Editor’s Pick: Stories of the Week

For your weekend reading pleasure, enjoy these select stories on the religious right, global warming, CD-2 candidate Jared Polis, and press freedoms from the previous week:Don Armstrong: The Condensed Version
This strange story has, as they say, staying power.

Since March, reams and reams have been written about the ongoing saga of the Rev. Don Armstrong and his breakaway Grace Church and St. Stephen’s Parish in Colorado Springs. Among the highlights: a near-pieing, illegal parking and accusations that the anti-gay Armstrong misappropriated hundreds of thousands in church funds.  Read on…

Global Warming: Adaptation vs Mitigation
Reports issued this year by the Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change find greater and growing evidence of a human impact on the global average temperature and climate.  According to a summary of one of these reports, however, even if greenhouse gas emissions were held constant at the levels of the year 2000, “a further warming trend would occur in the next two decades at a rate of about 0.1 degree C per decade.”

Of course, emissions have not been held to year 2000 levels, thus the “global warming” train has left the station, and its impacts are already arriving, with more on the way.

A shift to cleaner sources of energy (as all elected officials now appear to favor) may help mitigate warming and climate change in the near and distant future, but according to the IPCC, Colorado (and every other city, state, or nation in the world) will also need to find ways to adapt to a shifting climate that humans began changing on a global scale at least 30 years ago.

In particular, a rethinking may be needed in many of Colorado’s top issues, including management of forest fires, water, immigration, tourism, and more.  More on the flip…

Entrepreneur and Philanthropist: An Interview with Jared Polis
You can be forgiven for thinking that Jared Polis’s actual first name is “entrepreneur and philanthropist.” Most stories published about him focus on his business and charitable accomplishments, which are indeed remarkable.

When you ask the recently announced candidate for the 2nd congressional district Democratic nomination to talk about himself, that’s what he brings up first — business.  Continued…

Jared Polis on Iraq, Amendment 41, Gay Rights: Interview II
Jared Polis worked on his first political campaign when he was 13 years old, his maturing voice cracking over the phone as he attempted to convince voters to support Michael Dukakis for president. Now Polis speaks for his own campaign, to be the Democratic nominee for Congress from the 2nd Congressional District.

He’s interested in serving the public in Congress because “so many issues that we face here in Colorado and locally have a federal nexus. I think the best leverage point for me to devote myself is action at the federal level.”  Follow the rest of the story…

Freedom Of The Press: Where’s Colorado?
“You can’t arrest me, I’m a member of the press!” If only it were that easy.

Since the national security blitz flowing September 11th (color-coded terror alerts anyone?), at least three individuals have been jailed for refusing to testify or reveal sources and information to federal authorities.

The good news? Colorado is one of more than 30 states with a shield law, which protects reporters from being forced to disclose confidential sources.

The not-so-good news? The law doesn’t necessarily help if the feds come knocking. And amid a campaign in Congress to protect reporters, only crickets can be heard from Colorado’s delegation so far.  Continue reading…