From Fox News, a reminder that the federal government has nowhere near cornered the market on petty tyranny:

Pastor David Jones and his wife Mary have been told that they cannot invite friends to their San Diego, Calif. home for a Bible study — unless they are willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars to San Diego County.

“On Good Friday we had an employee from San Diego County come to our house, and inform us that the Bible study that we were having was a religious assembly, and in violation of the code in the county.” David Jones told FOX News.

Wow … simply wow. Just a friendly reminder that we need fellow liberty-loving citizens representing us at all levels of government.

A hate crimes bill has passed through the US House (H.R. 1913) and is now before the Senate (S. 909).  Basically, a hate crimes bill makes not only actions done against others criminal, but also the motives behind the actions.

The bill in question would make it an extra crime to commit crimes against people due to a hatred of their sexual orientation (includes homosexuality, pedophilia, being normally married, etc.), or a number of other things (such as race and religion).  I would like to suggest two basic problems with hate crimes legislation:

1. The hate crimes bill/concept breaks one of the fundamental principles of our country, equal intrinsic human value:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. (more…)

A quick-hit double-link in the form of two recent essays I recommend as timely and relevant reading for thoughtful lovers of liberty:

• “The Welfare State and the Meaning of Life” by Greg Forster, whose work I have come to know through his excellent research and analysis of school choice issues, but in this case makes a strong moral case against socialism
• “Ron Paul’s Secession Lies on Video” by libertarian lawyer and thinker Tim Sandefur, a college classmate of mine who delivers a remedial lesson in United States history and the Constitution to the Congressman and former presidential candidate … It’s one thing to speak up loudly against federal overreaches and for a renewed respect of the 10th Amendment, it’s quite another to call for unilateral secession from the Union (There is one sentence in Sandefur’s essay that I must disparage: Find it, and earn yourself a few bonus points)

Lovers of liberty need to be articulate and discerning, especially in these critical times.

So yesterday I receive this verbatim email message from a mysterious “Victorila Rasheem” (all errors of spelling and syntax preserved):

I think taht your website should do a think on Cleve Tidwell. Most say that he has the support of most if not all of the major donors in the state. Also much of the grassroots is excited for him and is backing him to be the senator for colorado. I do not know if Dick Wadhams found him or not but if he did it was a good find because he is a good candidaet and wiill win. He is a very good speaker and will be at most events when he is senator because he will represent people in Colorado. Also, he has not spoken with the press so whatever you might hear if anything is probably just their way of trying to create a story or gossip. He has wonderful friends in the news media and when the time is right he will discuss with them. He is a very busy man but he will get the job done because that is his way.

The source of the email message was “coloradovoterinthesenaterace@gmail.com” — a real random coincidence if ever there was one. Read the message carefully, and you’ll understand how bizarre and far-fetched and meaningless are the claims contained therein.

Guess I just should be thankful that it wasn’t an email from Mr. Tidwell’s Nigerian benefactor asking for a $1,000 campaign contribution to be delivered to a foreign post office box. But following on the heels of another Colorado blogger’s experience with spam from Cleve Tidwell supporters, I shouldn’t be too surprised by the development.

If the true origin of this message was from a Tidwell supporter, all I can say is thank you for attempting to insult my intelligence. I briefly met Mr. Tidwell in person once and heard him testify twice at the state legislature, and such tactics doubtless are not helping his cause. Perhaps he might even publicly disavow them.

To me, except for the mystery of who could possibly have such a motive, it makes more sense that this email is part of a scheme by someone trying to undermine Mr. Tidwell’s nascent quasi-candidacy. Because it’s closer to the actual effect.

The main reason I’m posting this for public eyes to see is in hopes of tracking down other messages from “coloradovoterinthesenaterace@gmail.com”, and hopefully put the silly mystery to rest before I pursue writing anything more about Cleve Tidwell here. If you too have been contacted by this shadowy Gmail account, please feel free to post a comment or drop a line.

It’s been awhile since I’ve done any sort of book review. But having just completed Adam Schrager’s The Principled Politician: The Ralph Carr Story, it seemed an apt time to change that. Those who won’t want to miss this book include students of Colorado history, fans of the World War II era (especially the home front), and anyone interested in a sadly forgotten inspirational story that seems foreign in today’s all-too-jaded and polarized world of politics.

As introduced to readers in The Principled Politician, Ralph Carr (1887-1950) — Republican governor of Colorado from 1939 to 1943 — was a rare model of statesmanship. Fittingly, he held deep admiration and adulation for our nation’s 16th president Abraham Lincoln. He recognized the value of Lincoln’s political maxim — “A universal feeling, whether well or ill founded, cannot be safely disregarded” — and sought to balance it with a commitment to upholding and advancing the ideal of equality under the law. (more…)

Update, 9:40 AM: Rossputin has a more thorough and comprehensive debunking of the ProgressNow nonsense. It’s simply a must-read. Also, Joshua explains the “astroturfing” myth and why the Left is pushing it.

Here’s a shock: the local Soros-funded Lefty media hack is completely misrepresenting the Tax Day Tea Party here in Denver and as a nationwide movement. What else would you expect? Mike Huttner has to earn his keep from the sugar daddy somehow. The vapid silliness coming from ProgressNow includes:

• Selectively finding the few offensive signs of the common sense-challenged out of thousands to paint the crowd with a broad brush of ignorance and hatred (here’s a video that helps give lie to this tactic)
• Parroting discredited CNN talking points about a genuinely grassroots movement to make the hundreds of thousands who showed up on their own look like corporate puppets
• Imagining that a certain public figure spoke at the event, in a pathetically transparent attempts to launch a naked partisan attack

Details at the People’s Press Collective, complete with a suggestion for a response, especially if you were there:

Oh, and if you attended the Tea Party rally Wednesday and you’d like to explain to Mike Huttner at ProgressNow what it was really about, he helpfully provided his own telephone number on the press-release linked above: 303-931-4547.

But a word of caution: George Soros, Michael Huttner, and ProgressNow already have shown they want to characterize you as “belligerent right-wing protesters”. Kill them with a courteous clarification of the record; don’t feed their prefab stereotype.

Update VI, 4/16: Here are some pictures taken by Jimmie H. Butler at yesterday’s rally in Colorado Springs. Re-posted with permission:

Update V, 4/16: My brother-in-law has a great set of photos from yesterday’s Denver event. Slapstick Politics has begun to post video from the well-attended festivities at the West Steps of the Capitol. Rossputin has some “Post-Tea Party Thoughts” that includes photos, video, and an interactive poll question.

Here is a great site that is tallying attendance reports from Tea Party events all across the country. I’ve already notified the site operator with a few reports from Colorado locations he hadn’t yet received.

Update IV, 10:00 PM: Over at Free Colorado, Ari has a good initial analysis and a slew of pictures from Denver’s event. Face The State’s coverage and slide show can be found here. Zombyboy has a nice spread of photos and some interesting thoughts as well.

Lovers of liberty need only scoff at these half-hearted Saul Alinsky disciples.

Update III, 3:45 PM: My source from Colorado Springs says about 4,000 people showed up at the Tax Day Tea Party rally there earlier today.

Update II, 3:10 PM: Other Colorado Tax Day Tea Party estimates … Fort Collins = 1,000, though one attendee reports on Facebook that it was closer to 2,500 … Grand Junction = 2,000, where speaker Ryan Frazier announced he is moving forward as a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate … Debbie Buckley reports 60 to 70 attendees, mostly first-timers, up in the mountains at Frisco … Awaiting word from other locations – please drop me a line if you have an update …

Update, 2:30 PM: Returned a little while ago from the Denver Tax Day Tea Party. It was HUGE. The Denver Post says “more than 5,000 people” were there, and I’d be hard-pressed to disagree with that estimate. People were flocking in and out. An upbeat crowd – enthusiastic, energetic, waving signs, cheering. No problems with Lefty disturbances that I could see.

Stay tuned to this site and to the People’s Press Collective and Rocky Mountain Right for more coverage and photos of the event.

It’s Tax Day, and that means it’s time for Colorado taxpayers to (Tea) party:

• El Presidente has all the details you’ll ever need to find a rally near you, as well as other key links
• Randomridge has printable advice on how to deal with potential Lefty disturbances at the rallies
• Rossputin gives us some compelling (and visually-enhanced) reasons why Tax Day is “a time to mourn and protest”
• Just getting involved as a pro-liberty activist, and wondering where to go from here? Check out this great resource “Getting Connected in Colorado”, compiled by fellow Rocky Mountain Alliance blogger Night Twister
• After The Tea Party is another great resource to find out how to stay active

Sadly, if the legislative calendar is to be trusted, it looks like the majority Democrats in the state house have opted to avoid debate on the budget (SB259) and Pinnacol theft (SB281 and SB273) today. Maybe that will give more lawmakers time to come out and visit with the concerned constituents coming to their doorstep today.

We’ll see … Expect a follow-up report later.

From the New American Standard version:

Luke 24:1-9
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened that while they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling apparel; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” And they remembered his words, and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

I Corinthians 15:12-20
Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we witnessed against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.

From the great Charles Wesley hymn:

Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!
Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia!

He is risen! Rejoice!

Time to put politics aside for the next few days. First, serious reflections on Good Friday (all passages from the New American Standard Bible):

Matthew 27:45-46
Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?”

2 Corinthians 5:21
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

John 19:28-30
After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I am thirsty.” A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop, and brought it up to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head, and gave up His spirit.

Romans 5:6-9
For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

Also, deep and poignant reflections from Monte Canfield on Christians approaching the foot of the cross and acknowledging: “I Crucified You”.

Anticipating the third day and the all-important Resurrection of our Savior.

My name is Ryan Morgan and, at the kind request of Ben, I will be guest posting from time to time on this blog. 

A 21-year-old resident of Arvada, I was home educated and have a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration (focus in general management) from Thomas Edison State College.  I am a developer at a small software firm.

I am a Bible-believing Christian, not associated with any particular denomination, but with an experiential belief in forgiveness of sin solely through faith in Jesus Christ’s blood atonement at Calvary and His resurrection from the dead.

I am a conservative first and a Republican second.  I believe in limited, effective government; adequate (strong) national defense; and laws based on Biblically moral principles.

Through my participation in this blog and the discussion that grows from it, I hope both your and my understanding of the truth will be increased.  As Winston Churchill said:

“Truth is incontrovertible; malice may attack it and ignorance may deride it; but, in the end; there it is.”

The true goal of our discussion must be to learn and teach it.

This morning you can read the Denver Post‘s glowing “DeGette relishes stem-cell research triumph” by Michael Riley – in which the only dilemma is not the ethics of harvesting cells from dead unborn babies (or now, thanks to President Obama, spending taxpayer money to do so) but to what extent Denver’s liberal Congresswoman will have a successful political career now that her pet issue has been passed into law.

Or, if you actually want a thoughtful and critical approach to the issue, you can go back and refresh yourself with Yuval Levin’s masterful deconstruction of Diana DeGette’s book Sex, Science, and Stem Cells (H/T David Harsanyi).

I hope that the Post isn’t trying to imply from Riley’s article today that the ethical debate concerning embryonic stem-cell research is over (especially given the breakthroughs with adult stem cells), any more than many among the media, political and cultural elite are trying to tell us that the debate over anthropogenic global warming is over.

You hear a lot of talk about waste in government, especially in the bureaucracies at the federal level. But then you see an investigation by my Independence Institute colleague Todd Shepherd (also the founder of Complete Colorado), and that waste sort of comes to life. It becomes a little less abstract.

If the headline doesn’t draw you to take a peek, I’m not sure what will: “Excuse me, Homeland Security Department, how do you lose two forklifts?” (H/T Amy Oliver)

During one calendar year, the Customs and Border Patrol Agency by itself lost $7.1 million of material, including 171 desktop computers, 28 motion picture cameras, and – yes – 2 forklifts. Check it out for yourself, then do what the Independence Institute did: write members of Congress and ask them for an official investigation.

Update (3:15 PM): Here is a hot-off-the-presses iVoices podcast, with Jon Caldara and Dave Kopel discussing the end of the Rocky Mountain News era:

Only one more edition of a 150-year-old Denver journalistic institution before the axe falls. We knew the day was coming, but the sudden realization is still striking. More often than not, the Rocky‘s editors have provided a sensible, Rightward-leaning balance to the liberal Denver Post. That will be missed.

It’s a sad day for many good people – some of whom I have agreed with much more than others – who only have left the guarantee of one day of work and two months of pay. Here’s wishing them all the best in landing on their feet somewhere soon.

Even as we reflect back, the local media landscape is shifting rapidly. (How much longer will we even have the Post?) El Presidente reminds us of the opportunities before us in the wake of the Rocky‘s untimely demise.

Joshua Sharf also adds to the lament.

Update (2/26): El Presidente weighs in, along with Rocky Mountain Right and David Harsanyi. A little good judgment, please? Perhaps an apology or two?

The list of Republican state legislators over the past week with foot in mouth reaches three:

• Don Marostica
• Scott Renfroe
• Dave Schultheis

There’s much I could say about Senator Schultheis’ comments and rationale, but for the sake of time I’ll limit it to this: The best way to expose the pro-abortion Democrats’ hypocrisy on the issue would be to cast a vote in favor of life, not in favor of a confused moral message.

There is much, much, much room for the Republican Party to be the conservative party, the predominantly pro-life party, to welcome and encourage social conservatives into the party, without honoring and elevating this sort of political rhetoric and behavior.

(Sigh.)

Of course, it might also be politically incorrect to note that the Lefty manipulators will continue to try to paint the whole Republican caucus and Republican Party with the Dave Schultheis brush on this one. They’ll look silly for trying, but that won’t stop them. Schultheis has every right to say and believe what he wants, but the party leadership can and should do its part to remind people this is by no means a dominant political view within the GOP.

Remember, the Democrats who want to spend more of your money are not an isolated minority. But getting that message out there has just been made a lot harder. I look forward to focusing on that once again.

Hey, who knew intimidating and badgering workers was a religious virtue? Or that God opposes the secret ballot in workplace elections? Well, apparently, so say “55 Colorado faith leaders” who signed a letter and sent it to Congress on behalf of the deceptively-named Employee Free Choice Act.

(Or maybe they haven’t actually read the bill to see what it does.)

I don’t deny the Religious Left’s right to petition the government. They just happen to be terribly wrong on this issue.

With too much time on my hands, here’s a fun set of rhyming couplets to recapitulate the week just passed from the perspective of a hypothetical Lefty Colorado blogger:

Do I write about Marostica,
Or the dude with the Swastika?

A Republican lawmaker mocking his peers,
Or some guy to abuse for a few Josh Penry jeers?

I must blog on one or the other,
‘Cause what is there really to say about Suthers?

Do I write about Marostica,
Or the dude with the Swastika?

One gives our free-spending values that bipartisan glow,
The other had fun stealing Michelle Malkin’s show. (more…)

You don’t want to miss this! From a note just sent out by the Independence Institute‘s Jon Caldara:

President Obama is flying his corporate jet to Denver to sign a bill putting my children into debt. I want to give him a proper mile high welcome. The Independence Institute, along with Americans for Prosperity and other groups promoting sanity, are organizing a protest tomorrow, Tuesday, at noon at the west steps of the state capitol, and I hope you’ll be there.

We’ll have over-sized checks you can sign to show your family’s $30,000 commitment to the bill. I’ll be joined by Michelle Malkin, Mike Coffman, Bob Beauprez, Jim Pfaff from AFP and many others. I’m not usually one for public protests, because like so many on our side, I have a day job. But I just can’t allow this huge push down the slippery slope to socialism be signed here in Denver without standing up and saying, “hell no.” I wish to go on the record. Let the world know there were at least some of us who didn’t want to put our kids into debt for a bill that spends more than has been spent in the entire conflict in Iraq

Please come to the $30,000 a plate pork roast! [Links added]

Night Twister also has the details posted here – with a lovely picture to whet the appetite. No word yet on whether kosher alternatives will be available. Amy Oliver has pertinent comments. Lots of details over at Slapstick Politics as well.

Follow all the developments on the President’s visit and the rally at the State Capitol in downtown Denver over at the People’s Press Collective. Please join me and other bloggers, activists, concerned citizens, officials, and community leaders and lend your voice.

Go here to search through the Porkulus bill – aka the Generational Theft Act of 2009.

Update: Warner Todd Huston has a lengthier, more eloquent, and thoughtful piece up for your perusal.

Today is the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. And I’d be remiss not to acknowledge the moment. Ironically, even as we would honor the day of his birth, Lincoln himself would dismiss all inquiries about his youth and upbringing on the Frontier as “the short and simple annals of the poor”.

A man of rare ambition, savvy, and statesman-like vision, the colorful and quasi-religious mythology about our 16th President misses the mark, but not by as much as it would with most historical actors we can study. Outside the God-man Christ Jesus there have been no perfect men, no flawless or superhuman men, who have lived among us. But that doesn’t mean we have to imbibe the politically correct dogma that history is propelled forward overwhelmingly by sweeping social forces.

There are great men in history, and Abraham Lincoln is one of them. (Despite his best efforts to try to construct a comparative mythology, our current President is no Abraham Lincoln.) Black Power activists on the far left and neo-Confederate sympathizers on the far right are free to speak their piece, and they’re free to be wrong. I’ve been down this path before, and I have no time to travel down it again. (more…)

Update, 1/29: More coverage on Colorado Spending Transparency and Ed News Colorado, as well as a kind link from the Open Records blog.

This morning the Colorado Senate Education Committee got a bit of a surprise, it might seem, with a slew of concerned citizens coming forward to testify in support of Senate Bill 57 (PDF) (sponsored by state senator Ted Harvey) – which would bring something akin to full-fledged financial transparency to Colorado public schools.

It’s unusual to see more than 15 average citizens come forward to testify for a piece of legislation – and rarer yet, to have many of them do so quite eloquently. Most were from the metro Denver area, a couple hailed from Weld County, and one of them drove three hours over the mountains for the chance to speak three minutes.

They included former corporate executives who explained how enlisting employee support yielded tremendous cost savings (just like can be done by creating an online spending database to get public eyes on the government books). They included former elected local government officials who said in their esteemed positions they often didn’t have access to the sort of detailed financial information that such easy-to-create databases could usefully provide average citizens. (more…)

Update, 2/9, Noon MST: Here is a wonderful, brief article by Dr. Paul Prentice explaining the fallacy of the name “stimulus” for this bill and why it’s a terrible economic prescription.

Update, 2/9, 11:30 AM MST: Many, many visitors report difficulty getting to Americans for Prosperity’s No Stimulus petition. Thanks to one commenter for pointing out another No Stimulus petition you can sign (from John McCain’s Country First PAC). Keep up the good fight, everyone!

Update, 2/2, 2 PM MST: Numerous commenters have pointed out they’ve had problems getting on the site linked below to sign the No Stimulus petition. Site hosts confirmed to me that a sudden and dramatic increase in traffic occurred after a mention on Rush Limbaugh’s show, causing a temporary crash. Please check back again shortly.

Opposed to the Obama-Democrat trillion dollar pork bill? Outraged by the idea of further mortgaging you and future generations of Americans on a spate of government boondoggles? Want to vent about it but at least increase the chance your voice might be heard by someone out there?

Then I invite you to take two minutes and join me in signing Americans for Prosperity’s “No Stimulus!” online petition.

Don’t waste any time. Please do it now. At least let it be known where you stand before our nation takes a big leap down the road to socialism.