Dear Boulder Channel 1

On March 7th, 1965, 600 of us lined up to walk from Selma to Montgomery, to march for voting rights.

When we tried to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge over the Alabama River, we were met by state troopers. They attacked us with tear gas, bullwhips, and nightsticks.

It became known as Bloody Sunday, and the national outcry over the brutality that day led to the enactment, exactly 45 years ago today, of the Voting Rights Act.

The progress we’ve made since then is remarkable.

But the expansion of voting rights for millions did not happen overnight. It was the product of a continued struggle, by many people, over many years.

And just as change did not come easily then, it does not come easily now.

Discrimination still exists in America — its effects can be as harmful as they were decades ago. And we can always become a better, more just society.

Two years ago, this movement — led by Barack Obama — brought millions of people into the political process for the first time.

I’m told that many of you are working hard now to get as many as possible of those folks — and others from across the country who are with us in these fights — to the polls this year.

It’s an important effort, and the legacy of the fight for the Voting Rights Act is that it is not only our right to vote, and to help others do so — it is our duty.

Can I count on you to help out between now and the elections in November?

When I was a child, I tasted the bitter fruits of racial discrimination — and I did not like it.

That was what spurred me to act. In those early days, we sacrificed our very selves for our rights as Americans. But we never gave up.

And now barriers that kept an entire people from full participation in this country have been removed.

No longer are people who look like me met with violence when we register to vote.

No longer is the idea that an African American could become president just a dream.

We live in a better world, a better country.

But our work is not complete. We cannot wait for someone else to make change.

We must all do it. You must do it. I must do it.

Please sign up to help millions more vote:

http://my.barackobama.com/VolunteerVRA

Thank you,

Representative John Lewis

Voting is wrapping up in the Democratic primary, so the time to vote is now.

If you have not already returned your ballot by mail, it’s too late to put it in the mail — you’ll need to return it in person to your county clerk, county service center, or drop location to guarantee it gets counted.

Your ballot must be received by 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 10th.

Please make sure you cast your vote in time in this crucial primary — find more information about submitting your ballot here.

If you have not received a mail-in ballot, the polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 10th. Find more information here.

This is a close race, so every vote counts.

Michael Bennet has been a champion for Colorado, leading the way on a health insurance reform victory more than 100 years in the making.

But now we need to make sure that as many Coloradans as possible turn out to vote for him in the primary.

And that means spreading the word about what he’s done for us in Washington as far and wide as we can between now and Tuesday.

Will you help us contact voters in the final days of this election?

http://co.barackobama.com/COBennetEvents

Thanks,

Jen

Jen Cheyne
Colorado State Director
Organizing for America

Media Matters: Of mosques and mendacity

If you’ve followed the conservative media over the past few weeks, you can be forgiven for thinking that it’s a tough time for white Christians in America right now, what with the New Black Panthers denying white people their voting rights and undocumented workers clogging up our civic machinery with “anchor babies.” The message coming from Fox News and some of the more determined attention-seekers on the right is that we’re in a battle for white America’s Jesus-worshiping soul, beset as it is by immigrants and black USDA officials and, perhaps most threateningly, Muslims.

The New York City landmarks commission decided this week to act in the interest of New Yorkers rather than out-of-state conservative pundits and voted to clear the way for the construction of an Islamic center in lower Manhattan, a few blocks from the site where the World Trade Center once stood. This was unacceptable to said pundits, who insisted that this site of America’s mourning should be exempted from American values. “We’re all about religious freedom,” explained Sarah Palin, but only “down the road.” Newt Gingrich announced, “I favor religious freedom,” but not “right at the edge of a place where, let’s be clear, thousands of Americans were killed in an attack by radical Islamists.”

The argument from the right is relatively straightforward — Muslim terrorists destroyed the Twin Towers, therefore we should ban all things Muslim from the area, in the interest of healing and sympathy (although, as Salon noted, they were curiously silent when Muslims began praying in the Pentagon shortly after 9-11). That argument necessarily holds all Muslims accountable for the detestable acts of the small and violent minority of Muslims who take up the terrorist mantle. On its own, that would be offensive enough, but people like Palin and Gingrich purport to be sensitive to that distinction and nonetheless run roughshod over it. Palin famously took to her Twitter account to exhort “peaceful Muslims” to “refudiate” the Islamic center. Gingrich acknowledged the differences between “radical Islamists” and other Muslims before launching into an unhinged attack on the “Ground Zero mosque” and “Creeping Sharia in the United States.”

Others simply can’t be bothered to even pretend to understand that “Muslim” does not equal “terrorist.” A “recruiting tool for domestic extremists” was how Rush Limbaugh described the Islamic center. Glenn Beck called it an “Allah tells me to blow up America mosque.” Comments like these badly mischaracterize what the “Ground Zero mosque” actually is and the role it will play in America’s unsettled relationship with the Muslim world.

The people behind the mosque are Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and his wife, Daisy Khan, and contrary to what the right wing would have you believe, Time magazine says they’re “actually the kind of Muslim leaders right-wing commentators fantasize about: modernists and moderates who openly condemn the death cult of al-Qaeda and its adherents.” Rauf has written a book titled What’s Right with Islam Is What’s Right with America. In late 2001, after the 9-11 attacks, Rauf was quoted in New Jersey’s Bergen County Record as saying that Islam must “define its ‘American-ness,’ that is, adapt to the American culture.” The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, who knows Rauf, describes him as representing “what Bin Laden fears most: a Muslim who believes that it is possible to remain true to the values of Islam and, at the same time, to be a loyal citizen of a Western, non-Muslim country.”

That message, however, is unimportant to right-wingers who are more interested in turning the “Ground Zero mosque” into a wedge issue and stoking Islamophobia for political benefit. The tragic farce of it all, as described by Slate’s William Saletan, is that people like Palin and Gingrich, who purport to be standing up against terror and for America, are actually promulgating the same message as Osama bin Laden — that “the United States represents Christianity, al-Qaida represents Muslims, Christians won’t protect Muslims, the West hates mosques, peaceful coexistence is a fraud, and the ‘war on terrorism’ is really a war on Islam.” It’s hard to argue with that assessment when you hear the likes of Limbaugh claiming that the “Ground Zero mosque” means Muslims are “planting the flag of victory.”

Jonathan Chait surveyed the right-wing opposition to the mosque and concluded that “a lot of people are going to eventually feel ashamed about where they stood.” That might be true, but all signs seem to indicate that these people are about as familiar with the concept of shame as they are with religious freedom.

A big week for “judicial activism”

If the conservative media have taught us anything else — and they haven’t — it’s that members of the judiciary who are progressive and don’t adhere strictly to right-wingers’ shifting interpretations of the law are “judicial activists” who “legislate from the bench” and see the Constitution as a “living document” and so forth. Of course, the conservative faction of the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts is carving out quite a legacy of judicial activism, but that doesn’t count because they’re conservatives.

And speaking of the Roberts court, it picked up its newest member this week as Elena Kagan, President Obama’s pick to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens, was confirmed by the Senate in a largely party-line vote that, while it got the job done, did not portend well for future nominations. She will be the next associate justice of the Supreme Court in spite of a spirited smear campaign by conservatives who were not about to limit themselves to cries of “judicial activism.” They hurled just about every attack they could at Kagan throughout the nomination process, and it’s still going strong even though the deed is done.

Just this week alone, conservatives attempted to force a delay on Kagan’s vote by screaming that she lied to the Judiciary Committee about her stance on partial birth abortion. When that failed, they claimed she does not believe in and seeks to destroy the Constitution, they attacked her looks, and even called her a stealth Muslim.

But as intense as the attacks on Kagan were, the fusillade against Judge Vaughn Walker was even worse. Walker ruled this week that California’s ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, and right-wingers lit into him not just because he ruled against their interests, but because he’s gay. “Nero, like Judge Vaughn, wanted the community to embrace his unnatural way of life,” declared The Washington Times, perhaps subconsciously acknowledging the stale antiquity of its position. The Times also insisted that Walker should have recused himself from the case because he is gay, a ludicrous argument that earned swift rebukes from people who actually know what they’re talking about.

The intense right-wing focus on Judge Walker’s personal life, however, managed to overlook one aspect of his background — the fact that he was nominated as a federal judge by Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

But such things are bound to happen to “judicial activists” when they do clearly unconstitutional things like stand up for equal rights.

He meant what he said, he said what he meant, Fox News stood by him, 1,000 percent

It’s been clear for some time now that the culture of accountability at Fox News doesn’t, you know … exist. If you’re a Fox News employee, you can get away with pretty much anything. Photoshopping the faces of New York Times reporters to make them ugly caricatures of themselves? No problem. Bringing on a racist anti-Semite to attack the African-American presidential candidate? Nothing to worry about. Cropping video of the president to claim he spoke for terrorist sympathizers? Give that man a raise!

But if there’s a poster child for Fox News’ permissive attitude toward media malpractice, it’s Glenn Beck. After all, this is the guy whose attack on the president as a “racist” cost the network millions in ad revenue, and the worst he got was Rupert Murdoch’s enthusiastic “good on ya!” (a Fox News spokesman later said Murdoch “does not … think the president is a racist”). And this week we learned that there really doesn’t seem to be anything Beck can do that will get him in trouble with his bosses.

It all started back on May 28, when Beck attacked Simon Greer of the Jewish Funds for Justice, who had called Beck a “con man” for “bottling [his] ideological agenda and labeling it theology.” Beck responded by saying that Greer’s philosophy “leads to death camps. A Jew, of all people, should know that. This is exactly the kind of talk that led to the death camps in Germany. Put humankind and the common good first.” After Beck attacked this prominent Jewish individual for helping to promote a second Holocaust, Fox News executives decided it might be a good idea to meet with Greer on behalf of their once-again wayward star and talk things over.

According to TVNewser, Fox News senior vice president Joel Cheatwood made clear to Greer that, in spite of Beck’s horribly offensive rhetoric concerning one of the worst instances of genocide the world has ever known, Fox News “absolutely stood behind Glenn Beck 1000%.”

So while this is obviously a disheartening development for society at large, Fox News hosts should be excited. If Fox executives will allow Glenn Beck to accuse Jews of, in the words of Greer, ” paving the way for fascism,” then they’re free to get as creative as they want and attack anyone for pretty much anything.

Of course, they already do that anyway, but at least now it’s official.

Simon Maloy is a Research Fellow at Media Matters for America.

Volume 4, No 7 August 6, 2010
In This Issue
-Search for Shorebirds…….End-O-Month Bird Walk
-Common Nighthawk
-COUPON: Sunflower Chips
-Humming Along
-Hours Survey
-Thanks, Jan!
-Ask Steve

____________

Welcome to “Boulder Backyards”

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Wild Bird Center of Boulder Saturday Walks

bird watchers (that’s us)

Wild Bird Center Saturday Walks:

From 7:30 am (promptly)
to 9:45 am (approximately)
Every Saturday year-round.
Every last Saturday of the month we travel further afield than normal
and return a little later.
Call for more info: 303-442-1322
Birdwalks

Search for Shorebirds
End-O-Month Bird Walk
August 28th 7:30 to 10:30

“greater yellowlegs”
by Wendy Marie Stuart

Let’s look for shorebirds heading south. Join us on a tour of local ponds and reservoirs looking for fall shorebirds. I’m no shorebird expert, so we’ll break out the books and figure them out together. After all, it is back to school time.

Wild Bird Center
of Boulder
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“Unwelcome Guest” by Wendy Marie Stuart

Visit our store to see a gallery of Wendy’s matted and framed prints
and greeting cards for all occasions or
Visit Wendy’s site
Visit Wendy’s “Osprey Portfolio” page

Photo Credits

“Greater Yellowlegs” by Wendy Marie Stuart

“Unwelcome Guest” by Wendy Marie Stuart

Birding Community Bulletins

National Wildlife Refuge Association

Check out these informative and provocative Birding Newsletters

Contact Information
Steve Frye, Owner . Wild Bird Center Boulder
1641-28th Street
Boulder, CO 80301
(303) 442-1322

www.wbcboulder.com (catalog)
www.wildbird.com/boulder (site)
WBCBoulderCO@aol.com (email)

Thank you for all of your support from all of us at
YOUR Wild Bird Center!

We couldn’t have done this without you! Twenty-one years is a long time in anyone’s book and we owe our success to you — our customers, compatriots, fellow birders, and friends. A hearty thank you to you all!

Steve, Wendy, Marlene, & Bill

Common Nighthawk
The Nocturnal Flycatcher
by Scott Severs

During summer, late afternoon and evening hikes in the foothills provide opportunities to enjoy wildlife behavior without the hot temperatures of midday. While some animals are settling down for the night, others are just beginning their day. Crickets commence their incessant chirping, spiders emerge from dark hideaways, and owls begin searching for waking mice and voles. Just before the sun falls behind the Divide, a nasal peeernt emanates from above. I quickly scan the sky and see a swallow-like bird bouncing across the sky catching insects and calling frequently. I see a common nighthawk.

Not truly a hawk, nighthawks share more in common with their relatives the whip-poor-wills, which together make up a family of birds called the nightjars. Members of the nightjar family have gaping mouths designed to scoop insects out of the air. These wide mouths led to a myth that nightjars drank milk from the udders of goats, and the family was once collectively
common nighthawk

known as the goatsuckers. Today the family name is derived from the jarring notes of their calls. Members of this group are covered with marvelous, cryptically colored feathers marbled with grays, browns, and blacks that help conceal them from predators. Most nightjar family members nest on the ground, so camouflage is key to survival.

Not entirely nocturnal, nighthawks tend to be crepuscular-meaning they, like most nightjars, are most active in the twilight hours of dawn and dusk. There are a bounty of moths, beetles, and other flying insects available at theses times that do not appear during daylight hours. By foraging on the wing, nighthawks can catch great numbers of insects in a short period of time.

When viewed in silhouette from below, nighthawks look a lot like swallows, with long pointed wings adapted for an aerial life style. To identify nighthawks in flight, look for distinctive white patches toward the tips of their dark wings. A white throat patch and band across the tail set apart the male from the female.

As spring days lengthen, male nighthawks perform spectacular courtship dives in the midst of their consorts. While the female rests on a nearby tree, the male nighthawk circles above, calling frequently …peeernt…peeernt…peeernt… Finally his flight stalls like a small plane, and he begins to plummet toward his mate sitting below. At the bottom of the dive he pulls up, and the wind whistles through the outer flight feathers of his wings, producing a whooshing sound…v-r-r-rrooommmm. The booming sound makes me think of some wacky sound in a Warner Brothers cartoon I may have watched as a kid.

In late May, June, or July, females produce two light brown eggs speckled with darker browns. Nighthawks do not build nests, and lay their eggs directly on graveled soil and occasionally on flat gravel rooftops. If the nest area becomes too hot for the eggs and young, nighthawks may move them
common nighthawk

to a cooler spot. Adults nighthawks have been observed feigning injury to draw coyotes and other ground-searching predators away from their nests. The female incubates the eggs for about 20 days, during which time the male brings food to her. The young will fly and forage on their own about three weeks after hatching.

In Colorado, nighthawks occur in open habitats from border to border. In our area they especially like open ponderosa pine woodlands edging mountain meadows. Good places to see foraging and displaying nighthawks include Betasso Preserve, Bald Mountain, and Walker Ranch. In fall, sizable flocks of nighthawks gather along the Dakota Hogback before beginning their trip southward to South America.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds: Common Nighthawk
Aububon at Home: Common Nighthawk
New Hampshire Audubon: Project Nighthawk
Geneise on Youtube: Nighthawk

—– Coupon —– Coupon —– Coupon —–

The Ultimate Bird Food
Sunflower Chips
No Waste – No Shells – No Sprouting

25# Bag of Sunflower Chips
Only $34.99
Save $5.00

Go to our Online Product Catalog to view seed, feeders, boxes (bird & bat), optics, gifts, books, CDs and many other products.

NOTE: Just mention this e-coupon to get your discount. Call (303) 442-1322. Some restrictions may apply. Not valid in combination with other promotions. Expiration date: 8/31/10.
—– Coupon —– Coupon —– Coupon —–

Humming Along

Colorado Hummers

Some hummingbirds have been in southward migration since early July. As these birds wing south, some choose to venture out from the foothills and mountains onto the plains. In the last few weeks we have been getting good reports of hummingbirds out east. In my Longmont yard, I have been visited by quite a few hummingbirds in the last three weeks. Usually, I get almost entirely calliope hummingbirds, but this year I have had good numbers of all three regularly occurring species (broad-tailed, rufous, and calliope). So if you would like to be visited by the hummingbirds, consider adding some hummingbird attractive plants in your yard and put up feeder! hummingbird

Hummingbirds 101
hummingbirds.net

Hours Survey

Would it be more convenient to shop at the Wild Bird Center if we had different hours? Presently, our hours are Monday through Friday 10 to 6, Saturday 9 to 6, and Sunday 11 to 5. If additional hours would help you, please send an e-mail telling what changes would be helpful to wbcboulderco@aol.com. Thank you.
Thanks, Jan!
Our thanks go out to Jan Chu for leading us on the Birds and Butterflies Walk last month. We had a great time finding all kinds of creatures including some good mammals like the mink and an Abert’s Squirrel. Jan’s knowledge of butterflies is fantastic and we appreciate her sharing that with us.

butterfly

Ask Steve

A: Where have all the grackles gone? I usually have tons but for the last few weeks I haven’t seen hardly a one.

A: Funny you should mention this because I too have not seen many grackles in my yard or on the Saturday Walks in the last few weeks. I am not sure what is going on, but there are some things I am sure of. Typically, we don’t see nearly as many grackles in people’s yards in the last part of the summer. Grackles show up in the spring to nest near or in suburban landscapes. After their young hatch, we seem to have hordes in our yards with all the young squawking and the adults busy feeding them. Soon after the young fledge, they are left behind because the parents move off to agricultural and wetland habitats. Young persist in our yards for a few more weeks until they molt into the shiny adult plumage. After that transformation, the young move off to meet the other adults and flock up in preparation of heading south. So normally we see a significant reduction in grackle numbers in our yards toward August and the coming of fall. This year, however, the change is more dramatic. In the fall we see waves of
grackle

grackles coming through. Perhaps this year our grackles have really taken off early but have not been replaced by the more northern grackles. I’m sure the local grackle population and their food supply has not been adversely changed this year, but it’s still hard to explain their relative absence. Maybe it’s just ‘greener grass’ some other place that is luring them away? We probably will never know the answer.
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