Mount Virtus

Update, 10/5: At least one person has informed me they received a message with the incorrect address, followed more than a day later by a message with the correct address. As long as everyone can find the shining golden dome downtown….

Did anyone else out there get a robocall this weekend from the Scott McInnis for Governor campaign, announcing a Monday event kicking off a statewide tour? A friend who received the call told me that the voice on the message was from McInnis’ wife: “Twice she stated that Scott will be speaking at the State Capitol located at 20th and Broadway.”

Say what? That would be only about five blocks off.

I know that the early success of primary rival Josh Penry may have thrown McInnis off track a bit, but who would have guessed just how hard a time he might have finding the governor’s office?

I’d love to hear if anyone else received the same message.

Check out the latest great health care video contribution from Catholic Vote Action — a terrific, 2-minute satirical public service announcement for Big Government. Let’s add it to the pantheon of must-see YouTube videos on the current debate over Obama Care: (more…)

Pay attention, all you Jon Caldara groupies. Next Thursday is your big chance to schmooze with Jon and “the good folks behind our TV show Independent Thinking.” A $10 donation to KBDI gets you into the Golden Hotel on October 8 from 6-9 PM for this special event. Come if you can (it won’t be Friday night, so no need to be stuck in front of your TV set watching medium-brow local PBS public affairs broadcasting), and spread the word.

News came down this evening that Patrick Swayze succumbed to his battle with pancreatic cancer and died at the age of 57. We Coloradans especially can be grateful for his heroic vigilante service in the early years of World War Three. The 30-something high schooler and his brave band just may have provided the morale needed to ultimately turn the tide in our favor. Then again, the Red Army’s decision to dedicate so much resources to taking over a rural town and school may have factored in somewhere as well: (more…)

When you are in the bottom tier of candidates in the crowded primary field for Colorado’s Republican U.S. Senate primary nomination, you have to do what you can to attract attention. Enter the physically fit and environmentally responsible grassroots candidate Luke Korkowski, who today announces: (more…)

The Sam Adams Alliance presents a lighter look at the rough life of a government health czar and the new Moolah for Medicine program. I think you’ll find it four minutes well spent — I can tell you the cute and feisty Baby Virtus sure got a kick out of watching this video: (more…)

Yesterday the official news finally rolled out that Jane Norton is getting into the U.S. Senate race. Today one case of deja vu follows another. Norton of course is most well-known for running on the 2002 Bill Owens statewide ticket and serving as lieutenant governor during his second term.

So (thanks to an astute reader who brought it to my attention) I guess this similarity is more than just a mere coincidence: (more…)

Last Friday, the Dump Reid PAC out of Nevada sent out an email update that included the following note about Colorado’s Republican Party chairman and a leading Republican contender to take on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in 2010:

Sources confirm that Dick Wadhams was in Las Vegas recently to meet with [Sue] Lowden and is prepared to join the campaign if/when it becomes official.

Awakening from the long Labor Day weekend, the Dead Governors opined on Tuesday morning: “Dick Wadhams is reportedly considering a move to Nevada.”

Some time later that same day, fellow Right-leaning Colorado blogger Joshua Sharf reported on a memo from Wadhams that all but definitively indicated he had no plans to head to the Silver State. The Associated Press made it more definitive: (more…)

Colorado Republicans and others looking to have a Secretary of State’s office under competent leadership, looking out for fair elections and an honest campaign process, will want to take note of a fundraising event coming up the Saturday after Labor Day in the Denver area.

It’s billed as “a great afternoon all-you-can eat BBQ featuring pints of Guinness & top Colorado microbrews to benefit the candidacy of Scott Gessler, Colorado’s next Republican Secretary of State.”

It starts at 3:00 PM on Saturday, September 12. The suggested contribution is $20. For more information on location and to RSVP, contact Shana -at- ScottGessler.com or call 815.790.1165.

Could a rare newspaper editorial voice for liberty — a long-time fixture on Colorado’s Front Range — be on its last legs? Sean Paige writes about news of bankruptcy at the Colorado Springs Gazette (where he used to be the editorial page editor) and the possible demise of the “Freedom Philosophy” on the newspaper’s opinion pages.

Like the demise of the Rocky Mountain News, this too would be a sad development for Colorado. But if it does come to pass, is new media ready to step in the gap? Paige’s own Local Liberty Online is one place to start, but those are huge shoes to fill.

Local blogger Zombyboy is organizing a counter-protest this Friday evening (August 28) at 5 PM at the Tivoli Commons on Denver’s Auraria campus as the pro-Obama Care crew buses into town. Richard Combs plans to attend, and is drumming up more support.

If you can make it, remember to take the opportunity not only to say No to the Obama Care government health care takeover, but also Yes to consumer-centered, pro-freedom health care reforms.

Colorado Democratic State Party headquarters on 8th and Santa Fe in Denver was vandalized last night. Windows broken out, etc. Not good. Obviously the work of someone without respect for private property, and without respect for an honest, healthy debate. A criminal act that should be dealt with appropriately.

However, initial reports quoted the Democratic state party chair trying to frame the incident as the responsibility of opponents of the Obama Care government health care takeover:

“We ought to be having a serious, conscientious debate about what’s best for the country,” [state Democratic party chairwoman Pat] Waak said. “Clearly there’s been an effort on the other side to stir up hate. I think this is the consequence of it.”

The problem? (more…)

So I hear that some wacko Lefties are trying to boycott Whole Foods because the company’s CEO wrote a widely read opinion-editorial for the Wall Street Journal explaining why Obama Care is bad medicine and offering a proven, constructive alternative.

I’m proud to say that the lovely Mrs. Virtus today went shopping at Whole Foods. It wasn’t the first time, and certainly not the last. We’re not overboard on the natural foods thing, but with some pretty serious food allergy issues in our household, the availability of some alternatives they offer is quite convenient. Being very cost-conscious consumers, we tend to purchase different types of groceries and necessities at different stores. So it’s not like we give Whole Foods a tremendous amount of business.

But today the shopping excursion took on a whole new meaning. I didn’t get to join in the fun, but I especially took joy in picturing the family grocery getter parked in the Whole Foods lot sporting a brand new “He’s Not My Doctor” bumper sticker on the back, compliments of the Independence Institute.

If you haven’t shopped at Whole Foods before, take the opportunity at least to check it out.

I’ve been behind the times a bit, and am striving to catch up. The Scott McInnis teeth-and-claws interview (MP3) with Caplis & Silverman on 630 KHOW?

Simply bizarre. (more…)

Last night as I put the elder Virtus child to bed, we looked at her stack of four Berenstain Bear books. In a rare display of 3-year-old magnanimity, she told me, “Daddy, you pick the story.” So I picked up the copy of Old Hat, New Hat and delightfully suggested, “Let’s read this one.” A bare second passed before little pale fingers reached instead for Bears in the Night, as she insisted, “No, let’s read this one.” And so, naturally, we discarded all talk of headwear and instead followed the little bears through the dark up Spook Hill to the hooting owl and back.

Before we began the story, however, the thought struck me: The scenario was an apt metaphor for the Obama Care “public option” … “Why yes, Mr. DeGrow, you can choose from among these insurance plans” … “Terrific, I’ll go for that one” … “Sorry, I think you meant to select the ‘public option’ over here” … “Oh, I see, not really much of a choice, is it?”

Or, play along with me, maybe the Obama Care “public option” is a lot like the famous Monty Python cheese shop sketch: (more…)