Robert Weller: My, Granny, What a Big Rifle You Have

What do a one-term gov. and first-gen iPhone have in common?
Looking back at the paper’s inaugural coverage from 2007, I’m reminded that Gov. Bill Ritter’s swearing-in occurred on the same day Apple announced the release of the iPhone. In the ensuing four years, Ritter (among many other things) fought the Denver Post over release of his cell phone records, Gov.-elect John Hickenlooper mastered Brick Breaker on his BlackBerry, and the term “app” surged past “Colorado Promise” in our daily lexicon. From the 2007 f...

Putting Your Worst Foot Forward
As the Pueblo Chieftain's Patrick Malone reports, the Republican Study Committee of Colorado (RSCC) teamed up with the Independence Institute yesterday, to offer a vision of the Colorado Budget that should make the job of Democrats easier. The report also urged a shift in how college funding is distributed. Rather than colleges receiving state funding directly, it recommended that Students be given an amount to spend wherever they choose - including private institutions - for a finite amount of...

Disabled man executed in 1939 pardoned in Colorado
DENVER—A mentally Disabled man executed more than 70 years ago has been pardoned in Colorado. Outgoing Gov. Bill Ritter on Friday awarded a posthumous pardon to Joe Arridy, who was executed in 1939 by lethal gas after being convicted of killing a Pueblo girl with a hatchet. Later evidence suggested the 23-year-old Arridy didn't commit the crime. The man had an I.Q. of 46 and appears to have given a coerced confession. Arridy was likely not in Pueblo when the 15-year-old girl was killed. ...

Hickenlooper appoints safety, homeland security heads
Gov.-elect John Hickenlooper gave another hint of how he might transform State Government when he announced today that Larry Trujillo will continue to oversee Homeland Security efforts. Trujillo will stay in the job for six months while the new administration "evaluates the organizational structure of the agency and other emergency management operations," according to Hickenlooper spokesman Eric Brown. The announcement comes on the heels of Wednesday's appointment of Dr. Chris Urbina to the Colo...

Seminar on climate change planned for Monday at state Capitol
A Lakewood Democrat has organized a climate-change seminar that includes a presentation on “myths presented by climate-change-denial Extremists.” “This workshop/seminar will focus on Climate Change caused by human activity and the looming consequences for Colorado and the West,” said Rep. Max Tyler. The seminar is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday at the State Capitol in the old Supreme Court chambers. The invite says, “Policy concerns regarding past and futur...

13 Year Old Hailey Darlene Dunn Missing in Colorado City, Texas Since 12/27/2010
13 year old Hailey Darlene Dunn , a Student and cheerleader at Colorado City Middle School in Colorado City, Texas, has been missing since December 27, 2010. According to reports, Hailey Darlene Dunn was supposed to visit a friend’s house; however, never made it. According to KTXS News , the friend that Hailey was supposed to spend the night, she had not made any plans for Hailey to spend the night and was unaware she was coming over. Texas police are investigating several tips in the ca...

Mining Assoc. prez promises more activity; Pitkin Co. commissioners review tree thinning
MINING LOBBY: In the wake of the Clean Air Clean Jobs Act, which allows conversion or closure of some coal-fired Front Range Power Plants in favor of Natural Gas, the president of the Colorado Mining Association said the coal and mining industries are significantly increasing their focus on outreach, education and awareness in 2011, The Steamboat Pilot reports. “I think you’re going to see a much more active mining industry in the future,” he said. “The mining industry definitely n

Shaffer: Were not rehashing SB 191
Colorado Senate President Brandon Shaffer told the Post editorial board Wednesday that the senate would not reopen debate on the teacher tenure bill passed last year after an acrimonious debate. A little context is in order. The Democratic leadership from the state house visited the Post editorial board to talk about a broad range of issues that could emerge in the upcoming session. This is an annual ritual in which leaders from both parties come in (on different days) to talk about their leg...

Buck Sees Limits of Tea Party Support
While reflecting on his unsuccessful Colorado U.S. Senate bid, Ken Buck (R) told the Greeley Tribune that the Tea Party, while important, can't compete with the Democrats' organization in Colorado. Said Buck: "The tea parties aren't going to pay for a tracker. The tea parties aren't going to pay for the database that needs to be built. The tea parties aren't going to pay to disseminate information to the media." ...

Colorado governor pardons man executed for murder in 1939
By Keith Coffman Denver | Fri Jan 7, 2011 5:47pm EST Denver (Reuters) - Colorado's outgoing Governor issued a posthumous pardon on Friday to a mentally Disabled man executed in 1939 for the Murder of a 15-year-old girl, a crime the condemned man's supporters have long said he never committed. In pardoning Joe Arridy, Governor Bill Ritter called the case a "tragic conviction (based) on a false and coerced confession." "In addition, it would be Unconstitutional today to impose the death penalty...

Bill Ritter: Lost in translation
Gov. Bill Ritter Every Governor has his own style of speaking. Republican Bill Owens often opened his remarks by saying, “folks” or “friends.” Democrat Roy Romer talked about Colorado being the “best place to raise a child.” And Democrat Bill Ritter, who leaves office on Tuesday, has so many Trademark phrases Capitol reporters dubbed them “Ritterations.” They include: “A solution that is uniquely Colorado.” “New energy economy.” ̶

Boulder, Colo., marijuana map goes public
BOULDER, Colo., Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Boulder, Colo., officials say they accidentally made public a map the city was using to identify locations of secret Medical Marijuana cultivation sites. The map shows the location of 60 warehouses, 45 dispensaries and 12 marijuana Manufacturing sites in Boulder that have applied for Medical Marijuana business licenses from the city, The (Boulder) Daily Camera reported Friday. Boulder officials say they accidentally published the map on the city's Web site Dec. 29...

Colorado governor pardons man executed for murder in 1939
Denver (Reuters) - Colorado's outgoing Governor issued a posthumous pardon on Friday to a mentally Disabled man executed in 1939 for the Murder of a 15-year-old girl, a crime the condemned man's supporters have long said he never committed. In pardoning Joe Arridy, Governor Bill Ritter called the case a "tragic conviction (based) on a false and coerced confession." "In addition, it would be Unconstitutional today to impose the death penalty on anyone as intellectually Disabled as Arridy," Ritte...

And Now, Something Completely Ridiculous
We'll bet money you can't hold a straight face through this AP report--as you know, the director of Western Slope Civic Engagement organization Club 20, Reeves Brown, was selected by Gov.-elect John Hickenlooper to head the State Department of Local Affairs. And so Club 20 has a job opening. Guess who wants to fill it? Club 20 Chairman Jeff Comstock tells the Daily Sentinel newspaper in Grand Junction that he expects the Executive Director position to be posted later this week. Former congres...

Hartford rallies, holds off Maine 61-59
Morgan Sabia scored 19 points and Hartford held off Maine 61-59 on Wednesday night. The Hawks (4-10, 1-0 America East Conference) trailed by as many as eight in the first half and 26-22 at halftime before turning around early shooting woes. Hartford, which lost five straight before beating St. Francis (N.Y.) 82-74 on Jan. 3, was just 7 of 25 from the field in the first half (28 percent) before making 15 of 26 in the second (57.7 percent). The score remained close until the Hawks broke a 42-42 ti...

Exotic Animals Non Grata in Ohio
Some politicians issue pardons as they leave office, while others make last-minute appointments. Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland is instead leaving his constituents with a message: Dangerous wild animals pose a threat to Ohio's citizens. In an Executive Order issued yesterday, Strickland restricted the possession, sale and transfer of big cats, bears, wolves, large constricting and venomous snakes, crocodilians and non-human primates (though the last specification is not, presumably, meant to condone t...

Who'da thunk? Reading Constitution out loud called 'fetish'
In a nation founded upon the U.S. Constitution, one might think that reading the founding document out loud on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives might not be Controversial, but some on the left suggest those promoting its voicing have a "fetish." Among them is Dahlia Lithwick of Slate.com, who penned a column titled, "Read It and Weep: How the Tea Party's fetish for the Constitution as written may get it in trouble." Dictionaries define "fetish" as an object of irrational reverenc...

HEH: The problem with Internet quotations is that many are not genuine. Abraham Lincoln
HEH: “The problem with Internet quotations is that many are not genuine.” - Abraham Lincoln ...

Few Writers Use 'Dear' in Emails and Text Messages
This is especially interesting, since the writer cites letters written by Abraham Lincoln. At WSJ, "Hey, Folks: Here's a Digital Requiem For a Dearly Departed Salutation": When Abraham Lincoln wrote to Ulysses S. Grant in July 1863, after a key victory during the Civil War, he began his letter, "My dear General." When Giselle Barry emailed a throng of reporters recently to tell them about an important development regarding her congressman boss, she started the message, "Hey, folks." Like many m...

Rendell Explodes On Lesley StahlYoure An 'Idiot!'
Governor Rendell isn't a big "60 Minutes" fan, apparently. In a preview of this week's show on the "60 Minutes website," Rendell yells at reporter Lesley Stahl, who's covering the state gambling boom. The Governor calls her an "idiot" and "simpleton" in the clip. You must login to comment. The Fox Nation is for those opposed to intolerance, excessive government control of our lives, and attempts to monopolize opinion or suppress freedom of thought, expression, and worship. Read more... We invite...

The Party of NO Is About To Get Their Chance
The Republican Party is about to return from a two-year banishment, from political Siberia, back into the political mainstream as it seats its House majority for the 112th Congress. While “change” over the past two years has occurred (no matter what the rhetoricians say), some of the most progressive change in recent congressional history mind you, the Republicans spent most of their time trying to find the tail they lost in the 2008 Presidential Elections. For the past two years, th...

Obama Stumped By Question On Jobs
Obama sought to take some photos with workers when a pool reporter caught up with him and asked him to explain the connection between the drop in the Unemployment Rate and the lower-than-expected number of jobs added in December. "You know, you've got to talk to Austan Goolsbee. That's his job." You must login to comment. The Fox Nation is for those opposed to intolerance, excessive government control of our lives, and attempts to monopolize opinion or suppress freedom of thought, expression, an...

Can bankers and financiers be patriots?
If you worked in the West Wing, you would find “a distinctive whiff of the boardroom” throughout the offices and corridors today, according to Julie Mason, the Washington Examiner’s White House correspondent. That’s how she describes the difference between Obama’s new Chief of Staff, William Daley, and the “political operatives” who Daley will oversee. I like the “whiff of the boardroom” line. Julie’s article explores some of the negati...

Mitch Daniels -- Getting Whiggy
Mitch Daniels, nearing the end of two successful terms as Governor of Indiana, is now exploring a run for the presidency in 2012. If he does run, he will run on an agenda different from that of most other Republicans. How do we know? Because he has said so, outlining a vision for the 21st century that recalls the great economic successes of America in the 19th and 20th centuries. In June, Daniels told The Washington Post, “Building excellent public infrastructure is an appropriate rol...

Yitzakh, Rafik, and Salman
When I was a kid, there was this song by Dion, "Abraham, Martin, and John" -- an elegy to Abe Lincoln, MLK, and JFK, leaders assassinated before their work was done, obviously. Readers of a certain age are sure to remember it: "Has anybody here, seen my old friend Martin..." It wasn't that great of a great song, but it was evocative for the mood of that moment. It was released in late-1968, months after the Assassinations of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy. I've been thinking of the song...