His Rocky Mountain Highness

by Andrew Travers, Aspen Daily News Staff Writer

It is a matter of fact that our world has grown darker and increasingly dangerous since John Denver left it 11 years ago today.

Since Denver crashed his single-engine fiberglass plane into Monterey Bay and died at age 53 on Oct. 12, 1997, America has impeached a president, put one in office without popular support of the nation, suffered deadly terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, started two wars, and, in the last few weeks its economy has tumbled into a seemingly bottomless pit of suffering.

Politicians and us

by Dave Danforth
It is almost the witching hour. It’s less than 30 days before an election. Politicians are going crazy to make sure that Letterman, Leno or Tina Fey will notice.

Politicians seem to be modeling themselves to be more like us. They want to be mired in the trenches, guzzling six packs. There’s a women governor with a thing for guys named “Joe.”

Obama should talk to Appalachia

by Kathleen Parker
If you’re a Democrat who needs help getting the votes of rural white folks, the go-to guy is David “Mudcat” Saunders, a central-casting political consultant recently made famous by a parade of magazine writers led by The Weekly Standard’s Matt Labash.

But sometimes you can learn more about a people and their place through literature than by hiring consultants. So I called Ron Rash, poet, author and purebred Appalachian whose newest novel, “Serena,” should be at the top of Barack Obama’s reading list.

College fair is tops

by Kevin Ward
Editor:

Question: Do Aspen kids realize how unbelievably lucky they are to have Kathy Klug, Susan Walter, Kelly Doherty and a phenomenally dedicated team of parents fighting for their opportunity to attend the best colleges in the country? 

‘Straw man’ doesn’t work

by Jeffrey Evans
Editor:

If Ron Kinnell of El Jebel had taken the time to go to AspenPost.net, Common Sense Alliance blog, he would have learned that the opening statement in his recent letter to the editor was completely false.

Republicans are perfect

by T.J. Krest
Editor:

It is always the Democrats fault. No matter what happens, no matter on whose watch, it is the Democrats.