As I have done for the previous three years, my 4th of July started with a broadcast of the Greeley Stampede Independence Day Parade.  I do with this each year with George Gray from AM Colorado on 1310 KFKA.  A couple of things struck me…

Did anyone notice that former Greeley Mayor Tom Selders was walking with the Weld County Democrats wearing a Mark Udall t-shirt?  Apparently Selders switched his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat about a month ago acknowledging what the rest of us already knew — that Selders always has been a Dem.  I’m sure it’s liberating to come out of the political closet!  He picked a great day to go public — Independence Day.  However, maybe his prior lack of honesty about his politics is just another reason why he lost the election to current Mayor Ed Clark.

Also, how did Congressman and Boulder liberal Mark Udall (D-2nd CD) get his own entry in the parade?  Udall doesn’t even represent this area.  The Democrat candidate for US Senate had an entry very early in the parade which guaranteed him TV time along with a seven paragraph puff piece that was read by 9 News as it broadcast the parade.  The script on Udall read like a campaign ad except it didn’t say “vote for Mark Udall.”

And where was Republican candidate for US Senate Bob Schaffer? According to two sources, the 4th Congressional District Representative to the State Board of Education and Vice Chair of the Board was not on the Stampede Parade Committee’s “select group of elected candidates” invited to have their own entry in the parade.  Even after Schaffer asked to have his own entry, the Stampede said no.  The committee did indicate it would talk with Schaffer after the parade (and after all Udall’s free publicity).   So the elected official that represents this area did not get his own parade entry while the elected official who doesn’t represent this area did.  Hmmm….

Finally, I don’t like that the Stampede refuses to let anyone carry political signs.  It’s insane that on the 4th of July, in the largest parade in Colorado, politicians and participants can’t share political messages such as “vote for me.”  Please can someone encourage the Stampede Committee to read the Declaration of Independence and remember why we celebrate Independence Day.

Happy 232nd birthday America!  Okay so I’m two days late but I have an excuse (see next post).  The Founding Fathers’ grand political experiment is 232 years old.  Thank God that in his wisdom he brought together the most enlightened men the world has ever seen.  I doubt it ever happens again.  We live in the greatest country on earth and to honor the privilege of living here, John and I have been watching the HBO mini series John Adams. 

It bothers me how little the next generation knows about American history and civics.  I asked each of my children why we celebrate the 4th of July and to my great pleasure all three of them know the answer.  I asked to name some of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and again I was pleased that they could answer correctly.  My kids know this only because I drill it into them.  They don’t get much of it at school.  Below is a great expample of “history” in our schools.

I was working with a group of third graders on their “history” project about American indians.  As I was editing their projects I would ask each students questions about the tribe he or she researched.  I might ask about clothing, shelter, diet or other cultural aspect.  Each student enthusiastically answered all kinds of questions.  However, not one of them could answer my last question:  Why do we celebrate the 4th of July?  They could tell me what type of food the Sioux ate but couldn’t answer the most basic question about Independence Day.

If you think this is an isolated incident check out the new report from the Bradley Foundation.  We are failing to teach our children the importance of our founding documents and American civics.  We do at our own peril.  I’m going to talk about it on my show this week.

Also, to appreciate American exceptionalism sometimes we have to look abroad.  Check out these podcasts from persecuted Ethiopian journalist Habtamu Dugo.  He is enjoying his first Independence Day in the United States.  You’ve heard him on my show before talking about freedom and how it doesn’t exist in his native country.  He sent me an email on July 4th wishing me Happy Independence Day.  It served as another reminder of how great we are despite what the Reverend Jeremiah Wrights of the world have to say.

Happy Independence Day!

Thanks to Texas Congressman Ted Poe for this eloquent speech on the floor of the House of Representatives exposing the ridiculousness (and dangers) of those squishy fluorescent bulbs.  Really, banning Thomas Edison’s incandescent bulbs has to be one of the dumbest things Congress has done.  To be fair, Congress didn’t ban them; the eco-socialists set energy efficiency standards that the average, oridary incandescent just can’t meet.  Enjoy the video.  Then thank Congressman Poe for being a voice of reason.  For Colorado residents, you’ll recognize our own Congressman Tom Tancredo in the background.

Another example of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.  Congratulations to Lakewood for actually repealing a tax.  No kidding!  Lakewood taxpayers organized a movement to repeal the food tax.  That’s proof that you can fight city hall.  Congratulations.

Michael Moskalski is a hero and proof that one person willing to stand up for what he or she believes is right can make a difference.  Mr. Moskalski didn’t intend to be a hero.  Until a few weeks ago, he was a parent just trying to raise his kids and support his family.  Now, his one man crusade changed the policy of an arrogant school district. 

At the end of April, Moskalski got a phone call from Greeley Evans District 6 saying his son Cody had been involved in an altercation on the school bus and would be suspended from the bus for 10 days (and it was captured on video survelllance).  According to Moskalski, the transportation employee who informed the family of Cody’s suspension acknowledged that Cody was defending himself but still had to serve a 10 day bus suspension.  Moskalski then asked to review the surveillance tape.  In a boneheaded move, the school district refused to allow Moskalski to review the tape of his child on the bus.  The arrogant school district claimed federal law prevented it from showing the video.

Moskalski refused to take no for an answer and also refused to be detered by a school district that wouldn’t return his messages.  The story got local, state and national news attention and was further promoted by a number bloggers.  Apparently the pressure worked, the district reviewed its policy and decided to change its policy.  According to the school district spokesman, the new policy to let parents view videos of their own children will be in place by the start of the next school year.  Question: what takes so long to hammer out that policy?

I will give credit where it is due, thank you to the school district for realizing the error of its ways and changing the policy.  Although I don’t think the district suddenly had a change of heart and now views parents as consumers whom the district actually wants to please.  I think the district got too much pressure and had to change its policy or face a public relations nightmare.  And for that I thank unintended crusader Michael Moskalski. 

Let me be very clear about my bias. Two of my kids attend University Schools. One was in the TLC program, which teaches third and fourth grade hearing impaired and non-hearing impaired kids in one classroom. Every lesson is signed and spoken. From the perspective of a parent of a child who is not hearing impaired but was in the classroom, it is a wonderful program. She is bi-lingual along with a whole slew of other students at UH. The relationship between UH and the DHHP goes back to the 1960s. These DHHP students are part of the greater school community.

Question: Why is District 6 administration moving the DHHP students from UH to Chappelow (which is a good school too)?

After some investigating, which includes reading the audit and talking with parents, teachers, DHHP experts and elected officials, I think it’s a power issue. Rather than work with UH, the administration tried to force its curriculum on UH, while not fully supporting (both administratively and financially) DHHP. Understandably UH said no and told the District to take the DHHP. There’s much more to it than that but you get the gist. Check out the University Schools Board of Governors meeting minutes from December 2007.

The minutes indicate that even before the audit was completed the District had no intention of supporting the DHHP at UH. From my perspective, this was not a child centered decision but a power or ego centered decision.

I’m boycotting Pepsi.  I’m a Diet Coke girl anyways so it’s not hard to do.  (And yes I CAN tell the difference).  It was a little harder for my 14-year-old, Gatorade-addicted son.  The problem is that the global warming “cool-aid” has infiltrated Pepsi products.  PepsiCo buys into the cult of climate change propoganda and now contributes to a lobbying campaign to persuade Congress to pass mandatory carbon emissions caps.  Meanwhile Pepsi gobbles up massive amounts of energy but repents by purchasing indulgences in the form of “renewable energy certificates.”  Like the rest of the eco-socialists, Pepsi buys it’s way out of it’s sins against Mother Earth while lobbying Congress to mandate how the rest of us should behave.  Ugh.  I threw away my Diet Coke can.  Guess I’ll just say ten “Hail Mother Earths” and buy a few carbon credits and do it all over again!

If guns don’t kill people — people do; then cold medicine doesn’t make meth — people do.  I’m sick of being a law abiding citizen who gets treated like a criminal because some idiots abuse sudafed and make meth.  It’s collectivist punishment.  What if everyone got punished because one person committed murder?  Ridiculous?  It’s the same as putting cold medicine behind the pharmacy counter, forcing me to show my ID and limiting me to one package per month.