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

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? 

Selected excerpts from the Rasumussen poll:

How would you rate the job Barack Obama has been doing as President… do you strongly approve, somewhat approve, somewhat disapprove, or strongly disapprove of the job he’s been doing?
26% Strongly approve
17% Somewhat approve
10% Somewhat disapprove
46% Strongly disapprove
1% Not sure
 
 How would you rate the job Bill Ritter has been doing as Governor… do you strongly approve, somewhat approve, somewhat disapprove, or strongly disapprove of the job he’s been doing?
14% Strongly approve
20% Somewhat approve
28% Somewhat disapprove
35% Strongly disapprove
3% Not sure
 
Generally speaking, do you strongly favor, somewhat favor, somewhat oppose or strongly oppose the health care reform plan proposed by President Obama and the congressional Democrats?
21% Strongly favor
22% Somewhat favor
7% Somewhat oppose
49% Strongly oppose
2% Not sure
 
How would you rate the way that Barack Obama has handled the issue of healthcare reform…excellent, good, fair or poor?
13% Excellent
18% Good
17% Fair
51% Poor
0% Not sure
 
What would be a better strategy to reform the healthcare system…passing a comprehensive bill that covers all aspects of the healthcare system or passing smaller bills that address problems individually?
28% Passing a comprehensive bill that cover all aspects of the healthcare system
62% Passing smaller bills that address problems individually
10% Not sure
 
When it comes to health care decisions, who do you fear the most: the federal government or private insurance companies?
48% Federal government
42% Private insurance companies
10% Not sure
 
Is your representative in Congress the best possible person for the job?
21% Yes
41% No
38% Not sure
 
Regardless of how Congress is doing overall, does your local representative in Congress deserve to be reelected?
29% Yes
44% No
27% Not sure
 
Generally speaking, would it better for the country if most incumbents in Congress were reelected this November or if most of them were defeated?
22% Better if most incumbents were reelected
60% Better if most incumbents were defeated
19% Not sure

On the net:

• Rasmussen: Toplines – Colorado Senate – March 2, 2010
• Denver Post: Polis doles out plenty to fellow lawmakers, gains clout

Related:

• CDOT never planned for additional general purpose lanes on I-25 in north area
• Some of Colorado’s congressional delegation refuse to be accountable to taxpayers
• Colorado Reps Vote to Continue Funding Corrupt ACORN
• Wall Street Journal: Washington is ‘terrifying us’
• Congress returns home for recess prepared to face constituents’ ire

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. 

In its mission statement, the school says that it ‘instructs students in our Catholic faith.’  That faith demands agreement and compliance with the basic tenants of the belief.  Common sense dictates that.  The school makes it clear that, “Students are instilled with socially and morally responsible behavior that recognizes the value of right and wrong.”

The admission policy for the Archdiocese of Denver Schools clearly states:  “No person shall be admitted as a student in any Catholic school unless that person and his/her parent(s) subscribe to the school’s philosophy and agree to abide by the educational policies and regulations of the school and Archdiocese.”  Obviously those that do not live in accordance with the church and its values are in violation of this policy. 

In his blog, Father Bill Breslin wrote, “We need to fight for our Catholic values because here in Boulder it seems, no one else is.” Sacred Heart has stood strong against those who would force their politically correct ideals and values on it – all while within the liberal bastion of Boulder. 

That is not an easy task and Father Breslin and the school’s faculty, parents and students have elected to live by God’s law and the Catholic Church’s teachings.  They should be commended for standing by their beliefs and not swaying with the winds of political correctness. 

Morals do not change.  The compass may veer every now and then but it always points true. 

Father Breslin closed out his blog entry with a very insightful response to the issue and he in fact sums it up better than I could. 

Would that I could wave a magic wand and make all of the present struggle disappear.  I hate the fact that I had to make a choice between being loving and protecting the teachings of the church. 

As I look around Boulder I recognize that there is ample love all around; but there is a scarcity of discipleship.  I chose to be on the side of what was lacking.  I chose to protect the faith over doing what would have looked like the loving thing to do.  Perhaps some of you parents have been in the position to make a decision for your family that looked like the opposite of love, but was the right decision anyway. 

My brothers and sisters, our school is a Catholic school and our teaching on the sanctity of marriage is as clear as a bell.  So, the decision I made was based on my conviction that we needed to rest on the side of backing our beliefs and our values.  We need to fight for our Catholic values because here in Boulder it seems, no one else is.  In many ways, I feel quite alone, even though I know I am not alone.  But I do feel like Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner—“alone, alone, all, all alone- alone on a wide, wide sea.”  If you’re upset, blame me.  Not our principal.  She’s an excellent principal.  I’m the one who made this decision.  If you want to blame, blame me, your Catholic priest for being – Catholic!

Oh, for the fleshpots of earlier days.  How long has it been now that we have felt intimidated about our teaching on the sacrament of marriage – even to the point of feeling that we should apologize for our faith.  That kind of spirit is not one of a true disciple of Christ.  In the last analysis, I asked this question: why should we compromise our faith for someone else’s behavior? 

Stand strong Sacred Heart of Jesus and Father Breslin.  You are not alone. 

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. 

Complete text of email sent to Colorado-based Amazon Affiliates, March 8, 2010.

Dear Colorado-based Amazon Associate:

We are writing from the Amazon Associates Program to inform you that the Colorado government recently enacted a law to impose sales tax regulations on online retailers. The regulations are burdensome and no other state has similar rules. The new regulations do not require online retailers to collect sales tax. Instead, they are clearly intended to increase the compliance burden to a point where online retailers will be induced to “voluntarily” collect Colorado sales tax — a course we won’t take.

We and many others strongly opposed this legislation, known as HB 10-1193, but it was enacted anyway. Regrettably, as a result of the new law, we have decided to stop advertising through Associates based in Colorado. We plan to continue to sell to Colorado residents, however, and will advertise through other channels, including through Associates based in other states.

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.

You may express your views of Colorado’s new law to members of the General Assembly and to Governor Ritter, who signed the bill.

Your Associates account has been closed as of March 8, 2010, and we will no longer pay advertising fees for customers you refer to Amazon.com after that date. Please be assured that all qualifying advertising fees earned prior to March 8, 2010, will be processed and paid in accordance with our regular payment schedule. Based on your account closure date of March 8, any final payments will be paid by May 31, 2010.

We have enjoyed working with you and other Colorado-based participants in the Amazon Associates Program, and wish you all the best in your future.
Best Regards,

The Amazon Associates Team

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. 

Transcript – We The People by Nos Populus

Dear President Obama,

“We The People” have stated resolutely we reject your vision for our country. You claim you have not heard us.

“We The People” have assembled across America resisting your efforts to subvert our constitution and undermine our liberty.  You claim you have not seen us.

Since you have not acknowledged our message, let us here present it once more for if as President Wilson said, “a leader’s ear must ring with the voices of the people,” the time has come.

Our greatest treasure is freedom – the absence of restraints on our ability to think and to act.  The corollary of freedom is individual responsibility.  We believe in the power of the individual.

A few years ago President Bush said, “History moves toward freedom because the desire for freedom is written in every human heart.”  Let us add that we will preserve it only as long as devotion to freedom is expressed in the heart of our actions.

When President Lincoln dedicated Gettysburg National Cemetery he declared, “It is for us the living to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus so nobly advanced.”

That unfinished cause for which our soldiers willingly go to battle and for which so many have given their lives is a free United States of America. It has been nearly one hundred fifty years and the work President Lincoln spoke of is not finished.  In fact, that work will never be finished. 

Freedom is the capacity of self-determination.  It is not an entity but a condition and conditions change. Freedom can expand, yet so can it contract.

You promised change when you took office, Mr. President, but subjugation is not change we wanted or will accept. 

You have expanded government, violated our Constitution, confounded laws, seized private industry, destroyed jobs, perverted our economy, curtailed free speech, corrupted our currency, weakened our national security, and endangered our sovereignty.

By compromising our nation’s cultural, legal and economic institutions, you are ensuring that our children will never achieve the same quality of life as we enjoy today.  Through generational theft you are robbing the unborn of opportunity.

This is not acceptable.  Not in America. We did not become a strong nation through hope but rather through self-reliance. 

No one better understands the relationship between individual achievement, dignity and strength than our armed forces.  Through every war our soldiers have held this nation’s destiny in their hands.  They have not failed us.  They cherish freedom enough that they are willing to die for it. 

Our duty to them and to ourselves is to treasure freedom enough to live up to it.

We accept the challenge, Mr. President.  That is why we are assembling across the land to deliver our message to you as often and in every way we can. Dismiss us at your political peril.

Our great nation is a Republic. We will not accept tyranny under any guise. Your policy to redistribute the fruits of our labor is Statism and will not be tolerated.

By our honor, Mr. President, we vow forever to resist coercive government in America. Patriots will not stand silent as you attempt to dismantle the greatest nation on earth.  “We The People” will defend our liberty.  We will protect our beloved country and America’s exceptionalism will prevail.

God Bless the United States of America!

Sincerely,

We The People

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. 

Commerce City PD and the North Metro Task Force investigated yesterday finding 27 marijuana plants and ‘edibles’ described as looking like trail mix.  Needless to say the parents were placed under arrest but sadly it is the baby that pays the price for being in the same home as a ‘patient’ and ‘caregiver’ father.  

These are but the most recent such incidents that help to illustrate that ‘patients’ and ‘caregivers’ are obviously incapable of handing the responsibility that would come with them being allowed to possess what remains an illegal drug. 

Let us also pay attention to the case of Chris Bartkowicz. Bartkowicz is a ‘caregiver’ who was stupid enough to brag on television about his crop and how he expected to make a profit into six figures providing the ‘medicine’ to ‘patients.’  

That of course drew the attention of the Drug Enforcement Agency who raided his house the following day.  In his home DEA agents found 224 plants, far in excess of what Colorado law allows. 

Denver DEA spokesman Mike Turner told the Denver Post, “People shouldn’t be surprised. Anything that’s a big criminal enterprise, we’re going to take a look at it.”

This is a point that we have been emphasizing from the start – Colorado voters may have ignorantly agreed to allow this drug but it really does not matter.  Marijuana remains illegal at the federal level and as such we all run the risk of DEA raids occurring right in our neighborhoods. 

Further to that point, it is interesting to observe how now that the reality of ‘medical’ marijuana begins to set in and arrive in our communities, no one really wants to allow it near them.  Certainly this is a case of NIMBY – “Sure, let’s allow the illegal drug in Colorado.  Just don’t put it near me.” 

Voters made a tremendous mistake when they voted to allow it and now they are paying the price. 

• On the net:  9News – Authorities: 2 children injured in homes with marijuana grows

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. 

From CBS4:

Antonio Rios, 19, Adrian Quintana, 22, and Lakiesha Vigil, 20, all of Thornton, have been arrested for 1st degree murder. Police said the incident appears to be a gang altercation between two rival groups. There has been no confirmation that the victim was a gang member.

A car ran over Bozonier early Monday morning in a Thornton neighborhood and then, according to witnesses, the people in the car got out and starting beating the 16-year-old.

Bozonier died Monday at the hospital before his family was able to see him.

Witnesses said the car first ran into a cement brick wall.  “And then I saw the car hit the kid and drag the kid,” said a witness who didn’t want to be identified.

Witnesses did get a good look at the car and their description helped police find it. Police said the car was parked outside of a Commerce City auto repair shop.

“I actually saw the kid get beat with a baseball bat, an aluminum baseball bat too,” the witness said.

Original ‘rant’ on the topic:  Thornton police looking for info on beating death of 16-year-old

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.

The Climate Change Examiner now reports on recent statements by Jones that show that even amongst its most ardent supporters, the manmade climate change theory is anything but ‘settled.’  We are left wondering why our federal government is intent on using this faulty science to burden us with unjustified taxes and regulations while forcing the United States into compliance with a new and dangerous world order. 

Some excerpts from the story:

The BBC asked Jones about how the rate of warming from 1975 to 1998 was identical to warming recorded previously from 1860 to 1880 and 1910 to 1940.

Jones acknowledged that the warming in earlier periods was at nearly identical rates as later periods. “The warming rates are not statistically significantly different,” he said. The fact similar rates of warming were recorded before significant CO2 emissions casts a doubt on the argument that CO2 is driving the warming.

Jones admitted that there had been ‘no statistically significant’ warming over the last 15 years. He however maintains that is simply an interruption of warming that will continue.

…

The surface temperature record has been the subject of great debate about its accuracy. The majority of stations in the United States have been shown to not meet minimum standards as outlined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other problems have been documented across the globe. Jones told Nature, in regards to stations in China for instance, that “the stations probably did move” and that “It’s not acceptable” and “not the best practice.”

…

 Why Jones chose to conduct the interviews is unknown. Certainly he likely feels the need to defend himself given the ongoing investigations by British Parliament and the University of East Anglia into his activities. His answers however only serve to fuel skeptics and cast further doubt on the science behind the global warming theory.

There is much, much more to the story.  Click here to read “Scientist at center of Climategate scandal acknowledges climate change science problems.”

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