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What Brazil and Colorado Have in Common in Restricting Liberty

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What Brazil and Colorado Have in Common in Restricting Liberty


The legendary rocker Joe Walsh once sang, “The Rocky Mountain way is better than the way we had.” But in Colorado, unfortunately, the Rocky Mountain way now more closely resembles censorship in Brazil than liberty in America.

More than 100 international free speech advocates, including five former U.S. attorneys general, joined an open letter to the Brazilian Congress last month condemning Brazil’s severe censorship, which includes suspension of the social media platform X.

While some may look on with mawkish curiosity at foreign intrigue they deem irrelevant to life in America, others may view Brazil’s authoritarian impulse through a lens of gratitude that it couldn’t happen here. Both are wrong.

One need only look to the state of Colorado to find an American example of governing authorities who seek to silence speech with which they disagree and compel reiteration of their preferred message.

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More on that a bit later.

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who owns X, has been engaged in a dispute with Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes that stems from de Moraes’ demands that Musk’s social media platform censor messages he disfavors.

On Aug. 30, de Moraes officially suspended X nationwide in Brazil. He also froze the bank accounts of Starlink, a subsidiary of Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX that provides internet access via satellite.

In his order, de Moraes said X presents a “real danger” of “negatively influencing the electorate in 2024, with massive misinformation, with the aim of unbalancing the electoral result, based on hate campaigns in the digital age, to favor extremist populist groups.”

Besides the former attorneys general, signers of the Sept. 12 letter to Brazilian lawmakers include three members of the United Kingdom’s House of Lords, The Daily Wire’s Megan Basham, bestselling author Rod Dreher, podcaster Tammy Peterson, Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon, X “Spaces” host Mario Nawfal, former Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., and leading academics such as Princeton University’s Robert P. George.

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Sifting through de Moraes’ parade of red herrings reveals that he and others in power in Brazil fear that allowing access to certain speech on X might lead to an electoral result they wouldn’t like.

As international pressure builds against Brazil’s scurrilous attacks on Musk, X, and the fundamental human right to free speech, many Americans are awakening to the rising global tide of censorship at home.

Now, back to Colorado, where current state law invades the sanctity of the counselor-patient relationship. For patients who desire to live according to their true identity as image-bearers of God, created biologically male or female, the state has declared that any message other than so-called gender-affirming care will put a mental health care professional’s license at risk.

Colorado’s “pro-choice” legislators, who frequently pontificate that the issue of abortion should be left to women and their doctors, also banned doctors from offering women progesterone to counter the effects of the abortion pill.

Thankfully, legal challenges to this Colorado law are underway, but the chilling message from the Legislature is clear: The only state-approved choice once an abortion pill is taken is the one that results in the death of an unborn child. And that’s the only choice about which women can be trusted with information.

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Government as gatekeeper to information in Colorado isn’t limited to the state. Local school officials decided that parents didn’t need to know their daughter would be required to share a room on an overnight field trip with a male who identified as female. Apparently, the parents couldn’t be trusted to make the “right” decision for their child. Much better to leave it to the “experts,” of course.

Colorado is also home to Lorie Smith and Jack Phillips.

Smith, who witnessed the now decadelong persecution of Phillips, a Christian baker and self-described cake artist, at the hands of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission. Smith took that body to the U.S. Supreme Court, where she won the most significant victory for free speech in many years.

Smith, a graphic artist, won for herself and other artists across the nation the Supreme Court’s recognition that coerced speech and censorship are two sides of the same unconstitutional coin. Phillips now waits to see if the Colorado Supreme Court will affirm this same principle for him.

At the heart of the matter in Brazil and Colorado is the widening gulf between the governing and the governed. It is a tempestuous sea of mistrust.

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Government officials assume the role of arbiters of truth and the authority to decide what information the masses should have at their disposal. It is a story that has played out on the world stage many times and one that rarely has ended well for the common man or freedom.

America, owing to its extraordinary constitutional protections for the God-given rights of the individual, has been an exception to the general rule of history for nearly two and half centuries.

As Walsh would put it, “Life’s been good.” To remain so requires vigilance in defense of liberty at home as exemplary leadership for the world.

We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal.

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Multi-Time Colorado 3A State Champion Riley Mills Commits to William & Mary

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Multi-Time Colorado 3A State Champion Riley Mills Commits to William & Mary


Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.

Sprinter Riley Mills has announced that she will be joining the tribe at William & Mary beginning in the fall of 2025.

“I chose W&M because of their strong family-like dynamic. I knew when I first got to campus that it was home. The team welcomed me with open arms and day one made me feel as though I was a part of the tribe. The coaching staff is a tight-knit and powerful group who make their swimmers better in and out of the water. The swimmers not only strive to be their best in the pool, but shoot for excellence in the classroom. Every single individual brings something valuable to the team and they are recognized. I cannot wait to call W&M my home, team, and family.”

Mills, hailing from Denver, Colorado is currently a senior at St. Mary’s Academy. Earlier this year, she helped St. Mary’s claim the Colorado High School Athletic Association (CHSAA)  Girls 3A State Championship title, contributing individual victories in both the 100 butterfly (55.70) and 50 freestyle (23.74) en route to scoring a perfect 48 points. At that competition, she also was a member of St. Mary’s winning 400 freestyle and 200 medley relays, playing a pivotal role in her school’s victory.

At the club level, Mills represents the University of Denver Hilltoppers, where she holds USA Swimming Futures cuts in both the SCY and LCM editions of the 100 butterfly and the 50 freestyle. A proud member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, Mills was also selected to participate in USA Swimming’s 2023 National Diversity Select Camp alongside some of the top swimmers in the country.

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Best Times (SCY):

  • 100 butterfly: 55.70
  • 50 freestyle: 23.69
  • 100 freestyle: 52.74
  • 200 freestyle: 1:54.69

With her times in the 100 butterfly and 50 freestyle, Mills will be right in the mix when she arrives at William & Mary. In the 100 butterfly, her best time of 55.70 would rank her 4th on the roster this season. The Tribe currently have one of the best 100 butterfliers across all of the Division I mid-majors in freshman Lindsay Juhlin, so Mills will have ample opportunity to train with top performers. In addition, Mills’ time in the 50 freestyle would rank her 3rd on the roster at William & Mary this season, making her a valuable addition to the 200 freestyle relay as well. For her third event, Mills could target the 100 freestyle, giving her even more relay potential in the 400 free and 400 medley down the road.

At the 2024 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championships, the Tribe women finished 3rd with a total of 1107 points. Despite loosing many top recruits when the team was cut and then later reinstated back in 2020, the program has bounced-back in recent years. At the 2024 Championships, junior Ellie Scherer won 3 events to lead the Tribe women, with the women’s 400 medley relay also taking home a gold medal.

With her commitment, Mills is set to join Sammy Randell, Abby Emrich, Haley Lehman, Charlie Scogna, and Sara Wells in William & Mary’s class of 2028.

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected]. 

About the Fitter and Faster Swim Tour 

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Fitter & Faster Swim Camps feature the most innovative teaching platforms for competitive swimmers of all levels. Camps are produced year-round throughout the USA and Canada. All camps are led by elite swimmers and coaches. Visit fitterandfaster.com to find or request a swim camp near you.

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Colorado weather: Blowing snow in the mountains Monday, frigid cold in Denver Tuesday

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Colorado weather: Blowing snow in the mountains Monday, frigid cold in Denver Tuesday


Snow is falling in the mountains Monday morning and more is on the way, according to the National Weather Service.

The light snow falling Monday in Colorado’s mountains won’t lead to much new accumulation, NWS forecasters said. Still, gusty winds expected in higher elevations could cause blowing snow and white-out conditions for drivers on mountain passes.

NWS forecasters expect mountain ranges and passes above 10,000 feet to get between 2 and 6 inches of snow between Monday and Tuesday, according to a Hazardous Weather Outlook.

Light snow is possible in Denver on Tuesday before 11 a.m., but little to none of the flakes will stick in the metro area, forecasters said.

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Less than an inch of accumulation is expected for the metro area, if any, according to NWS snow forecasts.

With or without snow, the cold front will bring frigid temperature highs in the mid-30s to the metro on Tuesday, forecasters said.

Denver will see multiple days of warm, sunny weather later this week, but a second snowstorm is expected to move into Colorado late Saturday or Sunday, forecasters said in the Hazardous Weather Outlook.

How much snow will fall ahead of Thanksgiving travel, how long it will last and whether it will stick to the mountains or spread across the Front Range and Eastern Plains remains unknown, forecasters said.

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NFL Draft Analyst Questions if Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders Is Elite

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NFL Draft Analyst Questions if Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders Is Elite


Unlike last year when the draft class seemed loaded with first-round talent at the quarterback position, such has not been the case this year, where really only three players–Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, and Miami’s Cam Ward–are being mentioned as potential first-round draft picks. 

That’s not good news for the New York Giants, who, if they have their eye on any of those three, probably need to be high up in the draft in order to have a chance of getting their guy over, say, a competitor also in need of a quarterback.

Of those three quarterbacks, one who has been drawing much criticism has been Sanders, the son of NFL Hall of Famer (and Colorado head coach) Deion Sanders. Dane Brugler of The Athletic is the latest college draft scout analyst to weigh in with the opinion that Sanders is as good as being advertised.  

“I don’t have the conviction that this is a guy you can plug in and all of a sudden, he is going to lead my team to wins,” Brugler told Nate Tice of Yahoo! Sports for the Football 301 podcast.

“I am not impressed by the physical traits. He is 6-1, 210 as best. His arm is B-level. I think in terms of quarterback style, he reminds me of Jordan Love without the high-end physical traits–they backpedal and throw off their back foot.”

The comparison to Love isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and Brugler conceded that Sanders isn’t a bad quarterback, adding that the young man is a phenomenal athlete. Brugler’s hesitation comes with the question of whether Sanders is a plug-and-play signal caller who can win immediately.

“There’s a quarterbacking style that he has that Jordan Love can get away with, but I don’t think Shedeur can get away with it at the next level,” Brugler said. 

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“I want to see him go up against a defense that I respect. The two best defenses that he went up against were Kansas State and Nebraska, both losses, and both games where I thought that Shedeur did not handle himself the best.”

Brugler added that Sanders takes too many sacks, noting that some of the sacks are on the quarterback and not the offensive line and adding that Sanders has to have a better pocket presence and awareness.

To Brugler’s point, Pro Football Focus has Sanders as being responsible for 29.6% of the pressures directly tied into the quarterback as opposed to the offensive line. That is the third most among college quarterbacks who have taken at least 20% of 144 dropbacks and second-most among quarterbacks projected to be in the 2025 draft class, behind Houston’s Donovan Smith (30.0%).

“He’s not a bad athlete; he’s a good athlete. He takes too many sacks, and a lot of these sacks are placed on the quarterback. The offensive line will be brought up a lot during the draft process,” Brugler said. 

“It’s only going to get tougher against NFL speed. I think Shedeur is a good quarterback, but I have plenty of concerns about how it’s going to work at the next level.”

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One thing Brugler did say which was a positive toward Sanders is he is a tremendous athlete and a good player. Sanders boasts an impressive 72.4% completion rate and has 27 touchdowns, second most among the projected 2025 draft class (behind Miami’s Cam Ward).

“Any conversation about Shedeur is not, ‘Is he good enough?’ He’s clearly a good player,” Brugler said. “His poise, his accuracy, and his toughness. Those are all things you can point to and say, yeah, they will work in the NFL.”

Brugler concluded by saying while Sanders is a great athlete, he is not comparable to his father when it comes to athletic ability.

“Shedeur grew up watching his dad, this elite athlete, do these different things,” Brugler said. “Shedeur thinks he has some of that in him and it’s not even close,” Brugler said, declining to mention that father and son played different positions.

Next. Former Scout Concerns About Shedeur Sanders. Former NFL Scout Raises Concerns About Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders. dark

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