Independence Institute

Colorado gun-control laws: Columbine dad criticizes sheriffs' lawsuit

Earlier this week, we talked with the Independence Institute's Dave Kopel about a lawsuit against Colorado's new gun-control laws supported by 55 sheriffs throughout the state; see the suit and more below. Today brings a rebuttal from Colorado Ceasefire's Tom Mauser, who became a gun-control advoca ... More >>

Colorado gun-control laws: Here's why 55 sheriffs think they're illegal

As we noted last week while covering the tragic death of Anastasia Adair, who accidentally killed herself with a new assault rifle, Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith and 54 colleagues have joined a complaint against newly passed Colorado gun-control laws, including a ban of all magazines that can ... More >>

Marijuana: David Lane will sue over new rule treating pot magazines like porn

Last week, we noted a section of the main bill to regulate Amendment 64 that essentially treated marijuana magazines like porn. In the days that followed, High Times warned that a lawsuit would be in the offing if the language was included in the final version -- but it was. Now, attorney David Lan ... More >>

Cory Gardner co-stars in CBS access peddling investigation

Denver blog posts think you've been working too hard. Colorado Pols shares a CBS video suggesting that some freshman Republican Congressmen who promised a new way of doing business are happily collecting perks. Featured: Cory Gardner. At People's Press Collective, T.L. James shares the get-togethe ... More >>

New taxes on gas, electric cars?: CDOT says it's just talking about them right now

​Is the Colorado Department of Transportation looking at hiking taxes on gasoline and electric cars? That's the implication from an Independence Institute report, which quotes from CDOT e-mails. But spokeswoman Stacey Stegman says there's no proposal yet, and one is unlikely this year.

Drug war: An unhappy 40th birthday party

​On June 17, 1971, President Richard Milhous Nixon announced that the United States of America would commits its vast resources to armed conflict against a hostile enemy known as "drugs." Yes, that's right. Next week, the War on Drugs officially turns forty years old, and it's showing every bi ... More >>

Tom Tancredo always takes credit for what he says, even the outrageous

Ken Buck steps in it at Independence Institute

Ken Buck.​When I met Ken Buck at the Independence Institute's ATF event Saturday, I asked what he thought about Jane Norton injecting gender into the race with a new commercial asking whether he was "man enough" to be a senator. Buck responded by telling me that Norton had recently said the di ... More >>

Personhood amendment backers consider suing over ballot-petition procedures, too

The personhood amendment is probably coming to a ballot near you.​On Tuesday, we told you about a lawsuit over ballot-petition rules filed by attorney David Lane on behalf of advocates as varied as the Independence Institute's Jon Caldara and SAFER's Mason Tvert. It's possible the group of pl ... More >>

Marijuana advocate Mason Tvert on why he joined a ballot-petition lawsuit -- and the future of his marijuana-legalization initiative

Mason Tvert doesn't think many current rules about petitioning make sense.​On Tuesday, we told you about a lawsuit over the rules pertaining to ballot initiatives that's supported by some strange bedfellows -- among them the Independence Institute's Jon Caldara and Mason Tvert, the marijuana a ... More >>

Marijuana and right-wing politics get together: Mason Tvert and Jon Caldara sign on to lawsuit about ballot petitions

"I agree with Mason Tvert about something? AARGH!"​At first blush (and second) (and third), marijuana advocate Mason Tvert and Jon Caldara, frontman for the conservative Independence Institute, are strange bedfellows. But today, they're partners in a legal love match. They're among the plaint ... More >>

Jon Caldara isn't resting on health care even after Scott Brown's win

Jon Caldara would have looked like this had Scott Brown lost.​Yesterday, the Independence Institute's Jon Caldara was among the driving forces behind a large gathering at the state capitol in favor of opting out of any federal health care plan, either via legislation or a ballot measure. Then, ... More >>

From the week of November 26, 2009

Legalizing marijuana -- medical or otherwise -- has become the toke of the town

Independence Institute on jihad against public-art spending in Denver

If we could get a couple more of these, betcha everybody would be psyched.​Even when times are good, fiscal conservatives often rail against public spending for the arts -- because, apparently, life would be better if we lived in a joyless, monochromatic society modeled on George Orwell's 1984 ... More >>

A Mural? In the Santa Fe Art District? Unacceptable!

Columnist chronicles Denver's New Urbanism conference on the Huffington Post

Photo by Jonathan ShikesThe new-urbanist enclave of Highlands' Garden Village. Last week, the Congress for the New Urbanism held its annual conference in Denver -- an event we commemorated with examinations of Bradburn Village, Highlands' Garden Village and several other New Urbanist developments i ... More >>

Wake-Up Call: No more educational regional directors or Tancredos

The U.S. Department of Education is eliminating several regional director jobs, disappointing Coloradans hoping for an appointment, the Denver Post reports today. According to a notice outlining the job eliminations,"These political appointees have not had substantial policy or administrative func ... More >>

Wake Up Call: The week ahead -- when worse comes to verse

Before we were panicked about swine flu and twisted by torture-memo leaks, we were terrified by the Devil Horse, Luis Jimenez's killer sculpture that stands guard outside Denver International Airport, its red eyes shooting deadly lasers at unsuspecting passersby. Or are those glowing orbs actually ... More >>

Wake-Up Call: Signs of the times

The Rocky Mountain News sign came off the Denver Newspaper Agency building (and how long will it have that name?) on Sunday. But this speedy erasing of the past didn't extend to the Sunday Denver Post, which included numerous reminders of the two papers pairing to promote a charitable endeavors, i ... More >>

From the week of February 26, 2009

Shmuck of the Week: Peter Boyles

Peter Boyles's show isn't popular for its intelligent discourse. Sure, the longtime Denver radio shock jock is a smart man himself and he gets plenty of intelligent people on his program, but things typically devolve quickly. As with most radio shows, ratings trump reason. But Vagina DeJette? Serio ... More >>

Denver's latest traffic plan depends on getting you out of your car

Disclosure not exactly full in coverage of pro-Amendment 49 press conference

Jon Caldara wants you to buy his sock puppets

Clear Channel stations at the DNC: What'd he say?

Absinthe Absent From Shelves

The wormwood wonder may be legal now, but good luck finding any in this city.

Delegating Denver #21 of 56: Kentucky

CORA Wars

Bill O'Reilly is Donald Duck

The Right Stuff

Snow Blind

Snow jobs were all over town last week.

Letters to the Editor

From the week of October 12, 2006

Doin' It With DeGette

Diana DeGette gets played, not laid, on The Colbert Report.

Take Your Best Shot

Throwing a few back for Katrina relief.

Off Limits

I Am Curious, Yellow

Open and Closed

Japanese design is showcased at the CVA, while more art censorship hits Colorado.

Letters to the Editor

From the week of November 18, 2004

Coloradans Take Aim

The Second Amendment triggers dialogue.

Hot Stuff

A new measuring technique may allow higher broadcast emissions on Lookout Mountain.

Best Media Manipulator

Jon Caldara
President, Independence Institute

Off Limits

One-Track Minds

Rail-happy RTD candidates want to solve Denver's traffic nightmare. Are they just spinning their wheels?

Beating the Train

Light-rail opponents plot ways to jump the tracks--with an RTD boardmember leading the charge.

Off Limits

RUNAWAY TRAIN

WHO'S THE BOSS?

THE BATTLE LINES ARE FORMING IN THE BREWING POLITICAL SKIRMISH OVER PARENTS' RIGHTS.

OFF LIMITS

OFF LIMITS