Hal Bidlack

Colorado

Host at KRCC-FM (Colorado Springs, CO)

Columnist at Colorado Politics

Carbon-based and proud of it

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Articles

The anti-trans Trump GOP’s odd military obsession | BIDLACK

2 days ago | coloradopolitics.com | Hal Bidlack

Long ago, way back to when I was a new second lieutenant and brand new to the Air Force, I showed up at then Vandenberg Air Force Base to start my career and to attend what was called “missile school” for short, a very intense sixteen-week course that took students from zero knowledge of the nuclear missile force to being trained and tested to sit nuclear alert at the various ICBM bases around the American west.
It pays to be a veteran in Colorado, less so an Air Force civilian | BIDLACK

1 week ago | coloradopolitics.com | Hal Bidlack

My father was drafted into the United States Army while in his third year of college in the months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. He served for the duration of World War II, rising to the highest enlisted rank at the time. Due to his ability to type, he was pulled from basic training to attend clerk school, as people who could type in 1941 were few and far between.
Scary new normals for Colorado wildfires | BIDLACK

2 weeks ago | coloradopolitics.com | Hal Bidlack

As is always the case, too many stories in Colorado Politics caught my eye this week, and I’m very tempted to write about a recent story regarding the efforts of some Douglas County Republicans to make their county a “home rule” county. Simply put, home rule status allows a county or a city to have a bit more local control, though not on every issue and not fully on any issue. They still must obey state law.
Fixing problems that don't exist | BIDLACK

3 weeks ago | coloradopolitics.com | Hal Bidlack

As I’ve mentioned before, back in 1981 when my late first wife and I registered to vote as Democrats in Wyoming, the clerk joked we increased the number of Dems in Wyoming by a third. It’s not quite that bad, but clearly the GOP-dominated state government wants to make sure no Dems gain actual power.
Hurd's moderate tariff veto bucks expected subservience to Trump | BIDLACK

1 month ago | coloradopolitics.com | Hal Bidlack

As is all too often the case, there are far too many recent Colorado Politics stories that merit examination than there is room to write about. So please forgive me as I jump around a bit, there is a lot going on, and there might be homework. Given the current leadership of the U.S. House, especially in the form of current (and hopefully soon “former”) Speaker Mike Johnson is continuing the radical-right MAGA view of governance, it is always a pleasure to see him have to back down.
President Trump tariffs penguins | BIDLACK

1 month ago | coloradopolitics.com | Hal Bidlack

Like many of you, I love the old comic strip "Bloom County", which originally roughly ran from 1980 to 1990. And if I had the ability to include a photo in my column, you could see I have a stuffed Opus the Penguin from that very clever cartoon sitting next to my computer. I loved the wit and honesty Opus embodied and have always kept him close. A quick web search for “Opus the Penguin” will return lots of cute pictures. My stuffed Opus was not a sedentary creature.
More proof (state) government is working | BIDLACK

1 month ago | coloradopolitics.com | Hal Bidlack

One of the challenges of writing a weekly column is deciding what not to talk about, even though it seems really compelling. I’ll like to write, for example, about a certain orange-colored president who just issued an order to expel 500,000 migrants who were here in the U.S. legally under a program to bring folks from dangerous places like Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The goal was to bring them to the U.S. for protection.
A new gilded age? Perhaps one of dishonor? | BIDLACK

1 month ago | coloradopolitics.com | Hal Bidlack

It’s been an odd last week or so here in the great American West (hey, there’s a thought, given a certain felon’s recent renaming actions — which he can’t actually do, but I digress — maybe President Donald Trump will rename the Rocky Mountains to the "American Mountains." They can look kind of golden at sunset, and given Trump’s recent gilding of the Oval Office). Wait, where was I? Oh yeah, Trump and gold.
Why our star U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet shouldn't run for governor | BIDLACK

2 months ago | coloradopolitics.com | Hal Bidlack

As I’ve mentioned roughly 126 times through the years, after my military career I worked in the Colorado Springs office of U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet for four years. It was just me and my direct boss in that office, with the occasional intern. It was intense work, and by the end I admit to being rather burned out, having handled more than 1,200 veteran cases alone for the senator. But it was a remarkable place to work.
Some bad news, some good news out west | BIDLACK

2 months ago | coloradopolitics.com | Hal Bidlack

As my regular reader (Hi, Jeff!) will recall, I often mention how much I enjoy a weekly feature in Colorado Politics, the Out West Roundup. Skillfully collected and edited by ace reporter Ernest Luning, this column reminds us there is more to the American west than, say, just Colorado and California. In this week’s installment, I found several stories of interest. In our neighbor Utah, Republican Gov.