We have some funny wingnuts in Colorado especially when it comes to those trying to defend US Senate candidate and former congressman Bob Schaffer.  Back in '99 Bob took a nice junket to the Mariana Islands to help his buddy Jack Abramoff and his client the Mariana Islands government continue their well documented sweat shop garment factories.

One of those defenders is Ross Kaminsky who's written a series trying to defend Bob Schaffer by attacking the Denver Post reporter doing the digging on Schaffer.  But then, I expect that.  He's on the right wing, he's going to try to defend his guy.  Of course, actual documents show that his arguments are nothing more than a pixelated bunch of hot air, but that's a whole other story.  What's sad is that the the new media site of the Denver Post, Politics West, would allow such a guy to spew his fantasies.

Bob Schaffer is a former Congressman from Colorado's 4th, now running for the Senate.  To read our local coverage of Bob Schaffer's various scandals see here.

What opportune timing.  Between the Bill Orr trial, trying to learn which Congressman gave him the earmark he used to line his pocketbook, and so many other political scandals, I wasn't sure when was the right time to reveal what else we dug out of Bob Schaffer's Congressional archive.  But, now that Ross Kaminsky has started his belated by two months defense of Bob Schaffer on the Denver Post's new website, he's given me the right opportunity to bring this up again.  I'm going to show how his attempt to get to the "truth" is the furthest thing from reality.

What interesting timing. Today, John McCain said   the following:

"I will use the veto as needed. I will veto every single beer — bill with earmarks," he said, as rumblings from the crowd could be heard. "And every single bill that we have come across my desk I will make them famous. I will veto them, you will know their names."

Come on, I know you're all tired of the primaries.  Don't you want to have some fun?  If you're in Denver, join us, and help save some ales at the same time.

In addition to rising temperatures, global warming is shifting precipitation patterns damaging the once plentiful supply of hops. Growing wheat and barley is also being affected.

Don't believe me?  See here:

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - The price of beer is likely to rise in coming decades because climate change will hamper the production of a key grain needed for the brew - especially in Australia, a scientist warned Tuesday.

Jim Salinger, a climate scientist at New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, said climate change likely will cause a decline in the production of malting barley in parts of New Zealand and Australia. Malting barley is a key ingredient of beer.

I wish I could be there but a few SquareStaters got into the invite only Obama education townhall in the north Denver 'burb of Thorton.

I will try to cross-post the updates, but it would be faster to just go to SquareState.

Also, a few of us will be interviewed about the convention and other bloggy things by the DenverPost's new site PoliticsWest at Drinking Liberally later this evening.

From a press release this morning (also on their website):

As part of the Democratic National Convention Committee's (DNCC) commitment to engaging a broad spectrum of audiences in the 2008 Democratic National Convention experience using new technology and other creative means, Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Howard Dean today announced the blogs selected to participate in the DemConvention State Blogger Corps during the four-day event in August. Governor Dean notified the blogs selected via an online video message available at www.DemConvention.com

Before the fold, I'm happy to announce that the blog from the Squarer State blogging in the Square State is SquareState.net.  Nyah, nyah to Wyoming.  Their western border is on an angle.  :-)

I will update with the video announcement from Howard Dean shortly.  

source: DenverPost

Bob Schaffer is a former congressman from Colorado's 4th district.  He's now running for senate against Congressman Mark Udall.

In 1999 he took a trip to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands organized by Jack Abramoff and paid for Lou Sheldon's Traditional Values Coalition.  According to the Denver Post:

Just before boarding a plane to the Mariana Islands in 1999, then-Congressman Bob Schaffer announced he was embarking on a fact-finding mission to get to the bottom of repeated allegations of labor abuse in the American protectorate.

"I plan to walk right into those factories and living quarters to see for myself what conditions exist," Schaffer said in a news release in August of that year.

In fact, it doesn't look like he looked all that hard. Below is the documented proof.

Former CO-04 Congressman Bob Schaffer is running for the Senate seat being vacated by Wayne Allard.  CO-02 Congressman Mark Udall is his opponent.  For a good summary of these developments see SquareState.net or these diaries here and here.

The Rocky Mountain News has a followup where Schaffer actually speaks for the first time.  That sure took a while.

A welcoming committee wanted to take Schaffer to his hotel, he said, but he prevailed. He said he found women working in a "sweatshop," and demanded leaders of the Northern Mariana Islands investigate.

"I was told that shortly after I left (the Marianas) that the factory was shut down," he said Friday, stressing he never verified the information.

Former CO-04 Congressman Bob Schaffer(R) is running for the senate seat being vacated by Wayne Allard.  CO-02 Congressman Mark Udall (D) is also running.  In '04 Schaffer lost the republican primary to one of the Coors boys who then lost to Ken Salazar.  Schaffer is anywhere from the 7th to the 14th conservative legislator since 1937.

In what seems like a fairly moderate position on immigration Bob Schaffer had the following to say as quoted in the DenverRockyMountainPost:

Calling America a country perfectly "capable of multitasking," Republican Senate candidate Bob Schaffer said the U.S. ought to be pursuing a guest- worker program at the same time it fortifies its borders.

I learned a long time ago that inside this mid 30s white male brought up in a middle class home blocks from the border of Chicago there's a little racism.  I know it because it was taught, learned, and/or passed on to me by others.  I know that racism exists in me when I have a twinge of fear walking down a street past a few african american men.  It's an irrational fear that's perhaps bolstered by stories of crime perpetrated by young black males.  That fear becomes hate.  While hate can feel good, strong, and powerful, fear feels sick, weak, and sad.  Since one is related to and creates the other, I don't want either of them.  To battle that ignorance and fear I have to first accept it, and slowly work on reducing it.

The other day I wrote about Dick Wadhams in the RockyMountainPost vowing to go after the liberal campaign funders here in Colorado.  Looking back, Michael Riley actually wrote a well balanced piece especially compared to Tom McAvoy of the Pueblo Chieftain who must still have drool on his chin:

Dick Wadhams is a fighter, and an effective one at that. This attribute is one of the reasons Colorado Republicans turned to Wadhams to be their state party chairman a year ago.
...
"[Stryker, Gill, et al,], Wadhams said, aren't 'going to get away with hiding in the shadows in this election.'"
...
Republicans cannot find a more battle-tested warrior to meet "throat to the neck" tactics head-on. If the Democrats want a fight, Wadhams will give them one.

He goes on and on and on about the following:

-Dick Wadhams is grrrrreat!

-Wadhams is going to expose all those rich lefty funders

-"throat to the neck"

-funding campaigns and 527s is dirty and rotten

Bang-Bang!
I've been hinting at it for weeks if not months, but it's finally coming together.

Two of us came up with the idea of Shooting Liberally while at the last YearlyKos during the Rocky Mountain caucus.  It turns out it's not that far out an idea as Stan, Brad, and Jeff in New York and Charleston thought of it independently.  Great minds and all that...

Anyway, There are a lot of hunters in this state.  Some Americans also enjoy target practice.  And there are those who have their own home protection.

Not all of these folks are conservative, and many aren't political at all.  The NRA on the other hand, a little political.    

While there are extremists at each end of the 2nd Amendment, most people don't want to ban all guns or allow the free ownership of bazookas without any sort of regulation.  Some gun enthusiasts are even liberal.  

So with that we're launching Shooting Liberally.  We've done drinking, reading, and movies, so now liberals are gonna get together for a little target practice.

And she wasn't even involved in politics before:

linky:

LifeBridge will develop its Union project in Weld County
By Rachel Carter Longmont Times-Call

LONGMONT — LifeBridge Christian Church won’t be in Longmont city limits.

The church and its business organization, 4C, will develop the 350-acre Union project in Weld County, leaders announced Thursday.

Martin Dickey, 4C chief operating officer, said board members and church elders decided to drop their plans to annex into Longmont because November’s election brought new members to the Longmont City Council — and more uncertainty to the project’s future.

h/t to Jen C. at ProgressNowaction

Legally, Act Blue can't operate on a state level in Colorado as current law prohibits an intermediary transfer of funds.  So, I created what's known in Colorado as a Small Donor Committee.  In the works for almost a year, finally the i's are all dotted; the t's are all crossed.  The SquareState Small Donor Committee is here.

We've done pontificating, pointed out the failed policies of the extreme right wing, mobilized voters, coordinated grassroots action, and even fundraised for federal races.  It's time to help those local candidates we want to see in office in our somewhat square state.  Let's show (current CO-GOP chair)Dick Wadhams that this isn't the same state the last time he was here.  All the progress made in the last few years, we're just getting started.

Earlier this afternoon I heard from a Udall staffer that Congressman Udall (CO-02) will be looking for co-sponsors for a resolution to condemn Rush Limbaugh for calling any of those serving in our armed forced "phony".  

In what will certainly be seen at a major coup in netroots campaigning, Jared Polis has hired Jerome Armstrong as the campaign's internet political director.

Maria Handley also signed on as the Field Consultant.  She was most recently a member of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and a member of the Executive Committee and Hispanic Caucus. Previously she worked for Progress Now.

Sorry for the misleading title, but it's true.  With all the bazillions of diaries on Larry Craig last week, that meant few saw the first two parts of my campaign to get Denver local radio nut job Gunny Bob's advertisers to run away from him screaming.

Part 3 of a series on Denver talk show host "Gunny" Bob Newman.  For part 2, go here: How to put Gunny Bob's head on a pike.
For part 1, go here: I want Gunny Bob's head on a pike!

Again to recap, were Gunny Bob's rantings about liberals actually true I would be serious about wanting his head on a pike.  Instead I'd like to see his checkbook and that of his Clear Channel corporate masters on a pike.