WSJ-Zogby Poll Not So Scary, Beauprez And Ritter Tied

Trick or treat?

A 2002 repeat?

More:
Republicans see edge in early voting

GOP Looks In The Mirror, Sees The Enemy

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is going to take the fall? Apparently there is enough blame to go around for all:

On this, many Republicans agree: Democrats in Colorado are poised to clean their clock on Election Day.

But they disagree on what brought their party to this point.

Some Colorado Republicans blame the conservative Christian wing of their party for nominating candidates whose strong social agendas turn off moderates in the general election.

Others point to an unpopular president and an unpopular war and say the pendulum will swing back in Republicans' favor at some point.

And still others say lame-duck Gov. Bill Owens shares some responsibility.

ToTheRight and Joshua Sharf point to the guv.

Joel Hefley blames the PACs.

WE BLAME BUSH!
--Just kidding.

So who or what is to blame?

Let's start with the GOP. Political infighting. Inability to reconcile after particularly harsh primaries (Coors vs. Schaffer in '04, Beauprez vs. Holtzman and 5th Congressional District in '06). Weak candidates. Punting key election issues like illegal immigration.

Some national "insiders" claim that Sen. George Allen, R-VA, has run the most inept campaign in the country. At this point, it is clear that Bob Beauprez and Rick O'Donnell should be in the running for the "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory" trophy for campaign bungling.

Fickle electorate. Colorado has given the GOP years of control in the state house and senate, and when combined with two Republican senators, a Republican governor, and 5-2 edge (until 2004), it appears that Colorado's unaffiliated/independent voters have shifted more to the middle and appear willing to elect what they view as "moderate" Democrats like the Salazar brothers, and again this year with Bill Ritter. Add this changing proclivity to relatively weak GOP candidates and the recipe for Democratic takeovers seems complete.

A gloomy national sentiment regarding Congress and the President adds to the political current Republicans find themselves struggling to overcome. Big-spending liberal donors like Tim Gill can help fund referenda, and catalyze voter interest by mobilizing liberal and Democratic-leaning independents to vote for Dems while also voting specific issues. This contribution to overall voter motivation might explain the swelling of support for Democratic candidates from their base, while the GOP leaks base voters to Democratic candidates or abstentions.

What is certain will be the backlash felt inside the GOP as the party searches for a target to blame for election shortcomings. Some will blame the governor, or the more conservative members. Beauprez supporters might point to Holtzman's campaign. Others will look to frustrated realists within the party--like this blog--and fault them for perceived lack of support. The list will go on and on.

Hopefully the party will recover its cohesion and political will, and SEEK OUT NEW POLITICAL TALENT to run for office and helm the campaigns. '08 looms large, with Sen. Wayne Allard a wildcard (his decision to run or bow out will have a great impact on the state GOP's chances), another presidential election, a potentially Democratic Congressional delegation (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 7th?), and continued Democratic majorities in the state house and senate.

What the state party lacks at this point is a leader. On many levels, Owens failed to accomplish this, and Beauprez most likely won't have the chance. Allard and Tancredo, representing the silent and the loud, appear unlikely to assume the mantle of state-wide GOP appeal.

Who will the next Colorado GOP leader turn out to be? Stay tuned--as the election dust settles, the answer may begin to take shape.

---

If you haven't already voted, take a look at Ben's ballot--complete with analysis, endorsements, and prognostications.

technorati: GOP Republicans Democrats election Bob Beauprez Bill Ritter Bill Owens Bush Colorado Wayne Allard Tom Tancredo illegal immigration

Hickenlooper's Homeless Housing Proposal

Homelessness is a problem, to be sure. But a $300 million problem?--funded by taxpayers, of course:

DENVER -- A panel of activists and experts working with Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's 10-year plan to stamp out homelessness is considering massive apartment-style complexes funded by taxpayers to shelter the homeless.

The Denver Post is reporting Monday one proposal could be to ask voters to fund a single bond issuance, up to $300 million to build or upgrade housing.

Hickenlooper's plan, called Denver's Road Home, is a private-public partnership he hopes will reduce the number of homeless living in Denver's streets and parks.

"Chipping" Away At Freedom

Courtesy of Big Brother, UK (George Orwell was, after all, British):

Human beings may be forced to be 'microchipped' like pet dogs, a shocking official report into the rise of the Big Brother state has warned.

The microchips - which are implanted under the skin - allow the wearer's movements to be tracked and store personal information about them.

They could be used by companies who want to keep tabs on an employee's movements or by Governments who want a foolproof way of identifying their citizens - and storing information about them.

The prospect of 'chip-citizens' - with its terrifying echoes of George Orwell's 'Big Brother' police state in the book 1984 - was raised in an official report for Britain's Information Commissioner Richard Thomas into the spread of surveillance technology.

The report, drawn up by a team of respected academics, claims that Britain is a world-leader in the use of surveillance technology and its citizens the most spied-upon in the free world.

It paints a frightening picture of what Britain might be like in ten years time unless steps are taken to regulate the use of CCTV and other spy technologies.

The reports editors Dr David Murakami Wood, managing editor of the journal Surveillance and Society and Dr Kirstie Ball, an Open University lecturer in Organisation Studies, claim that by 2016 our almost every movement, purchase and communication could be monitored by a complex network of interlinking surveillance technologies.

Who is leading the way in such draconian, freedom-hating technologies?

Why, we are!

However, its use in humans has already been trialled in America, where the chips were implanted in 70 mentally-ill elderly people in order to track their movements.

And earlier this year a security company in Ohio chipped two of its employees to allow them to enter a secure area. The glass-encased chips were planted in the recipients' upper right arms and 'read' by a device similar to a credit card reader.

In their Report on the Surveillance Society, the authors now warn: "The call for everyone to be implanted is now being seriously debated."

How nice.

Last century saw America as a pioneer of eugenics laws that later came to be used more effectively in places like Nazi Germany.

Leading the way in freedom-denial apparatus does not bode well for us or any other freedom-loving people. We must be vigilant, and take reasoned measures to ensure our security, but turning over the burden of protection to surveillance cameras, microchips, and police-state measures will target the very citizens they are designed to protect. Who would avoid gun-control laws? Thugs and criminals, not law-abiding citizens. Who would thwart such overreaching policing tactics? Terrorists, illegal immigrants, criminals. Who would be forced to comply? Peaceful, law-abiding citizens.

Instead of rationally targeting those elements that pose a threat to society, governments suggest making EVERYONE a suspect. Gun-control, surveillance cameras, and microchips represent the type of slippery slope measures that lead to Orwell's dystopia. Submitting to such outrageous proposals meant only to "provide security" represents the type of thinking that we fought in WWII and the Cold War, and now global jihad.

UK Taps Algore To Push "Climate Change" In US

Note to UK: Algore has been trying that for a long time:

Britain is to send the author of today's landmark review on global warming to try to win American hearts and minds to the urgent cause of cutting carbon emissions - as it emerged yesterday that the government has already signed up former US vice-president Al Gore to advise on the environment.

Sir Nicholas Stern, who this morning publishes an authoritative report on climate change warning that inaction could cause a worldwide recession as damaging as the Depression of the 1930s, will lobby politicians and business people in America at the turn of the year.

In related news:

Blair pushes more "green taxes"

Election Message Offends Muslim Students At CU-Boulder

Apparently, letting the "terrorists" win is offensive:

The campaign message might have been intended as a joke: Don't let the terrorists win.

That punch line, though, is not resonating with many University of Colorado student-government hopefuls, one of whom is the president of the Muslim Student Association. He says it's racist.

A chalk-written campaign message written over the weekend outside the Williams Village dorms was supposed to support the "First Class" ticket, which is made up of four students running for representative seats.

Campaign insiders gave different versions of the message, but agreed that it said something to the effect of "If you're not voting First Class, terrorists win" or "If you're not voting classy, you're voting for terrorism."

Candidates on the First Class slate say they lost control of their message and disapprove of the content that one of their supporters took the liberty to write.

"It was extremely unfortunate and not something we wanted," said Chance Heath, a First Class candidate.

The chalk message, which has since been removed, was not meant to be a racist attack on an opposing candidate, said Heath, who is majoring in international affairs, with a focus on the Middle East. He spent three months over the summer studying Arabic in Morocco.

Instead, it was intended to mock the political campaigns, he said, that use the trite slogan: "Terrorists win if you vote for" a specific cause or candidate.

Whether an unfortunate extrapolation by a zealous supporter or a sophomoric attempt at humor, the usual suspects (no pun intended) were not amused and quickly produced the dreaded but ubiquitous "race" card.

Medhat Amed, a CU senior running on the Gold Ticket, an opposing slate, doesn't see it that way. He said he believes the message took direct aim at him.

"It's racist," he said. "It's offensive. It's unacceptable."

Amed said the Muslim student group that he leads on campus often holds informational and cultural events to counter the negative stereotypes lobbed against Islam. The campaign message is an example of the ignorance his group works so diligently against, he said.

Repeat after me: Islam is not a race.

Islam is a religion.

Not that that matters to the discerning diversity thug, offended that an off-hand play on political messages designed around the trope of "letting the terrorists win" must, MUST be referring to him.

Can you say, projection?

Anti-War Moonbats Want "Resistance" Teepee Erected At Proposed Rocky Flats Cold War Museum

To showcase the importance of standing up for you beliefs, of course:

Backers of a proposed museum on the site of the former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant have begun collecting artifacts to fill the space, including a "resistance" teepee erected in 1978 over railroad tracks at the site.

The teepee, which could become a centerpiece of the Rocky Flats Cold War Museum, was presented Saturday to about 75 people who gathered to discuss plans for the 15,000-square-foot building. Construction could begin in 2008, and the museum could open by 2009.

Museum board members said they hope to raise up to $4 million for the interactive archive to document the history of Rocky Flats, which made plutonium cores for hydrogen bombs from 1952 to 1989.

. . .

Activists who pushed for the plant's closure and cleanup believe it is important to preserve its history to educate people about its role in the Cold War.

"We have new players in a nuclear age, and it's important to preserve the message that we have learned," said Jan Pilcher, who organized an effort to stop incineration of plutonium-laced waste.

Patrick Malone of the Rocky Flats Truth Force, which presented the teepee to the museum board, said displaying the artifacts will show the importance of taking a strong stand for one's beliefs.

Malone said his group will give $1,000 to the project and work to help raise more funds.

"This will be a local museum where we can show our children how to live in a place that they're not scared to death," Malone said.

So.

"Resistance" teepee + Cold War museum = LESS FEAR.

Or something like that. We all know how museums and memorials turn out after the moonbats add their "views." And at least one scientist thinks that any type of human activity--museum, memorial, recreation--should be avoided for quite some time due to the site's, shall we say, glowing reputation.

Moonbats like Malone (a Rocky Flats "truther") want to live in a world full of wishes, a Lennonesque (or Leninesque) existence replete with peace, love, socialized medicine, and no enemies.

This contrasts to the real lessons one might glean from a reflective Cold War museum, appreciative of the diplomatic difficulties but also the reality that the world is filled with people who don't like us, and who would destroy us given half the chance. That our continued existence relies in no small part to the defensive (MAD) capabilities of the weapons produced at Rocky Flats seems to elude our small band of merry moonbats seeking to make the world less "scary." Try strong foreign diplomacy, a belief in your own country's goodness, and the military might to back them up, not butterflies and wildflowers.

Tin-pot dictators like Kim Jong-Il and jihadis throughout the world, armed with nuclear weapons, do not make distinctions based on wishful thinking. In the real world, "resistance" teepees, banging drums, and singing redundant protest chants don't amount to much more than "useful idiocy" to those who would make our worst nightmares come true.

Vote Early, Vote In Style, Vote Progressive

At first, the limousine get-out-the-vote seemed innocuous enough--put on by local "non-partisan" groups, something which both print and video MSM types failed to check.

Video.

However, it appears that the political stunt--getting only 100 or so families to the polls in a limousine in order to get on TV qualifies as a stunt--was put on by no less than the Colorado Progressive Coalition, a decidedly non-political entity.

Democrats are already getting a head start on those biannual voter discrimination charges, promising an amry of 7500 legal attack dogs:

The 7,500 lawyers are being promised nationwide by Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean. They'll be available to respond immediately on Election Day to any allegations of vote fraud that plagued the presidential elections in Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004.

"Anybody who thinks their vote is being fooled with should call that hotline and we will have folks at that precinct in minutes," Dean said on the liberal Ed Schultz radio show Wednesday. The party is running 1-888-DEMVOTE to help people vote and deal with voting problems.

Ritter Still Ahead In Latest Poll

50-38.

GOP Hoping GOTV Gives Them Edge Again in 2006

The GOP's GOTV effort, begun in 2002, has helped the GOP continue to make gains and was key in the reelection of W in 2004.

Democrats running with the wind at their backs may be headed for a wall when the GOP cranks up a get-out-the-vote machine perfected over the past five years.

Operatives inside both parties predict that Republicans will close the gap in all close races during the crucial days before the election the GOP calls the "Final Four."

Suburban Denver's 7th Congressional District, which has seemed to lean Democratic in recent weeks, was a testing ground in 2002 for what was then a new Republican secret weapon that relied more on technology and marketing than shoe leather. It gave Republican Bob Beauprez the 121 votes he needed to win.

Republicans say they are ready for a national rollout of that effort, and Democrats in the know are worried.

This year, however, despite the superior GOTV operations, the GOP has its own reasons to worry. First, Democrats aren't stupid and have most likely adapted their own campaigns to combat the GOP in terms of mobilizing voters. Second, despite the superior quality of the system (which is quite good, actually, and can be directly credited for turning out Republican and Republican-leaning voters), the base in many parts including Colorado, aren't quite as motivated as they were in 2002 or 2004. Looking at the support for current GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez, the conservative/Republican base isn't all that interested in a losing cause, which could result in dragging down other state-wide Republican candidates. A superior computer database and marketing scheme can not succeed if the campaigns can't pound the pavement, or can't succeed in swaying back many independents/undecideds who have begun to lean towards the Democrats or are simply sitting out '06.

technorati: gop republicans democrats election bush

Beauprez Sinking Lower?

More backlash--Ciruli has a new poll out in the Rocky that has Beauprez down 19%, 52-33. The only saving point is that Ritter has just a little over half, rather than a 60+.

Both ToTheRight and ColoradoPols see Beauprez's failure as a downward drag on other GOP candidates, as Ritter's lead appears to be bringing the sought-after coattails effect.

SAFER Billboards For Amendment 44 Feature Bikini-Clad Babe

Pass the boobies doobies:

Brit PC Police Waste £450m On "Equality And Diversity"

More like Keystone Kops:

Scotland Yard has spent almost £450 million on promoting 'equality and diversity' in the past three years. In the past year alone £187 million - six per cent of the Met budget - went on 'equalities-related expenditure'.

This included recruitment, training and research within minority communities, as well as crime fighting and prevention.

It covered not just race issues, but those of gender, faith, disability, age and sexuality. Since 2003, more than £21million has been spent on interpreters' fees.

If they spent this kind of money actually investigating crimes then perhaps there would be less threat from home grown terrorism and adult Brits wouldn't be afraid of their own teenagers. Perhaps the police should spend more time in the streets doing their jobs arresting criminals than holding hands singing Kumbaya in diversity courses.

More PC multicultural nonsense--Outrage as vicar drops 'not multicutural enough' Remembrance Sunday service

Pot Protest Ignites Rally, Owens Shouted Down

As the election draws near, tempers flare over pot proposal.

Also, Owens' flip-flop on TABOR gets a smack-down in Maine.

"Poster Girl"--Beccy Cole

Wow. Ditzy chicks, this is a real woman:

Denver City And County Building Flush With New Urinals

What's that smell? Apparently, there won't be one:

Don't worry guys, the urinals aren't broken.

As part of the city of Denver's ongoing efforts to conserve water, four water-free urinals - yes, water-free - have been installed in one of the 14 public restrooms in the City and County Building.

The urinals are projected to save about 40,000 gallons of water a year each.

They contain a cartridge at the bottom filled with liquid to stifle odors. The replaceable cartridge, which is connected to a drainpipe, is designed to handle 7,000 uses.

The liquid inside the cartridge "provides an airtight barrier between urine and the restroom to prevent odors from escaping the drain, but allows urine to pass through because it is lighter than water," according to the manufacturer, Falcon WaterFree Technologies.

"So far, rave reviews," said Stephen Sholler, the city's facilities manager.

Defeating Jihadists, One Joke (At Their Expense) At A Time

Using ridicule, the sharpest weapon humanity possesses (via Knowledge Is Power):

"Ridicule is man's most potent weapon," says the fifth rule of Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals, Saul Alinsky's classic 1971 activist handbook. That's because, "It is almost impossible to counterattack ridicule," as Michael "tank moment" Dukakis so painfully knows.

Since the publication of Alinsky's Rules, activists across the political spectrum have tried to adapt those rules to their own purposes, with varying degrees of success. Now a recent paper from the Institute of World Politics argues for ridicule as a weapon to fight terrorists. The author, J. Michael Waller, makes a compelling argument for the effectiveness of ridicule, citing historical examples, including from America's Revolutionary War, the French Revolution, and World War II.

Waller argues that, just as in these conflicts the side that emerged victorious used ridicule effectively, America today can use it against terrorists. In Iraq, since the publication of Waller's paper, the American military took advantage of a great opportunity to do just that, releasing video footage showing Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi fumbling with a rifle. (Zarqawi is now, to the world's benefit, dead -- it's doubtful the rifle fumbling video helped much, but it certainly didn't hurt, either.)

Waller cites Team America: World Police, an all-marionette-cast war-on-terror movie comedy by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, as a good example of effective contemporary anti-anti-American ridicule:

Team America is a brilliant work that plays on the obvious faults of an insecure and lonely Kim, the absurdity of United Nations diplomacy in the person of weapons inspector Hans Blix, and on popular stereotypes about Islamist terrorists and Hollywood anti-war personalities... Team America limits its effectiveness, as well as the size of its audience, with extremely crude adolescent (some might call it "adult") humor. Nevertheless, it is a masterpiece of over-the-top ridicule that could be to the current young generation what the irreverent Monty Python and the Holy Grail was to young people thirty years ago. Team America puts the bad guys in their place and shows that, as clumsy and arrogant as Americans might be to many people, they are still the good guys.

Ah, ridicule. A fate worse than death:

* It sticks.
* The target can’t refute it.
* It is almost impossible to repress, even if driven underground.
* It spreads on its own and multiplies naturally.
* It gets better with each re-telling.
* It boosts morale at home.
* Our enemy shows far greater intolerance to ridicule than we.
* Ridicule divides the enemy, damages its morale, and makes it less attractive to supporters and prospective recruits.
* The ridicule-armed warrior need not fix a physical sight on the target. Ridicule will find its own way to the targeted individual. To the enemy, being ridiculed means losing respect. It means losing influence. It means losing followers and repelling potential new backers.
* To the enemy, ridicule can be worse than death. At least many enemies find death to be a supernatural martyrdom. Ridicule is much worse: destruction without martyrdom: A fate worse than death. And they have to live with it.

Muslim Leader Blames Women For Sex Attacks

Blame the victim!



NSFW or anywhere near raging jihadists.

From the land down under:

THE nation's most senior Muslim cleric has blamed immodestly dressed women who don't wear Islamic headdress for being preyed on by men and likened them to abandoned "meat" that attracts voracious animals.

In a Ramadan sermon that has outraged Muslim women leaders, Sydney-based Sheik Taj Din al-Hilali also alluded to the infamous Sydney gang rapes, suggesting the attackers were not entirely to blame.

While not specifically referring to the rapes, brutal attacks on four women for which a group of young Lebanese men received long jail sentences, Sheik Hilali said there were women who "sway suggestively" and wore make-up and immodest dress ... "and then you get a judge without mercy (rahma) and gives you 65 years".

"But the problem, but the problem all began with who?" he asked.

The leader of the 2000 rapes in Sydney's southwest, Bilal Skaf, a Muslim, was initially sentenced to 55 years' jail, but later had the sentence reduced on appeal.

In the religious address on adultery to about 500 worshippers in Sydney last month, Sheik Hilali said: "If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it ... whose fault is it, the cats or the uncovered meat? "The uncovered meat is the problem." The sheik then said: "If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred." He said women were "weapons" used by "Satan" to control men. "It is said in the state of zina (adultery), the responsibility falls 90 per cent of the time on the woman. Why? Because she possesses the weapon of enticement (igraa)."

Newsweek Admits Error With Global Cooling Predictions, Guarantees Global Warming

Via Ace:

Oct. 23, 2006 - In April, 1975, in an issue mostly taken up with stories about the collapse of the American-backed government of South Vietnam, NEWSWEEK published a small back-page article about a very different kind of disaster. Citing "ominous signs that the earth's weather patterns have begun to change dramatically," the magazine warned of an impending "drastic decline in food production." Political disruptions stemming from food shortages could affect "just about every nation on earth." Scientists urged governments to consider emergency action to head off the terrible threat of . . . well, if you had been following the climate-change debates at the time, you'd have known that the threat was: global cooling.

Newsweek actually gives its article the title "Why scientists find climate change so hard to predict", but insists that global warming/climate change is the real deal this time.

Sen. Barack Obama Flogs Book, Campaigns For Perlmutter

Anyone who doesn't think the buzz surrounding Obama for Democratic presidential candidate for 2008 isn't related to his recently released book is naive.

Damn good for publicity though.

New Jersey Court Decision Reignites Same-Sex Marriage/Civil Unions Debate

Amendment 43 and Referendum I have so far remained relatively under the radar in contrast to the attention that the same-sex marriage/civil unions issue received in 2004.

Not anymore, especially here in Colorado. Stop the ACLU has a comprehensive roundup, as does Hot Air, with analysis.

Regardless of one's position on this issue, this new surge in interest may have an effect in reawakening some conservatives who might have elected to sit this election out or even vote for the Democratic candidates. Though it might not motivate the conservative/independent base as it did in 2004, a few votes on the margins may be picked up--and could also motivate Dems and proponents of civil unions/domestic partnerships to fight even harder for Ref I and against Amendment 43.

In other words, the turnout for this midterm will get a lot higher.

technorati: same-sex marriage civil unions domestic partnerships new jersey colorado

Giuliani Ad Backs Beauprez

America's mayor endorses the GOP candidate, but with all that has happened with the Beauprez campaign, is it too little, too late?

technorati: bob beauprez bill ritter rudy giuliani

Incumbency+Money=Election

Why the GOP may not see electoral defeat in two weeks, after all:

JUBILANT DEMOCRATS SHOULD RECONSIDER their order for confetti and noisemakers. The Democrats, as widely reported, are expecting GOP-weary voters to flock to the polls in two weeks and hand them control of the House for the first time in 12 years -- and perhaps the Senate, as well. Even some Republicans privately confess that they are anticipating the election-day equivalent of Little Big Horn. Pardon our hubris, but we just don't see it.

Our analysis -- based on a race-by-race examination of campaign-finance data -- suggests that the GOP will hang on to both chambers, at least nominally. We expect the Republican majority in the House to fall by eight seats, to 224 of the chamber's 435. At the very worst, our analysis suggests, the party's loss could be as large as 14 seats, leaving a one-seat majority. But that is still a far cry from the 20-seat loss some are predicting. In the Senate, with 100 seats, we see the GOP winding up with 52, down three

We studied every single race -- all 435 House seats and 33 in the Senate -- and based our predictions about the outcome in almost every race on which candidate had the largest campaign war chest, a sign of superior grass-roots support. We ignore the polls. Thus, our conclusions about individual races often differ from the conventional wisdom.

Last spring, a group project in the required stats course for the MBA concluded that apart from incumbency, money and fundraising edge most closely predicted the chance of reelection for sitting members of Congress, regardless of party for at least the last 40 years. Barron's comprehensive race-by-race survey seems to confirm the simple statistical analysis, and likewise predicts very little change for 2006. As it notes, there have been individual elections where this predictor did not turn out to be true in the majority of cases, but will 2006 be another exception or simply conform to the rule that he who has the gold rules--and gets elected?

Algore's Carbon-Burning Berkeley-Fest

Stumping for taxes on oil (via Knowledge is Power):

Former Vice President Al Gore appeared in Berkeley on Monday to lend his celebrity and reputation as a crusader against global warming to a measure on California's Nov. 7 ballot that would tax oil companies to raise $4 billion for green energy projects.

``I'm here to change peoples' minds on the climate crisis and to support Prop 87,'' Gore called to a group of reporters after he emerged from the ``100 miles per gallon'' Toyota Prius that brought him to a noontime rally in a sun-drenched park behind Berkeley's City Hall.

His motorcade also included three motorcycles, two limousines and a Dodge Ram 1500 light duty truck.

How's that for carbon-neutral, and traveling light?

Algore: his carbon footprint is bigger than yours.

technorati: al gore global warming climate change california environment

"Bush" Appears In Colorado Ad Opposing Marriage Amendment Defining "One Man, One Woman"

Well, not the President himself, but rather a look-alike who parrots Bush's speech patterns (pushing the usual Bush=stupid mantra). "Bush" wants voters to focus on marriage definitions, rather than Iraq or "gas price manipulation"--therefore, if Bush is for it, you should be against it:



Looks like the Amendment 43 opposition fears the passage of the marriage definition of "one man, one woman" and is itself attempting to tie the issue to perceptions of manipulation and diversion, playing on the real President Bush's current poll numbers and the left's own moonbat conspiratorial theories on gas price manipulation and the "lie" of Iraq. They don't attempt to engage the issue itself, a fact that calls into question the reasons for their own "diversion".

Trackbacks:
Hot Air--Breaking: NJ Supreme Court upholds “same-sex unions;” Update: Now with rambling analysis!
Stop The ACLU--New Jersey Court Rules In Favor For Same Sex Unions

technorati: bush iraq gas price colorado youtube

Yet Another Poll: Beauprez Still Behind

Rasmussen has Beauprez down 12%, 51-39, which pretty much conforms to the idea that Beauprez is down, but not as far as SurveyUSA's 18% or as close as Zogby's 2% spread.

Money In Politics--Tim Gill

Imagine if the following biographical sketch referred to a Christian, conservative businessperson's influence on Colorado politics:

Tim Gill, the 53-year-old founder of the desktop software firm Quark, became a force in Colorado politics two years ago when he and three other wealthy residents spent $2 million to help install a Democratic majority in both houses of the state legislature for the first time in decades.

This year, Gill has dropped almost $5 million so far on state election campaigns - more than any other individual in Colorado.

Nearly half that amount has gone to the group sponsoring Referendum I, the Nov. 7 ballot initiative that would allow gay couples to register as domestic partners and obtain many rights and responsibilities given to married couples.

The rest was given mostly to independent political groups that support Democrats - including gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter, congressional candidates Ed Perlmutter and Angie Paccione and numerous state legislative hopefuls.

"I have never seen in Colorado politics in the 30-some odd years where I've been active . . . any individual involved to the degree that Tim Gill is," said political consultant Katy Atkinson, a registered Republican who works with both sides of the aisle on ballot measures.

"Should he choose to, he can shape any part of Colorado public policy he wants to."

The focus should not be on Gill himself, or his specific issues. He is an ordinary citizen and entitled not only to his opinions on issues that affect him and those around him but also perfectly free to support those opinions with campaign donations and political backing. The fact that he is politically liberal seems to excuse the inordinate amount of control via spending power that one person can wield on a small political scene. In other words, a George Soros for Colorado.

Gill's personal philanthropy is laudable, but the story seems to blur the line between private philanthropy and political campaign contributions, which regardless of intentions on either the part of the giver or the recipient is not philanthropy but simply power politics. Prominent wealthy conservatives rarely receive positive recognition of their contributions, and in fact are usually demonized when they put their money behind ballot initiatives or political candidates as the "special interests" that liberals get so worked-up about each election cycle. Apparently Gill does not represent a "special interest" but rather good-natured Colorado philanthropy and largesse. Should Colorado's future be decided by a handful of extremely wealthy and extremely liberal individuals like Gill? Under the cover of campaign finance reform and the infamous 527s it spawned, it sure looks like it will.

Spain's "Moors And Christians" Fiestas Toned Down To Avoid Offense To Muslims

The "Moors and Christians" fiestas have always been celebrations of the reconquest of Spain, but "out of fear, out of respect, out of everything"--multicultural sensitivity and the reality of Muslim rage--they are to be toned down in the future:

CHRISTIAN and Muslim armies clash in Spain today in a titanic battle for control of the Costa Blanca, just miles from the tourist towers of Benidorm.

After a spectacular Moorish landing on the beaches the Christians will emerge victorious, as they did in Calpe in 1240. But there will be no crowing, and the end of the “battle” will be accompanied by speeches about civilisations living together in harmony.

Welcome to Spain in the era of cultural nervousness.

Throughout the country towns and villages are toning down traditional fiestas of “Moors and Christians” to avoid offending Muslims.

The fiestas — some dating back hundreds of years — celebrate the final “reconquest” of Spain by Christian armies from the Moors in 1492 after 781 years of Muslim rule. Villagers divide into rival “armies” of Moors and Christians to re-enact the conquest of their towns. But rows in Denmark and Germany over the depiction of the Prophet Muhammad, and the Madrid train bombings in March 2004, have caused Spanish towns to think again. Several have stopped parading giant effigies of Muhammad.

“If the fiestas culminated in the burning or blowing up of a figure, that bit has been suppressed, out of fear, out of respect, out of everything,” says Xavi Pascual, the organiser of the fiesta in the Valencian town of Bocairent. “But the important thing is that the structure has not been modified.”

Why should they heed the warning not to "offend" the Muslims?

“For the sake of peaceful coexistence, they should disappear,” said Félix Herrero, imam of the mosque in Málaga and the president of the Spanish Federation of Islamic Religious Entities.

Other leaders have taken a softer line, asking only that events should avoid purposely offending Muslims. Nevertheless, Malik Ruiz, the president of the Islamic Commission in Spain, said Spaniards should “not touch some issues that cause visceral reactions”, such as the portrayal of Muhammad.

Translation:
Don't portray Muhammad, or there will be visceral reactions. In other words, actions born of emotion, not rational thought. So much for a "softer line".

For the sake of your peaceful existence, do not offend Muslims. You don't want to suffer another Madrid bombing, riots and car burnings in Paris, or the international Muslim rage felt first by Denmark, and then by Pope Benedict this year. The list, of course, could go on and on and on and on . . .

technorati: spain islam muhammad multiculturalism muslims

Dueling Polls: Beauprez Comeback Or Ritter Landslide?

Which poll do you believe?

WSJ-Zogby, which last week had Beauprez down a mere 2%--well within the margin of error and basically a statistical dead heat.

or

SurveyUSA, which now has Ritter stomping Beauprez by an 18 point margin, 56-38.

Most likely, the truth is in the middle. Ritter probably has a sizeable lead on Beauprez, as the damning evidence of Beauprez's ad became neutralized with the FBI investigation, and presents a net wash for the GOP candidate. A great GOP get-out-the-vote and a last minute Ritter misstep may allow Beauprez to close the gap, but with absentee ballots already being filled out and early voting starting today, the time for overcoming the deficit is drawing to a close.

Why You Should Still Vote Republican

The GOP has taken its licks, but it keeps on tickin':

BeauprezGate Roundup

ToTheRight has full coverage, as well as some thoughts on how the Beauprez campaign could have used the agricultural trespassing plea-bargain cases legally, and to his advantage, instead of facing FBI investigations.

The fallout continues, even as Beauprez defends his campaign and the "courageous whistleblower".

Beauprez finds some support from this editorial:

Bob Beauprez's campaign for governor spent much of the week on its heels over the use of information leaked to it by a federal agent. The "leakgate" incident has provoked much righteous rhetoric from Beauprez's opponent, Bill Ritter, as well as from a number of pundits, columnists and political activists.

Ritter, of course, is only acting as any politician would when presented with a wounded opponent: He's trying to finish the poor fellow off. But what accounts for the lack of perspective from everyone else?

We're not about to justify lawbreaking, but no one is suggesting the information taken from a federal criminal database and leaked to Beauprez is false. No one is suggesting its release jeopardizes law enforcement activity.

No one is even offering any serious reason why the information should be off limits to the public in the first place. It just is. We meek little citizens, you see, are simply supposed to salute and say, OK, that's fine with us. What big brother wants, big brother gets.

Well, it isn't fine with us. There is no reason whatever that the arrest records and aliases of an illegal immigrant - or anyone else - should be kept under wraps, with the possibility of prison for those who breach the secrecy.

If you go to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation Website, you'll quickly discover that you can access Colorado arrest records for the modest fee of $6.85. There is nothing untouchable or sacrosanct about arrest records in and of themselves. Are aliases the issue then? Is there reason to keep them hush, hush? Of course not.

So what exactly did the agent with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement who engineered the leak do that was so horrible? Oh, yes: He connected the dots between an immigrant busted in Colorado for heroin possession, under one name, and an immigrant busted in California for sexual battery, under another name. Two crimes and two aliases, but only a single criminal.

Which brings us to another gripe: the weird fact that law-enforcement data regarding illegal immigrants is more inaccessible than similar data for U.S. citizens. We're not kidding. Whether it's records from immigration proceedings or the registration number for an immigrant who runs into trouble with the law, the feds tend to treat the information as if they were protecting state secrets instead of records that by every reasonable standard should be available to the public.

If the ICE agent broke the law, he'll have to answer to his agency, and the penalty could be severe. In the meantime, however, the rest of us should take a deep breath and stop the bloviating. Maybe the real crime that has come to light - not the one on the books but the one that actually inflicts harm on the public - is one of excessive government secrecy.

CBI Asks FBI For Help In Beauprez Inquiry

Pvt. Hudson: Game over man...Game over!
(Aliens, 1986)

Things are not looking good for the Beauprez adgate inquiry:

The Colorado governor's race took a dramatic turn Wednesday, with news that the Colorado Bureau of Investigation has determined someone accessed an FBI database to obtain information the Bob Beauprez campaign used in a TV ad. Using such information for purposes other than law enforcement is a violation of federal and state law.

The CBI has now asked the FBI to assist in its criminal investigation.

The information was apparently used to help the Beauprez campaign create a TV ad highlighting the case of Carlos Estrada Medina, a heroin dealer who received a plea bargain from former Denver district attorney Bill Ritter's office in 2001.

Ritter has insisted someone illegally accessed the National Crime Information Center database to gather the information. Beauprez has denied any wrongdoing.

"The CBI has thoroughly reviewed and researched the law enforcement databases and determined that the information regarding Carlos Estrada Medina was obtained by accessing the NCIC," the CBI said in a statement. "Because this is a federally controlled and regulated system, CBI has requested the assistance of the FBI to further pursue the investigation."

CBS4 says "legal experts" (they aren't named, so they get scare quotes), believe that confidentiality protections given to journalists do not extend to politicians or campaigns.

technorati: bob beauprez bill ritter cbi fbi colorado governor

Ward Churchill Firing Hits Another Snag, Defense Wants $20,000 From University

The effort to oust Ward Churchill from the University of Colorado at Boulder has encountered another snag--a defense request of $20,000 in funds supposedly guaranteed to professors in a dismissal for cause case:

The University of Colorado's efforts to fire Ward Churchill are on hold because of a dispute over whether the university has to come up with $20,000 in state funds for the professor's defense.

Churchill's attorney, David Lane, said a lawsuit to get the money could be filed by next week.

. . .

Weldon Lodwick, CU professor of math and chairman of the faculty's Privilege and Tenure Committee, said he named a five-member panel on Aug. 10 to hear Churchill's appeal.

The process is supposed to take about 90 days. But Lodwick agreed to put the proceedings on hold until Nov. 6 so Churchill and Lane could resolve their disagreement with the university over the defense funds.

Lane says CU must provide up to $20,000 for Churchill's defense because a Faculty Senate policy published on a CU Web site stated that the money would be available to any professor going through a dismissal for cause hearing.

CU officials have said the faculty asked the Board of Regents in December 2002 to sign off on that policy, but that the regents never did.

The money has not been made available to anyone else, and won't be approved for Churchill, they said.

"That's fine," Lane responded, "but they can't seek to fire Ward Churchill if they're not going to follow their own procedures."

At this point, the filing of this lawsuit by David Lane appears to be nothing more than a stalling tactic pointing to an obscure and unratified (by the CU regents) faculty policy. This is not a question of funds, as the money would not break the University, and the lack of it would not hinder Churchill's appeal. By derailing the firing procedure, Lane and Churchill are banking on public exhaustion and forgetfulness, as the fervor for Churchill's removal wanes after more than two years.

technorati: ward churchill david lane colorado 9/11 little eichmanns

"Beauprezgate" Spreads: Story Hits National, International Newswires

ToTheRight has a good roundup of national and international news organizations picking up on the Beauprez flap over potential illegal acquisition of campaign materials from a "confidential source".

Even in a close race, just the perception of illegal activities on the part of the candidate or candidate's campaign can alter perceptions of the candidate's honesty and his or her suitability for office. At the margins, such a question of impropriety, as yet unproven, may sway just enough voters from the candidate's party or from the great class of independent/unaffiliated voters to vote for the opposition or simply not vote at all. Given Beauprez's sizeable deficit in the polls--and the necessity of picking up support from any and all areas--this tactical debacle might prove the nail in the campaign's November 7 coffin. And this would be true even if the accusations proved, in the end, to be false.

technorati: bob beauprez bill ritter colorado governor election

For Those Who Missed It: U.S. POPClock Surpasses 300,000,000

The United States joins China and India as the only nations with populations exceeding 300,000,000.







Other fun facts:



* In 1915, immigrant citizens came mostly from Germany; in 1967 from Italy; and in 2006 mostly from Mexico

* The average US family had 4.5 people in 1915, 3.3 in 1967 and 2.6 in 2006

* Some 45.9% of Americans were property owners in 1915. That grew to 63.6% in 1967 and reached 68.9% in 2006

* There were 4.5 million people aged 65 and older in 1915, or 4.5%; 19.1 million in 1967 (9.5%) and 36.8 million in 2006 (12.4%)

* Life expectancy was 54.5 years in 1915, 70.5 years in 1967 and 77.8 years in 2006

* About 23% of women were in the work force in 1915, compared to 41% in 1967 and 58% in 2006

* There were 2.5 million cars in 1915, 98.9 million in 1967 and 237.2 million in 2006

* John and Mary topped the list of most popular names in 1915; Michael and Lisa were favourites in 1967; and Jacob and Emily were preferred in 2006.

Crushing Inadvertent Humor: Beijing To Stamp Out Bad English

The Communist Party and the Chinese people in particular are not interested in "losing face" in the world community in the 2008 Summer Olympics by having poorly and often horribly mistranslated English adorning signs in their capital, so "Chinglish" signs are to be made made another relic of the past, disappointing tourists for generations to come:

China has launched a fresh drive to clamp down on bad English in the run-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Previous attempts to wipe out Chinglish - the mistranslated phrases often seen on Chinese street signs and product labels - have met with little success.

Emergency exits at Beijing airport read "No entry on peacetime" and the Ethnic Minorities Park is named "Racist Park".

Beijing city authorities will issue new translation guides by the end of the year, Xinhua news agency said.

Creative Namecalling, Treehugger Style

"Nefarious corporation licker"

Create your own here.

Longmont Kindergarten: All Day For Bilingual Students Only

Longmont's Central Elementary has announced that bilingual students will be able to take advantage--and parents' the convenience--of all day instruction, but English-only students are left out in the cold. Preferential treatment? (video) You bet--only bilingual students receive the all day option this year. Of course the diversity-trained multicultural leftist moonbat educators think this solution is fair, even to those disadvantaged English-only students who have to pay for half-day kindergarten, whereas the bilingual students pay nothing.

Speak English? You pay, and get half.

Bilingual? Pay nothing, receive twice the education.

Only the products of leftist indoctrination in education think this arrangement is fair.

British Health Food Fascists: Nanny-State Nonsense

Given all of the problems facing the UK today, one would think that multiple snacks would be the least of their concerns (h/t Moonbattery):

A boy aged 10 has been banned from his school dining hall because his packed lunch broke the government's healthy eating guidelines.

The father of Ryan Stupples is protesting after his son was forced to eat in the headmaster's office at Lunsford primary school, Larkfield, Kent, because his lunch contained two snacks, instead of one.

Ryan's lunch consisted of a sandwich, fruit, fromage frais, cake, mini cheese biscuits and a bottle of water. The cake and the biscuits broke the snack limit. They were discovered when a teacher checked his lunch box.
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Michael Stupples, 41, said: "What 10-year-old boy won't get upset when he's out of a dining hall in front of everyone and made to eat his lunch in the head teacher's office?"

Malcolm Goddard, the headmaster, said: "We take healthy eating very seriously and everyone is aware of our new policies."

"Snack limits"? WTF?!?!?!? Brought to you by your local friendly food fascist, who knows better than you what you should or should not eat! First tobacco, now food. It is only a matter of time before meat and "unhealthy" foods--basically anything that tastes good--are first shunned and then banned outright.

Mmmmm. Butterfingers. Better call the food police!

Inhofe--Apostasy From "Global Warming" Religion

From Debra Saunders, Sen. Inhofe's real crime is not allowing the "climate change" cognoscenti absolute moral authority on the subject of "global warming" by merely attempting to refute their bald assertions:

Global warming is a religion, not science. That's why acolytes in the media attack global-warming critics not with scientific arguments, but for their apostasy. Then they laud global-warming believers not for reducing greenhouse gases, but simply for believing global warming is a coming catastrophe caused by man. The important thing is to have faith in those who warn: The end is near.

So a New York Times editorial Thursday took after Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., not for being a Doubting Thomas, but as the headline read, a "Doubting Inhofe." The brunt of the editorial was not a scientific refutation of Inhofe's arguments against the global-warming craze -- other than to cite a National Academy of Sciences report that warned that the Earth is approaching the warmest temperatures in 12,000 years -- a short blip in time to your average geologist.

The Times' focus was on Inhofe's refusal to bow to "the consensus among mainstream scientists and the governments of nearly every industrialized nation concerning manmade climate change." That is, Inhofe has had the effrontery to challenge elite orthodoxy. Or, as the editorial put it, Inhofe "has really buttressed himself with the will to disbelieve."

. . .

"Consensus" is another word for clique science. The good people are true believers, the bad people exhibit a "will to disbelieve." Editors used to salute healthy skepticism. Now some are global-warming Torquemadas.

Sen. Inhofe's lone voice in the wilderness of Capitol Hill has made him the mark for derision, accusations of collusion with the usual suspects (big oil, tobacco), and utter stupidity. Liberal moonbats and environmental wackos are prone to conspiracy theories, and Inhofe is now nothing more than their "global warming" bogeyman.

David Roberts of Grist half-heartedly retracts his "Nuremberg-style" trials comment about those who don't adopt "global warming" orthodoxy:

There are people and institutions knowingly disseminating falsehoods and distortions about global warming. They deserve to be held publicly accountable.

As to what shape that accountability would take, my analogy to the Nuremberg trials was woefully inappropriate -- nay, stupid. I retract it wholeheartedly.

technorati: inhofe al gore global warming climate change environment

Muslims Outraged--2012 London Olympics During Ramadan

Because angry Muslims and the Olympics could not possibly turn out badly (see Munich, 1972):

The 2012 London Olympics have been plunged into controversy by the discovery that the Games will clash with Ramadan, the most holy month in the Islamic calendar.

The clash will put Muslim athletes at a disadvantage as they will be expected to fast from sunrise to sunset for the entire duration of the Games.

In 2012, Ramadan will take place from July 21 to August 20, while the Olympics run from July 27 to August 12.

An anticipated 3,000 Muslim competitors are expected to be affected.

Muslim commentators are preemptively outraged:

Massoud Shadjareh, chairman of the London-based Islamic Human Rights Commission, said: "They would not have organised this at Christmas. It is equally stupid to organise it at Ramadan.

"It shows a complete lack of awareness and sensitivity.

"This is going to disadvantage the athletes and alienate the Asian communities by saying they don't matter.

"It's not only going to affect the participants it's going to affect all the people who want to watch the Games.

"They won't want to travel during Ramadan and they won't want to watch sport. It's a spiritual time."

Since the Summer Olympics and Christmas could not possibly be scheduled at the same time, the analogy is lost, but give them credit for actually mentioning Christmas, instead of Holiday Season or Winterval.

technorati: islam muslim ramadan summer olympics london terrorism

Pope Cartoon: Catholics Outraged!

Pope John Paul II, hero:

The Vatican will make history this week when it releases a cartoon film about the life of Pope John Paul II.

Lasting just over an hour, it charts the life of the man born Karol Wojtyla, from his humble beginnings in Poland to his death last year aged 84. John Paul II - The Friend Of All Humanity is the first cartoon account of a Pope's life.

It was made by Cavin Cooper, a firm based in Barcelona, and is directed by esteemed producer Jose Luis Lopez-Guardia.

"It is a fascinating story that works well as a cartoon,' he said. The Vatican has given its 'full backing' to the film, which has been dubbed into seven languages. Last night a source said it had been felt a cartoon 'would appeal to all'.

In contrast to Islam's "ideal man", Pope John Paul II actually provides a decent example of how to live a principled life, fighting evil, and dedicated to improving the life of others, whether raising them from poverty or freeing them from the shackles of Communism--not beheading, enslaving, and conquering those who do not share your "faith".

technorati: pope islam vatican communism terrorism

Cindy Sheehan Flogs Book, Preaches To Moonbat Peanut Gallery

Cindy "Peace Mom" Sheehan, the anti-Bush activist, graced Boulder Thursday with her appearance to promote her new memoir, one that includes musings on killing an infant George W. Bush. Her latest "wisdom" included this diatribe:

Thursday, Sheehan accused Bush and his administration of committing war crimes and acts of terrorism.

"His own definition of terrorist is killing innocent men, women and children. What has he done?" she said. "They all should be forcibly removed from office and thrown in prison."

She said American citizens could be as much to blame, however, if they remain quiet.

Thankfully Sheehan, who had bragged about being a potential Nobel Peace Prize winner, was thwarted when the Nobel committee decided to give the award to someone who has actually accomplished something--fighting poverty.

technorati: cindy sheehan bush iraq terrorism nobel

Turning Up The Heat On "Climate Change Deniers": "Nuremberg-style" Trials

Urging "Nuremburg-style" trials for "climate change deniers" (=holocaust deniers):

Grist Magazine’s staff writer David Roberts called for the Nuremberg-style trials for the “bastards” who were members of what he termed the global warming “denial industry.”

Roberts wrote in the online publication on September 19, 2006, "When we've finally gotten serious about global warming, when the impacts are really hitting us and we're in a full worldwide scramble to minimize the damage, we should have war crimes trials for these bastards -- some sort of climate Nuremberg.”

The use of Holocaust terminology has drawn the ire of Roger Pielke, Jr. of the University of Colorado's Center for Science and Technology Policy Research. “The phrase ‘climate change denier’ is meant to be evocative of the phrase ‘holocaust denier,’” Pielke, Jr. wrote on October 9, 2006. “Let's be blunt. This allusion is an affront to those who suffered and died in the Holocaust. This allusion has no place in the discourse on climate change. I say this as someone fully convinced of a significant human role in the behavior of the climate system,” Pielke, Jr. explained.

Roberts responded to what he labelled an "attack" by "right-wing hacks" on The Huffington Post:

I think I've finally arrived.

I have now joined the august ranks of journalists -- including such luminaries as Tom Brokaw, New York Times environment reporter Andy Revkin, and AP science reporter Seth Borenstein -- publicly attacked by the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works. They hate me!

They really hate me!

Some background: EPW is chaired by everyone's favorite flat-earther, Sen. James Inhofe (R-Mongo). A while back, Inhofe hired Marc Morano of CNS news -- famous (if that's the word) for writing this piece questioning whether war veteran Rep. Jack Murtha (D-PA) faked the wounds that got him two purple hearts -- to head up his communications operation. Morano wasted no time firing off press release blasts attacking various reporters and public figures for "bias." (Remember, in the right-wing dictionary, "bias" means a stubborn insistence on distinguishing truth from falsehood.)

Today, I have the dubious honor of being the target of one of these attacks.

Roberts then goes on to denounce the tobacco shills he claims as being the same as those who now refute "climate change". He also flippantly excuses his "rhetorical excess":

Nuremberg trials? Eh, whatever. Sue me for rhetorical excess. But let's not forget that a moral crime is taking place under our noses, and nothing is to be gained by being polite about it.

Perhaps Roberts didn't really mean the Nuremberg trials--which served justice to true criminals--but actually mistakenly confused those proceedings with the patently offensive injustice of the Moscow show trials that preceded them, where the outcomes were predetermined and the accused, innocent (extorted confessions, torture). In Roberts' world dissent is the true crime, and must be dealt with accordingly.

technorati: global warming climate change holocaust inhofe al gore senate committee environment public works

Eyes Wide Open: Closing The Mind To Reality

**Update
1) Colorado Springs City Council refuses to support traveling anti-war exhibit

2) Cindy Sheehan's son Casey's boots are prominently displayed (video here)



From Denver's "Eyes Wide Open: The Human Cost of War" candlelight vigil Tuesday night, sponsored by American Friends Service Committee:




Top half


bottom half, "Inspired by Juan Cole"


About half of the protestors attending the vigil.


Repeating the debated Johns Hopkins estimate.


A protest placard--includes most of the left's indictments in the most straightforward, cogent form possible for moonbats angry at Chimpy McBusHitlerburton.


The misappropriated symbolism of the boots, seen on display.


Dragon buses for peace.


At least it is not a Mercedes bus (they actually got the peace symbol right), plus a plug for the moonbat "Democracy Now!"


Tonight's vigil non sequitur: Tibetan prayer flags.


Death toll fetishists keep a running total of the servicemen and women who selflessly paid the ultimate price protecting the freedom that allows the protestors to heap scorn and hate upon them.




The shoes intended to symbolize fallen Iraqis.

technorati: cindy sheehan juan cole bush iraq islam war terror peace

Charles Martel And The Battle of Tours (Poitiers): A Decisive Victory For The West

On October 10, 732 Muslim forces under Abd-al-Rahman advanced north from al-Andalus (Spain) and were defeated by Charles Martel (grandfather of Charlemagne) at the Battle of Tours. Most (not all) historians agree that the significance of the battle for Western history cannot be diminished:

A victorious line of march had been prolonged above a thousand miles from the rock of Gibraltar to the banks of the Loire; the repetition of an equal space would have carried the Saracens to the confines of Poland and the Highlands of Scotland; the Rhine is not more impassable than the Nile or Euphrates, and the Arabian fleet might have sailed without a naval combat into the mouth of the Thames. Perhaps the interpretation of the Koran would now be taught in the schools of Oxford, and her pulpits might demonstrate to a circumcised people the sanctity and truth of the revelation of Mahomet.--Gibbon

Recent scholars have suggested Poitiers, so poorly recorded in contemporary sources, was a mere raid and thus a construct of western mythmaking or that a Muslim victory might have been preferable to continued frankish dominance. What is clear is that Poitiers marked a general continuance of the successful defense of Europe, (from the Muslims). Flush from the victory at Tours, Charles Martel went on to clear southern France from Islamic attackers for decades, unify the warring kingdoms into the foundations of the Carolingian Empire, and ensure ready and reliable troops from local estates.--Victor Davis Hanson

The history of Western Europe would undeniably be very different had the Frankish army been defeated in 732. Like the victory of Constantinople some fifteen years earlier, Muslim advances had finally been thwarted, and the steady Reconquista of Spain and parts of Byzantine Empire began apace. If not the decisive battle that can be acknowledged as the turning point of a very long war, e.g. Stalingrad, then surely it can be remembered as the point at which the forward advance of Muslim armies came to a halt. Though the Byzantines finally succumbed by 1453, the Turks were eventually defeated in the great naval battle at Lepanto in 1571, and turned away from Vienna in 1683. The threat of the Caliphate encroaching on Western Europe never penetrated as far west again--until today, as unassimilated Muslim immigrants threaten to "behead those who insult Islam" and foment rage at every perceived slight.

Beauprez Criss-Crosses State With Owens, Still Blames Holtzman

Yes, Holtzman gave Beauprez the unbelievably catchy "Both Ways Bob" appellation that Ritter picked up with ease. But blaming his woes on a Holtzman campaign that has been out of the picture since late June isn't reassuring. Perhaps a lack of fundraising and complete disappearance from the campaign radar in July and August could explain better the slow start to the campaign season after Labor Day?

Boot Display: Protesting The Cost Of War

**Update
--Colorado Springs refuses to support the Boot Display:

The Colorado Springs City Council won't offer its support of a national touring memorial to American soldiers killed in Iraq when it makes a stop in this city later this week, saying it undermines the war there.
. . .
City Council members last month rejected a resolution in support of the memorial. The resolution would have waived the costs for police and use of a park for the exhibit and declared Oct. 12 and 13 as days of reflection on the human cost of the war.

"To me, the cost of war is 3,000 lives lost in New York (on Sept. 11, 2001), lives being lost around the world to terrorists," said Mayor Lionel Rivera. "I would much rather work toward the safety of citizens around the world by defeating terrorism than cutting and running out of Iraq."

The Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission, one of four groups that paid $20,000 to bring the exhibit to the city, accused the council of trying to conceal the true costs of the war. Exhibit co-creator Michael McConnell said he cannot remember a town that opposed it as strongly as Colorado Springs, home to Fort Carson, Peterson Air Force Base and other military installations.
. . .
Relatives of about 30 soldiers have requested organizers to remove tags that are accompanied with the boots bearing their names. Among them is Melissa Givens of Fountain, whose husband, Jesse, was the first Fort Carson casualty in the war.

Givens said she would like to see an end to the fighting in Iraq, but said her husband went there to prevent terrorists from attacking America.

"That's fine if that's what you believe in, but that's not what my husband believed in," she said of the memorial. "But for you to use his death to make a statement is wrong."

It is nice to see a city and relatives of veterans arguing against the misappropriation of soldiers' identities and personal tragedies for a political agenda they most likely opposed. Like Cindy Sheehan's desecration of her son's own views, those opposed to the war make constant use of the soldiers to prove some political point, just as in this case they use the deaths of American soldiers symbolized by empty boots, to justify their view that the war is unnecessary. Illustrating the cost of fighting those who would take our freedoms, subject us to violence, and destroy our way of life is important--we all note the heavy costs associated with ridding the world of evil (think WWII). But doing so in order to make the cost seem insignificant or pointless, debases those who believed it was necessary to fight. You can't reason with evil, and our enemies only hope that more in the West succomb to maudlin displays like this, and choose to appease rather than fight.

---

In Civic Center park until Wednesday:

More than 2,700 pairs of combat boots displayed at Civic Center are part of an exhibit that represents the number of American troops who have died in Iraq.

The exhibition is called "Eyes Wide Open: The Human Cost of War."

The display also has civilian shoes representing the number of Iraqi citizens who have died since the war began three years ago.

More than 250 local volunteers are working to set up the exhibition, which runs through Wednesday. It is sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee.

The AFSC, Quaker peace activists, have a video on the left side of their main page, "Wage Peace Movie", a slideshow of names and images intended to help bring an end to the war by "waging peace". Tell that to the victims of terrorism, or the crazy jihadists who secretly love these "useful idiots" and their naive "peace" campaigns.

Yet Another Poll Finds Beauprez Down Double Digits

The Denver Post notes that Bob Beauprez's deficit may cause the campaign to get ugly--apparently they haven't been paying attention so far:

Democrat Bill Ritter leads Republican Bob Beauprez for governor by 15 percentage points, according to a new poll.

Ritter is beating Beauprez in every region of the state, including Beauprez's own congressional district and Republican strongholds like the Western Slope and Colorado Springs.

The poll, conducted for The Denver Post by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, shows Ritter leading Beauprez 50 percent to 35 percent. The former Denver district attorney has siphoned Republicans from Beauprez and has collected the majority of unaffiliated voters.

It also shows Beauprez's unfavorable rating at 40 percent, 8 percentage points higher than those who view him favorably. As a result, political watchers say Ritter should continue what he's doing, but they also predict the final four weeks of the campaign season will be ugly.

Such high negatives indicate that Beauprez failed to make the election more about Bill Ritter than himself. By not jumping on early, Beauprez's own record took a giant hit, and his negatives are atrocious, eight points higher than his favorability, and certainly not portentious of gathering a huge chunk of the "unaffiliated" crowd. Contrary to reports in the Denver media that have repeated the general disaffection for the GOP as a reason for Beauprez's fall in the polls, Beauprez and his campaign appear to be responsible for the rather poor showing in the polls so far. He still has a month left to target Ritter's views on illegal immigration and capture some of the momentum that that issue provides, but will it be enough, especially with absentee ballots going out in the next week or so?

Remembering The Battle Of Lepanto

The "Holy League" turned the Ottoman Turks back on October 7, 1571 at Lepano and prevented the Mediterranean from becoming a Muslim lake.

Columbus Day Parade

Video roundup of today's Columbus Day parade/Transform Columbus Day festivities:



Background on yesterday's Transform Columbus Day campout, with the state of Colorado caving in to the threats of protestors to illegally remain in Veterans Park without a permit. So much for the rule of law; when threatened with violence or disruption, simply concede to the protestors' demands.


Ward Churchill exchanged "pleasantries" with some of the parade marchers.


Protestor "security" (in black, wearing "Troops Out Now") flanked by protestors with "dead babies" symbolizing the destruction of Indians--so they claim.


Obligatory WTF? poster.

More photos: