Last Tuesday I received a review copy of The Blueprint: How the Democrats Won Colorado (and Why Republicans Everywhere Should Care by award-winning 9News political reporter Adam Schrager and former Republican state representative Rob Witwer. Despite having a lot on my plate, I found time to read the book in two evenings. The book is a quick read but remarkably packed with substance. Political insiders who have followed the past three election cycles in Colorado will find a good amount of familiar material, and may learn a few things on the way. Everyone else, buckle up. The transformation of Colorado's political power structures from Republican to Democratic dominance is a worthwhile and important study -- one that points to the … [Read more...]
Ernie Harwell, David Benke, and Appomattox: Making Today Memorable
Today -- April 9, 2010 -- will go down as a memorable day. First, my native state of Michigan officially declared it Ernie Harwell Day in honor of what looks very much like the legendary Hall-of-Fame baseball broadcaster's last Detroit home opener with us (and bless the Tigers, they beat Cleveland 5-2). Can't say it enough: Thank YOU, Ernie Harwell. I've also learned that lawmakers from my adopted home state of Colorado have declared today David Benke Day, in honor of the selfless, heroic teacher at Deer Creek Middle School who doubtless helped save student lives from a deranged gunman. I'm honored to have met both of these fine, humble men, and am glad to know they share the same commemorative day. They are both most deserving, each in … [Read more...]
When Will Colorado Be Ready for a New Labor Model Rooted in Freedom?
Is the United States ready for a new labor model, one more grounded in freedom of association and individual liberty? That's the central thrust of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation's new book -- Sweeping the Shop Floor -- for which I was honored to be a contributor. EFF labor policy analyst Rachel Culbertson joined me and my Independence Institute colleague Mike Krause for a conversation to whet your appetite for the book. Click the play button below (or follow this link) to listen to the 12-minute iVoices podcast: For more detail on the book's argument about how we can give workers more freedom in designing a labor model for the 21st Century and how it might work in Colorado public education and other government agencies, check … [Read more...]
Recommending Lewis Lehrman’s Lincoln at Peoria for Honest Abe’s 201st
On this 201st anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth, no lengthy tributes are needed -- I don't even have time to replicate the modest one I wrote last year for the bicentennial. I did, however, want to take the occasion to recommend a book to you that was recommended to me by fellow RMA blogger Don Johnson about Christmastime. Lincoln at Peoria by Lewis Lehrman highlights the great turning point in Abraham Lincoln's political career, the awakening that resulted from the Kansas-Nebraska Act and his powerful October 1854 speech at Peoria, Illinois, which sharpened the distinctly antislavery focus that led to his key role in forming the Republican Party, debating Stephen Douglas in 1858 and ultimately serving as President during our … [Read more...]
Looking for a Good Summer Fantasy Read? Try The Way of Shadows
Are you looking for a good summertime fiction read? A fresh story in the fantasy/action genre that is simultaneously fast-paced and in-depth? Then I urge you to buy a copy of The Way of Shadows, the first in the Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks. I love to read, but the fantasy/action genre -- nor fiction in general -- is typically not my cup of tea. Then again seldom do I know the author personally, as in this case. Brent and I went to Hillsdale College together, are fellow Sinfonians. Having that sort of a personal connection with the author made it easy to pick up the book. But once I did, the crisp and colorful storytelling, the unpredictable plot, and the compelling characters were what kept the pages and chapters quickly … [Read more...]
The Principled Politician Brings True Tale of Colorado Statesmanship to Life
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 … [Read more...]
Book Review: Maybe Another Afternoon
Rex Forrest Johnson. An Afternoon with Cody. Sioux Falls, SD: Pine Hills Press, 2006. Rating: 2 out of 5 "I am sandwiched between a seventy something woman and an even older looking man with a headset on listening to some very loud music. I can feel the vibrations of the tune as I stood next to the old geezer. Imagine what it is doing to his brain! Can we say, 'mush brain?' He is just bobbing his head up and down, back and forth, having a good old time.... He is oblivious to what is gong on until I tap him on the shoulder and point to my seat between them. I sat down between them and thought to myself that if this trip is 1400 miles, it is going to feel like 2800. The old man started tapping on both of his knees with open hands … [Read more...]
Add The Da Vinci Codebreaker to Your Spiritual Arsenal
James L. Garlow. The Da Vinci Codebreaker. Bloomington, MN: Bethany House, 2006. "In one sense, The Da Vinci Code has done Christianity and the Bible a great favor, sparking questions believers should have been asking and answering long before reading about 'the code.' If people will seriously examine the historical data, they will know what they believe and why they believe it." So writes Dr. James Garlow in the preface of his concise and easy-to-use new reference tool, The Da Vinci Codebreaker. As American evangelical Christianity continues to broaden and stretch, the need for solid depth in a biblical foundation becomes more apparent. That some Christian believers would shrink in doubt and embarrassment before the dubious … [Read more...]
Book Review: Globally Underwhelmed
Joseph A. Klein. Global Deception: The UN's Stealth Assault on America's Freedom. Los Angeles: World Ahead Publishing, 2005. Having served several times as a delegate at my county and state Republican assemblies, one of the resolutions frequently voted on is: "The United States should withdraw from the United Nations." No proposed resolution at my recent county assembly received a smaller vote than that question - 51%, less than the two-thirds needed to be ratified. The globalist-socialist United Nations does not poll very well in the United States generally, but an especially politically conservative group of Colorado Republican activists was basically split on the question of whether we should disassociate entirely from the … [Read more...]
Book Review: Tasty Red Meat for Red State Republican Families
The other night I lay in bed with my wife and weeks-old daughter. We snuggled up with a copy of Katharine DeBrecht's Help, Mom! Hollywood's in My Hamper, and I read aloud. My wife and I shared a few giggles throughout the story and dozed off (as best we could under the circumstances) with a warm feeling. The baby? Well, I'm pretty certain she'll appreciate the Help, Mom! series some day. I can picture her a few years from now tugging at my pant leg, pleading for me to read one of the sequels. And I can tell you right now - my whole family hopes for DeBrecht to publish some more that meet the quality of the first two. … [Read more...]