SandBox Comments: Tree of Mamre/John Scotus "Unemployment 9% In October"

Ah, the good 'ol days.

Remember back in Dubya's day when unemployment was only 5%?

Interesting graphs John Scotus has tossed up over on Tree of Mamre.

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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Glenwood Springs Post Independent/Kathleen Parker "

"...Meanwhile, Democrats' continued insinuation that the rich are robbing the poor is simply disingenuous. Who employs the poor if not the more prosperous? Who infuses charities with cash but the wealthy? Who grows the economy if not business, now too afraid to part with its money given the current uncertainties?

Mitt Romney was excoriated for saying that corporations are people, too. This sort of statement is easy to mock, but it is truer than the one that contends corporations are the enemy of the people.

Corporations are made up of people — some heartless, I'll concede — who nonetheless provide jobs and grow the economy. Capitalism, the ogre of those protesting Wall Street, has suffered a public relations crisis in the wake of the global economic collapse.

But any remedy to the systemic corruption that led to the collapse should not displace recognition that capitalism creates wealth. Capitalism, and no other economic system, has raised millions from poverty around the world...."
(Kathleen Parker)

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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Summit County Citizens Voice "Summit County Sheriff's Office marks 15 decades of service"

Congratulations to the Summit County Sheriff's Office!

SandBox thanks you for your service.  You're appreciated for all you do.

"BRECKENRIDGE — In 1859, Colorado was still the Wild West and Summit County was a collection of budding mining communities in search of someone who could bring law and order.

A miner, Ruben J. Spaulding, stepped up.

The Summit County Sheriff's Office was founded in 1861. In the decades since, the agency has had 30 sheriffs, two brushes with the Hell's Angels and only three line-of-duty deaths.

This year, the department is celebrating its 150th birthday by looking back at its remarkable history.

“The role (of the sheriff) has expanded over time,” said present-day Sheriff John Minor, who was elected in 2004. “But it's still a very complex job and still a lot of fun ... most days....”

(Caddie Nath)

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SandBox Comments: The Hill "US Army general fired for criticizing Afghan president"

And now there are two.

There are many things that SandBox Nanny finds unacceptable in Barack Obama's leadership.  So much so, he is the first President she has ever been unable to muster enough respect for to address him as President Barack Obama each time she speaks of him.  Her respect for the Office of the Presidency runs too deep to get her tongue wrapped around the title and his name except on rare occasions .  

The denigrating of America that Obama has done in the global community and the disrespect he shows to our military in even the simplest of gestures as knowing how to properly salute.

But when he fired Gen. Stanley McChrystal, that was a defining moment in our history.

And now, there are two such moments. 

It was not until Barack Obama that it became acceptable to undermine our military leaders, their authority and awareness of how to best perform their duty.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is unapologetic as more of a foe of America than he is an allie. 

Making no bones in his stance that he wants America and her allies out of his country, he won't help his people in a powerful enough manner to knock down rampant corruption and  considers opium a viable commodity in Afghanistans general economy.

Sort of makes you wonder what the price tag is on the lives of our men and  women on the ground over there when the men responsible for their safety can't speak up against their greatest risk.

SandBox thanks Maj. Gen. Peter Fuller, deputy commander of NATO for his service and apologizes to him on behalf of his Commander in Chief.  From the looks of the commentary on this story, her wishes are confirmed by others.

"A top U.S. general stationed in Afghanistan has been fired for recent criticisms of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Maj. Gen. Peter Fuller, deputy commander of NATO's effort to train Afghan forces, was terminated for an interview he gave Thursday in which he hammered Karzai as "erratic" and inarticulate, according to a statement issued Saturday by Lt. Gen. John Allen, the commander of the war in Afghanistan...."
(Mike Lillis)


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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: The Hill "Eric Holder has a gun problem"

"As the chief law enforcement officer Attorney General Eric Holder came out swinging in the first months of the Obama administration as he pushed to reinstate the assault weapons ban, pointing to the rising levels of violence in Mexico and increased presence of U.S. guns south of the border..."
(Jordy Yager)

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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Summit County Citizens Voice "Udall pitches measured approach to energy development"

In a similar manner as his announcement that he believes 'fracking' is inherently safe; Senator Mark Udall (D-Colorado) looks like he's set to stir up some angst in his own party with this new proposal.

Ever notice that liberal values often become palpable when they become inconvenient?

Ever notice how firm conservative values stand even in the most inconvenient and toughest times?

Look for more liberals to find ways around their political values and start finding creative ways to ka-ching the fossil fuel energy industry.  Why?  It's really all about the money.
 
"SUMMIT COUNTY —A new pilot leasing program for renewable energy projects on public lands could create a stable source of revenue for conservation and management of natural resources, and also generate some funds for stretched local and state government.

The Public Land Renewable Energy Development Act of 2011 (S. 1775) has early bipartisan support in the Senate, with co-sponsors including Senator Jon Tester (D-MT)Jim Risch (R-ID), Harry Reid (D-NV) and Dean Heller (R-NV).

“America — and Colorado, in particular — is blessed with bountiful renewable resources on our expansive federal lands.  This bill is in line with our Western tradition of a balanced approach to land use that supports the responsible development of our resources even as we conserve them for future generations,” Sen, Mark Udall said. “By directing a portion of the revenues from these leases to state and local governments, this bill will help support our schools and rebuild the infrastructure that our rural economies depend on.  At the same time, it will create clean-tech jobs and grow the clean energy economy in our state, while making sure that our public lands are still protected for all of us to use and enjoy....”
(Bob Berwyn)

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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Durango Telegraph "Dealing with an image problem"

One of those good reports out of a writer that obviously has chosen a side yet manages to convey a thought provoking read in a balance of opinion and facts.

From Allen Best.  Up on the Durango Telegraph.

A terrific article on the public perception of the oil and gas industry here in Colorado.

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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Aspen Daily News "Offending killjoys since 1951"

lol.

Mark Thomas of Carbondale responds to the latest ego power-trip of  Aspen City Council.

Mark won the Winterskol slogan contest.  But our infamous 'Gifted Mayor' and his council rejected it.

Mark has some new submissions.  Up on The Aspen Daily News.

"...Must be off-season, when a lighthearted Winterskol slogan contest transforms into a local “controversy.” (Note to City Council: Please reconsider mandatory off-season medical marijuana permits for locals with too much time on their hands.)

Anyway, I wanted to publicly thank the Winterskol Slogan Committee for choosing my original submission (“It’s To Die For”), and allowing me to keep the prize...."
(Mark Thomas)

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SandBox Comments: Aspen Daily News "A multimillion dollar season"

"The finishing touches are being made to the several million dollars worth of on-mountain improvements that are about to come online at Buttermilk and Aspen Highlands.

The chairs have been hung on the new Tiehack lift and the renovation of the Merry-Go-Restaurant mid-mountain at Aspen Highlands is three-quarters complete. The new amenities will be ready for skiers and riders when the mountains open on Dec. 10.

A load test of the Tiehack chairlift is scheduled to be conducted on Wednesday, said Rich Burkley, Aspen Skiing Co. vice president of mountain operations.

Engineers from POMA, the lift’s manufacturer, SkiCo lift technicians and representatives from the National Tramway Safety Board will be on hand for the Nov. 9 load test.

“We fill trash cans full of water, representing people and we run the lift at absolute extremes in terms of speed and braking,” Burkley said.

The barrels of water will be strapped into the chairs and the line will be loaded to represent the average number of people who will ride the lift at any given time. The metrics of the chairlift will be tested multiple times — running backwards, forwards and at the fastest speed possible.

The $7 million high-speed quad will serve the only advanced terrain at Buttermilk, and replaces both the Upper Tiehack and Eagle Hill — aka lower Tiehack — chairs. Combined, those two lifts took 18 minutes to ride. They were built in 1969.

The new “Tiehack Express” will take skiers 1,640 vertical feet to the top in seven minutes on 71 chairs. The lift has a fairly low profile — the highest point is 48 feet, Burkley said...."
( Carolyn Sackariason)

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SandBox Comments: Summit County Citizens Voice "Travel: New flights for Colorado ski areas"

"SUMMIT COUNTY —It will be easier than ever to get to some of Colorado’s best ski areas this winter, as several airlines have announced new flights, including daily nonstop service to Aspen from Dallas-Forth Worth and Los Angeles, starting Dec. 15 on American Airlines.

Daily jet service from Texas to Durango will resume for the first time more than a decade, serving Telluride and Wolf Creek, along with Durango Mountain Resort.

United Airlines has added a second daily non-stop from Houston along with a fourth daily non-stop from Los Angeles and a 12th daily flight from Denver on peak days. These new flights are in addition to that airport’s four daily non-stops from Chicago/O’Hare and two daily non-stops from San Francisco, and bring United’s total frequency up to 24 daily flights in and out of Aspen/Snowmass this winter.

Internationally, Denver International Airport recently picked up year-round, nonstop...."
(Bob Berwyn)

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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "Pool lifeguards save heart attack victim"

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SandBox Comments: The Blaze " Sure You Can Fly From Dubai to Baghdad on Lawn Chairs and 300 Helium Balloons"

"BEND, Ore. (The Blaze/AP) — Like a real-life vision of the movie “Up”, but on a smaller scale, lawn-chair balloonist Kent Couch boarded a plane Thursday for the start of a journey that he hopes will end in Iraq with a safe launch and landing beneath a huge cluster of party balloons...."
(Liz Klimas)

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