Common Sense News February 2014 by Common Sense News

A Publication of News, Commentaries, and Various Topics of Interest. Volume II

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February 2014 | Common Sense News | A-3

Effective Advocacy at the Colorado Capitol

By Representative Chris Holbert

he Colorado General Assembly convened for the annual 120-day general session on Wednesday, January 8, 2014. Between then and midnight on Wednesday, May 7, our 65 representatives and 35 senators will make critical decisions on behalf over five million Colorado residents.

to vote on a bill – and that is 100% OK for you to do too.

Consider that jurists and legislators are different. In a courtroom, jurists are expected to remain neutral, to hear all evidence provided, and then render a verdict. Legislators are interviewed by voters during campaigns and are elected in part based on the principles we purport to hold. We Constituents and citizen activists throughout Colorado will be advocating legislators are not required to remain neutral on an issue prior to voting for or against hundreds of bills being introduced this year. Regardless of on a bill. We can be neutral, but that is not a requirement. what those bills are and what your position will be on those issues, I offer the following in hopes of helping you be more effective at advocating for For example, I have publicly stated many times that the Second Amendment what you believe to be right. is our defense against tyranny and that I will not negotiate with the rights of law-abiding citizens under the Constitution. Thus, when a so-called What is your goal? “gun control” bill is introduced to enact more citizen-control, I will vote When advocating for or against a bill, consider that expressing your “No” on that bill. I don’t have to keep that a secret; I can tell you right now opinions, sharing information, and asking for (or demanding) a particular that I will be a “No” vote on that bill. vote from the legislator is not your ultimate goal. Those are all important steps, but the ultimate goal is to achieve your desired outcome by passing, Of course, most bills aren’t so confrontational and positions held by amending, or killing the bill. With almost all citizen-based advocacy, the advocates and legislators alike are less defined. Thus, it can be even more missing component is to ask legislators the four most powerful words in helpful to ask a legislator how he/she intends to vote on the matter. Having advocacy: “How will you vote?” that information empowers you and, when communicating with me or any other legislator, I encourage you to ask, “How will you vote?” In Colorado, a simple majority vote is required to pass, amend, or kill a bill. That is true whether a bill is in Committee or on the floor of the House or Asking that important question will identify three groups of legislators: Senate. A Concurrent Resolution, which is the type of legislation required those who support your position, those who oppose your position, and to amend the state Constitution by referred measure to the ballot, requires those who are undecided. Treat those three groups differently. Thank 2/3 approval from each chamber. That type of legislation is very rarely those who are with you, educate the undecided, and hold those who considered. All other types of legislation (bills) require a simple majority oppose your position accountable in their next election. vote to pass, amend, or kill that piece of legislation. Remember that your goal is not to convey the most information or to Committees will generally have 5, 7, 9, 11 or 13 members. A simple majority convey information more frequently. Your goal is to get at least 33, 18 and of those members is required to pass, amend, or kill a bill that is before 1 to agree with your position. It is helpful to know early on where you are that committee. There are 65 members of the House and 35 members of starting, how close you are to achieving that goal, and if/when you active the Senate. A simple majority of the House equates to 33 votes. A simple the critical 33, 18 and 1. So ask, count, trust, and verify. majority of the Senate equates to 18 votes. Helpful Hints & Resources A bill that receives 33 or more votes in the House and 18 or more votes • The 100 legislators who serve in the Colorado legislature are not in the Senate is then sent to the Governor for his/her approval or veto. In "members of Congress." The word “Congress” refers to the federal Colorado, there is no way for a bill to become law unless it receives the legislature. There are 65 Representatives and 35 Senators in the Colorado support of 33 or more Representatives, 18 or more Senators, and at least General Assembly. There is no such thing as “state congress.” the one Governor – all during the same, 120-day general session. • Depending on where you are registered to vote (or live) in Colorado, If one or more members of the House or Senate are absent or excused there are one State Representative and one State Senator who represent for a vote that is conducted on the floor of the House or Senate, then the you. If you don't know those two people, then take time to meet them. minimum number of votes required to pass, amend, or kill a bill does not If you need to determine who they are, then get a piece of mail at your change. The Colorado rule of “33, 18 & 1” is absolute. Therefore, counting home and find your Zip + 4 zip code. From there, go here and enter your your votes before such a vote is conducted becomes a crucial step and Zip + 4 in the search box: http://www.votesmart.org/ one that almost no citizen advocate ever takes. • From the http://votesmart.org/ web site, write down the name of your When professional advocates (lobbyists) work for or against a bill, State Senator and State Representative Next, go to the Colorado General they too share information. However, they also know to ask whether a Assembly web site and click the "Contact Information" tab in the left menu. legislator knows how he or she intends to vote on the measure. Lobbyists http://www.leg.state.co.us/ Contact information for your State Senator understand how important it is to count their votes before that vote is and State Representative is provided in the "Legislative Pink Book" that is cast. Thus, lobbyists make a point to ask legislators early on how we intend available under the "Contract Information" tab Continued on Page A-7

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A-4 | Common Sense News | February 2014

IN THIS ISSUE: SECTION A

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Effective Advocacy at the Colorado Capitol...............................A-3 Anne's 2 Sense.................................................................................A-4 Letter to the editor.......................................................................A-5 Legislative Alert: Gun Bills during the 2014..............................A-6 Human Trafficking Advocacy Day...............................................A-8 Principles of Liberty.......................................................................A-10 Cover Your Assets.........................................................................A-12 The Tyranny of Unintended Consequences..............................A-13 Top 10 Personhood Accomplishments of 2013........................A-14 Lana's 2 Sense..................................................................................A-15

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Craig DeLuca

account executives Lana Fore-Warkocz Jerry Vinnola

contributors Matt Arnold Sarah Arnold Richard Bratten Douglas Bruce Kanda Calef Gwen Chermack Ken Clark Monique Derr Timothy Dietz esq. Tamra Farah Richard Hildebrand Rep. Chris Holbert Dr. Harley Ihm Dan Kidder Anne Boswell Taylor

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ABOUT OUR CONTENT: Common Sense News provides a voice for freedom-loving Americans who share many common values, yet have differing opinions on certain subjects. This publications’ staff and writers possess diverse worldviews. The content of Common Sense News does not necessarily reflect the views of the employees of Intermountain Media LLC.

Pot, Not all it is Cracked up to be!..............................................B-1 Which Political Animal Are You?.................................................B-2 Colorado's Caucus System 101: Delegates and Alternates..........B-3 Turning the Tables - Fighting Back..............................................B-4 Tea Party - What do we stand for?................................................B-5 Springs News: When Did Stealing Become Okay?....................B-6 Twin Olympians, Sisterly Love.....................................................B-9 IF.........................................................................................B-10 Heritage Girls Preparing for Emergencies.................................B-11 Safely Storing Your Guns..............................................................B-12

EMAIL EDITOR@COMMONSENSENEWSUSA.COM

014 is shaping up to be a huge year for Colorado voters. With the hundreds of bad party line votes sponsored by the Leftists from the East Coast last year, it is time for Colorado voters to take up the momentum of the recent recalls and push back…hard.

art director

SECTION B

Our cover this month seems to be a question for many people. “Does my vote really matter?” Well, yes…yes it really does! Principled and moral people have stayed away from the political process for too long and now look where we are as a state and a nation. One man or woman can change the world. Whole nations have been altered by the voice or the actions of one person, both for good and for evil. Are you registered to vote? If not, register at the www. sos.state.co.us website. The Colorado Secretary of State site is jam packed with great information. If you have not registered by now you may not personally vote in the caucus but you will still be able to participate in the rest of the process. If you are registered GO to your local caucus on March 4, 2014. At the caucus you will elect your state assembly delegate. It is their job to faithfully listen to the people in your precinct and take those views to the assembly. Check out your local precinct and talk to your precinct leaders. Then discuss your views with them. Get to know your candidates. I call them or email them. They all have websites so you don’t have the excuse that you couldn’t find them. I want to know how they vote on certain bills, what their character is and if they align with my ideas; what their principles are. Do I blindly believe the ridiculous TV ads that come out every election season? NEVER. I pay attention to what group or political action committee (PAC) paid for them. They all have an agenda.

Make sure you pay attention. Follow the money and you will generally find out the mission. Don’t you want to help make the decision of who leads your city, county, state and nation? The way I see it, is if you don’t vote you don’t get to whine. If you leave it up to everyone else around you to make the decisions then when things go poorly you only have yourself to blame. We have kicked off the 2014 Colorado General Assembly. It will run through May and hundreds of bills will be presented to your legislators. Watch out. Watch VERY carefully. The process is nasty business and sneaky legislators will try to pass bills through in the night. Did you know you personally are allowed to go to the Capital to testify on bills you may have views on? Get in your car and move it! Last year during the gun bill fight, thousands of citizens opposed to the biggest restrictive gun bills ever in the USA drove around the building honking their horns in protest. While I don’t really advocate your driving your Buick around the block honking, the point is you are the BOSS. YOU are the one in charge! WE the People make sure these folks have a job…or not. Take a look on the Colorado General Assembly website. http://www.leg.state.co.us/ You can listen to all of the committees debate the various bills and see the schedules. It is quite interesting to listen or watch these meetings. You get a really good understanding of what each side thinks; the pros and the cons. If you have no idea how to get involved, Common Sense News is a good place to start. CSN has several articles to teach what the issues are and how the process works from the caucus to the Presidential election. Start here if you need a push. Take a look at our pretty new website! www. commonsensenewsusa.com! We love it and are having a ball posting new ideas and articles.

Anne Vinnola

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Editor, Once and awhile, a movie touches your heart and leaves you humbled. Lone Survivor is such a movie; it is the true story of Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell his combat brethren and their life and death battle against the Taliban in a place few of us would choose to be. Lone Survivor is a great deal more than a war story though. It is about brotherhood, honor, courage, duty, character and yes, American exceptionalism. At a dramatic level, it is a movie that all Americans should see in my opinion. It is also a movie that I knew the extreme left would dislike and condemn because of the afore mentioned attributes of our military. Sure enough, some liberal critics and bloggers are calling it a war against brown-skinned people. They refer to it as a movie that glorifies war. They seem to ignore the fact that it was a brown-skinned villager and his neighbors who saved Luttrell's life by putting their own lives in great peril. The extreme left has always been anti-military. They view the world through childish eyes and foolish policies. Their bumper stickers proclaim; War Is Not the Answer. Tell that one to Adolph Hitler! Indeed, sometimes war is the only answer and at those times, I thank GOD for men like Marcus Luttrell. From Valley Forge to Afghanistan, this nation has been blessed with men willing to lie down their lives so that others might have the freedom to admonish their noble deeds and ridicule their devotion to duty, honor and country. My Heroes will always be such warriors and the lefts will always be folks with names like Obama. When your backs against the wall who would you choose to be by your side? John Stuart Mills for told of such things when he wrote that; War is an ugly thing but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. A man who has nothing he cares about more than his own personal safety is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. Do yourself a favor and see this movie and by all means feel pride afterwards. Len Bentley - Colorado Springs, CO Editor, In reading posts this morning from some of our state legislators, it struck me just how fortunate we are in Colorado even though today the radical extremists in D clothing are causing so much damage to us all. There are those who are taking BOLD stands on issues that will not be popular even within their own party, but they are standing up for their beliefs and for those who elected them. It takes courage in today’s environment to do so as politically in an election year actual principles seem to be the last thing far too many political wonks and some party officials want to hear cross the lips of candidates. Those wonks get weak in the knees when they see a principled candidate or official take a principled stand for fear it will cost a vote of someone not likely to vote like the wonk would wish. I thank those who take their positions seriously enough to actually say what they mean. I am more than thankful to those who are doing that who are also translating those beliefs into how they are voting in representing us. We are also blessed with an amazing group of people running this year for not only House and Senate seats in Denver, but locally as well. I have had the pleasure of sitting down with several candidates over the last few months and it’s hard not to feel encouraged about Colorado’s future. In many races, it’s hard to actually pick someone over another as the loser in those races would do as well as the eventual winner. It’s not a bad problem to have and, fortunately for all of us, it is a trend that likely will continue for some time as people with principle are stepping up all over to run for these positions that used to be all but handed out to the next in line. While I have no illusions that Washington can be “fixed” politically in the near future and the challenges coming from a new emboldened centralized authority will negatively impact each of us, I have renewed hope in the people we are blessed to have around us at home. Putting all our faith in pure politics is the recipe for our destruction, but what we are seeing from many in politics locally today is not really politics, but people moving in to recapture a mountain we had all but surrendered. Don Rodgers - Colorado Springs, CO Editor, The roaring 60s and70s was a time of extreme lawlessness in this country by a group of young people who were called “hippies.” They were a sad society who smoked, chewed or drank any mind bending drug they could buy, beg, or steal. They called this sad lifestyle “Freedom from the Man,” meaning freedom from parents and authority. Their freedoms included what they called ‘free love.” which meant they were free to smoke pot and fornicate in public or anywhere else they chose. Even on your front porch. One year they chose a New York country field to hold a national love fest. Anything was permissable here and this drug-fest attracted the press, photographers and sight-seers. That was an ugly sight. Marijuana, or Mary Jane, was the principal drug used. Now I don’t mean to say that hippies were an isolated group. No, no. Hippies thrived clear across our once fine country. As time went on, groups of hippies, disguised as “Flower Children.”

February 2014 | Common Sense News | A-5

drifted to San Francisco and made that their home. Many hippies soon joined the growing number of citizens who were hooked on the more potent drugs like cocaine, heroin, and a new comer, LSD, which was developed in our governments laboratories. By 1977, eleven states had decriminalized MaryJane. This led to greater use of harder drugs by the middle class. Soon the large number of drug users in the U.S. supported the lifestyle of the Mexican cartels and importers from southern Europe. Today, if truth was told, the huge number of drug users in the U.S. has created an industry coupled with drug-user voters, which politicians would hate to lose. Soon the sex disease, AIDS, began to spread amongst the drug crowd. In the 70’s the use of drugs by Americans increased so fast that by 1979 nine anti-drug programs were begun by Presidents and the Congress. Truthfully, neither had any affect on a reduction of drug use. The drug cartels flourished while America partied. One complaint from anti-drug campaigns was that the newspaper and magazine media did little to deglamorize the use of party drugs. If a famous entertainer would die from an overdose, the media too often would focus on what the entertainer had accomplished during their good years, and ignored the negative effects on their lives and talent after graduating to hard drugs. Even today in Colorado, where the use of pot has been legalized, columnists praise the positive effect one gets from its use, but not one word about the once-successful business person who thought no harm would come to him or her from smoking pot. Too late, that person in his/her sober moments, wishes they had never listened to Mary Janes siren’s song America’s position today on a downward slide to perdition, reminds one of a curse once placed on America’s future. In 1963, Nikita Khrushchev was the leader of Russia during this period of the Cold War. Stung by President John Kennedy in the 1963 Cuban Crisis, he later said in a speech aimed at the United States, “Whether you like it or not, we will bury you. We will not bury you with a shovel. Your own working class will bury you.” His speech was interpreted in several ways by American statesmen. One interpretation was that because of our growing drug problem, that we would be destroyed from within our own country by those drugs. Like it or not, it’s a real possibility. Elmer Storm Cloud - CO

Continued Letters to the Editor on page B-13

A-6 | Common Sense News | February 2014

UNDER THE GOLDEN DOME - COLORADO’S OWN GOVERNMENT

Legislative Alert: Gun Bills during the 2014 General Assembly

By: Timothy C. Dietz, Esq.

he 2014 Colorado General Assembly is in full session, and this promises to be an interesting one following the radical agenda that was rammed through the 2013 session. After two historic recalls, the Democratic majority in the Senate has been trimmed to an 18-17 lead. Republicans in the House still trail 28-37. In contrast to the 2013 session, there are no pending gun control bills in either the House or the Senate. However, there are a couple of Republican sponsored gun owners’ rights bills that have been introduced which are summarily reviewed here. HB 14-1041: Allowing a Law-Abiding Person to Carry a Concealed Handgun without a Permit. Sponsors: Reps. Wright (R) and Holbert (R), Sen. Grantham (R). Status: Referred to the Judiciary committee. Under current law, a law abiding citizen of this state may carry concealed within the person’s residence, place of business or on property owned or under his or her control, or while traveling in one’s private automobile. However, when the person leaves his or her car and steps onto the public sidewalk, that person may not put on a coat wherein the weapon would then be concealed without, first, paying the fees and going through the exercise of applying for and obtaining a concealed handgun permit. On his Facebook page, Rep. Holbert describes this as the “coat tax.” The Colorado Bureau of Investigation collected $3,347,137.50 in coat taxes during 2013 according to the Bureau’s published statistics.

reasonable belief that the intruder has committed a crime in the dwelling in addition to the uninvited entry, or is committing or intends to commit a crime against a person or property and when the occupant reasonably believes that the intruder might use any physical force, no matter how slight, against any occupant. A dwelling is generally a home. Deadly force may also be used to prevent a trespasser from committing first degree arson. HB 14-1063 expands the rights and immunities currently afforded to occupants of dwellings to include owners, managers, or employees of businesses. However, even if an employee is immune from criminal prosecution and civil liability under this bill, this bill will not prevent an employer from terminating that employee. Previous versions of HB 14-1063 were introduced in each year from 2010 through 2013, but were killed in committees. Only the 2012 version was voted on in the House, and passed 35-26 with 4 excused. However, it was killed in the same committee where the 2014 version is currently assigned. SB 14-038: Eliminating the Governor’s Authority to Restrict the Distribution of Firearms During a State of Disaster Emergency. Sponsors: Sens. Renfro and Everett. Status: Assigned to the State, Veterans, & Military Affairs committee. Under current law, the governor may issue an executive order declaring a disaster emergency. Is so doing, he may, but is not required to, suspend or limit the sale, dispensing, or transportation of alcoholic beverages, firearms, explosives, or combustibles.

HB 14-1041 eliminates the need to obtain a concealed handgun permit within the state for residents who are otherwise entitled to obtain handguns under either Colorado or federal law. The laws governing concealed handguns under this change to the Colorado Criminal Code will be to the same extent and limitations as a person who holds a concealed handgun permit within the state. In practice, this means that if a consumer purchases a handgun after passing the statutory background check, he or she may immediately carry concealed within the state without waiting to get an appointment at the local sheriff’s office, paying the fees, then awaiting the arrival of the permit.

In 2013, Governor Hickenlooper issued 12 executive orders related to wildfires, 8 related to flooding, and 1 related to the winter storm early in December. Although none of those executive orders appeared to restrict the sale or transportation of firearms, under the governor’s broad emergency powers, he could have done so pursuant to a compulsory evacuation from the disaster areas at a time when citizens would have the greatest need to retain and transport their firearms. SB 14-038 will remove firearms from the ambit of the governor’s emergency powers thereby prohibiting seizure or confiscation of firearms during a declared emergency.

This bill was previously introduced with nearly identical language in 2011 and 2012, and again in 2013. In 2011, the bill passed in the House 40-25, but was killed in the State, Veterans & Military Affairs committee on a 3-2 vote. The 2012 and 2013 versions were killed in the House Judiciary.

Previous versions of this bill were introduced in 2011 (Senate) and 2012 (House). Both were killed in the State, Veterans & Military Affairs committee.

The bill, if passed into law, will not allow a resident to carry concealed in any other state under any reciprocity agreements, and elementary through high schools will remain gun free zones. On a related matter, in January, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced S.1908, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2014 which has been referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. This bill will permit the holder of a valid concealed carry permit from one state to carry in another state providing the foreign state also issues permits to its residences or does not otherwise prohibit the carrying of concealed firearms by its residences. This federal bill, if enacted into law, will permit Colorado concealed handgun permit holders to carry concealed in other states such as Washington and Nevada without being limited to the 31 other states that currently have reciprocity agreements with Colorado. HB 14-1063: Use of Deadly Physical Force Against a Person Who Has Made an Illegal Entry into a Place of Business Sponsors: Reps. Everett, Buck, Holbert, Humphrey, Nordberg, Saine, Wright and Sens. Grantham, Harvey, Lambert, Lundberg, Marble, Renfroe Status: Assigned to the State, Veterans, & Military Affairs committee. The general rule is that deadly force may never be used to protect property. However, in Colorado, deadly force may be used against an intruder who unlawfully enters a dwelling and when the occupants of that dwelling have a

Late introductions: Just prior to the submission deadline for this edition of Common Sense News, HB 14-1151 was introduced which would repeal the “large capacity” magazine ban. HB 14-1151 is sponsored by all Republican Representatives, except Rep. Gerou (Dist. 25), all 17 Republican Senators, and one Democrat, Sen. Tochtrop (Dist. 24). Earlier this week, Sen. Rivera (Dist. 3) and others introduced SB 14-094 which would repeal the requirement for a criminal background check during private transfers of firearms. Despite recent histories of the majority party suppressing the rights of gun owners, this is an election year, and it is still early in the 2014 legislative session. It is possible that these bills will garner enough favorable votes among the Democratic majority to pass. We can still hope, and we can make our voices heard by contacting our representatives at the state capitol. Disclaimer: The content of this article is for general information only and is not legal advice. No attorney/client relationship is formed based on this article.

Tim Dietz is an attorney licensed in California, Colorado, Maine and New Hampshire. He is also a 24-year Marine Corps veteran who served during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He can be reached through his website at www.timothydietzlaw.com or at timmdietz@ comcast.net.

February 2014 | Common Sense News | A-7

MY BACKGROUND Colonel (ret.), US Air Force Reserves Republican activist in El Paso County Party since 1999 Congressional Legislative Aide during Reagan era College instructor on energy development; space law and policy Successfully fought EPA regulations that hurt our military & taxpayers

MY TOP ISSUES LIMITED GOVERNMENT

Effective Advocacy at the Colorado Capitol Continued from Page A-3

• Consider that state legislators have one, part-time legislative aide. Thus, we are not as insulated as are members of Congress. It is relatively easy to contact a Colorado state legislator because we live in our communities and work on a seasonal basis (January-May) at the Capitol in Denver. • The Colorado Capitol is a public building - you can go there. Write a legislator's name on the back of your business card and hand it to one of the House (green jackets) or Senate (burgundy jackets) Sergeants at Arms. He/she will deliver the card (or piece of paper) to the legislator who can then come out of the chamber or committee hearing room to talk with you. Lobbyists do this constantly during a legislative day and you can do it too. • Call the legislator's office to request a meeting. Depending on the legislator's committee assignments and bill sponsorship load, he/she may or may not have designated time blocked for meetings. If not, use a business card to call him/her off the floor or out of committee. • Remember that a state legislator is not in control of his/her schedule once the session starts. We are more at the mercy of our respective floor and committee schedules, which sometimes provide zero office time, lunch hour, or predictable end-of-day. We can be in committee until 2, 4, or 9 p.m., or 12:00 a.m. We don't control when that ends. Go to where we are rather than ask him/her to come to where you are. • When testifying during a committee hearing on a bill, remember to talk about what is actually in the bill. Refer to the bill, specific page(s), and specific concerns or benefits of the bill. Spend more of your limited time explaining what is good or bad about the bill. Spend less of your limited time addressing topics that are not actually in the bill. • When advocating for or against a bill, start with the bill sponsors. Generally, there will be two: one Representative and one Senator. There could be more, but there must be at least one of each. Bill sponsors are listed near the top of every bill that is introduced in the Colorado General Assembly. • The next level of advocacy involves the members of the Committee(s) to which the bill is assigned. In the Colorado General Assembly, every bill must be heard by at least one committee in each chamber. Committees will have 5 to 13 members. It is much easier to talk with 5-13 people than it is to contact all 65 in the House or 35 in the Senate. Committee assignments are listed near the top of every bill that is introduced in the Colorado General Assembly. Committee rosters are available here: http://1.usa.gov/1catd0Q • Watch the respective Calendar for the House and Senate for when a bill will be heard by which committee(s). The Calendars will list the meeting time and location for every bill to be heard by that committee. The Calendars are updated at or about 5:00 p.m. each legislative day for the next legislative day. Calendars available here: http://bit.ly/1btER3x Representative Chris Holbert was elected in 2010 and currently represents the residents of House District 44, which includes the communities of Parker and Lone Tree in northern Douglas County. Chris is currently a candidate for Colorado Senate District 30 and hopes to continue teaching liberty-oriented activists ways that we can be more effective working with local, state and federal government. You can reach Chris at chris@chrisholbert.com or visit his campaign web site at http://www.chrisholbert.com

Government should not tell us what to buy, how to live, or what to believe PROTECT CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS

Oppose Obamacare mandates to buy “Federal Government Approved” health insurance Protect 2nd Amendment gun rights Stop unauthorized government surveillance REGULATORY REFORM & JOBS

Reduce the time and cost to start up a business or expand existing businesses WILDFIRES and FLOODING

Advocate effective policies for flooding and wildfire mitigation Increased local control of public forest lands EDUCATION REFORM

Opt-Out of Federal Common Core - maintain local and state control Expand industrial education for high school students interested in manufacturing or technical jobs PRO-LIFE

I believe in the sanctity of human life, which includes the unborn

www.TerriCarverforHD20.com Paid for by Citizens to Elect Terri Carver For HD 20

A-8 | Common Sense News | February 2014

HUMAN TRAFFICKING IT’S HERE . . . NOW

ADVOCACY DAY AT THE COLORADO STATE CAPITOL 2.20.14 By Tamra Farah

9:00am to 10:30am Human Trafficking Resolution presented in the House and Senate by the Advocacy Day Legislative Host Committee members: Sen. John Kefalas (D), Sen. Steve King (R), Sen. Nancy Todd (D), and Sen. Mark Scheffel (R), Rep. Beth McCann (D), Rep. Dan Nordberg (R), Rep. Jenise May (D), and Rep. Amy Stephens (R), followed by comments from fellow House and Senate members. Citizens are welcome in the galley above the House and Senate Chambers. As Legislators go from House and Senate Chambers to committee, citizens may approach their legislators briefly and respectfully in the hall.

10:30am to 11:30am House and Senate are in Committee.

11:45am to 12:30pm Legislative Mid-day session in the Old Supreme Court Chambers (citizens may fill in empty seats). Panel of experts discuss the 4 P’s essential to end Human Trafficking: Prevention, Protection, Prosecution, and Participation • Moderated by A.J. Alejano-Steele, Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking • Prevention: Megan Hope, Human Trafficking Project Coordinator, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN) • Protection: Jo-Ann Cahill O'Neil, MA, LPC, NCC, Clinical Director, Southern Peaks Regional Treatment Center • Prosecution: Assistant Attorney General, Janet Drake and Innocence Lost Task Force member and Denver PD Seagent Daniel Steele • Partnerships: A.J. Alejano-Steele Citizen and group participants may walk to local restaurants to get lunch. The Capitol cafeteria, located on the lower level, is open to the public from 7:00am to 3:00pm. Panera is located at 1350 Grant Street, a half block south of the Capitol past 14th Street.

12:30pm to 1:15pm

o you ever feel like I do, that a wide unbridgeable gulf stands between you and the worst human suffering in the world? Three years ago, I learned that there are over 20 million slaves in the world today–more than at any other time in history. But what could I possibly do to help. Three years ago, I attended at the Symposium hosted by the Human Trafficking Task Force of Southern Colorado (HT-Colorado.org) and discovered modern slavery– including sex slavery and labor trafficking–isn’t just an overseas phenomenon. It is happening in our own back yard here in the state of Colorado. My husband, Barry Farah, and I moved to Colorado Springs nearly 20 years ago to raise our children in a safe-haven. Unbeknownst to us all the while human trafficking was happening in our own ‘back yard’. Pimps pose as ‘friends,’ busting into a circle of girls at a high school football game in our neighborhoods. Phone numbers are exchanged, texting starts, and the fraudulent relationship begins. In the case of the vulnerable, it can lead to an everyday suburban girl being psychologically manipulated into being trafficked, if we don’t teach kids to be aware. From the beginning of 2012 through the end of 2013, the Innocence Lost Task Force and their local law enforcement partners recovered over 110 juveniles from sex trafficking/commercial sexual exploitation in the Denver metro area. So, watching for a way to help, when they asked for a volunteer to coordinate Human Trafficking Advocacy Day at the Capitol, I raised my hand. And now our 2nd Annual Human Trafficking Advocacy Day at the Colorado State Capitol is just around the corner on February 20, 2014. Please plan to join us for this Day. You can come for as long or as short of a time as you are able. Please see the schedule below to select the best time for you. If you can only come for one hour, I recommend attending the West Steps Rally from 12:30pm to 1:15pm and viewing the iEmpathize Display. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me at tamrafarah@gmail.com. All events will take place at the Colorado State Capitol.

7:30am to 8:30am Legislative Morning Session, “Human Trafficking in Colorado” with A.J. Alejano-Steele, Ph.D., Chair, Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking Old Supreme Court Chambers (citizens may fill in empty seats)

8:30am to 9:00am Citizens are encouraged to make appointments or stop by to visit with their Legislators in their offices. For a list of Legislator’s contact info and office suite numbers go to http://www.leg.state.co.us.

West Steps Rally on the west steps of the Capitol Building–Media members welcome Event Chair and emcee, Tamra Farah Special music by Marta Burton Chair, Human Trafficking Task Force of Southern Colorado (Advocacy Day sponsor), Betty Edwards Governor Hickenlooper - invited Attorney General, Jon Suthers Denver Chief of Police, Robert White FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Homeland Security Special Agent in Charge, Kumar Kibble Denver PD Sergeant and ILTF member, Daniel Steele Legislative Host Committee members Brad Riley, iEmpathize Survivor, Aubrey Terry Lloyd Close with a charge: “Where we go from here”

1:30pm Official event program ends. Capitol doors close to citizens at 3:00pm. Human Trafficking Awareness Advocacy Day will be hosted by Betty Edwards and the board of the Human Trafficking Task Force of Southern Colorado (H-TSC). The mission of the Task Force is to build a collaboration of organizations and individuals to reduce human suffering caused by human trafficking, through advocacy, awareness, rehabilitation, and services for survivors. Please visit www.ht-colorado.org. Tamra Farah is a political activist, community organizer and the Event Chair of HT-Colorado. org Human Trafficking Awareness Advocacy Day at the State Capitol. Committee.

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February 2014 | Common Sense News | A-9

A Fresh Look at Medicare Fraud By: Joe G. Rodriguez

In this article, we are going to take a fresh look at one of our nations’ biggest waste, Medicare Fraud. In 2009, CBS 60 Minutes aired a program called “Medicare Fraud: A $60 Billion Crime”. After watching the program and thinking about what the FBI agent said was needed to take money from the government, I realized the Medicare System had a design flaw that has existed since 1967. The key piece of information is when the FBI agent tells CBS 60-Minutes Reporter Steve Kroft the information needed to commit fraud is the patient’s name, address, date of birth and Social Security number. Think for a moment how many times you have provided the same information on an application to open a checking account, credit card, mortgage, loan, tax returns, insurance, job, etc. Generally in the doctor’s office they will make copies of your driver’s license, Medicare and insurance cards. Design Flaw The design flaw is using the Social Security number like a credit card number to make payments to healthcare providers. Since the Social Security number is used in all types of transactions, finding the source of where the information was misappropriated becomes very difficult and costly. If I were responsible for the programmers and analysts that support the Medicare System, this problem would be solved within 90days. The short-term solution is to add a Personal Identification Number (PIN) to the Medicare card. The PIN would essentially eliminate the use of all stolen names and Social Security numbers. Without the proper PIN, charges could be rejected immediately just like an Automated Teller Machine (ATM). The short-term solution would save billions of dollars and help fund the long-term solution. The long-term solution is to have each Medicare recipient use a Medicare Payment Card similar to a credit card that does not have the Social Security number. Currently, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) report charges paid every 3 months. The lag time between charges submitted to CMS provides the opportunity for fraudulent healthcare providers to pack up and move on. CMS should adopt the same practices and procedures as major credit card companies. New charges should be posted online within 24-hours and provide monthly statements. In addition it is not unusual for credit card companies to immediately contact the credit card holder of suspicious charges. The PIN and Medicare Payment Card would help to find the source where the information was misappropriated. This information should be provided to law enforcement officials in a timely manner helping to apprehend those trying to commit Medicare fraud. In addition to the above solutions, a real-time Problem Management System coupled with an automated system that identifies suspicious charges would significantly reduce other types of Medicare Fraud. Government Bureaucracy How could a costly problem like Medicare Fraud exist for over 46-years? Part of the answer is Government Bureaucracy. However, it is “We the people” who are most to blame. We have allowed our

government to become bloated, inefficient, waste trillions of dollars and allowed certain politicians to mislead citizens year after year. As citizens, we must demand accountability just like a private company. If we accept mediocre results then we are to blame and deserve what we get. We should demand excellence in all areas of government. We can begin the process by becoming informed on the issues, learning about the people running for public office and helping those who are willing to fix problems in government. Most of all, we all need Common Sense. Next month we will take a fresh look at taxes. Joe describes himself like a Computer Systems Analysts. Analysts study how people, organizations, products or services work and then develop new solutions to operate more efficiently and effectively. His definition of a problem is something to overcome. Problems are hard before they are easy. Joe served in the United States Army from 1961-4 and had one tour in South Vietnam. In 1990, he retired from IBM after being a Service Research Manager and Programming Service Manager in Research Triangle Park, NC. Joe Rodriguez is a Ludaxx Distributor and co-founder of www.seniors4f21.com

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A-10 | Common Sense News | February 2014

The Principles of Liberty – Recognized by All Three Major Parties

By: Richard Bratten he seven Principles used in the 2013 Legislator Scorecard are identified on the following pages. The Principles are clearly defined on the POL website at www.principlesofliberty.org. Everyone of these seven Principles are supported to some extent by statements made with in the 2012 Republican Party Platform, the 2012 Libertarian Party Platform, and the 2012 Democratic Party Platform. As evidence, below are direct quotes that are related to the POL Principles on this year’s scorecard that were pulled from the published 2012 National Party Platforms of all three political parties. Individual Liberty: 2012 Democrat Party Platform:

• “…come to this nation with the same desires and ideals the forefathers had; liberty, justice, and the pursuit of happiness.” • “…principle of religious liberty…” • “…liberty of individuals.”

2012 Libertarian Party Platform:

• “As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty.” • “(2) the right to liberty of speech and action…” • Principle 1.0 “Personal Liberty” • “Government exists to protect the rights of every individual including life, liberty and property.” • “The only legitimate use of force is in defense of individual rights — life, liberty, and justly acquired property — against aggression.” • Principle 2.0 “Economic Liberty” • “…liberty of contract…”, • Principle 3.0 “Securing Liberty” • “When ever any form of government becomes destructive of individual liberty, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to agree to such new governance as to them shall seem most likely to protect their liberty.

2012 Republican Party Platform:

• “…expands personal liberty…” • “…do so to promote greater economic liberty.” • “promote greater economic liberty…” • “…ordered liberty that makes the U.S. the world’s freest, most stable, and most prosperous nation.” • “…rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” • “The Republican Party, born in opposition to the denial of liberty, stands for the rights of individuals…” • “…if we trade liberty for security, we shall have neither…” • “Liberty alone fosters scientific inquiry, technological innovation, entrepreneurship, and information exchange.“ • “…advocacy of religious liberty…” • “…shared belief in…personal liberty…”, • The Fourth Amendment: Liberty and Privacy” • “The Ninth Amendment: Affirming People’s Rights”

Personal Responsibility: 2012 Democrat Party Platform:

• “…responsibility should be rewarded…” • “…hard work and personal responsibility.” • “…where hard work pays, and where responsibility is rewarded.” • “…responsible homeowners…” • “…reward hard work and demand personal responsibility.”

2012 Libertarian Party Platform:

• “Individuals should be free to make choices for themselves and to accept responsibility for the consequences of the choices they make.” • “…the education of children is a parental responsibility…” • “Parents should have control of and responsibility for all funds expended for their children's education.” • “Retirement planning is the responsibility of the individual, not the government.”

2012 Republican Party Platform:

• “…responsible borrowers.” • “…promotes personal responsibility…” • “With every right comes a responsibility.” • “…we recognize the individual responsibility…” • “…personal responsibility for health maintenance.” • “…take responsibility for planning their own retirement decades from now.” • “…cooperation, patience, mutual respect, responsibility, self reliance – are fundamental to the order and progress of our Republic.” • “We believe that taking care of ones health is an individual responsibility.” • “…we must foster personal responsibility…” • “Parents are responsible for the education of their children.”

Property Rights: 2012 Democrat Party Platform:

• The protection of “intellectual property” is mentioned 6 times, always in an international context. • Interestingly, this is the only use of the word “property” in the entire Democrat Platform. There is no mention in the entire 32 page document of “private property” or “property rights”, nor is there any other use of the word “property” in the 2012 Democratic Party Platform.

2012 Libertarian Party Platform:

• (3) the right to property accordingly we oppose all government interference with private property, such as confiscation, nationalization, and eminent domain, and support the prohibition of robbery, trespass, fraud, and misrepresentation.” • “People should not be forced to sacrifice their lives and property for the benefit of others.” • “…be secure in our persons, homes, and property.” • “Government exists to protect the rights of every individual including life, liberty and property.” • “The only legitimate use of force is in defense of individual rights — life, liberty, and justly acquired property — against aggression.” • “The only proper role of government in the economic realm is to protect property rights, adjudicate disputes, and provide a legal frame work in which voluntary trade is protected.” • “Property rights are entitled to the same protection as all other human rights. The owners of property have the full right to control, use, dispose of, or in any manner enjoy, their property without interference, until and unless the exercise of their control in fringes the valid rights of others.” • “We oppose all violations of the right to private property, liberty of contract, and freedom of trade.” • “Free markets and property rights stimulate the technological innovations and behavioral changes required to protect our environment and ecosystems.”

2012 Republican Party Platform:

• “intellectual property” is mentioned 4times • “The Fifth Amendment: Protecting Private Property” • “…for without property rights, individual rights are diminished.” • “The Fifth Amendment: Protecting Private Property ”

Free Markets: 2012 Democratic Party Platform:

• “…we will continue to work to protect…the functioning of fair and competitive markets…” • “We know that the free market only works when there are rules of the road to ensure that competition is fair, open, and honest.” • “Currencies must be market driven so no nation has an unfair advantage.”

2012 Libertarian Party Platform:

• “…the resultant economic system, the only one compatible with the protection of individual rights, is the free market.” • “A free and competitive market allocates resources in the most efficient manner.” • “Free markets and property rights stimulate the technological innovations and behavioral changes required to protect our environment and ecosystems.” • “We favor free market banking…” • “Industries should be governed by free markets.” • “Education is best provided by the free market…” • “We favor restoring and reviving a free market health care system.”

2012 Republican Party Platform:

• “Republicans will pursue free market policies…” • “…committed to the principles of open markets…” • “…we will not pick winners and losers in the energy marketplace. Instead, we will

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Limited Government: 2012 Democrat Party Platform:

• “Rules should be simpler and more flexible, and regulations should be based on sound science and secure Americans’ freedom of choice.” • “Looking to make our government leaner, smarter, and more consumer friendly…” • Interestingly, there is not a single comment in the 2012 Democratic Party Platform on “limiting” the role of government. The only things that the Democratic Party Platform mentions a desire to limit are “green house gas emissions”, “fossil fuel fired power plants”, and working internationally“… toward an agreement to set emission limits in unison with other emerging powers.”

2012 Libertarian Party Platform:

• “Criminal laws should be limited to violation of the rights of others through force or fraud…” • “Government is constitutionally limited so as to prevent the infringement of individual rights by the government itself.” 2012 Republican Party Platform: • “Trust people. Limit government.” • “It must be down sized and limited…” • “Perhaps the greatest political document ever written, it defines the purposes and limits of government…” • “We must limit injunctions by activist judges…” • “…limit federal requirements on both private insurance and Medicaid…” • “…limits on judicial discretion…” • “We call for a reduction, through attrition, in the federal payroll of at least 10 percent and the adjustment of pay scales and benefits to reflect those of the private sector.”

• “The Republican Party is committed to saving Medicare and Medicaid. Unless the programs’ fiscal ship is righted,…” • “To restore public trust in the system, Republicans are committed to setting it on a sound fiscal basis…” • “Cutting spending is not enough…” • “We must also change the budget process itself.” • “We call for a Constitutional amendment requiring a super majority for any tax increase with exceptions for only war and national emergencies, and imposing a cap limiting spending to the historical average percentage of GDP so that future Congresses cannot balance the budget by raising taxes.”

Equal Protection / Rule of Law: 2012 Democrat Party Platform:

• “We are committed to a multidimensional approach that…strengthens the rule of law…” • “…bring them in line with the rule of law.” • “Promoting…the Rule of Law” • “…Democrats know that a commitment to the rule of law…are essential…” • “Because the public’s rights, freedoms, and access to economic opportunity depend on the rule of law…”

2012 Libertarian Party Platform:

• “All efforts by government to redistribute wealth, or to control or manage trade, are improper in a free society.”

2012 Republican Party Platform:

• “Adhere to the rule of law.” • “Promoting Transparent, Accountable Governance and the Rule of Law” • “…strengthens the rule of law…” • “…bring them in line with the rule of law.” • “a commitment to the rule of law and effective judicial institutions are essential to sustainable economic development and must remain a core American value in the years to come.” • “…access to economic opportunity depend on the rule of law…”, • “In this country, the rule of law guarantees equal treatment to every individual…”

Fiscal Responsibility: 2012 Democrat Party Platform:

• “…Democrats took decisive steps to restore fiscal responsibility…” • “…making the hard decisions to cut our deficit and put our fiscal house in order.” • “In our current fiscal environment, we must also make tough budgetary decisions across the board…”

2012 Libertarian Party Platform:

• “Government should not incur debt, which burdens future generations without their consent. We support the passage of a "Balanced Budget Amendment" to the U.S. Constitution, provided that the budget is balanced exclusively by cutting expenditures, and not by raising taxes.”

"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground." ~Thomas Jefferson For more information please visit: WWW.PRINCIPLESOFLIBERTY.ORG

2012 Republican Party Platform:

Recently we watched as personal freedoms & individual responsibility came under attack. Through some very hard work we see that elections have consequences and that every vote counts! We must no longer allow apathy rule the day when it comes to elections, we must all engage in the process or resign ourselves to others controlling our future!

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A-12 | Common Sense News | February 2014

DON’T TREAD ON ME!

By: Douglas Bruce

COVER YOUR ASSETS

ast month, I warned of the coming currency collapse and promised to list actions to take to protect your assets. No one can pinpoint when the downturn will begin; assume it's within five years. Government will manipulate anything to postpone it past the next presidential election. The crunch cannot be described in total detail. Rampant inflation regularly leads to a great recession or depression. Such an event is discussed in many books. In 2005 and 2006, Peter Schiff predicted in public speeches found on YouTube the housing plunge that began in 2007. Ayn Rand's 1957 novel, “Atlas Shrugged,” is the paradigm parable of the impending collectivist-caused nightmare. Some prophets of doom urge fleeing the U.S. I love my country too much to abandon it. Besides, the effect of decades of government overspending and huge debts are not limited to America. They will occur in all welfare states that adopted the Communist Manifesto's main goal of redistribution of wealth. The Left lost the Cold War militarily, but has virtually won the war of ideas. Most conservatives simply fiddle at opposition, hoping to lose slowly. They don't advocate ending social welfare programs, but simply offer to run them more efficiently to serve the parasites. They fear branding theft as theft because they will sound mean and lose votes. Quote John 8:32 (“Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”) and they react with blank stares. They have lied all their lives to promote Big Government handouts; why change now?

Government can never fulfill its financial promises. It is mathematically impossible. Our entitlement explosion (disability, unemployment, socialist security, Obamacare, corporate welfare, and dozens of major programs), pension busts, and bankruptcies are the grim evidence. $17 TRILLION in nominal national debt plus $100+ TRILLION in future “entitlement” payments show there are not enough dollars to pay their promises, even if all debts were frozen today. Governments will have to default. How will they? Refusing to pay debts to foreign lenders destroys credit forever and is still theft. To run yearly budget surpluses, the Federal Reserve must stop inventing $1 TRILLION lent annually to the government. Dollars are backed by NOTHING (think Confederate war bonds). Whether openly or covertly, debtor default inflates a dollar while fooling creditors into accepting it at its current purchasing price. This hoax cannot last forever. The Great Accounting awaits. Your options to protect yourself are few. Proposed remedies (avoid real estate, buy metals) are inconsistent. Yes, end all dollar-based investments (stocks, bonds, IRAs, and other soft investments that will go broke or inflate into oblivion). Stay in “real” assets; your personal efforts can influence their value. The problem with gold or silver is their demand is not based on intrinsic worth, but on centuries of tradition. People want gold only because others want it. It relies on the same fallacy as dollars. It produces no income. Most people need a place to live, but jewelry is a luxury. You can't boost gold's value, but must rely solely on market whims and panics. Buying foreign currencies is trusting foreign governments not to inflate. Foreign real estate can be seized directly, or devalued by economic scams, regulations, and taxes. Buy low-priced residential real estate for cash or with the biggest fixed-rate longterm loan, you can get. Don't count on your job to repay it. Demand a rental cash flow that exceeds all fixed expenses (interest, property taxes, insurance, and repairs). Pay a fraction of replacement construction cost so new housing can't compete with you; make $25 per square foot of building your upper price limit. Pick growing areas. Appeal the tax assessment to reduce it to your purchase price.

I will represent the people of Colorado to achieve: · A Balanced Federal Budget · A Viable Renewable Energy Portfolio

· A healthcare system that won't hurt Colorado businesses

Phone: (970) 509-9187 Mail to: PO Box 108 Hot Sulphur Springs, CO 80451 Email: info@baumgardnerforussenate.com Or got the website: www.baumgardnerforussenate.com

"As your Senator, I will be your voice and take your concerns and issues to the floor of the Capitol and fight for them. I will listen to all concerns and not just the ones that I am told are politically viable. I will represent the state of Colorado, not the will of Washington!" -Randy Baumgardner Paid for by the committee to elect Randy Baumgardner for United States Senate

Ask banks to loan you the money to buy their run-down foreclosures. Dollars to repay a loan will depreciate 10% or more yearly, well above your interest cost. Have ironclad sources to repay loans, and avoid personal liability on loans if you can. Your real estate “steals” will rise in value above inflation. If your future buyer can't get a loan, keep the house at rents increased yearly to match inflation. Pay off all credit cards and car loans ASAP. Save 30% or more of your income. Invest the dollars in hard assets such as rentals. Cut your housing and other consumption costs, even by renting. Eat at home. Find a safer area to live during hard times. Avoid poor areas relying on government checks. Vote against politicians who promise you “more.” Work to elect only those who promise tax cuts, government layoffs, no borrowing, and an end to welfare programs. If they lie, replace them. Boy Scouts are told to “Be prepared.” Take responsibility for your life. Restore the America the Founding Fathers left us. For generations, we have betrayed our heritage of freedom for which they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. We have followed instead the siren song of socialist slavery. We must change course. Now. Douglas Bruce, a former prosecutor, legislator, and county commissioner, authored The Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR) constitutional amendment Colorado voters approved in 1992. Mr. Bruce can be reached at taxcutter@msn.com. Editor note: Getting your family out of debt in these uncertain times is of paramount importance. I have recently gone through the Financial Peace University course by Dave Ramsey and found the information learned there very valuable and helpful. There are many places to attend this course. Find it on www.DaveRamsey.com. There are several other resources available to assist you in financial planning. This is not an endorsement by the author of the above article.

February 2014 | Common Sense News | A-13

The Tyranny of Unintended Consequences By: Pat Francomano

merica is under siege, and President Obama is the Tyrant-in-Chief leading the charge. He’s leading the charge with his pen, his phone, and his executive orders, in order to go around Congress—in defiance of the Constitution’s separation of powers. Obama has used these weapons before: to implement his slow-motion cap-andtrade in his war against coal and climate change; in unilaterally delaying portions of Obamacare; exempting and granting waivers to favored groups from parts of Obamacare; and in other cases as well. Now he threatens more of the same. Recently Obama proudly and brazenly proclaimed, “When I can act on my own without Congress, I’m going to do so.” He said, “I’ve got a pen and I’ve got a phone. And I can use that pen to sign executive orders and take executive actions and administrative actions …” Of course, all this bravado is for a stated good purpose. For example, “It’s for the children.” He wants to use these weapons “To move the ball forward in helping to make sure our kids are getting the best education possible.” It’s always this way when the Ruling Class wants to impose its will on the people. They do it in the name of compassion or some other good intention. Not only do they profess the ability and expertise to solve all of society’s problems, they claim the high moral ground in doing so.

families that are the very object of the compassion. The devastating effects of the War on Poverty were expressed recently in a press release by Project 21, a group of black activists giving voice to views of ”moderate and conservative African-Americans whose entrepreneurial spirit, dedication to family and commitment to individual responsibility have not traditionally been echoed by the nation's civil rights establishment.” The press release stated the following:

• Although they were conceived with good intentions, the programs of the War on Poverty have ultimately had a negative impact on the lives of black Americans. • The War on Poverty was a continually mismanaged disaster. • It effectively subsidized the dissolution of the black family by rendering the black man's role as a husband and a father irrelevant, invisible and — more specifically — disposable. • The result has been several generations of blacks born into broken homes and broken communities experiencing social, moral and economic chaos. • It fosters an inescapable dependency that primarily, and oftentimes solely, relies on government to sustain livelihoods. Clearly our safety net has become a snare.

In addition to the War on Poverty, we have the unintended consequences of Obamacare taking place right before our eyes—and they go far beyond just the bad rollout:

C.S. Lewis noted, “Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive.” In addition, he said, those who do this do it “with the approval of their own conscience.”

• Higher costs for premiums, co-pays, and deductibles; • Broken promises of being able to keep existing plans and doctors; • Uncertainty of Obama’s actions already hurting job creation and full-time employment. • Obamacare still leaves 31 million people uninsured.

Lewis’s observation is very timely, because just this January we commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of LBJ’s declaration of war on poverty. We are reminded of its compassionate intentions "to give our fellow citizens a fair chance to develop their own capacities.”

Notwithstanding government’s stated good intentions, it is government’s own misguided regulations that cause the unintended consequences. Isn’t it time to move away from failed government solutions?

We are also reminded that after fifty years and twenty trillion dollars, fifteen percent of Americans still live in poverty and that there have been many unintended consequences. Among the worse of these is the impact on the

Compassion and charity should begin with the individual first, then families, churches, local communities, and as a last resort, government.

continued on page B-1

A-14 | Common Sense News | February 2014

Top 10 Personhood Accomplishments Of 2013 A By: Gwen Chermack

s this year begins, we are reflecting on everything that the Personhood movement has accomplished in the past 12 months. We have experienced massive growth and attracted worldwide attention this past year Featured in TIME magazine as the cutting-edge wing of the pro-life movement

TIME magazine announced the launch of Personhood legislation in Wisconsin, noting that support for personhood has “become a litmus test for anti-abortion activists in the state

Planned Parenthood blamed Personhood for forcing them to shut down two clinics

Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains closed two chemical abortion facilities in Colorado, – and they blamed Personhood for shutting them down! Allegedly, the cost to keep fighting Personhood in Colorado was just too much to bear. That news is pretty thrilling for us!

Co-launched “Save the 1” to oppose exceptions for rape and incest.

President Obama attacked Personhood as “absurd,” warning that it threatens abortion

Personhood USA spokesperson Rebecca Kiessling, who was conceived in rape, co-founded Save the 1 with other survivors of rape to oppose legal exceptions for abortion in cases of rape and incest. The group also provides training for politicians to articulate the pro-life position.

Effectively stating that he does not believe that all human beings are people, President Obama attacked Personhood USA’s amendments as “absurd” at the Planned Parenthood gala, just before asking God to “bless” Planned Parenthood. They’re worried that Personhood will threaten the abortion machine!

Created a viral Buzzfeed listicle exposing Planned Parenthood Personhood USA pioneered community contributions on the hot new media platform Buzzfeed. A post exposing Planned Parenthood’s ill-deeds reaped worldwide notoriety from the Drudge Report, The Guardian, the New York Observer, Gawker, and others. The post was eventually deleted without warning by Buzzfeed staff, as they were forced to create new rules for community contributions. Co-sponsored a major United Nations event showing abortion is never medically necessary Personhood USA co-sponsored a major event at the United Nations, which highlighted low maternal mortality rates in countries like Ireland and Chile, which prohibit abortion. The event caused a major stir at the U.N. and attracted diplomats from all around the world.

Collected a record number of Personhood signatures to put the Brady Amendment on the ballot in Colorado

Alabama Supreme Court recognized the unborn as persons in a landmark ruling The Alabama Supreme Court ruled that a chemical endangerment statute must protect children who have not been born yet. The strongly worded ruling is the most important affirmation of the personhood of the pre-born child since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. The court said in their ruling: “The decision of this Court today is in keeping with the widespread legal recognition that unborn children are persons with rights that should be protected by law.” Personhood supporters tipped the scales in two Colorado recall elections Personhood USA successfully drew grassroots voters to the polls to support Personhood-friendly candidates. Although recall groups were outspent 7-1, Pueblo challenger George Rivera’s staunch support for Personhood motivated voters to oust Angela Giron. Despite the desperate efforts of Cecil Richards, Planned Parenthood, and NARAL to get abortion supporters to the polls, 56% voted in favor of recall. Rivera handily won by 12% in a district considered hostile by pundits. Personhood supporters also tipped the scales in the Colorado Springs recall election.

Hundreds of Personhood volunteers worked tirelessly to help Heather Surovik honor the memory of Brady, gathering a record 139,650 signatures to put the Brady Amendment on the 2014 ballot and be voices for Brady. With the turn-in of signatures for the Brady Amendment (Amendment 67 on the Colorado 2014 ballot), Personhood surpassed 1 million signatures for Personhood and launched a new online initiative, 10 Million for Life. Passed the first Personhood Amendment in history through the North Dakota legislature The North Dakota legislature took the historic step of passing the first Personhood amendment in any state, referring it to a people’s referendum for approval. The amendment guarantees that “the inalienable right to life of every human being at any stage of development must be recognized and protected.” Now that’s something major to celebrate! Looking ahead at 2014… Personhood was adopted as the objective of the national Pro-Life movement! In the Declaration of Dependence, the ‘unifying document for those who seek to end abortion in America’, it states: “The term “person” applies to all living human beings from the beginning of their biological development regardless of the method of reproduction, age, race, sex, gender, physical well-being, function, size, level of development, environment, and/or degree of physical or mental dependency and/or disability.” 2014 is already starting off with a historic event!!! We are on the cusp of some amazing victories on behalf of the unborn. Please join with us as we build a culture of life that protects every human being. We can’t wait to stand with you in defense of human life! We pray your 2014 is blessed beyond measure!

Personhood USA | Personhood Education “Protecting every child by love and by law” PO Box 5007 | Denver, CO 80217 | 303.456.2800 www.personhood.com

February 2014 | Common Sense News | A-15

LANA’S 2 SENSE - TO CONTACT LANA, EMAIL LANA@INTERMOUNTAINMEDIALLC.COM

ebruary is the month of love, the month before springtime is officially here and the month before caucus. Wait…. what’s a caucus?

A caucus is a local meeting where registered members of a political party (in this case, the Republican or Democrat parties because you cannot Lana with her beautiful grand-daughter Gracie Mae participate if you are a independent or an unaffiliated voter) gather to vote for their preferred party candidate and conduct other party business. Caucuses typically are used to elect delegates to the higher assemblies, such as the county and state conventions. March 4th is designated as CAUCUS night. To find out your precinct info, please go to https://www.sos.state.co.us/voter-classic/secuRegVoterIntro.do

Join me, this March 4th at our caucuses. Look for your caucus location at the above Secretary of State web site and grab your neighbors to come too! See you all at CAUCUS!

Lana Fore-Warkocz

Lana Fore-Warkocz speaking at Acacia Park in Colorado Springs, CO for the Tea Party on April 15, 2010

If you are a Republican, go to: http://elpaso.coloradogop.us/ to find your precinct/caucus location and if Democrat visit: http://peakdems.org/ It is important for you to GET INVOLVED at the local level, where YOUR voice can and will be heard. Typically, you will vote on one or several delegates who will represent you and your values to the higher assemblies. There could be a straw poll where you can see where your favored candidate stands amongst you and your neighbors. It’s a wonderful time to get to know your neighbors and time for fellowship with like-minded political activists. This is how I got involved. It all started at the precinct level and then at caucus. I will continue to work hard for those who have elected me to uphold my principles and values and will abide by the platform and the resolutions, which made my party great. I will not waiver in the wind and I will not stand with those who repeatedly ignore the voters and look to fulfill their agenda items. The People recalled Senators, Amendment 66 was defeated and all because folks at the local level got involved. The People fought back. The People.

It is important for you to GET INVOLVED at the local level, where YOUR voice can and will be heard. -Lana Fore Warkocz Lana Fore-Warkocz is The Republican State Party Secretary, President of The Colorado Springs Republican Women, Vice-Chair of Senate District 10, Secretary of House District 16 and Former Editor of Tusk Talk, the official publication for the Colorado Federation of Republican Women. This editorial is strictly a personal view and in no way endorses or supports any candidate or candidate committees.

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FEBRUARY 2014 | COMMON SENSE NEWS | B-1

WE THE PEOPLE - COMMENTARIES FROM THE GRASSROOTS

Pot, Not All it is Cracked Up to Be By: Richard Hildebrand

more available to youth, who tend to start use as early as age 11-14. The major counter-drug organizations within the U.S. have taken a position against the legalization of marijuana. In addition, a recent paper presented at a meeting of the American Society of Addiction Medicine indicated that about 50 % of youth abusing prescription opioids started with marijuana.

ro-marijuana organizations have been very successful at convincing Americans that there is no harm from marijuana use and that the current counter-drug approach has failed. There has been little mention of the adverse effects of marijuana on the individual, family, community, medical care, employers, industry, accidents, or law enforcement. The recent Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy has stated many times that the Federal Government will not legalize marijuana. That policy and those statements have been countered by the recent decision of the U.S. Department of Justice to not interfere with Colorado marijuana legalization under the amendment to the Colorado Constitution. Unfortunately, we have already seen that Colorado does not have the knowledge or the resources to enforce the law established within the state. Of note is that The Permanent Rules Related to Colorado Retail Marijuana state that marijuana infused products such as “… edible product, ointments, and tinctures… shall not be considered a food or drug for purposes of the Colorado Food and Drug Act.” That is a rather accurate description of the status of marijuana. Even though marijuana is being sold in food products and touted as a medicine, the writers of the law have excluded “retail marijuana” from control by the Colorado Food and Drug Act. That rule may have been written for good reason – perhaps to protect the industry - since the state of California has classified smoked marijuana as a carcinogen and producers of various products might be liable for adverse effects of ingestion or smoking if products produced were to be considered food or drug. The irony of the effort and expenses placed on the current Colorado anti-tobacco smoking campaign, while allowing the destructive legalization of marijuana, is more than apparent. Colorado has long been a community-oriented state and considered to be made up of health-oriented citizens. Thus, I find the rule that marijuana must be kept from anyone under age 21 to particularly hypocritical. A bit of common sense will tell anyone that as the relaxed view of marijuana progresses through the community, young people will be more willing to experiment with or use marijuana. Recent surveys asking high school students about the risk of marijuana use indicate that those views are changing and that there is a perception of less risk associated with use. A nationwide survey shows that over 6 percent of high school seniors use marijuana daily. At a recent meeting in a Colorado county an elderly woman spoke in support of marijuana by saying that when she was sore after working in her garden she could use marijuana; she was not sure the marijuana reduced the pain but she did not care about the pain. I think she had no idea of the truth she spoke concerning regular use of marijuana and the impact of not caring on the development of young people. The easing of access to marijuana will most certainly make it

Whether you like to admit it or not, the reality is that the state has provided a “legal” grow area to provide marijuana to the rest of the country. Colorado has absolutely no ability to control the export of marijuana from the state in either personal cars or trucks or other vehicles. Years ago, marijuana came across the border with Mexico or was smuggled from California or Hawaii to the rest of the country. The growers were still subject to prosecution and a great deal of crop was destroyed. The next step was for cartels to take over the National Parks in southern California by force, keep out the hikers and tourists, protect the crops with armed guards, pollute the runoff water, and then leave their trash behind. The sense that I get in Colorado is that the State somehow expects all these growers to suddenly become law and rule-abiding citizens. Unfortunately, that is not the case as we have seen recently in Denver. Illicit operators can produce a crop every 6 to 8 weeks, paying no tax and protecting their turf with armed guards. Over the next few years Colorado will become a “drug tourist” and a “drug producer” state (perhaps different than Colombia or Afghanistan) but a drug producer state, in any case. The pro-marijuana advocate, Ethan Nadelmann, who has written in support of legalization for many years, is now happily moving to his next goal to legalize all drugs. The medical marijuana advocates have publicly admitted that medical marijuana was only a ploy for legalization (and I do recognize there are legitimate medical uses for marijuana – prepared as pharmaceuticals). The ploy has been taken in with little question. Where does it stop? Will you be in line to vote for the legalization of all drugs? You may say not likely, but give the country a few years and we may have a bigger issue than the inability of Colorado to deal with marijuana. What I see is a hypocritical action by the legislature and the Governor in being unwilling to look at the true impact of marijuana on Colorado and its people and making a choice for money rather than responsibility. Richard Hilderbrand received his doctorate in Biochemistry from the University of Illinois, Chicago, School of Medicine. He is retired from the U.S. Navy, where his last assignment was at the Office of the Secretary of Defense, The Pentagon, where he had primary responsibility for drug abuse testing programs for all Military Services. Since that time he has worked in doping control and workplace drug testing.

The Tyranny of Unintended Consequences continued from page A-13

If government is to be involved, for example, in fixing broken families, it should look to reforms that encourage personal responsibility, that encourage families, that encourage marriage, that encourage father involvement, that encourage work. Likewise, to fix a broken economy, government should encourage private-sector job creation by eliminating its oppressive regulations. There are many other issues, such as minimum wage and immigration reform, in which President Obama is anxious to “act on my own without Congress” to solve problems. Unless and until he intends the kinds of reforms just mentioned, we must be very wary of the man with the pen and the phone. Beware of the tyranny of unintended consequences. Pat Francomano is a freelance writer living in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is a retired software engineer and holds a master’s degree in mathematics. His writing interests are in political, economic and social issues as they affect individual liberties.

B-2 | Common Sense News | February 2014

Which Political Animal Are You? By: Monique Derr

“Well, my parents are republican, so I guess I am too.” Sound familiar? What about this, “She is a woman, and we need a woman in that office, so I will vote for her.” What are you basing your vote on? What factors do you use to determine which party you align yourself with? The political world can become overwhelming; are you a donkey or an elephant? Do you like your tea, or are you more interested in making things greener? Are you liberal, moderate, or conservative? Are you pulling your hair out yet?? Let’s break this down in a pretty basic way, whether for your own benefit, or to help you better explain to others what each party is all about. A simple Google search will demonstrate that there are in fact numerous political parties in American government, ranging from small government libertarianism to big government communism. An easier approach is to understand that there are essentially three ways to vote. When you get to the voting booth, you can choose from democratic candidates, republican candidates, and independent candidates. The latter category houses the array of smaller parties and movements, such as The Tea Party, Libertarian Party, The Green Party, The Socialist Party, and so forth. Let’s break down these three voting booth categories for now. While party issues and principles can overlap, and voters may not agree with all of the issues their party platforms stand for, the basics are as follows: Democratic: According to their official party website, “Democrats believe that we're greater together than we are on our own—that this country succeeds when everyone gets a fair shot, when everyone does their fair share, when everyone plays by the same rules.” The liberal theology tends to align with The Democratic Party. Democrats are pro-government. They want tax dollars to help bolster the middle and lower class in the form of things like the Affordable Healthcare Act and welfare (food stamps and other government assisting programs) They support regulations that limit or prohibit civilian gun use. They support government involvement in things such as education, job creation, and clean energy. They tend to resist American involvement in wars, and align with pro-choice (abortion rights for women). They support gay marriage, oppose the death penalty, and generally prefer security to freedom when privacy issues arise. Republican: According to the official GOP website, “Drawing inspiration from our Party’s history, today’s Republicans believe individuals, not government, make the best decisions; all people are entitled to equal rights; and decisions are best made close to home.” The conservative theology is affiliated (but not exclusively) with The Republican Party. They prefer power to be local and at the state level as much as possible, opposed to the federal level. Republicans want conservative fiscal spending by the government, they do not want to rely on tax dollars to bolster up the lower and middle class, and they support gun rights. They oppose socialized medicine (The Affordable Healthcare Act). They support a free market system as an ideal answer to economic problems, rather than government directed answers. They do not support abortion laws as they tend to be pro-life, and they are strong supporters of the military and subsequently most wars America is involved in. They oppose gay marriage, support the death penalty, and generally prefer freedom over security. Independent: As has been addressed, to vote independent can put you in the camp of an array of parties. The thickest of these and the one that is causing the most political waves currently is libertarianism, so we will focus on that. According to the official Libertarian Party website, “As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others. We believe that respect for individual rights is the essential precondition for a free and prosperous world, that force and fraud must be banished from human

relationships, and that only through freedom can peace and prosperity be realized.” Libertarians are almost a hybrid of the first two parties-their desire for small government involvement puts them in the republican camp, but they take things a step further by desiring no government involvement in marriage and abortion issues (though the latter can really go either way in this party) and limited military intervention in other countries. These latter positions often appeal to democrats/ liberals. For these reasons, the libertarian movement has a tendency to appeal to voters from both sides of the otherwise two sided political climate. To be clear, these are generalizations of the parties’ positions. Each candidate and voter may have alternate approaches to various issues, despite their party affiliation. And so, my friends, which are you? Shall I send you some tea for Christmas? Or perhaps a stuffed elephant? The best advice I can give you is this: Do not pick the party you want to belong to and then align your positions on the issues accordingly. Rather, start with the issues, and let the pieces fall where they may. Do not strive to have a democratic, socialist, republican, or libertarian theology. Let your theology be truth and your pursuit of it.

Monique Derr has been writing for various publications for nearly a decade. She has a master's degree in journalism and is currently earning her Ph.D. She is a writer, humanitarian, artist, and most importantly, a mother.

February 2014 | Common Sense News | B-3

Colorado’s Caucus System 101: Delegates and Alternates By: Sarah Arnold

aucus is almost upon us! On 4 March 2014, Republicans across Colorado will gather to elect precinct committee people, discuss resolutions, sometimes meet or learn more about candidates, participate in a straw preferential poll, and elect delegates and alternates to represent the precinct at various assemblies. What does it take to become a delegate? A little bit of commitment and investment. It will be an evening or a weekend day out of your life to participate in the political process for each assembly. You also usually have to pay a fee. For example, the Colorado State Republican Assembly will cost $60 for delegates, $40 for alternates and visitors in 2014, and be held at CU Boulder. Not only does it take commitment and investment this year, it may require disinfecting yourself from the stench of now-legal marijuana for the privilege of listening to politicians drone on and on while you wait excited for results in races about which you care. There are many assemblies you may attend, but first, you must be elected as a delegate or alternate to your county assembly. From there, you can attend your House District, Senate District, Judicial District, Congressional District, and State Assemblies. Depending on the county in which you reside, you may elect delegates to all of these assemblies at Caucus (places like El Paso, Jefferson, Arapahoe, Douglas, and Larimer all do this). Smaller counties can’t spread enough delegates to each precinct to attend higher assemblies, and those will be voted on at their county assembly. Delegates and alternates are elected by self-nomination. You may have the chance to give a little speech, and you may be asked questions by other present. There will then be a vote, which can be as simple as a show of hands, or using paper ballots. In some cases, a teller committee will need to be selected to count the votes. Generally, if there are not enough volunteers to fill the spots, or there are “just enough,” a vote by acclamation will be done. If there are too many, the delegates will be ranked in order of votes cast. The same will happen with Alternates. Alternates must be ranked so they may know when to be seated if a delegate doesn’t show. Some counties require

they be ranked in order of votes cast, other by random drawing. If there aren’t enough votes to fill all the spots, the excess slots roll up to the next level, a division or district in which the precinct falls. If you don’t make the ballot for some reason, or know someone who wants to attend who didn’t make the ballot, your name can be put in at the district/division level if any excess slots are available. Those are usually determined by a vote of the precinct committee people within a week following caucus. The best way to get elected as a delegate or alternate is to show up at the Caucus, make sure you can show up at the Assembly, pay your fee the night of Caucus… and bring a few neighbors who will vote for you! Just a reminder: you do not need to be present to be nominated as a delegate or alternate. If something prevents you from attending Caucus (military duty, illness, family, etc.), make sure a neighbor knows you want to go and can nominate you. Don’t forget, being an alternate is very important. The vast majority of the time, alternates who attend assemblies get to vote because that many delegates don’t show for whatever reason. Showing up is very important. Get your plan together, get a few friends, bring your checkbook, and storm the Caucus on 4 March! If you missed the first few articles on caucus training, you can read all about the process and share it with your friends here: http://politigurugop. blogspot.com/p/colorado-caucus-system.html. You may email the author at sarahmariearnold89@gmail.com for a one page hand-out to hold your own caucus training or to share with friends. Sarah Arnold is a native Coloradan and political strategist. With over 15 years of experience on dozens of campaigns, Sarah has done everything from grunt work to managing races on campaigns at all levels statewide. Her passion is for state legislative seats, and she now focuses primarily on freelance strategic consulting, messaging, and opposition research for candidates, political parties, and interest groups around the state through her consulting firm, Dotsero Resources and Marketing. Sarah has an upcoming book, “In the Trenches,” discussing how to run for elected office coming out Spring 2014.

B-4 | Common Sense News | February 2014

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olorado’s campaign finance laws are frequently used by well-funded special-interest groups as a tool to suppress political speech by grassroots organizations and political campaigns – facilitated by the odd fact that the laws are NOT enforced by the state, but rather by individuals (or organizations) filing complaints (it takes lawyers, time, and money to hold violators accountable for breaking the law).

Since passage of Colorado’s Amendment 27 (adopted as Article XXVIII of the With purchase of an eye exam and contact lens fitting. New patients only. Some restrictions apply. Cannot be combined Colorado Constitution) in 2002, the “progressive” Left has effectively waged “lawfare” against opposing organizations, campaigns, and elected officials with any other offers, discounts or insurances. Expires February 28, 2014. – imposing costs, tying up resources, generating negative publicity, and occasionally imposing fines and penalties for “infractions” of Colorado’s arcane campaign finance law requirements. Spearheaded by the well-funded (ironically, NOT subject to reporting and disclosure requirements) but mis-named “Colorado Ethics Watch” (CEW, pronounced “sue” – it’s what they do), the Left’s ‘Lawfare’ campaign of harassing attacks has encountered no consistently effective resistance – much less any effective counterattacks. The Right has, sadly, lacked both shield and sword with which to fight back. Colorado Campaign Finance Law – Background Campaign finance “reformers” passed Amendment 27 in 2002 by promising to

• Reduce election costs & campaign spending • Reduce negative campaign ads • Reduce “undue influence” by “well-funded special interests” or wealthy individuals • Create more open elections, increase transparency and citizen participation

The “reforms” have failed to deliver on those promises. The Amendment itself is 13 pages long, containing 5,740 words. However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg – the Secretary of State’s “Campaign Finance Manual” for candidates and issue advocates is 152 PAGES long - and much of the application of the rules can only really be found in hundreds of pages of case law. For some in the Established political class, the very complexity of campaign finance rules & regulations (and the costs, burden & difficulty of compliance) isn’t a bug – it’s a feature.

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This attitude was demonstrated with crystal clarity by now-FORMER state senator John Morse, testifying against proposed reforms to the rules in December 2011, when he arrogantly stated: “Turns out that complying with all this is complicated, and really does take a lawyer. But that's the price of the transparency, to be able to have these kinds of reporting things." Peculiarities of Colorado Campaign Finance Law (citizen enforcement) One of the strangest features of Colorado’s Campaign Finance Law regime is how it’s enforced. Normally, lawbreakers are brought to justice by agents of the state (police, district attorneys, etc). However, although penalties for infractions are collected by the state, it’s up to individual citizens or civic groups to find (or invent) infractions, file complaints, and prosecute cases in court – incurring all of the expense (including hiring attorneys, producing documents, and collecting evidence) of prosecution. In other words, although the penalties are collected by the state (much like criminal proceedings), the procedures are much more like civil proceedings – except that the litigants almost never recoup costs.

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Result: campaign finance law in our state is nothing more than a blunt instrument wielded by groups with the resources (lawyers, guns, & money) to bring or defend long, drawn-out court cases. Leftist Lawfare groups (CEW, etc) In fact, the overwhelming majority of campaign finance complaints in Colorado have been brought by the “Left” – specifically, “Colorado Ethics Watch” (CEW, pronounced “sue” – it’s what they do), an organization created and funded as part of the Left’s network of groups to do just that – file complaints. Even though their record of courtroom success has been uneven, even lackluster, at best – strategically, the group has been enormously effective for the Left. Given enough resources, waging “Lawfare” doesn’t even require courtroom victories – if opponents can be distracted, forced to divert resources (time & money), and get smeared in the (often-complicit) media – then it’s a definite “win” for the attackers.

continued on page B-7

February 2014 | Common Sense News | B-5

Tea Party - What do we stand for? By: Ken Clark

he United States of America is the greatest, wealthiest, most prosperous nation, ever known to man. Is it because we are better, faster, smarter than the rest of the world? Is it in our DNA as Americans? Are we entitled because we are Americans? Is it because we steal wealth from the rest of the world? No, it is not. We are no different from any other people anywhere, in any country. What separates us is simply our form of government, which states, "We the People" are all created equal under the law and are endowed with certain unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

So what is the Tea Party platform you ask? Simple, first ask this question; "What is the proper role of government?” Your answer to that question will help determine how well your views fit with those of the Tea Party. My simple answer would be this; "The proper role of government is to protect individual freedoms and liberties which in turn will protect the free markets and promote Capitalism. So that is it, from here we can extrapolate our platform.

The greatness of the United States lies in the brilliance of our founding and the brilliance of the Constitution, which guarantees individuals their rights and protects them from the tyranny of government. The sole purpose of our Constitution is to protect individual rights and limit federal government. Simply put, the Constitution states all men, regardless of the station of life into which they are born, have the opportunity to accomplish anything, to become anything, to do anything, if, and only if, you are willing to work hard and pay the price to achieve it. Men are limited only by the height of their own dreams and aspirations. It matters not if you are a first generation immigrant, your parents are poor, middle class or wealthy you can become and do anything in the U.S., this is the American Dream and what our forefathers gave us. In everyone’s DNA is the yearning to be free and left alone to live our lives as we see fit. This is America and this is what the Tea Party stands for. Our freedoms are what the progressives in both parties are stealing from us. The Tea Party is an all-inclusive American Grassroots movement with the belief that everyone is created equal and deserves an equal opportunity to thrive in these United States where they may pursue life, liberty and happiness as stated in the Declaration of Independence and guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States, that is it in a nutshell.

Let us re-establish the Constitution of the United States and the Supreme Law of the Land. Any law or regulation, department or division of government that is not specifically authorized by the Constitution; which falls outside of the enumerated powers granted by the Constitution to the Federal Government, should be eliminated. This is what we mean by limited government.

Reduce Federal taxes, eliminate the progressive tax and the IRS. This seems self-explanatory but the federal government relies on force to compel its citizens to comply with regulation and to pay taxes. See how long you will stay out of jail when you do not pay your taxes, that my friends is force. Eliminate the National debt, and deficit spending. This is the part of the platform we stand on when we talk about "fiscal responsibility." The only way to achieve this goal is to remove money from politics, let's face it, money buys politicians regardless of the party. The Republicans have their winners just as the Democrats have theirs. In the end, it is "We the people" who pay and they are getting rich off their cronyism. So let's take a look at the Republican platform, shall we? The Colorado GOP doesn't have a platform per se, but they do have resolutions passed at the last state convention listed on their web site, I wouldn't consider that a true Colorado platform. So I went to the national GOP web site and found a link that was tagged "Our Party" and this is what I found as their answer to the question of "what do we stand for?" They list the economy, national defense, health care, education, energy, and the courts as their main issues, and while they talk about limiting government regulation, supporting the free markets, and removing federal control, there is no real path to follow in order to achieve

continued on page B-13

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B-6 | Common Sense News | February 2014

SPRINGS NEWS:

WHEN DID STEALING BECOME OKAY? By: Kanda Calef

he Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution provides that no person shall “be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.” So, what does “public use” mean, since that is a reason given for the government to be able to take our property, as long as we are justly compensated? The definition of “public use” has been changed from its’ original intent. Our Founding Fathers did not use the words “public good” or “public benefit,” but did use the term “public use.” Our Founders were very careful about how they worded every part of our Constitution because they had seen the abuses of government, firsthand. “Public use” to anybody with a sense of why we have property rights, would agree that private property should not be taken from one individual to be given to another, just because a few elites in government think that someone else will do something better with the private property than the one who owns it. My own young kids would be incensed by such an injustice if their toys were taken from them by the government in order to be given to another kid, because the government thinks that the other kid will play with it better and help it to become a more popular toy, thus increasing economic vitality.

enough for crony developers to have a field day. In fact, here in our own city of Colorado Springs, agricultural land has been deemed to be “blight.” Why would those who respect private property rights and believe in limited government vote to call healthy lands as “blight?” Because the owners of “blighted” lands are given tax breaks. In order to receive equal treatment under the law, as is the intent of our U.S. Constitution, all developers have to be given this same tax break, but that is not what central planners want. They only want preferential treatment for their buddies. If we don’t close this loophole created by our state, Colorado Springs will be – and has been – subject to crony development and gives small business owners, non-profits, and individuals cause for concern because they have a lack of confidence that their property rights will be protected. This leads to fewer people wanting to own land in certain areas for fear that the powerful elites in our city will use government to take it from them. It makes you see why Norwood is so comfortable owning so much land in our city, because they are part of that powerful elite and know that their buddies wouldn’t dare to take their land. I wonder if other developers in this city, those who aren’t part of the powerful elite, feel as secure in their rights in this city? Our Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority (CSURA) discussed the possibility of using eminent domain at a recent meeting. At question was a downtown property that developer Chuck Murphy would like to secure for his “Railway Lofts” project. When Murphy expressed frustration that he had been unable to persuade the landowner to sell, one CSURA Commissioner reminded the room that the state allows eminent domain to be used in such circumstances. I believe the Commissioner was misunderstanding the law – our City Council is the lone body in Colorado Springs with the authority to take property, but the idea that eminent domain is being discussed at all should be a concern to all citizens.

It sounds ludicrous, but, unfortunately, the Supreme Court does not agree with this common sense test. The term used for the government’s taking of private property is called “eminent domain.” In 2005, the Supreme Court ruled in Kelo v. City of New London that local governments can use eminent domain to acquire private property solely for economic development purposes. So, if the government deems that a developer is more worthy to own the land than you, he may have it. In their published opinion, the Supreme Court allows for states to further restrict the taking of private property. Accordingly, in 2006, Colorado’s General Assembly passed a law which restricted the use of eminent domain; however, the language included a loophole for the taking of property through those lands that are considered to be “blight.” So, what is “blight?” One person’s definition of “blight” may not be another person’s definition of “blight.” The definition of “blight” is fuzzy at all levels of government; fuzzy

Colorado Springs’ City Council Member Joel Miller is taking on the fight to close this unjust loophole. He is proposing an ordinance be passed that would fall under a more common sense approach for why our Founders allowed for eminent domain to be a part of our U.S. Constitution. Sadly, this is another example of elected officials having to undo the damage already done. We need to fight government, but we also need to support those actions which fall under the Constitutional role of government or are headed in the right direction to get us back on that track. We need to make sure that this ordinance passes or your home or business may be at risk to be taken by the government to be given to Norwood. In fact, those of you who live, work, or donate your time downtown right now, where the majority of City for Champions projects are being projected to be built, are in imminent danger of your home, business, or non-profit being taken from you. We need to support our elected officials when they are doing right by us by respecting our Constitutional rights. Please write emails to allcouncil@springsgov.com and encourage our Council members to respect private property rights and vote to close the loophole created by our state and federal governments. You may also attend any City Council meeting, which are held on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month, to give comments to the Council during the general public comments period. Let’s make government work for us!!!

February 2014 | Common Sense News | B-7

TURNING THE TABLES continued from page B-4

The Right’s Response So why has political “Lawfare” in Colorado been almost exclusively the province of the Left? Why haven’t the brilliant minds (and deep pockets) of the “Right” been able to effectively fight back? Sadly, the Colorado GOP’s own lawyers have been AWOL – and other groups (CGAP, OGI) have been ineffective (despite being well funded, CGAP only “succeeded” in putting out a few press releases and pushing a failed “ethics complaint” against John Morse; OGI lost its only major campaign finance case (even paying attorneys fees to the opposition) and was investigated by the IRS for tax code violations. Quo Vadis? So what can be done? Can “Lessons Learned” be applied to create an effective counter to CEW? There is NO reason to cede the field of battle exclusively to the Left – we can, we should, and – assuming that our side is smart enough to finally begin financing and resourcing the effort – we WILL become proficient practitioners of political guerilla legal warfare (a.k.a. Lawfare). Matt Arnold is a strong, principled leader and American patriot. He is a military veteran (currently a Captain in the Army Reserves), an active advocate for education reform and gun rights, but best known as the founder and director of Clear The Bench Colorado, a judicial accountability group providing independent analysis and commentary on our judicial system. (www.clearthebenchcolorado. org) Partially as a result of his campaign to restore accountability to Colorado’s judicial system, and partially as a survivor of a particularly nasty smear campaign in his run for statewide office (CU Regent At-Large) to reform higher education in Colorado, Matt has built up extensive expertise in both defensive and offensive “lawfare” under Colorado’s campaign finance regulatory regime – and is putting his knowledge and experience to good use as executive director of Campaign Integrity Watchdog to turn the tables. Matt is one of only two people in Colorado history (the other, Mike Coffman as state treasurer, had lots of legal help) to actually win a judgment and collect money from “Colorado Ethics Watch” – the Left’s premier practitioner of “lawfare” in Colorado. Most recently, Matt succeeded in becoming the FIRST and ONLY plaintiff in Colorado history to prosecute an enforceable judgment in a campaign finance case. Learn more about how Campaign Integrity Watchdog can help win the fight against Leftist Lawfare at www.campaignintegritywatchdog.org or on Facebook at https://www.facebook. com/CampaignIntegrityWatchdogColorado

SCOTT

GESSLER “Fearless Conservative” -TheColoradoStatesman

We’re voting for Scott Gessler – Congressman Bob Schaffer Senators Rivera & Tebedo Representatives Navarro & Landgraf Speaker of the House Lola Spradley El Paso Commissioner Dennis Hisey Teller Commissioner Dave Paul Teller Commissioner Norm Steen Teller Commisioner Marc Dettenrieder Colo Springs Councilmen Pico & Bennett Paid by the Coloradans for Gessler

PROVEN CONSERVATIVE LEADER WITH THE LEGAL EXPERIENCE NECESSARY TO BE YOUR ATTORNEY GENERAL • Leadership Credentials • Professional military officer who led attorneys and paralegals in the prosecution of insurgents in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom Legislative leader directing the fight to protect our conservative ideals and values as both Minority Leader and Assistant Majority Leader in the House. Republican Party leader working tirelessly to get other Republicans elected to office

• Legal Experience • “Whether it’s fighting for our American freedoms in Iraq or our individual liberty as Colorado citizens, I have never shied away from my leadership responsibilities. As a legislator, I’ve consistently fought to make our communities safer, our economy better, and our Constitution stronger. I will continue to do the same when I’m your Attorney General.”

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February 2014 | Common Sense News | B-9

PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

Twin Olympians, Sisterly Love I By: Anne Vinnola

have been following these remarkable twin sisters for the last few years and honored to be part of the Pro-Staff of Prois a women’s hunting apparel company with them. I have seen their triumphs, lows, Injury, and challenges while competing for their Olympic dreams as biathletes. They are an inspiration to us all.

She is having a stellar year and I for one want to see where she can take it…what heights she can climb to. So, in honor of friendship, cooperation, and sacrifice I declined my spot on the Olympic Team. This freed up a spot so that Lanny could be named to the team. Please help me in cheering her on in Sochi. I know she is destined for great things at the games. Citius, Altius, Fortius

Biathlon is one of the most demanding sports in the Olympics, combining skiing and shooting, and consists of 10 disciplines spread out over five events: sprint, pursuit, mass start relay and individual. There are 11 biathlon medal events.

A huge thanks to all of you for supporting us on this journey. Sochi is just 25 days away and it's likely to be one hell of a good show!

I received an email from the girls the other day after waiting for word of their Olympic Trials results to come in. Everyone at Prois was following these gals and we were all excited to see what would happen. Here is what the email said and while I was shocked for a few minutes, I quickly realized it was exactly how it should be. It is how they live their lives. Dear Family, Friends & Sponsors, First of all, our sincere apologies for not having more updates during the Olympic Trials process. There was very poor internet in the valley we were competing in and when you take bad internet plus close to 400+ athletes, coaches, & staff all trying to email, skype, and download you almost always get a crash of the whole thing. A quick recap of the races...The first two races started a bit shaky for the twins. Lanny fell ill and only raced one of the first two races and finished 42nd with 90% shooting. Tracy had a bad fall in the first race after she was tripped up on a downhill by another competitor and she managed to pack her gun sight full of snow when she did a face plant. At the range she spent well over a minute trying to get the snow out of her sight so she could see. She managed to hit all of her targets for the day but had a disappointing result. The second weekend of racing was much better. Tracy placed 26th in the Individual race with 2 penalties out of 20 shots and had a spectacular sprint race finishing 10th with clean shooting. Lanny wasn't able to race the second weekend because she was really quite ill. Yesterday I (Tracy) was named to the Olympic Team! I cannot think of any greater honor in the world, save one… Lanny fell ill during the trials and was unable to race enough of the races she needed to qualify for the Olympic Team.

Tracy and Lanny I asked Tracy Barnes to give me a little background into their life. AV-Please tell me a bit about yourselves and your family life growing up. Tracy: We grew up hunting and fishing with our family in the mountain town of Durango, Colorado. We have an older sister who is an Ear, Nose, and Throat surgeon in Vermont. Our mom is a retired high school biology teacher and our dad owns a small construction company. Our dad taught us how to shoot and we quickly took up shooting competitions all over Colorado and New Mexico. While at a small-bore prone competition, a man who was working with the biathlon team approached us. He suggested we try biathlon because he observed us running around and playing soccer between shooting bouts instead of resting, relaxing, and getting our heart rate down. He told us we were in the wrong sport and should try biathlon. We thought running and gunning was more the kind of thing we would be interested in so we signed up for Nordic skiing that fall. We immediately fell in love with it and have now been competing in it for close to 15 years. AV-What does a typical day of training consist of for you? Tracy: A day in the life usually consists of a wake up around 6 am and a short morning run followed by some stretching. We have breakfast and then do our first 2-4 hour training. This workout usually combines some sort of physical activity with our shooting. We may ski, run, bike, or roller ski, whatever activity will help us get our heart rate up for the shooting. After the workout we'll have lunch followed by a nap so that we get the best recovery between workouts. In

Continued on page B-14

B-10 | Common Sense News | February 2014

FREEDOM TO LIVE YOUR OWN

LIFE

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IF . . .

By Dr. Harley Ihm

F…It is a word that has plagued us from the beginning of time. I never liked that word because it almost always meant that something was expected of me. It started out when I was a child. “IF you clean your room, you will get to go out for ice cream.” “IF you do your chores, you will get your allowance.” “IF you are on the ‘nice’ list, Santa will come and bring you toys.” “IF you get good grades in school, you will not be grounded.” “IF you eat your spinach…” No, that’s just wrong. No one should have to do that! Then, one day after you have lived a long and productive life, given yourself for the good of your family and all mankind, you hear someone you always trusted say, “IF you drive that car one more time, us kids are calling the DMV to have your license revoked. You are too old to be driving.”

owever, there is another type of ‘IF’ that is not a plague but a blessing. “IF you H look up into the sky, you will see the Northern Lights.” “IF you set a goal and climb to the top of Mt. Elbert you will see creation like you have never seen it before.” “IF you go to Europe you can stand on walls built in medieval times and see where the archers would shoot through the holes in the walls that surrounded the city as they protected everyone from the invaders.” “IF you will accept the position we are offering you, you will receive a promotion and a substantial pay raise.” “IF you will take this ring and become my wife, I will be the happiest man alive.” “IF you come to the hospital, you can hold your new granddaughter.” Do you see the power for good and bad within those two little letters, I and F? How we approach that word can have a lot to do with how it affects the world we live in. We can see it as our enemy or we can see it as our opportunity. There is one “IF” that I believe is one of the greatest IF’s of all time. It is an IF with a promise. It is more positive and timelier than any IF you or I could deal with, IF we care to deal with it. So, what is this all powerful IF? The people of God loved Him deeply when things were going well. Then they seemed to forget their Creator. That never turned out good. God will allow us to “sleep in the bed we make” as my mother use to say. Solomon has just completed the temple for God, as well as his own royal palace. The Lord appears to Solomon at that time and says, “…IF my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). God is speaking of Israel who is His people at that time. Do you see the IF that God gives them and the blessing He promises IF they chose to follow God’s IF? How could they say, “No” to an offer like that? Here is the good news. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. His promises transcend time. So, who are God’s people who are called by His name in 2014? Jew and Gentile, every race on earth who will call upon the name of the Lord are collectively God’s people. All who are in Christ are the church, Jesus’ body on earth. And IF the church around the world will humble ourselves, seek God’s face, turn from our wicked ways, THEN our Creator will hear from heaven and will forgive our sin and heal this broken body that was created to change the world, not to be changed by it! Maybe it is time to refocus our faith IF we want to see the world become a far better place. Dr. Harley Ihm lives with his wife Dr. Dana Ihm, in Pueblo, Colorado where he is a writer, teacher, preacher and communicator. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri, a master’s degree in New Testament Exegesis and Preaching from Johnson University, Knoxville, Tennessee, and a Doctor of Biblical Studies from Master’s International University in Evansville, Indiana. He is currently working on completing a Doctor of Theology from Master’s International as well. Dr. Ihm teaches Bible and Worldview classes for Colorado Christian University. Growing up in rural Missouri, he is a firm believer in the conservative lifestyle that brought our forefathers to this country in search of true freedom.

February 2014 | Common Sense News | B-11

Heritage Girls Preparing for Emergencies D ‘You can be an expert and help your family. Everybody works together.” on Rodgers of the 9-12 Pike’s Peak Patriots told a group of American Heritage girls they need a plan when natural disasters strike. The El Paso County AHG troop CO 4316 is working on an Emergency Preparedness badge this winter. You do not have to look far to understand the timeliness of the topic. Many people know at least one person affected by the recent Black Forest and Waldo Canyon fires or the Manitou Springs floods.

Rodgers has been preparing for disasters and helping others learn to how stay ready. He explained to the troop there is an enormous amount of information on the subject but there are some basics to know. He added the most important thing to have in a skill set is the ability of communication. Families need to come up with a plan that includes understanding each member’s role and knowing the location of important supplies. This includes a hard copy list of important telephone numbers and information. The 9-12 project leader held up his mobile phone and asked the girls why he couldn’t use look up the numbers in his phone. One girl raised her hand to tell him that the battery might be dead and there might not be any electricity. This savvy group of pre-teens and teens already seem to have a solid understanding of how to be prepared but as Rodgers mentioned, the subject has a daunting amount of information. He stressed again the importance of making an emergency preparedness plan fit your family. It is personal and unique to needs of an individual family. “Get a kit and make a plan,” with the possibility of a first responder being eight to ten minutes away he shared with the girls the realization that they could be that first responder. He told them to obtain first aid skills by taking a class or reading a book. Rodger’s advice included storing at least a seven day supply of food and water. Finally, he mentioned preparing a bag, commonly referred to as a “bug out bag” with whatever other supplies your family might need. Situational awareness is also a part of emergency preparedness. Local firearms instructor Elizabeth Blackwood involved the troop in a craft making key chains with colored beads. While it was fun, the message was serious. The white, yellow, orange and red beads represent states of awareness. Blackwood earned a boisterous giggle from the crowd as she grabbed her mobile phone with her head buried deep in intense pretend texting mode. “Am I aware of what’s going on around me now?” she asked. “NO!” the girls responded. “This is white and we should only really be in this mode and state while sleeping,” Blackwood then

By: Anne Boswell Taylor

had a roomful of interested eyes on her as she moved into explaining the other colors. Yellow is ideal because as Blackwood shared, this mode means we are aware. We know where the exits are, where the best place to park is because of lighting, we notice suspicious persons near us. Orange mode is the “uh-oh” mode while red means we take action. The troop then fired questions at Blackwood. “What should you do if someone asks you for directions?” a front row listener asked curiously. Blackwood shook her head and asked them if it is odd that an adult would ask a child for directions. The girls knew they should never answer the door if their parents are not at home but because it is so important to staying safe, Blackwood covered it again. “Stay in condition yellow, be aware,” Blackwood ended with this plea but also passionately urged them to get all of the self-defense training they could. She wrapped up the topic by inviting all of the American Heritage Girls to a workshop on personal protection. The girls were inundated with quite a lot of information on the subject of emergency preparedness and will have other projects to complete the badge. “It gives the girls power to deal with what they’ve seen,” troop leader Tami Gilbert adds. She says what the girls can learn is they are responsible for themselves and now they’re better prepared.

American Heritage Girls is a non-profit organization dedicated to the mission of building women of integrity through service to God, family, community and country. If anyone is interested in joining or starting a troop of their own, visit the national website at http://www. ahgonline.org/.

B-12 | Common Sense News | February 2014

Safely Storing Your Guns By: Dan Kidder

cross the nation, accidental shooting deaths are down across every age range, but especially for children 14 and younger.

Just because the trend of accidental deaths is declining, doesn’t mean the need to be ever vigilant in keeping guns out of the hands of unauthorized persons is lessened. It because of this vigilance and better education, that we are seeing this drastic decline. According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, in the past two decades, accidental firearms deaths for children 14 and under have decreased by 74 percent between 1990 and 2000 and another 28 percent between 2000 and 2010. And the actual numbers are not that high, just 62 accidental deaths in 2010. All of that being said, just a single accidental death from a firearm is too many, and reaching the goal of zero injuries is possible if people would take the time and the effort to safeguard their guns and keep them where unauthorized users cannot get their hands on them. Three elements are necessary for an accidental or negligent discharge of a firearm to occur; a gun, ammunition, and a person. I call this the Firearms Triangle. Remove any single element, and the possibility of a discharge is negligible. Yes, under very rare circumstance a faulty gun can accidentally fire if it is loaded and unattended, but that is extremely rare. If a gun is faulty to the point that it will fire, it is not going to sit for years before it goes off without some kind of external stimulus. The first way to properly secure a gun is to follow NRA Gun Safety Rule #3, keep your gun unloaded until ready for use. That means that when you put on a gun for everyday carry, go ahead and load it, because the gun is available for use. When you take it off again, make sure to properly and safely unload it. If it is your nightstand gun, go ahead and load it. The basic idea is that anytime a gun is put away and not ready for immediate use, go ahead and unload it. The second way is to use a lock through the action of the gun. All new guns come with locks that will allow you to cover the trigger, or lock the action open so the gun is unable to fire. If you need a gun lock, visit your local police of sheriff and they will provide you with a lock. Project Gun Safe has worked to provide more than 35 million gun locks across the country. You can learn more at www.

projectgunsafe.org. The third way to prevent unauthorized access is to store the gun in a locking safe or case. There are a wide variety of safes and locking cases on the market and on average they cost far less than most guns. If you are going to invest in a gun, then spend the money to make sure you have the means to safely store the gun. Guns need to be stored out of sight as well as out of reach. Just hiding a gun is not enough. If you hide the gun, a child will find it. Several times in this article, I have mentioned the term “unauthorized persons” and not just children. Unauthorized persons are anyone who has not been taught to safely load, cock, de-cock, and unload a firearm and to safely handle a firearm by following the NRA’s three rules of firearm safety. It also includes those who are legally not permitted to posses a firearm, either because they have been adjudicated as mentally defective, or because they have committed a felony or a violent disqualifying misdemeanor. Whenever a gun is not available for immediate use, it should be unloaded, locked, and stored in a locking safe or case. If every gun owner followed this advise, as well as the three rules of firearms safety, then we could eliminate accidental shooting injuries and deaths in this country. Owning a gun means tremendous responsibility. It means you have in your hands the power over life and death, but it also comes with tremendous consequences. NRA Three Rules of Firearm Safety: 1. ALWAYS keep the gun pointed in a safe direction. 2. ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot. 3. ALWAYS keep the gun unloaded until ready to use. In my classes, I emphasize the importance of keeping guns out of the hands of children by making the following statement. “If you leave a gun where a child can get their hands on it, it will take just a fraction of a second for a horrible tragedy to occur. If that happens, then make no mistake, you have murdered that child and I hope you rot in Hell and prison for it.” About the author: Dan Kidder is a Marine Corps veteran and owner and chief instructor of On Target Defensive Training in Utah. He is also the Managing Editor of Sportsman’s News Magazine and a host of Sportsman’s News Television.

WIDE VARIETY OF GUNS AND AMMO

ALL COLLECTIBLES

WANTED:

February 2014 | Common Sense News | B-13

Despotism on the Horizon Continued Letters to the Editor form page A-5

T GOLD U.S. COINS

SILVER

GUNS

old guns

sabers relics

OLD JEWELRY

U.S.

AMMO & GUNS COINS military insignia & patches

ODDITIES

ANTIQUES

CURIOSITIES OLD TOYS & DOLLS

BUY– SELL– TRADE

comic books

guns AMMO

Elden and Sylvia Leasure

Leasures Treasures, LLC AMARILLO MOTEL

2801 W. Colorado Ave., COS 719-635-8539 ext. 150 www.leasurestreasures.com

WIDE VARIETY OF GUNS AND AMMO

he Left is a destructive force, determined to destroy the American culture, it seeks to undermine and corrode the fundamental principles which help to establish the founding of this country. We have been subjected to their agenda, slowly suffering their orchestrated and carefully calculated attack carried out over the past few decades in our government, media, literature, education, music, theater, art and even the Church. Once you understand the intent of the Left and the origins of their thought process then you will know why they are driven to destroy freedom and Western culture. Before Obama, before Ayers, before Alynski, before Kruschev, before Lenin, before Engels, Karl Marx suffering wealthy middle class upbringing, witness the burgeoning industrial revolution and the struggles of the working man who left the farm to partake in the technological shift occurring at the time. Influenced by the likes of Darwin and Mr. “God is dead. “ Nietzsche, Marx gave birth to a political philosophy with its own new vocabulary, dedicated to the premise that the destruction of capitalism would come from class warfare and envy. Coinciding with this new philosophy and a growing discontent of the worker, the Socialist Movement as it became known sought to spawn their ideology which gave them opportunity during the great war which erupted in Europe and early 20th century. Through this chaos the socialist gain great hope that the West would cave to their new found hope of a socialist utopia. Their host country was found in Russia after an upheaval in the Tsar’s reign. The Socialists took advantage of the peasants discontent in the new worker's paradise of the Soviet Union was born. After failing to have the West capitalistic system collapse following World War I and, the socialist preyed upon backwards Russia developing new ways to spread their beliefs into the West by other means such as the Frankfurt school were instituted to infiltrate the West and undermine it particularly in America. Through the Progressive movement and the Fabian Society Socialists, Socialism made it to our shore and a course was set to achieve political domination.

Tea Party - What do we stand for? continued on page B-5 their objective. The Democrat's platform simply states, “We’re better together than we are on our own." simple collectivism, Marxism, communism, pick your ism. They have become socialists pure and simple and while they will not use those, terms, they have no problem using the definitions to describe their platform. Libertarians on the other hand are all about the individual and individual rights. This is what the Constitution was set up to protect and it is spot on right up until they start with foreign policy, Libertarians mistakenly believe that if you leave Islamists alone they will leave us alone, that simply isn't true. Outside of that, they are strict constitutionalists and their platform is solid. There is something missing however. What is missing from the GOP Platform and where I believe the biggest difference between the GOP and the Tea Party lies is the simple fact that nowhere on the issues page do they talk about or even mention the Constitution. The restoration of our founding documents, and the Constitution can and will restore our republic. Ken Clark - GrassRoots Radio Colorado - 560 KLZ the Source

EDITOR NOTE: The Colorado GOP website does not have a State Republican platform, however at the November 8, 2013 Executive Committee meeting the National GOP platform was voted to be place on the website along with the Colorado GOP resolutions where it is currently.

The 30s presented an opportunity for the Left to organize particularly through the unions and with the leadership with the likes of Saul Alynski who created the architecture of destroying the American culture. Slowly simmering with the infiltration into the colleges and universities once again the Left found chaos during the Vietnam War to further their agenda and set a stage for their destruction of the American culture. With individuals such as Bill Ayres and SDS (Students for Democratic Society) violence and outright war tactics were employed to bring swift change to the political environment. Through tactics such as class warfare, multiculturalism, political, social justice, environmentalism and the implementation of Cloward-Piven the Left aimed at bringing cultural change bias disintegration of the family and the infamous feminist movement over the past few decades. The Left has succeeded in weakening the moral structure upon which the country was constructed. Destroying the country from within has given credence to Khrushchev’s prediction that was echoed by Ezra Taft in 1965 that, ”You will fall like overripe fruit into our hands.” With the foundation and leadership in place and the infiltration into key institutions the Left through maturation and utilization of their tactics and strategy, the structure of the family unit and the disintegration and eroding of our moral fiber, the left once again seeks chaos to make one final movement to make their change towards Socialism permanent. The recent occupy Wall Street movement and the reorganization of labor unions will provide steam to and will predictably erupt into race warfare which is their next card to play in the overwhelming of the system via the Cloward-Piven strategy will push the economy to the brink that they are hoping for. This 100 year plan of attack by the Progressives is coming to fruition. This letter is not meant to announce the feet, insinuate capitulation or encourage the adversary in any way. This is the last warning to wake up, be knowledgeable and commit to action by bringing awareness to those around you and becoming a force of resistance to the left; which seeks through destruction of the belief in God and of the liberties which we have inherited from our Constitution and those who have fallen before us to preserve it. We may be on our knees morally and spiritually right now but we need not be on our face giving into despotism and tyranny. I challenge you to be that change. -Brian Beck, Colorado Springs, CO

Your Ad Could Be Here! Common Sense News is your gateway to Colorado conservatives. Space is available in many affordable sizes and prices start as low as $230. Common Sense News is read all over Colorado but is concentrated in Southern Colorado so you can blanket the Southern Colorado market and reach customers statewide as well. Also advertise on Common Sense Radio today! Reach over 27,000 listeners every Saturday from 2-3 pm on AM 1460 KZNT Radio Call 719-302-1900 for Colorado Springs or 720-400-6234 for Denver Email Info@IntermountainMediaLLC.com. Our offices are located at 5555 Erindale Drive, Ste 102, Colorado Springs, 80918.

B-14 | Common Sense News | February 2014

Twin Olympians, Sisterly Love Continued from page B-9

the afternoon we have our second workout of the day which is more physical training and lasts 2-3 hours. In the evening we have dry firing, stretching and then early to bed. AV-What is your ultimate dream with this sport? Tracy: From early on in the sport we wanted to make it to the Olympics. The Olympics were always a dream of ours, even when we were playing soccer as young kids. There were plenty of struggles in biathlon. We had just given up soccer a sport we truly excelled in, for a sport that we were really quite terrible at. We had the shooting background, but we had no Nordic skiing experience. Most Nordic skiers start when they are really young, so we started a bit late. However, we were the only athletes in the US to come from a shooting background and were determined to make a name in the sport. AV- Who mentored and inspired you? We have had many struggles during the course of our career including overtraining, politics, and sickness, but our stubborn determination and motivation from each other kept us going. One of the biggest things that has kept us going for so long is the support we have received from our family, friends, and sponsors. Our sponsors have become our family and we have the most inspiring and motivating friends and family. We've had plenty of mentors over the years who have been pivotal in our success. Our dad is a big mentor as he was the one who got us in to shooting and helped us to grow a passion for shooting sports and hunting. Recently we have been incredibly inspired and received help from (in our pistol shooting) Kay & Jerry Miculek. Those two are a huge inspirations to us.

together and how you love each other through each high and low. I know the spot on the Olympic team meant the world to you both. Why give up the seat on the team you have been working so hard for Tracy? Tracy: I made my decision to decline my spot on the Olympic Team because I really wanted to help Lanny. Anyone who loves a friend or family member can relate in some way. The entire week of Olympic trials I witnessed Lanny suffering because she was so sick and extremely disappointed and devastated because her Olympic dreams were fading away. I couldn't witness that and not act. She's my best friend and I'll do anything I can to help her. I also feel that she's having an incredibly great year and I feel she'll have great success at the Olympics. AV-Lanny, How hard did you find it to accept the gift your sister gave you? Lanny: It was hard for me at first to accept the decision. She's worked so hard for this and she was the one who earned the spot on the team. However, I also know her better than anyone and know that something like this means more to her than the pursuit of her own dreams. She's always been selfless and dedicated to others and I could tell how important is was to her and how much she wanted to see me compete. Watch them in the years to come and make a special plan to watch Lanny compete in Biathlon during the upcoming Olympics in Sochi you can be sure Tracy and the rest of the Prois gals will be cheering her on! Follow the ladies on facebook https://www. facebook.com/tracylanny.barnes or their website www.twinbiathletes.com

AV- After watching you both for years now, I understand how you work

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