Lynn Berry:
"Putin's inauguration came a day after an opposition protest drew more than 20,000 people, fewer than the mass demonstrations in the months that preceded his March election but still a sign that the anger over Putin's return to the Kremlin has not faded.
Sunday's protest turned violent when some demonstrators tried to march toward the Kremlin and riot police beat back the crowds with batons and detained more than 400 people. The use of force after the winter's peaceful rallies indicate that Putin may take a harder line toward the protesters now that he is once again president.
After taking the oath of office with his hand on a red copy of Russia's constitution, Putin stated his commitment to democracy.
"We want to live and we will live in a democratic country where everyone has the freedom and opportunity to apply their talent and labor, their energy. We want to live and we will live in a successful Russia, which is respected in the world as a reliable, open, honest and predictable partner."
During his time in office, Putin has overseen dramatic economic growth and restored a sense of national pride after the instability and humiliations that followed the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. He also has retreated from the democratic achievements of the 1990s and imposed a political system that has stifled dissent.
Dmitry Medvedev, who served as Russia's president for the past four years as Putin's junior partner, wrapped up his term with a short speech at the inauguration ceremony.
"I worked as I promised in taking the oath of office: openly and honestly in the interests of the people, doing everything I could so that they would be free and would look toward the future with confidence," Medvedev said.
Putin was expected to formally nominate Medvedev as his prime minister on Tuesday...."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
May 7, 2012
SandBoxBlogs: KDVR "Schwarzenegger reminds GOP of Reagan tax increase"
Gregory Wallace:
"(CNN) — Were Ronald Reagan in office today, some Republicans would “start looking for a ‘real’ conservative to challenge him in a primary,” Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote in an op-ed published Saturday evening.
The former California governor said that the man who held that office 30 years before him — before becoming president — is becoming more a distant memory than a model to some Republicans on the “extreme right.” They are playing the role of “ideological enforcers” rather than seeking inclusion and solutions, wrote Schwarzenegger, himself a Republican.
“What’s important is our shared belief in the broad Republican principles of free enterprise and small government,” he said in the op-ed published in the Los Angeles Times. “If we continue to fight one another without being willing to compromise, we will keep losing to big-government advocates.”
Schwarzenegger encouraged his party to embrace a “big tent” mentality rather than exclude Republicans who are willing to compromise and, like Reagan and others, occasionally “buck their party....”
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"(CNN) — Were Ronald Reagan in office today, some Republicans would “start looking for a ‘real’ conservative to challenge him in a primary,” Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote in an op-ed published Saturday evening.
The former California governor said that the man who held that office 30 years before him — before becoming president — is becoming more a distant memory than a model to some Republicans on the “extreme right.” They are playing the role of “ideological enforcers” rather than seeking inclusion and solutions, wrote Schwarzenegger, himself a Republican.
“What’s important is our shared belief in the broad Republican principles of free enterprise and small government,” he said in the op-ed published in the Los Angeles Times. “If we continue to fight one another without being willing to compromise, we will keep losing to big-government advocates.”
Schwarzenegger encouraged his party to embrace a “big tent” mentality rather than exclude Republicans who are willing to compromise and, like Reagan and others, occasionally “buck their party....”
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Stars and Stripes "GOP plan boosts Pentagon, cuts social programs"
Andrew Taylor:
"WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Republicans who control the House are using cuts to food aid, health care and social services like Meals on Wheels to protect the Pentagon from a crippling wave of budget cuts come January.
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Republicans who control the House are using cuts to food aid, health care and social services like Meals on Wheels to protect the Pentagon from a crippling wave of budget cuts come January.
The reductions, while controversial, are but a fraction of what Republicans called for in the broader, nonbinding budget plan they passed in March. Totaling a little more than $300 billion over a decade, the new cuts are aimed less at tackling $1 trillion-plus government deficits and more at preventing cuts to troop levels and military modernization.
The House Budget Committee meets Monday to officially act on the measure, the product of six separate House panels. It faces a likely floor vote Thursday....." (Read more? Click title)
SandBoxBlogs: Loveland Reporter Herald "Loveland men among 122 veterans aboard 2012 Honor Flight Northern Colorado"
Madeline Novey:
"Bob Castor of Loveland was one of those soldiers, an infantryman drafted into the Army in 1943. That moment and the war of which it was a part are forever captured in his memory; though, some of the details are a little hazy almost 70 years later...." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"Bob Castor of Loveland was one of those soldiers, an infantryman drafted into the Army in 1943. That moment and the war of which it was a part are forever captured in his memory; though, some of the details are a little hazy almost 70 years later...." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Daily Caller "Anti-gun group downplays ‘Operation Fast and Furious’ death toll"
Matthew Boyle:
"A spokesman for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, a left-wing anti-gun group based in Washington, D.C., told The Daily Caller his organization doesn’t believe firearms trafficked to Mexico in Operation Fast and Furious have killed hundreds of civilians in that country. That those guns have been used often to kill Mexicans is a position articulated by both Attorney General Eric Holder and Mexican authorities...."
(Read more? Click title)
Photo Credit: "ADVANCE FOR USE SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2011 AND THEREAFTER - In this Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2010 picture, a hearse containing the body of U.S. Border Patrol officer and former U.S. Marine Brian Terry drives past a line of law enforcement officers from various departments lined up along Seven Mile Road outside Greater Grace Temple in northwest Detroit after Terry's funeral service. The ATF is under fire over a Phoenix-based gun-trafficking investigation called "Fast and Furious," in which agents allowed hundreds of guns into the hands of straw purchasers in hopes of making a bigger case. Two of those weapons were found in December at the fatal shooting of the Border Patrol agent, igniting a scandal that has resulted in a congressional investigation and review by the Justice Department's Office of Inspector General. (AP Photo/The Detroit News, John T. Greilick)"
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"A spokesman for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, a left-wing anti-gun group based in Washington, D.C., told The Daily Caller his organization doesn’t believe firearms trafficked to Mexico in Operation Fast and Furious have killed hundreds of civilians in that country. That those guns have been used often to kill Mexicans is a position articulated by both Attorney General Eric Holder and Mexican authorities...."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Pueblo Chieftain "Arson suspected in car fire; gang elements present "
Anthony A. Mestes:
"Police are investigating arson after a car was set on fire Friday in an alley behind a home on the 500 block of Gaylord Avenue.
Police reported that a call stating a car was on fire came in at about 6:30 p.m.
Officer Jonathan Post responded to the alley. He said in an affidavit that he saw a maroon Toyota Avalon in the alley, facing south, with smoke billowing out of the windows.
He said there was a word spray-painted on the passenger side of the vehicle that is derogatory for the Latin Aces gang....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"Police are investigating arson after a car was set on fire Friday in an alley behind a home on the 500 block of Gaylord Avenue.
Police reported that a call stating a car was on fire came in at about 6:30 p.m.
Officer Jonathan Post responded to the alley. He said in an affidavit that he saw a maroon Toyota Avalon in the alley, facing south, with smoke billowing out of the windows.
He said there was a word spray-painted on the passenger side of the vehicle that is derogatory for the Latin Aces gang....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "City prosecutor grapples with recidivism issue"
Chad Abraham:
"Aspen’s new assistant city attorney, who also serves as municipal prosecutor, said Friday she is reaching out to other officials in the areas of law enforcement and substance abuse treatment to try to reduce the number of repeat offenders appearing in court.
Debbie Quinn said she has spoken with the heads of The Right Door counseling center, the Pitkin County Jail and the county’s health and human services department about the recidivism issue. Her determination so far is that there are no quick fixes.
“It’s an issue in every community, dealing with the homeless, the mentally ill,” Quinn said, adding a sobering statistic that Colorado ranks 48th in the nation in funding for mental health care. “I don’t think we’re unusual, but it’s a dilemma.”
Brooke Peterson, an Aspen attorney and the city’s chief municipal judge, recently presided over a case involving a man whom the judge said has been in court every month for six months. On Wednesday, Peterson heard from Vince Savage, the director of the Aspen Homeless Shelter, about a woman who has been repeatedly arrested for trespassing. The Savage verdict: Aspen simply does not have the resources, such as a home for the mentally ill, that would best serve the woman...."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"Aspen’s new assistant city attorney, who also serves as municipal prosecutor, said Friday she is reaching out to other officials in the areas of law enforcement and substance abuse treatment to try to reduce the number of repeat offenders appearing in court.
Debbie Quinn said she has spoken with the heads of The Right Door counseling center, the Pitkin County Jail and the county’s health and human services department about the recidivism issue. Her determination so far is that there are no quick fixes.
“It’s an issue in every community, dealing with the homeless, the mentally ill,” Quinn said, adding a sobering statistic that Colorado ranks 48th in the nation in funding for mental health care. “I don’t think we’re unusual, but it’s a dilemma.”
Brooke Peterson, an Aspen attorney and the city’s chief municipal judge, recently presided over a case involving a man whom the judge said has been in court every month for six months. On Wednesday, Peterson heard from Vince Savage, the director of the Aspen Homeless Shelter, about a woman who has been repeatedly arrested for trespassing. The Savage verdict: Aspen simply does not have the resources, such as a home for the mentally ill, that would best serve the woman...."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "Who needs Siskel and Ebert"
"When the power is greater, the responsibility becomes greater."
Johnny Boyd has a powerful voice that he cultivates.
If Johnny Boyd had all the facts and only the facts minus third-party perception, I trust that he is reputable enough to have never made comments regarding Related Cos. 'default' on the original loan as he does today in the Aspen Daily News.
His voice is far too powerful to sway gossip and I trust that my high opinion and respect for Johnny Boyd's voice is not in vain.
Johnny Boyd:
"....Thumbs up: Related Companies has managed to purchase the Base Village from the German banks. Finally, the company that reneged on its loan to the German banks is able to pay less to get the same property back. After you walk away from a mortgage I have to wonder: Where do you get the credit to ever buy anything again? Can I just walk away from mine and turn around and buy my house back for pennies on the dollar? This is another example of no respect for the rules, because you make them...."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
Johnny Boyd has a powerful voice that he cultivates.
If Johnny Boyd had all the facts and only the facts minus third-party perception, I trust that he is reputable enough to have never made comments regarding Related Cos. 'default' on the original loan as he does today in the Aspen Daily News.
His voice is far too powerful to sway gossip and I trust that my high opinion and respect for Johnny Boyd's voice is not in vain.
Johnny Boyd:
"....Thumbs up: Related Companies has managed to purchase the Base Village from the German banks. Finally, the company that reneged on its loan to the German banks is able to pay less to get the same property back. After you walk away from a mortgage I have to wonder: Where do you get the credit to ever buy anything again? Can I just walk away from mine and turn around and buy my house back for pennies on the dollar? This is another example of no respect for the rules, because you make them...."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Eagle County Times "Willy Weighs In at the ECT"
(See related story and public comments here)
Willy Powell:
"At the request of EagleCountyTimes I am writing this article to offer information objectively concerning the Eagle River Station Planned Unit Development project, proposed in Eagle. The project is a mixed use commercial and residential apartment PUD on 88 acres and consisting of up to 732,500 square feet of commercial space and 550 apartment units....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010
Willy Powell:
"At the request of EagleCountyTimes I am writing this article to offer information objectively concerning the Eagle River Station Planned Unit Development project, proposed in Eagle. The project is a mixed use commercial and residential apartment PUD on 88 acres and consisting of up to 732,500 square feet of commercial space and 550 apartment units....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010
SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "City earmarking $10,000 to gather affordable housing data for summit"
This is amazing news out of the City of Aspen and Pitkin County.
A near 180 degree shift into the world of the common man and into reality.
The very idea that councilman, mayors and commissioners would even be aware that there are growing numbers of homeless and hungry in the community and an entire majority of next step up from that status citizens who look on the outside like they have more than they really do; is astounding in itself.
But for them to move forward so quickly after becoming aware and work toward righting wrongs is not only wonderful, it is commendable.
Thank you so much to the City of Aspen and Pitkin County for taking the reins.
Now, how can all those falling through the cracks or barely above water help make this resource work? By no longer being silent. Speak in anonymity if what you have to say goes against big money somewhere or puts you in harm's way. Just don't be silent and give them the chance to get accurate data.
Appoint a spokesperson who will keep you shielded, ask authorities for a means of anonymous communication to them. Just speak up.
Dorothy Atkins:
"The city has earmarked $10,000 to come up with statistical models that asses local affordable housing demand.
The study is being done in preparation for a housing summit that will take place this fall and will include public officials from the city and county.
The study will seek to answer what percentage of the population lives in Pitkin County and works in adjacent counties; what the income distribution is of workers in the county and how it compares to the supply of affordable housing units, and finally, how the increase of retirees leaving the workforce affects the supply of available units. The study also will look at what percentage of the local workforce actually wants to live in affordable housing units.
“This is the kind of information we’ve begun to prepare,” said Barry Crook, assistant city manager. “And part of that is we want to get [officials] to hone in on what they want the summit to accomplish.....”
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
A near 180 degree shift into the world of the common man and into reality.
The very idea that councilman, mayors and commissioners would even be aware that there are growing numbers of homeless and hungry in the community and an entire majority of next step up from that status citizens who look on the outside like they have more than they really do; is astounding in itself.
But for them to move forward so quickly after becoming aware and work toward righting wrongs is not only wonderful, it is commendable.
Thank you so much to the City of Aspen and Pitkin County for taking the reins.
Now, how can all those falling through the cracks or barely above water help make this resource work? By no longer being silent. Speak in anonymity if what you have to say goes against big money somewhere or puts you in harm's way. Just don't be silent and give them the chance to get accurate data.
Appoint a spokesperson who will keep you shielded, ask authorities for a means of anonymous communication to them. Just speak up.
Dorothy Atkins:
"The city has earmarked $10,000 to come up with statistical models that asses local affordable housing demand.
The study is being done in preparation for a housing summit that will take place this fall and will include public officials from the city and county.
The study will seek to answer what percentage of the population lives in Pitkin County and works in adjacent counties; what the income distribution is of workers in the county and how it compares to the supply of affordable housing units, and finally, how the increase of retirees leaving the workforce affects the supply of available units. The study also will look at what percentage of the local workforce actually wants to live in affordable housing units.
“This is the kind of information we’ve begun to prepare,” said Barry Crook, assistant city manager. “And part of that is we want to get [officials] to hone in on what they want the summit to accomplish.....”
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "Schafer named as new publisher of Post Independent, Citizen Telegram"
What is your impression of her photo? This new publisher of the PI and Telegram?
Does she look like the type of person who will finally have the courage to buck the cronyism and good 'ol boys and girls club in Glenwood Springs?
The kind of person who won't sell her newspaper's soul for contracts in advertising?
The kind of person who has the courage to adhere to high journalistic standards and reap the rewards of returned subscribers and respect from her communities she will be serving?
The kind of person who will hold a payroll of reporters who actually go out and report all the news?
The kind of person who believes that her publisher duties include honesty and integrity in reporting all stories including the stories that are not favorable to the powerful? Possibly releasing all previous crony bonds and really living up to the 'Independent' in her employer's brand name?
What do you think Stephanie Schafer looks like as the next publisher of the PI and Telegram?
I am blocking your comment ability on this post so that y'all can have time to think about what you want in a potentially new era at the PI (and) to give Ms. Schafer a chance to show us all who she really is and how effective she will be in servicing the entire scope of the PI and the Telegram.
Glenwood Springs Post Independent:
"GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colorado — Stephanie Schafer has been named publisher of the Glenwood Springs Post Independent and The Citizen Telegram and will begin work on Wednesday, May 23.
She succeeds Jenna Weatherred, who left the newspapers May 4 to head the nonprofit Children's Health Foundation in Aspen.
Schafer was advertising and marketing director of the Greeley Tribune from 2006 through 2009. For the past three years she has been the key accounts sales leader at the Fort Collins Coloradoan. In all, she brings more than 20 years experience in the newspaper industry to her new role.
The Greeley Tribune, like the Post Independent and Citizen Telegram, is part of Swift Communications.
“We're delighted to have someone of Stephanie's capabilities take the leadership role at the Glenwood Springs and Rifle newspapers,” said Jim Morgan, general manager of Colorado Mountain News Media, of which the Post Independent and Citizen Telegram are part....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
Does she look like the type of person who will finally have the courage to buck the cronyism and good 'ol boys and girls club in Glenwood Springs?
The kind of person who won't sell her newspaper's soul for contracts in advertising?
The kind of person who has the courage to adhere to high journalistic standards and reap the rewards of returned subscribers and respect from her communities she will be serving?
The kind of person who will hold a payroll of reporters who actually go out and report all the news?
The kind of person who believes that her publisher duties include honesty and integrity in reporting all stories including the stories that are not favorable to the powerful? Possibly releasing all previous crony bonds and really living up to the 'Independent' in her employer's brand name?
What do you think Stephanie Schafer looks like as the next publisher of the PI and Telegram?
I am blocking your comment ability on this post so that y'all can have time to think about what you want in a potentially new era at the PI (and) to give Ms. Schafer a chance to show us all who she really is and how effective she will be in servicing the entire scope of the PI and the Telegram.
Glenwood Springs Post Independent:
"GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colorado — Stephanie Schafer has been named publisher of the Glenwood Springs Post Independent and The Citizen Telegram and will begin work on Wednesday, May 23.
She succeeds Jenna Weatherred, who left the newspapers May 4 to head the nonprofit Children's Health Foundation in Aspen.
Schafer was advertising and marketing director of the Greeley Tribune from 2006 through 2009. For the past three years she has been the key accounts sales leader at the Fort Collins Coloradoan. In all, she brings more than 20 years experience in the newspaper industry to her new role.
The Greeley Tribune, like the Post Independent and Citizen Telegram, is part of Swift Communications.
“We're delighted to have someone of Stephanie's capabilities take the leadership role at the Glenwood Springs and Rifle newspapers,” said Jim Morgan, general manager of Colorado Mountain News Media, of which the Post Independent and Citizen Telegram are part....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Times "Change is in the air"
It's because of the 'Red Ant'.
Seriously.
That somewhat infamous 'Aspen Blogger' aka the 'Red Ant is the catalyst of the new dawn for conservatives in the Roaring Fork Valley.
A 'new age' where conservative commentary and opinion is not only freely and widely expressed but also receiving higher popularity rankings than any liberal talking head in the area.
Sparking tweets that zip around the world, fellow conservative bloggers and writers, conservative activism and those previously elusive conservatives in the closet coming out in full force through every available medium they can get their hands on.
There truly is strength in numbers and 'change is in the air'.
Maurice Emmer:
"Dear Editor:
Charlie Leonard claims that President Obama has no plan to fix Social Security and Medicare (“President's math doesn't add up,” Opinion, April 3, The Aspen Times). Why be so negative, Charlie? Who are you to question the smartest president in the history of this nation?
The president's plan is obvious. It is embodied in Obamacare. In a nutshell, the president's plan is that Obamacare will survive the challenge in the Supreme Court and wreck our health care system.....
......Where's your hope, Charlie? Change is coming.." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
Seriously.
That somewhat infamous 'Aspen Blogger' aka the 'Red Ant is the catalyst of the new dawn for conservatives in the Roaring Fork Valley.
A 'new age' where conservative commentary and opinion is not only freely and widely expressed but also receiving higher popularity rankings than any liberal talking head in the area.
Sparking tweets that zip around the world, fellow conservative bloggers and writers, conservative activism and those previously elusive conservatives in the closet coming out in full force through every available medium they can get their hands on.
There truly is strength in numbers and 'change is in the air'.
Maurice Emmer:
"Dear Editor:
Charlie Leonard claims that President Obama has no plan to fix Social Security and Medicare (“President's math doesn't add up,” Opinion, April 3, The Aspen Times). Why be so negative, Charlie? Who are you to question the smartest president in the history of this nation?
The president's plan is obvious. It is embodied in Obamacare. In a nutshell, the president's plan is that Obamacare will survive the challenge in the Supreme Court and wreck our health care system.....
......Where's your hope, Charlie? Change is coming.." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Times "Bearing it all at Conundrum"
Paul Anderson:
"Visitation at Conundrum Hot Springs is going to spike this summer as black bears flock to the wilderness, where half a dozen cows were fast-frozen last winter in their own walk-in cooler.
Raw beef and hot pools: That's the definition of a bear spa if I ever heard one. Those lucky omnivores can dine and dip to their hearts' content as they gather for a smorgasbord luring every bruin within range of smell.
But first a crew of hangdog cowhands had to remove the hibernal Herefords from their timberline tomb, slice and dice them into bite-size pieces and scatter the foul and bloody remains.
Stephen King can popularize the operation in a grisly novel. Hollywood studios can pitch the idea to hungry producers: “It's the Texas Chainsaw Massacre meets cattle mutilations meets Butcher Class 101! Think of the product spinoffs!”
Aspen won't have a bear problem this summer, but Conundrum Hot Springs sure will. Once a free feed is put on, bears are not likely to forget it. The potential for bear/human encounters will be epic for years to come. Where else will you be able to share a hot spring with a real live bear? The marketing possibilities are endless: “Get bear at Conundrum!....” (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"Visitation at Conundrum Hot Springs is going to spike this summer as black bears flock to the wilderness, where half a dozen cows were fast-frozen last winter in their own walk-in cooler.
Raw beef and hot pools: That's the definition of a bear spa if I ever heard one. Those lucky omnivores can dine and dip to their hearts' content as they gather for a smorgasbord luring every bruin within range of smell.
But first a crew of hangdog cowhands had to remove the hibernal Herefords from their timberline tomb, slice and dice them into bite-size pieces and scatter the foul and bloody remains.
Stephen King can popularize the operation in a grisly novel. Hollywood studios can pitch the idea to hungry producers: “It's the Texas Chainsaw Massacre meets cattle mutilations meets Butcher Class 101! Think of the product spinoffs!”
Aspen won't have a bear problem this summer, but Conundrum Hot Springs sure will. Once a free feed is put on, bears are not likely to forget it. The potential for bear/human encounters will be epic for years to come. Where else will you be able to share a hot spring with a real live bear? The marketing possibilities are endless: “Get bear at Conundrum!....” (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Summit County Citizens Voice/Bob Berwyn "Opinion: Roadless spin machine in high gear"
Bob Berwyn:
"SUMMIT COUNTY — The spin machine for Colorado’s new national forest roadless rule cranked into high gear last week, as state and federal leaders sought to convince the public that the watered-down protections for some of the state’s most valuable lands are equal to, or better than the original national rule.
In a way, the establishment has it easy, because it’s been tough to follow all the twists and turns in the roadless saga — but it’s important to understand some of the background and nuance to make a valid comparison.
You certainly can’t rely on the Forest Service to for the real story in this situation. The agency’s follow-up press release to the roadless announcement touted “widespread support” for rule from conservation groups and quoted snippets of press releases selectively, using sections that praised parts of the rule while leaving out language that finds fault with the Colorado version and calls for additional protections.
It would have been questionable for the national agency to reject the Colorado petition; far better had the state backed away from its rule gracefully, perhaps keeping it in reserve, when you this far down a planning road, it’s hard to put it in reverse.
To give the Forest Service credit, it has provided a detailed and very accessible public online record of the rule-making and its history. All the information is there if you care to look.
But the Post also fell hook, line and sinker for one of the key talking points for the new rule — that it gives some of Colorado’s roadless areas more protection than the national rule. This myth of “greater protection” is clearly aimed at deflection attention from the fact that the majority of the national forest roadless areas in the state will get less protection than they would under the national rule....."
(Read the rest? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"SUMMIT COUNTY — The spin machine for Colorado’s new national forest roadless rule cranked into high gear last week, as state and federal leaders sought to convince the public that the watered-down protections for some of the state’s most valuable lands are equal to, or better than the original national rule.
In a way, the establishment has it easy, because it’s been tough to follow all the twists and turns in the roadless saga — but it’s important to understand some of the background and nuance to make a valid comparison.
You certainly can’t rely on the Forest Service to for the real story in this situation. The agency’s follow-up press release to the roadless announcement touted “widespread support” for rule from conservation groups and quoted snippets of press releases selectively, using sections that praised parts of the rule while leaving out language that finds fault with the Colorado version and calls for additional protections.
It would have been questionable for the national agency to reject the Colorado petition; far better had the state backed away from its rule gracefully, perhaps keeping it in reserve, when you this far down a planning road, it’s hard to put it in reverse.
To give the Forest Service credit, it has provided a detailed and very accessible public online record of the rule-making and its history. All the information is there if you care to look.
Colorado’s newspaper of record, the Denver Post, gave up on trying to delve into some of those nuances in its Sunday editorial on the roadless rule, basically just saying saying, “It’s complicated, but trust us, this is a good thing,” without really ever explaining why. To its credit, the Post did include a link to previous coverage that helps explain the convoluted history.
But the Post also fell hook, line and sinker for one of the key talking points for the new rule — that it gives some of Colorado’s roadless areas more protection than the national rule. This myth of “greater protection” is clearly aimed at deflection attention from the fact that the majority of the national forest roadless areas in the state will get less protection than they would under the national rule....."
(Read the rest? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Summit County Citizens Voice "Morning photo: Best of April
All credit to Bob Berwyn (Click title):
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)