March 10, 2012

SandBoxBlogs: Commentary Magazine "In Defense of Compassionate Conservatism"

Peter Wehner:
"The term “compassionate conservatism” is still invoked by some on the right. But for many commentators, compassionate conservatism has become a synonym for Big Government. In fact, it is distinct from — and in important respects the opposite of – the collectivist/statist impulse.

The idea was based on the writings of Richard John Neuhaus and Peter Berger, who argued in their 1977 book To Empower People that “mediating structures” such as family, neighborhood, church, and voluntary and civil associations are crucial institutions that needed to be fortified. One of the more elegant summaries of compassionate conservatism can be found in George Will’s book Statecraft as Soulcraft, where Will wrote:
The institutions that once were most directly responsible for tempering individualism — family , church, voluntary associations, town governments — with collective concerns have come to seem peripheral. Using government discriminatingly but energetically to strengthen these institutions is part of the natural program of conservatives. Far from being a rationale for statism, the political orientation … involves the use of government to prevent statism by enhancing the social competence of citizens. In the best and most mature polities, what government does is encourage society to do things through its organic working. Government can do this by enhancing, in many ways, the vigor of those intermediary institutions which shape, support and inspire individuals, drawing persons out of the orbits of individualism and into social relationships. One way that government strengthens such institutions is by not usurping their functions. But that is not the only way. Government can plan positive inducements to vigor.

What Will wrote tracks quite closely with what George W. Bush said in his first presidential campaign speech on July 22, 1999. How well this concept works in practice is a legitimate issue to debate. But to use government to strengthen mediating structures is quite a different approach than taking over their duties...."
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"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Times "Gonzo exhibit looks at history of Pitkin County sheriff"

One cannot help but wonder if this culture so boasted of and so proudly aspired to really cares.

Really cares that dope literally runs through the streets of Aspen to the extent that it takes outside agencies coming in in order to enforce the law.

Our guess is that this exhibit will only serve to strengthen the resolve of the citizens who do care, the FBI and the DEA.

Andre Salvail:
"“The important part of the show is really the display panels (sandwiched between Benton's campaign posters) with writings by Dick Keinast,” Watkins said. “They sort of outline how Aspen and Pitkin County came to be a more compassionate law enforcement community, without collaborating with the DEA and FBI.”

The exhibit is especially relevant today, Watkins said, given the DEA's newfound presence in the Roaring Fork Valley and the recent arrests of suspected cocaine traffickers and their subsequent plea bargains.

“With everything that's going on now, with the drug investigations and the DEA in town and all of that, we thought this would be an appropriate statement about the history of the sheriff's department and how it came to be the way it is,” he said....."  (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "In sanctions appeal, DA accuses public defender of ‘gotcha’ tactic"

Update to this post on March 13, 2012 from the Aspen Daily News:
"An article in Saturday’s edition about the 9th Judicial District Attorney’s Office appealing a judge’s sanction contained incorrect information. The trial court’s order dismissing the case is a final order for purposes of appeal. But if the office wins the appeal, the defendant can be brought back to trial..."
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Note from SandBox: 
(Now that DA Beeson has thrown his hat in the ring for district attorney in the 9th, please take note that there will be no special treatment given to any news press surrounding his race. His articles, if they are SandBox worthy or chosen in the daily agg run-up; will be put up just like anyone else in a political race. What SandBox Commentators will continue to do, is heavily moderate his articles. We are the only news media that provides the courtesty of moderating commentary from the general public on 9th Judicial District and Mr. Beeson's articles. )

Chad Abraham:
"Even though Aguilera-Pimentel cannot be prosecuted again, Beeson decided to appeal.

The “issue of the sanctions imposed by the district court in our case is one of high importance statewide as it basically sets a standard of absolute perfection when dealing with discovery issues,” Beeson said in an email. “We believe this to be an issue of policy statewide, and we are confident that once the merits of the appeal are actually considered, we will prevail.”...."  (Read more? Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Summit County Citizens Voice "Colorado: Private investment sought for I-70"

Bob Berwyn:
"SUMMIT COUNTY — A semi-secret and unsolicited proposal for I-70 improvements from a private company is garnering more attention these days, as state, local and federal officials come to grips with the fact that there just isn’t going to be much public money available for critical infrastructure investment.

At a meeting Friday (March 9) in Summit County, a collaborative I-70 planning group heard a few more details on a possible public-private partnership, and Colorado Department of Transportation officials said they will pursue the approach in a two-phase process, first by issuing a request for statements of interest, then following up with a more formal request for proposals.

At this point, the state transportation agency already has one such proposal in hand, which includes “a list of improvements that could generate enough revenue to the point that you could bond against it,” CDOT region 1 director Tony DeVito said after the meeting....."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "The four cast calls for pain"

Lorenzo Semple:
"Last weekend the Aspen Skiing Co. successfully held the second Power of Four ski mountaineering race. My partner, Roger Marolt, and I completed it in just less than nine hours. It was nothing short of brutal. If you’re at all interested in doing the race next year, which I would highly recommend, go buy the super light gear now and get used to it. Without it you’re dead. Oh yeah, and bring your wallet.

The race itself is actually more like the power of three. There are basically three different geological features: Snowmass/Burnt Mountain/Buttermilk, Aspen Highlands and Ajax. We budgeted three hours for each leg and finished roughly just under that.

The pack started extremely fast for a 22-mile race with 10,000 feet of climbing. Within one minute of the start, there were a total of five people behind me. In retrospect, if I had started any faster I probably wouldn’t have finished. I was struggling just to keep up with my partner all day.

The fun parts of the course are the leg from the top of Burnt Mountain to the top of West Buttermilk, and the mysterious Congo trail. By the time we got there, approximately 100 people on lightweight mountaineering skis had passed over the terrain and it was absolutely butchered. There were huge deformed moguls and skinny trench ruts leading to narrow high-speed double tracks into thick wooded sections. When you entered the timber, there were pine needles all over the ground telling a harrowing tale of racers passing dangerously close...."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Summit County Citizens Voice "Morning photo: Patterns in nature"

All credit Bob and Dylan Berwyn: