December 9, 2011

SandBox Comments: Glenwood Springs Post Independent/Your Letters "High hopes for a grocery store, bank in Silt"

"...Perhaps we in Silt can see a light at the end of the dark tunnel. We will know more by the end of the month, so keep us in your thoughts. And a special thanks to all the citizens of Garfield County for the positive and supportive spirit they have shown. I can't help but to believe that all Garfield County is openly or secretively rooting for this small town in western Garfield County. Thanks again...."
(Dave Moore, Mayor Silt)

(oh....whisper...whisper...look!....Dave mentioned us!!.....whisper...whisper....yowza!...)

Yes, 'kids'.  That probably is a reference to fans of Dave and Silt who troll from the shadows.

The observation from the local SandBox is first a noticing of how long it's been since Silt Mayor Dave Moore penned one of his targeted missives from the basement of Silt's Town Hall.

Heaven knows they really, really need a grocery store and a bank.  But this coming out in the open after so many months tucked away working on bringing things up to speed down in Silt is curious.

Could it be that Dave has begun thinking about higher political aspirations?

What say you?

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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 Times/Melanie Sturm "America's ‘Tebows' await their start"

One of The Valley's most respected conservative opinion columnists, Melanie Sturm with a good column on changes America could make immediately to help boost the economy.

Wonder who Sturm is supporting in the presidential races?

"...As improbable as the moniker “Tim Tebow, starting NFL quarterback” once seemed, the U.S. economy, like Tebow, is showing signs of resurgence.

News that the U.S. unemployment rate fell from 9.0 to 8.6 percent in November (though due largely to job seekers exiting the market) is as surprising as Tebow's 6-1 record since becoming the starter. His late-fourth-quarter magic and four come-from-behind victories earned Tebow his teammates' trust, his coaches' confidence and the adoration of Broncos fans.

If only America's private-sector “quarterbacks” were liberated to call their own plays and scramble like an unleashed Tebow, America could win the economic equivalent of the Super Bowl — GDP growth of 4.5 percent and unemployment of 6 percent. If you expect politicians to renounce micromanagement of the U.S. economy as NFL cognoscenti have stopped proclaiming Tebow an NFL bust, Think Again.

If politicians were as wise as Tebow's coach, they'd formulate strategies to get business owners off the sidelines...."
(Melanie Sturm"

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SandBox Comments: Aspen Daily News "Obama supporter unhinged"

How important is 'public opinion'?

We all care about what others think of us.  In some cases, our entire sense of self is wrapped up in that need.  In other cases, public view is capitalized on.  In still other cases the internal need for public recognition manifests itself out into forcing the engagement of others into interacting with you.  There are those that choose to experiment with manipulating, either positive or negative, public perceptions of themselves. And some who normally would never give up their privacy yet find themselves forced into the public eye and under intense scrutiny to the point where public perception is out of their control.

What category do a strong number of locals think Carl Heck of Aspen falls into?

Probably Door  #4 in the choices up there.

But then, Carl is mostly about personal gain and politics.

And politics is certainly not paddy-cake.

Which actually places Carl Heck behind Door #5 in the choices above and his 'victims' behind Door #6.

The good news is that same large group of locals are on to Carl's bag of tricks.

Great letter today from Illya Lenin regarding Carl Heck.

"Editor:

(This is addressed to letter writer Carl Heck).

Hysterics and liberal emotional derangement never garner facts. You apparently are unhinged now; then imagine your insanity when any one of these GOP “clowns” absolutely destroys the bumbling and teleprompterless president in a real debate about his accomplishments and the overwhelming withdrawal of public support for the direction and debt this fool has heaped onto all of us. Make an attempt at being intellectual. Name one thing ObaMao, your fake liberal God on earth, has accomplished that hasn’t usurped our Constitution, cost trillions or laid the ground work for his type of class warfare."
(Illya Lenin, Basalt)

(Comment to discuss)

SandBox Comments: Tree of Mamre/John Scotus "The ATF’s “Collateral Damage”: 2 Federal Agents and 300 Civilians Sacrificed to Make the Case for Gun Control"

"Operation Fast and Furious was an ATF initiative to allow–indeed, encourage–the purchase of AK-47s and .50 caliber rifles by proxies (straw purchasers) for Mexican drug gangs, and then to let these guns to be taken over the border into Mexico without making any attempt to interdict or trace them, even though both the flow into and the possession of these guns in Mexico is illegal. According to the Mexican government, at last count 300 people have been murdered in Mexico as a result of the guns allowed to walk in Operation Fast and Furious. In addition, two US Federal Officers, including Border Patrol agent Brian Terry, have been murdered with Fast and Furious weapons.

Since the ATF is legally compelled to interdict straw purchases and stop the illegal flow of weapons into Mexico, Operation Fast and Furious was not just unethical and short-sighted: It was illegal. ATF and DOJ memos released earlier this year directly state that the bureaucrats and agents involved expected that there would be “collateral damage” (i.e., unnecessary deaths) as a result of Operation Fast and Furious. Thus, effectively, Operation Fast and Furious was an illegal conspiracy to aid and abet murder. The yet unanswered questions are who approved Operation Fast and Furious, and why it was approved to begin with...."
(John Scotus)

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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: Grand Junction Daily Sentinel "DA tosses eight DUIs, citing ‘bias’ by trooper"

"The Mesa County District Attorney’s Office as of Thursday had dismissed eight criminal cases in the face of questions about the credibility of a now-former Colorado State Patrol trooper.

More dropped cases are expected as prosecutors seek to review hundreds of cases handled by Donald Moseman, a veteran State Patrol trooper who left the employment of the law enforcement agency Dec. 1 following an internal investigation.

The cases that were dismissed Wednesday and Thursday were 2011 misdemeanor drunken-driving arrests in which Moseman was the prosecution’s sole witness, Chief Deputy District Attorney Trish Mahre said.

Motions filed in the cases said dismissal is “in the interest of justice” and the product of “issues relating to proof.”

A Daily Sentinel review of several of the dismissed cases showed at least one with a defendant who had multiple prior DUI arrests.

Local defense attorneys, who were notified Wednesday via email by District Attorney Pete Hautzinger about the investigation of Moseman, were busy tracking down their own cases involving the former trooper.

Defense attorney Andrew Nolan with the Grand Junction firm Peters, Nolan and Devlin said Wednesday’s disclosure didn’t surprise him.

“We’ve been complaining about issues involving Trooper Moseman for a long time,” Nolan said...."
(Paul Shockley)

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SandBox Comments: Aspen Daily News "Local private investigator headed to Arizona for socialite’s murder trial"

"A private investigator in the Roaring Fork Valley has been subpoenaed to testify at next month’s trial of a former Aspen socialite accused of hiring a hit man to kill her ex-husband.

Jim Crowley, a former Aspen police detective, has been involved in the investigation into Pamela Phillips and her former lover, Ronald Young, for 15 years.

During that span, Crowley has testified in preliminary hearings in Arizona for both Phillips and Young, and in Young’s 2010 trial that sent him to prison for life for detonating a car bomb that killed Gary Triano, Phillips’ former spouse...."
(Chad Abraham)

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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 "U.S. Border Patrol detains fugitive Breckenridge attorney Scoop Daniel, wanted on charges of felony theft"

"SUMMIT COUNTY — A prominent Breckenridge lawyer who disappeared in 2007 has been detained in San Diego after trying to enter the U.S. from Mexico.

The U.S. Border Patrol contacted local law enforcement agencies Wednesday, Dec. 7 to confirm an active arrest warrant for Royal “Scoop” Daniel.

According to a press release from the Breckenridge Police Department, Daniel was taken into custody and is currently being held in the San Diego County Jail. Daniel is awaiting an extradition hearing, which is expected to occur Dec. 8.

Daniel vanished under mysterious circumstances in April 2007, allegedly with up to $1 million that he was managing for clients as part of his role in various real estate deals...."
(Summit Voice)

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SandBox Comments: Summit Daily News "McAbee: Use vs. abuse"

Given the fact that Summit County has now joined the ranks of western Colorado counties enduring the influences and problems of having the Sureno gang in our midst; this column from Campus Supervisor Jeff McAbee of Summit High School is well-timed.

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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 "Elected officials counter book’s 
criticism of local immigration issues"

(See related stories here and here.)

What makes, what defines a victim of a culture, a society or of a collective thought?

(A)   Are they the ones, by their own free will choice not by necessity to defend or by being forced to defend; who jump right into a public spotlight alongside their accusers and the perps that are trying to hurt them in some way?

(B)  Are they the ones, by their own free will choice, who launched themselves into positions strong enough and powerful enough to influence society?

How about 'none of the above'?

The real victims are all the folks that are not either one of the above and who live their lives privately and in their own small social circles.  Who by that very need for right to quality of life through privacy, fall prey to a group such as those named in this article that have built up very powerful collective thought.

Or fall prey to an individual encouraging the imbalance of such thought as Chad Klinger of Carbondale.

Or fall prey to the affects of thoughts such as those of  Brooks A. Mick, MD of Yorktown, VA.

The one unrelenting fact in all of it is that the material base of day-to-day solvency is dependent on all of us.

A point made by the authors of 'Slums of Aspen' and missed by most readers; that seems to have fallen prey to the power of collective thought.

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SandBox Comments: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "Stakeholders have their say on Grand Ave. Bridge ‘vision'"

All the 'thousands' (conservative guesstimate) of Coloradans who daily commute over the Grand Avenue Bridge, who are so, so bone weary of listening to the 'hot air'/'all talk/righteous indignation and zero action spanning decades of time wasted' leaders of our community;  come now this morning and get down on their knees to kiss the ground CDOT walks upon.

Thank you.

Bless you.

By letting all the local 'hot air and no action' folks get all the time they want in front of the press, microphones and spotlights, that they sincerely believe will enhance their community standing; you have insured that once y'all are done they must forever hold their peace.

Thank Buddha!!  This is brilliant strategy!

Sandbox believes we'll see repeated but still very special thank yous from avatars to our new city councilmen Todd Leahy and Michael Gamba for pushing the Grand Avenue Bridge Project through that blast of hot air stronghold.  You both are rapidly rising in the ranks to local hero status in the eyes of those in the shadows out here. 

Only a few more years, 'kids'. 

Just a few more years before that new bridge is done and getting you home to your families and lives literally hours sooner than you are now.  With the added bonus of streamlining tourists with fat wallets into Glenwood Springs just so they can ease your poverty stricken paychecks you now pull 'from the elites'.

Oh, CDOT.  You are our heroes. (Say, by any chance are most of you guys Conservatives?)

(whisper...whisper...BRILLIANT!...finally!!....'they' will get their last 10 min. of fame....hold a press conference, plan an event with banners and parade and all the trimmings!!....really do this final send off up right so there won't be any appeals filed and their savage souls will be stroked for the last time on this community issue.....not so sure about the 'leaders' part of Newland's statement but WTH!!!..the folks will give it to them because reality is that we won again!!!....hooah....whisper...whisper...)

John Stroud:
"....So, CDOT is going through an extensive public process to gather as much local input as possible before coming up with a new bridge design.

“Before, engineers would come up with a range of alternatives, then take them out to the community for input,” Newland said. “This process turns that on its head and involves the community in coming up with those alternatives.”

This week's stakeholder sessions involved 43 community leaders working with members of the design team to begin to determine alternatives for rebuilding the bridge.

Participants were also asked to identify various economic, social, tourism and environmental trends that should be considered in the design process..."

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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 "Wyoming water pollution linked with fracking"

There is only one.

One Western Colorado investigative reporter that is respected and trusted to factually report on one of his specialties; the environment.

Bob Berwyn.  Up and over on the locals favorite Summit County Citizens Voice.

The others in the area and state often border on disgraceful to their industry work product of tabloid and flamer style 'eco-pen terrorism' 'journalism'.  Which of course, completely destroys any hope they may have of getting their point across or voices heard.

John Colson, based with Swift Communications on the Post Independent and Aspen Times,  has been so pressured by the general public; he has recently improved  100 times over.  Yet still, is greeted with skepticism and is a third or fourth time removed choice before even read.  Colson also writes a once per week opinion column.  Up on the Aspen Times.  Calls it 'Hit and Run'.  Each week (with the exception of this past week (first one in 7 months of weekly columns)) he subjects readership of the Times to scathing verbal assaults, premised on his first amendment right to demean, abuse and denigrate anyone with an equal right to the first amendment.   Nobody likes a bully and his genre is not the spin of commentary and satire.  Rather, he calls himself a professional journalist and often comes very, very close to demanding respect. With an open claim of professional credentials posted at the bottom of each column; to say that it is 'difficult' for readership to buy into Colson's points is often an understatement.  Each week, readership diligently searches for anything at all to back John Colson up on that claim. With the growing number of complaints from readership publicly displayed in open letters and commentary, there seems to be a very long way to go for John.  He's a good writer.  Most hope he makes it up the Everest he's climbing.

Troy Hooper and David O. Williams off the Real sites and the Colorado Independent sit at the top of the leader board and took Colson's #1 spot.  Brilliant writers and respected in all other areas of output; their environmental work and often their political output greatly diminish their respectability with consumers.  Nobody likes a bully and their genre is not the spin of commentary and satire.  Rather, they are supposed to be professional journalists. 

Why this brutally honest, scathing in tone and succinct wording from 'SandBox Nanny' this morning? On a piece of high caliber journalism?

Because there are days when she gets so fed up with 'professionals'  in positions of trust in  public eyes....who do everything they possibly can to destroy our precious gifts that we have in our environment.  Colorado is one of the most blessed by nature spots on the planet.  To stay that way, she needs all the help she can get from all sides of any issue she faces.  Every single time you people pick up your pens and perform like high school students in a creative writing class you not only completely destroy any hope of being fully respected by readership; you add still yet another layer of cover-up on top of all things Colorado.  Wading through your dross and multiple layers of deception before they can even get to the heart of an environmental issue; investigative reporters such as yourselves force the industries, the legislators, law enforcement, elected officials and the public at-large to sometimes waste years simply getting to the point.  Shame on you. 

A very special thank you goes out to Bob Berwyn for this factual and unbiased report on the fracking news out of Wyoming.  You are appreciated.    

Bob Berwyn:
SUMMIT COUNTY —After a two-year investigation in Wyoming, the EPA this week released a draft report that links polluted groundwater in the town of Pavilion with nearby gas drilling and related fracking operations.

The EPA teamed up with gas field owner Encana to assess groundwater quality in the area and to identify potential sources of contamination.

The EPA’s analysis of samples taken fromdeep monitoring wells in the aquifer indicates detection of synthetic chemicals, like glycols and alcohols consistent with gas production and hydraulic fracturing fluids.

Benzene concentrations are  well above Safe Drinking Water Act standards and high methane levels were also detected.

Given the area’s complex geology and the proximity of drinking water wells to ground water contamination, the EPA is concerned about the movement of contaminants within the aquifer and the safety of drinking water wells over time...."

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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."