The fame of the Rocky Mountain Alliance extends a little further today... After being gone all day, I find that my good friend Jim has made a quotable appearance in a Seattle Times column on Internet blogging and the upcoming Supreme Court nomination process: Ordinary people such as Jim Cannon are hoping to use online blogs to amplify their cause. Cannon, 30, a truck driver from Denver, contributes to a conservative blog group called the Rocky Mountain Alliance. "We can get people to call senators, get people to talk to their friends and family on the issue," he said. "Blogs defined the last presidential election. If we have half as big an impact on this as we did on the election, I think it will do a lot." Way to go, Jim! … [Read more...]
Songs for Snowy International Reflections
A log from snowed-in metro Denver... Have Americans again lost interest in international events? Has too much time passed since 9/11 and the subsequent Afghanistan and Iraq wars so that people think we've achieved some sort of detente, normalcy, or new Pax Americana? Have we overcome the naivete - so typical of our nation - regarding threats from abroad and political developments a half a world away? Many of those who spend lots of time online know that there are dozens of excellent bloggers keeping us regularly attuned to events in Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Iran, Afghanistan, North and South Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their work is tremendously appreciated, as I must confess my own tendencies to get absorbed with national and even … [Read more...]
Off to the Nation’s Capitol
Not that you'll notice much - yes, I've been that busy, and yes, I haven't had that much to say - but if I'll be blogging at all in the next few days it will be from Washington, D.C. My first trip there in six years. Maybe, in honor of the Roberts nomination, a trip to the Supreme Court would be in order. And I definitely have to visit the World War Two Memorial. Arlington Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial are must-sees. But since most of my time there will be taken up with business, I may not be able to catch much more than that. … [Read more...]
Radio Interview Tonight
I have been invited to be interviewed tonight on Backbone Radio with Senator John Andrews. If you're in the Denver metro area, tune in to 710 KNUS AM at 7:30 p.m. to hear us talk about the costliness of teacher strikes. I know you won't be going out to practice your golf game this evening, so it's either me or the TV movie of the week. I'll let you decide. If you're not in the Denver metro area, you can listen online by going to the 710 KNUS website and clicking on the "Listen Live" icon in the upper-right corner. The radio invitation comes on the heels of my Monday Speakout column - "Don't pay teachers for days on strike" - in the Rocky Mountain News. That opinion piece stemmed from my research which led to the Independence … [Read more...]
Interview Under the Belt
Thanks to all those who listened to my first live on-air radio interview - and thanks once more to Senator John Andrews and the crew of Backbone Radio for having me on the air and spending more time discussing my blog than I had anticipated. But I appreciate that! Welcome to all those who are making their first visit here as a result of the on-air mention. Be sure also to visit the main page of the Rocky Mountain Alliance and follow the links to read the quality writings of my fine cohorts. To find out more about the work of the Independence Institute's Education Policy Center, including the paper mentioned on Backbone Radio, go here. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions or comments about either my blog here, or about … [Read more...]
The Year of the Tigers-Indians Duel?
Memo to Hugh and other Cleveland Indians fans: it looks like my Detroit Tigers are calling out your team for a little mano e mano: "Forget the other teams," [Tigers designated hitter Dmitri] Young said to the strains of "Cripple Creek," "it's going to come down to us and Cleveland. No disrespect to the Twins and White Sox, I just feel that club, the doggone Indians, is going to be the thorn in our side. "That's our rival," he said. "There are a lot of parallels between us. We've progressed the same." I'm not sure I'm ready yet to subscribe to Dmitri's assessment: the conventional wisdom has me leaning towards believing that the Minnesota Twins are the team to beat in the American League Central. But the long baseball season has … [Read more...]
“Not One Dime”: The Cyber-Echo
Captain Ed has spoken loud and clear about the Republican Party, its not-so-distinguished Senators, and the case of judicial nominations. Here's a snippet: Not. One. Dime. And when a vote does come, those Republicans who wind up supporting the minority's extortion over the majority in defiance of the Constitution will never see another dime from me -- but their opponents will, at every level of contest. Honestly, with Republicans like these in the Senate, we may as well have Democrats. Even before I read Captain Ed's post, I had already taken a very solemn "Not One Dime" vow. In fact, this week I mailed back a solicitation to renew my Republican National Committee membership with a big ZERO next to the contribution amount and a … [Read more...]
Not the Best News for Prospective Home Buyers
News like this could put a damper on the search to buy a first home. But then again, since most of the prices listed in the article are outside of our range, it could be best just to ignore the story and move on. Motto for the cost-conscious House Hunter searching through endless listings and making visit after visit: "I only need to find one." And it ain't going to be in Cherry Hills... NOT EVEN CLOSE! … [Read more...]
How Predictable
Your Linguistic Profile: 65% General American English 20% Upper Midwestern 10% Yankee 5% Midwestern 0% Dixie What Kind of American English Do You Speak? Hat tip to Jim. … [Read more...]
Congratulations, Dane
This may be way off topic for most readers of my blog, but I thought I'd throw in this quick tidbit. Former Indiana University basketball star and current assistant Dane Fife, 25, was just named the youngest NCAA Division I head coach when he was hired yesterday by Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne (IPFW). Serious basketball fans will remember Dane from the 2002 NCAA Final Four when he was one of the key contributors to a scrappy underdog Hoosier team that shocked Duke and Oklahoma to make it all the way to the finals against Maryland. Why do I make note of Fife's hiring? Because we both share the same hometown of Clarkston, Michigan. He's the youngest of three sons to Clarkston High School basketball coaching legend Dan Fife - his oldest … [Read more...]