Mount Virtus

"Happy to come back to Michigan, but I miss the mountains!"

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Home Archives for General

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

The NIE: Putting Iraq in Perspective

I usually leave the details of the bigger issues of the GWOT in the hands of experts more capable than I. If you want to pick a fight on this issue, take it up with one of them. Let me start by answering a few common questions about Iraq that get tossed about. 1. Have we made mistakes in prosecuting the war in Iraq? Yes (but isn't that every war?) 2. Is the violence in Iraq between Shi'ites and Sunnis troubling? Yes (but civil war can still be averted) 3. Are American forces viewed as friendly liberators by most of the Iraqi population? No (but many more are eager to make the democratic experiment work on a permanent basis) 4. Therefore, it was a mistake to go to war in Iraq, right? Wrong! 5. Were there other justifications for going … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, National Politics, World Events

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Second and Final Blizzard Blog

The Mighty Blizzard of '06 came and went, wreaking havoc on the eastern half of Colorado. Official tallies say Arvada got 22 inches, but the Virtus ranch netted 24.5 inches. And it stopped just in time for winter to officially arrive. All right, then. For those of us who have yet to invest in a gas-powered snow blower, there was plenty of opportunity for regrets today. But the arms are a bit stronger for doing this sort of work: Before After My friends, this storm didn't kill us (no reported fatalities that I've heard of), but many Coloradans have been made stronger from it.Tomorrow it's an attempted return to "normalcy" - or the best semblance of it that can be made with a rear-wheel drive vehicle. El Presidente has more … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, My Life, Random and Miscellaneous

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Owens to Conservatives: Take a Hike

One sentence from this Rocky Mountain News story jumped off the page: [Governor Bill] Owens has endorsed [Kiki] Traylor in the Tuesday primary. What is a sitting Republican governor doing endorsing a candidate in a competitive primary? Or more specifically, what is he doing endorsing the least conservative (by far) of the candidates in a three-way race for a safe Republican seat? The anticipated answer is that only the conservative wing of the GOP can be divisive - and frankly, I'm sick of hearing that fabrication. So let's dispel that argument right here and now. None of the three candidates (Traylor, Mike Kopp, and Justin Everett) has ever won an election, though Traylor was appointed by a hand-selected insider committee of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

New Poll Shows Beauprez Down Only 3 Points

Finally, Colorado Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez has something to be cheered about: a Wall Street Journal/Zogby poll released shows Beauprez trailing Democrat rival Bill Ritter by 3 points (margin of error +/- 4 points). In light of two recent polls that showed a much more distinct advantage for Mr. Ritter, I wouldn't stake my credibility on this survey signifying a huge momentum swing in the Republican's favor. More polling data over the coming weeks will have to corroborate some sort of trend. At the same time, it has to be sobering news for the Ritter bandwagon and perhaps can energize the GOP base here in Colorado. Yes, the Beauprez campaign got a late start. My druthers would have been to see a more aggressive … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Remember the Troops at Christmastime

Kudos to the Rocky Mountain News for reporting this holiday heartwarmer. In your thoughts and prayers and actions, remember the troops at Christmastime. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General

2/7/2026 By Ben 1 Comment

Primary Night: A Mixed Bag

A mixed bag of results, mostly good, from my point of view. Everyone has heard by now that Joe Lieberman lost to Ned Lamont and the left-wing nutroots of the Democratic Party. John McIntyre of Real Clear Politics explains why this is a disastrous path for the Democrats to follow. Over in Michigan (a nice place to be from, let me tell you), the Club for Growth and fiscal conservatives scored a significant victory as Tim Walberg unseated one-term incumbent Republican Congressman Joe Schwarz in the 7th District primary. Two years ago Schwarz won 29% in a crowded field with five conservative opponents. Last night, he went one-on-one against a conservative and lost. Even the endorsement of President Bush and John McCain couldn't get him … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, National Politics

2/7/2026 By Ben 2 Comments

GOP Super Saturday: Jeffco Style

Poll numbers for Colorado Republicans have been less favorable than any would like to see, but in the crucial weeks leading up to the 2006 election the Party is putting another weapon into play: volunteers. I was pleased to see several dozen volunteers show up at GOP Victory Headquarters in Wheat Ridge this morning to see Rick O'Donnell and the legendary Hugh Hewitt. After a brief rally, volunteers split up to work their separate state house districts - dropping literature, making phone calls, stuffing mailers. I was told many more volunteers who never showed up at Victory HQ went to work hitting the streets this morning. Jeffco's big "Super Saturday" volunteer push is part of a statewide GOP effort. So if you're a registered Colorado … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, My Life

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Enough with the political “messiahs”

As usual, Cal Thomas puts things into perspective: For a messiah figure to succeed, he must be matched to the real, not perceived, needs of his disciples. Are those needs economic and political, or are they moral and spiritual? If the former, by all means, vote for the best "deliverer." If the latter, I can only give you what the angel Gabriel told Joseph about that Messiah: "He will save his people from their sins." That's a real need no political messiah can meet. But the authentic Messiah can. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Christianity and Faith, General, National Politics

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Alive

I am alive, but life has been busy on many fronts recently. Serious blogging will have to wait. Please check out the other Rocky Mountain Alliance and Friends of the Alliance sites, as well as anything else that strikes your fancy on the blogroll. Be back soon, I hope! … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, My Life

2/7/2026 By Ben 1 Comment

Pizza Guy for Governor

Last Friday night my wife & I saw a gubernatorial candidate delivering pizza to our neighbors across the street. I heard you snickering over there ... what, you don't believe me? Who was it, you might ask? Not this guy (I doubt he's STILL paying off law school debt), and definitely not this guy (I'm sure his staff has realized personal pizza deliveries do not belong in a successful campaign). Maybe you're scratching your head. No, it's not "the only pro-choice candidate for Governor of Colorado" (presumably no relation to the Fonz, though Libertarians might get more votes with him on the ticket). Keep guessing ... If you thought it was this guy, you might have imagined a very colorful waltz from the car to the front door, with … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, My Life

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Inside

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    • Colorado Ballot 2008
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  • Mary and Jacob: From the Forgotten Dust
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    The Rise & Fall of Al Gansee
  • The Westfield Gardener
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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
  • My Baker’s Dozen of Top 2023 Reads
  • Common Learning Disabilities in Children
  • Tips to Teach Kids to Set and Achieve Goals
  • The Christmas Music Countdown You’ve Been Looking For: 2022 Edition

Colorado News

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National News and Politics

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  • Reason
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Blogs Extraordinaire

  • American Thinker
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  • E!! The True Conservative Story
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  • Instapundit
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  • Lileks
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  • NRO's The Corner
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Completing the Blogroll

  • Alarming News
  • Black Five
  • Blogs of War
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  • Fraters Libertas
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  • IMAO
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Christian Commentary et al.

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Conservative and GOP Sites

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Colorado Blogs

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Other Sites

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Rocky Mountain Alliance 2.0

  • Reclaim the Blue
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  • View from a Height

To Contact Me:
bendegrow-at-gmail.com

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