As part of our weekly roundup of articles about political extremism in Colorado, the Colorado Times Recorder is featuring Heidi Beedle’s podcast episode going into one of the latest GOP leadership debates and Logan Davis’ column where he goes into how the Trump administration’s approach to immigration is violating peoples’ constitutional rights. We are also featuring reporting from Colorado Public Radio’s Molly Cruse on Elizabeth School District’s attempt to ban a series of books that a judge found to be violating freedom of speech and a Westword article by Bennito Kelty that follows Steve Bannon, a far-right provocateur who has been invited to headline a Colorado GOP gala and the state party’s attempt to find a location for it.
Fever Swamp Review: GOP Grudge Map
On this week’s Fever Swamp Review podcast, Heidi Beedle breaks down a Colorado GOP debate featuring some of the candidates to lead the party: Lori Saine, Darcy Schoening, andJeremy Goodall. Saine and Schoening took swipes at each other’s record and conservative bona fides. Candidates argued over who had the most vocal support for Tina Peters, the convicted former Mesa County clerk.
Davis: The Constitution Won’t Save You
Logan Davis analyzes the constitutionality of the Trump administration’s disregard for the separation of powers and the right to due process, regarding their treatment of immigrants. Two hundred thirty-eight migrants, who were entitled to due process, were, as Davis puts it: “disappeared into [El Salvador President] Bukele’s rapidly expanding network of prisons and are now out of reach of U.S. law.”
CPR: Judge blocks Elizabeth School District’s book ban, citing free speech violations
The Elizabeth School District in Elbert County has been trying to defend its decision to ban 19 books they deem as “containing graphic violence, racism/discrimination, ideations of self-harm or mental illness, and sexual content. A federal judge recently issued an injunction and ordered the district to lift the ban, after a lawsuit was brought by the ACLU of Colorado in December arguing the district violated federal and state free speech protections. The books included in the initial ban include, “The Bluest Eye” and “Beloved by Toni Morrison, “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas, “Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher, and “#Pride: Championing LGBTQ Right” by Rebecca Felix. The court further prohibited the district from removing books “because the district disagrees with the views expressed therein or merely to further their preferred political and religious orthodoxy. Elizabeth School District Superintendent Dan Snowberger said the district was disappointed and plans to appeal the decision.
Westword: Steve Bannon Colorado Springs Speaking Event by Hotel, Moved
Rather than distancing themselves from Steve Bannon, a controversial former advisor for President Donald Trump who regained notoriety for doing a Nazi salute at this year’s CPAC, the Colorado GOP has moved the location of the March 28 fundraising gala, headlined by Bannon, twice. Initially slated to be at the Denver Tech Center, the event was moved to Colorado Springs following an outcry over Bannon’s main role. It was then moved to the Antlers Hotel in Colorado Springs; however, that gala was canceled. The Colorado GOP is continuing to try and sell tickets to what it is calling its “Golden Age” Gala, still featuring Bannon, at a former Boot Barn, now called the Phil Long Music Hall.
