Statetap: Military academy scandals piling up

 
The Gazette is on a roll with breaking military academy scandals. First, it was allegations of sexual misconduct at boozey parties thrown by athletes from Colorado Springs’s own Air Force Academy. And now it’s a leaked report of sketchy recruitment practices at West Point Academy in New York. (Namely, taking recruits on party bus rides featuring booze and babes.) Superintendent Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen Jr. responded by taking responsibility for the incident in a statement on the academy’s website. But on Tuesday, head coach of the football team Bobby Ross told the Gazette “There was no beer, there were no women, there was nothing like that.” Somebody here isn’t telling the truth. Via the Gazette.

statetap The editorial board of the Rocky Mountain Collegian released its endorsements on Tuesday, most of which were unsurprising for a college newspaper (vote for Hick and Udall, no on personhood, yes on GMO labeling, etc.) They did, however, endorse Republican George Leing over prized progressive incumbent Jared Polis to represent Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District. Although Polis has done “a decent job” during his six year tenure, his recent crusade to ban fracking was “misguided” and “out of touch,” according to the editorial board, adding that a moderate Republican like Leing would have more of an impact in a House that will almost certainly stay in the hands of far-right Republicans. Via the Collegian.

One race not getting much play this election season is for the presidency of the Navajo Nation – and it’s actually pretty dramatic. The tribe’s supreme court asked election officials to remove Chris Deschene’s name from the ballot last week, citing a requirement that candidates be fluent in the Navajo language. The Navajo Board of Election Supervisors hasn’t taken any action, so now the court is saying the election has to be delayed. Around 8,000 ballots have already been cast. Deschene is banking on current President Ben Shelly signing a bill passed by the Navajo Nation Council on Friday that would let voters decide whether a candidate is sufficiently proficient in the language. If the bill becomes law, it would apply retroactively to this rapidly approaching election. Via the Durango Herald.

Coloradopols.com gives a simple juxtaposition of what ballots and envelopes look like in El Paso County vs Denver County. The difference is that El Paso County’s doesn’t have the little flap that covers up the voter’s signature. Nixing the secrecy flap was a “cost-cutting” measure courtesy of El Paso County Clerk and Recorder Wayne Williams. Williams also happens to be the Republican candidate for Secretary of State, with a vested interest in counting certain ballots and not others. Just an observation. Via Coloradopols.com.