Liberty On The Rocks Red Rocks--Special Guest Tom Tancredo

Liberty on the Rocks Red Rocks will be hosting special guest Tom Tancredo:

Look for us at Old Chicago (weather permitting, on the rooftop patio) at 145 Union Blvd, Lakewood, CO for happy hours (5:00 pm to 7:00 pm) on the 1st and 3rd Monday of the month! Mark your calendar for:

June 15, 2009

Drum roll . . . our very special guest will be …. former presidential candidate and congressman, Tom Tancredo!

This is only our sixth meet up and we have had a number of fun and interesting people show up. The pictures on our website, RedRocks.LibertyOnTheRocks.com, show just part of fun.

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.

GOP 2010: News From The Grapevine And Why Republicans Should Borrow A Page From The Democrats' Playbook

Face The State has a new report on the "rumor mill" making the rounds within the GOP for the upcoming 2010 midterm election.

The speculation is not unsubstantiated beyond FTS, as SP has heard good things about Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier beyond insider comments, with Frazer responding to FTS that "It’s fair to say that right now I’m considering where I can have the greatest impact going forward"--and SP is looking to candidates in the Frazier mold to step up and begin to refill the tattered GOP bench.

Why is this important? The GOP can't win in 2010 (just as the GOP didn't win in 2006 or 2008) by using the same candidates, political operatives, and electoral strategies that worked from 1980 to 2004 any more than the Denver Broncos were able to use the same coaches, players, and playbook from their back-to-back Super Bowl victories in the late 1990s. Just ask Mike Shanahan or Pat Bowlen.

The idea that the normal cursus honorum or "paying your dues" processes that produced the "Contract with America" class of GOP politicians is still viable will only doom a newer generation of conservatives and GOP-leaning libertarians (roughly those 25-45) to wait through potentially more disastrous election cycles in the near future, and forsaking long-term goals to rebuild the party locally and nationally by wanting to avoid stepping on the toes of those who believe that this is "their time." Incumbents of any age and viable candidates of all backgrounds should be given the opportunity to throw their hat into the ring, especially if the GOP wishes to mount anything approaching Howard Dean's 50 state strategy and fellow blogger Joshua Sharf's call to run in every district in Colorado.

Quick-fix celebrity recruits aside (the often-rumored John Elway, for example), every race should have a viable candidate, even in difficult areas where incumbency or voter registrations numbers are a disadvantage. GOP primaries should not necessarily be avoided, and multiple competing candidates at the bench level should see a wide variety of opportunities given the Democrat Party advantage in governorships, state legislatures, and Congress. There is no reason why the GOP shouldn't be anything but a national party and not simply a regional party of "get-out-the-base" voters, volunteers, and fundraisers. We haven't conceded anything on the core principles of the "big tent"--free markets, smaller government, and individual rights/liberty--so why concede districts just because they are held by Democrats?

The 2010 election in Colorado will feature several state-wide races--Governor, a US Senate seat, Attorney General, Secretary of State, and State Treasurer. Voting in the aggregate matters, especially at the state level in midterm elections, and turning out GOP and GOP-leaning center-right and independent voters will be the key to victory. Renewed interest in local races in typically uncompetitive districts currently held by Democrats will play a huge role in reengaging those voters set adrift by strategies that look to maximize votes in supportive areas while ignoring others in the hopes that the GOP brand will be enough to get folks to vote. President Barack Obama's campaign presciently and effectively--obviously, he is the President--eschewed such a course. Even without him on the ballot in 2010, much of the party infrastructure and institutional knowledge will still be in place, and the Democrats are no doubt hoping that this built-in advantage will discourage any GOP efforts at revamping campaigns off-line or on-line. To do so would be to ignore (forgive the gratuitous Star Wars reference) Admiral Ackbar's admonition--"It's a trap!"

It is still too early in 2009 to endorse those candidates who have formally filed, those who have been mentioned or have shown an interest, and those whose candidacy is merely speculation. But it is not too early to begin reengaging the dispirited GOP rank-and-file, to propose bold new visions for the party, to toss out discredited strategies, to effectively communicate our principles, to avoid becoming a party of "NO!" by offering alternative solutions instead of whining about the other side of the aisle, or to turn into debased imitators of the most vitriolic smear-merchants in the Democrat Party.

Opportunities to perform a true house-cleaning and not simply rearrange deck chairs on the Titanic don't come very often. GOP elites, fundraisers, powerbrokers, political operatives and especially the bench itself is going to be put on notice (as if it hasn't already been in the two most recent electoral abbatoirs)--lead, follow, or get out of the way.

Thoughts On The Primary--Fred! Not Huckabee

**Update 2--another Fred! endorsement

**Update--Iowa Rep. Steve King endorses Fred Thompson, in clear and forceful terms (via Michelle Malkin)

---

Haven't had too much time finishing up this semester's work to keep up with the GOP primary--and since the first votes are literally just weeks away, the importance cannot be understated.

Ben at Mount Virtus has done a little looking, and his post on Fred Thompson (and his primary endorsement of Fred!) are certainly echoed here.

More primary thoughts over the next few weeks.

Coffman Makes Congressional Run Official

Republican Secretary of State Mike Coffman, a veteran with high name recognition, has made his rumored run for Rep. Tom Tancredo's seat official. The primary in Colorado's 6th Congressional District would now appear his to lose.

Though state GOP leaders and rank-and-file Republicans differ on whether his run is a net gain--a veteran and top-notch replacement for Tancredo--or a net loss of the SOS and election watchdog position to the Democrats, the truth is that Coffman represents one of a limited number of talented top-tier candidates left on the state's GOP bench for the foreseeable future.

A Coffman victory--and surrender of the SOS to the Democrats--should be measured in the intent of the candidate to stick with the seat come reelection, and not merely use the office as a springboard for a gubernatorial or Senate run in 2010. It is hard, however, to fault him for leaping at the opportunity to assume a safe Republican seat before the post-2010 redistricting.

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.

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.

Colorado Illegal Immigrants Receive In-state Tuition In New Mexico

Colorado bars illegal immigrants from receiving in-state tuition.

Apparently, New Mexico does not:

At least 10 illegal immigrants from Colorado will get to attend classes at the University of New Mexico this fall, with many not having to pay for tuition or books.

A new Colorado law prohibits state colleges from providing in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants.

In New Mexico, the state is barred from denying education benefits based on immigration status, said Terry Babbitt, director of admissions for the University of New Mexico.

While New Mexico's state financial aid is intended for residents, Poudre High School counselor Isabel Thacker in Colorado found a way for her students to receive in-state tuition, plus scholarships to cover it.

"Students can enroll for up to six credit hours and get the in-state rate (at UNM)," said Alex Gonzalez, associate director of the scholarship office at UNM. "They can then go across the street to Central New Mexico Community College and enroll for another six hours and continue to pay the UNM in-state tuition rate. They then are counted as full-time UNM students."

A full year of tuition at UNM, 12 credit hours per semester, costs $4,570.80, Gonzalez said. An institutional scholarship available to illegal immigrants covers $5,000 of their tuition and book expenses.

As a CU alumnus, I knew many out-of-state students who essentially subsidized in-state students with extremely high tuition rates.

Offering illegal immigrants and not citizens of this country in-state tuition (in-state tuition simply meaning taxpayer subsidized) creates a two-fold cost. Non-resident students are actually denied benefits that are given to illegal immigrants, and state taxpayers are forced to pay for their education beyond the Federally mandated primary education. And what about U.S. citizens or legal residents who might benefit from that "institutional" scholarship? Illegal immigrants only?

How is this fair, or legal?

Oh wait, that would be discrimination, and the question is racist.

Nevermind.

Amnesty now!

**Update on DPS students and scholarships, including 20% who are illegal immigrants (video)

Colorado Democrats Vote To Surrender

To political expediency:

The four Democratic Members of the House of Representatives from Colorado voted in favor of a bill that would require troops to be withdrawn from Iraq within 120 days.

The bill, which is called the Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act, also sets a pullout date of April 1, 2008.

The measure passed 223-201 in the Democratic-controlled House despite a veto threat from President Bush, who has ruled out any change in war policy before September.

"The security situation in Iraq remains complex and extremely challenging," the administration report concluded. The economic picture is uneven, it added, and the government has not yet enacted vital political reconciliation legislation.

Representatives Ed Perlmutter, Diana DeGette, John Salazar and Mark Udall voted for the measure. The two Republican representatives from Colorado who voted against the bill are Representatives Marilyn Musgrave and Doug Lamborn. Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo from Littleton did not vote.

Colorado's surrendercrats are waving the white flag (they believe on behalf of the troops).

Tancredo Introduces OVERDUE Immigration Reform Bill

**Update--Tancredo press conference (video)
**Update 2--The Denver Post takes a negative view on Tancredo's proposal (shocker!)

From the press release:

Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) today unveiled his Optimizing Visa Entry Rules and Demanding Uniformed Enforcement (OVERDUE) Immigration Bill.

“Congress must take on the tough issues and follow through on what we’ve been sent out here to do and serve in the best interest of the people we represent,” said Tancredo. “For too long the special interests and political heavy weights have tried to sell us on the need for an Amnesty and justify their refusal to enforce the law, but the American people fought back and said no thanks.”

Tancredo added, “Today I am introducing a piece of legislation that will undoubtedly be unpopular among the political elites, big business and big labor, but it is legislation that this country has been calling for, and I dare to say, needs.”

Some highlights of Tancredo's proposed legislation:

ØRestoring America’s immigration system to more traditional numbers and encourages the assimilation of America’s most recent great wave in prioritizing nuclear family admissions, tightening the investor immigrant criteria, and tightening the employment-based green card category to ensure that prospective immigrants who will uniquely contribute to American society are admitted.
. . .
ØEnsures that automatic birthright citizenship accrues to children born in the U.S. only if at least one parent is a citizen or lawful permanent resident.
. . .
ØProhibits states from granting in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens on the basis of graduation from a U.S. high school (in addition to residence) unless they offer the same rate to all U.S. citizens.

ØAffirms the inherent authority of State and local law enforcement officers to enforce the immigration laws of the United States; requires Federal immigration authorities to respond to requests for assistance from State and local authorities.

Chances of passing? None, given the acrimony over the last two attempts at "Amnesty". This enforcement bolstering bill will likely receive little publicity, and what acknowledgement it does get from the MSM and amnesty proponents will be vicious, and derided as a Tancredo publicity stunt rather than an attempt at serious immigration reform.

As the second amnesty bill was going down in flames, Sen. Ted Kennedy shrieked, "what is your plan?" Well, here is a much more sound and fair proposal (fair to American citizens and legal residents, who should always be the first people considered when introducing new legislation). Why do I suspect Sen. Kennedy won't have much to say?

Thanks to Mark.

Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Unveiled

"Enduring inspiration to generations of patriots to come"

**Scroll for updates . . . Welcome Michelle Malkin readers!


Navy SEAL Danny Dietz January 26, 1980-June 28, 2005--photo courtesy of The Daily Blogster (more pics, reflections at the link), himself to deploy (US Navy) tomorrow. The Rocky Mountain News has a touching slide show.

--"He was an incredible man that did a great sacrifice for this state and for all of us. Not just for me and my family, but for the whole country."--Patsy Dietz, Danny's wife

--"I guess the thing I wonder most as I stand up here and think about Danny," Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan said. "I wonder if I could be as brave as Danny Dietz was over two years ago. Just as every SEAL; everyone would like to be."

--"It's one thing to say you love your country," he said. "It's a whole different level to be willing to die for it. That's a hero."--12-year-old Zac Hardy of Centennial

--Approximately 2000 attended, including Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter; Rear Adm. Joseph D. Kernan, head of the Naval Special Warfare Command; Medal of Honor recipient Mike Thornton; Rep. Tom Tancredo:

"On the fourth of July 2005, my family received the horrifying news that my brother had been killed in action," said Tiffany Bitz, Dietz's sister. "Two years later, this day marks the unveiling of the statue of my hero, my brother D.J."
. . .
"Gunner's Mate 2nd Class Danny Dietz was with us for only 25 years," Secretary Winter said, "but Danny's short life was touched with greatness."
. . .
Admiral Kernan said the memorial is a reflection of more than just an incredible human being. "This memorial is just as much a reflection on an incredible family and on an incredible country."

Rep. Tancredo echoed that sentiment. "The Dietz's are salt of the earth. They are just wonderful. I'm not surprised that they were the ones who raised a child like Danny Dietz."

When asked what the statue means to her, Dietz's mom Cindy said, "It means the world to me."

Danny Dietz memorial sculpture

---

Local news roundup:
Coverage from CBS4 (video):


Dietz' wife remembers fallen hero's sacrifice (video):

"He told me before he left to not cry and worry because he was going to make a difference out there and it was his time to make that difference," Patsy said.

Patsy said Danny lived for this type of a challenge. It was the way of the Navy SEALS.

"To them, they're invincible, nobody can take them down. That's the mentality that makes them different from everybody else," said Patsy.

Patsy said she knew anything could happen, and when it did, she knew Danny died trying to save others.

"He gave his last breath fighting evil out there," she said.
. . .
"There is not one thing that I regret. Even the same day I got the news, the same day I buried him, I don't regret (anything). It just made me a better person and stronger," Patsy said. "He was an incredible man that did a great sacrifice for this state and for all of us. Not just for me and my family, but for the whole country."

A poignant reminder of the sacrifices made daily by soldiers and their families now and throughout American history. This same spirit brought us freedom 231 years ago.


Rolling Thunder stands guard over Danny Dietz' memorial.

Veterans stood guard before the statue was unveiled--to prevent vandalism:

A veterans' group plans to stand guard around the memorial set to be unveiled on the Fourth of July in honor of a Navy Seal from Littleton until it is dedicated Wednesday. The statue of Danny Dietz holding a gun will remember his service after the 9/11 attacks and his death during an attack by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.

There has been some controversy surrounding the statue since it depicts Dietz holding a gun. The veterans' group, Rolling Thunder, doesn't believe opponents would deface the statue, but are standing guard to provide protection and respect.

"Just to make sure nobody comes along and tries to deface it, tear down the fence or anything of that nature," said Don Marsh of Rolling Thunder.

Thankfully those who opposed the statue were greatly outnumbered:

The city of Littleton said support for the statue has been overwhelming.

"People from all over the United States contacted us," said Kelli Narde, a spokeswoman for Littleton. "Six-hundred were in support and 10 opposed to it."

Some opponents said the design of the statue with Dietz holding a gun is graphic and violent. Others called it real.

"The people here in Denver, frankly throughout the U.S. rallying to a cause such as this, has been very impressive, very impressive," said Dan Puleio of U.S. Navy Recruiting.

It's sad that a few moonbats would oppose such an honor--a realistic depiction of the role Dietz played as a soldier--and present a threat to the statue. Once the crowds disperse and Rolling Thunder rolls off, however, it will remain to be seen what types of reaction the statue evokes, and any possible defacement it might incur.

---

Cañon City sculptor Robert Henderson based his clay form of Navy SEAL Danny Dietz on the last photo taken of him. (Courtesy Tracy Harmon)



Positive reinforcement--let the city of Littleton know how you feel about the statue honoring a brave fallen American.

A video tribute to Danny Dietz.

Previous:
Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Sculpture Dedication July 4
Colorado Flies Front Line Flag, Honors Fallen SEAL Danny Dietz
Colorado Statue Honoring Fallen Navy SEAL Opposed, "Glorifies Violence"

Immigration Bill Roundup; Colorado Going To Hell In Fruitbasket

At least that is what the fearmongering, "recession" is imminent, media coverage would have you believe.

Putting the pinch on Colorado farmers:

Colorado farmers and others squeezed by a labor shortage will be pinched even more by the death of President George W. Bush's immigration proposal in the Senate, business leaders said Thursday.

"Our labor supply is going to continue to diminish," said Mike Gilsdorf, leader of Colorado Employers for Immigration Reform, or COEIR. "I can see a lot of overtime expenses."
. . .
"Immigrant workers benefit all of us by keeping the economy growing and healthy," she said.

Adams said by not fixing the current immigration system, the United States is inviting major labor shortages and an even worse recession than the one she is predicting now.

Fewer immigrant workers could mean less production and money circulating in the economy, plus other ripple effects, Adams said.

"We get many things cheaper because they were made in other countries or because of immigrant labor. That gives us additional money to spend on other things that create new jobs," she said.

For one thing, the likelihood that current laws will be enforced with any greater consistency is extremely low; secondly, the illegal immigrants living "in the shadows" (they are quite visible while living in those shadows) are not likely to leave en masse. Finally, the immigrant workers the farmers' advocates refer to are mostly illegal--and by law, they shouldn't be hired anyway. That is one of the thrusts of enforcement--businesses should be punished for hiring illegal immigrants, and creating the draw the lures more and more here illegally.

In addition, the argument that illegal immigrants benefit the economy due to the cheapness of their labor sounds suspiciously similar to what old Southern slaveholders argued would happen to their plantations should slavery be abolished--we need our cheap labor, or we'll die!

Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar puts the blame on "poison" from some members of the Senate--and likely the vaunted but "evil" talk-radio/blogosphere--for defeating the messy, pointless, unenforceable slop that was Bush/Kennedy's comprehensive immigration reform:

U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar expressed disappointment this morning at the demise of the immigration reform bill, blaming "poison stemming from some members of the Senate" and predicting continuing crisis for the country's "broken" immigration system.

"I think we can expect chaos, confusion, porous borders, victimization and tremendous economic insecurity among farmers and ranchers and others who want us to fix the system," said Salazar, a Colorado Democrat, during a telephone news conference after the vote.

A fix worse than the problem it is designed to correct is not desirable in any context. At least Sen. Wayne Allard recognized this much in his vote against the bill:

"Porous borders and lax enforcement present major security risks to our country," Allard said. "Instead of enacting so-called 'comprehensive immigration reform,' we need to find common sense solutions to the labor concerns we face in the agriculture industry and start doing what we all know needs to be done: secure the border and enforce our existing laws."

Hear, hear. Amnesty is not the solution. Nor is punishing the millions of legal immigrants that have plowed their way through the labyrinthine paperwork and excessive fees to acquire the "documents" that would have been given willy-nilly to any and all here illegally. Fairness? I think not.

The left is worried about the people "living in the shadows". The last two May 1 immigration rallies don't put too much credence into that notion:


Beware Democrats who voted against this bill, or dare call illegal immigrants illegal--you'll be "drummed out" of the party.

No Documents, No Aid; Tancredo Sends Lettuce To Chertoff; Race Card Played In Manzanares' Suicide

No Duh!:

The founder of a new scholarship program created to help Denver Public Schools students afford college said the fund will not give any money to undocumented immigrant students.

Tim Marquez, the oilman who pledged $50 million of his own money to help seniors from three Denver high schools go to college, said he received legal advice that indicated he couldn't help undocumented students.

Marquez and his lawyers are basing their decision on a federal law that prohibits harboring illegal immigrants. They also said state laws could prohibit giving the money but couldn't cite any.

"We can't knowingly give money to undocumented kids," Marquez said in a recent interview. "If a kid can provide us a Social Security number, that is all we need to know. But if they can't, then we can't help them at all."

Remember folks, these kids are entitled. As one illegal immigrant advocate remarked "it is not only unkind, it is outright unfair"--any mention of legality is unnecessary when it comes to illegal immigrants.

On a related note, Tom Tancredo expressed his displeasure with the Bush administration's overheated rhetoric surrounding illegal immigration:

It’s not every day a presidential hopeful sends Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff a head of lettuce, but that’s what Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colorado, is doing Wednesday to show his disagreement with Chertoff’s recent comments on how failure of passing immigration reform might affect the agricultural industry.

Tancredo says he disagrees with recent comments Chertoff made that suggested if the immigration bill fails, the agricultural industry will suffer. To prove his point he is sending Chertoff a head of lettuce, a fruit basket, and a card saying, “much, much more where this comes from.”

“The administration has taken hyperbole to a whole new level this time,” Tancredo said in a statement. “They are now trying to convince the public that without amnesty, the American people are going to starve?”

“The agriculture industry and the free market has managed to keep producing through floods, droughts, and $3.00 per gallon gas,” Tancredo added, “I doubt very seriously that a nominal increase in labor costs is going to be the end of lettuce as we know it.”

Tossed salad, anyone? (**Update--produce refused for "security reasons", Ken Salazar and Tancredo argue over impact on agriculture)

And--the race card is played in Larry Manzanares' suicide:

But, by far, the most reprehensible comments came from community "leaders" like Rosemary Rodriguez, former Denver City councilwoman and a friend of Manzanares'.

"It's a bad time to be a Hispanic in trouble in this city," she explained.

Rodriguez's insinuation, in case you missed it, is that there is systemic abuse of Latinos in Denver. She was not the only one to infer that such a devious conspiracy was afoot.
. . .
There will always be those who peddle the ugly currency of victimhood to hold political power. Sometimes the currency is used to save political allies from trouble. Other times it's simple pandering.

In this case, it seems that we have a hat trick.

Should Manzanares' alleged crimes not have been followed up because of his ethnicity? That would be old-fashioned racism--selective enforcement of the law based on one's race/ethnicity. But for leftist moonbats who see everything through the prism of race/gender/oppression, this is just another example of the "white man" keeping the former judge, city attorney, and Harvard graduate down.

Tancredo Backed Measure To Deny Emergency Funding For Sanctuary Cities Passed

"This is an interesting indicator of things coming down the pike, and that the times, they are a-changing":

The U.S. House of Representatives this morning voted to withhold federal emergency services funding for "sanctuary cities" that protect illegal immigrants.

Anti-illegal immigration champion Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., sponsored the measure, which he says would apply to cities such as Denver and Boulder. He was elated by its passage, which stunned critics and supporters alike.

The Littleton Republican's amendment to the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill appears to have no language specifically defining a sanctuary city. Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper has long disputed giving the city that label.

"The issue has come to fruition," Tancredo said by cell phone after the vote. "The people of the country really have spoken. It's a really good indicator of just how much closer to the people the House is than the Senate is."

The House passed the amendment, 234 to 189, with 50 Democrats voting in favor.