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A sampling of Free Press columns. Click on a columnist to see a list of archived columns. Click again to close the list.
Gail BinklyWhen does a cartoon go too far? (July 2009)
'Support us or we go away' (May 2009)
A stroll through Cortez (January 2009)
House beautiful (August 2008)
No more hope for a woman president (June 2008)
A farewell (November 2007)
Conversations in front of the television (March 2007)
A rabbit's tale (June 2006)
Where, oh where, are the sounds of silence? (February 2006)
Always a bad hair day (November 2005)
Do you, Fido, take this man ...? (May 2005)
Entering the Urban Legend Zone (December 2004)
Ode to an archaic technology (November 2004)
Fee foes decry passage of House bill (October 2004)
To read or not to read (September 2004)
Where politics is concerned, our interest is skin deep (August 2004)
Who wears the pants when they won't fit? (February 2004)
Make mine pulp, please (November 2009)
About face (October 2009)
Money for nothing (September 2009)
Faint glory (August 2009)
Between a rock (July 2009)
The fifth season: fire (June 2009)
And now for something completely Vonnegut... (May 2009)
Return of the dodo (March 2009)
The price is right? (February 2009)
Taking aim at politics (January 2009)
Turning down the noise (December 2008)
Bowser's little browser (November 2008)
Political thistles (October 2008)
The last summer vacation (September 2008)
Hybrid, Byebrid (August 2008)
The wizard of trash (July 2008)
Summer reading (June 2008)
Country dogs (May 2008)
Used karma (April 2008)
Mine's longer than yours (March 2008)
Talking trash (February 2008)
Toys 'R' Toys (January 2008)
Gift of the magpie (December 2007)
The landfill poet (November 2007)
Trickle-out economics (October 2007)
'Carcass' is not a pretty word (September 2007)
The Garage Sale Roadshow (June 2007)
When hummingbirds go bad (May 2007)
The department of corrections (April 2007)
Just a reminder (Feburary 2007)
Off the grid (January 2007)
Insuring domestic tranquility (December 2006)
The last Commodore in America (November 2006)
Hard tales gone soft (October 2006)
Spells is us (September 2006)
Uncommon scents (August 2006)
Summer homes, some ain't (July 2006)
Day-use abuse (June 2006)
Agreed-upon greed (May 2006)
No good deal goes unpunished (April 2006)
Policing your thoughts (March 2006)
Higher education (February 2006)
Useless things: A Christmas memory (January 2006)
Wheel of Jeopardy (November 2005)
The Faux West (October 2005)
Better than the Golden Rule (September 2005)
An ode to the virtues of the old single-wide (August 2005)
Fortunes of The Real War (July 2005)
Just a reminder (June 2005)
A wing and a prayer (May 2005)
Alphabet soup (April 2005)
Nothing up my sleeve (March 2005)
Doing the Four Corners Polka (January 2005)
The virtues of thrift (December 2004)
Bird on a wireless (November 2004)
Praise the Lord and pass the pancakes (October 2004)
Swallowing a gram of truth (September 2004)
Gone is beauty (August 2004)
Waxing nostalgic (July 2004)
A perfect war (June 2004)
Still lonesome (May 2004)
Out of the Loop: Channel 17 finding a niche (April 2004)
Dog gone (March 2004)
The unhaunted house (February 2004)
Visions of perfect plumbing prove to be pipe dreams (January 2004)
The wheels on the bus go round and round (November 2003)
Good friends in high places (October 2009)
Poets and places in Ish Country (September 2009)
Scattering Doug's ashes in Cali (July 2009)
Finding the radical middle ground (June 2009)
Learning to ski at 63 (May 2009)
Looking out for county interests in D.C. (April 2009)
Publicizing the Pacific's plastic garbage patch (March 2009)
Getting together to manage the Dolores River (February 2009)
Coming to the last of another four seasons (January 2009)
Change comes from the bottom up (December 2008)
Southwest Greens sponsor forum at MCHS (November 2008)
Telluride takes the lead in IRV election reform (October 2008)
Trekking in Cambodia with Iris Willow (September 2008)
Fulfilling a sacred duty to my dad (August 2008)
Celebrating New Year's by assaulting friends con agua (July 2008)
Living with the gift of tragedy (June 2008)
Western Slope's 'voice of oil & gas' (May 2008)
Bards, get ready! Talking Gourds is here (April 2008)
Remembering a famous wife and visionary (March 2008)
The impeachment debate in San Miguel County (February 2008)
Thinking globally and acting locally (January 2008)
Welcoming in 2008 from the Four Corners (December 2007)
The last day of moon risings at Chimney Rock (November 2007)
Burning Man: A party not to miss (October 2007)
Hillary Clinton gets applause (September 2007)
Causing damage for no sensible purpose (August 2007)
A political upset, travels and whirled music (July 2007)
Raising a fortune to save one last great place (June 2007)
Telling truth from paranoia (May 2007)
Throwing down the gauntlet in Telluride (April 2007)
Dolores LaChapelle takes leave of her beloved mountains (March 2007)
The real scandal of the Bush administration (February 2007)
Of California persimmons and Coconut Bliss (January 2007)
Mixing oil and water (December 2006)
Performance art, poetry and unsustainability (November 2006)
Earth and fire (October 2006)
The MSG-obesity connection (September 2006)
Mushrooms, global footprints and Wal-Mart’s sour grapes (August 2006)
The beauty of the Rainbow Gathering (July 2006)
Lessons not learned from history (June 2006)
The true costs of energy (May 2006)
Bringing performance back to the world of poetry (April 2006)
Back when Telluride was a haven for black crews (March 2006)
Holding oil and gas operators' feet to the fire (February 2006)
Does anyone care if a few people march for peace? (January 2006)
A final alpine fling before winter (November 2005)
Upon becoming a "paleohippie" (October 2005)
Lone Cone access and celebrating 'shrooms (September 2005)
Finding the connection between all things (July 2005)
Battling the oil and gas industry (June 2005)
A spotless record (May 2005)
The many dangers of fluoride (April 2005)
Sit-ins in Norwood, change in the Capitol (March 2005)
Gardening as an eco-political practice (December 2004)
While there is time (November 2009)
Whom are you calling 'elite'? (October 2009)
Too much (useless) information (September 2009)
Excuses, Excuses (August 2009)
Media-made 'experts' are hazardous to your health (March 2009)
A burger by any other name ... (July 2008)
On-line rumors are more than bad 'Netiquette' (March 2008)
Extremism and the culture defense (December 2007)
Thou shalt not touch: The soldier as sacred (November 2007)
Yup - still obsessed with sex (October 2007)
Me and my X-rated fantasies (September 2007)
I hear Paris is beautiful - in orange (July 2007)
End the Food Police state (April 2007)
The New Age of age (February 2007)
Highlights from one week of stupidity (December 2006)
God, mammon now on speaking terms (November 2006)
War of the words (October 2006)
This time it's all over - really! (September 2006)
Et tu, Obama? (August 2006)
Bubble Boy's latest slippery slope (June 2006)
Laughing till we hurt (March 2006)
Fear and loathing in Colorado: A cat’s view (January 2006)
Pat Robertson: A poor example of a Christian (December 2005)
Rants of a young(ish) codger (November 2005)
Crafty Karl Rove does nothing by accident (August 2005)
The Ministry of Silly Ideas (June 2005)
Shout it out! There’s nothing wrong with being fat (May 2005)
The A-list of disturbing privacy violations (March 2005)
Bias is in the eye of the beholder (January 2005)
Waiting for that special moment (December 2008)
Donate to a great cause: the NFL (October 2005)
Lighting the unity torch (September 2005)
4H should change the way it does business (August 2005)
On top of my pyramid (May 2005)
Cinderella strikes again (April 2005)
How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb (February 2005)
Notes from a politically challenged election (November 2004)
Culture shock in the land of cotton (October 2004)
Ferreting out the truth about ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ (August 2004)
Coming soon to a state near you: Global warming (July 2004)
Bush-bashing books may not make a difference (May 2004)
Is Kerry more than just the anti-Bush? (April 2004)
Football’s strange allure captures a reluctant fan (February 2004)
‘Festivus’ for the rest of us (January 2004)
The Money Pit, or the Year of the Landlord (December 2003)
Paranoia: Into your life it will creep (October 2003)
The carnival rolls into California (September 2003)
Why is population a forbidden subject? (November 2009)
Gambling: a tax, an addiction, but not a game (October 2009)
No, agriculture isn't dead (September 2009)
A rhyme for our times (August 2009)
Why local economic development doesn't succeed (June 2009)
All Fools Month (April 2009)
Want to get fit? Buy this! (February 2009)
Why the furor over guns? (January 2009)
With the election over, it's time to get to work (December 2008)
Are we a great nation, or what? (September 2008)
How best to preserve our paradise? (July 2008)
The fault, dear Brutus, lies in ourselves (June 2008)
The FCC and our culture of fear (May 2008)
The monster of corporate capitalism (April 2008)
Impending water crisis should worry all (March 2008)
Edwards understood the real threat (February 2008)
Showing respect on Veterans' Day (December 2007)
Septic systems: Should we be concerned? (October 2007)
We need to regain our nation (September 2007)
A nation of lemmings (August 2007)
The value of gardens (July 2007)
Who should be at the helm? (June 2007)
Faith and the conundrum it evokes (May 2007)
A disastrous vote in Montezuma County (January 2007)
Yes, I'm a liberal, and proud of it (April 2006)
Sins of the past haunt us today (January 2006)
Look to agriculture to revive county’s health (November 2005)
Why don’t journalists give us the real news? (September 2005)
A revelation on the road to Damascus (August 2005)
County needs to come together, quit squabbling (July 2005)
Negative thinking prevails in county (June 2005)
Water, water everywhere? Not in the West! (May 2005)
The choice we made hangs over us (April 2005)
Whose guidance is Bush really following? (February 2005)
What’s the matter with paying our share? (December 2004)
Bush administration anything but conservative (October 2004)
Hoopla over Elway exemplifies our skewed priorities (September 2004)
Why are we so hated in the world? (August 2004)
Time to support small farmers and ranchers (July 2004)
Don’t blame lowly soldiers for abuses in Iraq (June 2004)
Nature-lovers should squelch the urge to fish and tell (May 2004)
Growth is a problem, not a solution (April 2004)
Three years of Bush and the nation’s in a shambles (March 2004)
Local ranchers could find niche offering specialty beef (February 2004)
Private corporations drain lifeblood from our country (January 2004)
Ferriting out the truth requires reading, not TV viewing (December 2003)
Apathy about election appalling (November 2003)
Insurance companies offer nothing tangible (October 2003)
Referendum A will suck the Western slope dry (September 2003)
The royal families in our political midst (January 2009)
Wright's rants raise troubling questions (April 2008)
Holding my nose for Hillary? (February 2008)
Is this any way to treat your 'best friend'? (September 2007)
Desperate GOP woos outed commie (August 2007)
Time to transcend group identities (May 2007)
Do 'family affairs' matter to the religious right? (April 2007)
How did this happen? (January 2007)
Lactating intolerance - get over it, America! (September 2006)
Anonymous accusations carry their own stigma (May 2006)
In defense of (a little) intolerance (March 2006)
This just in: Bush administration acted illegally! (November 2005)
Patriotism, the last refuge of scoundrels, thrives (July 2005)
Pray tell: What's the difference between a democracy and a theocracy? (May 2005)
Do family values include whores in the White House? (April 2005)
War is hell — and it’s not fought by angels (December 2004)
Greeks have more fun — and the occasional death (November 2004)
Kerry should have been a coward (September 2004)
Rummy’s Iraqi lovebird comes home to roost (August 2004)
Yellowbelly (aka Campbell) cooks up ethical stew (July 2004)
Niggardly Congress ignores "compassionate conservatism" (June 2004)
Age of Innocence should be laid to rest (May 2004)
Lies, damned lies and Bush politics (April 2004)
Testing the yellow waters (March 2004)
Bush's military career lacks "shared sacrifice" (January 2004)
Gay couples shouldn't have to just "shack up" (December 2003)
Rush to judgment (November 2003)
The hunt for cheap meat (October 2003)
Pledging "something" to the flag (September 2003)
Personal growth (January 2008)
End of an age (December 2007)
The Fourth of July, 2007 (August 2007)
Are you afraid? (November 2006)
Conflict resolution (May 2006)
Abortion: The cause of America's next civil war (April 2006)
Presidential powers (March 2006)
By their fruits ye shall know them (January 2006)
Sieg heil, main Führer (December 2005)
Cars R Us (November 2005)
Freedom vs. the culture of fear (October 2005)
Leave no Americans behind (May 2005)
The bright light is still at the end of the tunnel (December 2004)
Bush faces uphill battle trying to stabilize Iraq, look after home front (November 2004)
Cloaking evil in respectability (October 2004)
Quotations offer perspective on war (September 2004)
The problem with the new global economy (August 2004)
Being Bush means never having to say you’re sorry (June 2004)
Bush’s acts create division among Republicans (April 2004)
Patriotism doesn’t mean unquestioning loyalty (February 2004)
The strange tale of a bear, a baby and a back seat (October 2009)
Chocolate in the underwear drawer (August 2009)
Dyeing for perfection (July 2009)
The strange saga of Frodo and Sam (February 2009)
A passion for pets (December 2008)
Why Halloween gives me the creeps (November 2008)
Running on empty (October 2008)
A report from the land of the rich and famous (September 2008)
School's out ... forever (June 2008)
Just horsing around (May 2008)
High fashion on the ski trail (March 2008)
Master of our domain (February 2008)
A pound of flesh (November 2007)
Kindergarten (October 2007)
Hooked on books (September 2007)
Bathing beauty (August 2007)
Grand Gulch granny (June 2007)
Wizards and dragons and orcs - oh, my! (April 2007)
Simple pleasures (March 2007)
No State Fair hair, please (February 2007)
Gift-giving (December 2006)
Living in a tent (with 1 husband, 2 kids, and 3 pets) (October 2006)
Skunked again (September 2006)
Flight of the tooth fairy (August 2006)
Home, sweet home (July 2006)
Saving the world one step at a time (April 2006)
Cleanliness is next to ... something (March 2006)
The puzzling phenomenon of rudeness (February 2006)
The pain of being fit (December 2005)
Rubbing shoulders with fame (September 2005)
How to score with your wife (August 2005)
Fearless at 40 (June 2005)
Lookin' cool and feelin' groovy (May 2005)
The two emotions of men (April 2005)
All my children (February 2005)
School is better the second time around (January 2005)
Fighting the Superstore syndrome (December 2004)
Happily ever after – right? (November 2004)
These shoes were made for dancin’ (October 2004)
Do blonds really have more fun? (August 2004)
Take this job and love it (June 2004)
Golden Oldies (May 2004)
Love and marriage just go together (April 2004)
Confessions of a Drama Queen (March 2004)
Confessions of a frivolous woman (January 2004)
Are the sexes really so different? You bet! (November 2003)
Technology addiction ruining our lives (October 2003)








