SandBoxBlogs: Hot Air Blog "Oh my: Deb Fischer leads Bob Kerrey by 18 points in Nebraska"

'AllahPundit':
"Granted, it’s a deep red state, but I’m surprised regardless. Kerrey served two terms in the Senate and another as governor so his name recognition is sky high; Fischer, meanwhile, was a distant third in the primary race behind Bruning and Stenberg as of just a few weeks ago. Can an almost total upstart crush one of the most successful Democrats in recent state history?
Apparently, yeah:

State Senator Deb Fischer holds an 18-point lead over Democrat Bob Kerrey in the first Rasmussen Reports survey of the Nebraska U.S. Senate race since her upset win in last week’s state Republican primary.
A new telephone survey of Likely Voters in Nebraska shows Fischer with 56% support to 38% for Kerrey who is trying to reclaim the Senate seat he retired from in 2001. Two percent (2%) prefer some other candidate in the race, and three percent (3%) are undecided.

The question mark with all insurgent primary winners after Angle and O’Donnell is whether they’ll make so many unforced errors on the trail that voters will decide they’re too risky to roll the dice on. Richard Mourdock seems unlikely to have that problem; he already holds statewide office as Indiana’s treasurer and, from what I’ve read, operates as a seasoned pol....."
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"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Hot Air Blog "Interview with Texas Senate candidate Ted Cruz"

Dustin Siggins:
"Last evening conservative favorite Ted Cruz, the insurgent candidate in the Republican Texas Senate Primary who is closing the gap as we hit less than two weeks from primary voting day, gave me 15 minutes of his time for a few questions about taxes, term limits, immigration and Sarah Palin’s endorsement. Below is our conversation.

Dustin Siggins (DS): 12 days out, you’re closing in the polls, Sarah Palin endorsed you…what are your thoughts on how things are going?

Ted Cruz (TC): The campaign is going extraordinarily well. The momentum is off the charts. Sarah Palin endorsed us last week  and we had a thousand contributions come in within 48 hours. We have conservatives of all stripes backing us: grassroots leaders, Republican women – everyone is coalescing behind our campaign.

DS: In a recent interview with Kathleen McKinley at Smart Girl Nation (transcript posted at RightWingNews.com), you said you opposed Democratic amnesty proposals as well as “Democrat-lite” proposals from Republicans. Can you elaborate upon this a bit?

TC: We have a crisis on illegal immigration. Neither party is serious about stopping it. I strongly oppose illegal immigration. I categorically oppose amnesty. I support legal immigrants who come here supporting the American Dream.

I come from the perspective of someone who spent much of my adult life in law enforcement. In a post-9/11 world, it is absolutely unacceptable that we don’t know who comes over our borders. We need to do everything humanly possible to secure the borders. Electronic surveillance, a wall, helicopters and, most importantly, boots on the ground. If elected, the first thing I will do is triple the U.S. Border Patrol.

We should celebrate legal immigrants. No matter the party or the politician, I oppose amnesty. Amnesty is contrary to the rule of law and is unfair to legal immigrants who wait years or decades to come here legally.

When it comes to illegal immigration, conservatives often feel like Charlie Brown and Lucy with the football. The 1986 amnesty was allegedly to secure borders in exchange for amnesty, but the borders were never secured. We should not fall for that again.

A better immigration system is both possible and simple. First, we enforce the law – securing the borders will stop the inflow. Second, put in place a strong E-Verify program. The lack of jobs will dry up the magnet for being here and illegal immigrants will leave. America MUST remain a nation of the rule of law, and non-enforcement of illegal immigration undermines that....."  (Read more? Click title)

"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Right Scoop "Hannity: Representative of Koch Brother’s responds to being singled out"

SandBoxBlogs: Grand Junction Daily Sentinel "Heroin suspect is jailed twice in 24 hours"

Another western slope heroin story.  It's been awhile since 'SandBox Nanny' thanked all of our agents, agencies, task forces, deputies, police and border agents for their tireless and dedicated  work toward removing these deadly drugs from our communities and protecting us from all the ramifications and associations that go along with any drug use.

Thank you.

You are appreciated very much.  By far more people you serve than I think you know.

Paul Shockley:
"A Colorado Mesa University student was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of dealing heroin, less than seven hours after he posted bond at the Mesa County Jail stemming from his arrest the night before for the same charge, according to court records.

Cameron C. Coon, 22, 2813 C ¾ Road, was ordered Thursday to be held on $25,000 bond, cash only, after his second arrest in a little more than 24 hours for suspicion of distribution of heroin, among other related charges.

“Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me,” County Judge Craig Henderson said during Thursday’s bond hearing.

Henderson on Wednesday had set bond after Coon’s first arrest at $50,000, personal recognizance.

The bond type allowed Coon to leave the jail with a simple signature around 3:35 p.m. on Wednesday after appearing before Henderson, according to jail records.

An arrest affidavit said Western Colorado Drug Task Force officers were watching Coons’ Orchard Mesa home Wednesday and arrested Clay Girtman, 22, who was observed leaving the home....."

SandBoxBlogs: CIRC "AJUA and CIRC Celebrate Norma's Return Home!"

(The Galindo/Morales/Gonzales family can thank long-time local 'Anita Sherman' for this related link and public comments. Due to the inflaming of the Norma story by Ms. Sherman on the above link, comment ability on this post is blocked.  )

All story and photo credit:  Colorado Immigration Rights Council/CIRC:
"Basalt, CO - The Morales family, AJUA (Asociación de Jóvenes Unidos en Acción), the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC), and thousands of concerned Coloradans and activists nationwide, are celebrating Norma Galindo Gonzalez's (Morales) return home from the ICE detention facility in Aurora on Friday evening, just in time to spend Mother's Day weekend with her family and see her son graduate high school.

On May 1^st, ICE detained Norma Morales, a respected and admired community leader. On Friday, May 11^th, after a 10-day campaign led by AJUA (Asociación de Jóvenes Unidos en Acción), Norma was released.

Her son, Hector, worked tirelessly with AJUA, elected officials, media, and thousands of Coloradans who sent faxes, made phone calls, wrote emails, and hounded the press until his mother came home - in time for his graduation!

Said a jubilant Hector: "Reuniting with my mom was of great relief to my family. It feels amazing having her back home, and I am grateful for everyone that helped us during the difficult period we had to go through."

AJUA leader Edgar Niebla expressed their sentiments on the announcement: "We are happy that ICE recognized that removing Norma would have been an enormous mistake, and detrimental to our community. And on behalf of AJUA, I would like to express their gratitude for the incredible outpouring of support for young individuals and their families, who strive for justice, civil rights, and education throughout the state of Colorado."

Perhaps the most powerful and heartfelt statement comes from Norma herself: "Being without my family is the hardest thing I have had to experience. Just the thought of missing one of my son's most important events in his life is heartbreaking. I am deeply grateful for all the people who helped me come back home."...."
(Read the originial story?  Click title)

"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Citizen Telegram "No rock climbing at Rifle Falls"

via Citizen Telegram:
"The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission denied a petition that would have allowed rock climbing on property at the Rifle Falls Fish Hatchery.

At their meeting last week, commissioners based the decision on concerns about an active golden eagle nest in the immediate area, diversion of wildlife funds, safety issues, parking problems and potential damage to sensitive hatchery and water equipment in the area.

The Rifle Falls Fish Hatchery was built in 1955 and was the largest trout hatchery in the world at that time. The hatchery raised about 3.7 million fish last year and is responsible for about 40 percent of the cacheable trout in the state hatchery system....." (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Vail Daily News "‘Everyone can get down' at State Bridge"

Caramie Schnell:
"If there's one common thread weaving its way through the lineup of bands playing at State Bridge's opening weekend, it's “Colorado music staples,” said Scotty Stoughton, the talent buyer and event operations manager.

“(The weekend's bands) are a ton of fun and appeal to a huge demo(graphic),” he said. “We'll have families out there, cowboys there, river rats there. And everyone can get down to the music I'm booking for this weekend.”

Last summer marked the revival of the outdoor music venue, which burned down in 2007 and was rebuilt into an outdoor ampthitheater. The past few weeks a crew of people have been volunteering at State Bridge, getting it ready for the summer season, which starts today.

“We are creating a really great family of folks up here. We have made some minor tweaks but mainly just blew off the winter dust and got her ready,” Stoughton said.

Friday through Sunday the riverside venue hosts a slew of musicians. WhiteWater Ramble, a mandolin-fiddle-acoustic guitar-upright bass-drums outfit from Fort Collins, kicks things off Friday night with its bluegrass-tinged rock with everything from house grooves to roots Americana thrown in for good measure....."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Summit County Citizens Voice "Morning photo: Sunset and clearcuts …"

( I know...I know...it's far from 'morning' now....just look at the nice photos and hush.....it's busy times...)

All credit Bob Berwyn:
"SUMMIT COUNTY — A few images from the daily peregrinations along the shore of the reservoir. I usually try to assiduously avoid the clearcut areas in photos because really, who wants to see pictures of stumps. But every now and then, it’s probably a good reminder, especially with a warming climate that may very well bring additional blight to high country ecosystems....."
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