Senate Minority Office ‘applauds’ mangled quote from Ritter on Gitmo
ColoradoSenateNews.com is at it again. The partisan communications operation of the Republican Colorado Senate Minority office issued a gleeful press release Monday applauding "Ritter's change of tune on Gitmo detainees."
The release includes an audio clip that appears to represent Gov. Bill Ritter suggesting Guantanamo Bay prisoners should be sent to Pakistan rather than housed at the Supermax federal detention facility in Florence. Except that's not what Ritter said on a radio broadcast Monday morning, and the audio clip included on the ColoradoSenateNews site -- while presenting itself as a seamless statement from Ritter -- edits out a lengthy discussion that narrows the topic considerably while also criticizing the Bush administration for bungling the cases against many of the Gitmo detainees.
50,000 Watts of Hate: Hispanic media group seeks FCC inquiry
A pilot study to evaluate hate speech on conservative talk radio found an astounding 334 instances of anti-Hispanic bias uttered in a sample of brief 40-minute segments from three national syndicated shows, including one widely broadcast in Colorado. A Hispanic media organization is now calling for the Federal Communications Commission to probe whether there is a connection between odious radio yakking and hate crimes.
Denver Post, 5280 magazine among nominees for GLAAD media awards
The Denver Post and 5280 magazine were among publications nominated for this year's Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) media awards, Westword media critic Michael Roberts reports. The Post got the nod in the "Outstanding Newspaper, Overall Coverage" category. 5280 Executive Editor Maxamillian Potter is one of five nominees for "Best Magazine Article" for his March 2008 article, "Second Nature."
Personhood goes to Washington
Kristi Burton, the tireless force behind Colorado's Amendment 48, was the toast of the nation's antiabortion elite at the American Life League annual conference Friday. So much so that they even swiped the ballot measure's "personhood" moniker as the confab's title.
Live Blog: Aurora puts off considering same-sex benefits for employees
The City of Aurora, Colorado's third-largest, decides Monday night whether to offer insurance benefits to same-sex domestic partners of city employees.
The question could be contentious, as a budget deficit estimated from $6 million to $12 million has the city of 300,000 tightening belts at every turn. Some opponents say the roughly $50,000 annual cost to add the benefits is a luxury the city can't afford. Others say the city can't compete for employees without joining the 20 other municipalities across the state offering domestic partnership benefits. The 11-member City Council has discussed the measure at committee meetings and study sessions but remains divided, ushering it to Monday's formal meeting on a 6-5 vote. Tonight, we'll be live-blogging the debate and posting the result as it happens. Please join the discussion in the comments section below.
Aurora City Council takes up same-sex benefits question for city employees
The Aurora City Council plans to consider Monday night whether to offer insurance benefits to same-sex domestic partners of city employees. A slim majority of city council members voted the measure ahead two weeks ago, with some arguing it is essential to attract the best employees. But vocal opponents questioned the proposal's cost and asked whether the move would run afoul of Colorado's constitutional definition of marriage.
Colorado ACLU: Supermax move for Gitmo detainees would mock justice
Politicians in Colorado are split over the chance detainees from Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, could be imprisoned at the Supermax federal detention facility in Florence -- some say Supermax can handle Gitmo suspects just fine, others warn it's too dangerous. But the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado said in a statement to the Colorado Independent Friday afternoon that moving Gitmo detainees -- including many only suspected of crimes -- to the country's most secure prison "is simply another form of torture, one which makes a mockery of 'innocent until proven guilty.' "
NIMBY cries greet prospects Gitmo detainees could be moved to Colorado
While civil libertarians and former CIA agents cheered news President Barack Obama plans to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, some Colorado politicians are crying foul at the prospect detainees could be shipped to the federal Supermax prison in Florence.
Olbermann: Former black ops analyst says NSA spied on journalists
A former National Security Agency intelligence analyst told MSNBC host Keith Olbermann Wednesday night that the secretive surveillance agency spied on journalists, including New York Times reporters, Square State's Johne posts. NSA whistleblower Russell Tice, who told ABC News he was a source for a New York Times story on warrantless eavesdropping, told Olbermann he helped "filter" communications data to identify specific domestic targets for surveillance.
Abraham Lincoln: Myth and reality intertwined on Inaugural Day
As the nation awaits the inauguration of Barack Obama, the legacy of Lincoln is taking center stage. Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Leonard Pitts Jr. sits down with the American News Project to discuss why, even after all these years, misconceptions remain about the 16th president and his views on race.