Word came down this afternoon that the reapportionment commission met to rehash and redo the state house and senate maps because the previously submitted maps were unacceptable to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court had told the commission that because they had split several counties and cities, even though the constitutional criteria stresses that such splits are to be held at a minimum, they needed to redo the maps. So, what did they do? The Dems waited until 10 pm Sun. to submit completely new maps that are so obviously and vindictively gerrymandered, it's unbelievable, and that should have been submitted by Wednesday. Then - with the help of the "unaffiliated" chair, Mario Carrera, ramrodded these maps through, 6-5, on a party-line vote.. The chair, who is supposed to be "unaffiliated" has given approximately $9,000 to the Dems this past year - really unaffiliated, isn't he? The constitutional criteria of communities of interest was totally ignored, especially for Delta County. It had been split since the last census between Districts 54, represented by Ray Scott, and 58, represented - more or less - by Don Coram. It didn't make a bit of difference that Paonia and the east end of Delta County have absolutely nothing in common with Aspen - there is no community of interest. The new district that encompasses the eastern part of the county also takes in half of Gunnison County, all of Pitkin County (Aspen), Lake County and goes clear up to just a little ways south of Boulder! It was as if the fact that McClure Pass is a physical, economic, demographic and psychological barrier between eastern Delta County and Pitkin and Gunnison Counties didn't even register! I'd like to see Carrera and some of the Dems try coming over McClure in a snowstorm, just to bond the two communities together! I can tell them how much fun it is to slip and slide around! I hope the court rejects the map straight out and insists on seeing a Republican map, since the straight-line party vote also voted not to allow a minority report to go to the court. I think the court can overrule them on this and I sure hope they do. I'd even travel to Denver to testify again if I thought it would do any good! The final decision by the court is to be made December 6, so guess we'll see what happens!
One note of good news - Barney Frank is retiring from the House of Representatives. Actually, he's just not going to try for a 17th term. He's going to be sooooooo sorely missed - my fat foot! He said he was fairly certain he could win another term, but that it would be harder than in the past as his district had been gerrymandered against him. Poor baby. How's it feel to have the playing field leveled, Mr. Frank? He also made the comment that so much of what he had worked for would be dismantled by a Republican Congress in the future. We can only hope! He has done so much to destroy this economy that turning it around may be - and likely will be - extremely difficult to do.
Watching Glenn Beck this afternoon was a little scarey. Mr. Beck is very frightened as to what is coming down the pike, and I have to agree with his assessment, at least to a degree! Like he said, the violence that took place last Friday, the so-called "Black Friday", over material things, like electronics and toys - what is going to happen when people want and need food and the shelves are bare, or nearly so? One of Mr. Beck's recommendations - besides food storage - is to be in a community of like people, church, town, etc. We are fortunate that here in Delta and in the county, we are a fairly close-knit community, especially among the conservatives. The libs in Paonia are a different group altogether, but most of the county are conservative, many are natives, and have been raised with a code that you help your neighbor. After living back east for more than 20 years, I'm glad to be back out here in western Colorado. It's not the dog-eat-dog world that it is back east.
One last note - saw a post on Facebook tonight that some guy from Denver who was on the lam in connection with a guy's death is suing the Topeka family he had held hostage while running from the cops! He said they had agreed to hide him in return for money - well, duh, if you were in fear for your life cuz some idiot had invaded your home while running from the cops, you'd probably agree to some idiotic thing like that, too! The man certainly played in the short end of the gene pool, didn't he? If the judge lets the lawsuit move forward, he ought to pay for all expenses and any sums awarded!
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving - we are blessed, as of right now, to be living in such a wonderful country. Here's hoping and praying that we are strong enough to take it back and make it back into the shining city on the hill that it once was!
The Patriot Granny
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