Tony's Rants

In the next week or so Americans will be receiving their 2010 census.  This process is mandated by our Constitution so as to provide an adequate count of the number of people living in this great nation. 

It has been pointed out that fully one-quarter of the form is devoted to questions of race and ethnicity.  Rather than look at us as we all should – simply Americans – we are asked to hyphenate our answers based on origin.  But, you only do that if you are part of certain groups.

Once we are citizens are we not Americans first and foremost above anything else?  Is that not the most logical and truthful answer that citizens should put on their form? 

In his essay “True Americanism”, President Theodore Roosevelt addressed what he called ‘hyphenated Americanism.”

There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. When I refer to hyphenated Americans, I do not refer to naturalized Americans. Some of the very best Americans I have ever known were naturalized Americans, Americans born abroad. But a hyphenated American is not an American at all… The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities, an intricate knot of German-Americans, Irish-Americans, English-Americans, French-Americans, Scandinavian-Americans or Italian-Americans, each preserving its separate nationality, each at heart feeling more sympathy with Europeans of that nationality, than with the other citizens of the American Republic… There is no such thing as a hyphenated American who is a good American. The only man who is a good American is the man who is an American and nothing else.

That was written 113 years ago and is as fitting today as it was then.  I couldn’t have said it better myself. 

Mark Krikorian points out, “In fact, “American” was the plurality ancestry selection for respondents to the 2000 census in four states and several hundred counties.”

When I complete question 9 on my census, I will be checking ‘Some other race’ and entering ‘American’ in the blank.  I encourage all others to do the same.  Take a stand against these ridiculous questions that are simply none of the government’s business. 

We are AMERICANS – That is the answer that matters the most. 

On the net:

• Michelle Malkin – My race is “American”
• National Review Online – Sending a Message with the Census

Gauging what is going on in Colorado voters’ minds can be a tough one.  In a state with an evenly split electorate between Democrats, Republicans and independents, trying to get voters to agree is a lot like herding cats – not an easy task for sure.

The latest Rasmussen poll provides some interesting insights into what voters are thinking.  One thing that is abundantly clear is that people are not pleased with the direction the nation is taking.  Our elected leaders continue to ignore us and do as they see fit rather than doing the job they were hired to do – that of carrying out the will of the people they represent. 

President Obama takes a big hit with 56% saying they somewhat or strongly disapprove of his performance.  Closer to home, an astounding 63% somewhat or strongly disapprove of Governor Bill Ritter.

The health care debate continues to rage with the president and Congress seemingly intent on ramming it down our throats despite clear opposition.  56% of Coloradoans somewhat or strongly oppose the plan the president proposes and 51% rate the president’s handling of the issue as poor. 

Most notably, 62% believe that passing smaller bills the are directed at specific problems is the way to go – completely counter to the proposals the president and Congress are trying to force on us. 

In terms of our elected representatives, a plurality say that their representative in Congress is not the best person for the job.  Similarly, a plurality says that their representative does not deserve to be reelected.  Driving that point home, 60% say the country would be better off if most incumbents were defeated in November. 

All of these results give the potential for a major shift in the nation at the end of the year.  It shows that Americans are continuing to be entirely dissatisfied with their elected representatives and the steps they are taking to resolve our nation’s problems. 

Congressman Jared Polis represents most of Thornton.  Prior to his election he contacted me directly and assured me he would be a representative of his entire district, not just the left-leaning parts in Boulder.  In his exact words he said, “I represent mainstream Adams County” and continued that he would represent “all the voters, U, D, and R.” 

While there has been an occasion where he has upheld that pledge, those were early in his term and have slowly faded away.  As a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus he has quickly shown just how far left he can go – and how quickly he has settled in with the Washington elite. 

From health care to taxes to his lack of support for our mission in Iraq and Afghanistan, Congressman Polis continues to shift further and further away from the moderate, center-right beliefs of the majority of citizens in our area. 

Last month the revelations came that our congressman has made more than $400,000 in political contributions to his peers and liberal causes. Why?  No doubt to curry greater favor with the D.C. establishment.  This is very disheartening to see.  For a man who ran claiming to be an outsider, he certainly has settled in well with the establishment. 

• Remember to become a fan of Tony’s Rants on Facebook to stay up to date with the latest ‘rants.’  How many other blogs have their congressman respond directly to them? 

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Much has been written in the past week about Sacred Heart of Jesus in Boulder and its decision to not allow the child of lesbian guardians to attend.  Unfortunately, for staying true to Catholic teachings, the school is being condemned and that is a shame. 

Catholic teachings – and for that matter the Bible itself – are very clear on the sanctity of marriage being between a man and a woman. 

While most other religions have bowed to social pressures, the Catholic Church has not.  Most practicing Catholics know that the appropriateness of a behavior and that which is right and wrong doesn’t come and go with the tides of social opinion. 

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Recent actions under Colorado's golden dome have now cost some Coloradoans a source of income.

The progressive tax policies of Colorado Governor Bill Ritter and the Democrat-led state legislature have now forced a loss of income on hundreds if not thousands of Coloradoans.  Their choice to push for collection of sales tax on out of state sales has caused Amazon.com to shut down its affiliate program for all Colorado residents. 

The state legislature passed HB 10-1193 – “Concerning the collection of 101 sales and use taxes on sales made by out-of-state retailers.”  This bill forces online retailers without a presence in the state to report back to the state online purchases made by Colorado residents. 

The goal of course was to try to force online retailers to collect Colorado sales tax from their customers.  This would effectively raise the tax burden on any Colorado taxpayer who shops online.  Let us also not forget the ‘Big Brother’ aspect of the state being told what you were buying online!

Thornton’s state legislative delegation enthusiastically supported the measure including Representatives Ed Casso, John Soper and Judy Solano. 

The Amazon Affiliate program allows websites to display ads for Amazon products.  When a visitor to the site follows the link to Amazon, the website owner makes a commission on the sale.  An untold number of ‘mom and pop’ online businesses and websites operated by Coloradoans have used this program as part, if not all, of their income. 

Today, Amazon.com told the affiliates they would no longer be allowed to participate in the program.  In emails sent to these entrepreneurs, Amazon said the new regulations were ‘burdensome.”

There is a right way for Colorado to pursue its revenue goals, but this new law is a wrong way. As we repeatedly communicated to Colorado legislators, including those who sponsored and supported the new law, we are not opposed to collecting sales tax within a constitutionally-permissible system applied even-handedly. The US Supreme Court has defined what would be constitutional, and if Colorado would repeal the current law or follow the constitutional approach to collection, we would welcome the opportunity to reinstate Colorado-based Associates.
~ Amazon.com in an email to its associates.  Complete text of the email is below.

Rather than make the hard decisions and implement real budgetary controls, the legislature and governor passed on a bevy of additional tax burdens to Colorado taxpayers and now they have cost some residents their very livelihood. 

Amazon is certainly the biggest to make these moves but it won’t be the last.  In recent years, Colorado has become increasingly unfriendly to business and this simply continues the trend.  Sadly, it is you and I who will pay the price. 

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I really do not like re-posting things I find elsewhere or relying on YouTube videos but every now and then something comes along that is just so good it must be shared.  Such is the case with a new video simply titled “We The People” that came out recently. 

It is an extraordinary work and the narrative is a letter to President Obama that nicely sums up what so many Americans are thinking.  Please watch and share.  A transcript is below the video. 

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Nancy Pelosi and her follow Californian Barbara Boxer are sometimes just too easy to pick at.  Both of them provide an endless array of soundbites that are absolutely comical.  Pelosi provided a great one this past Sunday when she proclaimed on CNN, “A bill can be bipartisan even though the votes might not be bipartisan.”  

Huh?

Harmless? Tell that to the 10-month-old and 11-year-old children that were hurt because of their parents' use of 'medical' marijuana.

As the push to expand ‘medical’ marijuana continues in local communities and at the state house, purveyors of the drug insist it is harmless.  They lament attempts to regulate their illegal drug industry and insist they are simply looking out for the best interests of their ‘patients.’

Two recent incidents here in Adams County show that the ‘medical’ marijuana trade is anything but victimless. 

Last Friday, February 26^th, an 11-year-old boy fell victim to his ‘patient’ and ‘caregiver’ father’s stupidity.  The father and a 9-year-old daughter left the home to go pick up the mother from work.  The boy was left with a .22 caliber handgun to “protect the marijuana grow.” 

While alone, the boy shot himself in the foot with the gun.  North Metro Task Force responded and found the children had easy access to not only the gun but the 30 plants the father was growing. 

Sunday night, a 10-month-old baby was taken to Children’s Hospital by its parents after they noticed the child was lethargic and sleepy.  Doctors determined the baby was suffering from an overdose of Tetrahydrocannabinol, better known as THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. 

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The faces of killers. Antonio Rios, 19, Adrian Quintana, 22, and Lakiesha Vigil, 20 are accused of murdering a 16-year-old teen. They will face charges of 1st degree murder for their heinous act.

Antonio Rios, Adrian Ray Quintana, Lakiesha Vigil (right) did not see the value of human life.  An argument at a party led them carry out the heinous murder of Nathan Bozonier over a disagreement at a party. 

The three were party to an event that included a vehicle running down Bozonier and a group subsequently beating him to death with an aluminum bat.  Earlier this week the car was found at a Commerce City body shop and two teens found the bat in the area near 92^nd & Colorado Boulevard.

Gangs are a scourge on society and need to be combated with all our efforts.  Whether this was gang on gang violence is irrelevant.  These three have committed the ultimate sin and for that justice must be served.

Will Adams County do the right thing and seek the death penalty?  Will Colorado have guts enough to ever carry out the sentence? 

The answer to the first one is unknown.  As for the second, given the track record, Colorado will never make them pay the proper price for their evil actions and that is a shame. 

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For years we have been told the ‘science is settled’ and the ‘consensus’ of the scientific community is solid – man is the primary driver of climate change on the earth.  Skeptics have been raising legitimate concerns about the theory and now one of the world’s foremost climate scientists and biggest purveyors of the manmade climate change theory has voiced his own doubts.

Climategate and new revelations about inaccuracies in the work of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have delivered steady blows to those seeking to advance a new world order on the basis of global warming.  Dr. Phil Jones of the University of East Anglia is a central figure in the email scandal after it was discovered he and other climate scientists colluded to manipulate climate data, prevent dissenting opinions from being heard, withheld data in violation of the law and much more.

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Thornton is a very safe city and we tend to avoid much of the high profile crime that affects other municipalities.  Unfortunately though, that isn’t always the case and I want to draw attention to a heinous crime that was committed early Monday morning. 

In summary, following a disagreement at a party, Nathan Bozonier, 16, was run down by a car and subsequently beaten to death with a bat by a group of youths. 

According to the Thornton PD, the attackers were Latino males between 17 and 23 years old.  The car is a light-colored four-door sedan with a darker-colored front fender.

Please be on the lookout for this vehicle.  If you know anything about this, please contact the Thornton Police Department at 720-977-5150 or Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867!

These people need to be brought to justice and forced to pay the price for their horrid acts. 

Update @ 4:15pm: 9News has new information about the crime and the vehicle.  Get the details here.

Denver Post: Thornton police looking for witnesses in beating death of 16-year-old boy