Pre-ATF Party: Freedom Underground - Nanny State Policy Panel; Liberty On The Rocks BBQ

Freedom Underground - Nanny State Policy Panel

Friday, June 19, 2009

The Warwick Hotel, (The former Playboy Club) 1776 Grant Street, Denver, CO

***Don’t forget to sign up for the ATF Party the next day!***

Listen to Jon Caldara and Amy Oliver talk nannyism, the ATF party, and this great panel event!

Agenda

11:00a.m. — Registration

11:30a.m. — Lunch

Keynote Speaker: David Martosko, Center for Consumer Freedom

1:00p.m. — Morality and Philosophy of Nannyism

Panelists:

Radley Balko, TheAgitator.com and Reason Magazine

David Harsanyi, author of the Nanny State and syndicated columnist

David Kopel, Independence Institute Research Director

2:15p.m. — Economics of Nannyism: Sin Taxes and Litigation

Panelists:

Terry Gallagher, President of Smoker Friendly

Jordan Lipp, attorney Davis Graham & Stubbs and of the Colorado Civil Justice Leage.

Linda Gorman, Independence Institute Health Care Policy Center Director

3:30p.m. — Break

3:45p.m. — Fighting Nannyism:

Panelists:

Andrew Boucher, Boucher Strategies and NoCoPolitics.com

David Martosko, Center for Consumer Freedom

Andrew Breitbart, The DrudgeReport, Breitbart.com and Big Hollywood

5:00p.m. — Break

6:00p.m. – Dinner

Keynote Speaker: Andrew Breitbart, The DrudgeReport, Breitbart.com and Big Hollywood

8:00 p.m. – Cocktails & Cigars

This is a can’t miss event! Give us a call @ 303.279.6536 or RSVP online here to reserve your spot!

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Liberty on the Rocks BBQ!

Date: Sunday, June 14, 2009
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Location: Washington Park
Street: Corner of Franklin and Virginia
City/Town: Denver, CO

Email: amanda@libertyontherocks.org

Location - Picnic Spot One at Wash Park next to the fire station (corner of Franklin and Virginia). There is plenty of free on-street parking.

Join others who love freedom for a fun in the sun day at the park!

BYOB - NO GLASS!!

There will be hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and other snacks provided. We will have water and soda, but if you'd like to drink, please bring your own alcohol. And be sure it's not glass - park rules!

There will also be a bake sale to raise money for the organization - so come with your sweet tooth!

We will have games to play, lunch and snacks to munch on and as always, great conversations! Come on out to Washington Park on Sunday, June 14th to network, make friends, eat BBQ lunch and have a great time!

Hope to see you there!

Denver Anti-Stimulus Rally: Videos

**Update: All videos locked and loaded (rally in 4 parts, chronologically ordered)

**Welcome Michelle Malkin readers! Thanks Hot Air! Scroll for videos . . .

Featuring Michelle Malkin, Jon Caldara, Jim Pfaff, Tom Tancredo, Dick Wadhams and many others . . .









Here's SP's photo essay of today's anti-stimulus pig roast, along with Peoples Press Collective, and the illustrious Michelle Malkin.

The Dirty Dozen: Worst Supreme Court Cases

On Tuesday at the Independence Institute, a sold-out crowd listened to Chip Mellor, president of the Institute for Justice, outline the dozen worst Supreme Court decisions--and it was hard to narrow down to just 12--that threatened liberty, economic freedom, and misinterpreted or outright ignored the principles found in the Constitution.

Jon Caldara, president of the Independence Institute, sat down with Mellor to discuss the book (podcast).

This was no exercise in legal jargon or bashing "judicial activism." Mellor's intent was to draw attention to Supreme Court decisions handed down since the era of the New Deal that have had--and continue to have--deleterious effects on our liberty, economic freedoms, and private property while imposing confiscatory and intrusive governmental power in nearly every aspect of Americans' daily lives.

To paraphrase, there are no longer islands of government in a sea of liberty, but rather islands of liberty in a sea of goverment power. And those islands are fast disappearing.

Mellor criticized the modern law schools' approach to train "technocrats" who are able to navigate through the waters of modern jurisprudence while completely ignoring the underlying principles found in the Constitution. Some of the cases in the book are well known--Kelo v. City of New London--while others languish in obscurity, buried by subsequent decisions that Mellor argues essentially amounts to bad precedent that enables the government's further encroachment on our personal liberties.

Jon Caldara Offers To Withdraw Amendment 49 If Gov. Ritter Repeals Executive Order

Rumors were swirling this morning, but this is from a press release from the Ethical Standards campaign:

Amendment 49's leading proponent has formally offered to remove the initiative from the ballot if Colorado's governor will work to stop the unionization of state government.

Jon Caldara today submitted a letter to Gov. Bill Ritter offering to pull Amendment 49 from the ballot, "contingent upon your repeal of Executive Order D 028 07 and your word to oppose any effort to bring it forward via legislation." The proposal is made in hopes of restoring "a measure of peace to Colorado's political landscape."

Gov. Ritter issued the executive order to introduce collective bargaining to state government in November 2007. The Denver Post published a rare, front-page editorial chiding the governor as "a bag man for unions and special interests."

"The governor wants everyone to 'holster their weapons,'" Caldara said. "Let's be clear: with his executive order, Governor Ritter was the first to draw his weapon."

What is Amendment 49, and who is supporting it?

Amendment 49 is designed to prohibit governments from bundling money from public employees' paychecks and delivering the funds to special interest groups. These special interests use the money to lobby the same politicians who just delivered the cash to them. Local governments across Colorado have set the pattern for the Ethical Standards Initiative. Twelve counties representing more than half the state's population (including Arapahoe, Douglas, El Paso, Jefferson, Larimer, Mesa, and Weld) have implemented this reform since 2007.

Amendment 49 additionally has been endorsed by former Gov. Bill Owens and former U.S. Senator Hank Brown; major newspapers, including the Rocky Mountain News, Pueblo Chieftain, and Grand Junction Daily Sentinel; and numerous business and civic organizations, including the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, National Federation of Independent Business, Colorado Contractors Association, Colorado Health Care Association, Colorado Homebuilders Association, Colorado Farm Bureau, Colorado Realtors Association Issue Committee, Southeast Business Partnership, Association of Builders and Contractors, and the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce.

Jon Caldara Interviews Fred Barnes--The Colorado Model

Independence Institute's Jon Caldara interviewed Fred Barnes of the Weekly Standard about the recent cover story--the creation and exportation of the"Colorado Model":

There's something unique going on in Colorado that, if copied in other states, has the potential to produce sweeping Democratic gains nationwide. That something is the "Colorado Model," and it's certain to be a major topic of discussion when Democrats convene in Denver in the last week of August for their national convention.

While the Colorado Model isn't a secret, it hasn't drawn much national attention either. Democrats, for now anyway, seem wary of touting it. One reason for their reticence is that it depends partly on wealthy liberals' spending tons of money not only on "independent expenditures" to attack Republican office-seekers but also to create a vast infrastructure of liberal organizations that produces an anti-Republican, anti-conservative echo chamber in politics and the media.

Colorado is where this model is being tested and refined. And Republicans, even more than Democrats, say that it's working impressively.

John Fund of the Wall Street Journal points out that this "infrastructure," pioneered in Colorado, will provide the basis for Barack Obama's "liberal shock troops," mobilizing the Left across the country:

But liberals aren't just on the march on the presidential level. This year, liberal activists are spending parts of the fortunes of their wealthy donors to transform politics at the state and local level.

In 2005, billionaire investor George Soros convened a group of 70 super-rich liberal donors in Phoenix to evaluate why their efforts to defeat President Bush had failed. One conclusion was that they needed to step up their long-term efforts to dominate key battleground states. The donors formed a group called Democracy Alliance to make grants in four areas: media, ideas, leadership and civic engagement. Since then, Democracy Alliance partners have donated over $100 million to key progressive organizations.

Take Colorado, which has voted Republican for president in nine of the last 10 presidential elections. But in 2006, Colorado elected a Democratic governor and legislature for the first time in over 30 years. Denver will be the site for the party's 2008 presidential convention. Polls show Barack Obama would carry the state today. This hasn't happened by chance. The Democracy Alliance poured money into Colorado to make it a proving ground for how progressives can take over a state.

Unless conservatives, libertarians, and Republicans on the center-right choose to do something about it--organize, raise funds, and take the battle to the Left, instead of always playing catch-up and whining, they will continue to be outspent and outwitted--and left unelected.

To the video:

ATF 2008 Party Video Recap

Jon Caldara's "minions"--nice guys, actually--have put up a video recap of the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Party from June 28:


http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
Yes, EP is in there. No, I won't tell you when.

**Update--celebrating Heller and liberty in Chicago.

Denver Media And Political Week In Review 042508

Highlights from local media types dishing on Rush Limbaugh, Recreate '68, Colorado College--and other political banter from this past week:

Dave and Lois on "The Ride Home" (850KOA):
Dave and Lois press Sen. Ken Salazar (D-CO) on his call for Rush Limbaugh to face a "public reprimand" for his comments regarding Denver and the Democratic National Convention (interview starts at about the 1/4 mark of the audio)

Rush Limbaugh defends his comments, discusses the Denver MSM's coverage of his comments and the relative coverage of Recreate '68

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Mike Rosen (850KOA):
Fri--(9am, 10am) Rosen discussing the Limbaugh comments; "winning at all costs" not an option for Rosen
Tue--(11am) Adam Kissel, Foundation for Individual Rights in Higher Education, discusses the Colorado College case

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Jon Caldara ("Independent Thinking"):

Chainsaw Etiquette at Colorado College


Eco-Theology 21st Century Religion

SamSphere Denver Wrapup, Video

Previous SP coverage:
Liveblogging SamSphere Denver--Colorado Online Panel (includes video of Ross Kaminsky and Jeff Goldstein)
Liveblogging SamSphere Denver II--Colorado Online Part II

Ben DeGrow has a roundup, and Face the State has a recap.

Jon Caldara:


Trent Seibert:


Brad Jones:

Jon Caldara Talks Glenn Spagnuolo, Recreate '68, And Civil Disobedience

In a follow-up to Caldara's show "Independent Thinking" featuring guests Glenn Spagnuolo of Recreate '68 and Denver City Councilman Charlie Brown, he dished with callers (11pm segment, 12am segment) over the intentions of Spagnuolo and his group and the threshold requirements for enacting civil disobedience--does Denver's Democratic National Convention and the Democrats' nomination process really warrant civil disobedience?

Glenn Spagnuolo, Charlie Brown Square Off On Jon Caldara's "Independent Thinking"

Recreate '68


Meanwhile, Drunkablog highlights the report of the subsequent Spagnuolo-Brown face-off at DU yesterday--no cages (Brown), no violence (Spagnuolo).

Somehow the former seems plausible (until things get out-of-hand, of course), but the latter is quite dubious.

**Update--more reflections at RedState.

Some DNC Plans Revealed At Community Forum; No Overnight Camping To Be Allowed

Drunkablog has a good writeup on last night's community forum held at North High School in Denver, and a review of Recreate '68 frontman Glenn Spagnuolo and Denver Councilman Charlie Brown's appearance on Jon Caldara's Independent Thinking show.

Now for some video from the forum:


The Denver DNC permitting process explained


Denver Police Department on DNC plans, what they will and will not reveal


Denver's policies on DNC overnight camping, and the security perimeter's secrecy


Some Q&A, includes questions about potential removal of campers from Civic Center Park (turn up audio)


More Q&A, on Colorado National Guard involvement and free speech protections

All in all pretty tame, though the city shows no signs of backing down (at least at this point) to the protestors' threats to camp overnight illegally in places like Civic Center Park.

The community outreach was appreciated, even though concrete answers were sometimes difficult to pin down. This was especially true regarding the "security perimeter" around the Pepsi Center which, for obvious reasons, will most likely never be made public (at least in total form).

And no, there weren't any "don't tase me, bro!" moments.

Bonus audio (via Drunkablog)--from "Colorado Matters" on CPR, Glenn Spagnuolo of Recreate '68 and Katherine Archuleta of the Mayor's office, who reaffirms there will be no overnight camping permitted.

How The West Will Be Lost--Video Update

Last week SP attended and reported on a social conservative/libertarian summit in Denver that discussed Democrats' recent success in attempting to turn the intermountain West blue, and the disconcerting failure of the GOP in what was once viewed as a political stronghold.

Here is video of the discussion, via Jon Caldara's blog, who also has some reflections and a roundup:

How The West Will Be Lost

"How The West Will Be Lost: Democrats' Strategy To Turn The Mountain West Blue, And What Libertarians And Conservatives Can Do About It"

"We lost our values. We lost our way"--Jon Caldara, president of the Independence Institute




Left to right: Ryan Sager, Jim Pfaff, Brad Jones, Jon Caldara and Gene Healy

There was an AFF Roundtable in Denver on March 26 entitled "How the West will Be Lost: Democrats' Strategy to turn the Mountain West Blue, and What Libertarians and Conservatives Can Do About It"--featuring Jon Caldara, president, Independence Institute; Jim Pfaff, president, Colorado Family Council; Ryan Sager, author, Elephant in the Room: Evangelicals, Libertarians and the Battle to Control the Republican Party; Gene Healy, senior editor at the Cato Institute and author, Cult of the Presidency: America's Dangerous Devotion to Executive Power; moderated by Brad Jones, Facethestate.com.

Topics included:

Have Republicans and the Religious Right put more libertarian-leaning mountain states up for grabs?

Looking at the primaries, does Huckabee's success indicate the growing or waning influence of evangelicals in the Republican Party?

Does Ron Paul's fundraising success indicating a growing influence of libertarians? And what to make of McCain?

Face The State had a recap of the evening:

At a Wednesday night event moderated by Face The State's Managing Editor Brad Jones, libertarians and conservatives came together at the Oxford Hotel for a panel discussion on what can be done to save the American West from a Democrat takeover. The conclusion: Republicans face an uphill battle due to serious fractions within what was once a solid coalition.

Jim Pfaff, president of the Colorado Family Council, opened the dialogue by talking about the social conservative issues that evangelicals hold dear, including ending abortion and fighting the effort to recognize safe-sex partners as married. Calling himself a "Christian libertarian," Pfaff attempted to present an optimistic and united outlook on the ability of social conservatives and libertarians to unite for this November's general election.
. . .
Gene Healy, a senior editor at the libertarian Cato Institute in Washington, D.C. expressed concern with the fact that too many conservatives have bought the liberal line that the president should "be a soul nurturer, life coach, buddy and supreme warlord of the earth."

Healy said people should “abandon the false idol of partisanship” because according to his analysis, history demonstrates that one-party rule in Washington results in spending rates three times greater than when control of the three branches of government is split between the two major parties.

Ryan Sager's post-discussion analysis was decidedly pessimistic, reflecting the commentary of the gathering:

CHEERED as Republicans may be by the Clinton-Obama wars, the fact is that long-term trends still favor the Democrats this fall. To see the problem, consider the interior West - the eight states between the Midwest and the Pacific Coast: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

This week, I spoke at a panel put on here in Denver by the America's Future Foundation, a youth-oriented libertarian-conservative group. The topic: "How the West Will Be Lost."

In fact, having heard my fellow panelists' takes on the situation in Colorado and the rest of the region, the use of the future tense looks optimistic: The GOP is already well on its way to losing the West.

The reasons were well summed up by the president of Colorado's Independence Institute and a popular conservative radio talk-show host in the state, Jon Caldara: "We lost our values. We lost our way."
. . .
As Caldara put it: "Colorado is, in fact, the test tube of how to export liberal expansion to the Western states." A moderately conservative state has been turned Blue, Caldara says, because of "the absolute demolishing of what the Right stood for, how the Republican Party turned into something it was never meant to be and went away from Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan ideas."

Of course, Democrats have worked hard to capitalize on the Republicans' carelessness. Liberal groups funded by folks like billionaire Quark founder Tim Gill have turned discontent into votes. And now they have a model to use in the rest of the region.

Face The State may have a podcast of the event up in the next few days, and when they do, it'll be linked here.

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.