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Home Archives for 2008

Archives for 2008

7/2/2008 By Ben 2 Comments

Remembering the Heroic Story of Little Round Top 145 Years Later

It was 145 years ago today that one of the more heroic and decisive - if also perhaps too well-known - actions in our nation's Civil War took place. If you've seen the movie Gettysburg, then you know just what I'm talking about: The daring and desperate charge by the 20th Maine volunteer infantry regiment from its position on the far left flank of the Union line. Led by Colonel (and future Governor) Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, the 20th Maine swung down Little Round Top in the late afternoon of July 2 and captured numerous members of a Confederate raiding force that threatened a critical breakthrough in its own desperate Pennsylvania invasion. Chamberlain and the 20th Maine's successful counter-charge played a pivotal role in setting … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Commemorative, General, History Tagged With: 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry, 24th Michigan Volunteer Infantry, Battle of Gettysburg, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, July 2, Little Round Top, memorial, Pickett's Charge, U.S. Civil War

7/1/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Our Own Jefferson County Once Again a National Political Battleground

Fort Collins blogger Andrew Boucher caught my attention by reprinting this snippet of an observation from the learned political guru Michael Barone:Jefferson County, Colo. Suburbs west of Denver. The inner Denver suburbs have been trending Democratic in recent years, and I expect Jefferson County will trend more that way this year. It voted 63 percent to 36 percent for Obama over Hillary Clinton in the caucus this year, but only 14,000 participated—far fewer than the 271,000 that voted in the 2004 general election. My impression is that this county, like many inner suburbs, is becoming more downscale; the big population growth of young affluent families is to the south, in Douglas County. One problem for Barack Obama is that he may not do … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General

7/1/2008 By Ben 7 Comments

Baseball with Fred Barnes

It was my privilege to spend time with Fred Barnes - executive editor of Weekly Standard and co-host of Fox News Beltway Boys - at yesterday evening's Colorado Rockies game. Thanks to Tom Roche of Roche Constructors, Inc., for generously providing an extra seat in his guest suite (which included a nice spread of baseball-friendly food and fixings), and to my Independence Institute colleague Amy Oliver for inviting me along. It was the first time to Coors Field for Fred Barnes, an avid fan of baseball, most especially (and regrettably) of the Boston Red Sox. Fred Barnes has been a guest of the Independence Institute in the Denver area for the past several days - centered around his keynote speaking appearance at Saturday's ATF Party. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, My Life, National Politics, Sports and Leisure Tagged With: Amy Oliver, ATF party, Baseball, Colorado Rockies, Coors Field, Fred Barnes, Greg Maddux, Hillsdale College, Independence Institute, politics, Roche Constructors, San Diego Padres, Tom Roche

7/1/2008 By Ben 1 Comment

Barack Obama’s Colorado TV Ad Dressed Up with Clear Exaggerations

Barack Obama has a new television ad that's airing in 18 states, including here in Colorado. Marc Ambinder has the video and transcript:OBAMA: I’m Barack Obama, and I approve this message. Announcer: He worked his way through college and Harvard Law. Turned down big money offers, and helped lift neighborhoods stung by job loss. Fought for workers’ rights. He passed a law to move people from welfare to work, slashed the rolls by eighty percent. Passed tax cuts for workers; health care for kids. As president, he’ll end tax breaks for companies that export jobs, reward those that create jobs in America. And never forget the dignity that comes from work. Very cleverly worded to exaggerate Barack Obama's role on each of the main points … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fiscal Policy, General, National Politics Tagged With: Barack Obama, exaggeration, fiscal irresponsibility, health insurance program, Illinois state legislator, Marc Ambinder, political TV ad, tax cuts, Washington Post, welfare reform

6/30/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Not in My Future

Monday morning, little time to write. As I get ready to head back for another week of work, I ironically find this posting for a job that probably isn't in my future. Given my credentials, I doubt I would even get a phone call for an interview. Oh, well. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Education, General, Labor, My Life, Random and Miscellaneous

6/29/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Good News for Amendment 46

If you're running a statewide ballot initiative campaign, these are the kind of numbers you want to see:A national survey conducted jointly by the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post.com, and Quinnipiac University released Thursday shows that the majority of Colorado voters — Democrat and Republican alike — overwhelmingly support Amendment 46, also known as the Colorado Civil Rights Initiative. The proposed constitutional amendment would prohibit government from considering race or gender in education, government employment, or public contracting. The poll, conducted last week, showed that 66 percent of all voters surveyed were supportive of the initiative's language, with just 15 percent saying they were opposed. Democrats were … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General Tagged With: Amendment 46, ballot initiative, Colorado Civil Rights initiative, Face the State, poll, Qunnipiac University, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post

6/26/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Chalk One Up for the Constitution… and Independence Institute’s Dave Kopel

Once in awhile, the U.S. Supreme Court gets it right. Today that's the case with the 5-4 landmark ruling in DC v Heller that overturns the Washington, D.C., gun ban and sets the Second Amendment on the solid terrain intended by our nation's Founders. Around the Independence Institute, where research director Dave Kopel is one of the most renowned experts in the field, this makes for a busy day, and one of celebration. Dave authored a friendly brief to the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of the Institute and numerous law enforcement organizations, providing evidence of how citizens owning firearms is important to public safety. Dave also was one of three attorneys who sat at plaintiff Heller's table during the oral arguments before the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Commemorative, General, Second Amendment Tagged With: amicus brief, ATF party, Constructively Reasonable, Dave Kopel, DC v Heller, Human Events, Independence Institute, iVoices, Jon Caldara, oral arguments, Pajamas Media, Reason, SCOTUS blog, Second Amendment, U.S. Supreme Court, Washington DC

6/26/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Romanoff Missing Summer Fun to Put Anti-Taxpayer Measure on Ballot

The Rocky Mountain News reports today on outgoing House Speaker Andrew Romanoff's intense efforts to place an initiative on the ballot that would forever end TABOR refunds for Colorado taxpayers. Of course, the skewed way the Rocky describes the ballot measure, you wonder what sensible person could oppose it:While the rest of Colorado is hiking, rafting, barbecuing or putting in some serious hammock time, Romanoff, D-Denver, and a group of volunteers will hit the streets attempting to gather about 120,000 signatures from registered voters.... The proposal aims to unsnarl the fiscal knot of conflicting spending mandates and limits embedded in the state's constitution. Called SAFE (Savings Account for Education), the effort would seek … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General Tagged With: Amendment 23, Andrew Romanoff, Ari Armstrong, ballot initiative, barbecues, Democrats, petition signatures, Referendum C, Rocky Mountain News, SAFE, Statist Alternatives to the Freedom Epidemic, TABOR

6/26/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Mark Udall Ran Away from a Bipartisan Online Debate: Wrap-up Edition

The hackles have been raised over at the Dead Guvs, as a post by reliable conservative blogger El Presidente has been promoted to the front page: For whatever it's worth, he highlights the revelation of the story behind the online debate between Bob Schaffer and Mark Udall that never materialized. The debate was the brainchild of respectable liberal blogger David Thielen, who had hosted several of these debates during the Democratic primary. For the U.S. Senate race, he sought the fair and balanced approach, and I agreed to co-moderate. Kudos to David for promoting El Presidente's entry, for verifying the facts presented, and for defending the truth against the slings and arrows of outrageous insults. My already significant respect … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, Colorado Politics, General, My Life, National Politics Tagged With: a watcher, Bob Schaffer, Colorado Pols, David Thielen, El Presidente, Mark Udall, name-calling, Online debate

6/25/2008 By Ben 6 Comments

New Conservative Joins RMA 2.0

The Rocky Mountain Alliance 2.0 keeps growing: Welcome aboard Steve Nielson from The New Conservative (also a new father!). In his spare time, Steve is a Lockheed engineer, as well as the secretary of the Douglas County Republican Party. He's also the third RMA member to be a graduate of the Leadership Program of the Rockies. Make sure to bookmark his site for regular visits if you haven't done so already. Welcome aboard, Steve! … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, General, My Life Tagged With: New Conservative, Rocky Mountain Alliance, Steven Nielson

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About Me

Ben DeGrow
Grateful and growing Christian, devoted husband and father of 3, public policy analyst, returned to Michigan by way of Colorado, conservative writer, lifelong learner, Detroit Tigers fan.

Recent Posts

  • AI-Enhanced Cyberbullying: The Dark Side of Teen Innovation
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