G. Eldon Smith's Blog: My Thoughts, page 5

Thoughts and Opinions

Thoughts and Opinions

07/12/2015

2 Comments

Quotes
Woman begins by resisting a man's advances and ends by blocking his retreat. ~Oscar Wilde
Bigamy is having one wife too many. Monogamy is the same. ~Oscar Wilde

Holmes Trial Update
Just finished watching the Closing Arguments of the Holmes Trial. The District Attorney, George Brauchler, jumped between pointing out the legal definition of sanity and mental illness versus emotional appeals by using the name of each person killed at some point in the argument.

Dan King the lead attorney for the Defense used arguments that there was no doubt that Holmes did what he did, the point is, was Holmes sane at the time he committed the crime. King pointed out that two prosecution psychiatrists and two defense psychiatrists agreed and mental tests show Holmes was mentally ill. There were much more psychiatric terms. I'm sorry, but to me much of King's two hours was devoted to "psycho babble." The defense did not point out that the two prosecution psychiatrists (who had better credentials) both said Holmes was legally sane.

King objected three times that resulted in both counsels being called to the bench to discuss something with microphones turned off. Brauchler asked to approach once, and both counsels and the Judge discussed something else. During one of those breaks, the commentator/analyst pointed out that King was making objections because if the defense did not make objections, they would not have grounds for an appeal later.

As far as I could see, Holmes looked straight ahead throughout

James Holmes Trial Opinion
This blog is supposed to be about Colorado in general and Colorado History. Why then have we spent so much time and blog space reporting and updating news, issues, and events of the Aurora Theater Shooting trial? We believe this trial will make history. One way or the other, the plea of Innocent by Reason of Insanity will be tested. Would a sane person murder another person? Will every person accused of murder claim insanity? The verdict in the James Holmes trial will greatly influence juries in the future. (Not to mention the death penalty the D.A. is asking for.)
With events this important happening in our hometown (Centennial, Colorado) it would be reprehensible not to discuss them and the repercussions.

Oscar Wilde Visits Leadville

Picture
October 16, 1854 in Dublin, Ireland, Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde came into the world. He excelled academically through his school years, and graduated from Oxford. He was a poet and playwright. his best known works are The Importance of Being Earnest and his only novel The Portrait of Dorian Gray. Wilde became a celebrated (and dandified) writer and lecturer in England.

In 1883, Wilde's handlers arranged a lecture tour for him in America. He gave 140 lectures in 260 days. His tour took him to Leadville, Colorado, a town at 10,200 feet of elevation, and at that time a population of 30,000 recently arrived residents. It had a reputation as the toughest town on earth.

His lecture was scheduled for the Tabor Opera House one of the most ornate theaters in the state. Wilde showed up wearing a purple Hungarian smoking jacket, knee breeches and black silk stockings. The title of his lecture was The Practical Application of the Aesthetic Theory to.... etc. etc. How could rough and ready miners not appreciate that? Several of the stage hands threw him off of the stage because he was too sissified.

Several of Wilde's "fans" took him to Leadville's red light district for the purpose of getting Wilde drunk and to humiliate him. The Leadville crowd was astonished when Wilde drank them under the table.

Coming Soon
If you enjoyed this blog about Leadville, you will love a new mystery set in Leadville,1896.

Thoughts and Opinions

Quotes
Winning is not everything, but wanting to win is. ~Vince Lombardi, football coach

Justice consists in doing no injury to men; decency in giving them no offense. ~ Cicero

Lawyers spend a great deal of their time shoveling smoke. ~ Oliver Wendall Holmes Jr., Supreme Court Justice

James Holmes Trial
Opinion
James Holmes is on trial for killing twelve people and wounding seventy others, many with serious permanent injuries.

After ten weeks of trial, in the eleventh week we will get a decision. If verdict is "guilty" it will certainly be appealed. The winner, I'm afraid, will not be the people of Colorado who have already spent a bundle on delays. (Justice delayed is Justice denied.) Holmes already has had more than three years to live that his victims have been denied. Attorneys on both sides have indeed been shoveling smoke.

The question is: was Holmes able to know right from wrong on the night of the shooting. What about the days and weeks he spent planning and preparing for his killing spree? He was buying weapons, ammunition, and body armor. Didn't he appear "normal" enough that nobody questioned his sanity at that time?

He was seeing a psychiatrist then. She and other psychologists were not sure enough of his danger to alert authorities. How can twelve jurors, tried and true, come to a just decision when numerous psychiatrists from both the prosecution and defense have given contradictory testimony? Whom are the jurors to believe?

Are there some crimes so heinous that even insanity is not an excuse or reason for lesser punishment?

Words and Phrases
(Words and Phrases that once were popular every day expressions but we don't use anymore)
Hot Ziggity Knuckle Head, Life of Riley, jalopies,
Don't touch that dial, All the tea in China, Petting, Gee Whiz,
For sure, Slick, Cut a rug, Carbon Copy,

Thoughts and Opinions

Riddles
1. Who makes it, has no need of it. Who buys it, has no use for it.
Who uses it can neither see nor feel it.
What is it?

2. There was a green house. Inside the green house there was a white house. Inside the white house there was a red house. Inside the red house there were lots of babies. What is it?

3. Feed me and I live, yet give me a drink and I die.

Holmes Trial
James Holmes is on trial in Centennial, Colorado, accused of killing 12 people and wounding 70 in the Aurora Theater Shooting. The Prosecution has rested after 8 weeks of testimony. The Defense is going to try to prove Holmes is innocent by reason of insanity.They plan to take little more than a week to present their witnesses. These are some highlights of Tuesday's day in court.

The Defense showed a video of Holmes' first day in court after he was arrested and charged with killing twelve people and wounding 70. His hair was dyed orange and he had a "crazed" look in his eyes. Much of the day was spent in emphasizing how much Holmes has changed and not changed since July 2012.

The Defense called another doctor, two paramedics, and two former jail employees. A nurse testified that she saw Holmes in his cell, naked and trying to do backward somersaults. Attorneys for the defense said that was a manifestation of the mental illness that kept Holmes from knowing right form wrong.

Prosecution attorneys show videos of Holmes acting normally in his cell. They also pointed out that when Holmes was brought to court that first day, he had no problems with following his attorney's instructions.

The battle of psychiatrists goes on.

Answers
1. Casket
2. Watermelon
3. Fire

Thoughts and Opinions

Quote
"I'd give all that I own, to hear what he said, when I wasn't listening. My old man."

~Steve Goodman from his song, "My Old Man."

"Happy Fathers' Day"
~G. Eldon Smith

Holmes Trial
The Prosecution rested, Friday, June 20, in the trial of James Holmes. The last prosecution witness was Ashley Moser who was shot in the Theater Shooting. Ashley was wounded, but fell on her six year old daughter Veronica in an effort to save her. She was asked if as they lay on the theater floor, did she feel Veronica breathing? "No."

Ashley, the pregnant mother, was paralyzed by a bullet and it was later discovered that she had had a miscarriage. Veronica, who was killed, was one of 12 victims who died that night. Her picture was shown to the jury for three seconds in an effort not to unduly influence the jury.

Speaking of the jury, in the first 35 days of the trial, five jury members have been dismissed for various reasons. Five alternate jurors have taken their place. There are still seven alternate members left in the alternate pool.

Opinion
One of the first prosecution witnesses was a SWAT Commander who was dispatched to Holmes' apartment that night. He directed the SWAT team in disarming the numerous booby traps that Holmes had set in case the police came there looking for him.

If the definition of sane or insane is knowing what is right from wrong, didn't James Holmes think what he was planning to do was wrong? Why did he set up the elaborate maze of booby traps in anticipation of the police coming to look for him? Why did he think the police would be coming looking for him if he didn't think killing people was wrong?

The trial will turn on psychiatrists' opinions of "guilty" or "innocent by reason of insanity." We will be waiting for Holme's defence.

Another Trial
From Murder in the Rockies, prostitute Lilly LaRue is called to the witness stand.

Lilly Red LaRue approached the witness chair in her stylish dress of navy blue with white lace at the cuffs and neckline. The outfit highlighted her bright red hair. LaRue knew every eye was watching her, and she made the most of her moment in the spotlight. The swishing of her skirt could be heard all the way to the back of the room as she sashayed to the front of the courtroom. A whisper of her perfume followed her to the witness chair.

Coyle could not help but thinking that her prance to take her place as a witness was that of a thoroughbred show horse. “Yep,” he thought, “a thoroughbred show horse at an auction. Highest bidder wins the breeding rights.”

At the swearing in, when asked if she swore to tell the whole truth …etc., she answered, “Oui,” and Coyle could see what kind of witness testimony this was going to be, and understood why Feinstein cautioned him to be careful. It would be very easy for him to be played as the fool by Miss LaRue.

“Miss LaRue, would you rather have me ask my question en Francais?”

“Oui, as you wish, monsieur.” Lilly LaRue looked him in the eye, unsmiling.

Coyle quickly realized she had called his bluff. He thought he recognized a twinkle of merriment in her blue eyes. “I apologize; the jury probably would not understand French. I propose that we stick with English at this time. You seem to be comfortable in English.” Coyle tried to recover. He could feel the red in his cheeks.

“Okey Dokey,” she said with a devilish smile. “And you may call me Red if you prefer.”

“Miss LaRue, normally we ask a witness about his or her name, address, and occupation. In the name of brevity and propriety, I’ll skip that part and ask some questions that have more relevance to the case.”

Murder in the Rockies, Koehlerbooks, ISBN 978-1-938467-70-7, is available at many book stores and most electronic retailers.

Thoughts and Opinions

Thoughts and Opinions

06/14/2015

0 Comments

Quote
The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.
~Gilbert K. Chesterton

Lesser known places of interest
When planning to travel in Colorado, many people think of Aspen, Airforce Academy, Denver Mint, or Rocky Mountain Park. This week's blog is the last of the blogs about lesser known places to visit in Colorado. We have only scratched the surface, but we hope we have opened your eyes to the endless possibilities in this beautiful state.

Royal Gorge Bridge and Park
A train originates in nearby Canyon City, Colorado to take its passengers on a scenic trip through the canyon along the river to the Royal Gorge bridge.

In the park there are several rides and attractions: Royal Rush Skycoaster, Zip Line, Gondola, Miniature Railroad, Rafting on the Arkansas River and a Visitor Center.

Of course, there is the Bridge. The bridge is the highest bridge in the nation at 956 feet above the Arkansas River

Built in 1929 for $350,000, the cost today would easily exceed $20 million. It was a world wonder then and still is today. For those who venture across it, whether walking or driving, the experience is priceless.

Engineering Facts
Length: 1,270 feet (387 meters)
Width: 18 feet (5 meters)
Main Span: 880 feet (268 meters)
Towers: 150 feet high (46 meters)

From any angle, you have to see it to believe it!

Good News
Amy Van Dyken-Rulon
Easily the most outstanding swimmer in Colorado State University history and Olympic medal winner, Amy Van Dyken is slowly working her way back from a horrific ATV accident.

Her story is incredible -- Van Dyken was seriously injured in an ATV wreck back in 2014 ... but she's been fighting to regain full use of her legs. She says the biggest accomplishment of her life is STANDING again ... after severing her spinal cord last year. In her own words, "absolutely the biggest accomplishment of my life even greater than winning 6 gold medals."

A year ago Amy Van Dyken was in a hospital bed unable to move, the result of the ATV accident. Even though doctors initially said she suffered a severe spinal injury, she vowed to walk again. Now with help from a full-body machine that moves her legs she manages to walk.

But the therapists keep dialing down the machine's assistance, ramping up her struggle. Van Dyken says walking is physically demanding. "You can see I get done with walking maybe 50 feet and I'm sweating," she said. "When you walk you don't grunt like I'm grunting."

Always smiling on the outside and filled with determination in her heart, you have to love that lady.

Book News
Popular, fiction author, Mike Befeler (Retirement Homes Are Murder; Living With Your Kids Is Murder) has teamed with WWII veteran, 96-year-old Ed Gitlin to write a non-fiction account of Ed's experiences in the war as a forward observer and as a prisoner of war survivor.

Mike Befeler’s non-fiction book, For Liberty: A World War II Soldier’s Inspiring Life Story of Courage, Sacrifice, Survival and Resilience (ISBN 978-0692444603), is now available from Green Leaf Publishers, priced at $19.99.

Murder in the Rockies (G. Eldon Smith, koehler books, ISBN 978-1-938467-70-7) is available at many book stores and most electronic retailers

Thoughts and Opinions

06/07/2015

Quote
Leave it as it is. The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it.
Theodore Roosevelt

Lesser known Colorado places of interest
When many people plan a visit to Colorado they think of Aspen, Air Force Academy, Denver Mint, and Rocky Mountain National Park. There are many other places to visit depending on a person's interests. This week we leave the mountains and venture out to the Great Plains.

Let your imagination carry you to the wide open spaces of the prairie. Your wagon travels at twelve to fifteen miles a day. No telephone lines, no roads, no cars. At the next place of interest, you can picture yourself back in the time of covered wagons, the Oregon Trail, and wide open prairie.

Pawnee National Grassland
The Pawnee National Grassland covers 193,000 acres in Weld County, 30 miles East of Fort Collins near Greeley, Colorado. The Pawnee Buttes Trail is an excellent way to explore parts of the park. This is a 1.5 mile trail that gives you an opportunity to view the Buttes of Pawnee up close. Climbing on the Buttes is strictly prohibited.

The grassland is filled with many different species of birds, including mourning doves, red-headed woodpeckers, blue jays, black-billed magpies, gray catbirds, vesper sparrows and American crows plus many more. The Pawnee National Grassland is known internationally as a place to see birds of prey. In late March and April you may see Praire Chickens and their mating dance.
Picture

Males display together in a communal lek, where they raise ear-like feathers above their heads, inflate orange sacs on the sides of their throats, and stutter-step around while making a deep hooting moan.

Local News
Weather: This week, Thursday, three homes were destroyed and 12 homes damaged in Northern Colorado by tornadoes. In south-eastern Colorado five homes were damaged by tornadoes near Simla. Numerous cars and trucks were overturned. In Metro Denver, hail covered large areas. One particular block received four four feet of hail. Yes! Four feet of hail. It looked like snow.

Several tornadoes were spotted on Friday, touching down in eastern and south-eastern counties. Meanwhile drenching rain fell for hours over Lyons and Greeley areas. These are places that were flooded in 2013 and are now under flash-flood warnings.

Holmes Trial: James Holmes is on trial, accused of killing 12 people and wounding 70 in the Aurora Theater shooting. This week jurors watched 22 hours of video tapes of psychiatric interviews with Holmes right after the shooting (22 hours broken into segments). In those interviews Holmes said that each kill raised his self-worth. Psychologists are arguing about the difference between insanity and mental illness and how it applies to the legal definition of knowing if an act is illegal ...knowing right from wrong.

Thoughts and Opinions

Thoughts and Opinions

05/31/2015

0 Comments


Quotes
Look Mommy, I can swim!
~child at poolside

I never drink water because of the disgusting things that fish do in it.
~W. C. Fields

Colorado's Less Known Places
When many people think of visiting Colorado, they think of Aspen, Air Force Academy, Denver Mint, or Rocky Mountain National Park. Last week we mentioned Sand Dunes National Park as a less known attraction in Colorado. This week, hot mineral springs and the resorts that go with them.

Glenwood Springs, west of Vail on I-70
History: The Ute Indians made yearly pilgrimages to the springs which they considered to be sacred. Known to the Utes as Yampah, or “Big Medicine,” Glenwood Hot Springs has always been a place for healing. In 1888, the the resort and original spa officially opened for business.
Some facts:
World's largest outdoor mineral hot spring pool
The “big” pool is 90 – 93 degrees Fahrenheit, every day, winter and summer.
There are smaller pools with water temperatures of 102-103 degrees.
The mineral waters are known to have healing powers.
Hot springs still deliver three and a half million gallons of hot water every day,

Also: Pagosa Springs and Hot Sulfur Springs, Colorado towns named after their hot springs and adjoining resorts. check them out

Mount Princeton Hot Springs pictured below

Picture
Situated at the base of the beautiful Mount Princeton, this resort has several springs next to Chalk Creek. Bathers can relax in the hot spring water or move a rock or two to allow the cold creek water to cool their own "private tub." Of course, there is a big tub at the resort with all the amenities.

Mount Princeton is located between Buena Vista and Salida on US 285 in the Collegiate Mountain Range .
Comments
Please, leave your comments, questions, and suggestion in the "Comments" section below.

Thoughts and Opinions

Lesser known places to visit in Colorado

When most people think of places to visit in Colorado, they think of Aspen, Air Force Academy, Denver Mint, and Rocky Mountain National Park.]

Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve is located in Southern Colorado nestled right next to the Sangre de Cristo mountains, 35 miles north east of Alamosa, Colorado. The entire dune field encompasses 30 square miles and the tallest dune towers 750 feet high.The park boasts North America's tallest dunes. The park is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The Sand Dunes offer numerous activities. The most popular is hiking, as the area is filled with countless trails. Some of these hikes take a few minutes while others take hours. Hiking to the top of the High Dune is a popular. Many of the other trails can be toured with a trail guide, giving insight about the history of the dunes. These trails are beautiful and must be undertaken by foot; bikes are not permitted on the trails.

Visitors love to rent sleds (about $20/day, but worth it) to sled down the year-round sand and plunge into the soft-sand tracks of those who climbed ahead of them. Aside from the dunes, you'll find picnicking, hiking and camping opportunities, the challenging four-wheel scenic drive on Medano Pass, and horseback-riding trails.

Silly Quiz1.Denver is the only city to turn down the opportunity to host which international sporting event?
a) Winter Olympics (1976)
b) World Mountain Bike Championship (1958)
c) Girls' 18 and Under Tiddlywinks Tournament (2003)

2. What singer/entertainer took the name of a Colorado city?
a) Preston Pueblo
b) Jean-Claude St. Louis
c) John Denver

3. Which politician (later became Governor) led the campaign to refuse to host the Winter Olympics?
a) Charles Lyons
b) Richard Lamb
c) Cary Hawk

4. Murder in the Rockies is best known as a ______?
a) suspenseful mystery
b) historical picture of early Denver
c) exciting legal drama
d) romantic comedy

Did you get them all correct?
Answers
1.a 2.c 3.b 4.all

Thoughts and Opinions

Quotes

Nonfiction speaks to the head. Fiction speaks to the heart. Poetry speaks to the soul. It's the essence of beauty. ~ Ellen Hopkins

Here is a land where life is written in water....
Look to the green within the mountain cup....
~Thomas Hornsby Ferril

Poet's Demand
Last week's blog was about Poet Laureate Thomas Hornsby Ferril. Several readers complained that they wanted more poetry and less history. Copyright laws and fear of lawsuits etc. have limited including verses from Ferril. How's this for a compromise...one of my own poems! That should satisfy readers desires to see poetry here.

Aspen Grove
On an autumn hikewe pause in an aspen grove.Time to rest and savornature's golden treasure trove.Golden sun on golden leaves,a magic moment that love so often weaves.Kiss and kiss again, then back down the mountain trail
with memories of aspen leaves, quaking, pungent, frail.
~G. Eldon Smith

Sunday, May 18, the Colfax Marathon pitted elite runners from across the nation in a premier running event. The race was named after Colfax Avenue, part of the course, a major thoroughfare through Denver, Colorado. The street in turn was named after Schuyler Colfax the Vice President under President Grant. The winner was Chris Smiley, of Centennial, who has participated in all nine of the past Colfax events. Sunday he kept the streak alive by winning number ten. Last year he ran the Half Marathon with a tracheostomy tube in his throat. He hasn't let cancer interrupt his ten straight Colfax races (all of the races so far.)Smiley told a Denver Post reporter, "I wasn't trying to inspire, I was trying to get through it. I was trying to let my family and friends know I'm OK and I want to be treated normal.
"Words to the Wise
Police were summoned to a daycare center where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.
A bicycle can't stand alone; it's just two tired.
The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine is now fully recovered.
Murder in the Rockies is a darned good mystery. Check it out!

Thoughts and Opinions

Quote:
Poetry is finer and more philosophical than history; for poetry expresses the universal, and history only the particular.
~Aristotle

Colorado Poet Laureate In its history, Colorado has appreciated art, literature and especially poetry. The annual gathering of cowboy poets is a big deal,which draws large crowds. Think Dexter Black and Waddie Mitchell. The cowboy poets are carrying on the poetry tradition from the past.

The position of Poet Laureate was established 1919. Colorado became one of the first states to have a Poet Laureate when Governor Oliver Shoup appointed Alice Polk Hill. The appointment, formerly for a lifetime, is now a four-year term. The current Poet Laureate is Joseph Hutchison who was appointed by Governor Hickenlooper in 2014.

In the Colorado State Capitol there are eight murals painted on the walls of the rotunda. The murals were painted in 1940 by Colorado artist Allen True. Each mural is accompanied by an excerpt of a poem written by Thomas Hornsby Ferril, who later was honored to be named Colorado Poet Laureate.

Men shall behold the water in the sky
and count the seasons by the living grasses.
(One panel of eight and part of the poem by Thomas Hornsby Ferril)

When Poet Laureate is mentioned in Colorado the first name that comes to mind is Thomas Ferril. A lifelong resident of Denver, poet Thomas Hornsby Ferril was born in 1896 and educated at Colorado College. With his wife, Helen, he published the Rocky Mountain Herald from 1939 to 1972. Ferril also served as publicity director for Great Western Sugar for more than 40 years and was appointed Colorado Poet Laureate in 1979. He served in the post until 1988, the year of his death.

Riddles1. What two things can't you eat for breakfast?2. What tastes better than it smells?3.What asks but never answers.

With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.

ANSWERS
1. Lunch and Supper
2. A tongue
3. An owl

WeatherMother nature gave us a Mothers' Day present of 4-5 inches of snow in Denver..on Mothers' day!Our condolences go out to the victims of other recent disasters; tornadoes, earthquakes etc God go with you.