First, a quick reminder to join us tonight at 7:00 for an alcohol-fueled conversation with Trump advisor Steve Moore and Gazette editorial page editor, Wayne Laugesen. Tune into “Freedom on Tap.”

Here’s how to join us at the Studio B Bar:
Zoom: (download here) and then use the following to join our meeting:
Zoom Meeting ID: 894-903-306
Zoom Meeting Password: 072466
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu-w7huUgtiCV0MZHa5ltYQ
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/i2idotorg
CaucusRoom: Go to Events page

Technical stuff
• If you want to “video in” live and talk with us, and I hope you do, you MUST be connected via Zoom and you MUST have a drink in your hand.
• If you don’t want to be on video with us live, any format will work just to watch, and you MUST have a drink in your hand.
• If you don’t want to join us at all, well, then you’re just drinking alone. And once again..  that’s just sad.

“Timid Men Prefer the Calm of Despotism to the Tempestuous Sea of Liberty” -Thomas Jefferson

Truer words were never spoken. This is the quote we chose to accompany our life-sized statue of Thomas Jefferson outside our Freedom Embassy, our headquarters.

At Independence Institute, we keep these words at the forefront of what we do. In these uncertain times, people are more willing than ever to give up their essential freedoms in order to feel “safe.” Safety is no excuse for the erosion of our rights, rights enumerated in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. America fought a revolution against big government overreach, and to make sure we had the right to assemble, the right to free speech, the right to bear arms, and many more. All of these rights are under attack, and big government Socialists are working harder than ever to take advantage of this situation and eradicate our freedom for the phony security of state control of our lives.

Luckily, Independence Institute’s merry band of rebels is in their way, and is cheerfully battling against the foes of freedom. Below is a quick update from some of our policy centers on what they are doing to combat this takeover of our liberties:

Education Policy Center:
The CARES Act includes nearly $13.5 billion of emergency aid to K-12 education that will be dispersed to states to assist both public and private schools. It is estimated that Colorado will receive $121 million to distribute to local school districts and Governor Polis will have $44 million to direct to where he sees the most impact on educational services. Pam Benigno, Director of our Education Center, has recently joined numerous other local and national policy experts in online meetings and shared How Federal Programs Support Private K-12 Students and Teachers. This can help others quickly get up to speed on one way the CARES Act will help private schools lessen the impact of COVID-19.

Political Law Center
At the outbreak of COVID-19, Colorado’s State Legislature declared a temporary recess, bringing into question whether or not they will be able to reconvene after the recess if it goes longer than their normal session of 120 days. In 1988, Colorado adopted the GAVEL amendment. Within the amendment is the Calendar Day Clause, limiting regular legislative sessions to “one hundred and twenty calendar days.” There are no exceptions to this limit, even though there are exceptions to other clauses explicitly stated in the amendment. II’s Research Director, Dave Kopel, submitted a legal brief to the Colorado Supreme Court arguing that the writers of the Amendment knew what they were talking about, and that Calendar Days means 120 consecutive days, not 120 days in any given calendar year. Here at the Independence Institute, we believe the stated intent of 120 calendar days cannot get any clearer.

A special message from Shayne Madsen, the lawyer lady who keeps me out of jail:
“Two weeks ago I was rushing to help the masterful David Kopel to write an appellate brief to submit to the Colorado Supreme Court to preserve our part time citizen Legislature, struggling to update my rusty research skills. Then the “shelter in place” order was issued by Colorado Governor Polis. As a result I had to prepare a sign to post on the front door of the Independence Institute alerting the world that as a member of the media the Institute was an essential business operation and could remain in operation. Fast forward two days, I turned my drafting skills to preparing travel documents for the Institute staff in the event that they were pulled over and questioned. Then to add insult to injury, I handled a call from the Denver Department of Health notifying me that they received an anonymous complaint that a group of five people were standing in our parking lot not observing social distancing guidelines. Turns out that it was a familial group, including a retiring Swat Officer, who was being interviewed by Jon Caldara in one of our studios. The family was there to observe. Quite the gamut of issues to handle on top of my primary duty of keeping Jon Caldara out of jail!”

Gazette
I’ve been writing about Colorado’s COVID overreach for my column at its new address – The Gazette and ColoradoPolitics.com. Here’s what I’ve said:

• The cure being economic collapse, is worse than the disease.
• COVID is proving the left no longer cares about civil liberties.
• With COVID as an excuse, Colorado’s highest court re-writes the state constitution.
• Our elites are using COVID to decide what relationships we may and may not have.

And I hope you’ll keep up to date on what they are doing to us in this crisis by going to CompleteColorado.com every day.

Think Freedom,

Jon