Loire Valley, France Dear Restore the Balance Community, As you are aware, we recently announced that David French is the keynote speaker at our Spring Gathering. Consistent with our nonpartisan goals to inform voters, encourage civil dialogue, support principled politics and government, and defend the U.S. Constitution and rule of law, we are proud to host Mr. French, who has a message of great importance during this election year and time of political division. We invite al

Hinman Lake, Colorado Before we dive in, this Guinness ad sends a powerful message of unity, just what we need right now. Watch here. Topic of the Week: The Executive Order on Elections & What It Means for Your Vote Dear Restore the Balance Community, In previous weekly emails, we addressed the Trump administration's attempts to interfere with elections. We also examined the SAVE Act, which is currently under discussion in the Senate, but is stalled by Democratic opposition,

Topic of the Week: The Two-Party System: America's Political Duopoly Dear Restore the Balance Community, The two-party system in American politics often leaves us with a choice between two "bad" choices. It leaves many of us voting "against" someone rather than "for" someone. So why do we belong to parties in the first place? Perhaps nearly everyone you know is a member of the same party. Humans do tend to self-sort into tribes. And it is a phenomenon that plays well into the

We're kicking off this week with a little inspiration. As we explore the right to protest and peaceful assembly, who better to turn to than one of history's greatest champions of both, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Take a moment to watch these 7 Inspiring Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes to Live By and let his words set the tone for this week's conversation.  Topic of the Week: The Right to Protest Dear Restore the Balance Community, Last week, we focused on finding some common gr

Before we dive in, take 4 minutes to watch this. Heineken's "Open Your World" ad is a brilliant reminder that what we have in common is almost always greater than what divides us. Watch here!   Dear Restore the Balance Community, This week, we're taking a step back from the headlines to look at something worth celebrating: a nationwide surge in civic engagement, and what it means for communities like ours right here in Western Colorado. Topic of the Week: The Rise of Civic E

Rocky Mountain Columbines Dear Restore the Balance Community, Last week, we focused on the caucus and how to get involved in the party process. This week, we're looking at a piece of federal legislation that could affect whether millions of Americans are able to vote at all: the SAVE America Act. Topic of the Week: The SAVE Act & Your Right to Vote First, a baseline fact: there is no credible evidence of widespread voter fraud in U.S. elections, including the 2020 presidentia

Topic of the Week: The 2026 Caucus — Your 24 Hours to Shape Democracy "We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate." — Thomas Jefferson A Word from RTB Board Member Ivan Geer "I believe that most Americans are independent at their core. Yet the political process will always involve parties by its nature; parties ultimately present our choices, which results in independents voting for candidates presented by parties. Many of us

Sunrise in Palisade Topic of the Week: Efforts to Interfere with the Midterm Elections Unfortunately, this may be the first in an ongoing series, but for this week, we want to lay out the facts we know so far in the multiple attempts to interfere with the 2026 midterms. Aside from the ever-repeated narrative that the 2020 elections were stolen, there has been a constant stream of behavior that should cause concern. In the summer of 2025, Jeff Small, former Chief of Staff to L

The Rural/Urban Divide The photo above is perhaps a better representation of the urban/wildland interface rather than the rural/urban divide in our politics, but this ram got us thinking. He's not really sure where he belongs; something that may mirror where many of us feel regarding our politics. What's an urban value? What's a rural value? Is there overlap? Topic of the Week: Understanding the Rural/Urban Divide In 2025, RTB had the pleasure to work with Katie Kleinhesselin

What do these sticks and NATO have in common? This photo reminds us of the moral of the famous Aesop's fable. A father has three quarrelsome sons, and he gives them a bundle of sticks to try to break; none can do it. But if the bundle is broken apart, the sons easily break them one by one. "My Sons," said the Father, "do you not see how certain it is that if you agree with each other and help each other, it will be impossible for your enemies to injure you? But if you are div

A Redlands Rainbow Photo credit: Christina Schultz   Topic of the Week: This Judge Has Had Enough "The court's patience has run out." So wrote District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz recently in an order demanding that the Director of ICE appear in his courtroom to explain why scores of people arrested had been held without the right to challenge their detentions. He had previously criticized and challenged the Department of Justice over "frivolous" demands from the DOJ to issue ar

RTB member Christina Shultz captured this stunning image of a fog bow in early January. A note from RTB:  The following newsletter was written prior to the tragic shooting of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, which raises even more serious questions about ICE's tactics and the authority its officers claim to have. The shooting of Renee Nicole Good can no longer be viewed as an isolated incident. We encourage you to contact your representatives to voice your concerns about these troubling

This stunning photo was taken by our friend Mike Melneck at Rifle Falls State Park.  (Photo credit M J Melneck, 2026) Your Monday Update from RTB: Venezuela You would be hard-pressed to find someone who is not happy that President Maduro has been ousted. However, in these early days, we at RTB have many questions. Is this a violation of international law? Does the president have the unilateral power to remove a foreign head of state, and if so, what happens next? We do not ha

Do You Believe in the Rule of Law? What is Extremism? "Extremism" is a highly subjective and pejorative term that we generally prefer to avoid when referring to political behavior. As it has been said by people of goodwill: "The best criticism of the bad is the practice of the good". But in some cases, there are examples of extreme behavior that we believe need to be addressed because they have a direct impact on our lives in Western Colorado. One such example is from Donald

"Extremism" is a highly subjective, pejorative term that we generally like to avoid when referring to political behavior.  As it has been said by people of goodwill, "The best criticism of the bad is the practice of the good."  But in some cases, there are examples of extreme behavior that we believe need to be addressed because they have a direct impact on our lives in Western Colorado. One such example is from Donald Trump, President of the United States, in a statement he

By Dave Murphy, Chair, Board of Directors, Restore the Balance Originally published in The Daily Sentinel, October 29, 2025 In his column published in the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel  on Oct. 18, Timothy King makes several points. He notes that some online reactions to Charlie Kirk’s murder along with other instances of hate speech that celebrate violence are deeply concerning and should be condemned. He goes on to state that leaders who dehumanize others contribute to a po

At Restore the Balance, we were shocked and dismayed by the news of the political assassination of Charlie Kirk. We reject political...

Do you think you’re able to speak up about anything that’s troubling because you’re an American citizen, or because you’re educated, or...

By Eric Sondermann As first published in Colorado Politics, the Denver Gazette, and Colorado Springs Gazette. We’re proud to share this...

We couldn’t agree more with this thoughtful piece by former Mesa County Sheriff Riecke Claussen in today’s Daily Sentinel. In a time when...

RTB folks:  As we start our 250th year of independence, we are inundated by news of what’s at risk, what’s not working, and what to gripe...

RTB Supporters, Many of you joined us at the No Kings Day  protest at Canyon View Park on Saturday, June 14, and your presence mattered!...

Originally published in the Sentinel on June 4, 2025.