Forest Mismanagement, Free Speech Battles, and the Fight for Constitutional Values

On September 21, 2022, Kim Monson welcomed Constitution Week organizers Mike Tompkins and Marc Auville to celebrate the 11th annual Grand Lake U.S. Constitution Week, natural resources expert Greg Walcher to discuss forest mismanagement, candidate Marla Fernandez on the abortion debate, and sponsor Susan Kochevar for a thought-provoking exploration of Alex Jones, free speech, and globalist agendas.

Celebrating the Premier Constitution Week in America

Start listening at 17:28 – Hour 1

Mike Tompkins, chairman of the board, and Marc Auville, president of Grand Lake U.S. Constitution Week, recap the most successful event in the organization’s 11-year history. The week featured more speakers than ever before, record attendance, and a parade with 23 entrants, all capped by an F-16 flyover that rumbled through the mountain valley.

Tompkins highlighted the dedication of a new Veterans Memorial Park by the American Legion on Constitution Day, noting that 30 of the 39 signers of the Constitution were veterans. The organization recently achieved 501(c)(3) status, and Auville encouraged supporters to donate through their website at grandlakeusconstitutionweek.com. A friendly competition has emerged with Lake Havasu City, Arizona, where founder Tom Goodfellow has started a Constitution Week event.

“We had more speakers this year than any year in the past, and we had greater attendance, and the largest parade.”

Mike Tompkins, Chairman, Grand Lake U.S. Constitution Week

The Crisis of Forest Mismanagement

Start listening at 32:29 – Hour 1

Greg Walcher, natural resources expert and author of Smoking Them Out: The Theft of the Environment and How to Take It Back, explains how a century of fire suppression combined with the elimination of timber harvesting has created catastrophic conditions in Colorado’s forests. Where 50 trees per acre once stood naturally, there are now 1,000, creating a perfect storm for devastating wildfires.

Walcher traces the problem to the Forest Service’s original strategy of suppressing all fires, followed by decades of steady timber harvesting that kept forests thin. A generation ago, logging became unpopular, and nothing replaced either practice. The result: 3 million acres of dead trees in Colorado alone, part of a swath of dead forest stretching from New Mexico to British Columbia. The Forest Service estimates 90% of Colorado’s forests are at high risk of catastrophic fire and disease.

The bureaucratic process for timber sales has become so cumbersome that salvage operations often miss the window when dead trees still have commercial value. California has lost 900 sawmills in recent decades, and Colorado has no major commercial sawmills remaining, eliminating the industry partners needed for forest treatment projects.

“We’ve essentially squandered the great legacy of the conservation movement, which is the national forest. They’re being allowed to die and fall down and rot and burn up in our generation. It’s a tragedy.”

Greg Walcher, Natural Resources Expert and Author

Pro-Life Democrats and the Abortion Debate

Start listening at 65:27 – Hour 2

Marla Fernandez, candidate for Colorado House District 3 covering Englewood and southeast Denver, addresses the abortion issue head-on. She proposes repealing Colorado’s recent law that permits abortion throughout pregnancy, arguing it fails to bring balance and limits to protect both mother and baby.

Fernandez reports discovering unexpected common ground in her district, finding Democrats who are pro-life and upset by the passage of the law. She calls for defining whether a fetus is a clump of cells or a life growing inside the mother, arguing that until this question is addressed, Democrats and Republicans cannot unite around the issue. The candidate emphasizes that government’s primary duty is to protect citizens from dangers including crime and homelessness.

“Until we define the fetus, whether it’s a clump of cells or a life, a life growing and breathing inside the mother, we’re not going to be able to resolve this issue in society.”

Marla Fernandez, Candidate for Colorado House District 3

Free Speech, Alex Jones, and the Globalist Agenda

Start listening at 76:16 – Hour 2

Susan Kochevar, entrepreneur and owner of 88 Drive-In Theater, examines the controversial figure of Alex Jones and the free speech implications of his Sandy Hook lawsuits. Initially dismissing Jones as a conspiracy theorist, Kochevar reconsidered after watching respected commentators like Del Bigtree interview him, particularly Episode 285 of The HighWire.

Kochevar connects Jones’s warnings about the World Economic Forum and Klaus Schwab to current events: Biden’s executive order using World Economic Forum language about merging humans with technology, California’s electric vehicle mandates and charging restrictions, and Xcel Energy locking Colorado residents out of their thermostats during heat waves. She argues that what seemed like conspiracy theories a decade ago now appears in policy and executive orders.

The conversation addresses Jones’s Sandy Hook statements while defending his right to question events, citing the principle that free speech is binary: you either have it or you don’t. Producer Steve reported receiving a smart meter installation without request, illustrating the control mechanisms Kochevar describes. Callers Tom from Fort Collins and Ron from Denver contributed perspectives on questioning official narratives and the dynamics of elite control.

“We may not like what you say, but I will defend your right to say it. And it seems like what they’re trying to do is shut down Alex Jones’ free speech because they don’t like all the other stuff he’s saying about the Great Reset.”

Susan Kochevar, Owner, 88 Drive-In Theater