STEFFAN TUBBS IS BACK FOR A VISIT ON HIS NEW DOCUMENTARY And this one is a gut puncher. It's called Devastated: Colorado's Fentanyl Disaster and you should watch the trailer.
He's got a new job now with the DEA so we recorded an interview I'll play today. It's powerful stuff. The movie comes out May 15th and I'll let you know how you can see the full film soon.
FROZEN DEAD GUY DAYS IS UPON US! And it has a permanent home, along with the Frozen Dead Guy, in Estes Park. Find out everything you need to know and buy tickets here. I'm talking to Claire Molle, the Communications Director for Visit Estes Park at 12:30. Watch this great story from CBS Sunday Morning about the Frozen Dead Guy for some background.
DEMOCRATS ARE TARGETING THE WRONG PEOPLE WITH GUNS...AGAIN Getting a concealed carry permit is going to become more expensive and more onerous if a new bill gets passed in the Legislature and I'm guessing it will and Polis will sign it. It creates a whole new standard for Conceal carry classes, requires sheriffs to certify instructors and requires a live fire test, which will make this much more expensive. This as there is ZERO evidence that it is concealed carry permit holders who are actually committing gun crimes in Colorado. Instead of increasing penalties for people possessing and using a gun illegally, they continue to try to chip away at the 2nd Amendment rights of the people who are NOT the problem.
AND DEMOCRATS ARE TRYING TO HIDE WHAT THEY DO IN MEETINGS NOW Anything that reduces the level of transparency in government is a bad thing, but a bill has passed that will do just that on a party line vote by Democrats. From ColoradoPolitics.com:
The measure would put limits on what constitutes "public business" and allow lawmakers to discuss bills and public policy via email or text message without it being subject to the open meetings law. Those communications could be available through an open records request.
The bill has garnered opposition from groups that often ally themselves with Democratic priorities on other issues, particularly elections.
Groups that advocate for transparency in government — including the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition, Colorado Common Cause, and the Colorado League of Women Voters — have lined up to fight the bill. No one testified in favor of the measure as it was debated in the Senate, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee in February or the House Judiciary Committee hearing last week.
See they can do this because they know they won't have to pay a price at the polls because the Colorado Republican party is only concerned with helping David Williams so the rest of the state be damned.
YES, BUILD MORE LANES ON PENA AND NO, WE DON'T WANT TRANSIT We have the train to the plane line on light rail and that's enough, thank you. We don't need to waste time and money adding transit lines down Pena Blvd that NO ONE wants to use. Hauling your luggage on a bus sucks, I've done it many, many times and I won't do it again. But there are people on the Denver City Council who say we MUST add transit instead of adding more lanes and I wonder how many of them take the train to the airport or do they drive?
THE 10TH CIRCUIT PUMPS THE BRAKES ON DEI TRAINING This is GREAT news, though not for the plaintiff. The case at hand involved a former Correctional officer forced to sit through Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training at the prison where he worked. He said it created a hostile work environment by casting white people as the villains and oppressors so he quit his job. The courts said he didn't prove that the training itself negatively affected his job in any way and dismissed the case, but the 10th Circuit issued a ruling that said:
"If not already at the destination, this type of race-based rhetoric is well on the way to arriving at objectively and subjectively harassing messaging," wrote Tymkovich for himself and Judge Joel M. Carson III, a Donald Trump appointee. "It could encourage racial preferences in hiring, firing, and promotion decisions. Moreover, employees who object to these types of messages risk being individually targeted for discriminatory treatment."
One justice objected to the Court expanding in their decision in that manner, but agreed to toss the suit. This should put any company on notice that this sort of Whitey Is Bad training is discriminatory and should not be done.
INFLATION GOES UP And this is bad, bad news for Biden, which is good, good news for America in the long run. Just as he unveils his big spending and borrowing budget we find that one important measure of inflation is up to 3.2%, which surely means any hope of a rate cut this year is off the table. This is why people are sour on the Biden Administration and he's too economically illiterate to figure out why it's happening.
THE DAVID WILLIAMS MODEL TAKES OVER THE RNC I'd love to believe that there is still a chance to move the GOP past Trump at some point, but it's going to be impossible for now. The Trump team has fully taken over the Republican National Committee, purging the ranks of anyone who might disagree to essentially merge the party with his re election campaign. Lots of people have been fired, and I'm not saying that all these people were doing a great job, but the consolidation of power here is something we haven't seen since *checks notes* David Williams did it here. From Politico.com:
The overhaul is aimed at cutting, what one of the people described as, “bureaucracy” at the RNC. But the move also underscores the swiftness with which Trump’s operation is moving to take over the Republican Party’s operations after the former president all but clinched the party’s presidential nomination last week.
Trump’s campaign took over operational control of the RNC on Monday. On Friday, former North Carolina GOP Chair Michael Whatley was elected the RNC’s new chair, and Trump daughter-in-law Lara Trump was elected as co-chair. Both had Trump’s endorsement. Additionally, Trump senior campaign adviser Chris LaCivita was named as the RNC’s new chief of staff.
And there you have it.
YOUR COLORADO TAX REFUND MAY COME BY MAIL As officials try to prevent scammers from falsely filing returns. It's frustrating for sure but is there a better way? Read more here.
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS CAN CHANGE THE WAY YOUR BRAIN WORKS And not in a good way. Ultra processed foods have had the water and fiber stripped out of them so they digest quickly and hit your dopamine system so you keep eating more. Think chips, or fries, or pizza here. It also affects your gut microbiome, which has a direct effect on your overall health. A new study showed that eating a diet high in ultra processed foods can negatively affect how you learn, your sleep, anxiety levels and more. Eat real food, people. Eat real food.
A NEW SURVEY SAYS TEENS ARE HAPPY WITHOUT THEIR SMARTPHONES And this is a good reason for enforcing a digital break with your kids (and yourself) on occasion. Pew asked teens between 13 and 17 how they felt when they didn't have their smartphone. The numbers are shocking but in a good way. A whopping 74% of teens said they felt happy without their phones and 72% said they felt peaceful without them.
DEGROWTH IS A DUMB IDEA And John Stossel debunks the idiocy here.
AN AWARDS SHOW WORTH WATCHING From Bill Maher no less. It's his second annual Cojones Awards for people who have fought cancel culture and won. As usual, there is NSFW language so if you are easily offended you may want to pass.
TWO MINUTE DRILL!
TANNING IS BACK! This is a long article about how tanning is making a comeback with the younger set, skin cancer be damned. But there are new ways to tan now that don't involve harmful rays and though I do employ some of those, there is nothing better than the feeling of sun baked skin. Until you turn 54 and your knees get all wrinkly because of the sun damage to your legs. Just saying. My hairdresser said it best when he said "tan fat looks better than white fat" and he's 100% correct.
COLORADO'S BEARS ARE COMING OUT OF HIBERNATION And they are HUNGRY. If you live in bear country make sure you are taking care of your trash properly or you could get a bear killed. If bears get caught in town eating trash they get relocated ONCE before they are put down. Read more about what to expect from our bears here.
A FIFTY YEAR STUDY ON HELMETS AND SKIING HAS NEWS And that news is wear a helmet but know it won't protect you from dying if you hit a tree. More interesting stats on skiing and how to do it the most safely here.
OREGON JUST RECRIMINALIZED DRUGS After a failed experiment in decriminalizing all hard drugs that began three years ago. Advocates from decriminalization say overdose deaths skyrocketed not because of decriminalization but because fentanyl entered the drug stream, but Oregon saw a 13-fold increase in overdose deaths from synthetic opioids from 2019 through the 12-month period ending June 30, 2023, from 84 deaths to more than 1,100. That isn't JUST because of fentanyl. Read more here.
RIP TO THE LONELIEST SINGER OUT THERE Eric Carmen is known for hits like "All By Myself" and now he's passed away in his sleep.
COLORADO MEAT IN DAY IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER And just to irritate the animal rights activist First Gentleman have yourself a big old slab of meat that day. Here's a list of events around the state to celebrate our ranching industry.
AN ACTUAL DENVER DUMPSTER FIRE Because why not?
A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT PUSHES BACK ON FLYING THE FLAG
WHEN A POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE TAKES A DIFFERENT TURN Imagine losing a basketball game and then immediately getting fired by the Athletic Director and then having to do a post game press conference where you announce you've been fired. It happened at Utah State.
WHY I DON'T HAVE A PARROT Watch below or click here.
MARK HAMILL SURPRISES FANS I love this. Watch below or click here.
UNO HAS CLARIFIED THE RULES AND WE'RE ALL PLAYING IT WRONG First off, we totally play like this and we're not stopping. But if you want to follow the rules, you can't stack a Draw 2 or Draw 4.
DEADSPIN HAS BEEN SOLD AND LAID OFF ITS ENTIRE STAFF So if you were one of the few to still visit Deadspin for your sports news get ready for some changes as the new owners are going in a different direction.
MEN LIE ABOUT GOING TO COSTCO Because you know they love the snacks. Watch below or click here.