Ari Armstrong's Web Log (Main) | Archives | Terms of Use
Colorado News Miner 120
School choice, children's rights, cat hunting, autism, Peters imprisoned, Republican conspiracies, student mental health, and more.
Copyright © 2024 by Ari Armstrong
October 8, 2024
Letter Against Amendment 80
The following letter, signed by six Colorado homeschool parents (including my wife and me), originally appeared in the Denver Post on September 20, under the title, "Letters: Vague school choice amendment could harm homeschool families like ours; Amendment 80 promises school choice but its vague language could cause regulation."
As homeschool parents in Colorado, we oppose the so-called "school-choice" ballot measure, Amendment 80.
Although the language of the measure is left intentionally vague, part of it could be read to demand that state government further regulate homeschool families, as well as private and charter schools, in the name of government's vision of a "quality education."
As homeschool parents who best know our children and their unique needs and interests, we care passionately about providing a quality education to our children, and to accomplish that end we need freedom, not the threat of bureaucratic controls.
The measure also is unclear as to whether it requires government to provide universal preschool or tax-funded vouchers for private schools. We deserve serious public discussion about such important matters, but the ballot measure threatens to send such issues to the courts.
CPR Includes Critique of Amendment 80
Jenny Brundin's article for CPR includes the critique of Amendment 80 that I and others have been making (Brundin mentions Christian Home Educators of Colorado but not me):
Other opponents, including some homeschool parents, contend that setting up an obligation for the state government to guarantee that each child's education is a "quality" one undermines the authority of parents to decide what constitutes a quality education. They say the measure would invite stricter regulation of public charter schools, home schools and private schools.
Martin on Children's Rights
I coauthored an op-ed with Carolyn Martin against Amendment 80. Martin works for Christian Home Educators of Colorado, which expresses many views with which I disagree. The op-ed begins, "On many large issues we disagree." The op-ed was intended to express the shared concerns of many homeschoolers about the ballot measure in question.
It didn't take long for me to find more issues on which to disagree with Martin. As Heidi Beedle writes, Martin expressed concern about giving "children rights separate from their parents." Of course children do have rights "separate from their parents." They are not slaves or possessions of their parents, and if parents abuse or neglect their children, government rightly intervenes. Parents do properly have a great deal of discretion regarding how to raise their children.
The problem with Amendment 80 is it seems to create a positive obligation for the state to ensure that every child receives a "quality education," which seems to demand not only universal tax funding but stringent regulations. Amendment 80 also asserts that children have the right to school choice. But parents properly decide how to educate their children, within broad parameters.
As Beedle notes, conservative Kevin Lundberg also opposes Amendment 80. In related news, Liberty Scorecard Colorado came out as "neutral" on the measure (in a September 30 email) because it is "poorly worded."
The Proposal to Ban Cat Hunting
"They're eating the cats!" In the case of people who hunt big cats in Colorado, this is true. With Prop. 127, voters have the chance to ban most such hunting, except by government agents (with a few other exceptions).
Here is Mark Udall's case in favor:
Prop. 127 . . . protects Colorado wild cats from cruel and unsporting practices like using packs of dogs and traps to kill lions and bobcats for their heads and their beautiful coats.
The primary means for trophy hunting lions and bobcats is hounding, where packs of dogs fitted with GPS tracking equipment are set loose to chase, fight and eventually tree a cat. It's typically a "guided" hunt and the client is given coordinates to go to the lion cornered in a tree and then shoots the animal. . . .
In fur trapping, bait in live cages lures in the bobcat. Preferred methods are bludgeoning or choking so as not to damage the fur, which is traded on the international market to make luxury clothing items.
These methods do not meet the hunters' code of "fair chase" and resemble senseless killing more than hunting.
This sort of hunting does strike me as extremely inhumane. If you think government properly may outlaw any sort of animal cruelty, it's hard to argue that government should allow the sort of extreme animal cruelty that Udall describes. (We can bracket discussion about whether the state should in effect own the animals in question.)
Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirms that hound pursuit takes place but claims this is a good thing, as "hound pursuit . . . allows hunters to release lions, often single female lions." I take it that what this means is that people can get close enough to the cat to better-determine sex. Okay, but that doesn't address the point that sicking hounds on a cat causes extreme distress to the cat for a prolonged period of time. I don't think people should be doing that. (See also Jason Blevins's article).
Prop. 127 would change the statutes (see the Blue Book), so the legislature could tweak the language down the road.
Here's the problem with the measure. If the problem is inhumane treatment of cats, the solution is to ban inhumane types of hunting, not all hunting. Some people will say that any sort of hunting is inherently inhumane, but obviously shooting an unsuspecting animal is a lot less distressing for the animal than pursuing it with hounds, treeing it, and bludgeoning it to death.
Various people have claimed that Prop. 127 would ban all hunting of big cats in Colorado. That's false. You can read the language yourself on pages 65 and 66 of the Blue Book. The measure bans what it calls "trophy hunting," and this specifically does not include official actions by wildlife personnel. By my reading of the measure, then (and maybe I'm missing something), state wildlife agents would be able to hunt mountain lions for the purpose of restricting their numbers.
It seems to me, then, that Prop. 127 does too much. But if the legislature wanted to ban practices such as chasing cats with hounds and bludgeoning cats to death, that seems okay to me.
A detail: "This measure would remove mountain lions from the definition of big game, making landowners ineligible for state reimbursement for any damage caused by a mountain lion" (per the Blue Book). I'm not too worried about this. The measure explicitly allows the killing of big cats in defense of livestock.
News about Autism
A couple of recent news articles, one in Chalkbeat and a second in Parker Chronicle, positively discuss Applied Behavior Analysis as a treatment for autism. But, as I indicated to both reporters, I have autistic friends who regard ABA as abusive, and I think that controversy at least merits a mention in related news articles.
Here is one critique of ABA:
ABA therapy does not put the child's emotional well-being and quality of life first. ABA therapy assumes that children simply won't do things and need to be incentivized to do them through rewards and negative reinforcement (or, lack of rewards). The ABA therapists don't assume that the autistic kids can't do what they are asking them to do (do complex physical tasks, or physically speak), or that what they're asking them to do is painful (such as make eye contact, be in a sensory overwhelming environment). Further, ABA therapy is not child-led, unlike most other therapies. Instead, the ABA therapist themselves and the parent decide what goals the child must meet. ABA therapy also rewards autistic children to hide their pain and distress, and rewards autistic children for "fitting in" to neurotypical norms. Autistic masking, which most of us do for decades, or an entire lifetime, often leads to poor mental health and even increased suicidality.
A 2021 article by lead author Justin Leaf, although friendly to ABA, reviews common criticisms of it. I worry that the paper takes an overly narrow view on the "effectiveness" of ABA; just because it gets people to do what the therapists want doesn't make it good. "Effectiveness" in this context should be defined in terms of short- and long-term quality of life for people with autism, as judged by those people. The paper concedes "there is some validity to concerns with the use of punishment-based procedures for autistics/individuals diagnosed with ASD," and the paper sees a need to "prevent the misuse of punishment-based procedures under the guise of ABA-based intervention."
I do not know much about autism, a complex condition for which a vast literature exists, nor about ABA. My point here is merely that journalists should be careful before wading into such a fraught arena without at least knowing about some of the surrounding controversies.
Incidentally, autistic people whom I trust recommend the book, Is This Autism?, as a general introduction.
Quick Takes
My Publishing Hat Trick: On September 24, I had three different articles one coauthored) published in three different publications: one in the Aurora Sentinel critical of Amendment 80 (with Carolyn Martin), a second in the Colorado Times Recorder on religious legal exemptions, and a third in Complete Colorado about progressive myths. I'm pretty sure that's the only time I've scored such a hat trick.
The Anti-Semitic Left: Some leftists in Colorado used October 7, the anniversary of the horrific terrorist attack against Israel, to protest against Israel and against Democratic Representative Brittany Pettersen (whose husband is Jewish). Disgusting.
Peters Gets Nine Years: Initially I thought nine years in prison for Tina Peters was excessive. But after seeing clips of Peters's unhinged rantings in court, I agree that Peters was practically double-dog daring the judge to sentence her to a lengthy term behind bars. The judge told her, "I am convinced you would do it all over again. You are as defiant a defendant as this court has ever seen." Also, the MAGA insanity just won't stop; the court in question has been receiving threats.
Oltmann Redux: Kyle Clark: "Conservative activist/podcaster and key Tina Peters backer Joe Oltmann, who has called for mass hangings of political opponents, talks of plans to 'hold the corrupt trash judge and the treasonous traitors accountable for what they did to Tina.'"
Scott Bright's Conspiracies: Bright is a candidate for state senate. In 2020, Bright suggested "there was cheating" in the 2020 presidential election and wondered if people should "just start throwing bricks and lighting stuff on fire" in response. See James O'Rourke's article for more details.
William Tubbs's Conspiracies: McKenna Harford: "A candidate for Castle Rock Town Council [Tubbs] is sharing numerous conspiracy theories and misinformation on his campaign website, including ones about vaccines, the LGBTQ community, COVID-19 and immigration."
Dr. Phil's Conspiracies: Kyle Clark: "Aurora Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky appeared [recently on] Dr Phil Primetime to discuss Aurora being 'overrun' by a Venezuelan gang. Dr Phil repeated Donald Trump's baseless claim that the gang is armed with machine guns." By the way, Trump is coming to Aurora to try to make hay about this. I think he should spend loads of time in Colorado, as opposed to tossup states.
Gazette Ads: Jason Salzman worries the Gazette "was paying for Facebook advertisements spreading falsehoods about Venezuelan gangs in Aurora."
Deneen on Big Government: In a key line from Patrick Deneen's interview with CPR, Deneen says "public policy can support conservative values."
Jeffco Student Mental Health: Suzie Glassman, discussing the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey: "In 2023, 26% of high school students reported these feelings [of hopelessness or sadness], down from 40% in 2021. . . . The percentage of students who seriously considered suicide dropped from 17% in 2021 to 11% in 2023. . . . Alcohol use dropped from 30% of youth reporting drinking alcohol in the past month in 2019 to 21% in 2023. Fewer teens also reported using cannabis in the prior 30 days than in 2019. . . . Stress remains a troubling issue among students, with one in four reporting that their stress feels unmanageable most days, and 7.4% of high school students report attempting suicide in the past 12 months." Also, 29% of LGBTQ students said they were bullied "compared to 12% of the general student population."
Abuse at School: Quite a story from Allison Sherry: "The Poudre School District [allegedly] knowingly hir[ed] a man convicted of child abuse to take care of vulnerable children and . . . systemically ignor[ed] complaints about his treatment on the job." The person in question "was convicted in Larimer County District Court of child abuse and sentenced to 12 years in prison for physically and emotionally abusing multiple kids—mostly on the bus to and from school." The same person "was charged with felony child abuse in 2012 in Adams County. He ultimately pleaded to a misdemeanor negligence charge and was sentenced at the time to 18 months probation."
Tax-Funded Solar: Denver has a "climate change sales tax," which has been used in part to finance a $4.7 million solar farm raised above a Denver Botanic Gardens vegetable farm. See Michael Booth's article.
Basic Income: Here is the key line from Alayna Alvarez's story about Denver's basic income program, quoting a spokesperson of the mayor: "The data . . . did not show a statistically significant difference in homelessness resolution between the groups that received large cash transfers and those who did not."
Water Tap Dispute: Some Colorado home buyers are without water, caught between squabbling regional governments. See CBS for details.
Vet Ballot Measure: Krista Kafer makes a strong case that voters should leave it to the legislature to figure out standards for veterinary care providers.
Evans on Gay Marriage and Abortion: Jesse Paul: Congressional candidate opposed gay marriage in 2004, when he was 17, but now supports it. That's a good change! In 2022 Evans in a survey supported "prohibiting abortion except when necessary to save the mother's life." Now, Paul reports, "Evans says he thinks abortions should be allowed in cases of rape and incest, and when a mother's life is at risk." It is fair to say that Evans would ban almost all abortions.
A Colorado Anti-Semite: Erik Simon's social media "feed includes pro-Hitler posts, racist memes, and threats to kill Haitian immigrants," reports Erik Maulbetsch. The guy also supported Congressional candidate Gabe Evans, but, look, no candidate can control all the kooks who may attend their events.
Price Control Suit: Gabrielle Franklin: "Amneal Pharmaceuticals is suing Colorado" over the state's epinephrine price-cap law. Good for them. From the suit: "Unless manufacturers are compensated, the part of the law that requires companies to send pharmacies a free replacement injector for uninsured Coloradans or reimburse pharmacies for the cost of one, violates the 'Takings Clause' of the Fifth Amendment." See also the CPR article.
Arizona Vouchers: Eli Hager: "Arizona's voucher experiment has . . .precipitated a budget meltdown. The state this year faced a $1.4 billion budget shortfall, much of which was a result of the new voucher spending."
Drug Overdoses: Axios: "Overdose deaths fall nationwide—but rise in Colorado." But remember that most of what people call "overdose" deaths actually result from drugs mixed with unknown substances and of unknown potency. And that is a direct result of the prohibition of drugs and the dangerous (and violent) black markets it spawns.
Drugs: "Colorado leads nation in recent cocaine use among adults." But that's still "only" three percent.
Terrorism Exhibit: Quentin Young does not like aspects of the CELL exhibit in Denver. "CELL—Counterterrorism Education Learning Lab—treats the day [January 6] as if it were just one of the many regrettable instances of extremism that plague the world, not all that unlike far-left protests in Portland, arson during Black Lives Matter protests, or the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. Worse, it almost entirely relieves former President Donald Trump of responsibility."
Gun Safety: No, it is not the case that "a shot went off." The person in question shot a teenager in the face. For a shot to go off, unintended, toward another person, the person holding the gun has to violate all the gun safety rules.
Republicans: CPR: "Judge rejects vote to remove controversial Colorado GOP Chair Dave Williams." Sigh.
Hospital Notices: Hemant Mehta: "A new Colorado law has now gone into effect, requiring all hospitals to tell the public up front what procedures they won't perform for non-medical reasons. That's especially important for Catholic hospitals, which now have to be open and honest about the limitations of their offerings."
Paid Content: 9News: "As restaurants come forward with allegations of broken promises [about posting paid videos] against The Denver Foodie, 9NEWS viewers are pointing out the influencer has not been marking his videos as branded content, which appear to violate social media and Federal Trade Commission rules."
Payout to Web Designer: Sherrie Peif: "Colorado taxpayers will have to reimburse [Lorie] Smith more than $1.5 million in legal fees. Smith, who won her appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court in June of last year, was awarded the fees after the high court ruled 6–3 in her favor that the First Amendment protected her Christian beliefs from complying with Colorado's Anti-Discrimination Act."
Payout for SWAT Damage: Joe Rubino: "A woman whose Denver home caught fire during an hourslong SWAT team standoff with her son is set to receive $95,000 to settle a lawsuit she filed in the aftermath of the incident." Generally, government should pay to repair property that government damages. I still think we probably need state legislation about this.