Another sign of the Bowl Championship Series' imminent demise? Every true college football fan - and every lover of decency and good order - certainly hopes so. It's not often this blog gives its kudos to the Associated Press. Savor the moment. … [Read more...]
Ssshhh… Don’t say the “C”-word
Included in the 6 things not to talk about at family holiday gatherings? Religion. Sigh.... In a similar spirit, let me recommend to you a new politically correct greeting for the season - one likely not to offend pagans, secularists, Jews, Muslims, or any other oppressed minority, and without the vanilla sound of "Happy Holidays" - Happy Solramakwanukmas! But then there's more ridiculousness with the Quote of the Day: "I'm just sick and tired of the Christian people thinking they can co-opt all of Christmas." - Robert Tiernan, a Denver lawyer representing the Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion Foundation … [Read more...]
Teachers’ Union Triumphs and Trauma
"Where's the conservative leadership?" That's what many Colorado Republicans will be crying out for as 2005 rolls around - maybe even before they've finished digesting the turkey sandwiches and fruitcake. Yesterday Gov. Bill Owens announced his compromise plan to fix the state's ongoing fiscal crisis. It includes a small tax cut and the state selling its share of the tobacco-settlement plan, not to mention a $500 million "de-Brucing" (allowing the state to keep revenues mandated by TABOR to be refunded to Colorado taxpayers). But here's the kicker: Conspicuously absent from Owens' proposal were changes to Amendment 23, which requires annual spending increases in K-12 education. For the past year, Owens had insisted that any … [Read more...]
Happy Birthday, Ludwig
Following in the footsteps of Schroeder, perhaps my favorite Peanuts cartoon character, today (approximately... most historians believe somewhere between the 15th and 17th) we celebrate the birthday of the great composer Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany, one of 7 children - only 3 survived past infancy - to a court musician and his wife. His accomplishments, achievements, and his pure genius are hard to recount here without making some serious oversights. Nevertheless, anyone with serious appreciation for good music is familiar with a number of his works. Beethoven was radical for his time and broke ground with his composition style. He ushered in the Romantic era of great music. Many of his symphonies … [Read more...]
“Gimme’ That Old Time Evolution”
Fox News has reported that the ACLU is suing a rural Pennsylvania school board for allowing the teaching of intelligent design alongside the teaching of biological evolution in the classroom. The ACLU said its lawsuit will be the first to challenge whether public schools should teach "intelligent design," which holds that the universe is so complex that it must have been created by some higher power. The Dover Area School District (search) was believed to be the first in the nation to mandate intelligent design when it voted 6-3 in October in favor of including the concept in the science curriculum. The ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State have scheduled a news conference Tuesday to discuss the suit, which … [Read more...]
Good Monday Reads
In a "linker" sort of mood... couldn't help but do my part to make sure readers who stumble my way take a look at the following articles also posted on Real Clear Politics: Michael Barone, pre-eminent political analyst, tells the Bush administration to look into the latest scholarly contributions on non-violent protest to find another means to help bring down the Axis of Evil. John Fund at Opinion Journal has a great piece titled "How Daschle Got Blogged." Fund continues to be one of the big fans of new media and its potential. (If you don't believe me, check out the quote at the top of the page.) In his piece, Fund highlights the creation of a new political blog in anticipation of the 2006 Minnesota Senate race between … [Read more...]
Replacing Salazar II
The Post has published a more extensive piece on John Suthers - the governor's nominee to replace Senator-Elect Salazar as the state's attorney general. Interesting notes? The Post labels Suthers "a conservative Republican." [emphasis mine] I have only heard about him secondhand. I'd love to hear what others' impressions are of his political leanings. My guess is he's probably center-right to moderate, which would merit the Post calling him conservative. (A real conservative is usually called something like a "radical" or "flaming right-winger" by the Post.) But I could be wrong. I'd love to hear. The Post's writers also build on the assertion reported by Lynn Bartels that Suthers is likely an easy confirmation for … [Read more...]
Replacing Salazar
Now that the failed Dairy Queen franchise operator's days as Colorado Attorney General are coming to a close, the spotlight has been on Gov. Owens to see who will be appointed to replace him. Attorney General Ken Salazar is soon to become US Senator Ken Salazar. But who will replace him? If Owens has his way, it will be loyal Republican John Suthers, who ran against Salazar for the statewide office in 1998. According to the Rocky's Lynn Bartels, Suthers likely won't have problems being confirmed by a closely divided State Senate. On Suthers' resume? Bush-appointed U.S. Attorney for Colorado Owens-appointed state Department of Corrections chief District attorney, El Paso and Teller counties What this sets up, as the Rocky … [Read more...]
In the Interest of Full Disclosure
Ed at Captain's Quarters has commented on the breaking story about certain of our South Dakota blog friends' paid relationship with the John Thune campaign. Ed's reaction? Am I angry about this? Not especially. Neither site pretended to present an unbiased look at the race -- DvT overtly supported John Thune from the start of the blog. (Like Pat, I didn't read SDP.) Now that the payments have been disclosed, the bloggers have to answer to the marketplace, and I suspect they will suffer a marked loss of readership -- which is the only coin of this realm. The free market of ideas works similarly to any other free market; if the supplier can't be trusted, people find a different supplier. Ed and the other Northern Alliance guys have … [Read more...]
Teachers’ Union and Politics
Are you a public school teacher in Colorado? Do you know a friend or family member who is? Check out the latest from the Independence Institute. The Institute sent out an electronic message to 40,000 teachers last night. We've been told KOA's Mike Rosen will read from it during his morning show. Here's a nugget from the letter about the Colorado Education Association (CEA) - the state's largest teachers' union - and its political contributions. From January through November 2004, political and small donor committees operated by CEA and CEA-affiliated local associations reported combined spending to political parties and candidates: - 94% to the Democrat Party and its candidates - 5.4% to the Republican Party and its candidates - … [Read more...]