BackboneAmerica

By Brian Ochsner baochsner@aol.com

The mainstream media was like a bird dog chasing its tail covering the “Huntergate” story; then the “Portgate” story broke, and that became the frenzy of the week. Meanwhile the business press stayed focused on a more important matter: the struggle of one of America’s largest manufacturers and automakers, General Motors.

During most of the 20th century, GM was one of America and Wall Street’s ‘blue-chip’ companies that were good investments. However, if you examine their financial statements today like a doctor looks at a patient, you’d see a company with financial ‘cancer’ that’s bordering on being terminal. In business terms, they’re not far from declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy, with Moody’s having cut their bond rating yet again. Here are a few reasons why GM is in such bad shape today. (more…)

BULLETIN FROM JOHN ANDREWS

Join us on radio every Sunday, 5-8pm on 710 KNUS, Denver
To listen online from anywhere, click 710knus.com
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Americans must be spared the sight of those Muslim cartoons, but saturated in coverage of Cheney’s shooting accident. Windmills are vital to our energy future, but Alaska drilling isn’t. Illegal immigration is not a priority, but domestic partnerships are.

Such is the illogic of the liberal worldview, the spectacle of Democrats in denial. We’ll take a deep breath and go exploring in that strange land of the left, this Sunday on “Backbone Radio with John Andrews.” You’re invited along for the ride. (more…)

Remarks by John Andrews,
Co-chair of Defend Colorado Now campaign,
Jefferson County Republican dinner, Feb. 21

As a proud graduate of the Dick Cheney School of Safe Hunting, I hold my fire for all targets – except endangered species, liberals, and lawyers. And right now there’s one group of liberal lawyers I’m particularly unhappy with. They’ve asked the Colorado Supreme Court to block the most important ballot issue you will be asked to vote on in this election year.

That issue is called Defend Colorado Now. It is our chance to do something about the silent invasion of illegal aliens flooding into this country – perhaps as many as a quarter-million of them in this state alone. (more…)

Why Colorado needs Amendment 38

(John Andrews in the Denver Post, Feb. 19) February marks the birthday of two giants, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. Ungrateful America no longer observes a holiday in either man’s name. Yet some of us never let Feb. 22 pass without a tribute to the Father of Our Country, or Feb. 12 without homage to the Great Emancipator. (more…)

Join us on radio every Sunday, 5-8pm on 710 KNUS, Denver
To listen online from anywhere, click 710knus.com
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How does Bush cause hurricanes? Why is Cheney the way he is? What started Republicans on this anti-smoking jag? Those are three of the many questions that we at Backbone Radio honestly can’t answer for you.

Sure, we can guess, and this week’s show will feature our most imaginative surmises on these topics — even as we guessed last week about which Senate Democrat most resembles Jabba the Hutt, and the previous week about what position Ann Coulter should play on the conservative football all-stars.

But we can more confidently predict such things as: (1) Which governor and lieutenant governor ticket has the best chance to succeed Bill Owens and Jane Norton this fall? (2) Could the mainstream media recognize a double standard if their life depended on it? And (3) is morality or promiscuity more likely to yield real happiness? (more…)

The “Head On” debate between former state Sen. John Andrews (R) and former Denver councilwoman Susan Barnes-Gelt (D), seen daily on Colorado Public Television since 1997, began its February series this week. Andrews urged that the free world “not give an inch” to Islamofascist intimidation over the Danish cartoons. (We link the cartoons here, unlike many US news organizations apparently afraid to do so.) Other topics this month include Iran, energy policy, campaign finance and lobbying reform, and the Denver mayor’s political travails.

1. MUSLIM CARTOONS & FREE SPEECH

Susan: Freedom of the press, freedom of speech, are the underpinnings of democratic society. On the other hand blatant disregard for the beliefs of others is a travesty – regardless of one’s personal opinions. Muslim leaders like Turkey’s Abdullah Dul are right in urging mutual respect. Our lives depend on it.

John: Those Danish cartoonists had every right to criticize Islamic hatred and violence. Western governments have an obligation to protect such expression unconditionally. Muslim governments have an obligation to protect Western embassies or face the consequences. This is not a clash of civilizations, it is civilization confronting barbarism. We should not give an inch. (more…)

By Leonidas

Editor’s Note: Is it simple compassion for victims, or an agenda to smash Christ’s oldest church, that motivates three Democrat-sponsored bills declaring open season on sex-abuse lawsuits against Roman Catholics (but not others) in Colorado? “Leonidas,” an experienced state-government observer and participant, suspects the latter. The hasty back-pedalling by sponsors to put public schools in similar legal jeopardy comes too late to mask the legislation’s real intent. Even if recent editorial heat forces further changes in these bills, the cat’s out of the bag. Our contributor is quite right, I believe, in seeing this as evidence of a war on religion by liberals. — John Andrews

What do you do about a political party that dares not tell the people what they’re really about, a party that knows if they did come clean the only elections they’d ever win would be in places like Boulder, Berkeley, or Greenwich Village?

What do you do about a party whose candidates must pretend to like things they actually detest in order to fool people into voting for them? Remember a helmeted and unhappy looking Michael Dukakis staring at you from the turret of a tank? More recently we had Senator Kerry inviting the press corps on a hunting trip to snap photos of a camouflage wearing, shotgun toting John starring in the role of hunter, outdoorsman, and regular guy.

Now, let’s be fair to Democrats. They’re not all left-wing liberal extremists. Just the ones who run the party, that’s all. (more…)

By Brian Ochsner baochsner@aol.com

Like the California gold miners in the 1800s with a white-hot desire for the precious metal, local governments seem to have a fever to exercise eminent domain on as much property as the law will allow. By condemning and declaring properties ‘blighted’ or undesirable, cities have allowed larger businesses (such as Wal-Mart and other ‘big-box’ stores) to develop them for a ‘better use.’ Translated: More sales and higher sales tax revenues. Think it’s not a growing problem, and it couldn’t happen to you in Colorado? Guess what – it already is. Here’s what led to the current situation. (more…)

Join us on radio every Sunday, 5-8pm on 710 KNUS, Denver
To listen online from anywhere, click 710knus.com
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“I never had a feeling, politically, that did not spring from the sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence.” So said Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday was yesterday. He was speaking at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on Washington’s birthday in 1861, a few days before becoming our 16th President. (more…)

One-sided victory in Radio Bowl LXXI

Since we all know that nothing “super” ever came out of Detroit,
many Coloradans spent the late afternoon and early evening
on this winter Sunday tuned to 710 KNUS when talk-show John
became sportscaster John to call the play by play for… (more…)

(John Andrews in the Denver Post, Feb. 5) Now that Samuel Alito has been confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court, with intense media attention and high drama in the Senate, Coloradans should take a closer look at how the newest member of our own state Supreme Court will be chosen. The selection process in Denver since December has paralleled the one in Washington, but in far less public fashion. A decision could come any day. (more…)

Join us on radio every Sunday, 5-8pm on 710 KNUS, Denver
To listen online from anywhere, click 710knus.com
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On this Sunday’s program for “Backbone Radio with John Andrews,” our topics and guests will bring the State of the Union idea closer to home for all of us. Bush’s Tuesday speech to Congress bears careful attention, of course. So we’ll dig into that. But also on this show, since America is after all a union of states, we will challenge listeners to take personal ownership of self-government right here in Colorado, right on your own street. That’s what backbone has to mean. (more…)

By Krista Kafer krista555@msn.com

The U.S. Senate confirmed Judge Samuel Alito the 110th Justice of the Supreme Court Tuesday by a 58-42 vote. Colorado Senator Wayne Allard (R) voted in favor while Senator Ken Salazar (D) voted against confirmation.

The addition of Justice Samuel Alito bodes well for the nation’s school children. Why? What does the Court have to do with education? The Court decides whether it is constitutional for children to use public funds to attend faith-based schools. (more…)