We will also be honored to have Congressman Tom Tancredo join us in studio for conversation about the Gang of Eight, the future of immigration policy in America, and the overall state of the conservative movement. Is the Republican Party Establishment thinking clearly right now — or are they selling out their voters and their country? The battle over “Amnesty” is a sisyyphean  struggle for conservatives, but we cannot underestimate its importance for the future of America.

Plus we’ll review the issue of equal pay, the subject of Kafer’s newest column on the Daily Caller, the outrageous classroom commentary of leftist Professor Darry Sragow at USC, the open desire of Bill Maher to get rid of the Second Amendment, and the astonishing media blackout on the murder trial of Pennsylvania physician Kermit Gosnell. When it comes to principles of “objectivity” in the academy and in the media, we are sensing that now — perhaps more than ever — the flagrancy of leftist bias is distorting America, and not for the better.

In our continuing effort to promote the “Calvin Coolidge Revival” which is now sweeping the nation, we will celebrate the successes of America’s 30th President, which included: cutting taxes, lowering unemployment, dropping the debt, shrinking the size of government, growing the economy, lifting the middle class and in general aligning the executive branch with the spirit of the Founders. Well done Cal!

There’s many a reason why Ronald Reagan brought a portrait of Coolidge into his Cabinet Room. Though he was known as “Silent Cal,” as we discuss, our man Coolidge had a superb sense of humor. He may have been the “coolest” Republican president ever.

Also, Matt will discuss the epic Rand Paul 13-hour filibuster, and what it means for the future of the Republican Party. Where other GOP leaders seem to still be tiptoeing through the political tulips — Rand Paul is standing up, showing strong leadership, and scoring major points with America. Kudos to the junior senator from Kentucky!

And as far as John McCain and Lindsey Graham are concerned — well, perhaps it’s getting time for the “Old Bulls” to head out to pasture.

On the next edition of Backbone Radio, we’ll open the program with Congressman Tom Tancredo for the latest on immigration politics. What direction should the GOP take on this pressing issue? Dunn and Kafer may not agree.

Tisha Schuller of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association will join us to talk about fracking. What is all the hubbub about hydraulic fracturing? Is it destroying the environment as Matt Damon contends or a harmless technology for extracting formerly inaccessible natural gas reserves?

We’ll also take a hard look at the controversial status of Karl Rove, the enduring “guru” of Republican Politics. Now that Rove has declared war on The Tea Party, it looks like the Tea Party has formally lost patience with Rove — and, frankly, we have too. In our view, Rove has overstayed his welcome on the national stage. We’ll talk about why.

How about Senator Rand Paul’s smart speech at Heritage last week? It may be too soon to say, but Rand Paul appears to be serving up some common sense to a foreign policy establishment that really needs it. We may have an innovative leader on our hands here, folks — and not a moment too soon.

Plus we’ll review Kafer’s op-ed in the Denver Post, Chris Christie’s fondness for donuts, Eric Cantor’s tiresome clichés, and a timely new biography of Calvin Coolidge.

And of course — WOW and DOUBLE WOW — we can’t leave out Dr. Benjamin Carson’s magnificent speech at the recent National Prayer Breakfast. With a light touch and a winning smile Dr. Carson offered a splendid critique of President Obama’s debt, tax and health care policies. With the President sitting at his right hand. Hallelujah! Can we get an Amen??

We invite your calls at 303-696-1971. Listen live on 710am KNUS in Denver -Metro, or 1460am KZNT in Colorado Springs and also iHeartRADIO on your mobile device. Politics, culture and controversy — plus some groovy bumper music. Backbone Radio, the higher ground in Colorado talk radio.

We’ll have an important in-studio conversation with Kevin Miller about the political future of evangelical Christians. The author of “Freedom Nationally, Virtue Locally” questions to what extent the federal government should be involved in legislating virtue. In the aftermath of the 2012 election, Miller’s message is especially timely for the present moment in the culture wars.

We’ll discuss the President’s inaugural speech with its straw men, leftist priorities, and overwhelming partisan tone. Roughly half as many people watched the speech this time around. We took one for the team and tuned in.

You’re in for a musical tribute to Hillary Clinton’s testimony about Benghazi, with the Smiths’ song “What Difference Does It Make,” and another tribute to that pesky fly that walked over President Obama’s face this week with Hank Williams’ prescient “Fly Trouble.”

And what do Matt & Krista think about Women In Combat? Is it a good idea, or just another leftist experiment against reality? Meanwhile, Phyllis Schlafly is arguing against “free trade” in America. That’s a surprise.  

Amidst the early posturing for 2016, we’ll discuss Senator Rubio’s immigration plans for the GOP, Governor Jindal’s plans for the GOP in general, and Senator Rand Paul’s impressive feistiness. Is anyone looking like a leader yet? Speaking of leadership, we noted that historian David McCullough rates Gerald Ford as one of America’s best all-time presidents. How so?

Closer to home, we’ll discuss the problem of rabbits chewing on cars parked at Denver International Airport, and the disturbing grime spree of Tide laundry detergent being shoplifted off of local supermarket shelves.

We invite your calls at 303-696-1971. Listen live on 710am KNUS in Denver -Metro, or 1460am KZNT in Colorado Springs and also iHeartRADIO on your mobile device. Politics, culture and controversy — plus some groovy bumper music. Backbone Radio, the higher ground in Colorado talk radio.

We’ll talk with guest Dick Wadhams on the future of the Republican Party and Jennifer Churchill from Colorado Parks and Wildlife on encounters with coyotes, mountain lions and bears (oh my!).

We’ll talk about President Obama’s second inaugural, with reference to the Newsweek cover story headlined: “The Second Coming.” For many on the Left, they believe their Messiah has returned. But others aren’t so sure. When Krista sees the phrase, she thinks more of the Yeats poem more than anything else. So we may have a little poetry reading tonight.

Does President Obama want to destroy the GOP? What happened to all his old talk about bringing America together?

We’ll review the Marxist philosophy of Antonio Gramsci, the 20th Century Italian who advised his fellow communists to gain control of the “culture”  before expecting their utopia to materialize. Now that conservatives are feeling that they’ve lost the culture wars in this country, could the ideas of Gramsci be used to fight back?

We’ll look at the latest controversies over gun control — and, yes, in spite of it all, we still believe the Second Amendment means what it says. While the Left seems to think the NRA is the problem, we think the culture is the problem. As in Hollywood, video games, moral relativism. So how could it make sense to disarm law-abiding Americans while the culture grows more threatening?

We invite your calls at 303-696-1971. Listen live on 710am KNUS in Denver -Metro, or 1460am KZNT in Colorado Springs and also iHeartRADIO on your mobile device. Politics, culture and controversy — plus some groovy bumper music. Backbone Radio, the higher ground in Colorado talk radio

We have two terrific guests: Karen Kataline author of Fatlash! Food Police & the Fear of Thin, will tell us what happens when others, be they family members or strangers, attempt to control our food consumption. (Hint: it doesn’t work). Check out Kafer’s review of the book at http://www.coloradosfutureproject.com/detail.php?c=2790297

Also, State Senator Greg Brophy will fill us in on what’s happening this legislative session. We’ll toast, figuratively that is, to his new bill to legalize public consumption of alcohol for 18-year-olds under parental supervision.

Quentin Tarantino’s been a trifle testy these days in answering questions about “gun violence” in his movies. He claims movies bear no responsibility for random mass shootings in America. We’ll talk about his latest movie, the completely irresponsible Django Unchained, and its glamorization of guns. Should Tarantino get a pass?

A new survey shows that workers in Boulder are the “unhappiest” workers in all of America. How could such be the case in Colorado’s most liberal enclave?

Also, we’ll touch on a massive snake hunt in the south Florida, DNA testing of doggie doo to catch negligent owners, Hagel’s nomination for Secretary of Defense and the new Oxygen network reality show “All My Baby’s Mamas,” which describes the busy life of a former rapper who’s produced 11 children by 10 different mothers. Upscale entertainment to be sure.

We invite your calls at 303-696-1971. Listen live on 710am KNUS in Denver -Metro, or 1460am KZNT in Colorado Springs and also iHeartRADIO on your mobile device. Politics, culture and controversy — plus some groovy bumper music. Backbone Radio, the higher ground in Colorado talk radio.

Guest former Colorado Senate President John Andrews, founder of Backbone Radio, will discuss the current political scene. Where can Republicans find hope right now?

It looks like a nice big storm is brewing over the potential nomination of Republican Senator Chuck Hagel to be Obama’s Secretary of Defense. Why the storm? Why would Obama choose a Republican for this post? Would he be any good?

A new Associated Press poll finds 64% of Americans think the government should find a solution to obesity. Another personal responsibility outsourced to the government? It’s a bad sign for those of us who fear the growing nanny state.

Is America and the West in decline? The topic haunts America in 2013. We’ll discuss Oswald Spengler’s book from 1918 “The Decline of the West” as reviewed by Robert W. Merry in the latest issue of the American Interest. Some refer to Spengler as a pessimistic “prophet of decline” — some see him as having been spot on. Was he onto something? If America wants to avert its decline, should it re-think its habitual foreign policy interventionism?

Plus armored clothing for children, the pork-laden Sandy relief bill, the Obama Administration’s continuing War on Women, the latest on Gerard Depardieu’s tax-flight from France, the phenomenon of declining birth rates, and how Al “Jazeera” Gore has taken hypocrisy to new heights.

We invite your calls at 303-696-1971. Listen live on 710am KNUS in Denver -Metro, or 1460am KZNT in Colorado Springs and also iHeartRADIO on your mobile device. Politics, culture and controversy — plus some groovy bumper music. Backbone Radio, the higher ground in Colorado talk radio.

Are you a fan of Western movies? John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Kevin Costner? If so, you won’t want to miss the next installment of Backbone Radio.

We’ll have a stirring in-studio discussion about the Western with Ryan McMaken, author of the recent eye-popping book “Commie Cowboys: The Bourgeoisie and the Nation-State in the Western Genre.”

We’ll also tip our ten gallon hats to Hobby Lobby for daring to defy the Obama Administration . Last week, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor denied the company’s request for an injunction while its lawsuit is pending against the birth control mandate. Hobby Lobby will continue to offer health insurance for employees but will not insurance that covers abortion causing drugs. In defending the owners’ 1^st Amendment guaranteed right to conscience, the company risks a $1.3 million a day in IRS excise taxes.

Conservatives have our backs up against a wall defending our most basic rights. Will we prevail? We’ll take a close look at Professor James Kurth’s recent article: “The Crisis of American Conservatism, Inherent Contradictions and the End of the Road.”

In this morning’s interview with David Gregory, President Obama says that he never compares himself to Abraham Lincoln. But is that really true? We at Backbone beg to differ — and we’ll offer our evidence to the contrary.

Should Piers Morgan be deported? Should a New York newspaper be publishing the names and addresses of gun-permit holders?

We’ll talk about our most and least favorite events of 2012. Plus PJ O’Rourke on pizza, Hillary Clinton’s concussion, and Matt Damon giving up on politics. We invite your calls at 303-696-1971. Listen live on 710am KNUS in Denver -Metro, or 1460am KZNT in Colorado Springs and also iHeartRADIO on your mobile device. Politics, culture and controversy — plus some groovy bumper music. Backbone Radio, the higher ground in Colorado talk radio.

There are no words to express the sadness and anger we feel over the Newtown, Connecticut massacre.  The holiday season seems like a tin charade against the grim reality of evil in our midst. We are not the first to battle bewilderment and cynicism at this time of the year. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, caring for a son with war injuries and grieving the loss of his wife, penned these words on Christmas Day during the darkest days of the Civil War:

           And in despair I bowed my head; “There is no peace on earth,” I said;”For hate is

           strong, And mocks the song Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

            Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The 

           Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

We’ll talk with Dr. Doug Groothius, Denver Seminary professor about the meaning of Christmas and where we might find hope at such a time as this.  

We’ll also discuss America’s declining birth rate. Some say it reflects America’s increasing “decadence.” Could that be the case?

Would former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel make a good Secretary of Defense? What are we to make of PSY, Korean rapper of “Gangnam Style,” and his controversial views on American foreign policy?

Is it unpatriotic of Gerard Depardieu, the famous French actor, to flee his home country to avoid paying the new socialist taxes?

We invite your calls at 303-696-1971. Listen live on 710am KNUS in Denver -Metro, or 1460am KZNT in Colorado Springs and also iHeartRADIO on your mobile device. Politics, culture and controversy — plus some groovy bumper music. Backbone Radio, the higher ground in Colorado talk radio.

Many in the Republican Party are saying it’s time to embrace amnesty for illegal immigrants.  They insist that the only way to draw Hispanic voters to the GOP is to grant the11 million resident illegal immigrants citizenship and take this sticky issue off the table for good. Critics point out that the last amnesty program didn’t settle the matter and a new amnesty push will just leave the door open for another.  Could there be another way to solve the immigration conundrum while respecting the rule of law and national borders?

Indeed there is and Helen Krieble, founder and president of the Vernon K. Krieble Foundation and author of the Red Card Solution will tell us all about it.

We’ll also talk with Ben DeGrow of the Independence Institute about how teachers can opt out of paying dues for union political causes. The deadline is December 15 for teachers to apply for a refund of around $63. That’ll buy a few toys for under the Christmas tree and some peace of mind knowing that you aren’t funding causes and candidates you don’t support.

Speaking of Christmas trees and holiday cheer, some not-so-merry Grinches are doing their small hearted best to stifle celebrations across the fruited plain. In Rhode Island, Governor Lincoln Chaffee stands by his renaming the State House spruce as the Holiday Tree and made sure that no flash mob of carolers would turn up to sing “O Christmas Tree” like they did last year. On the other coast, a less-than-festive group of atheists successfully ended a sixty year old nativity display in Palisades Park. Is it a lack of creativity in coming up with their own holidays or just mean spiritedness that makes some atheists just want to destroy other’s beloved traditions?

We’ll also talk about leadership change at the Heritage Foundation, the high life in Washington which, along with our very own state, legalized marijuana, and how to turn your pet into a diamond. Got opinions? Thoughts? Call into the program at 303-696-1971.

Listen live on 710am KNUS in Denver -Metro, or 1460am KZNT in Colorado Springs and also iHeartRADIO on your mobile device. Politics, culture and controversy — plus some groovy bumper music. Backbone Radio, the higher ground in Colorado talk radio.