Don't look at how much more money ASCRA has to work with than GSCRA does down here in Glenwood Springs. It's depressing. The folks up in Aspen trust their tourism marketing decisions and ASCRA has shown by proven performance, that they are doing the right marketing for Aspen. So much trust that they actually voted to raise taxes accordingly and give ASCRA more to work with. How many times have we heard the 81601 folks chat up that they would be thrilled to do the same but first need to see both control and performance of the money we already have?
Do look at the detailed breakout. Set the difference in monetary values aside.
My word, they sure do get a more balanced plan and practical, diversified approach than GSCRA offers, don't they?
Could we even just piggyback off some of these promotions and events? Please? Pretty, please?
The folks are pretty desperate out here, 81601 tourism leaders.
just sayin that surely with this stark of a contrast, aren't there any light bulbs flipping on?
(Read what Aspen has going on? Click title. Comment to discuss.)
December 26, 2011
SandBox Comments: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "Locals dish on their perfect winter day"
How nice it has been over the past four to five months of picking up the PI each day and seeing a community newspaper again.
For the past few years, dominance by only a select focus of reporting and community members really took its toll on how the folks have felt about their local print news.
Yes, there are still way too many grievances and from what we see, most of them are warranted.
But as the year 2011 winds down there is no doubt that things are much, much better than they were.
Thanks, PI. Keep on reaching higher.
(Read the article? Hear about some folks you may not know? Click title. Comment to discuss)
For the past few years, dominance by only a select focus of reporting and community members really took its toll on how the folks have felt about their local print news.
Yes, there are still way too many grievances and from what we see, most of them are warranted.
But as the year 2011 winds down there is no doubt that things are much, much better than they were.
Thanks, PI. Keep on reaching higher.
(Read the article? Hear about some folks you may not know? Click title. Comment to discuss)
December 25, 2011
SandBox Comments: Aspen Daily News "A valley flowing with generosity"
"In the week leading up to Christmas, local nonprofits made a final push to bring food, toys and holiday baskets to those in need over the holiday.
On the Thursday before Christmas, about 40 people stood in line holding empty boxes and grocery bags at the Pitkin County Health and Human Services building waiting to collect goods provided by the Food Bank of the Rockies.
In the next room, boxes and cans of food were piled up next to each other along a row of tables. The line began with a large box of raw meat, mostly chicken, due to its inexpensive cost and high protein content. In the center sat a group of canned and boxed food ranging from tuna helper to value packs of instant hot cocoa. There also was a pyramid made of diapers, and the line ended with a large box containing an assortment of pre-made sheet cakes and other baked goods next to a box of sodas.
Some adults waiting in line brought their children to carry extra bags; others were elderly and had younger companions to help schlepp their loads. But most were alone, standing silently with grim faces waiting their turn.
The first person in line was an elderly woman who didn’t speak English. She had waited 40 minutes for first pick, according to her younger companion who identified himself as Osvaldo. Osvaldo came to help the elderly woman because she didn’t own a car.
“It’s really good help for our family,” said Osvaldo.
Behind the pair was another woman with a cane who said it was the first time she has needed to resort to receiving handouts.
“I wouldn’t have done it this time,” she said. “But I needed food.”
One woman, further down the line, had driven from Rifle for the food. It was the second time she had been to the food bank, and although she is employed, she is supporting her two adult children who are unemployed and living at home with her, making her financial situation tight, she said.
Another older man worked in construction for years in Aspen but he has been unemployed for the past three months and can’t find a job, despite constantly looking, he said. The food bank is how he has survived unemployment, he said.
About a week before the recent Aspen distribution, the food bank in El Jebel ran out of food in 20 minutes when it should have lasted two hours, organizers said. People stood crying when they saw all the food was gone, according to numerous reports....."
(Dorothy Atkins)
(Learn more? Click title. Comment to discuss)
On the Thursday before Christmas, about 40 people stood in line holding empty boxes and grocery bags at the Pitkin County Health and Human Services building waiting to collect goods provided by the Food Bank of the Rockies.
In the next room, boxes and cans of food were piled up next to each other along a row of tables. The line began with a large box of raw meat, mostly chicken, due to its inexpensive cost and high protein content. In the center sat a group of canned and boxed food ranging from tuna helper to value packs of instant hot cocoa. There also was a pyramid made of diapers, and the line ended with a large box containing an assortment of pre-made sheet cakes and other baked goods next to a box of sodas.
Some adults waiting in line brought their children to carry extra bags; others were elderly and had younger companions to help schlepp their loads. But most were alone, standing silently with grim faces waiting their turn.
The first person in line was an elderly woman who didn’t speak English. She had waited 40 minutes for first pick, according to her younger companion who identified himself as Osvaldo. Osvaldo came to help the elderly woman because she didn’t own a car.
“It’s really good help for our family,” said Osvaldo.
Behind the pair was another woman with a cane who said it was the first time she has needed to resort to receiving handouts.
“I wouldn’t have done it this time,” she said. “But I needed food.”
One woman, further down the line, had driven from Rifle for the food. It was the second time she had been to the food bank, and although she is employed, she is supporting her two adult children who are unemployed and living at home with her, making her financial situation tight, she said.
Another older man worked in construction for years in Aspen but he has been unemployed for the past three months and can’t find a job, despite constantly looking, he said. The food bank is how he has survived unemployment, he said.
About a week before the recent Aspen distribution, the food bank in El Jebel ran out of food in 20 minutes when it should have lasted two hours, organizers said. People stood crying when they saw all the food was gone, according to numerous reports....."
(Dorothy Atkins)
(Learn more? Click title. Comment to discuss)
December 24, 2011
SandBox Comments: Pueblo Chieftain "Koncilja out as top DA investigator "
"...But Koncilja's departure came a week after testimony from a current and a former deputy district attorney that painted him and the district attorney's office in a negative light. Their testimony also suggested Thiebaut didn't have a grasp of case law governing criminal procedure.
The hearing was for a request by Public Defender Adam Schultz to dismiss a murder case against Puebloan David Carrillo.
The hearing involved the creation of a memo discussing the truthfulness of a police officer at the scene of the crime. The memo was created at Koncilja's instruction, who then asked it be kept secret from other attorneys in the office.
Both Deputy District Attorney Steve Jones and former lead prosecutor Steve Cornetta said the memo represented a pattern of behavior in which Koncilja would do investigations into cases without attorneys' knowledge, kept files on his investigations and would, at times, refuse to allow lawyers in the office to access those files.
The Carrillo hearing is scheduled to resume in February....."
(Jeff Tucker)
(Read more? Click title. Comment to discuss)
The hearing was for a request by Public Defender Adam Schultz to dismiss a murder case against Puebloan David Carrillo.
The hearing involved the creation of a memo discussing the truthfulness of a police officer at the scene of the crime. The memo was created at Koncilja's instruction, who then asked it be kept secret from other attorneys in the office.
Both Deputy District Attorney Steve Jones and former lead prosecutor Steve Cornetta said the memo represented a pattern of behavior in which Koncilja would do investigations into cases without attorneys' knowledge, kept files on his investigations and would, at times, refuse to allow lawyers in the office to access those files.
The Carrillo hearing is scheduled to resume in February....."
(Jeff Tucker)
(Read more? Click title. Comment to discuss)
SandBox Comments: Delta County Independent "County will endorse Koch’s land swap "
"The Board of County Commissioners will write a letter endorsing the Central Rockies Land Exchange, also known as the Bear Ranch Land Exchange.
The BoCC announced the decision during its regular business meeting on Dec. 19...."
(Read more? Click title. Comment to discuss)
The BoCC announced the decision during its regular business meeting on Dec. 19...."
(Read more? Click title. Comment to discuss)
SandBox Comments: Aspen Daily News "RFTA launches eminent-domain effort in court"
Why is it important to remember all these seemingly small details from the news stories in our area?
Why is it so important to speak up about those details?
Because without the average taxpayer and voter doing so, there are no controls over what happens to both public funds and our leaders in positions of trust and sworn duty.
Billions of dollars. Most of it in bailouts and wish lists. A great deal of it given to clean up errors in management judgment or poor decision making on the administration of RFTA's end.
$46 million bucks is one of the latest 'sell-jobs' from the Roaring Fork Transit Agency. You know who they are. They're those monster size fuel guzzling public transports running the length of the Valley and corridor mostly empty of riders every day.
Usually the problem lies in the 'small details' CEO Dan Blankenship and RFTA's crony elected officials just seem to 'overlook'.
Like...say...the mega plan to overhaul the RFTA corridor in the Valley....needing a couple parcels of land or it's a complete 'no go' on the project. Parcels that have been owned by the same folks for a long time and are high dollar chunks of commercial real estate in Basalt.
Looks like Blankenship's solution is to execute what works for him whenever he holds out his RFTA bailout hand to the folks.
Force the giving over of his company's demand and count on the law and ethics being overlooked.
Business and cronyism as usual.
Just say NO, Mr. Cathers and Mr. Myers.
Just say NO.
(Learn more? Click title. Comment to discuss)
Why is it so important to speak up about those details?
Because without the average taxpayer and voter doing so, there are no controls over what happens to both public funds and our leaders in positions of trust and sworn duty.
Billions of dollars. Most of it in bailouts and wish lists. A great deal of it given to clean up errors in management judgment or poor decision making on the administration of RFTA's end.
$46 million bucks is one of the latest 'sell-jobs' from the Roaring Fork Transit Agency. You know who they are. They're those monster size fuel guzzling public transports running the length of the Valley and corridor mostly empty of riders every day.
Usually the problem lies in the 'small details' CEO Dan Blankenship and RFTA's crony elected officials just seem to 'overlook'.
Like...say...the mega plan to overhaul the RFTA corridor in the Valley....needing a couple parcels of land or it's a complete 'no go' on the project. Parcels that have been owned by the same folks for a long time and are high dollar chunks of commercial real estate in Basalt.
Looks like Blankenship's solution is to execute what works for him whenever he holds out his RFTA bailout hand to the folks.
Force the giving over of his company's demand and count on the law and ethics being overlooked.
Business and cronyism as usual.
Just say NO, Mr. Cathers and Mr. Myers.
Just say NO.
(Learn more? Click title. Comment to discuss)
SandBox Comments: RealVail/The O. Zone "Vail's Vonn vamps for Italian mag, jets back for Letterman"
"It’s been an uneventful World Cup season so far for Vail’s Lindsey Vonn..."
(David O. Williams)
(Read more? Click title. Comment to discuss)
(David O. Williams)
(Read more? Click title. Comment to discuss)
SandBox Comments: Aspen Daily News "De plane, de plane!"
"It’s Christmas Eve in Aspen. The town is like a magical snow globe filled with miniature hundred dollar bills as snowflakes, and everybody is giddy with anticipation of what Santa may or may not be bringing them. The goose is fat, the trees are trimmed, the stockings are hung and the slopes are groomed to perfection. The streets are choked with Range Rovers and private jets are swarming like mosquitoes, but their occupants are a bit nervous about flaunting their riches in Aspen this year. Fret not. We’re ultra tolerant here in Aspen — wealth doesn’t impress or even faze (most of) us; some actually find it boring. If you’re worried about sticking out like a sore thumb and really want to look like a local, I have a solution for you: Don’t shave, and put duct tape on your gloves and ski outfit..."
(Lorenzo Semple)
(Read more? Click title. Comment to discuss)
(Lorenzo Semple)
(Read more? Click title. Comment to discuss)
December 23, 2011
SandBox Comments: Delta County Independent "Advice for cops good for all '
'SandBox Nanny' wonders what the 'kids' have to give in career advice to these new law enforcement officers.
"Tom Chinn, Montrose chief of police, was the guest speaker at the ceremony.
His 38 years worth of career advice to the new peace officers had less to do with busting bad guys than with how officers can best handle themselves and their own lives – both professional and personal.
Chinn framed his advice as "suggestions" for successful career lives. "People have to believe in you and trust you in everything you do," he said. His suggestions included the following:
• The training and learning that new officers have just received at the Academy is only the beginning. Learning is a lifetime endeavor.
• Continue with formal education and get a college degree, and then keep building on that.
• Be proactive in career pursuits in order to be an effective officer.
• Don't watch the "cop shows" on TV. They don't portray the life or work of professional law enforcement officers.
• Always treat people with respect. There are a lot of arrogant, egotistical cops, and no one likes them.
• Always be honest and positive, both on and off the job. Always pay your bills on time and avoid unnecessary debt.
• Credibility is key. When you have lost your personal credibility you have lost your job.
• The new officers will see lots of death and abuse of all kinds in their careers. "It's a tough, demanding life," Chinn said. He advised, "Spouses, be patient."
Adding a personal anecdote, Chinn said he has known officers who had the attitude of, "This is what I do, but it's not who I am." He encouraged the graduates to cultivate a professional attitude of, "This is what I do and this is who I am...."
(Hank Lohmeyer)
(Read more? Click title. Comment to discuss)
"Tom Chinn, Montrose chief of police, was the guest speaker at the ceremony.
His 38 years worth of career advice to the new peace officers had less to do with busting bad guys than with how officers can best handle themselves and their own lives – both professional and personal.
Chinn framed his advice as "suggestions" for successful career lives. "People have to believe in you and trust you in everything you do," he said. His suggestions included the following:
• The training and learning that new officers have just received at the Academy is only the beginning. Learning is a lifetime endeavor.
• Continue with formal education and get a college degree, and then keep building on that.
• Be proactive in career pursuits in order to be an effective officer.
• Don't watch the "cop shows" on TV. They don't portray the life or work of professional law enforcement officers.
• Always treat people with respect. There are a lot of arrogant, egotistical cops, and no one likes them.
• Always be honest and positive, both on and off the job. Always pay your bills on time and avoid unnecessary debt.
• Credibility is key. When you have lost your personal credibility you have lost your job.
• The new officers will see lots of death and abuse of all kinds in their careers. "It's a tough, demanding life," Chinn said. He advised, "Spouses, be patient."
Adding a personal anecdote, Chinn said he has known officers who had the attitude of, "This is what I do, but it's not who I am." He encouraged the graduates to cultivate a professional attitude of, "This is what I do and this is who I am...."
(Hank Lohmeyer)
(Read more? Click title. Comment to discuss)
SandBox Comments: Grand Junction Daily Sentinel "Mock-trial champs violated event’s spirit, state organizers say"
This one should be really hard for the taxpayers and voters in Glenwood Springs to take.
Why?
Because last year's Mock Trial team hit up the City of Glenwood Springs to fund and sponsor the trip to championships.
Click the title and read the entire article.
Charlie Wilman is a local attorney who was highly respected and thought well of. Vic Zerbi is a local judge. Possibly a former judge and retired, but nevertheless a pillar of Glenwood's culture and a role model.
"Blown out of proportion?", "target on their back?", "“They’re just the ones that got caught”.
Actually, fellas.
The question is one of ethics in the service of law.
Worse than whether or not the kids are shown that being misled by their coaches who not only know better but are in a position of trust; is the fact that their coaches really don't seem to 'know better':
“This is what upsets me about this whole thing, is that these kids worked very, very hard to accomplish what they accomplished,” said Glenwood’s head coach, attorney Charlie Willman. “Their hard work and dedication is being tainted by something they didn’t even do.”
Yea, but Charlie. Who did do it? It's cheating and setting a precedent to these kids who just may grow up to be attorneys some day that 'borderline' anything goes is "OK".
Is it OK?
“Is that against the spirit of the program? Perhaps it is, but I don’t see any major advantage to anybody in that,” he said. (Zerbi)
Please let one of the local reporters know, Judge Zerbi.
Where we all can go to find that book of ethics and statutes that you're reading from.
It's unfortunate that the kids have to pay for the sins of the coaches but Grand Junction is right.
Strip them of the win, penalize them with a year on the bench (pun intended for sidelines), refund the taxpayers who funded last year's competition and get new coaches for Glenwood's Mock Trial Team.
(Read more? Click title. Comment to discuss)
Why?
Because last year's Mock Trial team hit up the City of Glenwood Springs to fund and sponsor the trip to championships.
Click the title and read the entire article.
Charlie Wilman is a local attorney who was highly respected and thought well of. Vic Zerbi is a local judge. Possibly a former judge and retired, but nevertheless a pillar of Glenwood's culture and a role model.
"Blown out of proportion?", "target on their back?", "“They’re just the ones that got caught”.
Actually, fellas.
The question is one of ethics in the service of law.
Worse than whether or not the kids are shown that being misled by their coaches who not only know better but are in a position of trust; is the fact that their coaches really don't seem to 'know better':
“This is what upsets me about this whole thing, is that these kids worked very, very hard to accomplish what they accomplished,” said Glenwood’s head coach, attorney Charlie Willman. “Their hard work and dedication is being tainted by something they didn’t even do.”
Yea, but Charlie. Who did do it? It's cheating and setting a precedent to these kids who just may grow up to be attorneys some day that 'borderline' anything goes is "OK".
Is it OK?
“Is that against the spirit of the program? Perhaps it is, but I don’t see any major advantage to anybody in that,” he said. (Zerbi)
Please let one of the local reporters know, Judge Zerbi.
Where we all can go to find that book of ethics and statutes that you're reading from.
It's unfortunate that the kids have to pay for the sins of the coaches but Grand Junction is right.
Strip them of the win, penalize them with a year on the bench (pun intended for sidelines), refund the taxpayers who funded last year's competition and get new coaches for Glenwood's Mock Trial Team.
(Read more? Click title. Comment to discuss)
December 22, 2011
SandBox Comments: Center Post Dispatch "Traceable ballots could sabotage Colorado elections in 2012"
(See related story and comments here)
"...The CORA block would prevent poll watchers, media, and ordinary citizens from examining ballots, and would delay and restrict examination of logs, poll books, and other essential election information in the event of a disputed election. This even after Colorado Sec. of State Scott Gessler won a lawsuit in August 2011 against Saguache County Clerk Melinda Myers, with District Judge Martin Gonzales ruling that ballots are public records and Gessler as well as ordinary citizens have a right to request and inspect them.
Judge Gonzales’ decision was later upheld by an appeals court decision granting Aspen election-integrity advocate Marilyn Marks the right to inspect and copy photocopies of ballots cast during her bid as a candidate for mayor of Aspen, Colorado, in 2009.
Despite these clear rulings by the courts, for the past several months the Colorado County Clerks and Recorder’s Association (CCCRA) has been lobbying to obstruct CORA requests for ballots, most of them made by Marks, and has openly questioned the Colorado Appeals Court decision. Further, the City of Aspen has appealed the appellate ruling to the Colorado Supreme Court...."
(Teresa L. Benns)
(Read more? Click title. Comment to discuss)
"...The CORA block would prevent poll watchers, media, and ordinary citizens from examining ballots, and would delay and restrict examination of logs, poll books, and other essential election information in the event of a disputed election. This even after Colorado Sec. of State Scott Gessler won a lawsuit in August 2011 against Saguache County Clerk Melinda Myers, with District Judge Martin Gonzales ruling that ballots are public records and Gessler as well as ordinary citizens have a right to request and inspect them.
Judge Gonzales’ decision was later upheld by an appeals court decision granting Aspen election-integrity advocate Marilyn Marks the right to inspect and copy photocopies of ballots cast during her bid as a candidate for mayor of Aspen, Colorado, in 2009.
Despite these clear rulings by the courts, for the past several months the Colorado County Clerks and Recorder’s Association (CCCRA) has been lobbying to obstruct CORA requests for ballots, most of them made by Marks, and has openly questioned the Colorado Appeals Court decision. Further, the City of Aspen has appealed the appellate ruling to the Colorado Supreme Court...."
(Teresa L. Benns)
(Read more? Click title. Comment to discuss)
SandBox Comments: Steamboat Today "White, Baumgardner both seek Senate District 8 seat"
The time White has spent filling in on the vacancy left by her husband has not only seen little to no strong for the district activity from her; there has been more than enough dissention and strife. Issues that began with the way she was 'elected' to hold the vacancy in the first place.
Baumgardner has done a phenomenal job in office and this move to Senate in District 8 is a very good one.
Area Republicans and conservatives have long memory spans.
"Steamboat Springs — Jean White and Randy Baumgardner have their sights set on the Senate District 8 seat.
White, the Hayden Republican who was appointed to the state Senate seat a year ago to fill the vacancy left by her husband’s resignation, announced early Wednesday that she will seek election to a full term in November 2012. Just a few hours later, Baumgardner, a Hot Sulphur Springs Republican who is the state representative for House District 57, publicly announced his intention to run for the same Senate seat.
“I’m disappointed that he chose to run against me, especially after he gave me his word that he wouldn’t,” White said, recalling a conversation she said she had with Baumgardner a couple of weeks ago. “He looked me in the eye and told me he wasn’t going to run a primary against me.”
Baumgardner said he was encouraged to run by others.
“It’s not a matter of throwing a hat in the ring against a fellow Republican,” he said. “Several people have contacted me in the district and were in support of me running in that district...”
(Brent Boyer)
(Read more? Click title. Comment to discuss)
Baumgardner has done a phenomenal job in office and this move to Senate in District 8 is a very good one.
Area Republicans and conservatives have long memory spans.
"Steamboat Springs — Jean White and Randy Baumgardner have their sights set on the Senate District 8 seat.
White, the Hayden Republican who was appointed to the state Senate seat a year ago to fill the vacancy left by her husband’s resignation, announced early Wednesday that she will seek election to a full term in November 2012. Just a few hours later, Baumgardner, a Hot Sulphur Springs Republican who is the state representative for House District 57, publicly announced his intention to run for the same Senate seat.
“I’m disappointed that he chose to run against me, especially after he gave me his word that he wouldn’t,” White said, recalling a conversation she said she had with Baumgardner a couple of weeks ago. “He looked me in the eye and told me he wasn’t going to run a primary against me.”
Baumgardner said he was encouraged to run by others.
“It’s not a matter of throwing a hat in the ring against a fellow Republican,” he said. “Several people have contacted me in the district and were in support of me running in that district...”
(Brent Boyer)
(Read more? Click title. Comment to discuss)
SandBox Comments: Vail Daily "Drug suspects arrested Monday in Eagle, Dotsero"
Well, finally they nab at least one long-time, major, major (alleged) trafficking coke dealer out of Glenwood Springs that most every construction site in the Valley has known about for years.
Thank you.
Thank you to the Eagle County Sheriff's Dept. for this major drug bust. And any other agency, officers or agents who assisted. You are appreciated.
Thank you.
Thank you to the Eagle County Sheriff's Dept. for this major drug bust. And any other agency, officers or agents who assisted. You are appreciated.
"EAGLE COUNTY, Colorado — The Eagle County Sheriff's Office arrested two drug suspects in two separate drug operations Monday.
Sergio Alfredo Rascon Venegas, 35, of Glenwood Springs, was arrested while delivering two ounces of cocaine worth $1,500 to undercover personnel in the Dotsero area of Eagle County, police said. He was charged with felony possession and distribution of cocaine and is detained in the Eagle County Detention Facility with a $50,000 bond and an immigration “hold” due to his illegal status in the United States.
Fredrick Herman Holz, 44, of Gypsum, was arrested after attempting to deliver heroin to undercover personnel in the Eagle area of Eagle County, police said. Holz was charged with felony possession of cocaine, and possession and attempted distribution of heroin. He is being held in the Eagle County Detention Facility with a $50,000 bond.
The Sheriff's Office continues to investigate this incident."
Sergio Alfredo Rascon Venegas, 35, of Glenwood Springs, was arrested while delivering two ounces of cocaine worth $1,500 to undercover personnel in the Dotsero area of Eagle County, police said. He was charged with felony possession and distribution of cocaine and is detained in the Eagle County Detention Facility with a $50,000 bond and an immigration “hold” due to his illegal status in the United States.
Fredrick Herman Holz, 44, of Gypsum, was arrested after attempting to deliver heroin to undercover personnel in the Eagle area of Eagle County, police said. Holz was charged with felony possession of cocaine, and possession and attempted distribution of heroin. He is being held in the Eagle County Detention Facility with a $50,000 bond.
The Sheriff's Office continues to investigate this incident."
(Comment to discuss)
SandBox Comments: Crested Butte News "County OKs $200,000 in supplemental marketing '
"It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) used that adage to its advantage this week. Responding to hesitation over its recent partnership with the Gunnison Crested Butte Tourism Association (TA), CBMR representatives brought a mock-up of a web page to its most recent meeting with the Board of County Commissioners..."
(Alissa Johnson)
(Learn more? Click title. Comment to discuss)
(Alissa Johnson)
(Learn more? Click title. Comment to discuss)
December 21, 2011
SandBox Comments: Lee Mulcahy "Aspen Art Museum Form for Annual fundraiser [online]:"
via Lee Mulcahy:
"Let me tell you on this first Sunday in Advent, when we celebrate hope, when we remember in the church how Mary and Joseph left Nazareth for Bethlehem, why I am in Liberty Square.
I am here because I have tried, however imperfectly, to live by the radical message of the Gospel. I am here because I know that it is not what we say or profess but what we do. I am here because I have seen in my many years overseas as a foreign correspondent that great men and women of moral probity arise in all cultures and all religions to fight the oppressor on behalf of the oppressed. I am here because I have seen that it is possible to be a Jew, a Buddhist, a Muslim, a Christian, a Hindu or an atheist and carry the cross.
The words are different but the self-sacrifice and thirst for justice are the same. And these men and women, who may not profess what I profess or believe what I believe, are my brothers and sisters. And I stand with them honoring and respecting our differences and finding hope and strength and love in our common commitment.
At times like these I hear the voices of the saints who went before us.
The suffragist Susan B. Anthony, who announced that resistance to tyranny is obedience to God, and the suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who said, “The moment we begin to fear the opinions of others and hesitate to tell the truth that is in us, and from motives of policy are silent when we should speak, the divine floods of light and life no longer flow into our souls.”
Or Henry David Thoreau, who told us we should be men and women first and subjects afterward, that we should cultivate a respect not for the law but for what is right.
And Frederick Douglass, who warned us: “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”
And the great 19th century populist Mary Elizabeth Lease, who thundered: “Wall Street owns the country. It is no longer a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, but a government of Wall Street, by Wall Street, and for Wall Street. The great common people of this country are slaves, and monopoly is the master.”
And Gen. Smedley Butler, who said that after 33 years and four months in the Marine Corps he had come to understand that he had been nothing more than a gangster for capitalism, making Mexico safe for American oil interests, making Haiti and Cuba safe for banks and pacifying the Dominican Republic for sugar companies. War, he said, is a racket in which newly dominated countries are exploited by the financial elites and Wall Street while the citizens foot the bill and sacrifice their young men and women on the battlefield for corporate greed.
Or Eugene V. Debs, the socialist presidential candidate, who in 1912 pulled almost a million votes, or 6 percent, and who was sent to prison by Woodrow Wilson for opposing the First World War, and who told the world: “While there is a lower class, I am in it, and while there is a criminal element I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.”
And Rabbi Abraham Heschel, who when he was criticized for walking with Martin Luther King on the Sabbath in Selma answered: “I pray with my feet” and who quoted Samuel Johnson, who said: “The opposite of good is not evil. The opposite of good is indifference.”
And Rosa Parks, who defied the segregated bus system and said “the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.”
And Philip Berrigan, who said: “If enough Christians follow the Gospel, they can bring any state to its knees.”
And Martin Luther King, who said: “On some positions, cowardice asks the question, ‘Is it safe?’ Expediency asks the question, ‘Is it politic?’ Vanity asks the question, ‘Is it popular?’ And there comes a time when a true follower of Jesus Christ must take a stand that’s neither safe nor politic nor popular but he must take a stand because it is right.”
(Chris Hedges)
I am here because I have tried, however imperfectly, to live by the radical message of the Gospel. I am here because I know that it is not what we say or profess but what we do. I am here because I have seen in my many years overseas as a foreign correspondent that great men and women of moral probity arise in all cultures and all religions to fight the oppressor on behalf of the oppressed. I am here because I have seen that it is possible to be a Jew, a Buddhist, a Muslim, a Christian, a Hindu or an atheist and carry the cross.
The words are different but the self-sacrifice and thirst for justice are the same. And these men and women, who may not profess what I profess or believe what I believe, are my brothers and sisters. And I stand with them honoring and respecting our differences and finding hope and strength and love in our common commitment.
At times like these I hear the voices of the saints who went before us.
The suffragist Susan B. Anthony, who announced that resistance to tyranny is obedience to God, and the suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who said, “The moment we begin to fear the opinions of others and hesitate to tell the truth that is in us, and from motives of policy are silent when we should speak, the divine floods of light and life no longer flow into our souls.”
Or Henry David Thoreau, who told us we should be men and women first and subjects afterward, that we should cultivate a respect not for the law but for what is right.
And Frederick Douglass, who warned us: “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”
And the great 19th century populist Mary Elizabeth Lease, who thundered: “Wall Street owns the country. It is no longer a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, but a government of Wall Street, by Wall Street, and for Wall Street. The great common people of this country are slaves, and monopoly is the master.”
And Gen. Smedley Butler, who said that after 33 years and four months in the Marine Corps he had come to understand that he had been nothing more than a gangster for capitalism, making Mexico safe for American oil interests, making Haiti and Cuba safe for banks and pacifying the Dominican Republic for sugar companies. War, he said, is a racket in which newly dominated countries are exploited by the financial elites and Wall Street while the citizens foot the bill and sacrifice their young men and women on the battlefield for corporate greed.
Or Eugene V. Debs, the socialist presidential candidate, who in 1912 pulled almost a million votes, or 6 percent, and who was sent to prison by Woodrow Wilson for opposing the First World War, and who told the world: “While there is a lower class, I am in it, and while there is a criminal element I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.”
And Rabbi Abraham Heschel, who when he was criticized for walking with Martin Luther King on the Sabbath in Selma answered: “I pray with my feet” and who quoted Samuel Johnson, who said: “The opposite of good is not evil. The opposite of good is indifference.”
And Rosa Parks, who defied the segregated bus system and said “the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.”
And Philip Berrigan, who said: “If enough Christians follow the Gospel, they can bring any state to its knees.”
And Martin Luther King, who said: “On some positions, cowardice asks the question, ‘Is it safe?’ Expediency asks the question, ‘Is it politic?’ Vanity asks the question, ‘Is it popular?’ And there comes a time when a true follower of Jesus Christ must take a stand that’s neither safe nor politic nor popular but he must take a stand because it is right.”
(Chris Hedges)
"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."
SandBox Comments: Republican Defined "Jeb Bush Op-Ed: Capitalism and the Right to Rise"
"Congressman Paul Ryan recently coined a smart phrase to describe the core concept of economic freedom: “The right to rise.”
Think about it. We talk about the right to free speech, the right to bear arms, the right to assembly. The right to rise doesn’t seem like something we should have to protect.
But we do. We have to make it easier for people to do the things that allow them to rise. We have to let them compete. We need to let people fight for business. We need to let people take risks. We need to let people fail. We need to let people suffer the consequences of bad decisions. And we need to let people enjoy the fruits of good decisions, even good luck...."
(T. Christopher)
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Think about it. We talk about the right to free speech, the right to bear arms, the right to assembly. The right to rise doesn’t seem like something we should have to protect.
But we do. We have to make it easier for people to do the things that allow them to rise. We have to let them compete. We need to let people fight for business. We need to let people take risks. We need to let people fail. We need to let people suffer the consequences of bad decisions. And we need to let people enjoy the fruits of good decisions, even good luck...."
(T. Christopher)
(Learn more? Click title. Comment to discuss)
SandBox Comments: Grand Junction Daily Sentinel "Mesa County precincts redrawn"
"Pressed by concerns about voter privacy and expense, Mesa County Clerk Sheila Reiner is proposing reducing county’s precincts from 82 to 57...."
Sure, she is. "Pressed by concerns about voter privacy and expense".
Clerk Reiner is being sued:
"Mesa County - The Mesa County Clerk and Recorder is being sued, and some people believe the outcome could have a huge effect on the 2012 general election."
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Sure, she is. "Pressed by concerns about voter privacy and expense".
Clerk Reiner is being sued:
"Mesa County - The Mesa County Clerk and Recorder is being sued, and some people believe the outcome could have a huge effect on the 2012 general election."
(Learn more? Click title and post link. Comment to discuss)
SandBox Comments: Aspen Times "Labor pains in Aspen"
Dear Editor:
I read with interest the conclusions a pair of papered pundits drew in their recently published “The Slums of Aspen.” They bear witness to what Aspen's workforce has become. But things were not always so.
Back when I first moved to the valley more than 30 years ago, there were very few illegal immigrants working in Aspen. The landscapers, the maids, the cooks and the rest of the working class were U.S. citizens.
My first job in Aspen was doing maid work with my wife at one of Aspen's finer hotels. We averaged more than $10 per hour and got to take home all the food and booze left in the rooms, and at season's end we each got a $450 bonus.
Thirty years later, the same job at the same hotel pays $8 per hour, you don't get any guest leftovers, and as a bonus you don't have to speak English. The authors' liberal bent must have prevented their distinguishing between legal and illegal workers.
(Bruno Kirchenwitz)
(Read the rest? Click title. Comment to discuss)
I read with interest the conclusions a pair of papered pundits drew in their recently published “The Slums of Aspen.” They bear witness to what Aspen's workforce has become. But things were not always so.
Back when I first moved to the valley more than 30 years ago, there were very few illegal immigrants working in Aspen. The landscapers, the maids, the cooks and the rest of the working class were U.S. citizens.
My first job in Aspen was doing maid work with my wife at one of Aspen's finer hotels. We averaged more than $10 per hour and got to take home all the food and booze left in the rooms, and at season's end we each got a $450 bonus.
Thirty years later, the same job at the same hotel pays $8 per hour, you don't get any guest leftovers, and as a bonus you don't have to speak English. The authors' liberal bent must have prevented their distinguishing between legal and illegal workers.
(Bruno Kirchenwitz)
(Read the rest? Click title. Comment to discuss)
December 20, 2011
SandBox Comments: Power Line "The Last Refuge of a Scoundrel"
He has not even picked up the phone to speak directly to Brian Terry's family.
John Hinderaker:
"In today’s world, it is playing the race card. There are two notable miscreants in the news today. The first is Eric Holder, who, in a weekend interview, suggested that criticism of his job performance in relation to Fast and Furious and other issues is–sometimes, anyway–racist:
"Mr. Holder contended that many of his other critics — not only elected Republicans but also a broader universe of conservative commentators and bloggers — were instead playing “Washington gotcha” games, portraying them as frequently “conflating things, conveniently leaving some stuff out, construing things to make it seem not quite what it was” to paint him and other department figures in the worst possible light.
Of that group of critics, Mr. Holder said he believed that a few — the “more extreme segment” — were motivated by animus against Mr. Obama and that he served as a stand-in for him. “This is a way to get at the president because of the way I can be identified with him,” he said, “both due to the nature of our relationship and, you know, the fact that we’re both African-American....”
Why are Colorado's Independent Conservatives sending Texas Governor Rick Perry to the White House in 2012?
He's hitting every mark.
(Learn more? Click title. Comment to discuss)
John Hinderaker:
"In today’s world, it is playing the race card. There are two notable miscreants in the news today. The first is Eric Holder, who, in a weekend interview, suggested that criticism of his job performance in relation to Fast and Furious and other issues is–sometimes, anyway–racist:
"Mr. Holder contended that many of his other critics — not only elected Republicans but also a broader universe of conservative commentators and bloggers — were instead playing “Washington gotcha” games, portraying them as frequently “conflating things, conveniently leaving some stuff out, construing things to make it seem not quite what it was” to paint him and other department figures in the worst possible light.
Of that group of critics, Mr. Holder said he believed that a few — the “more extreme segment” — were motivated by animus against Mr. Obama and that he served as a stand-in for him. “This is a way to get at the president because of the way I can be identified with him,” he said, “both due to the nature of our relationship and, you know, the fact that we’re both African-American....”
Why are Colorado's Independent Conservatives sending Texas Governor Rick Perry to the White House in 2012?
He's hitting every mark.
(Learn more? Click title. Comment to discuss)
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