Former University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill's fight against the school may never end, and although the battle has provided plenty of comic relief — like when the chain-smoking Churchill was caught in May 2009 lighting up in the bathroom of the Denver County Courthouse — the man himself has always been very serious.
Which is why he at first felt he was above writing the introduction for a comic book called 500 Years of Resistance, which was released this month. "I may as well admit, first of all, that I received the invitation to write an introduction to Gord Hill's 'comic book' with a considerable degree of skepticism," Churchill confesses. "Knowing his work in other connections, however, it seemed the least I could do was agree to have a look rather than simply dismissing the ideas out of hand."
How magnanimous.
Churchill goes on to call the book — a graphic portrayal of indigenous resistance to the European colonization of the Americas — "a revelation." And he goes on some more — for thirteen pages, to be exact — on the subject.
On and on is how his case against CU is going, as well. In 2009, a judge found that Churchill had been wrongfully fired; he was awarded $1 in damages, but not his old job. In February of this year, Churchill appealed the last part of that decision. At this point, 500 years of resistance could be an optimistic estimate.
Puppy love: On Sunday, Duane "Dog" Chapman and his wife, Beth "Mrs. Dog" Chapman, were back in Colorado to host a $250-a-plate fundraiser for one of their own: former bail bondswoman Mary Ellen Pollack, a Democrat running for State House District 30 who could be the first bondsperson to ever serve in the Colorado Legislature.
The Chapmans have strongly endorsed Pollack, and the candidate proudly displays a picture of the celebrity bounty-hunter couple — and crew — on her campaign website. But things weren't always so cuddly between the Chapmans and Pollack.
Long before Dog was an A&E reality TV star, he and Pollack operated on Denver's notorious Bail Bond Row, and for a while, they were on opposite sides of a bitter battle over whether bondsmen should charge 10 or 15 percent commission ("Bondage and Domination," April 2, 1998). At first, Dog sided with his sister Jolene Martinez, who was undercutting established operators like Pollack — and he blamed Pollack for ousting him from a 1998 meeting of bail agents. But he switched sides the next year and has been friendly with Pollack ever since.
Of course, political endorsements are what you make of them. After Dog first announced his support of Pollack, the Daily Caller — a political blog run by conservative pundit Tucker Carlson — included it on his list of "Bad Endorsements."
Other endorsements that made Carlson's lists: kind words from Jerry Springer, porn star Jenna Jameson and O.J. Simpson for Hillary Clinton in 2007; Larry Flynt's endorsement of Dennis Kucinich that same year; 50 Cent's love for Obama; pro wrestler Ric Flair's shout-out to Mike Huckabee; and the big smooch that former Crested Butte resident (see page 16) and current plastic-surgery addict Heidi Montag planted on John McCain.
