What's the frequency, Colorado?

[Stephen Maturin]

The Democrats in Colorado's U.S. House of Representatives delegation are each working on proposed legislation to exempt state laws "relating to marijuana" from the preemptive effects of the federal Controlled Substances Act. Jared Polis, our rep, proposed similar legislation during the last Congress, but it never went anywhere.

Our reps may get some allies from the Washington delegation this time around. Non-hypocritical states' rights and small government conservatives should also get behind the effort (assuming, of course, that non-hypocritical states' rights and small government conservatives actually exist).

[The Man]

Gunman among 4 dead in Aurora, CO hostage standoff | The Raw Story

Jesus, Aurora, what the fuck?

[Stephen Maturin]

It's been a disturbing week. Some psycho parolee and member of the Colorado-based white supremacist prison gang 211 Crew is believed to be the fuckwad who murdered Tom Clements, executive director of the state's Department of Corrections, at his home on Tuesday night. The same asshole is suspected of murdering a pizza delivery guy on Sunday night.

The asshole got pulled over for a traffic stop in Texas last night, shot a deputy sheriff, and led cops on a high-speed chase before crashing into a tractor-trailer rig and dying in the ensuing gun battle. Here's hoping it was an agonizingly painful death.

The day after Clements' murder, Gov. Hickenlooper signed three new gun control laws. Boulder-based Magpul Industries, which manufactures ammo magazines, says it's in the process of GtingTFO over the new statute restricting magazine capacity.

The "debate" over these and other gun control measures that are currently either dead or still crawling through the legislature has been just plain ghastly. Wingnuts are shrieking lies at any idiot carrying a microphone, and the Fourth Estate has done absolutely nothing to debunk the bullshit.

With all the shit flying around, it's hard to select just one favorite turd. My current frontrunner is the contention that H.B. 1228, which will require gun purchasers to pay part of the cost of their background checks, is exactly -- EXACTLY -- like a poll tax. Thus, we have to wonder whether the Dems who supported the bill would also support the return of Jim Crow or even full blown slavery. We think they would, ergo, racism!

Thankfully, the good news has not gone unnoticed. The civil unions bill that the Republicans killed last year passed with relative ease this time around. In all likelihood, the cowardly machinations of the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives last year was key to creating the new Dem majority that passed the bill.

Anyhoo, the governor signed the bill into law yesterday afternoon. People can commence to civil unionatin' on May Day. Pics of the official license and certificate forms are available here. Full marriage equality is currently impossible in Colorado, but this is a big step in the right direction.

[Ari]

Originally Posted by Stephen Maturin

With all the shit flying around, it's hard to select just one favorite turd. My current frontrunner is the contention that H.B. 1228, which will require gun purchasers to pay part of the cost of their background checks, is exactly -- EXACTLY -- like a poll tax.

I have to wonder how many of these people support bills making welfare recipients pay for their own drug tests before they are allowed food stamps.
Of course if the NRA had its way the government would give out Ammo stamps instead.

[ImGod]

Originally Posted by Ari

I have to wonder how many of these people support bills making welfare recipients pay for their own drug tests before they are allowed food stamps.
Of course if the NRA had its way the government would give out Ammo stamps instead.

That must be the reason why my father-in-law was complaining about the government buying up billions of rounds of ammunition. I'll let him know that they are probably stocking up for the new ammo stamp program. That way he'll stop stockpiling.

[Ensign Steve]

Originally Posted by Ari

I have to wonder how many of these people support bills making welfare recipients pay for their own drug tests.

Nah, not when your wife owns the drug-testing clinic. The taxpayers have deeper pockets.

[LadyShea]

I had to pay for my own background checks to adopt a baby.

[Ensign Steve]

Sorry, there's no second ammendment for babbies.

[Ari]

Babies aren't a God given right, like gun.

[Dingfod]

Our founding fathers were intelligent.

[Stephen Maturin]

It ain't all peaches and gravy for marijuana users, even here in the Hippified People's Republic of Lolorado.

A wheelchair-bound quadriplegic man named Brandon Coats got fired from his jerb at DISH Network (a vile, contemptible puddle-of-dog-vomit company by any measure) when he tested positive for marijuana use during a company drug screening. Mr. Coats is a medical marijuana patient who's in full compliance with state constitutional and statutory provisions governing medical marijuana use. Mr. Coats asserts, and DISH doesn't dispute, that he never used marijuana on the job and was never under the influence at work.

Mr. Coats sued DISH under a state statute which, subject to exceptions that don't apply here, prohibits employers from firing employees for "engaging in any lawful activity off the premises of the employer during nonworking hours." The trial judge dismissed the case and added insult to injury by ordering Coats to pay DISH's attorney fees.

Yesterday the Colorado Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal, holding by a 2-1 vote that above statute doesn't apply because, regardless of what state law says, using marijuana is not "lawful activity" thanks to the federal Controlled Substances Act.

Judge John Webb dissented, writing that (1) "lawful activity" in the above statute refers exclusively to state law, and (2) the marijuana use described in Mr. Coats' complaint is "lawful activity" as a matter of state law. All three judges agreed that Mr. Coats isn't liable for DISH's attorney fees, so that part of the trial court's judgment was reversed.

It was my honor and privilege to provide Mr. Coats' lawyer, a guy I like and respect, with some minimal assistance on the briefs. I've volunteered to help out with the upcoming cert petition to the Colorado Supreme Court, but in the end I suspect my boss is right -- if there's any way to avoid it, no group of judges will voluntarily hold that employers can't fire people for using weed.

[Dingfod]

Originally Posted by Stephen Maturin

... I suspect my boss is right -- if there's any way to avoid it, no group of judges will voluntarily hold that employers can't fire people for using weed.

Legalizing drug use is very libertarian, so is allowing employers to discriminate against those that use them.

[Stephen Maturin]

The Custer County Chamber of Commerce sponsors an Independence Day parade in the sleepy little town of Westcliffe, CO. A group of sociopathic teabilly shitheads calling themselves the Southern Colorado Patriots Club have announced that they'll be marching in the parade ARMED to "make a statement that we still believe in our Constitution" and protest recently enacted firearms legislation set to take effect on July 1.

"Evil black rifles" are "especially" welcome.

The ensuing shitstorm led the Chamber of Commerce to cancel the parade, but the city stepped in and agreed to assume sponsorship. According to the mayor, July 4 is the busiest day of the year for local merchants.

The sheriff in Custer County is a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit seeking a declaration that Colorado's new firearms laws violate the Second Amendment.

So if you're looking to attend a first class shit show, please consider the Westcliffe, CO Fourth of July Parade. Body armor optional, but recommended.

[lisarea]

In other Lolorado news:

7NEWS - Denver Pot Dispensaries: 390; Colo. Starbucks: 208 - News Story

[Stephen Maturin]

Speaking of gun regulation, it's looking like a couple of Colorado state senators will be facing recall elections.

It looks likely that John Morse, president of the Colorado State Senate, will face a recall vote. How a Democrat got elected to the state senate from the wingnut shithole of El Paso County in the first place is something of a mystery, but he managed.

And why should El Paso County residents recall Sen. Morse? According to the Basic Freedom Defense Fund (), it's because he championed all those unconstitutional, anti-common sense, economically destructive firearms regulations is why!

Anyhoo, proponents needed 7,178 signatures to get the recall on the ballot. They turned in over 16,000 signatures and the Secretary of State's office declared over 10,000 of those signatures valid. A group opposing the recall effort says that they've found a number of fraudulent signatures. A separate attack on the constitutional sufficiency of the recall petition is under way in the Secretary of State's office.

Meanwhile, wingers mounting an effort to recall Sen. Angela Giron of Pueblo apparently submitted enough valid signatures to get the issue on the ballot. If any of this shit goes forward, we'll have the first recall election(s) in lolorado history.

[Dingfod]

I had lunch at Subway in Westcliffe on the 8th of June. I didn't seen anyone packing heat, but I did see backpackers.

[Dingfod]

The 51st state, North Colorado, in the most boring part of the one of the most boring parts of the Great Plains, the most boring part of the United States? Some of the residents of 10 counties, 8 in Colorado and 2 in Nebraska want to break off from their current states of residence and form a new state. Sure they have low taxes now, but I wonder how many of those residents would still want to seceded if they knew their property taxes and other taxes are going to have to go up to pay for all the shit they get from the taxpayers in the front range cities now, you know, like roads and schools and irrigation water and so on? It's like the Red States vs Blue States thing on a smaller scale. I say let 'em secede but give them territorial status only so they don't get any Senators. Wait until they see how much tourism dollars they lose... oh, wait, they don't get much of any now.

[Crumb]

That's a weird shaped lake...

[Stephen Maturin]

That's uncomfortably close to our humble homestead in Juggalonia. That's cause for concern, seeing as how a single teabilly cootie egg can destroy an entire civilization.

[Dingfod]

If they succeed in seceding, they should be required to pick another name, like West Chumbucket, and not sully the name of the great state of Colorado.

[ceptimus]

Originally Posted by Crumb

That's a weird shaped lake...

There are some pretty weird county names besides 'Lake'. Who wants to live in Dolores, Mineral, or Bent?

Also, Park should be renamed Penn as it's next to Teller.

[Stephen Maturin]

Lucy Marsh has been teaching at the University of Denver's law school since 1973 and has been a full professor since 1982. She makes an astonishing $40K less per year than the median full lawprof salary at DU, and is the lowest paid full professor at the law school.

Seems the law school's administration doesn't much give a fuck about pay equity , so Prof. Marsh's lawyers filed an employment discrimination claim with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission earlier this week.

You'd think that as a lady Prof. Marsh's teaching duties would be limited to "perspectives" courses with titles like Menstruation and the Law or Law and Feelings, but no! She teaches civil procedure, trusts and estates, and property along with running a legal clinic devoted to preparing estate planning documents for low-income folk.

The EEOC is far too cowardly to DO anything in a case like this, so hopefully they'll get out of the way and issue a right-to-sue notice quickly.

[Dingfod]

Originally Posted by Crumb

That's a weird shaped lake...

Inorite? It has a really big park next to it though.

[Kael]

What the hell does Colorado need so many counties for anyway? It's up to something, no question...

[Dingfod]

It's only 64. Oklahoma has 77. I don't know why.