Our view:  We are not suggesting that U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, Cliff Wilmeng and other fracktivists are on Putin’s payroll. We are merely suggesting they might as well be.

Our friends at the Loveland Energy Action Project sent a copy of literature they are circulating opposing the latest attempt by the green mod squad to ban energy development.

LEAP is a group headed by former state Rep. BJ Nikkel to fight the energy banners in Loveland. Frequenters of Colorado politics remember that Nikkel cast the deciding vote to move forward civil union legislation, causing quite the ruckus in her party, and, for that matter, all over the country.  Now, Nikkel is T-boning the fractivists.

But, it’s not just Nikkel and Co. in Loveland playing the Putin card, they have good company. Sen. Mark Udall and Rep. Cory Gardner have been tripping over one another to highlight how Colorado natural gas production weakens the hand of petro-tyrants like Vladimir Putin.

If Gardner and Udall agree on the issue, the public opinion polling must be pretty strong.

We are glad to see supporters of energy development throwing tougher punches. Last week, it was frack-banner-extraordinaire Jared Polis who took it in the chops for being the out of touch elitist we all know him to be.  This week, the echoes of Vladimir Putin are being raised, to which we give a hearty Marine hoo-rah.

We are delighted to finally see Putin and his C-cups thrust into local fracking fights. If the argument is good enough for Udall, it should be for all who support energy production and that not-trivial goal of energy independence.

Again, we are not suggesting that Polis, Cliff Wilmeng and other frac banners are on Putin’s payroll. We are merely suggesting they might as well be.