by Peter Boyles | Apr 24, 2015 | Blasting with Boyles
It is not often that I can save readers of the Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle literally hundreds of thousands of dollars of their life savings but this, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages, is the time. I recently received a mailer at my home sent to me courtesy of the Church of Scientology. I read it carefully. They are going to save my life, straighten out my misguided view of the world, and, as they say in show business, clean up my act. Now because I’ve been on the Scientology list of treasonous people, I’m more than hip to the theology of the Commodore’s church.
But if, for some unforeseen reason, you or any of your family members are big enough idiots to respond to that mailer, wander into 2340 Blake Street in downtown Denver, or make that phone call, you will be grifted into one of the great cons run in this country in quite a while. (With the exception of Barrack Obama’s life story, the truth about the Clintons and how there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, this pooch ranks right up there with Elvis ain’t dead, 9/11 was an inside job, and the innocence of Patsy Ramsey.)
Folks, have you seen the HBO documentary titled Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief? Damn. The excellent documentary demonstrates that Scientology is a dangerous, frightening, aggressive attempt to lure people into a cult, clean out their wallets and destroy their families. It comes from a book by Lawrence Wright about his life in Scientology. I’ve been jerking the Scientology people around on the radio for as far back as I can remember. But in everyday Scientology, as you have to pay to receive the beliefs of the church, I will save you the money.
Now if I wanted to go and become a practicing Roman Catholic, I would simply go to my closest Catholic church and ask the priest to give me religious instruction or at least tell me what the church believes. And the same is probably true in Judaism, any Protestant denomination (with the exception of snake handling — I think that takes a little work), or if I dare walk into a mosque and ask the imam. Those things aren’t that tough but Scientology has a price tag. So, this is what they believe.
Centuries ago in a galaxy far far away (I know, it sounds like Star Wars), there was a really bad character called Xenu, an evil dictator. So 75 million years ago, the galactic confederation had 26 stars, 76 planets, including Earth which was then known as Teegeeact. If you have gotten this far in the column, I have just saved you thousands of dollars, because you don’t get to know that until you get over certain Operating Thetan levels. The planets were overpopulated, the evil Xenu was about to get kicked out (much like Richard Nixon), so he plotted and eliminated these people with the assistance of a psychiatrist. Have you ever been to any form of demonstration and seen a guy in a suit and seen a sign that says Psychiatry Kills? That, my friends, is a Scientologist.
So, Xenu paralyzes these people, freezes them and ships them to earth where they go down into volcanos. (That’s why on the cover of L. Ron Hubbard’s Dienetics, their Bible, there is a picture of the volcano.) But to top it off, hydrogen bombs are put into volcanos, all detonated at once. So now these souls, known as Thetans, were blown up in the air. Captured by the evil Xenu, they were sucked into vacuum tubes and people were taken to movies, forced to watch 3D movies and forced to watch TVs for 36 days. (I’m not making this stuff up.) And they are probably now in your body, and you’ve got to get rid of them. Groups of rebels known as the Loyal Officers overthrew Xenu and locked him away into the electronic trap from which he has not yet escaped. Some of these clowns believe this is in the Pyrenees on earth.
The cost of learning all of this so far is about $6,500. See the savings you made by reading the Chronicle? These people are dangerous. You can watch the HBO documentary, read dozens of books about them and they are recruiting people through the U.S. Mail and national TV ads.
I kind of rest my case, but if you are willing to contact me at KNUS radio and hold a couple of tin cans wired to an old E-meter, I will be willing to get those bad Thetans out of your body and you’ll live the rest of your life clear.
You just got a quick overview of Scientology. Have any of them contact me and tell me this column isn’t true. The good news is Lisa Marie Presley has left the cult, just as her father has left the building. See you sometime later here on Teegeeact.
In the words of the late great Jackie Gleason, “homina, homina, homina.”
— Peter
by Mark Smiley | Apr 24, 2015 | Main Articles
by Danny Foster, Esq.
the managing partner of the law firm Foster, Graham, Milstein & Calisher, LLP
Recently the Denver District Attorney’s office, along with the city of Denver, unveiled their decision to participate in a public relations program sweeping the nation called “Start by Believing.” For those of you who are unfamiliar with the program, let me explain. “Start by Believing” is a campaign designed to encourage everyone (civilians, politicians, police, prosecutors, jurors, everyone) to immediately believe any person who claims to be a victim of a sexual assault as soon as they tell you they have been victimized. It doesn’t say “Start by Listening” or “Start by Supporting” it says “Start by Believing” them.
Yes, you read that correctly. The city of Denver and the Denver DA have decided that it is more important to believe any person alleging sexual abuse than to provide an alleged suspect the presumption of innocence. The concept of believing an alleged victim without any investigation specifically means that we must NOT believe the person accused of committing this act and presume them guilty. You can’t have it both ways. What a frightening concept. I am cynical by nature so it’s not a huge surprise that prosecutors’ offices across the country would embrace this notion. It makes it easier to secure convictions if there is an overwhelming PR campaign to bolster the credibility of victims. But when the city of Denver itself gets behind this concept and spends city funds on this issue to promote this unconstitutional concept, it causes me and many of those in the legal community great concern.
I want to stress that there are many real victims of sexual abuse. And, for those poor individuals who have been victimized, it is essential that we support them, help them and be there for them during the healing process. I have no doubt that many victims stay silent for fear of being blamed or not being believed. But this “Start by Believing” campaign is not the appropriate remedy to handle this problem. All too often we deal with cases where a “victim” says she was victimized only later to discover she lied for any myriad reasons, but by that time the damage has been done to the person who was charged with the crime. Once you are accused of being a sex offender you can never remove that label. That’s the term that sticks, even if acquitted of any wrong doing. That’s what happens when we “Start by Believing.” In my mind, there is only one type of person lower than the sexual offender, and that is the person who lies about being sexually assaulted and completely ruins an innocent person’s life. If you don’t think that happens, then all you need to do is look at the catastrophe on the University of Virginia campus this past year where a salacious allegation of sexual assault was levied against several members of a fraternity house. If it wasn’t for damn good legal investigation (NOT the investigation by Rolling Stone magazine) the “victim” would have gotten away with her lies and many young mens’ lives would have been ruined. These poor young men were eviscerated in the press, on campus and scared to death they could end up in prison for life. Frightening things happen when we “Start by Believing.”
Should the police and University have started this criminal investigation by “believing” the alleged perpetrators? Of course they should have. The Constitution demands that all people be considered innocent until proven guilty. Did the University of Virginia investigators start by “believing” the alleged victim instead? Of course they did. Why? Because it’s politically unpopular to ever question anyone who alleges being the victim of sexual assault. I get it, I understand the need for politicians and TV commentators and university officials to look tough on sex offenders. But this type of action CANNOT happen at the expense of violating suspects’ Constitutional rights.
Our office recently sponsored a free seminar to help prepare young men who are graduating high school in the spring and starting college in the fall. While a lot of the discussion revolved around the dangers of drugs/alcohol, the bigger concern was about how dangerous the climate is for young men on campuses across the country where even the slightest ambiguity regarding consensual sexual contact can equate to expulsion and criminal prosecution. I cannot sit idly by and watch more good kids get prosecuted and expelled for false sexual assault allegations. My colleagues and I believe this is absolutely our duty as lawyers to warn these boys about what could happen to them and how to avoid many of the pitfalls we have seen in the past. We have had to defend too many good people from outrageous allegations. While it would be nice if our seminar guaranteed they will avoid trouble, unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. All we can do is arm them with some useful information that we hope will give them an advantage. If you are a male, or have a son or grandson, BE FOREWARNED, men (and more specifically younger college age men) are in the crosshairs of an aggressive campaign led by victims’ advocate groups, prosecutors and the pandering politicians, to prosecute anyone who is even alleged to have committed a sexual crime. In Colorado that can equate to a life sentence in prison. And for those of you who don’t practice law, you should know that Colorado has a law called the Rape Shield statute. It prohibits an accused from mentioning anything to a jury about the alleged victim’s sexual past, even if the alleged victim has made false rape accusations in the past! The time has come to repeal this very dangerous statute.
Our firm has recently filed a lawsuit against a “victim” of sexual assault on the Boulder campus. Our investigation not only proved my client’s innocence, but the Boulder DA filed false information charges against the woman who lied to the police. She was convicted and now she can defend her actions in a civil lawsuit. She never even apologized to my client for what she put him through. No matter how much money we obtain from her, I don’t think it will ever even out the damage she caused by her accusations. Thankfully the Boulder DA didn’t “Start by Believing.” He started by doing what he is supposed to do, he started by investigating.
So, “Start by Believing?” How about “Start by Supporting” people who allege being victimized. “Start by Listening” to those who allege sexual assault. “Start by Loving” your kids and being there for them. And “Start by Investigating” the allegations of those who claim to be victims. But only Believe them when the weight of evidence points to guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, just like the Constitution requires.
Danny is a managing partner of Foster, Graham, Milstein & Calisher (FGMC). His practice focuses on personal injury. The law firm of FGMC, located in Cherry Creek, is a full service law firm focusing on: criminal defense, personal injury, real estate, litigation, liquor licensing, construction law, tax/estate planning, bankruptcy and zoning. This article does not create an attorney-client relationship and is for informational use only (what do you expect from an attorney!)
by Mark Smiley | Apr 24, 2015 | Main Articles
Development Along Cherry Creek Comes To Fruition
by Charles C. Bonniwell
It has been almost a fifth of a century in the imaging and planning but at long last a spectacular entertainment district along Cherry Creek from Colorado Boulevard to South Cherry Street appears to becoming a reality. The city held a press conference at Infinity Park in which the project principals were introduced and the newest vision outlined by Mayor Mike Dunafon and Deputy City Manager Linda Cassaday. Dunafon indicated the project was intended to augment and assist the entire area rather than compete with Cherry Creek and 9th and Colorado Boulevard.
Revised Plans
A little over three years ago Glendale applied for an $80 million tourism subsidy from the state under the Regional Tourism Act for its $360 million Riverwalk project. The application was turned down along with other small county and city projects for the highly controversial $800 million Gaylord Entertainment project in Aurora. That award for the Gaylord project was widely perceived as resulting from a rigged process and continues today to be mired in litigation. After the Regional Tourism Act rejection Glendale had to go back to the drawing board.
The revised project along Cherry Creek has a budget of $175 million of which the city will provide approximately $75 million for roads, creek edge treatments and in particular a parking garage as well as surface and underground parking.
What makes Glendale 180 somewhat unique is the fact that there will be no apartment houses or condominiums involved as a standard method of increasing the rate of return in mixed use projects in Colorado. The mayor pointed out that housing has proved a major impediment in many entertainment projects as residents soon fight to lessen the noise and traffic impacts.
New Name And Parking
The somewhat quixotic name “Glendale 180” is an oblique reference to the fact that Glendale in the 1970s and 1980s had one of the most vibrant entertainment areas in Colorado. The city fathers in the 1990s slowly destroyed the entertainment area to the enormous benefit of Denver’s LODO area. Thus “Glendale 180” is a type of homage to the phrase “back to the future” made famous by the 1985 movie by that title.
The 22 acre project will have 303,225 total leasable square feet including 109,000 anticipated for entertainment, 151,725 feet for food and beverage and 42,500 for retail. By way of comparison the Cherry Creek Shopping Center has a gross leasable area of 1,032,000 square feet.
A key to the success of Glendale 180 according to city officials will be the existence of ample parking. The city will provide 2,270 public parking spaces including 454 underground, 506 surface parking and a parking structure containing 1,310 spaces. Nearby Cherry Creek North has only 555 public parking spaces all on-street along with private parking.
Spokespersons For Developer And Architect
The developer of the project will be Wulf & Co. a commercial and retail real estate firm centered in Houston, Texas, founded in 1985. Bob Sellingsloth, the president of Wulfe & Co., spoke at the Infinity Park even
t praising the city for its forward looking perspective. He noted that at first his firm was unsure of the naming of the project Glendale 180 and so it had a survey done which proved that the name was in fact highly effective.
David Glover on behalf of the project architect, Gensler, spoke eloquently about the desire for the project to bring a vibrant sense of city to the area. He noted that 40 percent of the public surveyed indicated a sense of loneliness in today’s modern society. His design is intended to bring a feeling of light and air as well as “being a place for maximum happiness.”
Glover also indicated that Glendale 180 will be divided into three areas. The area nearest Colorado Boulevard will be known as the “Promenade” while the central area will be entitled the “Meadow” and the area adjacent to South Cherry will have the title the “Mountain.” He noted that if you valet your car you can have it delivered back to you anywhere along the project.
Common Consumption
Patrons will be able to walk from bar to bar with their beverage under the common consumption law.
The city helped pass, at the Colorado legislature, a common consumption area law with Glendale 180 in mind. The law allows patrons to go from bar to bar and long the sidewalks with open containers.
Among the remaining challenges is securing the parcels along East Virginia not owned by the city including the Staybridge
Suites Hotel on East Virginia and the property along Colorado Boulevard and east owned by M.A.K. Investment Group, LLC who acquired it in 2006 from the O’Conner family. The city is in negotiations with both property owners and ultimately has the power of eminent domain as the land is part of an urban renewal district.
City Officials
Overseeing the project for the city are Deputy City Managers Chuck Line and Linda Cassaday who were designated as officers for the urban renewal district titled Glen Echo. Line noted that for himself and Cassaday the project will mean long hours in addition to their normal duties, “but it is an incredibly exciting and fun project to work on.” Cassaday stated to the audience that the announcements on new tenants for Glendale 180 will be featured on its website at www.glendale180.com. Leasing on the project is being headed up by the Denver-based firm The Laramie Company and its leasing agent Mary Beth Jenkins.
Groundbreaking for Glendale 180 is scheduled for the fall of this year with the opening of the project in early 2017.
by Mark Smiley | Mar 27, 2015 | Featured Stories & Advertisers
