On May 10, 2024, Nephi Cole, Dinesh D’Souza, Jim May, and Toby Damisch joined the show. Recapped the Colorado legislative session’s impact on firearms rights, discussing the defeat of the assault weapons ban and passage of concerning bills including an excise tax measure and concealed carry restrictions Discussed his Police State documentary warning that America has moved dangerously toward authoritarianism through mass surveillance, censorship, political targeting,.
Colorado Second Amendment Legislation Recap
Start listening at 18:31 – Hour 1
Nephi Cole, Director of Government Relations and State Affairs for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, breaks down the Colorado legislative session’s impact on firearms rights. While the assault weapons ban died in committee, several concerning bills passed, including an excise tax ballot measure and new concealed carry restrictions. Cole highlights that Democratic Senator Tom Sullivan showed courage in opposing the unconstitutional assault weapons ban despite his personal history with gun violence.
The most alarming measure heading to the ballot is House Bill 24-1349, a 6.5% excise tax on firearms, ammunition, and accessories. Cole urges Coloradans to call Governor Polis at 303-866-2471 to request a veto, arguing that taxing a constitutional right sets a dangerous precedent. The session also saw passage of merchant category code requirements for credit card purchases and new state dealer permit requirements on top of federal licensing.
“Don’t let people tax the constitutional right. That’s terribly, terribly scary ground to go down. I’m saying, like, if people want to exercise their rights, we’re going to tax that.”
Nephi Cole, Director of Government Relations, National Shooting Sports Foundation
America’s Slide Toward Authoritarianism
Start listening at 33:01 – Hour 1
Dinesh D’Souza warns that America has moved to a 5 or 6 on a scale of 1 to 10 toward becoming a police state. His documentary Police State examines the troubling ingredients now present in American society: mass surveillance, systematic censorship, political targeting, and attempts to lock up opposition leaders. These hallmarks of third-world authoritarianism have become accepted features of American life.
D’Souza connects the World Health Organization’s proposed pandemic treaty to a broader globalization of authoritarianism. The WHO seeks power to declare emergencies for issues beyond health, including racism and climate change, enabling emergency measures that curtail liberties worldwide. He notes that police states today operate under the mask of democracy, using language about protecting freedom while doing the opposite.
The discussion turns to campus Gaza encampments, which D’Souza sees as part of a pattern where activists move from cause to cause. He quotes a 1960s activist: “The issue is never the issue. The issue is always the revolution.” The real goal is overturning society’s basic institutions. Universities that allowed these encampments face a trap where any response becomes a loss.
“Most of us, when we think of authoritarianism, we think of like the Stalin overcoat, the Hitler mustache. We’re not going to get that here in America, but we can get authoritarianism of an American type and it will be no less oppressive and no less painful.”
Dinesh D’Souza, Filmmaker and Author
Mother’s Day Tribute from the Ranch
Start listening at 60:07 – Hour 2
Jim May, cattleman and co-owner of Lavaca Meat Company, shares an original cowboy poem he wrote that week honoring Mother’s Day. The poem “Mother’s Day on the Ranch” weaves together scenes of a newborn calf bonding with its mother, a father-daughter moment watching deer with twin fawns, and reflections on the irreplaceable love mothers bring to raising the next generation.
May reports that calving season is underway at the ranch, with calves hitting the ground as sprinklers start running. He also promotes cowboy poet and entertainer Gary McMahon’s fundraiser for cancer research at the Burlington Auditorium that evening, encouraging listeners on the eastern plains to attend. Lavaca Meat Company continues offering premium beef including quarters and halves for those seeking larger quantities at lower costs.
“I guess it’s Mother’s Day here at the ranch, so don’t take this for granted. It takes time and work and lots of love to raise the seed you planted.”
Jim May, Lavaca Meat Company
Property Tax Crisis and Legislative Games
Start listening at 59:49 – Hour 2
Toby Damisch, Douglas County Assessor, exposes Senate Bill 24-233 as Proposition HH Light, dressed up as property tax relief but delivering continued increases. The bill, introduced on the last possible day of the legislative session, provides no actual tax decrease for homeowners. Instead, it merely limits future increases while ensuring taxes rise every year in perpetuity. The average Colorado homeowner saw a 30% tax bill increase from the 2023 reassessment, a catastrophic spike that should never happen.
Damisch traces the crisis to the 2020 repeal of the Gallagher Amendment, which was supposed to bring immediate relief to commercial property owners. Four years later, they finally receive modest rate reductions phased in over four years, while homeowners get nothing. The bill’s 5.5% revenue cap contains so many loopholes that few local governments must actually abide by it. Damisch questions why Republican legislators signed onto a bill that perpetuates tax increases rather than providing genuine relief.
“This bill does not decrease our taxes on homes one penny. What it does is ensure increases every year in perpetuity. That’s the result of this bill.”
Toby Damisch, Douglas County Assessor
