March 28, 2012

SandBoxBlogs: Hot Air Blog "Obama polls: Vulnerable, strong, or battered?"

Ed Morrissey:
"A slew of polls hit the wires today, most of which make no sense when compared with each other, and most of which don’t have the necessary sample data to analyze properly.  That doesn’t mean we should ignore them, but let’s consider them as a group rather than individually.

First up, and probably the best of the bunch, are a series of Quinnipiac polls in three swing states that show Barack Obama leading — but still vulnerable...."  (Read more?  Click title)

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

SandBoxBlogs: Newsmax "Scalia Upbraids Obamacare Defender: 'We're Not Stupid'"

"Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr., who made the Obama administration’s case for the constitutionality of the individual mandate in the healthcare law Tuesday, was upbraided by Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia after he flubbed an exchange with Justice Elena Kagan.

Scalin interrupted Verrilli, tersely telling him, “We’re not stupid.”

At the time, Kagan, a former solicitor general whom President Barack Obama appointed to the high court, was agreeing that young people should be required by the federal government to buy health insurance because eventually, others will subsidize their healthcare in the future.

But Scalia shot back, arguing that young people will make the decision to buy health insurance eventually and do not need the federal government forcing them to engage in commerce...."
(Read more? Click title)

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

SandBoxBlogs: Town Hall "The War on Wisconsin"

Michelle Malkin:
"Now is the time for all good tea partiers to come to the aid of Wisconsin. Fiscally conservative leaders in the Badger State are under coordinated siege from Big Labor, the White House, the liberal media and the judiciary. The yearlong campaign of union thuggery, family harassment and intimidation of Republican donors and businesses is about to escalate even further. This is the price the Right pays for doing the right thing.


The most visible target is Gov. Scott Walker, who faces recall on June 5 over his tough package of state budget and public employee union reforms. Three state GOP legislators -- Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, Sen. Van Wanggaard and Sen. Terry Moulton -- also face recall. A fourth target, staunch union reformer and Second Amendment advocate Sen. Pam Galloway, announced she was stepping down last week -- leaving the legislature deadlocked and Democratic strategists salivating...."
(Read more? Click title)

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

SandBoxBlogs: The Hill/Blog Briefing Room "McCain: Citizens United will bring 'major scandals'"

This....coming from the senator who is supporting Mitt Romney, one of the worst (and largest) Super-PACS in history.....

Daniel Strauss:
"Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) predicted there would be "major scandals" as a result of the rise of super-PACs thanks to the Citizens United ruling by the Supreme Court.

"What the Supreme Court did is a combination of arrogance, naivete and stupidity the likes of which I have never seen," McCain said Tuesday at an event hosted by Reuters.

"I promise you, there will be huge scandals because there's too much money washing around, too much of it we don't know who's behind it and too much corruption associated with that kind of money," McCain continued. "There will be major scandals."  (Read more?  Click title)

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SandBoxBlogs: Roll Call "Independent Could Make History in California"

Kyle Trygstad:
"There is a chance no Democrat will appear on the November ballot in an otherwise top pickup opportunity in California, a state crucial to the party’s hopes of winning the House majority.

Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks’ unconventional third-party bid for Congress would be groundbreaking under California’s new election laws, and she has a realistic shot at becoming the first Independent elected to the House since 2004.

Under the state’s new top-two primary format, her decision to run without a major-party label threw yet another curveball into the race for the new Ventura-based 26th district, a high priority for both national parties...."  (Read more?  Click title)

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

SandBoxBlogs: Town Hall "Where's Obama's Outrage Over Murder of "My" Son? "

John Ransom:
"...Where has the president’s selective outrage been for the last eight years? Where is the Justice Department on this murder? How did the most powerful man in Illinois react? He appointed the uncle of the suspect as his chief of staff.

I used to live in a country where no one's son was supposed to get killed. But I suppose some groups get more equality than others, especially if you are connected.          

In wake of the president’s inflammatory remarks, the New Black Panther Party offered some more healing words backed by m-o-n-e-y.

“Members of the New Black Panther Party are offering a $10,000 reward for the ‘capture’ of George Zimmerman, the Neighborhood Watch volunteer who shot Trayvon Martin,” writes the Boston Herald
“The militant group offered the bounty on Saturday,” adds the Houston Chronicle, “and called on black men to mobilize and capture George Zimmerman, a Neighborhood Watch member who killed Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla., in February.”

“New Black Panther leader Mikhail Muhammad announced the reward during a protest in Sanford Saturday,” says the Herald. “And when asked whether he was inciting violence, Muhammad replied defiantly: ‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.’”

Wow, you can feel the Us-Against-Them surge really working, huh?

What healing!

Or better yet: What healing?

I guess with all this healing going on, no one wants to talk about jobs anymore.

(Wink)....."

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

SandBoxBlogs: Denver Post "Colorado wildfire: Elite search and rescue team looking for woman missing in fire "

Kieran Nicholson:
"A team of 32 search and rescue experts, with six scent dogs, will be looking today for the woman who is reported missing in the Lower North Fork Fire.

The Urban Search and Rescue Crew, made up of members from Colorado, are at the fire area and ready to search for the woman, said Jacki Kelley, a Jefferson County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman...."
(Read more? Click title)

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

SandBoxBlogs: US Dept of Defense "Link Grows Between Terrorism, Organized Crime, Officials Say"

Karen Parrish:
"WASHINGTON, March 28, 2012 – The two missions of fighting terrorism and combating global organized crime are increasingly linked, senior Defense Department officials told Congress yesterday.

Michael A. Sheehan, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict; Garry Reid, deputy assistant secretary of defense for special operations and combating terrorism; and William F. Wechsler, deputy assistant secretary of defense for counternarcotics and global threats, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee’s emerging threats and capabilities subcommittee.

The hearing focused on the Pentagon’s role in implementing the national strategies for counterterrorism and combating transnational organized crime under the 2013 defense budget request.

“Terrorism, drug trafficking and other forms of transnational organized crime are increasingly intertwined,” Sheehan noted, adding that his office -- which is responsible for overall supervision of special operations forces -- is uniquely positioned to provide policy guidance and program oversight to the department’s efforts in both missions..." (Read more?  Click title)

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

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Times "Pitkin County: Is there an FBI probe?"

(See related story in today's Aspen Daily News here and previous story and public commentary here)

(whisper...whisper....whisper...doth one protest too much?....whisper...whisper...are there different laws, rules and regs from the feds and local cops for pitkin and aspen?.....whisper...whisper...gosh, wonder if the feds have to report to the big money back strokers just to do their jobs...whisper...whisper...huh?...did the folks vote for special laws that now say that our law enforcement no longer stands as the last line between the folks and power?....whisper...whisper...hmmm.....wonder what the polls say about Owsley's chances at re-elect this year and the folks chance at getting some power to the people on that commissioner board....whisper...whisper....)

Aspen Times:
"ASPEN — Jon Peacock, Pitkin County manager, was directed Tuesday to ask if the county Sheriff's Office is the target of an FBI investigation.

County Commissioner Michael Owsley suggested the county make the inquiry of the federal agency after the Aspen Daily News reported that individuals have been questioned about drug activity or an abuse of power within the department.

“I think Pitkin County should know whether Pitkin County is being investigated by the FBI,” Owsley said. “The Sheriff's Office is part of Pitkin County, so therefore Pitkin County is being investigated.”

Other commissioners concurred.

“That is certainly a request we can make,” Peacock said....."

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

SandBoxBlogs: KJCT News 8 "Search and Rescue Donation"

Please remember to buy your CORSAR card for every member of your family on an annual basis.

Thank you to all of the incredible men and women of all Colorado Search and Rescue teams.  You are appreciated.

Shannon Ballard:
"GRAND JUNCTION, Colo -- A local family is giving back to Mesa County’s Search and Rescue teams in honor of a lost loved one.


Randy Johnson drowned in the Grand Canyon in an area where search and rescue wasn't available.


Tuesday, his family and friends donated $1,000 with the hope of providing a safer outdoor experience for others.


Hundreds of volunteers make up Mesa County’s Search and Rescue.


The organization says its missions are only possible through donations like this one..."
(Read more?  Click title)

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

SandBoxBlogs: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "Compressor station plan causes uproar"

(See related stories and public commentary here)

John Colson:
"....Marianne Quigley Ackerman, whose father was another of of the ranchers who donated land for the college campus, said as much in a letter to neighbors that she provided to the Post Independent.

“The project is being ‘fast tracked' through our county process because, according to SourceGas, it has been budgeted this year and has to be built this year or [it] will lose funding,” Ackerman wrote.

Ackerman called that a “very weak excuse for a zoning change of this caliber with long reaching negative affects.”...."  (Read more?  Click title)

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

SandBoxBlogs: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "Silt doubles the rate of pay for trustees, mayor"

(See related story and public commentary here)

...news flash...news flash...breaking news...news flash....news flash...breaking news...555 words and 2,649 characters later, John Colson finally gets around to letting the folks know that the Town of Silt is thriving, the Dollar Store is really coming and the Fire District is protecting the folks...news flash...news flash...breaking news...news flash...

John Colson:
"In other action the trustees:

• Learned from regional fire officials that work is under way to staff the Silt fire station, which is part of the Burning Mountains Fire Protection District, with personnel and equipment to provide full emergency services protection 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The station is expected to be operating within a couple of weeks, according to Karen Maddalone, president of the Burning Mountains board of directors, and Rifle Fire Chief Mike Morgan.

• Announced that the sale closed last week on the site for a new Dollar General store in town, which is to be built in the 300 block of Main Street some time this spring.

• Approved liquor licenses and special events permits for concerts at the Stoney Ridge Pavillion this summer...."  (Read up on Colson's view of corruption within the Town of Silt?  Click title)


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

SandBoxBlogs: Snowmass Sun "Skico looks to expand winter activities for guest and locals"

John Gardner:
"There are winter sports aplenty at Snowmass. But where does one go for a good day of winter tubing?

That is the question that Snowmass Club general manager Don Schuster is trying to answer.

“We've been looking for locations to bring back a tubbing hill to Snowmass,” Schuster said. “We are in the process of looking at locations that might work.”

For those of you who may have noticed that the Snowmass Club is making snow at the golf course, it's not because the warm weather is melting away the snow at the course. It's because one of the best prospective locations for a tubbing hill just happens to be the golf course driving range, according to Schuster. However, no location has been confirmed yet. So far they just made some snow and allowed some club members to try out the hill the weekend of March 10-11, Schuster said.

“We thought it would be a fun event to see how it worked,” he said. And, he said, it worked pretty well. But the location is off limits and isn't open to the public despite the club being the site of the Nordic Sports Center...."  (Read more?  Click title)

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