let's give 'em something to talk about.

• Author: Rundles, Jeff
• Position: RUNDLES wrap up - Column

AS A COMMITTED NEWS JUNKIE, I READ A LOT of newspapers, listen to a ton of radio news and talk programs, watch a slew of television news and informational shows and peruse the Web and hlogosphere. And they run the gamut, from those with a conservative bent to those the conservatives deem liberal (which is to say most of the mainstream media), and, of course given the Web, the absurd and downright weird.

I used to listen occasionally to Air America--an attempt by liberals to counteract, conservative talk radio--but it died from lack of interest and very poor quality. Conservative talk radio, not to mention conservative television "news," is also of poor quality, but seems to maintain high interest. In any case, this isn't about being liberal or conservative, but rather an attempt to keep up with the news and the interpretations on what it all means. I wish I could say I was more informed given the various and growing outlets for information, but flabbergasted would be a more appropriate adjective.

Whatever. I'm attempting to be well-rounded, although misshapen is probably more accurate. That so many outlets feature hosts, contributors and adherents who seem so sure of themselves, it seems Fitzgerald may have been right when he said, "Life is much more successfully looked at from a single window, after all." I wouldn't know; I'm a generalist.

But what I have noticed from absorbing all this news is that Colorado is getting mentioned more and more all the time. We used to be the state known best for skiing and Coors beer, but we have more recently taken leadership positions for so many other things, and not all of them positives--well, subject to your own single window.

For instance, every time there is a shooting now--and that, sadly, is way too often--it is compared to or put in the context of "Aurora." They don't even add in the details anymore: "Aurora," unfortunately, says it all. It used to be "Columbine," but now "Sandy Hook" has taken that terrible spotlight. In any case, whenever anyone discusses mentally ill nut jobs and violence, Colorado takes center stage.

Which, of course, leads to another arena where Colorado holds sway: gun control. The Gun lobby and the Anti-gun lobby both hold Colorado up as an exemplar of why their particular point of view--the 2nd...