Illegal Immigration Parodies Draw Racism Charge From Colorado Teacher

Folk Singer Bob Haworth's parodies were too much for a Colorado teacher

Big hat tip to Freedom Folks who caught this a few days ago in the Washington Times of all places, as a singer from Lakewood, Colorado faced the charge of racism for his illegal immigration parodies:

Folk singer Bob Haworth lost a gig after a high school teacher accused him of racism for his song parodies about illegal aliens. Now Mr. Haworth says the teacher should lose his job, too.

Mr. Haworth, who sang with the Brothers Four and Kingston Trio revival groups, pleaded his case two weeks ago at a Jefferson County school board meeting, arguing the teacher should be fired for using class time to defame him in front of students.

"I asked for the appropriate discipline, and I indicated the appropriate discipline would be dismissal, which is what he asked for me," Mr. Haworth said. "I'm just hoping the school board will do the right thing."

It began Sept. 13 during one of Mr. Haworth's regular Thursday night performances here at the Atlanta Bread Company. The audience had requested several of his song parodies, including "Pizza for Pesos" and "Can You Let Me In?"

Both tunes, which he wrote for KHOW-AM radio in Denver, poke fun at federal and local immigration policy.

Freedom Folks did the research and found clips of the parodies in question. Really tame stuff. The moonbat teacher tried to exercise a little authority and intimidation, and it seemed to work:

"It was a very casual atmosphere, lots of people having a good time," Mr. Haworth said. "But there was one very touchy customer who apparently didn't like my songs and wrote a letter demanding I be fired."

Included in the letter was a business card identifying the customer as a teacher with the Jefferson County public schools.

Rob Rudloff, the restaurant's owner, said he initially tried to suspend Mr. Haworth for a few performances. When Mr. Haworth balked, Mr. Rudloff took him off the schedule, but then said he wanted to work out a compromise.

"We're personally fairly conservative. But when we put on our Atlanta Bread Company shirts, we get really uncomfortable when politics come up," Mr. Rudloff said. "We want an environment that's comfortable for everyone's political beliefs."

The company certainly has the right to select who they want to perform. But these days, even the hint of offensiveness usually yields a quick exit for the alleged offender, as the others attempt to avoid controversy:

Mr. Haworth said he would have been willing to take the immigration songs out of his repertoire. "I respect an owner's right to have control over what goes on in his walls," he said. "It's not a free-speech issue. They're paying me, so it's their prerogative."

It looked as if Mr. Haworth would get his job back, which is why he said he was startled to receive an e-mail from Mr. Rudloff a few days later bidding him adieu. "At this point, I don't see any way of reconciling this with you. Good luck going forward," said the Oct. 2 e-mail.

By this time, Mr. Haworth was telling his story on talk radio, finding a sympathetic audience on KHOW-AM's "The Peter Boyles Show." He was also trying to learn the name of his accuser when the show received a call from a woman he had never met named Jennifer Barbagiovanni.

She had learned of Mr. Haworth's plight from a friend who listened to the Boyles show, and it all sounded familiar. Her son, Joey, a 15-year-old sophomore at Arvada High School, had been complaining about an English teacher who was trying to have a singer named Bob Haworth fired for his "racist" and "offensive" songs.

"He said how flat-out racist these songs were against Mexicans and Asians," Joey said. "He talked about it the whole class period. He said he wrote a letter and told them he didn't want Bob Haworth ever playing at this restaurant again."

Joey identified the English teacher as Scott Murphy. Jefferson County schools spokeswoman Lynn Setzer would not confirm the teacher's name, and a message left with her for Mr. Murphy was not returned by press time.

Yet another Colorado teacher that believes agenda trumps education. At least the district reprimanded the teacher for an improper use of his position--and by extension, the district--to shut off speech he found unpleasant:

Ms. Setzer said the teacher had been scolded for including his business card with the letter of complaint. The restaurant does about $8,800 annually in catering business with the district, she said.

"The teacher did have a conversation with the superintendent of schools, who told him it was bad judgment to include his business card," Ms. Setzer said. "He's not representing the school district by any means. He agreed it was an error in judgment."

Whacktivist teachers should stick pedagogy and refrain from politics inside the classroom, but to their moonbat mind education is merely the justification for political indoctrination.

Tancredo Retirement Analysis

Ben at Mount Virtus takes a first look at the political fallout of Tom Tancredo's impending retirement.

ColoradoPols has more analysis.

Guerilla Teaching At CU--Unsanctioned Classes Becoming More Frequent

Though their popularity is still dubious (see the attendance in the video), moonbat organizers and Ward Churchill followers like David Staub and Eric Debruin have begun to fight the "criminal polluters" who they believe control faculty retention, and challenge the "Eurocentric", "patriarchal", and "dominant hierarchies" of Boulder (?!?!?) and the CU-Boulder campus (h/t PB):

Allard Leads The Way In DC Conservation, "Market Will Dictate"

“You can make a difference here without putting yourself in the dark”

Global warming alarmists call for radical, life-altering action--an immediate halt to human activities--but even skeptics of anthropogenic global warming have no problem in finding ways not to be wasteful, and in the process reap reduced energy and office costs (subscribers only):

Conservation experts typically tout the little things people can do to save energy: Replace traditional lighting with compact fluorescent bulbs; install water-conserving flush valves in bathrooms; turn computers off at night.

Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) and his staff decided to do little things such as these a few months ago, and they’ve already seen a big payoff — a 50 percent reduction in the office’s monthly energy costs.

“There’s really no noticeable change that impacts the workday for employees, and yet we are saving energy,” said Steve Wymer, an Allard spokesman. “This was amazing for us to have done that, by taking real simple steps.”
. . .
For example, staffers have changed the settings on their printers in order to print on both sides of the paper; the office is buying only 100 percent recycled paper; appliances are powered down at night with many completely turned off over the weekend; and only rechargeable batteries are used.
. . .
Allard, the ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, has made it a priority to reduce his environmental impact, Wymer noted.

Aside from his work with the AOC, Allard has encouraged his staff to use mass transit through a variety of incentives, undertaken recycling initiatives, and instituted a variety of other electricity and paper conservation projects in his office.

Allard’s drive for conservation also extends to his personal life, Wymer said.

The Senator and his wife, Joan, are preparing for his upcoming 2008 retirement by building a cabin in their home state of Colorado. But in doing so, they are looking at a number of environmentally friendly options, such as installing solar panels to help power the building.

“The Senator has been a big advocate for saying, ‘The market will dictate,’” Wymer said. “The important part is just helping people understand how easy it is, and how easily you can do these things.”

Staffers in Allard’s office will closely monitor energy consumption over the next several months to see whether the cut is maintained. If so, the Senator might send out a “Dear Colleague” letter to let others know what he did to save energy — and how they could do the same.

As Wymer said: “You can make a difference here without putting yourself in the dark.”

A good analogy--you don't start a weight-loss regimen by ceasing to eat food altogether--you simply alter your intake, include more healthy options and in fact, eat more often. The radically unpalatable plans urged by some of the more vehement global warming fearmongers includes such drastic steps, and overlooks how much difference the small steps can make.

To put it simply for the moonbats--which is better, a one hour lights-out publicity stunt in a large city, or just a 1% decrease in yearly energy consumption?

I guess for those like Al Gore, form outweighs substantive change, and conservationists like Sen. Allard are leading the way, at least in the stuffy offices inside the Beltway.

And while we are on the subject of Gore (and hypocrisy in general), why not take a few moments to review the many lies in Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, as ruled on by British courts.

Peace Rally In Denver; Moonbats At The World Series

This past Saturday I joined Drunkablog at the state capitol (excellent pictures at the link--including more Mercedes owners for peace) to soak in more liberal moonbattery and here are some highlights of the anti-war shindig (and hey, they managed to attract more than a couple dozen this time!):

Some video captured by the moonbats:



Photos from the rally (scroll for moonbat pics from World Series Game 3 at Coors Field):


Ron Paul's supporters seem to be everywhere these days


Flags of fury


Continuing the non-viable candidate theme, there was a smattering of Kucinich supporters as well


Democrats were under attack


Some moonbat anti-war profiteering


I'm sure every rally participant walked or biked to the event


That's so 2002!


Ward Churchill makes a literary appearance


Follow the incoherence, Democrats!


I'm sure they'd love us back . . . just like 9/11!


Everyone's a fascist according to the totalitarian moonbats


Progressivism isn't healthy, or hygienic


Some brave souls who wouldn't let the moonbats go unanswered

---

Denver was the center of the baseball universe this weekend, and the moonbats are like moths to the flame wherever cameras are found


Boston's sweep was an inside job!


The Paulians were at Coors Field for all the postseason games

Tancredo To Retire From Congress

Colorado's Sixth Congressional District will now feature a mad scramble primary for the GOP, but likely little concerted effort by Dems in the mostly conservative district. Tancredo explains his decision:

"It's the fact that I really believe I have done all I can do in the House, especially about the issue (immigration) about which I care greatly," he said.

Tancredo said other people are now taking up leadership on the immigration issue.

On a personal note, he added, "I am certainly looking forward to a time when at least a week can go by when I don't have to get on an airplane."

Tancredo hinted earlier this summer that another congressional race might not be in the offing if he lacked the "fire" to go on:

Until now, Tancredo has tried to put off any talk of what he would do if his White House bid fell flat. But over the summer, he began hinting that he had his eyes on a 2010 contest against Sen. Ken Salazar, a Democrat he sees as his polar opposite on the immigration issue.

He has often complained about the rigors of the presidential campaign trail, which has required him to spend more than 50 days in Iowa, and dozens more in New Hampshire, South Carolina and other states this year.

To run for congressional re-election, "I have to have the fire in the belly, and this takes a lot of effort, what I'm doing here," Tancredo said in a July interview in Iowa.

"I'm telling you, it just wears on you just generally, physically, everything," he said. "I just don't know whether I'll have the strength, the fire burning still."

Tancredo will likely gauge a possible 2010 run against incumbent Ken Salazar against Bob Schaffer's performance next year against Mark Udall. If the state looks like it is tilting back in the GOP's favor, then a Tancredo run--or the hint of one--will begin as soon as his presidential bid concludes and the next election cycle is completed. Given the lack of depth of the GOP's bench for statewide races, a Tancredo Senate bid doesn't seem all that farfetched.

Sen. Inhofe--Global Warming Tipping Point Reached

Not in reaching the point of no return, but in the line of credulity with Al Gore's global warming hysteria/hypocrisy:

Around The Blogosphere 102407

Check out Schaffer v Udall for all the latest in the race for Colorado's open Senate seat

A combination of marketing homework and Colorado Rockies bummed out-ness is keeping me from my appointed rounds, so here is a little from some of the other Colorado blogs not drowning in purple martinis tonight:

Drunkablog (nice work!) obtained the case report for the ejection incident at Ward Churchill's return to "unsanctioned" teaching earlier this month at CU.

Drunka also notes a vomit-inducing new Westword profile of teh Glenns--Spagnuolo and Morris--of Churchill, AIM, Columbus Day and Recreate 68! infamy.

Best Destiny has a good piece on education expectations and reform.

On the other side of the aisle, Jared Polis grumbles about the "establishment", "insider" Democrats in Washington, D.C. ignoring his campaign:

You would never know that Democrats held strong values if you look at what comes out of the insular DC insiders. We are the party of values; let's start living them and celebrate dissent and diversity.

At least he got the first part right, though I'm not sure you could find any Democrat with "strong values" other than winning-at-all-costs, anti-American moonbattery.

David Sirota has a lucid moment and refutes (with accuracy) the Hillary Clinton campaign's claim that Bill Clinton's ability to tilt some states in the West could be recaptured by her presidential bid by noting the effect third-party candidate Ross Perot had on George H.W. Bush's reelection bid.

Boston Massacre Threatens Rocktober

As the Rocky Mountain News quips, the only "external malicious attack" Wednesday night was administered by the Boston Red Sox.

And as for the lopsided loss, the previous record 11 run record came in 1996, when the Atlanta Braves smashed the New York Yankees 12-1 in Game 1, won Game 2, and then surrendered 4 straight to the Yanks and lost the World Series.

World Series appearance and magical (now over) win streak aside, the Colorado Rockies were nothing if not a resilient team. They managed a 1-9 road trip at the end of June that threatened not only their season goals, but also dropped them under .500 and saw their star closer Brian Fuentes relieved of his duties. In spite of all this, the plucky team put together a NL-best record down the stretch, losing three games in a row only once, right before their MLB-best 11 game win streak.

The other shoe, as they say, finally dropped--and perhaps a good ol' fashioned whupping will reignite the Rockies.

They had a power outage in Game 1, but the lights should be back on tonight.

Besides, I picked them in 6, and suggested that a split would be the best they could shoot for, so this wasn't that bad.

Let's hope and pray there is no repeat!

Rocktober 2007 World Series Edition--Predictions

First, FWIW, the "expert" predictions from Sports Illustrated.com (7 of 11 for the Boston Red Sox) and ESPN.com (8 of 10 for the Sox). But ESPN's Jayson Stark and six scouts aren't so easily persuaded by the AL's representative team, and argues effectively for the Colorado Rockies in 6 games:

1. They're the real team of destiny
2. That eight-day layoff was overrated
3. The Rockies have the real home-field advantage
4. No fear of Fenway
5. Lean to the left

No one envisions a sweep by either team, despite the "momentum" each carries into the series. A six game battle seems about right, and a Game 7 isn't that farfetched either.

So, Rockies in 6--unless they get a split in Boston, in which case the Rockies could wrap it up in 5.

---

More from yesterday's ticket frenzy--so close and yet so far.

Rockies Finally Sell World Series Tickets

What was it like for the lucky few who made it through technical difficulties and the massive crush of Rockies fans trying to get in?

"It's like the Holy Grail of Jesus. No one has ever looked at it. No one has ever touched it."

While the lucky ones remained astonished at their good fortune, computer experts didn't appear to be buying the Rockies' "external malicious attack" explanation for the ticketing debacle yesterday:

The Colorado Rockies' online ticketing system probably fell victim to a lack of computer "horsepower" and was not the target of an outside attack as the Rockies insist, computer experts said.

On Monday, the Rockies offered a terse explanation for the ticketing system's crash, saying that the team and fans had been victims of an "external malicious attack."

On Tuesday, Rockies spokesman Jay Alves again leveled the "malicious attack" charge without offering details.

But computer and Internet security experts said that Monday's computer crash and the system's less-than-smooth performance Tuesday pointed to a shortage of capacity on the computer servers powering the system — or a failure to balance out traffic across those servers.

More Churchilliana

As Drunkablog says--"Ward Churchill's key demographic":

On September 11, 2001, I was at the kitchen table eating breakfast and my dad turned on his God damn Fox morning news only to see replay footage of a plane crashing into a building over and over again while men in suits expressed their ratings-bumping, botoxed-up sympathy for the survivors of the so-called "accident." I didn't really care at first-the world was in need of a subtle purge of New Yorkers, anyway-but when the second plane hit, I quit reading the paper and paid attention to the TV.

Drunkablog also found out how real Indians feel about Ward Churchill/Glenn Morris/Russell Means claiming to represent them.

Christian Faith Guides Colorado Rockies, Individual Character Builds Team Chemistry

“When you have as many people who believe in God as we do, it creates a humbleness about what we do. I don’t see arrogance here, I see confidence. We’re all very humbled about where this franchise has been and where it is now, and we know that what’s happening now is a very special thing”--Rockies reliever Jeremy Affeldt

Perched on the threshold of baseball's highest stage and about to enter the eye of a sports media storm, it is the Colorado Rockies players' faith that helps keep them together, and is a factor in building the team chemistry that has helped them build a phenomenal 21-1 streak heading into the World Series:

The role of religion within the Rockies’ organization first entered the public sphere in May 2006, when an article published in USA Today described the organization as adhering to a “Christian-based code of conduct” and the clubhouse as a place where Bibles were read and men’s magazines, like Maxim or Playboy, were banned.

The article included interviews with several players and front office members, but team players and officials interviewed this week said it unfairly implied that the Rockies were intent on constructing a roster consisting in large part of players with a strong Christian faith. Asked how his own Christian faith affected his decision-making, General Manager Dan O’Dowd acknowledged it came into play, but not in a religious way. He said it guided him to find players with integrity and strong moral values, regardless of their religious preference.

“Do we like players with character? There is absolutely no doubt about that,” O’Dowd said during a recent interview in his Coors Field office. “If people want to interpret character as a religious-based issue because it appears many times in the Bible, that’s their decision. I believe that character is an innate part of developing an organization, and to me, it is nothing more than doing the right thing at the right time when nobody’s looking. Nothing more complicated than that.

“You don’t have to be a Christian to make that decision.”

For most Christian opponents--moonbat liberals, atheists, etc.--being Christian and possessing good character is either a risible notion dismissed offhand or represents a threat to others' freedoms. Won't those Christians impose their views on other people, in this case, the other players who don't share the clubhouse's Christian faith?

As a Jewish player who attended a Catholic high school and a Lutheran university, Jason Hirsh knows what being a religious minority feels like. So last December, when he was traded to the Colorado Rockies, Hirsh wondered if what he had heard about his new organization was true.

Now, Hirsh said not once during the season had he felt uncomfortable with the place Christianity occupies within the organization.

“There are guys who are religious, sure, but they don’t impress it upon anybody,” Hirsh said. “It’s not like they hung a cross in my locker or anything. They’ve accepted me for who I am and what I believe in.”

Wow, religious and tolerant? (sarcasm off) The Rockies' clubhouse has a decidedly Christian flavor, but in a surprising way (these days) the team doesn't shy away from discussing their faith:

Even if the Rockies are not consciously doing it, reliever Matt Herges, playing for his seventh organization, said the team had the highest concentration of devout Christians he had seen during his nine major league seasons.

Every Sunday, about 10 people gather for chapel, according to reliever Jeremy Affeldt, and Tuesday afternoon Bible study sessions usually attract seven or eight players. Affeldt said players discussed life and their families as well as scripture.

“Certain guys attend chapel, certain guys don’t,” outfielder Cory Sullivan said. “I don’t think that’s any different from how it is in any other major league clubhouse. Nothing’s shoved down your throats.”
. . .
“I think that if they were Catholic or Baptist or didn’t believe in God but were quality players and good people and good teammates, there would be a place for them here,” Herges said. “But I do see a lot of quality people in this clubhouse. This is the tightest-knit group I’ve ever been around.”

Pitcher Mark Redman, playing for his eighth team in nine seasons, has been with the Rockies for only two months, but he, too, said he sensed a different chemistry. “I’ve been on teams with guys who you can’t wait to leave when the season’s over,” Redman said. “You don’t find a bad guy in here. I’m more than comfortable bringing my son in here. I haven’t been able to say that in the past.”

When the Rockies celebrated their National League Championship Series victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks last week, NLCS MVP Matt Holliday and one of the owners took the time to thank God (can't remember which one of the owners, I was at the game and it was loud) for their success, to no one's surprise here in Denver. None of the local MSM picked up on that in the following days, but this astonishing article from the NY Times of all MSM outlets captures the most important point.

A little faith can go a long way--all the way to the World Series.

Thank God, Go Rockies!

PS--commenters here and on other sites poke fun at the notion that God is behind the Rockies, due to the players' prayer--no such argument is being made. If prayer = victory, the Boston Red Sox wouldn't have had to wait until 2004 to win another World Series, and the Chicago Cubs wouldn't be enduring a century-long drought (and the Denver Broncos wouldn't have lost 3 Superbowls with John Elway, and the Colorado Avalanche would now have 11 straight Stanley Cups!) The type of religion itself isn't necessarily bringing success (even though their run has been miraculous, they still haven't won the World Series yet), but the practice of it--the team chemistry that had been a problem in recent season has been strengthened, and the players feel comfortable with each other and have confidence in their teammates on and off the field.

Purple Monday--Mocktober

Call it what you want, but the Colorado Rockies planned online sales failed miserably--"the biggest debacle in Denver sports history."

5:30 pm, and a promised 5 pm news conference has passed without any update.

So like many others with backup systems and scores of computers and browsers going, I too join the ranks of ticket-less Rockies fans.

Good grief!

Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy Awarded Congressional Medal Of Honor

“His objective was clear: to make one last valiant attempt to save his two teammates”--former Special Warfare Operator 1st Class (SEAL) Marcus Luttrell on medal of honor recipient Lt. Michael Murphy, from his book Lone Survivor

Touching, via Hot Air:



More on this brave American, and Michelle Malkin has a roundup of links.

Diane Carman's Parting Shot--Love A Democrat, Because They Are More Diverse

Liberal Denver Post columnist Diane Carman has some parting words for her fellow Coloradans as she moves to a position at CU-Denver's School of Public Affairs, and can't help but take a swipe at the state's conservative majority:

Next, learn to love a Democrat.

This is easier than it looks because unlike Republicans, they come in an array of colors, sizes, net worths, sexual orientations and attitudes. There's got to be one among the thousands who will be visiting Denver next summer whom you can tolerate, even if you've been living in Delta all your life and have never seen one before.

Here's a tip for those of you in El Paso County: Don't approach them with your handguns drawn. It leaves the wrong impression.

Not unlike the rest of liberal elites in the MSM, Carman paints in uninformed, broad strokes of stereotypical generalizations--all Republicans must be WASPs, male, heterosexual and wealthy. If anything, Colorado's GOP/conservative constituency is anything but ideologically unified, and no, not all Republicans own guns or have conceal-carry permits.

Note to Carman--you get real (and do some factchecking, fer chrissakes!). Transferring from the rarefied confines of the MSM to the ivory tower of academia doesn't exactly represent much of a stretch ideologically or professionally, does it Diane?

Colorado Rockies' Success Equals Taxes?

The only downside to the Colorado Rockies' phenomenal postseason success--a better chance for property tax increases:

The Rockies maiden voyage to the World Series seems to have lifted the mood and spirit of a city.

But will the excitement make Denver property owners more likely to increase their taxes next month?

At least one local pollster and Denver Councilman Charlie Brown, who has run 20 or more political campaigns, think it could.

"There's nothing like either a Super Bowl or a World Series to put everybody on cloud nine," said pollster Floyd Ciruli.

"If (voters) feel positive about what's happening in their city, they have a tendency to be more inclined to vote 'yes,'" Brown said.
. . .
"You couldn't have better luck than to have a local baseball team win this historic opportunity to play in the World Series on the very day that people start to vote," said Ciruli, who is part of a team of political pros Hickenlooper assembled to sell the ballot package to voters.

Brown called Hickenlooper "damn lucky."

"I don't care if you did direct mail pieces every day, you can't buy the feeling of good will in the city and county of Denver, indeed in the state of Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region," he said. "You can't put a price tag on it."

Positive civic pride may influence a small amount of voters who are both baseball fans and see the tax increases as a chance to reinvest in the city. Not sure how many of those who have no clue about the Rockies' win streak would translate such a feeling into Yes votes, but hosting the World Series in Denver for the first time in history can't hurt.

Let's hope that most of the laundry list of proposed tax increases (and the Boston Red Sox) fare as well as the rest of the Rockies' recent opponents!

Rockies' Rocktober No Fluke

The best team in the National League will be playing in the World Series in 2007 after all:

To win 21 times in 22 games, now that's fluky. The '61 Yankees never did that. The '84 Tigers never did that. The '86 Mets never did that. Only four other teams in the past 70 years have ever gone on a 21-1 tear. So it's as much a measure of good luck as good baseball.

But there's nothing fluky about the team that has strung together that 21-1 streak. If there is, how could we explain all this?

• The Rockies led the league in hitting.

• They had the highest fielding percentage in the history of baseball.

• They led the league in ERA after the All-Star break.

• And they have the best record in the National League since May 1, June 1, July 1, Aug. 1, Sept. 1 and Oct. 1.

So if anybody wants to make a case that the best team in the NL isn't about to play in this World Series, be our guest. But our response will be: See above.

Read the rest.

Colorado By The Numbers

An interesting survey conducted by Ciruli Associates for the Economic Development Council of Colorado in mid September revealed these results (more at the link):

*About two-thirds say both the state and their local area are "going in the right direction," with 63 percent agreeing with that assessment for the state and 66 percent for their local area. Those percentages are higher than in the 2006 survey, when 51 percent said things were going well statewide and 60 percent said so for their local area.
. . .
*Asked what the top issue is for the governor and state Legislature to address, 26 percent said immigration. Ranked No. 2 (chosen by 15 percent) was "health care price/accessibility," up from fourth place in 2004. Education was No. 3 with 11 percent, down from second place the year before; transportation was No. 4 (7 percent), and the economy and tax burdens tied for fifth place (6 percent each).
. . .
*Fifty-one percent said they wouldn't vote to extend the five-year "TABOR time out" passed by voters in 2005 as Referendum C. The measure allows the state to keep all tax dollars it collects until 2010 for use in education, transportation and health care, excusing it from key requirements of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.
. . .
*Asked about the 2008 U.S. Senate race, 36 percent said they would vote for Democrat Mark Udall and 35 percent supported Republican Bob Schaffer; the rest chose another candidate or said they didn't know who they would support. Yet 40 percent said they would support the Republican candidate for Congress in their district; 37 percent would favor the Democrat.
. . .
*Forty-four percent called themselves conservative, 26 percent liberal and 28 percent "middle of the road."

Takeaways:

Coloradans feel good about themselves and the state, but less optimistic about the nation as a whole. Optimistic voters are less likely to vote for radical change--the "throw the bums out" negativity falls flat--helping incumbents. This is not a positive for any potential GOP challengers for the Democratically-held congressional seats, but also means that GOP incumbents in Colorado (Tom Tancredo if he runs, whoever the GOP candidate is in the 5th, and Marilyn Musgrave) won't see as much of the negativity as they faced last year when the sour mood of Coloradans helped secure Democratic gains statewide.

Such a statewide economic "feeling" index will be interesting to watch as the 2008 election approaches, and when combined with the Democratically controlled congressional approval rating of just 11%, accounts for Coloradans favoring the generic Republican candidate over the Democrat. The survey points out the close nature of the Bob Schaffer/Mark Udall Senate contest, supporting Kos' surprising admission that the Colorado Senate seat is "not in the bag", and contradicts The Fix's assertion that Colorado's seat is more likely than not a Democratic pick-up.

There should be no surprise that self-identified conservatives lead liberals 44-26%, with 28% in the "middle of the road" category--the GOP leads in party registration but unaffiliated/independent voters constitute 1/3 of the Colorado electorate. The 2008 election will hinge (as it always does) on how the independents break for either party, but also in how successful Republicans are in translating self-identified conservatives back into solid GOP voters. The conservative/Republican split has probably accounted as much for Democratic gains (and Republican losses) statewide in the past few cycles as the independent swing bloc.

Finally, Referendum C garners less than majority support for extension, most likely as a result of it being nothing more than empty promises.

Bob Schaffer "On The Issues" Parody Site Emerges

Note to liberals--aren't parody sites supposed to be funny? Just askin' (Bob Schaffer's official campaign site).

Another thing--does the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee really think that people are so unintelligent to figure out that the site is meant to be a parody, what with all the links going directly to the DSCC site?

Of course, moonbattery and condescension do go hand-in-hand.

CU To Rethink One Year Salary For Dismissed Professors Like Ward Churchill

From the "about damn time" category (via PirateBallerina), yet another CU committee (Jesus H. Christ in a chicken basket**, how many do they have!?!?!?) is asking itself exactly why a dismissed professor named Ward Churchill should receive a $96,000 bonus for getting fired:

A CU committee is reexamining a rule that gives one year's pay to professors who are dismissed for cause.

On Friday the Educational Policy and University Standards [EPUS] committee re-opened discussion on this controversial issue, which came to the public's attention this summer when tenured CU Professor Ward Churchill was fired for plagiarism and academic misconduct. He will be paid $96,000 over the course of the next year.

“There is concern about why we pay this money,” [gee, ya think?--ed.] said R L Widmann, Chair of the CU Faculty Council and an ex officio member of the EPUS committee.

The policy stems from a 1940 document released by the American Association of University Professors, called the Statement of Principals on Academic Freedom and Tenure. The 11-page document says “teachers who are dismissed for reasons not involving moral turpitude should receive their salaries for at least a year from the date of notification of dismissal.

In August 1966, the CU Board of Regents approved the AAUP Statement of Principles.

About three to five years ago, Widmann said, EPUS re-endorsed the 1940 AAUP statement and the 1966 Regent vote.

But “as you can guess, the high-profile case that came up this summer raised the question again,” she said.

Why can't you just say the name, huh?

And is anyone else surprised that a document created by an association of university professors would essentially vote themselves a hefty severance package should any of them face dismissal, and call that plan a "statement of principles on academic freedom and tenure"?

The policy has its backers and, shall we say, some "institutional support":

One potential roadblock to changing the policy: CU is one of 25 colleges and universities with membership in the Association of American Universities, which approves the AAUP Statement on Principals of Academic Freedom and Tenure.

“If we were to remove support or stop this policy,” Widmann said, “we would be at odds with 24 other universities.”

The Director of AAUP Program in Academic Freedom and Tenure, Jonathan Knight, says a year's severance pay is recognition of the faculty member's contributions.

Lord knows, you don't want to be at odds with other academic institutions. Yes, recognizing Churchill's extensive contributions to CU--plagiarism, academic dishonesty, negative publicity--the list goes on and on . . .

For a mere $100k, CU gets gems like these from Ward's triumphant pathetic return to an unsanctioned class on campus:

Churchill plans to teach the class his own way, which, he says, doesn't always include the truth.

"Truth is something you aspire to," said Churchill. "It's not something that can be simply taught."

Keep aspiring there, Wardo. For Churchill, the truth isn't something to be found, but something to be built. He should know, he's been manufacturing his own brand of bs truth for years.

---

**Forever in your debt, Drunka!

Jon Caldara Interviews Ann Coulter

Jon and Ann discuss the most recent smear campaign and her new book, If Democrats Had Any Brains, They'd Be Republicans.

Ward Churchill's Twelve Excuses for Plagiarism"

Speaking plagiarism to power (h/t Drunkablog via PB reader Leah), from Professor Thomas Brown's upcoming paper in Plagiary (link to abstract, full paper not linked).

Excuses, Ward, excuses.

NBC Tribute To Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy, Medal Of Honor Recipient

Click for video:


Newest Medal of Honor recipient

Nice to the MSM finally get around to reporting the heroism and sacrifice of our brave soldiers.

Around The Drunkablog/PirateBallerina Axis; Columbus Day Update

The jackbooted thugs are wading through Ward's waste so you don't have to--Drunka takes on the (Stanley Fish) Fishman's analysis of Indoctrinate U and the politicization of academic "fields" like ethnic or gender studies, and strongly advises against listening to Ward's most recent bloviations "interview" (you know you want to!).

And in the second-half of the Wardo-related double feature, Drunka analyzes the still impending charges against CU instructor Benjamin Whitmer, in what PB appropriately dubs the "genocide of Benjie Whitmer's hand". PB also updates on Ward's Canadian adventures.

Thankfully the Revolutionary Anti-Imperialist Movement-Denver finally saw fit to update their own site and provide the "correct" version of events at Denver's Columbus Day Parade. They did manage to make use of the video provided by "some idiot white trash racist blogger", and though they failed to provide a link, I'm sure the crushing blow of traffic from their site would have overwhelmed the tiny servers at Google.

They did manage to post this photo:



The revolutionary moonbats touted their aggressive efforts on behalf of the imperially oppressed:

After the parade, the marchers went to the City and County building to await word on their comrades arrested earlier. While gathered there, a number of people took down the Amerikan flag flying above and turned it upside down and secured it in its new position with a lock. It was flying that way for hours.

This flagrant abuse of our nation's flag lasted less than a day. So much for the revolution . . .

But this really wasn't about KKKolumbus Day:

The celebration of Kolumbus Day is one symptom of Amerikan imperialism, and the only way to end Kolumbus Day is to end Amerika.

Based on RAIM-D's stellar efforts so far, the United States will certainly be around long after your moonbat kkkorpses (see, we can use K's too!) have been carbon-neutrally recycled into earth-saving and population decreasing KKKompost.

World Series Rocktoberfest 2007: Rockies NL Champs, Bring On The AL!

The Rockies win the pennant! NL Champs!
I almost can't utter the sentence without shaking my head in disbelief--the Rockies are the 2007 National League Champions!

One month ago, as I sat and watched the Rockies losing to the woeful Florida Marlins on September 14, the wild-card spot seemed a possible yet improbable goal for the unheralded and frankly unknown Colorado Rockies. As a baseball fan who had fallen from the one true faith and found solace elsewhere (a long overdue pair of Broncos Superbowl victories, and the incredible run of the Colorado Avalanche), the likelihood of any postseason scenario that included the Rockies was cynically dismissed--the Rox will find a way to blow it. Losing to the Marlins? Check. Fourth place in the NL West? Check. Just two weeks to go--not much hope.

But hidden away from the media and even the ever-dwindling fan base (barely 21,000 showed up for the game on a warm Friday night) was a team whose chemistry had already begun to fuse, bolstered by impressive defensive stats (setting the MLB team record), decent hitting, and a bullpen that could finally be (somewhat) trusted. Sure they had potential, but that would be next year, 2008. Compete for the wild card, maybe the NL West. But not this year.

Fast forward two weeks. The Arizona Diamondbacks are in town, and the Rockies not only need to win their games, but have the teams ahead of them--namely the New York Mets and the San Diego Padres--suffer monumental meltdowns. With Brandon Webb pitching, the Rockies appeared to blow any chances by losing 4-2, and ending their impressive 11 game win streak a few games short--too little too late. Yes, I was at that game (and you wonder why I was so cynical?)

Everyone knows the rest. The extra-innings tiebreaker victory, two consecutive series sweeps. Sunday night was miserably wet, but the Rockies made the cold soaking worth while. Last night, despite surrendering an error and seeing reliever Brian Fuentes return to his old (poor) form, the Rockies bent but did not break.

I will relish the euphoria of attending the decisive game 4, when the NL crowned the Colorado Rockies as the 2007 Champs. I was privileged to share that experience with my parents, and will proudly cherish the memories of the night when the Rockies silenced all those who said baseball at altitude would never work, challenged the myopic East Coast bias of the media, and turned even cynical Rockies fans into true believeRs!

Go Rockies!

Relive the Rockies sweep--Game 4 recap:



Interviews--Todd Helton, Josh Fogg, Troy Tulowitzki:



Local blog reax:
Best Destiny--"Let's just say . . . I like the history of Denver teams facing Cleveland teams in championship games."

Mount Virtus--"ESPN and the like have had a hard time figuring out who these Colorado Rockies are, this true TEAM of champions. Well, pretty soon, they’ll all find out."

ESPN's postgame recap, and 850KOA's postgame show.

Un-be-lievable!

"It's a far-fetched story," said Ryan Spilborghs, the backup outfielder who is such a huge clubhouse presence on this team. "It sounds like the kind of bedtime story you'd tell your 5-year-old son when he wants to hear a fairy tale. But if you told that story to the guys in this clubhouse, you know what? They'd believe you. And there'd be no doubt in anybody's mind that that was a true story.

"This group of guys has always believed we could win. So if you'd told me we'd win 21 out of 22 games with this group of guys, I'd say, 'Yeah. I believe it.'"

Clearly, they had to believe, or they couldn't have done this, right?

Couldn't have become the fifth team in the last 70 years to go 21-1 in any stretch of any season.

Couldn't have become the first team to do that in the middle of one of these mad charges to, and through, October.

Couldn't have become the second team in history (along with just the 1976 Big Red Machine) to sweep its first two postseason series in any given October.

Couldn't have become the fifth team of all time to make it from last place one year to the World Series the next.

Couldn't have become the sixth team in history to fall nine games under .500 and still climb out of that canyon to make it to the World Series.

And, finally, couldn't have become the first team ever to find itself two games out of a playoff spot with two games to play and somehow survive to scramble into the World Series.

That didn't really happen. Did it? That wasn't really possible. Was it?

Denver Infrastructure Ballot Measures Debated

From 9NEWS' "Your Show", an overview of the tax increase from the infrastructure-related ballot measures--Denver's 1A-1I--with Frances Kocijla, co-chair of the Better Denver campaign, and Brad Jones, a Denver resident and operator of the political Web site, www.facethestate.com.

Rocktober 2007: Rockies One Win From World Series!

I was chilled to the bone, but it was worth it:

Now, want to know who else these Rockies have joined on their Magical History Tour, thanks to their 4-1 thumping of Arizona on Sunday in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, a game that made them an incomprehensible 20-1 in their past 21 games?

How about the 2001 A's and 1977 Royals. Those are the only two other teams in the past 54 years to roar off on a 20-1 streak -- at any point of any season.

OK, like that group? Let's keep going. How about the 1947 and '53 Yankees. Those are the only other juggernauts since World War II to win 20 of 21 -- again, in any stretch of any season.

Hang on. It gets better. How about Mel Ott, Carl Hubbell and the 1936 Giants. That's the last National League team to understand what it feels like to ride one of these 20-1 tsunamis.

Now hold on one second. Think about this, friends. The 1936 Giants? That was 71 years ago. Heck, that was 57 years before the invention of the entity we know as the Colorado Rockies.

And no team in the National League, in all those years and all those decades, has done what this Rockies team has done? How do we explain this?

"You know what, man? It's crazy," said Sunday's hero du jour, Yorvit Torrealba, the man who shocked even himself with his game-winning three-run homer. "I don't really have words to say because it's been like this every night. I can probably say this to somebody in 70 years and they won't believe it.

New baseball term for the day: eephus pitch.

Had to look that one up!

Rocktoberfest 2007: Go Rockies!

Rockies take Game 1 of NLCS, 5-1; Game 2 3-2 in 11!
NLCS prediction: Rockies over D'Backs in 6 4!

Open thread . . .

The Daily Blogster points out the disrespect for the Rockies (and Fly Over Country) from ESPN.

On winning:

"There's what -- a thousand ways to skin a cat? I'm sure there are tons more ways we can figure out to win a game," said Ryan Spilborghs, the latest in the Rockies' never-ending supply of daily heroes. "We're still waiting for a guy to throw a ball in the stands or something. And if they've got Hail Marys in baseball, we'll take one of those, too."
. . .
So here these Rockies are now, 19-1. And that just isn't possible. Is it? Not this time of year. Well, not to a baseball team, anyway. Let's try to give you some historical perspective on how insane this is:

These Rockies have now become the first team in history to find itself in the middle of any postseason, riding a 19-1 streak that dates back into the regular season. The '27 Yankees never did that. The '36 Yankees never did that. The Big Red Machine never did that. The only team that even came close was the 1970 Orioles. But they never made it past 18-1 -- in part because they won the World Series before they got that chance.

These Rockies have also become the first National League team in 30 years, and only the second in the last 44 years, to run off a 19-1 streak at any time of any year. Last to do it: the 1977 Phillies.

But that's not all. These Rockies are now the first team in 30 years, the first National League team in 72 years and the fourth team ever to win 19 of 20 after Sept. 1. Last to do it in the NL, according to the Elias Sports Bureau: the 1935 Cubs. Last to do it, period: the 1977 Royals -- a team that called up a prospect named Clint Hurdle in the middle of that streak. The only other team in that late-season 19-1 Club: John McGraw's 1916 New York Giants.

---

How hot are the Rockies? Only 1 other NL team has gone 18-1 at any point in the season in the last 30 years. That team? The World Series champions--1986 Mets.

Boulder Scientists Share Nobel Peace Prize With Al Gore

Colorado's connection to the Nobel Peace Prize shared with Al Gore:

Colorado scientists were among those basking in the Nobel Peace Prize today after spending much of their professional lives trying to raise concerns about climate change.

And they hope the award will help — or prod — governments to do more to curb global warming or avert disasters on the scale of a Hurricane Katrina or the deadly effects of the 2003 heat wave that killed up to 35,000 people in Europe.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, named co-winner of this year's prize with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, has been cranking out reports that have built up knowledge "about the connection between human activities and global warming," said the Nobel prize committee.

"Mother Nature keeps helping us along because the evidence just keeps piling up," said Kevin Trenberth, a lead author on the 1995, 2001 and 2007 reports.

More:

Like most of America, Kevin Trenberth found out first thing Friday that Al Gore had won the Nobel Peace Prize. But it wasn't until Trenberth got to work at the National Center for Atmospheric Research that he realized the big news — he'd won, too.

Trenberth, along with dozens — if not hundreds — of Boulder scientists who contributed to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, is basking in a little slice of Nobel glory this weekend. The IPCC will share this year's prestigious Peace Prize with Gore.

"I'm thrilled," said Trenberth, who was a lead author for a chapter of the panel's 2007 assessment of the state of climate change. "It was quite a long process — nearly four years from start to finish for this whole series of reports to get done."

The international panel was formed in 1988 in response to increasing concerns about the effects of possible climate change. It has released four assessments on the state of knowledge on climate change, concluding earlier this year that global warming is indeed happening and is "very likely" caused by humans.

The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to groups before, but the award to the IPCC stands out because of its focus on cold, hard science.

Unfortunately for both Al Gore and the Boulder-based scientists, the media lie that there is an overwhelming scientific "consensus" on global warming or it's effects has begun to erode, though this "inconvenient truth" seems lost on the Nobel committee.

Division Of Wildlife Makes Right Call In Cougar Shooting

Despite moonbat calls to the contrary, there will be no charges:

The Colorado Division of Wildlife will not file charges against a man who shot and killed a mountain lion that he said was attacking his puppy early Oct. 5, spokeswoman Jennifer Churchill said Thursday.

Officials found that Jeremy Kocar, 31, "acted to prevent injury to human life," Churchill said.

"We do believe the gentleman was acting in the interest of his personal safety, and that's why we are not going to be filing charges," she said.

Thankfully this Churchill has better sense than the more infamous Churchill from Boulder.

Jeralyn Merritt at Elevated Voices (writing before this decision) would agree:

The man chose to kill one animal to save another that belonged to him and his family. It was an unfortunate accident. The fact that it could have been prevented had he been more familiar with Colorado laws or customs regarding wildlife doesn’t mean he should be charged with a crime. It means we need to do a better job of educating people about living in places where wildlife roam.

Investigators will be deciding whether to charge Kochar with various crimes in the next several days. I think we need to stop turning to the criminal justice system as a means of solving every societal issue, particularly those like this one that result from simple negligence without criminal intent.

Exactly. Unfortunately moonbats believe that the punitive and retributive forces of the government should always be used for "reeducating" society (though not if conservatives are holding power).

Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy To Receive Congressional Medal Of Honor

“His objective was clear: to make one last valiant attempt to save his two teammates”

Only the third medal of honor awarded since the start of conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq (h/t Ace):

Murphy, 29, was leading a four-man observation team in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush mountains when they were spotted by Taliban fighters on June 28, 2005. During the intense battle, Murphy and two of his men — Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class (SEAL) Danny Dietz and Sonar Technician 2nd Class (SEAL) Matthew Axelson — were killed, and a fourth man, former Special Warfare Operator 1st Class (SEAL) Marcus Luttrell, was seriously wounded but managed to escape. Luttrell was rescued days later.

Murphy, known as “Mikey” to his friends and family, shot and wounded, managed to crawl onto a ridgeline and radio headquarters at the nearby air base for them to send in reinforcements. Taliban fighters were closing in on the team’s position, shooting their weapons and firing rocket-propelled grenades.

“Mikey was ignoring his wound and fighting like a SEAL officer should, uncompromising, steady, hard-eyed, and professional,” Luttrell wrote in his recently published book, Lone Survivor, about his military experiences, his team and the events of that day and the deaths of his teammates, his friends.

The fighting grew more intense, but the team pressed on in the close-quarters battle. At one point, Luttrell wrote, Murphy took his mobile phone, “walked to open ground. He walked until he was more or less in the center, gunfire all around him, and he sat on a small rock and began punching in the numbers to HQ.”

“I could hear him talking,” Luttrell wrote. “ ‘My men are taking heavy fire ... we’re getting picked apart. My guys are dying out here ... we need help.’

“And right then Mikey took a bullet straight in the back. I saw the blood spurt from his chest. He slumped forward, dropping his phone and his rifle. But then he braced himself, grabbed them both, sat upright again, and once more put the phone to his ear.

“ ‘Roger that, sir. Thank you,’ ” Luttrell heard Murphy say, before the lieutenant continued to train fire on the enemy fighters.

“Only I knew what Mikey had done. He’d understood we had only one realistic chance, and that was to call in help,” Luttrell wrote. “Knowing the risk, understanding the danger, in the full knowledge the phone call could cost him his life, Lieutenant Michael Patrick Murphy, son of Maureen, fiancé of the beautiful Heather, walked out into the firestorm.

“His objective was clear: to make one last valiant attempt to save his two teammates,” he wrote.

BlackFive has more on this brave American.

Previous Navy SEAL/Danny Dietz blogging.

On Third Parties And Hillary

Over a week ago, The Anchoress led the way:

I’m going to hate watching Mrs. Clinton assume the presidency with 42% of the vote, like her husband did, and I’m going to hate watching her get sworn in in January ‘09, while her husband holds the big bible and bites his lip, and I’m going to really hate everything that comes after it. So will you.

The third-party pipe-dreamers will once again make the Clinton tag team victorious. And with a Supreme Court likely to need three quick replacements in ‘09, the third party folks will watch as the court becomes a permanent 5-4 liberal majority activist court - for decades. Decades, folks. The America you think you’re going to “preserve” with your third party candidate may become unrecognizable in a very short time. The Roe v Wade you think you’re going to reverse with your unelectable third candidate will seem almost quaint when compared with the “compassionate” euthanasia and the “practical, community-serving, environment saving” limitations on life you’ll be watching get handed down as law by an activist court determined to see the Constitution as a “living” and flexible document.

And all of this will cohttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifme about because the only person seemingly capable of beating the Clinton’s wasn’t a good enough Christian for the Christian right. I think it’s a mistake, folks. Create a third party in order to give yourselves a “good Christian” to vote for - one who doesn’t offend any of your principals - and you lose. And life loses, too.

Slublog echoes the effect on the pro-life movement that a third party--and Hillary presidency--would have for social conservatives.

The Daily Blogster agrees: take James Dobson's advice and you ensure Hillary's election.

Rocky Mountain Politics laments the attention to "perfection" that is crippling the GOP.

And Best Destiny puts it in the starkest terms--a Ginsberg in every open Supreme Court seat:

Picture Hillary's world: A Supreme Court with six Ginsbergs and Roberts, Alito and Thomas; a state department run in absentia by Bill; a military run by Wesley Clark; a national security team that includes Sandy Berger; and an economic team populated by disciples of George Soros.

Politics seldom involves ideal candidates or situations. These bloggers seem to grasp a fact that hard-line social conservatives seem to be missing: how does voting for a third party (essentially a vote for Hillary and a vote against the GOP's candidate) actually benefit the movement? Dobson believes it would fire up the troops--of course! That's because every hard-fought inch would be immediately conceded after a Hillary victory, and need to be regained.

Is that a price they are willing to pay for the illusion of "perfection"? Cutting off the moderate conservative nose to spite the social conservative face isn't likely to win much support; however in such razor-thin election environments, would a GOP repeat of the Al Gore/Ralph Nader or George H.W. Bush/Ross Perot situation really the most desirable outcome in 2008?

Midweek Columbus Day Parade Catchup

So let's see, on the Columbus Day front--lawsuits against the city of Denver from arrested protestors at the Columbus Day parade (h/t PirateBallerina); did Glenn and Glenn (Morris and Spagnuolo) lie to the police about their address?; Drunkablog notes the mysterious disappearance of post alleging Columbus Day police brutality; more allegations of excessive force; the protestors' lawyer is citing international law in defense of his clients:

An attorney for protesters who were arrested after blocking the Columbus Day parade last weekend said he will defend his clients on the basis of international law.

"We will file motions before the trial saying that international law and free speech are above any . . . (city) ordinance," Denver attorney Walter Gerash, a longtime defender of protest groups, said Wednesday.

But an organizer of the parade said the protesters violated the rights of those trying to celebrate Columbus Day.

"We have a right to be on that street. We went through the legal process of getting the permit," said Anna Vann, of Denver.

Denver police arrested 81 to 83 protesters - the count varies - during an annual ritual in which opponents try to block the parade.

Most of the protesters were charged with disrupting a public assembly, a misdemeanor. Some also received additional charges, such as resisting arrest.

The maximum penalty on the disruption charge is 90 days, Gerash said.

Columbuspalooza 2007: Violence At Columbus Day Parade In Denver?--Update: Dozens Arrested, Parade Delayed More Than An Hour

**Update--videos of protestors and arrests, Russell Means speaks; more photos


Blood and babies (both fake) in the streets

**Update--Columbus Day 2007: dozens arrested including Glenn Morris and Russell Means; parade delayed over an hour; photos and video have been loaded on their own separate pages--Columbus Day photos part I; Columbus Day videos part I

Media--Glenn Morris and Russell Means interviewed by Caplis and Silverman, later joined by parade organizer George Vendegnia for a contentious exchange--Means: "You're worse than a German!"

9NEWS reports 83 arrested, "most, if not all, of the people arrested will be charged with interference with a parade route and interference with a lawful assembly . . . 10 of the 83 people arrested may face additional charges of resisting arrest."

Denver Post:

Police arrested American Indian Movement leader Russell Means and 83 protesters at today's Columbus Day parade for blocking the route.

But there were no major incidents or violent behavior, police said.
. . .
Glenn Morris, a member of the American Indian Movement of Colorado's leadership council, urged those willing to face jail to block the parade route. Other demonstrators were told to remain on the sidewalk and out of the way of police.

"We can either watch history or we can make history and today we intend to make history," Morris said.
. . .
Protesters sat down in the street to face off with police after Morris poured a bucket of red liquid bearing pieces of dismembered toy dolls.

Rocky Mountain News:

George Vendegnia, one of the organizers of the parade, said the protest and delay was planned for and caused minimal disruption.

"With this protest, it's just motivating people more to be back next year and exercise their right to participate in an American holiday," Vendegnia said.

---

Russell Means--"This is only the beginning, the frustration has reached critical mass"




Organizer Glenn Morris arrested


Protest leader and Ward Churchill lackey Glenn Spagnuolo, also arrested




The inevitable Che t-shirt


Che gets quoted

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"This year, we will end it"--Transform Columbus Day/RAIMD

"This holiday is going to die here. The time for talk is over"--Glenn Spagnuolo

". . . an end to the Colum-Bush legacy . . ."--TCM



Slapstick Politics covered the protests in 2006, and Drunkablog was there in 2005. Slapstick's operatives will be at the parade today, check back later for photos/video after the parade. The parade begins at 10 a.m., starts at 15th Street and Court Place, and ends at 14th Avenue and Broadway.

Organizer and CU Denver professor Glenn Morris claims that groups opposing the Columbus Day parade will use "nonviolent, constitutionally protected" methods to oppose the 100th anniversary of the holiday, but a new report indicates that there may be something more than just another "peaceful" protest:

Despite their persistence, the protestors haven't accomplished much in those seventeen years. Morris, a high-ranking member of the American Indian Movement of Colorado, points out that some of the children who attended those early actions with their parents are now adults with kids of their own.

But this protest could be different, and the September 24 meeting was buzzing with anticipation. Heads of various protest "departments" stood to report on everything from the street-medic team (first-aid training was going well) to the squad of legal observers (just look for the bright-green hats). Pamphlets were passed around detailing the legal procedures involved in being arrested, from booking to bonding to trial. It was announced that a private security crew would be provided by Colorado AIM.

One important change this year is that TCD organizers have chosen not to meet with police beforehand to work out the ground rules for peaceful "orchestrated arrests," as they did in 2004. About 240 demonstrators were arrested that year for blocking the parade route by sitting in the streets.

Additionally, because this is the 100-year anniversary of the holiday, hundreds of activists are expected to travel to Denver from San Francisco, New York and severals out-of-state Indian reservations. A few are also flying in from other countries to take part.

Some of those groups may be planning "direct action" confrontations — a clear escalation in the type of engagement TCD has employed in the past. The group's leadership acknowledges that they are undertaking a shift in strategy. Toward what, exactly, no one is willing to say.

Of course what all this means will only be revealed Saturday at the parade.

Denver Post columnist Al Knight notes Denver's mixed response to AIM's strident demands and the rights that the Italian parade organizers are in danger of losing:

It is clear that when it comes to AIM's hatred of the Columbus Day Parade, the law doesn't much matter. The parade protesters are planning to converge on downtown Denver in a show of force before the parade on Oct. 6. However, when asked if they had applied for parade permits, they grandly announced that no permits were necessary because "we are on native land."

This is not just nonsense, it amounts to the purist form of ethnic intimidation, the type that is punishable under state and federal hate-crime laws.
. . .
Columbus may have been less than perfect as a human being, but that is no excuse for denying Italians hundreds of years later the rights of assembly guaranteed under the U.S. and Colorado constitutions.

When and if the Columbus holiday is ended, it will be because the people of Colorado, through their elected representatives, decide to end it, not because CU-Denver professor Glenn Morris and other members of AIM think otherwise.

The Post also cited the new ordinances in its earlier editorial supporting the parade:

Italian-Americans, and anyone who supports the Columbus Day holiday — a federal holiday for more than a generation — have the right to parade, peacefully, through our city streets.

The parade must go forward, but without violence.

American Indians and their supporters have every right to protest the parade, but they should do so without interfering in the activities that so many Coloradans want to enjoy. They should not be able to block the parade from taking place without some consequence.

The City Council in 2005 passed two ordinances that make it illegal for protesters to physically or vocally disrupt lawful assemblies, while prohibiting obstruction of public passageways, such as streets.

AIM and TCD failed in their bid to have the Columbus Day parade renamed, watered down, or abolished.

---

Even the Colorado Historical Society feels the pressure, as the Colorado History Museum which it runs has pulled the decidedly inflammatory "Homeland Security" t-shirt (including a well-armed Geronimo) so popular with Ward Churchill-types until after Columbus Day because of the stir caused when patrons visiting the popular Italians of Denver exhibit noticed the shirt.