Friday, May 19, 2006

10th Anniversary of Overturning Amendment 2 Elevated Voices: "Saturday will be the 10th anniversary of the overturning of Amendment 2. There are two special events scheduled if you'd like to attend: The first is a breakfast with former Gov. Roy Romer at the Capitol Hill Mansion Bed and Breakfast. To attend the breakfast, please RSVP right away to 720-261-1181. Following the breakfast, there will be a rally on the west steps of the state capitol building at 12:30 p.m. Details are here." Category: Denver November 2006 Election 6:34:45 AM

Gore for president? Bull Moose: "The Moose feels a draft. The Moose has longed believed that Al Gore will run for President. Despite his denials, he may be engaged in a Nixon-style comeback. Gore's recent appearance on Saturday Night Live was straight out of the RMN playbook when he appeared on Laugh-In. His global warming flick opening in Hollywood was playing directly to his base. Maybe, Gore has not yet decided to run. He has issued repeated denials. But, as Moe Udall once said the only cure for Presidential ambition is embalming fluid... "The Moose also believes that a potential Clinton-Gore race will significantly strengthen Hillary if she prevails. She will reinforce her centrist credentials and deliver a blow to the left." Here's the link to Draft Gore 2008. Category: 2008 Presidential Election 6:30:55 AM

Dem convention in Denver? Yesterday the City of Denver formally submitted the bid to become the location for the 2008 Democratic National Convention, according to the Denver Post. From the article, "Denver officials submitted a formal bid to attract the 2008 Democratic National Convention on Thursday, while labor leaders vowed to continue to fight the effort unless Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper meets their demands. Labor leaders want Hickenlooper and City Council members to actively encourage workers at the new Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center to join a union. They also want to raise the salaries of those who clean streets and facilities downtown and make sure that any jobs created by Denver's historic Union Station renovation project will meet certain wage conditions... "Denver is one of six U.S. cities in the running to host the August 2008 convention, which would draw an estimated 35,000 people to town and would have an estimated economic impact of at least $160 million. Also vying for the 2008 convention are Detroit, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, New Orleans and New York City. Denver was one of three finalists for the 2000 convention. The city bid again in 2004, but then- Mayor Wellington Webb pulled Denver out of contention because of security concerns. The Democratic National Committee will pick the finalists, and then Howard Dean, the DNC chairman, will make a final choice after the November mid-term elections." Category: 2008 Presidential Election 6:15:12 AM

Holtzman or Beauprez for governor? Here's a background piece on Marc Holtzman and Bob Beauprez from the Denver Post. They write, "Rich. Republican. And running for governor. "That's pretty much all that Bob Beauprez and Marc Holtzman have in common as they work Colorado's Republican assembly Saturday in hopes of making that party's primary ballot in August. "Beauprez, 57, has been married for 36 years to his high school sweetheart, Claudia, who chairs the bank he owns and whom in private he calls 'Mommy.' The couple have four children and one grandson. "Holtzman, 46, is a lifelong bachelor who has for more than two years been engaged to Kristen Hubbell, 28, his former staffer at the Governor's Office of Innovation and Technology who now works as spokeswoman for the state attorney general. After several delays, the two plan a small ceremony in California on July 8, weeks before the August GOP primary." Denver November 2006 Election 6:08:36 AM

State assemblies tomorrow Marc Holtzman and Bob Beauprez both hope to make the August primary coming out of Saturday's state Republican state assembly. Here's an article from the Denver Post. They write, "After a week of mounting tensions, Republican gubernatorial candidates Marc Holtzman and Bob Beauprez are readying for a Saturday showdown at the state GOP assembly in Colorado Springs. While both campaigns and the state party Thursday downplayed the potential for infighting and voting mishaps, the GOP has taken extraordinary measures to protect the balloting. A team of about 150 - including 35 El Paso County sheriff's deputies, 35 ballot-box judges, 70 ballot-distribution judges, four computer experts and five ballot-machine experts - will watch the voting. Cellphones have been banned, and delegate credentials will be closely monitored. The major upgrade in security is primarily due to Holtzman, who for months has expressed concerns that Republican Party leaders might block his ability to get on the ballot. However, he is not expecting any voting problems now, said spokesman Jesse Mallory... "Holtzman on Tuesday rejected Beauprez's request to drop out of the race if he doesn't get enough support to automatically make the primary ballot. He has said he will petition onto the ballot if he doesn't garner the 30 percent of delegate support required to get on the ballot Saturday." Category: Denver November 2006 Election 6:04:17 AM

Constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage Wayne Allard's same-sex marriage amendment is back on the U.S. Senate radar. Critics say the amendment has little chance of getting the two-thirds majority necessary and that it's just an election year ploy to rally the base. Here's the coverage from the Rocky Mountain News. From the article, "The U.S. Senate has set the stage to renew the battle over Sen. Wayne Allard's proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. The Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday voted along strict party lines to advance Allard's amendment for a Senate floor vote, expected for the week of June 5. The amendment would define marriage in the United States as the union of a man and a woman and is a reaction to a Massachusetts Supreme Court decision that allowed same-sex marriages in that state. Allard hopes to have more success than he did in 2004, when the amendment won only 48 votes on a procedural vote and was shelved for the year. Because the measure is a proposed constitutional amendment, it would take a two-thirds majority vote for Senate passage. If it passes the House, the measure would then require ratification by 38 states. Allard believes he has a better chance in the Senate this year, because he has added 10 new co-sponsors, including five first-term senators who replaced lawmakers who voted against the amendment in 2004. Allard does not dispute critics who say he appears to have locked in only 52 votes so far. But he said it's important to keep moving forward." Here's the coverage from the Denver Post. They write, "A dormant attempt to ban gay marriage through a constitutional amendment sprang back to life Thursday in the Senate. By a 10-8 party-line vote, the Senate's Judiciary Committee approved a resolution from Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., that would limit marriage to the union of one man and one woman. A vote on the bill by the full Senate is planned for early June. Allard and groups for and against the amendment concede there's almost no chance it will garner the two-thirds vote needed to pass the Senate. The same measure in 2004 failed to overcome a procedural hurdle and move to a full Senate vote. But Allard and Colorado Springs- based Focus on the Family Action, which lobbies for social conservatives, said they want to keep the issue in front of Congress... "Social conservatives applauded the Senate's action, calling it long overdue. Many such voters believe that they kept President Bush in office in the 2004 elections and that Congress has ignored their top issue for two years... "Allard denied that the timing of his amendment is aimed at influencing the November election, saying he wanted to bring it to a vote last year but couldn't get it on the calendar. Seven states have November ballot measures limiting marriage to heterosexual couples. Groups in Colorado and Arizona are working to put similar propositions on their ballots. Meanwhile, Colorado voters will be asked in November whether domestic partnerships for same- sex couples should be recognized. With that background, activist groups representing social conservatives believe it's crucial to have the gay-marriage issue in front of voters, saying 2004 proved it helps Republicans." Category: 2008 Presidential Election 5:46:22 AM

Farm disaster on the South Platte No water is flowing yet to the farmers whose wells were shut down last week, despite the availability of water to help them out. From the Fort Morgan Times: "Standing beside a dry ditch and arid fields near Gilcrest, state officials asked municipalities on Wednesday to share water with about 200 farmers who could lose 30,000 acres of crops after the state shut down their wells. Agriculture Commissioner Don Ament said an agreement that would help the farmers has been tied up in court by three cities -- Boulder, Centennial and Sterling -- and by an irrigation ditch company and a mining company in Leadville. The Central Colorado Water Conservancy District said it struck a deal to get about 10,000 acre-feet of water from the Windy Gap reservoir, but a lawsuit filed by Front Range communities and other water users is preventing farmers from getting a drop of that water. "The district and farmers needed three steps to get water to save the crops, Ament said. First was finding water, which Central did with help from the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, which would supply water from Windy Gap to several entities along the Front Range and have those entities release water downstream for farmers. Second was money, and the state came up with $1 million. That money must be used only for replacement water, Ament pointed out... "The third step is getting the deal through water court in Greeley. Kim Lawrence, an attorney representing the farmers whose wells were shut down, said the groups objecting to the deal could allow water to flow this week if they would talk to the judge who issued a court order shutting the wells down last week. 'This is about kicking someone when they're down. They're hoping these people go under,' Lawrence said. Tim Buchanan, an attorney for the Harmony Ditch Co. in Logan County, said he can't agree to the deal because he hasn't seen the proposal. He said well owners have hurt farmers downstream for decades by taking too much water. He said it takes eight to 10 years for that water to seep back into the South Platte River, and Harmony Ditch is getting only a fifth of the water to which it is entitled this year... "Cech said the water deal is evaporating while attorneys argue because the water scheduled to be delivered to the Front Range continues to flow downstream. He said the farmers are losing 350 acre-feet a day, and it will no longer be available by June 15." Category: Colorado Water 5:34:01 AM

Cherokee Metropolitan District watering restrictions KKTV.com: "It could be a long, dry summer for at least 15,000 water customers in Southern Colorado. People in the Cherokee Metropolitan District, east of Powers, have just been hit with the first major watering restrictions of the summer. The restrictions mean customers will only have 2 days a week to water their lawns up to 4 hours per day. That's because in March, the Water Court in Pueblo decided the district's Outer Basin area couldn't tap into it's northern well water supply unless it was an emergency. District General Manager Kip Petersen says he doesn't agree with the ruling, but must comply." Category: Colorado Water 5:26:01 AM

Immigration Coyote Gulch observes that immigration continues to be a wedge issue across the nation. Instead of looking for common ground and seeking to govern well the U.S. Senate chose to bring the English language only argument back again in the form of an amendment to the immigration bill that they are working on. From the Boston Globe: "The Senate voted yesterday to make English the 'national language' of the United States, declaring that no one has a right to federal communications or services in a language other than English except for those already guaranteed by law. The measure, approved by a vote of 63 to 34, directs the government to ''preserve and enhance' the role of English, without altering current laws that require some government documents and services to be provided in other languages. Opponents, however, said it could negate executive orders, regulations, civil service guidances, and other multilingual ordinances not officially sanctioned by acts of Congress. Only nine Senate Democrats voted for the amendment; one Republican, Senator Pete V. Domenici of New Mexico, voted against it... "The impact of the new Senate language amendment was unclear even after its passage. The language negating claims to multilingual services appears straightforward. It also sets requirements that immigrants seeking US citizenship know the English language and US history. The amendment would require more thorough testing to demonstrate English-language proficiency and knowledge of US history and customs like the Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem. But its author, Senator James Inhofe, Republican of Oklahoma, made two last-minute changes that some opponents said would water down its effect significantly. By stipulating that the English-only mandates could not negate existing laws, Inhofe spared current ordinances that allow bilingual education or multilingual ballots. And by changing the amendment to label English the 'national language' rather than the 'official language' of the country, Inhofe may have lessened its symbolic power... "But proimmigration groups and some Democrats said the amendment would obliterate executive orders issued by President Clinton that mandated the provision of multilingual services and communications by a variety of federal agencies, and could undermine court orders, agency regulations, civil service guidances, and state and local ordinances that provide multilingual services. Further complicating the picture, moments after approving the Inhofe amendment, the Senate voted 58 to 39 to approve a competing amendment by Senator Ken Salazar, Democrat of Colorado, declaring English the 'common unifying language of the United States' but mandating that nothing in that declaration 'shall diminish or expand any existing rights' regarding multilingual services." Category: Colorado Water 5:13:51 AM

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