed it, a great lead editorial from the Rocky today:

Somewhat surprisingly, “paycheck protection” is back. And it’s encouraging to see that even with a union-friendly governor and a Democratic legislature, this time the campaign could have lasting consequences.

Attempts to end the automatic deduction of union dues from paychecks without the prior consent of individual employees have generally gone nowhere. Legislation has failed. So have proposed ballot initiatives. The only paycheck protection measure that had any impact on automatic dues deductions – a 2001 executive order from Gov. Bill Owens that covered state employees – was rescinded by Gov. Bill Ritter this year.

The latest foray, however, known as Ask First, has chalked up some victories. Commissioners in Arapahoe, El Paso, Jefferson, Mesa and Weld counties have passed paycheck protection policies covering county workers. Voters in Centennial, Englewood and Greeley will decide in this fall’s election whether those automatic deductions would end for unionized workers employed by those cities.

By the end of the year, the free-market Independence Institute, which launched Ask First, says it’s possible that paycheck protection provisions might cover cities and counties where more than half of Coloradans reside.

We hope the campaign continues to gain ground, because governments should not serve as collection agents for any dues-based organizations, not just unions.

Though I would quibble with the use of the term “paycheck protection,” the piece is excellent overall. I won’t say much more in this venue, since educating the public about these policies has been part of my professional duties, and you’d probably rather hear about it from a less biased source – like the Rocky.

Go ahead and read the whole thing. Let the debate begin.

Today the Rocky Mountain News runs a story about metro-Denver area residents advertising their apartments or homes for rent during next year’s Democratic National Convention, and the outrageous prices they’re demanding:

Toby was one of 61 people in the Denver area with ads posted on Craigslist as of Wednesday, offering up their homes or apartments for rent during the week of the convention.

Prices ranged from $1,200 for a one-bedroom Capitol Hill apartment, up to $50,000 for a two-bedroom historic loft in LoDo.

Sure, you could try to stay in one of the 17,000 rooms the Democratic National Convention Committee has blocked off for the 35,000 people expected to flock to the convention. But wouldn’t you prefer a little more room to stretch out?

So I put the question to my faithful few readers: How much could I get for one week’s rent of the (fully-finished, 1 bed, 1 bath) basement of the luxurious Mount Virtus Estate? How much would really make it worthwhile to let a union hack, liberal activist, or other DNC delegate occupy part of my home for such a length of time? Hmmm.

Consider this post a plea for Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter (D) to pick a side of his mouth to speak out of. Echoing today’s Rocky Mountain News editorial:

Gov. Bill Ritter continues to insist that state employees don’t “feel valued,” as he said on Mike Rosen’s KOA talk show last Thursday, and that a “partnership for the 21st century” is needed to “acknowledge the work of state employees, to take their input, to \[deliver] a better service to taxpayers.”

Who on earth could oppose any of those objectives? Why wouldn’t the public prefer an entrepreneurial state work force that’s constantly aiming to improve its performance?

And if these are the governor’s goals, why doesn’t he simply implement them?

The self-described “CEO of state government” could start by instructing department heads to move toward a more collaborative working arrangement with state employees – and if his current management team can’t do that, Ritter could find new leaders who will.

And yet e-mails, memos and other documents that have come to light in the past month suggest that the governor is interested in the idea of collective bargaining for state employees. That would require a change in state law.

The governor has not denied that collective bargaining might be a part of his legislative agenda. Instead, he’s tried to downplay the impact it would have on state budgets. This indicates that he understands how radioactive the topic can be.

Gov. Ritter apparently is trying to keep the labor leaders who funded his election happy, while not scaring the moderate and independent taxpayers who voted him into office. But the Rocky is exactly right: If the governor wants to implement “a partnership for the 21st century,” there is nothing stopping him as the CEO of state government from putting it into action.

Instead, while using rhetoric that would indicate improving the efficiency and productivity of state government, Ritter is working behind closed doors with union bosses to craft collective bargaining legislation for an already highly-paid state workforce. In fact, publicly, he will neither confirm nor deny whether his plan includes “collective bargaining.” Sorry, you can’t have it both ways, Bill.

Happy 220th Birthday to the U.S. Constitution today. We knew thee well.

Today also remains the bloodiest day in U.S. history – the Battle of Antietam, Maryland – a battle that played a crucial role in helping to ensure that our Constitution would better reflect the Founders’ ideals as laid out in the Declaration of Independence.

What do Americans know about the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the U.S. Civil War? I couldn’t bring myself to look for detailed evidence. I’d rather have a happy Constitution Day … and same to you!

Rossputin has written an open letter to Wayne Wolf, the would-be primary challenger to Bob Schaffer for the GOP Senate nomination:

While I certainly appreciate the effort (and risk) that a person takes when running for office, especially an office as important as US Senate, I would like to suggest to you that unless your goal is to assist Mark Udall you should pick a different battle than challenging Bob Schaffer.

I do not intend to sound unkind, but I truly believe there is no chance you could beat Schaffer. On the other hand, you could cause him to waste time and money that could end up being the difference in a very close general election….

Consider this post a “ditto” to Rossputin’s letter (which you can read in full at his site), an electronic signature at the bottom of his letter, because he is spot on. Some reporter needs to fairly and candidly ask Mr. Wolf more questions about his intentions and motivations.

Wolf’s campaign will prove its relative worth soon enough, but the sincere political observer has to ask: Why the U.S. Senate? Why now? Why not run for a seat that lacks a qualified GOP candidate, like the 3rd Congressional District? More questions for reporters to ask….

Leading Colorado Democrats still don’t seem to understand how property owners paying a higher tax rate constitutes a tax increase, even though the new law signed by Democrat Gov. Bill Ritter will raise $114 million in new tax revenue:

But Rep. Jack Pommer, D-Boulder, who sponsored the House version of the school-finance bill, said Gardner doesn’t understand how the law works.

“It’s not a tax increase,” he said. ” . . . The money that comes from the school district never leaves the school district.”

He said the money was not going to the state budget and that all the local school districts affected by the law had held a vote to exempt themselves from the TABOR limits to keep the property tax revenues.

How else can Democrats justify their violation of the state constitution by refusing to ask the people of Colorado to approve a massive property tax increase? Pommer chose to stick to the retread argument that has been shot down numerous times. Most recently, the attorney general’s office clearly restated the case on the record:

But Deputy Attorney General Jason Dunn said that the Colorado constitution doesn’t allow the state to lean on past local elections as evidence of support.”The bottom line is that TABOR says if the state wants to change its tax policy to generate more revenue, the state must get voters’ permission,” he said.

In order for opponents to begin to make their case, the ballot questions from the local school district elections would have to include language stating that the district can keep revenues, “even if the state later changes tax policy.”

“Did voters really contemplate the state subsequently changing its tax policy? I highly doubt it,” said Dunn.

As I keep establishing the record of the Democrats’ failed and deceptive arguments to foist a property tax increase on Colorado, I invite readers to judge for themselves:

- August 2: “Ritter balks at Institute examining case for tax increase”

- July 27: “Democrats attempt to deceive about tax hike scheme”

- June 18: “Consequences of supporting a property tax increase”

- June 6: “Four weeks since Ritter hiked your property taxes”

- May 10: “Ritter signs property tax hike, sticks finger in taxpayers’ eyes”

- May 9: “Yes, it’s time to sue: arrogant tax hike leaves little choice”

- May 3: “iVoices: Hear AG Suthers explain need for vote on tax hike”

- May 3: “Harsanyi: Why not ask voters first?”

- May 1: “Colorado Dems ram through bill, snub voters, raise taxes”

- April 25: “Colorado schools keep raising funds from property taxes”

If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, you can call it whatever you want: it’s still a duck. The same goes for Democrats and tax increases.

Having written about health care reform a few times in recent months, I would like to bring your attention to a FREE opportunity to see the Colorado premiere of an exciting new film: Free Market Cure by independent filmmaker Stuart Browning. The event is sponsored by the Independence Institute, home of my day job. Details from the press release:

The premiere will be on Wednesday, September 19, at the Shwayder in the Mizel Center for Culture and Arts at 350 S. Dahlia Street in Denver. The movies and Browning’s commentary will begin at 7 p.m. and will be followed by coffee and dessert. The event is free and open to the public but seating is limited so reservations are requested. Please contact Kay at 303-279-6536 or kay@i2i.org.

If you’ve been subjected to Michael Moore’s deceptive Sicko, either directly or indirectly, Browning’s Free Market Cure is just the remedy you need. Even if you haven’t, you need to equip yourself to respond to Colorado’s coming campaign for expanded government health care. Gov. Bill Ritter and company are preparing to unleash a costly plan full of government mandates (go here and here to get the picture).

Our health care system needs repair, but not a top-heavy socialized treatment that would be worse than the disease.

The last time our calendars turned to Tuesday, September 11, a day arrived that America will never forget. We reeled in shock and horror at the immense magnitude of human tragedy and the terrible spectacle of giant symbolic man-made structures toppled into dust. Soon, we would be moved by remarkable acts of heroism and sacrifice – firefighters racing into the stairwells of the Twin Towers, the nameless passengers and crew of United 93.

Six years have passed. Except for those whose lives or loved ones were touched directly by the evil al-Qaeda attack, the sting has largely worn off. Our resolve to defend Western Civilization and the American ideal against the Islamofascist ideology of mass murder has waned (look at what is taught in so many Colorado schools to commemorate today), yet thank God that many brave heroes remain to serve and to sacrifice. We are all truly indebted to them.

We do not know our nation’s future course, but on this Patriot Day we can be reminded to do our citizen duty: to do all in our power to defend American honor, to be firm “in the right as God gives us to see the right,” to cherish and to help preserve “the last best hope of earth.”

The last time our calendars turned to Tuesday, September 11, was a horrible, unforgettable day. May today be solemn and inspiring, but far, far less memorable.

I’m back (and feeling refreshed) from a weeklong blog vacation. My hope is that I have not lost my entire readership during that brief span.

While I was gone, Rocky Mountain News editor Vince Carroll highlighted the illogic behind Democrat Gov. Bill Ritter’s attempts to promote state employee unionization:

Reminder to Gov. Bill Ritter: You’re in charge. No fooling. So if you want to “strengthen partnerships with snowplow drivers, prison guards and the other men and women who make up the state work force,” as your spokesman says, then by all means, do so.

If they’re being overworked or mistreated, then put people in charge who’ll treat them right. If their suggestions and concerns are being ignored, find department heads who’ll listen to them.

If their initiatives are being suppressed, then do something about it.

What’s stopping you?

But your responsibility as governor is not mainly to state workers: It’s to all Colorado residents, including taxpayers who expect the most modern, efficient delivery of services that government can provide….

Good questions for Governor Ritter: 1) What about your obligation to the taxpaying voters of Colorado? & 2) Are you management or are you labor?

The labor unions, which have briefed the governor’s office, want collective bargaining. The governor’s office steers far away from the term:

Ritter’s administration has not called the draft bill collective bargaining; instead, it says such partnerships are a way to make government use taxpayers’ money more efficiently.

“The governor has been very open about his support for expanding opportunities to partner with state employees,” Ritter spokesman Evan Dreyer said. “He believes that stronger partnerships will result in more efficient and accountable state government.”

You can understand why our state’s Democrat administration is hesitant to admit they’re planning to hand over the keys of state government to labor union leaders. But deceitful rhetoric aside, campaign promises are campaign promises.