SandBox Comments: "Aspen Daily News "Step up and represent"

(See related stories and comments here and here)

"Editor:

Let me get this straight: Our senators are actually telling the BLM to not make a decision on allowing SG Interests to create a prudent plan for oil and gas development so that there can be “robust and meaningful discussions?” Really? Why are Senators Bennet and Udall trying to insert themselves in the BLM’s operational procedures? Which in turn is delaying a routine decision by the BLM, putting SG at risk for not being able to develop the resources and setting a dangerous, uncertain, politicized precedent whereby any elected official could stop development of our oil and gas resources just because they don’t like it. Bennet and Udall, this project is in our best interest. And when I say “our” best interest I mean the public — you know, the people you are supposed to be representing. Step out of your political posturing mode for just one minute and do what’s in the best interest of the public. Allow the leases to move forward. Paula Scanlon,  Grand Junction"

How good it is to see folks speaking up in opposing voices to powerful environmental groups that have long held a monopoly on local press coverage.

It's not going unnoticed that they feel the most comfortable with either starting off on or just staying on The Aspen Daily News.  Our only locally owned and operated print news media.

Here's to the little guy.

Let freedom ring.

(Comment to start discussion)

"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident." 

SandBox Comments: Aspen Daily News "Sales taxes in Sept. up by 6 percent"

What's up with this?

Where is the Aspen Daily's usual breakdown of sales tax rev's??

Nice job on the 6% increase but get back in the game on putting out info the small business folks rely on.

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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "Glenwood's September sales up 2.6 percent"

Before you 'kids' jump all over John Stroud again, (rightfully so at this point) for his abject failure in reporting sales tax information that is of any use whatsoever except a feel-good moment, please try to notice that he has managed to break out his numbers a little bit this month and the report is better than it's ever been.

Take the high road, please.

Mr. Stroud,

In case you missed knowing their voices are out here:

http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2011/09/sandbox-comments-glenwood-springs-post_507.html

(and an example of what they are asking you to do):

http://sandboxcommentators.blogspot.com/2011/10/sandbox-comments-aspen-daily-news_3357.html

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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Aspen Times "Aspen teams with Steamboat, Winter Park to offer special ski pass"

Wish we could get excited on behalf of the Colorado Triple Play Pass.

Reality is that it still shows the overwhelming arrogance of Aspen Skico.

An arrogance that is not going to set well at all with the common man who depend on tourism revenues to put bread on the family table.

Good luck to the Skico on this new offering.

"The Triple Play Pass faces stiff competition from Vail Resorts for skiers and riders who hit the slopes often.

Vail's adult Epic Local Pass is $519. That provides unlimited access to Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin, along with 10 restricted days at Vail Mountain or Beaver Creek.

The adult Summit Value Pass offers unlimited skiing and riding at Keystone and Arapahoe Basin, along with restricted access to Breckenridge, for $429.

The Triple Play Pass really isn't oriented toward hometown skiers and riders at Aspen-Snowmass, Steamboat and Winter Park, at least not those who already purchased passes. A Roaring Fork Valley resident would have to pay for two days here to get the two days at Winter Park and two days at Steamboat. There is no tweaked pass available to passholders at any of the three resorts.

This program is the first time in recent years that the Aspen Skiing Co. has teamed with another ski area to offer a pass. Intrawest owns Steamboat and operates Winter Park."
(Scott Condon)

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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Red State "RS Interview: Ovide Lamontagne (R CAND, NH-GOV PRI)"

"This should have been up yesterday, but the various technical breakdowns that I was having were fairly epic.  Anyway: you probably remember Ovide Lamontagne as being a NH Senate Republican primary candidate in 2010… and for graciously conceding the race when he lost the primary, which may have well saved the GOP that seat in the general election.  At any rate, he’s currently the only Republican candidate in the NH-GOV primary, and we spoke yesterday about the race and his plans for the campaign...."
(Moe Lane via Red State)

(Learn more? Watch the interview?   Click title and comment to start discussion)

"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: SkyHi Daily "William Hamilton: College, Iraq, and Afghanistan: Who pays?"

"....That leaves Iran, which has the largest armed forces in the region and an abiding hatred for the United States. If, as many experts predict, Iraq becomes a vassal state of Iran, what are the options for an industrialized world that depends so heavily upon the oil of the Persian Gulf?

Despite our nuclear submarines in the Persian Gulf and our aircraft carrier task groups operating in the Mediterranean and in the Arabian Ocean, we really do not have any meaningful way of force projection into the heartland of Iran. So, unless the Saudis are willing to take on the Iranians, the industrialized world must make nice-nice with the Iranian regime..."
(William Hamilton)

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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Aspen Times "Charlie Leonard: Greece is falling — are we next?"

"...Let's put the work of the Supercommittee in perspective. If you total up all the federal budgets of the next 10 years, we are on course to spend more than $40 trillion and borrow another $15 trillion to pay for it all. Yet we have a Supercommittee that is struggling to find ways to cut $1.2 trillion, or about 2 percent, of federal spending over the next 10 years. Even if the committee succeeds, we are still on a Greek-like path to financial ruin — we just buy ourselves a couple of more years...."
(Charlie Leonard)

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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: National Review/The Editors "Goodbye, Greece"

"How does one say “Goodnight, Irene” in Greek? Or “Show Me the Way to Go Home”? Or, if neither of those classic festivity-enders does the trick, “Hit the Road, Jack”? In any case, the message needs to be sent: The party is over, and it is time for Greece to be shown the door, if the Greeks cannot find it themselves, and exit the eurozone.

A Greek default appears to be imminent. The question is whether it is to be an orderly default or a chaotic one. At the moment, the odds are about even between those two possibilities...."
(National Review)

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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Scott Tipton "Tipton Stands Up For Private Property Rights"

"Tipton Stands Up For Private Property Rights

Washington, DC — Rep. Scott Tipton is taking a stand for private property rights by urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to reconsider implementing a permit condition to require the transfer of privately held water rights to the federal government in order to utilize National Forest System lands. Tipton expressed concern over the impact the requirement would have on water rights held by ski areas and ranchers.

In the letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Tipton writes, “Water rights established under state law are property rights for purposes of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Congress has not delegated to the Forest Service the authority to require permittees to transfer ownership of water rights to the United States as a permit condition…

“Likewise, the Property Clause does not give the agency the authority to use permitting conditions to obtain federal ownership of water rights that have been developed or acquired by private parties. In the absence of such authority, the agency cannot demand such a transfer of ownership without just compensation. Rather than unlawfully taking property from private entities, the agency must acquire and exercise water rights in priority in accordance with state laws.

“It has been a long-standing policy of the Department and the Forest Service to ensure that private property rights, including water rights, will be recognized and protected in the course of special use permitting decisions for water supply facilities. Secretary Madigan and Secretary Glickman provided assurances to Congress in the 1990s to recognize and respect the role of the States in water allocation and administration, as did Under-Secretary Rey in 2005. I have serious concerns that the agency intends to depart from this longstanding policy by virtue of its recent permitting decisions and related policies.

Because of the significant percentage of water that originates on National Forest System lands in the West, such a change in policy would pose a threat to the current system of state allocation and administration of water rights…"
(Scott Tipton Press Release)

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SandBox Comments: Colorado News Agency "GOP, guv to lock horns over senior property-tax break?"

"With Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper’s proposal for the budget now on the table, House Republicans today prepared to draw a line in the sand over a voter-approved property-tax exemption for senior citizens. Hickenlooper proposes suspending the senior homestead exemption for yet another year in order to hold onto approximately $100 million for the state’s strained budget...."
(Debi Brazzale)

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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: The Atlantic "How the Hashtag Became a Campaign Battleground"

Ah, yes.

Welcome to the world of 'hashtags'.

You know you've 'arrived' in the world of Twitter when you have at least one (sandboxblogs has 8 nearly exclusive to us that are used by tweeters daily....hooray for us!).

"One of the most contested battles in the online political arena in recent weeks was a fight over Obama's new push to make policy by executive order -- and which ideological camp could best define the hashtag that described it.

"We can't wait," proclaimed the president on Monday, Oct. 24, announcing that in the absence of congressional action on his jobs plan, he'd be advancing orders on mortgages, school loans, opportunities for veterans, and more.

Republicans had a field day. "#WeCantWait to make @BarackObama a one-term president," tweeted Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus that day. A flurry of tweets followed. By Tuesday afternoon, the White House, which, notably, initially hadn't bothered making use of the tweet-friendly mantra as a hashtag, made an attempt to reclaim it. Tweeted the White House: "#WeCantWait for today's Office Hours" -- a reference to an online chat with economic advisor Brian Deese on Obama's new initiative. Minority Leader Pelosi tried her own spin. "#WeCantWait for GOP to stop blocking #AmericanJobsAct & #ChinaCurrency jobs bill," she tweeted, adding a kick at the end: "PS to GOP: #HashtagsArentAJobsBill." Oh, snap...."

(Nancy Scola)

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SandBox Comments: Aspen Times "The sun doesn't shine on Aspen City Hall"

Another  great letter supporting the efforts of Marilyn Marks to bring transparency to our elections:

"....Aspen may not need transparent elections, but those of us in rural Colorado need all the oversight on government we can get. Please stop fighting against the sunshine in the rest of the state. Don't appeal the solid, citizen-friendly court ruling."
(Allen Jones, Villa Grove)

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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Aspen Daily News "Judge unlikely to allow key evidence in pending cocaine case"

Evidence — including nearly 1.5 ounces of cocaine and a handgun — in the case against an Eastern European man will likely be suppressed today, according to a judge’s order released Wednesday.

Judge Gail Nichols of Pitkin County District Court wrote that Aspen police Detective Walter Chi unlawfully remained in the apartment of the suspect, Andrian Arapu, 25, of Moldova, after he was detained by immigration agents April 6. Nichols also cited the fact that other police officers and agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) entered the defendant’s apartment without permission.....

......Chief Deputy District Attorney Arnold Mordkin declined comment when asked if the warrant would hold up without Chi’s observations.

If both he and Van Ness “agree that, without the tainted information, the search warrant affidavit does not establish the requisite probable cause, the court will suppress the evidence of the gun and cocaine seen by Detective Chi ... and will also suppress the evidence seized as a result of the search warrant,” Nichols wrote...."
(Chad Abraham)

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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: "Aspen Times "Aspen, other resorts plan joint announcement"

Interesting to see a tight-lipped Jeff Hanle.

The day after voters in Steamboat Springs and Winter Park area ratcheted up the Yampa Valley Regional Airport with their full support and the money to back them up.

The Aspen Skico has spent a lot of years trying to sell Aspen on the destination for the elite and wealthy.

The past year or so the Aspen Skico has also put forth a lot of finger-pointing propoganda that has a great deal of disinformation about Vail Resorts and Steamboat Springs.  There are no 'fire-sale prices' in either resort.  The only 'monopoly' that either resort has is their tourism marketing foresight to wisely spend their money building infrastructure that is able to house permanent draws and very large events.

While Aspen Skico has rested on its laurels.

Unless there is some very good money and revenue ability coming direct from the Aspen Skico to either of these resorts; both should begin to rest on their own laurels and not tie themselves to a 'flat' Aspen ski market.

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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Summit County Citizens Voice "Geothermal energy could easily replace coal"

SandBox Nanny is a big fan of both geothermal energy exploration and biomass fuels studies.

Both have great potential to solve many US energy needs.

Thank you for a very interesting article today goes to the respected voice for the environment, Bob Berwyn.  Up and over on The Summit County Citizens Voice.

"SUMMIT COUNTY — Geothermal resources in the U.S. could produce at least 3 million megawatts of power — more than 10 times the amount currently produced by coal-fired power plants today — according to a new report issued by Southern Methodist University’s Geothermal Laboratory.

The study, funded by a grant from Google.org, used Google Earth technology to help map vast reserves of a renewable energy resource that is realistically accessible using current technology.

The estimated amounts and locations of heat stored in the Earth’s crust included in this study are based on nearly 35,000 data sites and will help pinpoint  locations for resources capable of supporting large-scale commercial geothermal energy production.

Based on the additional data, primarily drawn from oil and gas drilling, larger local variations can be seen in temperatures at depth, highlighting more detail for potential power sites than was previously evident in the eastern portion of the U.S. For example, eastern West Virginia has been identified as part of a larger Appalachian trend of higher heat flow and temperature.

Conventional U.S. geothermal production has been restricted largely to the western third of the country in geographically unique and tectonically active locations. For instance, The Geysers Field north of San Francisco is home to more than a dozen large power plants that have been tapping naturally occurring steam reservoirs to produce electricity for more than 40 years...."
(Bob Berwyn)

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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "Antero temporarily pulls South Gravel Trend drilling plan"

Thank you, Antero!

For pulling off, well over a month ago, the drilling plan review that was on the COGCC schedule for December.

Knowing that long before John's poking Silt Mayor David Moore on behalf of the submission of public comments from the citizens of Silt...you were on top of things is a terrific feeling.

The citizens of Garfield County can remain feeling comfortable that their local oil and gas officials are looking out for everyone's interests.

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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Vail Daily "Group petitions EPA over air in 8 western states"

"DENVER (AP) — An environmental group has petitioned the federal government to reduce air pollutants in eight western states.

WildEarth Guardians says that by law, the Environmental Protection Agency has to designate areas as "nonattainment" areas if they violate certain air-quality standards and put them on the path to cleaning up.

The group's petition contends 15 areas should be labeled nonattainment areas for violating standards limiting particulate matter to less than 10 microns in diameter, or about one-seventh the width of a human hair. It said the EPA should declare six other areas "serious" nonattainment areas.

WildEarth Guardians also wants the EPA to call for Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming to revise their state plans for complying with the Clean Air Act.

The EPA had no immediate comment..."
(Vail Daily)
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SandBox Comments: Summit County Citizens Voice "Food: A classic French meal to share with friends"

"International travel sometimes presents language barriers. A trip to Nice in the south of France was no different. Going to the store always held a bit of a mystery. Sometimes I just had to take a chance on what I was buying. As my friend, Santos, would say, “At least I didn’t come home with roller skates...”

(Tom Castrigno)

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SandBox Comments: Commentary Magazine/Contentions "Energy Department’s Stimulus Crime Wave"

"Those pondering the question of where some of the more than $800 billion in stimulus funds spent in 2009 to supposedly boost the economy at the behest of President Obama went got a partial answer today from the Department of Energy...."

(Jonathan S. Tobin)

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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: The Blaze " Company Run by Obama Fundraiser Corzine Files For Bankruptcy, Feds Investigate Up to $700 Million ‘Missing’ Dollars"

"MF Global Holdings Ltd., the securities firm run by former New Jersey Governor and Goldman Sachs head Jon Corzine, is seeking bankruptcy protection one week after reporting its biggest-ever quarterly loss...."
(Becket Adams)

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SandBox Comments: Circle of Blue "Plumbing WikiLeaks: Saudi Arabia Fears Iranian Nuclear Meltdown and Potential Terrorism to Desalination "

"Classified cables show that Saudi and U.S. officials believe water supplies along the Persian Gulf are at high-risk for terrorist attacks and possible contamination from nearby nuclear plants. This is the first of a new series that will analyze the water-related U.S. embassy cables published by WikiLeaks."
(Circle of Blue, Brett Walton)

(Learn more about this incredible report?  Click title.  Comment to start discussion)

"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Steamboat Today "County, Steamboat and Oak Creek voters OK marijuana dispensaries"

"Steamboat Springs Police Department Capt. Joel Rae, who publicly supported a ban of medical marijuana businesses, said he was disappointed in the vote.

“But I have complete respect for the democratic process,” he said. “We’ll continue working, doing our education efforts and working with the dispensaries with the regulations our Steamboat Springs City Council has set forth and the regulations the state has set forth....”
(Jack Weinstein)

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SandBox Comments: Grand Junction Daily Sentinel "Palisade voters reject ban on medical marijuana dispensary sales"

The upside to Palisade losing the ballot issue banning all medical marijuana dispensaries and grow operations is that voters did pass mandatory flat fee on every transaction and an increase of MMJ tax.

Which should bring in another estimated $80,000 per year in revenue to the small town of Palisade as this is the only MMJ dispensary and grow operation fortunate enough to grandfather in prior to the closures in Mesa County.

"Voters OK marijuana fee
Patients who will be able to continue to receive medical marijuana from Colorado Alternative Health Care in Palisade will have to dig deeper to pay for their medicine.

Town residents Tuesday night approved a $5 transaction fee that will be added to each sale made at a medical marijuana center in town. Referred Measure 2A passed 480 to 398, or 54 percent to 44 percent.

Town officials have estimated the fee will generate $80,000 a year in revenue, a significant amount of money considering Palisade pulls in roughly $225,000 in revenue from its 2 percent sales tax annually."
(Grand Junction Daily Sentinel)

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SandBox Comments: The Right Scoop "Texas sheriff: Drug war violence spilling over "

"And this is only the beginning.  The longer our borders are neglected and drug cartels are subsidized by the United States government (thank you Mr. Holder), the more spillover.  For those of us living in Border States, it’s nothing new.  In 2009, The University of Texas at Brownsville (waaaaaay down south by the Mexico border) was forced to close due to stray bullets from a drug war shoot out – in Mexico. But no one was injured.

That is until yesterday…when a sheriff’s deputy got shot.  The Houston Chronicle has the story:

MCALLEN, Texas (AP) — A shooting that injured a sheriff’s deputy was the first indisputable case of spillover violence from the Mexican drug wars in Hidalgo County, the local sheriff said Monday.

Sheriff Lupe Trevino, who previously said there was no direct spillover violence in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, said the Sunday shootout erupted while one of his deputies investigated a reported kidnapping and drug deal.

"I have to say that with this particular incident, the way the witnesses and the information that we have gotten particularly in the federal system, this is the first recorded spillover violence event that we have experienced — and unfortunately got one of our deputies shot,” Trevino said.

One suspect was killed and two were wounded. In all, six people were taken into custody, including the alleged kidnapping victim, and are awaiting charges, the sheriff said.

The sheriff said a protective vest probably saved the life of Deputy Hugo Rodriguez, who was shot in the chest, abdomen and leg. He is recovering at a hospital.

Trevino said the reported kidnapping was a bid to recover marijuana stolen when the Gulf cartel’s reputed second-in-command, Samuel Flores Borrego, was killed in September.

“It started in Mexico, it had a violent confrontation in Mexico, that violent confrontation was spilled over here. This is the very first one that we can actually say, ‘Yes, here it is. It has happened,’” Trevino said.

“Now, there are more cartel members living in Texas, in the Valley, in the United States. I’ll guarantee you there’s a ton of them,” he said.

A message left Monday night for a Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman wasn’t immediately returned.

And this is only the tip of the iceberg…"
(Red via Red State)

(Comment to start discussion)

SandBox Comments: Aspen Daily News "Healthy Community Fund tax increase wins "

Andrew Travers:

"Pitkin County voters approved a renewal and increase of the Healthy Community Fund’s dedicated property tax in this fall’s mail-in election, which ended Tuesday.

Sixty percent of county voters cast ballots in favor of the measure, which appeared as Referendum 1A, according to unofficial results from the clerk’s office Tuesday night...."

There were two very worthwhile measures on the local ballots this year that passed with flying colors.

Proving that it's not the raising of taxes that is objected to.

It's the raising of taxes for failed or failing endeavors that have other means, if only folks will do the work to reach for those means, to sustain themselves.

Congratulations on the passage of the 'Healthy Community Fund'.  One of those very worthwhile measures.

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SandBox Comments: Aspen Daily News "Cleverly’s letter out of line"

SandBox chose to not post up Michael Cleverly's 'Bend over ballots' Letter to the Editor off 'The Aspen Daily News' yesterday.


Why?


Michael Cleverly is the guy who wrote the now infamous "Aspen old-timers, drug enforcement and God" rant against the DEA bust in Aspen.


He's the guy who then branched out and contributed to this 'eventually headed toward infamy piece' by Rick Carroll: "Aspen Times:  DEA's trusted tipster not so confidential" .

Which then led him into meeting local hero DEA Special Agent Jim Schrant and a number of various barrels of local media ink dumped over his head. (Click all highlighted links in succession.  Yes, we know there were a lot more, but had to draw the line due to post space)

Her choice yesterday was based on the undeniable fact that there is no 'appropriate way' to respond to Michael Cleverly.  He is that repugnant.

But today, Steve Kaufman of Carbondale brings up a good point that makes it worth the effort to give Michael Cleverly more of that spotlight he so obviously craves.

If the DEA informant and Marilyn Marks were men, would Michael Cleverly be so brave and graphic?

BTW, what is going on with that Grand Jury probe into witness tampering?  We haven't heard anything more in public view.

Maybe that's because Michael Cleverly was made to deal with men who happen to be his own size.

Thank you for writing in to The Aspen Daily, Mr. Kaufman.  Women throughout the valley who happen to support Marilyn Marks and also have serious concerns over the bullying/gang mentality that flows under us all in The Roaring Fork Valley are likely very appreciative.


"Editor:

How can one appropriately respond to such an offensive letter, Mr. Cleverly’s “Bend over ballots,” published on Nov. 1? I fear a serious reply might elevate Mr. Cleverly’s letter out of gutter. Let’s try sarcasm.

I wish to congratulate Mr. Cleverly for the ingenious way in which he managed to incorporate violent, sexually offensive innuendo into an activist’s legal battle on behalf of a citizen’s right to a transparent election. It would be a shame if he did not send a copy to the hometown newspapers of the judges who unanimously ruled in favor of transparency or the local newspapers of the countless citizens throughout the country who are also fighting for these same rights. I’m appreciative of the fact that Mr. Cleverly was not cowered by political correctness and am certain he would have been as brave and graphic were his comments directed at a man.

The Daily News should also be congratulated for its tongue-in-ballot support of Mr. Cleverly’s sense of humor, as demonstrated by its clever title.

The framers would be delighted to see how well our First Amendment rights are being exercised and protected.

Mr. Cleverly and Daily News publishers, you should be proud of yourselves.
Steve Kaufman, Carbondale"

(Comment to start discussion)

"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "Incumbents tossed from CMC board of trustees"

"..• Kathy Goudy over Stan Orr for the Eastern Garfield County District 2 seat, 10,885 to 8,737..."
(Heather McGregor)

 

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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

 

SandBox Comments: Steamboat Today "Voters support tax for winter air service program "

Aspen Skico needs to be very worried now.

Steamboat Springs has been moving steadily ahead, for over three years now, to take the second place seat under Vail Resorts as the best overall value for ski destinations in Colorado.

Yampa Valley Regional Airport just got a huge boost from voters who know that.

All across Colorado,  the vote of the common man can be seen this morning.

Informed voters turned out in record numbers statewide.  They passed the ballot issues that made sense.  And soundly defeated the majority of all requests to raise taxes and to continue putting money into the apathetic and systemic failure that is our public education funding.  Only a couple of school districts, still entrenched in either cronyism or through a spurt of energy from parents who rise up only when it's time to ask for further handouts; saw bare margins of success in passing mill rides.  However, even those districts saw a complete disintegration of incumbents making their way back in to keep that cronyism alive.  A clean sweep in most all school and post-secondary seats took place in Colorado yesterday.  Statewide.

Good job, Coloradans. 

But, this effort on the part of the folks over in the Routt County area is one of the ones that feels the best.

Congratulations!!

"Steamboat Springs — The sales tax rate in Steamboat Springs will go up a bit after voters here resoundingly approved Referendum 2B on Tuesday, a 0.25 percent tax increase that will help fund the winter air service program at Yampa Valley Regional Airport.

Referendum 2B passed with 61 percent of the vote.

Donning pilot hats and inflatable airplanes, about 40 supporters of the tax initiative celebrated its passage at Old Town Pub on Tuesday evening.

“We knew from the beginning that if everyone understood how important this was to our economy, then we had a good chance to pass it,” Yes 2 Air campaign manager Bill Stuart said. “It was a nonpartisan issue. People from all spectrums of life supported it.”

Referendum 2B was conceived by a group of community leaders to reverse the eroding ability of the business community to attract commercial airline flights to YVRA during the ski season. Without those flights, advocates of the tax fear the resort community’s ability to bring in high-spending winter vacationers would be compromised, further eroding the local tourism economy.

Steamboat Ski & Resort Corp. President and Chief Operating Officer Chris Diamond praised the air tax passage Tuesday night...."
(Scott Franz, Tom Ross)

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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Aspen Daily News/Letter to the Editor "Politics isn’t patty-cake"

Oh....it was a barn-burner here in Colorado.

Election season 2011.

Just a taste of the 'mother of all wars' that's coming for November 2012.

SandBox Nanny always appreciates the viewpoint of Maurice Emmer of Aspen, Colorado.

But it was the title that gave Maurice a spot on The Box this morning.

"Editor:

Mr. Allen may be right that it is unpleasant to serve on City Council because council has critics (Aspen Daily News, Oct. 26). It sucks. Council could make its job more pleasant by rejecting efforts to get involved in contentious matters, but it seems to prefer the reverse. Purely as an example and taking no sides, no deity proclaims the city must be in the hydro business. An affirmative decision of council is putting us in that business. Are private citizens who believe their property rights are affected supposed to roll over just because council is a bunch of nice guys? Just because they might not have budgeted for the inevitable lawsuits? Council must expect pushback. This is politics. If it sucks to be on council just look in the mirror for an explanation.  Maurice Emmer, Aspen"

(Comment to start discussion)

"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Summit County Citizens Voice "Op-Ed: Wilderness needs bipartisan support"

Why do regional locals like The Summit County Citizens Voice as the spot to go for news on the environment?

Because they respect the journalistic integrity of Bob Berwyn.

Great op-ed piece this morning.

Up and over on The Summit County Citizens Voice.

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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: NewsBusters "Bill Gates Laughs At Buffett Rule: 'You Can't Raise the Taxes We Need Just By Going After That One Percent'"

Great video and photo of Bill Gates.

(Take a look?  Click title and comment to start discussion)

"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Con Games "The Social Security Story That’s Driving Liberals Crazy"

"The Washington Post's big Sunday piece on Social Security solvency starts from the premise that the program has crossed a dangerous line. Since 2009, the program has paid out more in annual benefits than it is raising each year in taxes, effectively meaning that the program's benefits are relying partly the $2.6 trillion in bonds in the program's "trust funds" to cover checks to senior citizens...."
(Con Games)

(Read more?  Click title and comment to start discussion)

"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: MSNBC Powerwall "2007 vs. 2011: The Presidential Primaries Then and Now"

"Fear not -- Powerwall is here to put things in perspective. Click through to see how this primary season compares to the same time in 2007, and get a sense of what news bumps are worth paying attention to -- and what hype you can tune out...."

(Laura Blum)

(Take a look?  Click title and comment to start discussion)

"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Aspen Daily News/Letter to the Editor "Justice is not just for the rich"

"DA Beeson’s comments were brought to my attention and I really feel compelled to comment on them. As far as his office “seeking justice” as opposed to the defense bar, I have to really think about this, and any citizen in your district should too. First, I am one of those “defense bar” attorneys he speaks of. I fight for justice every day.

I represent clients who are forced into plea deals without realizing the consequences because the DA’s office does not have an obligation to tell them what they really face. Clients of mine are forced to speak to the DA prior to applying for a public defender. This is found unconstitutional in almost every other state and even the U.S. Supreme Court has found it unconstitutional in Texas. Somehow Colorado feels differently.

I represent clients who have had law enforcement officers do shoddy investigations, used excessive force, and violate our most basic constitutional and human rights. My clients have no other voice.

Government no longer speaks for them, and I, along with many, many members of Colorado’s defense community seek justice for these clients. We seek justice and we demand that the government that brings charges against its own citizens do so honestly, and that the law is applied fairly. Justice is not just for the rich. It is for all. That is seeking justice."

Lynda Carter
Pagosa Springs, Colo.

"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Pueblo Chieftain "Drug dealer said he sold to protect family "

"DENVER — A Mexican national who admitted selling cocaine and marijuana on Pueblo streets claims he did it only because he was scared of a Mexican drug cartel that decapitated his half-brother as coercion.

Miguel Salais-Dominguez said last week he returned to Pueblo in 2009 from the state of Chihuahua, after being deported, to sell drugs for a cartel because it threatened his family there..."
(ROBERT BOCZKIEWICZ)

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SandBox Comments: Houston Chronicle "Texas civil libertarians oppose law-enforcement drones"

Pretty amazing technology.  Watch the video at the end of the article.

"As the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office gears up to employ an unmanned helicopter to hunt criminals and find missing persons, a civil liberties advocate said drones can hurt more than they help.

Chief Deputy Randy McDaniel of the sheriff’s office said the $300,000 ShadowHawk drone — purchased from Vanguard Defense Industries — will take to the skies in the coming months to provide another tool in the law-enforcement arsenal.

“It’s an exciting piece of equipment for us,” he said. “We envision a lot of its uses primarily in the realm of public safety — looking at recovery of lost individuals and being able to utilize it for fire(fighting) issues....”
(Robert Stanton)

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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: KKCO 11 News "Hartman reassigned, following controversial memo "

SandBox sends out a thank you to Mesa County Sheriff Stan Hilkey for turning over the inappropriate and unethical letter (copy can be read here) written by now former Director of the Colorado Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division, David Hartman.

The folks have a lot to bear when it comes to the way our federal, state and local governments handle  'all things marijuana'.

It's not the medical marijuana businesses or the patients that carry the weight of all the problems in the medical marijuana industry.

It's the taxpayers.

To have someone in a position of trust, like Hartman, attempt to manipulate the voting process and add to that taxpayer burden was a huge disappointment.

Thanks to Sheriff Stan, David Hartman can now move on to another line of work.

(Learn where David Hartman went?  Click title.  Comment to start discussion)

"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "TDC appreciates all parties joining in talks"

Dorothea Farris, Vice President of the Thompson Divide Coalition, writes in to the Post Independent this morning.

The political diplomacy (and the shrewd timing of release) are duly noted and appreciated as part of the process.

SandBox Nanny is certain that commentators will be appreciative as well.

With that said, SandBox points out that once again it is the chatter out here that has brought the balance.  Not the politics of token acknowledgements.

Support Congressman Scott Tipton (R-Colorado) as he continues his path of bringing the first, true balance to the Thompson Divide controversy. 

His steady hand is in need of more support from the industry, more support from the folks and your continued encouragement in chatter.

Slow, steady progress is being made on political levels against radical groups on both sides.

The path to success that works lies in the middle.

Again, thank you to Dorothea Farris for her well-timed press release today.  It certainly has been very helpful.

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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Commentary Magazine/Contentions "Optimistic or Pessimistic About America: William Kristol"

"As Yogi Berra pointed out, “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” Even more so if, to quote Yogi again, “the future ain’t what it used to be.”

What the future used to be—or at least what it used to seem to be—was intelligible. The liberal account of the future was generally optimistic, and the optimism was based on a belief in the ineluctable course of history, or on faith in the victory of enlightened leaders and progressive movements over reactionary forces and premodern prejudices. There were basically two conservative accounts of the future. One was pessimistic, judging the distempers of modernity too powerful to resist successfully for long. The other was more optimistic, looking to the possibility of some sort of conservative restoration or awakening...."
(William Kristol, via Power Line)

(Read the rest of this terrific column in Power Line's series?  Click title.  Comment to discuss)

"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Commentary Magazine "Optimistic or Pessimistic About America: Joseph Nye"

"Polls show widespread pessimism about America’s prospects. Such moods reflect the slow growth and fiscal problems that followed the 2008 financial crisis, but they are not historically unprecedented. After Sputnik, Americans thought the Soviets were 10 feet tall; in the 1980s, it was the Japanese. Now it is the Chinese.

The United States has very real problems, but the American economy remains highly productive.

America remains first in total research-and-development expenditures, first in university rankings, first in Nobel prizes, first on indices of entrepreneurship, and fourth in the World Economic Forum’s list of the world’s most competitive economies (China ranks 27th). America, moreover, remains at the forefront of such cutting-edge technologies as biotech and nanotechnology. This is hardly a picture of absolute economic decline...."
(Joseph Nye)

(Read another terrific piece in this series over on Commentary Magazine?  Click title.)

"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Power Line "Who Is Barncat Jones?"

"I have no idea. But maybe someday that question will resonate along the lines of, “Who is John Galt?” Barncat is a musician and satirist of considerable talent. We linked to his Elvis Presley parody, “The Solyndra Song,” here. Now Barncat has come out with “Hope & Change,” a Springsteen adaptation sung to the tune of “Glory Days.” Which seems appropriate, given how far behind him President Obama’s glory days are.

Here it is. Pass it on. This sort of satire is a potent weapon–”Hope & Change”...."

(John Hinderaker)

(Take a listen?  Click title.  Comment to start discussion)

SandBox Comments: LA Times "Election laws tightening in GOP-run states"

"Barack Obama may have won this crucial state three years ago on the Sunday before election day when "souls to the polls" drives brought a surge of blacks and Latinos to cast ballots after church.

Florida had opened the polls two weeks early, and even so, long lines across the state prompted the governor to issue an emergency order extending the hours for early voting. Propelled by waves of new voters including college students, Obama eked out a win with 51%.

It will be different next year, a result of changes in the voting laws adopted by the Republican-controlled Legislature...."

(David G. Savage)

 

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SandBox Comments: Stars and Stripes "In the Afghan city of Herat, the young are restless as war grinds on"

"HERAT, Afghanistan — Near the heart of this traffic-clogged western city stands a fortress almost as long as three football fields, with battlements that rise 10 stories above the swarming streets.

The Citadel of Herat traces to the Timurid dynasty of the 15th century. The Sunni Muslim tribe declared Herat the capital of its vast Persian Empire, and the brick stronghold was the crown jewel for ensuing regimes that seized the city.

In the 1970s, the Afghan government converted the imposing structure into a museum. The Taliban were less civic-minded, bolting artillery guns on the parapets and torturing political prisoners in the dirt courtyards.

With the help of $1.2 million in U.S. aid, the ravages of time and the Taliban have been repaired. Earlier this month, Afghan and U.S. officials presided over a ceremony celebrating the citadel’s restoration.

On a recent afternoon, Omid Mojaddidy, 30, a Herat native, ascended the steep, curling stairs inside a corner tower, stepping from shadows into sunlight when he reached the top.

The country’s third-largest city spread out below him, an urban labyrinth of some 400,000 people. The majority live in mud-brick homes as primitive as the dwellings of the Timurids.

He blew out a long breath. The climb hadn’t tired him. He was suffering from history fatigue.

“Enough with the past,” said Mojaddidy, who has resided in the city his entire life except to attend college in neighboring Iran. “Tear down the citadel, get rid of the old buildings....”
(Martin Kuz )

(Read More?  Click title.  comment to start discussion) 

SandBox Comments: Aspen Daily News "Learn the facts"

" When the appeals court recently ruled that voted anonymous ballots are indeed public records, instead of enabling and engaging public comment and expert opinion on whether or not to appeal the decision to the Colorado Supreme Court, City Council held a secret meeting.

In this meeting they “directed” Aspen’s city attorneys, who both have massive conflicts of interest, to potentially spend hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to fight the ruling,  — after all, it was Marilyn Marks who brought the original suit.

Meanwhile, Aspen’s bi-partisan Election Commission will be democratically engaging the public on Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 4 p.m. in council chambers to discuss the ruling and the issues at stake for Aspen should the city (read: Mick) pursue a legal battle with statewide implications on election integrity.

Mick and his councilmen seem to prefer sending the not-so-subtle message that “City Hall knows how you vote.”

Marilyn, on the other hand, along with Colorado’s election activists and most citizens say, “No one, especially the government, should know how anyone votes.”

Be there. Learn the facts. Join the discussion."

Elizabeth Milias
Aspen

"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Aspen Times "Push poll by the Times?"

"Interesting poll question today. Are you interested in Marilyn Marks' “crusade?” Would the results be different if the question were presented as, for example, “Are you interested in City Hall's refusal to comply with a unanimous opinion of the Colorado Court of Appeals?” Or, “Are you interested in the activities of a local citizen who relentlessly holds to account public officials who might be ignoring their public duties?”

Just curious.
(Maurice Emmer, Aspen)

"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Glenwood Springs Post Independent/Your Letters "Chamber shouldn't take up CMC gallery space"

A special thank you to Cynthia Thomas of Glenwood Springs for having the courage to speak up on this Chamber related issue.

Taking the most prime location left in downtown and turning it from a viable gallery and retail space into a spot for the Chamber of Commerce to house themselves has more than just those in the shadows riled up.

There has been talk for years of getting the Visitors Center away from the upper Grand Ave. location of the chamber and housing that information in kiosks downtown. 

Spread it out a bit and put the whole thing in locations that aren't going to charge us $70,000 a year, are maintained by volunteers and the businesses who advertise in them and all in high visible locale where people can actually find our Visitors Center. 

There has never been any real talk of bringing the chamber downtown.  With the overall lukewarm relationship the chamber has always had with downtown merchants, the idea is not a hot one all of a sudden.

If the idea does fly, then the chamber needs to not take up viable retail space and instead lodge themselves somewhere that suits what they are.  A business environment.  Not a sales environment.

Again, a thank you to Cynthia for not only speaking up but doing so honestly and bluntly enough so that her voice gets heard above the corporate stranglehold:

"This letter is in regard to the Post Independent article of Oct. 20 about the chamber negotiating to move into the new CMC building.

I am all for our chamber having a presence downtown, but not at the expense of the CMC Gallery. There was to be a gallery in the new building, a rather nice one, but in these days of “corporate greed rules,” CMC has decided to rent that space to the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association.

Where would the gallery go? Maybe in the library in 2013 or 2014? If they build it and there is room.

There is a perfectly good space that CMC is vacating where the present gallery would make a wonderful chamber kiosk. The space is very visible downtown, right on the corner of Ninth and Grand where all of the tourists could see the chamber literature through that huge glass window.

Why sell that building and then take space away from the gallery to squeeze another business in, and then try to figure out where to put the gallery? It just doesn't make sense.

What is it that they are not telling us? Are they really planning to make this permanent? Why else would they rent the space out that they have already earmarked for the gallery?..."
(Cynthia Thomas)

(Read the entire letter?  Click title and comment to start discussion)

"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "Domestic gas better than foreign imports"

"While development shouldn't happen everywhere, understand that there are a lot of us who depend on clean water, clean air and good jobs. Not all of us received millions of taxpayer dollars for conservation easements on our big ranches (such as one certain ranch on Thompson Creek in Pitkin County), not all of us are executives at SkiCo or work for nonprofits, and not all of us have the time to tell our side of the story that the gas industry is saving our families. We're too busy getting up early making a living and paying taxes and doing our best.

And guess what? Sen. Udall receives money from a local gas industry too (Oxbow), and from SkiCo executives (Auden Schendler), and over $20,000 from just one environmental PAC, so does that mean that “umpire” has been bought off too?

Hypocrisy goes both ways. But also when I see so much hatred against the gas industry from upvalley folks, recognize there are a lot of us who are your neighbors, friends, buddies on the ski lift, parents at the kid's plays, who are making a living with the gas industry.

Can it be done better? Sure, but don't villainize the industry and the quiet neighbors who leave early in the morning, and get home late in the evening, just happy to have a job.
(Robert Strong, New Castle)

(Read the rest of this terrific letter?  Click title.  Comment to start discussion)

"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Grand Junction Daily Sentinel "State looks to open up fracking"

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SandBox Comments: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "New emissions study planned"

A special thank you goes out this morning to investigative reporter John Colson.  For reminding us of Garfield County Commissioners high commitment and dedication to air quality in GarCo.

Over on the Glenwood Springs Post Independent.


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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Summit Daily News "Summit County telemarker's world-record skiing streak continues another year"

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SandBox Comments: KKCO News 11 "Colo. Attorney General reviews controversial dispensary letter "

"DENVER, Colo. (AP) - Attorney General John Suthers found the letter by Dan Hartman, director of the State Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division, didn't violate a ban on public officials' using public resources to take sides in elections, Suthers spokesman Mike Saccone said Friday.

But Suthers did determine the letter was "unethical," Saccone said...."

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SandBox Comments: KREX 5 "Father and Son Found With 49 Pounds of Pot"

"Mesa County - A father and son face a number of charges after an officer discovered 49 pounds of marijuana in their vehicle. 32-year-old Dionel Gutierrez and his father, 57-year-old Oscar Gutierrez, were arrested on I-70 near Mack when a Drug Task Force deputy noticed their SUV drifting on to the shoulder repeatedly...."
(Christina Marrazza)

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SandBox Comments: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "Silt trying to get $1.8M to upgrade town water system"

Does SandBox Nanny 'have it in' for John Colson?

Absolutely not.

Does John Colson deliberately poke, prod, antagonize and otherwise borderline abuse  his power as a local investigative reporter?

Absolutely. 

Has he done so for years?

Pretty much.

John Colson is often seen by locals as a 'radical liberal'.  A 'moonbat'.  A 'left loon'.  All proudly carried by John  titles in his weekly column  "Hit and Run", up on The Aspen Times.

The question SandBox Nanny has for Colson today on this article, is related to how obvious it is that he's struggling with having to put out 'clean' and 'no yellow ink' reports.

Yesterday the hit on the Town of Silt was angst at the lack of childcare for the Silt anti-gas group.

Today, Colson seems to imply that the Town of Silt should go round up money it does not have, and do a capital improvement on the water system because of a couple of fairly unsubstantiated water quality issues over the past two years.

 If Nanny recalls correctly, the issues had something to do with illegal sewage dumping by a local company.

Here's the question for John Colson:

Is there anything the general public can do, to help you ease into some kind of comfort level with your new role of community oriented reporting?

We'll be glad to help.

just sayin.

SandBox Nanny sends out another big thank you to Silt Mayor Dave Moore and his administration.

For holding the line on not spending more than what comes in.

For still managing, within the first balanced budget in many a year; to keep Silt not only thriving but growing.

For being creative in finding this terrific grant money that will take the burden off the backs of the folks out here paying taxes.

Keep up the great work.

(Learn more? Click title and comment to start discussion)

SandBox Comments: Aspen Times/Letter to the Editor "Does city have a secret?"

"After the City Council has repeatedly refused to allow an agenda item and public comment on the decision, the Election Commission scheduled a public dialogue for 4 p.m. on Nov. 1 in the City Council chambers. All City Council members and the public have been encouraged to attend by Election Commissioner Ward Hauenstein...."
(Marilyn Marks)

Provocative wording?    Yes.

Makes her point well and you're listening to her?  You betcha.

Liked by most readers?  Doesn't matter.

Worthy cause?  Debatable.  Most think very worthy.

Deserves to be ridiculed, defamed, slandered, shunned and abused with verbal assaults?  No.

Political activist making great strides in catalyzing entrenched issues within local, state and national  politics?  Yes and doing a terrific job worthy of high praise.

Needs to be personally liked or socially acceptable to the majority in order to do  that terrific job?
Nope.  But should  be.

Any of the above can be said about Marilyn Marks.

What's important in this post is the information on the Nov. 1, 2011 community input meeting.

Because if you have something to say about Marilyn Marks?

Please go say it there or cease and desist the public onslaught of defamation or slander against her.

just sayin.

(Read more?  Click title and comment to start discussion)

SandBox Comments: Colorado Springs Independent "Stranger than fiction"

Curses, foiled again

"Stephen Frankie Daniel, 21, was caught robbing a gas station convenience store in Snellville, Ga., by police Lt. B.W. Brown, who happened to be waiting in line behind him. "The manager was laughing at the time he was putting the money in the bag because he was looking at me over the guy who was robbing him," Brown said, noting that Daniel apparently didn't notice Brown's uniform or the plainly marked Snellville Police Department pick-up truck parked outside the store.

(Atlanta Journal Constitution)

"Michael Wayne Aurillo, 27, stole a charity collection jar containing $35.78 from the counter of a convenience store in Williston, Fla., only to be arrested before he could make off with the loot because off-duty Marion County sheriff's Sgt. William Dietrich was standing behind him. (The Gainesville Sun)"

Drinking-class hero

"A 21-year-old man walked into what he believed to be a casino and asked for some blackjack chips. It was actually the University of Nebraska-Lincoln police station. Sgt. John Backer said the desk clerk turned the man away, but he returned a few minutes later. This time, officers administered a Breathalyzer test. The unidentified man blew .273 — more than four times the legal limit — and was placed in protective custody. (Hasting's KHAS-TV)"

(Learn more?  Click title and comment to start discussion)

SandBox Comments: Commentary Magazine "The Case for Optimism"

"There is a growing propensity to place the blame for the disastrous fiscal and economic condition of the United States on the supposedly damaged spiritual condition of the American people. President Obama himself, inclined these days to blame the nation’s economic woes on his predecessor and on millionaires and billionaires, stepped on his own storyline recently when he told a Florida TV reporter that the American people had “gotten a little soft.” By saying this, he was echoing the view that something had gone wrong inside the body politic over the past decade or longer. The American people wanted benefits they didn’t want to pay for; they borrowed money they didn’t have; they refused to make tough choices. “The richest society the world has ever seen has grown rich by devising better and better ways to give people what they want,” Michael Lewis, the most influential financial journalist in America, writes in his new book Boomerang. “The boom in trading activity in individual stock portfolios; the spread of legalized gambling; the rise of drug and alcohol addiction—it is all of a piece.”

This secular-Calvinist argument..."
(John Podhoretz)

SandBox Comments: Commentary Magazine "The Case for Pessimism "

"In September 2009, Barack Obama and Muammar Qaddafi both addressed the United Nations. It is a pitiful reflection upon the Republic in twilight that, when it comes to the transnational mush drooled by the leader of the free world or the conspiracist ramblings of a pseudo-Bedouin terrorist drag queen presiding over a one-man psycho-cult basket case, it’s more or less a toss-up as to which of them was the more unreal.

Qaddafi spoke for 90 minutes, and in the midst of his torrent of words, his translator actually broke down and cried out, “I can’t take it anymore.” The colonel gravely informed the world body that the swine flu was a virus that had been created in a government laboratory, and he called for a UN inquiry into the Kennedy assassination on the grounds that Jack Ruby was an Israeli who killed Lee Harvey Oswald to stop the truth coming out about Kennedy being killed to prevent an investigation into the Zionist nuclear facility at Dimona.

On the other hand:..."
(Mark Steyn)

(Learn more?  Click title and comment to start discussion)

"Truth goes through three stages.  First, it is ridiculed.  Then it is violently opposed.  Finally, it is seen as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Power Line "Undercover Syria"

This is one of the most though-provoking reports on life in the Middle East we think we've ever seen.

A must watch.

"According to Wikipedia, Unreported World is a foreign affairs program produced by Quicksilver Media Productions and broadcast by Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. It holds itself out as traveling to dangerous locations all over the world in an attempt to uncover stories ignored by the world media. I’ve got a few candidates for them right here in the Twin Cities.

In “Undercover Syria,” broadcast on October 14, reporter Ramita Navai spends two weeks living undercover in some of the most dangerous parts of Syria with members of the opposition movement determined to overthrow the Assad regime. This 24-minute report provides a riveting view inside unfolding events in Syria...."
(Scott Johnson)


(Learn more?  Click title and comment to start discussion)

"Truth goes through three stages.  First, it is ridiculed.  Then it is violently opposed.  Finally, it is seen as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "Antero plans increased drilling activity south of Silt"

Cheap shots at Silt Mayor Dave Moore.  Even by John Colson's standards, these insinuations by Colson are cheap shots.

Seems that Colson is wanting strokes for 'alerting' the Town of Silt administration that deadline was on for submitting comments, etc. on Antero's expansion of drilling on Silt Mesa.

So, let SandBox give you those strokes, John.

We send out a sincere, big thank you to investigative reporter John Colson, over on The Glenwood Springs Post Independent for coming to the aid of all the  anti-gas drilling Silt residents who forgot to check on the status of their comment submission to regulators.

We're pretty sure Silt Mayor Dave Moore is thick-skinned enough to be holding up under Colson's  criticism. 

Drill baby, drill.

(Learn more?  Click title and comment to start discussion)

"Truth goes through three stages.  First, it is ridiculed.  Then it is violently opposed.  Finally, it is seen as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Craig Daily Press "Shell focused on exploratory operations near Craig"

"A Shell Oil Company rig that had been delayed in operations and was sitting at the corner of Ranney and First streets is now onsite and drilling, a company spokeswoman said Thursday...."
(Joe Moylan)

SandBox Comments: Aspen Journalism "Developer Related not faring well in Base Village lawsuits"

"SNOWMASS VILLAGE — The developers of the stalled Base Village project at the base of the Snowmass Ski Area have been quick to blame the Great Recession for the project’s current state.

But as a series of lawsuits between the developers and its lenders and investors show, there were a number of decisions made along the way that, in hindsight, can be seen as contributing factors..."
(Brent Gardner-Smith)


(Read more?  Click title and comment to start discussion)

"Truth goes through three stages.  First, it is ridiculed.  Then it is violently opposed.  Finally, it is seen as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Crested Butte News "Stumbling blocks slow funding for economic group "

"The Economic Development Council (EDC) has been making the rounds in search of funding for its first year of operation. Members of the EDC have been appearing before the Board of County Commissioners, the town of Mt. Crested Butte and the city of Gunnison to request financial participation from governments and business alike...."
(Alissa Johnson)

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SandBox Comments: Glenwood Springs Post Independent/Derek Franz " Providence moves, too"

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” — Goethe

SandBox Nanny agrees with Michele.

He is a very special writer and one of our favorites too.

“Until one is committed, there is hesitance, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, providence moves, too. …

Begin it now.”  (Goethe)

(Read this week's column?  Click title, comment to discuss)

"Truth goes through three stages.  First, it is ridiculed.  Then it is violently opposed.  Finally, it is seen as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Aspen Times/Melanie Sturm "Governing-class warriors misinform and demoralize"

SandBox Nanny just realized another major downside to The Aspen Times limiting sign-on to apps ability to only Facebook.

Melanie Sturm is a beloved opinion columnist in the area.

Usually racking up between 200 and 300 'recommends' each time she publishes.

Most locals will not use the evasive to privacy "Facebook only" option to logon.  Swift Communications, CMNM and The Aspen Times really need to expand logon ability to all other mainstream social apps.

Wonderful article (as usual) out of Melanie Sturm today.

Up on The Aspen Times.

(Learn more?  Click title and comment to start discussion)

"Truth goes through three stages.  First, it is ridiculed.  Then it is violently opposed.  Finally, it is seen as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: The Right Scoop "U.S. Border Patrol Agent Jailed For Doing His Job "

"Only in Obama’s America would a U.S. citizen risking their life in order to protect the United States border be arrested simply for doing their job.  In the latest border atrocity, Agent Jesus E. Diaz was arrested, indicted by a federal grand jury and sentenced to two years for the use of unreasonable force. Unreasonable force which consisted of (are you ready for this?) lifting the teenagers arms...."
(Right Scoop)


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"Truth goes through three stages.  First, it is ridiculed.  Then it is violently opposed.  Finally, it is seen as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "Sunset plugs Glenwood as a November destination"

"GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colorado — Sunset magazine's November issue features a two-page travel article touting Glenwood Springs as an ideal off-season day trip destination.

“The tourist herd has thinned, turning this hot-springs town back into a serene village ideal for preholiday pampering,” writes Steve Knopper, a Denver freelance writer and author of a Moon handbooks guide to Colorado.

“Serene village” may not be the phrase that comes to mind for locals, but snappy writing and appealing photos make our fair city sound like just the place to be in November.

“Day trip Glenwood Springs” plugs the Glenwood Hot Springs Pool, the Yampah Spa and Vapor Caves, Sunlight Mountain Resort, along with tidbits on eateries, shopping, lodging and side trips to Carbondale, Redstone and Rifle...."
(Heather McGregor)

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"Truth goes through three stages.  First, it is ridiculed.  Then it is violently opposed.  Finally, it is seen as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Summit County Citizens Voice "Breckenridge: Forest summit meeting comes to CMC"

"SUMMIT COUNTY — Conservation experts, forest managers, loggers and scientists will gather at Colorado Mountain College in Breckenridge this week to pow-wow once again on the condition of Colorado’s devastated lodgepole pine stands.

"The Colorado Bark Beetle Collaborative summit meeting is set for Friday, October 28, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Colorado Mountain College in Breckenridge.

A science panel will discuss the ecology of lodgepole pine forests and the future of post-beetle forests from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

The next session is a Q & A moderated by Dr. Tony Cheng, associate professor in forest policy and director of the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute at Colorado State University...."

(Bob Berwyn)

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"Truth goes through three stages.  First, it is ridiculed.  Then it is violently opposed.  Finally, it is seen as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Summit County Citizens Voice "Colorado: Hiking Mount Harvard"

"The  Collegiate Peaks west of Buena Vista provide many beautiful and challenging hikes within an hour of Summit County. The peaks are part of one of the ten largest wilderness areas in the U.S. Over the past several years, I have scrambled over the long boulder fields of Mount Harvard a few times. At 14,420 feet, the summit of Harvard is the third highest Fourteener in Colorado.

My first ascent of Harvard on a hot August day ended with me hunkered down in a blinding snowstorm with a covey of ptarmigan among the rocks at about 13,000 feet, then drenched in a heavy rain on my retreat down Frenchman Creek...."
(Kim Fenske)

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SandBox Comments: Aspen Times/Letter to the Editor "Meet the art police"

Making it's way into today's 'Crime and Courts' section of SandBox Commentators is the stunningly bold criminal act that occurred this past week at The Aspen Art Museum.

Shocking that this kind of major  crime has hit Aspen, Colorado.

Is this the beginning of our seeing another side to paradise?

What could possibly be next?  Obviously, this crime wave is tied to the 99%. We can only assume the worst given the strength in numbers.

If this wasn't so sad, it  would be amusing.

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"Truth goes through three stages.  First, it is ridiculed.  Then it is violently opposed.  Finally, it is seen as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Aspen Daily News "PitCo says no to DA salary increase, favors smaller bonus"

(Note from Nanny:  Because of the imbalance in competitive reporting between the Times and the Daily on this piece (and) because of the inflammatory to the public comments reported as made by both the PitCo Commissioners (and) DA Beeson; comment ability on this post is blocked.)


Aspen Daily News:

"Newman raises concern about ‘overzealous’ prosecutions""The Pitkin County commissioners rejected a planned salary increase for the tri-county prosecutor’s office on Tuesday, asking District Attorney Martin Beeson to swap his planned 2 percent pay bump in 2012 for a 1.5 percent end-of-year bonus.

The county has planned such a bonus for its own employees.

Commissioner George Newman also told Beeson, who heads up prosecution in the 9th Judicial District, that area residents are displeased with what they see as “overzealous” tactics in his Aspen office, and questioned him about recent sanctions levied by a district court judge against prosecutors.

In his annual budget meeting with the commissioners, Beeson proposed a $3.2 million budget for 2012 that included a slight decrease in spending from this year. Even with the proposed raises, the budget is shrinking, mostly due to the elimination of a prosecutor in Rifle an health insurance cost savings. Budget revenues include more than $600,000 from Pitkin County. Garfield and Rio Blanco counties also contribute.

Other than the raises, the commissioners supported the DA’s proposed budget...)
(Andrew Travers)

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SandBox Comments: Denver Post/Breaking News "Feds: Arrests take 80 armed gang members off the streets"

Thank you to all participating agencies, officers, agents and federal prosecutors participating in this major gang bust.

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SandBox Comments: KREX News 5 "Murder Suspect's Bond Set at $1.5 Million"

"Grand Junction - Bond is now set at $1.5 million for one of the men accused in the murder of a man outside of a local Taco Bell. Jorge Alberto Carrasco was shot and killed outside of the restaurant on North Avenue in Grand Junction in mid-July. Christian Fuentes was extradited to Mesa County from Palo Alto, California, where he was arrested on a probation violation shortly after the shooting..."
(Hilary Martin)


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SandBox Comments: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "BOCC endorses Thompson unitization request"

Aagghhh.....(SandBox Nanny)....sigh....rolls eyes.....

John Colson:  "Federal land managers should move ahead with a “unitization” request for natural gas leases in the Thompson Divide area, no matter what Colorado's two U.S. senators have to say on the subject, say the Garfield Board of County Commissioners (BOCC)...."

Maybe because it's not political and the majority of Garfield County do not appreciate the bullying tactics of the groups trying to block? 

Or, maybe because people in the region have become more confident in speaking out?

GarCo BOCC is finally hearing their voices and responding to more balanced community needs?

John Colson:  "Udall and Bennet have asked that the unitization request be opened up to public involvement, while the industry believes it should remain an administrative decision made by officials in the BLM."

Thanks to Scott Tipton (R-Colorado) the public does have a major voice with open talks on Thompson Divide.

You remember him, Mr. Colson? 

Our Third District Congressman?

The folks are sure glad he's around.

After all, The Thompson Divide Coalition, Senator Mark Udall (D-Colorado) and Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colorado) have never held any kind of public meeting that was not heavily seeded to anti-industry.

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"Truth goes through three stages.  First, it is ridiculed.  Then it is violently opposed.  Finally, it is seen as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Glenwood Springs Post Independent/John Stroud "Tipton bill would fund education through expanded drilling"

A special thank you goes out to reporter John Stroud for running this piece on The Glenwood Springs Post Independent.

It is not very often that positive reporting, unless it is a press release or column done by  the conservative politician themselves; that conservative news makes it into any publication of the PI.

That's a shame.  There are so many wonderful works throughout the area that are fueled by conservative values.

Congressman Scott Tipton (R-Colorado) and his Education and Energy Act of 2011 would  place 33 percent of the federal portion of oil and gas revenues in Colorado toward both K-12 public education funding and post-secondary education funding.

This revenue is based on only new lease revenues that  are unappropriated as of yet.

Tipton's Education and Energy Act  would eventually bring our public schools to the level of self-sustained.  Easing the pressure off taxpayers and giving more stability to our school districts and for our kids.

Especially if Coloradans can ease confining regulations, increase sensible environmental responsiblity in a pro-energy development environment and drill, baby drill.

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"Truth goes through three stages.  First, it is ridiculed.  Then it is violently opposed.  Finally, it is seen as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Aspen Daily News "Council still unmoved on Aspen Walk redevelopment"

The highly coveted lol from Nanny this morning goes to Curtis Wackerle.  Up on The Aspen Daily News....

"Aspen’s form of Chinese water torture also known as land-use approvals continued at Monday’s City Council meeting..."

To truly relate, one needs to have experience in the regional construction industry.

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"Truth goes through three stages.  First, it is ridiculed.  Then it is violently opposed.  Finally, it is seen as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Steamboat Today/Jimmy Westlake "Fall offers glimpses of galaxies"

Professor Jimmy Westlake:

"One of my favorite times of year for sky-watching is early fall, when the nights are clear and cool but not yet frigid. On moonless autumn evenings, one almost can see to infinity. In fact, the fall sky offers the opportunity to see the two most distant objects visible to the unaided human eye...."

"Well...", SandBox Nanny says that her fav time of year is....

When Jimmy Westlake announces it's time for his Cosmic Calendar sale.....

(Want to see terrific photos of the stars?  Click the link above.  Read more?  Click title)

SandBox Comments: Aspen Daily News "DA asks for approval of reduced budget from Pitkin County"

"The percentage of contribution to the DA from each county is determined by state law, and is based on population rather than caseload. This has been an exasperating reality for the commissioners of Pitkin County, which represents 21 percent of the population of the district but just 11 percent of the prosecuted crimes.

In last year’s budget meeting with Beeson, Commissioner Michael Owsley called the arrangement “patently unfair.”

Garfield County carries 70 percent of district population, and 74 percent of felony cases and 80 percent of misdemeanor cases. Rio Blanco carried just 8 percent of the population but 12 percent of the DA’s caseload...."
(Andrew Travers)

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SandBox Comments: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "Tipton opens talks on Thompson Divide drilling"

Congressman Scott Tipton (R-Colorado)  doesn't do a  lot of  talking.

He's a listening kind of guy.  Prefers to take what he hears, return to Washington and create the best balance for  all sides.

He must be doing a good job because the sleaze attacks aiming at everything from all kinds of industries and their donors (not just oil and gas) donating to his campaign within all guidelines and regulations (to) attacks on his family have begun.

Thank you goes out to Congressman Scott Tipton for a job well done.

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"Truth goes through three stages.  First, it is ridiculed.  Then it is violently opposed.  Finally, it is seen as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: KREX News 5 "Bath Salt Drugs Banned by the Drug Enforcement Agency"

(See related stories and comments here)

The words "emergency action" are so ominous.

Here on the Western Slope of Colorado we've been following the stories, press releases and information from Two Rivers Drug Enforcement Team, DEA, local and regional law enforcement about 'bath salts'.

"The chemical used in a street drug known as "bath salts" is temporarily banned in the U.S.

The Drug Enforcement Agency took emergency action Friday, making it illegal to possess and sell these chemicals or products. The particular chemical is called mephedrone, MDPV, and methylone, and it will be banned for at least one year.

Officials say bath salts, which go by names like Ivory Wave, Purple Wave, Vanilla Sky and Bliss are comprised of the chemicals that when snorted or smoked, act like cocaine or LSD...."

(Hilary Martin)

 

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SandBox Comments: CNS News "Mexican President: US Puts 'Absurd Curbs on Migration,' 'Persecute[s] Migrants,' 'ViolatesTheir Human Rights'"

Inquiring minds want to know. 

If  there was a major disaster of some kind on our side of the border that had Americans fleeing to Mexico.....would they open the border, clothe, educate, heal our sick, provide shelter, jobs and food for us?

Surely, Presidente Calderon can see the irony of this statement of his (?):

"There are many factors in the violence that is being experienced in some Mexican border cities, but one of those is that the American authorities have gotten into the habit of simply deporting 60 (thousand) or 70,000 migrants per year to cities like Ciudad Juarez or Tijuana," Calderon told an immigration conference.

Among these deportees "there are many who really are criminals, who have committed some crime and it is simply cheaper to leave them on the Mexican side of the border than to prosecute them, as they should do, to see whether they are guilty or not," Calderon said. "And obviously, they quickly link up with criminal networks on the border."
(Mark Stevenson)

Support ICE and all participating law enforcement as they continue to 'dump' back into Mexico.

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"Truth goes through three stages.  First, it is ridiculed.  Then it is violently opposed.  Finally, it is seen as self-evident."