Officials at the Army post near Colorado Springs say lightning struck south of the Butts Army Airfield around 2:45 p.m. Wednesday. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
Tag Archives: Colorado Springs
USA Basketball moving to Arizona from Colorado
USA Basketball is moving from Colorado Springs, Colo., to a new facility next to Arizona State University. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at NBA
Colorado's Newest Luxury Ranch Boasts Forbes 5-Star Lineage, Opens This Week
I’ve written here at Forbes.com before about one of my favorite resorts in the world, The Broadmoor, in Colorado Springs, CO. This historic luxury property is one of the only triple Forbes 5-Star winners, with the highest possible ranking for lodging, food and spa. In fact, it is the longest running property in the world with a 5-Star ranking for lodging, going back more than half a century (it’s also in its fourth decade of consecutive AAA 5-Diamonds). But this week the Broadmoor enters a new era with the grand opening of its entirely new sister resort, the Ranch at Emerald Valley. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
AdvantEdge Healthcare Solutions to Exhibit Deep Business Intelligence Capabilities at RBMA 2013
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
AdvantEdge Healthcare Solutions to Exhibit Deep Business Intelligence Capabilities at RBMA 2013
AdvantEdge to demonstrate InfoEdgeBI at RBMA 2013 Radiology Summit, building on interest generated at MGMA 2013 Anesthesia Administration Assembly Conference
WARREN, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– AdvantEdge Healthcare Solutions, one of the nation’s leading providers of medical billing, practice management, and coding services for specialty physicians, hospitals, and surgery centers, is demonstrating InfoEdgeBI, a business intelligence platform for medical practices, at the RBMA 2013 Radiology Summit next month. RBMA 2013 offers an opportunity to further expand awareness of InfoEdgeBI’s capabilities, building on attention garnered at the recent MGMA 2013 Anesthesia Administration Assembly (AAA) Conference.
HIPAA-secure InfoEdgeBI gives medical practices and hospitals more in-depth insight into their medical billing and coding information by providing online access to all regular and ad-hoc reports, and a dashboard with charges, cash payments, adjustments, and A/R information. In addition, users have the ability to create custom reports with deep drill-down capabilities to view specific areas of interest at the procedural or payor level with simple point-and-click navigation.
“As the industry faces continued competitive and regulatory pressure, healthcare practices and institutions need actionable data to make effective business decisions,” said David Langsam, President and CEO of AdvantEdge. “Working with our client physicians in anesthesia and radiology practices, we can now identify reimbursement bottlenecks before they become serious. For example, if a site’s volume is off trend, we can instantly drill down to discover the cause—perhaps work from certain physicians is missing. By showcasing InfoEdgeBI at the AAA conference and the Radiology Summit, we’re offering anesthesiologists and radiologists hands-on experience with the efficiencies, clarity, and insight they can gain by using these powerful business intelligence tools.”
AdvantEdge will be exhibiting at the RBMA 2013 Radiology Summit from May 19 to May 22 in Colorado Springs, Colo. at booth #218. It recently exhibited at the MGMA AAA conference from April 14 to April 16 in Miami.
About AdvantEdge Healthcare Solutions
AdvantEdge is a technology-enabled provider of healthcare financial management solutions and business intelligence tools that substantially improve decision making, maximize financial performance, streamline operations and eliminate compliance risks for healthcare providers. AdvantEdge continues to gain meaningful scale through organic growth and strategic acquisitions, having completed seven
From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/04/18/advantedge-healthcare-solutions-to-exhibit-deep-bu/
19th-Century German Nun Performed Miracle: Vatican
By Kate Seamons For anyone looking for a miracle amidst the gloomy news, the Vatican provides: The Denver Post reports that Pope Francis has set a 19th-century German nun on a journey toward sainthood after verifying she was responsible for healing a Colorado Springs boy in 1999. In the first days of his…
From: http://www.newser.com/story/166257/19th-century-german-nun-performed-miracle-vatican.html
North Korea misidentifies Colorado Springs, Colo.
PYONGYANG, North Korea, April 15 (UPI) — A North Korean propaganda video threatening a missile strike against Colorado Springs, Colo., misidentifies the city’s location by about 1,000 miles.
From: http://pheed.upi.com/click.phdo?i=7c4962aaeb0b9398bda60b7a085fa23c
Covering metal fence poles
By stevetom
Folks, I have a mountain home west of Colorado Springs that, unfortunately, came with a neighbor who is placing an 8′ fence (4′ below ground and 8′ above) around his adjoining 40 acres, and feels no moral obligation to minimize the negative aesthetic impact that will have on my property. :wall: We share his north property line and that line is about 30 yards from my house and clearly visible from my living room and deck. He’s using galvanized steel poles. I have gotten him to agree to the concept of covering the poles on my side so it doesn’t look like I’m living next to a penitentiary. But I don’t have a clue about how to do this, or with what kind of material. Obviously, I’d like to find a product that has a wood grain appearance and looks like it might belong in a mountain community. Is there such a thing and, if so, where would I find it? Google searches have come up empty. I sure would appreciate some help. Thanks!
Steve
From: http://www.doityourself.com/forum/fences-gates/493135-covering-metal-fence-poles.html
2nd man arrested in probe of prison chief's death
Both of the suspected white supremacist prison gang members whose names surfaced during an investigation into the slaying of Colorado’s prisons chief are now behind bars.
Colorado Springs authorities arrested Thomas Guolee, 31, around 5:30 p.m. Thursday in Colorado Springs, according to El Paso County sheriff’s officials. They didn’t immediately release circumstances or details of his arrest. He was being held without bond for a parole violation, sheriff’s officials said.
The arrest came nearly a week after another alleged member of the 211 Crew, James Lohr, in Colorado Springs after a short chase. Lohr, 47, is now being held on charges including vehicular eluding. His bond has been set at $250,000.
Investigators say the two aren’t suspects in the shooting death of Colorado Department of Corrections head Tom Clements, but their names came up during the investigation. Authorities last week told law-enforcement officers to look out for both men, who had outstanding warrants unrelated to Clements’ death.
Court records show Guolee was arrested in 2001 after a member of the Crips gang told Colorado Springs police he was jumped by Guolee and another gang member because they believed he was a member of a rival gang. The witness told police Guolee and the other gang member punched and kicked him in the face and left him bleeding.
In 2007, Guolee was charged with assault and intimidating a witness while in the El Paso County jail after an inmate said he was assaulted by three men, including Guolee, because they thought he was going to testify against a suspect in another case. Authorities said the man was beaten so badly he could have been permanently disfigured.
The outcome of some of those cases was unclear. Authorities also have not released the subject of Guolee’s warrant.
Guolee’s mother, Debbie Eck, has said that her son called her husband last month — before he was named a person of interest — asking for help turning himself in for what she believed was a parole violation. But she said they never heard back from him.
She told KUSA-TV that she’s relieved now that he’s in custody.
“Thank God. It was way overdue. I just want him to get things taken care of so he can be part of his daughter’s life. My heart’s been
From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/national/~3/8OWfXs3AxEk/
Colorado police arrest second man in prison chief's death
Authorities say a second white supremacist prison gang member whose name surfaced during an investigation into the slaying of Colorado’s prisons chief has been arrested.
El Paso County sheriff’s officials say Colorado Springs authorities arrested Thomas Guolee around 5:30 p.m. Thursday. He was being held without bond for a parole violation.
Investigators have said Guolee isn’t a suspect in the shooting death of Colorado Department of Corrections head Tom Clements, but his name and that of fellow 211 Crew member James Lohr came up during the investigation. Lohr was arrested in Colorado Springs last week after a short chase and is now being held on charges including vehicular eluding.
Evan Ebel is the only suspect that has been named in Clements’ death. Ebel later died in a shootout with Texas authorities.
From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/national/~3/YxMT4Hu1Lrw/
Man Arrested in Colo. Prisons Chief Killing
By Ruth Brown Police have caught up with one of the two men they were hunting as part of the investigation into the killing of Colorado prisons chief Tom Clements . James Lohr was arrested in Colorado Springs earlier today, after a short foot chase that started when police tried to stop a car,… …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Newser – Home
Police arrest member of gang linked to killing of Colorado prisons chief
Authorities arrested a member of a white supremacist gang linked to the killing of Colorado’s prisons chief, who was shot answering the door of his home last month.
James Lohr, 47, was arrested Friday by the Colorado Springs Police Department, Fox News confirms.
Lohr was wanted for questioning in the murder of Colorado Corrections Director Tom Clements. It’s unclear if Lohr has been charged.
Police continue to search for 31-year-old Thomas Guloee. Police consider him to be armed and dangerous with violent tendencies.
Authorities connected the two to Evan Ebel, who is suspected of killing Department of Corrections Director Tom Clements. Police say they are members of Ebel’s white supremacist prison gang.
Police say the two are not suspects but “persons of interest” in the killing.
Their names came up during the investigation into Clements’ death – the first official word that the 211 Crew might be involved.
Investigators are trying to determine whether Clements’ killing was an isolated attack or done at the direction of top members of the 211 Crew.
Authorities believe Lohr was in contact with gang associate Ebel days before the murders of Clements and pizza delivery man Nate Leon.
Police say they believe Ebel killed Leon and Clements before he was killed in a shootout in Texas. His motive in the killings isn’t clear.
According to the television station Lohr was arrested by Colorado Springs police after a short foot chase when police tried to stop a car.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
Man arrested in Colo. corrections director killing
Authorities have arrested a member of a white supremacist gang linked to the killing Colorado’s prisons chief, who was shot answering the door of his home last month.
El Paso County sheriff’s spokesman Jeff Kramer says James Lohr was taken into custody early Friday. Lohr was wanted for questioning in the murder of Colorado Corrections Director Tom Clements. It’s unclear if Lohr has been charged.
Authorities believe the Lohr was in contact with gang associate Evan Ebel days before the murders of Clements and pizza delivery man Nate Leon. Police say they believe Ebel killed Leon and Clements before he was killed in a shootout in Texas. His motive in the killings isn’t clear.
According to the television station (http://tinyurl.com/d8bj8vt ), Lohr was arrested by Colorado Springs police after a short foot chase when police tried to stop a car.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
Colorado governor orders audit of inmate records
Gov. John Hickenlooper on Thursday announced an audit to ensure the state’s prisoners are serving their correct sentences, two weeks after a parolee who was mistakenly released four years early was identified as a suspect in the killing of Colorado’s prisons chief.
The announcement came as authorities said they were looking for two other members of Evan Ebel‘s white supremacist prison gang. Authorities said the two men were not suspects but “persons of interest” in Tom Clements‘ death. Investigators are trying to determine whether Clements’ killing was an isolated attack or done at the direction of top members of the 211 Crew.
Amid that backdrop, state officials announced the audit and a review of state parole procedures by the National Institute of Corrections. Ebel had slipped his ankle bracelet five days before the Clements killing, but authorities did not issue a warrant for his arrest on parole violations until the following day.
During that time, police believe Ebel also was involved in the slaying of a pizza deliveryman and father of three in Denver.
Ebel was sentenced to a combined eight years in prison for a series of assault and menacing convictions in 2005. He was convicted of assaulting a prison guard in 2008 but a clerical error led his new four-year sentence to be recorded as running simultaneously to his others, rather than to start after they finished. As a result, he was released Jan. 28.
“The Department of Corrections will prioritize the review of cases with the greatest level of risk, going back 10 years, and reviewing the required consecutive sentencing,” Hickenlooper said in a statement. “The Department of Corrections will work with the attorney general’s office on any issues that may need further action.”
Meanwhile, the announcement Wednesday night that authorities are looking for two other 211 gang members was the first official indication of a possible tie to the gang.
James Lohr, 47, and Thomas Guolee, 31, aren’t being called suspects in Clements’ killing, but are considered persons of interest. Their names surfaced during the investigation, El Paso County sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Kramer said. He wouldn’t elaborate.
Authorities say the two Colorado Springs men are members of the 211 gang and have been associated with Ebel in the past.
Both are wanted on warrants unrelated to Clements’ death, and authorities believe they are armed and dangerous.
Ebel is the only suspect that investigators have named in Clements’ killing, but they haven’t given a motive. They have said they’re looking into his connection to the gang he joined while in prison, and whether that was connected to the attack.
“Investigators are looking at a lot of different possibilities. We are not stepping out and saying it’s a hit or it’s not a hit. We’re looking at all possible motives,” Kramer said Wednesday.
Investigators have said the gun Ebel used in the Texas shootout was also used to kill Clements when the prisons chief answered the front door of his Monument home.
Sheriff’s investigators said they don’t know the whereabouts of Lohr and Guolee or if they are together, but it’s …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
Report praises response to deadly Colo. wildfire
A review of the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history found much to praise and few problems in the way Colorado Springs agencies responded.
The city’s final review, released Wednesday, says first responders reacted in an “incredibly professional and heroic manner.”
The June fire destroyed 346 houses and triggered insurance claims of $353 million. Both totals are the worst for any Colorado wildfire.
The city’s report praises the planning and training by city personnel and says agencies cooperated well.
It says the city needs better ways to quickly notify other agencies when fire managers make key decisions, and that more personnel should be trained in logistics to support emergency responders.
It also suggests more people be trained in the command system used to respond to widespread disasters.
Texas puts prosecutors on high alert after district attorney, wife shot dead inside home
After one of his assistant prosecutors was gunned down in January, Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland carried a gun everywhere, even when walking the dog.
He was extra careful when answering the door at his home outside of Forney, about 20 miles east of Dallas. And a neighbor said a sheriff’s deputy was stationed outside the home for about a month after the killing.
On Saturday, McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, were found shot to death in their house.
Authorities haven’t said much about their investigation, including whether they have any leads or a theory about why the couple was killed. But law enforcement throughout Texas is on high alert, and steps are being taken to better protect other DAs and their staffs.
Tarrant County District Attorney Joe Shannon said his staff has been cautioned, but he declined to discuss the specific security measures that have been taken. Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins declined to comment on the issue, citing safety concerns.
Harris County District Attorney Mike Anderson said he accepted the Houston sheriff’s offer of 24-hour security for him and his family after learning about the killings, mostly over concerns for his family’s safety. Anderson said he also would take precautions at his office, the largest one in Texas, which has more than 270 prosecutors.
“I think district attorneys across Texas are still in a state of shock,” Anderson said Sunday.
Kaufman County Sheriff David Byrnes said little at a brief news conference Sunday about the McLelland investigation, and he deflected questions about possible suspects. He said security would be stepped up at the courthouse in Kaufman, but he declined to say what other steps might be taken to protect the other prosecutors in McLelland’s office. The DA‘s Office will remain closed Monday.
McLelland, 63, is the 13th prosecutor killed in the U.S. since the National Association of District Attorneys began keeping count in the 1960s.
The couple’s killings came less than two weeks after Colorado’s prison chief was shot to death at his front door, apparently by an ex-convict, and a couple of months after Kaufman County Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse was killed in a parking lot a block from his courthouse office. No arrests have been made in Hasse’s slaying Jan. 31.
Byrnes would not give details Sunday of how the killings unfolded and said there was nothing to indicate for certain whether the DA‘s slaying was connected to Hasse’s.
After Hasse’s shooting, McLelland said, “We lost a really, really good man. We are going to find you. We are going to pull you out of whatever hole you are in and we are going to let the people of Kaufman County prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”
El Paso County, Colo., sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Joe Roybal said investigators had found no evidence so far connecting the Texas killings to the Colorado case, but added: “We’re examining all possibilities.”
Colorado’s corrections director, Tom Clements, was killed March 19 when he answered the doorbell at his home outside Colorado Springs. Evan Spencer Ebel, a white …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
Texas district attorney found dead in home had spoke of arming himself after assistant's murder
Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland took no chances after one of his assistant prosecutors was gunned down two months ago. McLelland said he carried a gun everywhere he went and was extra careful when answering the door at his home.
“I’m ahead of everybody else because, basically, I’m a soldier,” the 23-year Army veteran said in an interview less than two weeks ago.
On Saturday, he and his wife were found shot to death in their rural home just outside the town of Forney, about 20 miles from Dallas.
While investigators gave no motive for the killings, Forney Mayor Darren Rozell said: “It appears this was not a random act.”
“Everybody’s a little on edge and a little shocked,” he said.
The slayings came less than two weeks after Colorado’s prison chief was shot to death at his front door, apparently by an ex-convict, and a couple of months after Kaufman County Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse was killed in a parking lot a block from his courthouse office. No arrests have been made in Hasse’s slaying Jan. 31.
McLelland, 63, is the 13th prosecutor killed in the U.S. since the National Association of District Attorneys began keeping count in the 1960s.
Sheriff David Byrnes would not give details Sunday of how the killings unfolded and said there was nothing to indicate for certain whether the DA‘s slaying was connected to Hasse’s.
El Paso County, Colo., sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Joe Roybal said investigators had found no evidence so far connecting the Texas killings to the Colorado case, but added: “We’re examining all possibilities.”
Colorado’s corrections director, Tom Clements, was killed March 19 when he answered the doorbell at his home outside Colorado Springs. Evan Spencer Ebel, a white supremacist and former Colorado inmate suspected of shooting Clements, died in a shootout with Texas deputies two days later about 100 miles from Kaufman.
McLelland himself, in an Associated Press interview shortly after the Colorado slaying, raised the possibility that Hasse was gunned down by a white supremacist gang.
The weekend slayings raised concerns for prosecutors across Texas, and some were taking extra security precautions. Byrnes said security would be increased at the courthouse in Kaufman but declined to say if or how other prosecutors in McLelland’s office would be protected.
Harris County District Attorney Mike Anderson said he accepted the sheriff’s offer of 24-hour security for him and his family after learning about the slayings, mostly over concerns for his family’s safety. Anderson said also would take precautions at his Houston office, the largest one in Texas, which has more than 270 prosecutors.
“I think district attorneys across Texas are still in a state of shock,” Anderson said Sunday.
McLelland, elected DA in 2010, said his office had prosecuted several cases against racist gangs, who have a strong presence around Kaufman County, a mostly rural area dotted with subdivisions, with a population of about 104,000.
“We put some real dents in the Aryan Brotherhood around here in the past year,” he said.
In recent years, the DA‘s office also prosecuted a case in which a justice …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
Man killed in Texas called suspect in Colo slaying
Investigators are saying for the first time that a man who was killed in a gunfight with Texas authorities is a suspect in the shooting death of Colorado’s state prison system chief.
El Paso County sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Jeff Kramer said Saturday that evidence gathered in Texas after the death of Evan Spencer Ebel provides a “strong, strong lead” in the slaying of Tom Clements, director of the Colorado Department of Corrections.
Kramer stressed that investigators have not yet confirmed a link between Ebel and Clements’ death.
Clements was shot Tuesday night when he answered the door of his home in a rural area north of Colorado Springs.
Ebel, who was paroled from a Colorado prison in January, was fatally shot by authorities in Texas Thursday.
Investigators seek link between Texas shootout and Colorado prison director killing
Investigators from three Colorado police agencies rushed to Texas to determine if a man identified as a parolee, who was critically wounded by Texas police after a 100-mph car chase, is linked to the killing of Colorado’s state prisons chief.
The black Cadillac the suspect drove, with Colorado license plates, matched the description of a car spotted outside Tom Clements‘ home in Monument, Colo., just before he was fatally shot while answering his front door Tuesday evening.
Evan Spencer Ebel, 28, was gravely wounded in the shootout with police Thursday. Authorities said he was not expected to survive and was hooked up to equipment for organ harvesting. Police told FOX31 Denver the suspect is “legally deceased.”
Colorado investigators immediately headed to Texas to determine whether Ebel was linked to Clements’ murder and the killing Sunday of Nathan Leon, a Denver pizza delivery man. Police in Colorado would only say the connection to the Leon case is strong but would not elaborate or say if they believe Ebel killed Clements and Leon.
A Dominos pizza box and uniform were reportedly found in the Cadillac, and investigators say whoever killed Clements may have used the uniform as a disguise to convince him to open the door, FOX31 Denver reported.
The Denver Post first reported Ebel’s name, and that he was in a white supremacist prison gang called the 211s. A federal law enforcement official confirmed his identity and gang affiliation to The Associated Press. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about the case and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
The killing of Clements, 58, shocked his quiet neighborhood in Monument, a town of rolling hills north of Colorado Springs, for its brutality: He answered the door of his home Tuesday evening and was gunned down. Authorities wouldn’t say if they thought the attack was related to his job, and all Clements’ recent public activities and cases were scrutinized.
The Texas car chase started when a sheriff’s deputy in Montague County, James Boyd, tried to pull over the Cadillac around 11 a.m. Thursday, authorities there said. They wouldn’t say exactly why he was stopped, but called it routine.
The Cadillac led police on a 35 mile chase down U.S. 287 and at times pointed a gun out the window firing at officers.
“He shot at me at least four times,” Decatur Police Chief Rex Hoskins told FOX31 Denver.
The driver opened fire on Boyd, wounding him, Wise County Sheriff David Walker said at an afternoon news conference in Decatur. He then fled south before crashing into a semi as he tried to elude his pursuers.
After the crash, he got out of the vehicle, shooting at deputies and troopers who had joined the chase. He shot at Hoskins four times as the chief tried to set up a roadblock.
“He wasn’t planning on being taken alive,” Hoskins said.
Boyd, the deputy who was shot, was wearing a bulletproof vest and was at a Fort Worth hospital, authorities said. Officials had said he wasn’t seriously injured but later said his condition was …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
Texas shootout may tie to Colo. prison chief death
Investigators from three Colorado police agencies rushed to Texas to determine if a man identified as a parolee, who was critically wounded by Texas police after a harrowing 100-mph car chase, is linked to the slaying of Colorado’s state prisons chief.
The black Cadillac the suspect drove, with Colorado license plates, matched the description of a car spotted outside Tom Clements‘ home in Monument, Colo., just before he was fatally shot while answering his front door Tuesday evening.
Evan Spencer Ebel, 28, was gravely wounded in the clash with police Thursday. Authorities said he was not expected to survive and was hooked up to equipment for organ harvesting.
Colorado investigators immediately headed to Texas to determine whether Ebel was linked to Clements’ slaying and the killing Sunday of Nathan Leon, a Denver pizza delivery man. Police in Colorado would only say the connection to the Leon case is strong but would not elaborate or say if they believe Ebel killed Clements and Leon.
The Denver Post first reported Ebel’s name, and that he was in a white supremacist prison gang called the 211s. A federal law enforcement official confirmed his identity and gang affiliation to The Associated Press. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about the case and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
The killing of Clements, 58, shocked his quiet neighborhood in Monument, a town of rolling hills north of Colorado Springs, for its brutality: He answered the door of his home Tuesday evening and was gunned down. Authorities wouldn’t say if they thought the attack was related to his job, and all Clements’ recent public activities and cases were scrutinized.
The Texas car chase started when a sheriff’s deputy in Montague County, James Boyd, tried to pull over the Cadillac around 11 a.m. Thursday, authorities there said. They wouldn’t say exactly why he was stopped, but called it routine.
The driver opened fire on Boyd, wounding him, Wise County Sheriff David Walker said at an afternoon news conference in Decatur. He then fled south before crashing into a semi as he tried to elude his pursuers.
After the crash, he got out of the vehicle, shooting at deputies and troopers who had joined the chase. He shot at Decatur Police Chief Rex Hoskins four times as the chief tried to set up a roadblock.
University Fights Back Against Gay Bullies
By Emma Karlin
So much of what is taught on today’s college campuses is useless “feel good” drivel. It is very often nothing more than pap designed to “build self-esteem.” Nevertheless, occasionally a genuine lesson will bubble up through the worthless sludge. This is what happened recently at the University of New Mexico (UNM). While the lesson was unintended, it was clear and for a change valuable. Students learned that they do not have to automatically yield to minority opinion and that if they tell demanding Gay activists to get lost, the world will not come to an end. Here’s how it unfolded.
A group of “frightened” Gay activists on the campus of the University of New Mexico recently got a big surprise when they demanded that Chick-Fil-A be forced to leave because its mere presence frightened them. Undeterred that a majority of fellow students favored keeping the chicken sandwich shop right where it is, the Gay agitators demanded and got a vote on the matter from the student Senate.
During the debate, the hand-wringing was classic. Sen. Miquela Ortiz of the Associated Students of UNM said, “Students started expressing to me they felt unsafe to go into their own campus union building. When they said they felt uncomfortable on campus, I felt it was an issue that I should bring up.” Another said, “Please look at this from a moral standpoint. Look at the kids that are here that are telling you, ‘I do not feel safe on this campus anymore.’”
As it turns out, the students living on the UNM’s campuses do have many reasons to be fearful; but deep-fried chicken sold by a Christian company isn’t one of them. In the last three reporting years, these real crimes have been reported by UNM residents: 10 forcible sex crimes; 15 robberies; 145 burglaries; 20 aggravated assaults; 137 auto larcenies; and 15 arsons.
The Gay bleating drew responses such as, “Nobody is in imminent danger on this campus because of chicken,” and, “I have friends that work for Chick-fil-A, and they’re taught to treat every customer with the respect that they deserve.”
The vote was 8 to 3 in favor of the chicken restaurant; and at least for one day, students went back to their dorms having actually learned something: Don’t be afraid of bullies, Gay or otherwise.
Photo credit: Link576 (Creative Commons)