Author Archives: cologeek

In this week’s edition the Colorado Springs Independent, columnist Rich Tosches wrote a glowing article about Gary Flakes.  Different look at Gary Flakes | Ranger Rich | Colorado Springs Independent  In it he quotes the convicted felons (unnamed) wife, (when was the last time someone quoted an anonymous source while letting us know it was a spouse?) as well as Council member Jan Martin in his attempt to reform Flakes reputation.  Obviously “Ranger Rich” believes that Flakes deserves to be elected to the Colorado Springs City Council regardless of his participation in the horrific and senseless murder of and 15-year-old Scott Hawrysiak and 13-year-old Andrew Westbay on Valentines Day 1997.

But if you look at Mr. Tosches column from December 19th regarding the equally horrific Sandy Hook shootings, you see that he will hold some people accountable for the firearms murder of children.  Gun owners and their supporters.   The way of the gun | Ranger Rich | Colorado Springs Independent   His vitriol and hatred for firearms owners, the NRA, the GOA, and politicians who support the rights of Americans to keep and bear arms is obvious in every paragraph.

So in the world of “Ranger Rich” Tosches, if you own a firearm, or support those who do so without ever having used them on another living being, you are the cause of all evil done using a firearm.  But if you actually take part in the murder of children and then say you’re sorry (but not to the families of those children) you are qualified for public office.

Update

Well the El Paso County Dems have gotten a recruit for the race.  Tony Exum Sr., who ran a failed campaign for an at-large City Council seat last year, had earlier declined to run for the office.  But he has changed his mind and is now taking up the electoral guantlet.

Democrats keep talking about taking back the State House chamber this election but apparently they have written off House District 17 here in El Paso county.  And it's not as if a Democrat cannot win here.  Dennis Apuan won the seat in 2008, and that was before the reapportionment process moved it further to the south and east.  If, as some would assert, the Republican surge of 2010 was a fluke, then HD 17 should be prime territory for a pickup.

From the Colorado Springs Independent as are all quotes.

It’s not as though Democrats don’t realize the opportunity that they have in HD 17. For months, says Robert Nemanich, people in the party have been “whispering, saying, ‘Does anybody want to run? Do you want to move into the district?'”

But as of right now, they don’t have a candidate to present to tonight’s caucus.  They have already turned down an African American who worked on President Obama’s 2008 campaign, because of traffic violations in his record.

Robert has a lot of promise,” Nemanich says. “As a résumé goes, here is a kid that graduated from Sierra High School, went off with an athletic scholarship to a small school. He came back to the community, and got involved in the campaign, and really did an effective job of organizing that troublesome area. He did the best he could with the resources that were there, and the quicksand-like electorate that is there.

“So when he called and said that he wanted to run for state rep, I was excited about it. I thought that he had the potential of having a career, and he had ambition, ambition beyond what the position would hold.”

cut

Andrews says that as he went through the paces, he even interviewed with (Democratic House leader) Ferrandino.

“We had a nice little conversation and, these were his words: ‘We couldn’t package a better candidate for this district,'” Andrews remembers. “They required me to fill out some information. I told them that I had had traffic tickets, and the nature of them.”

According to a search of the state courts database, in 2009 Andrews was cited for failure to provide proof of insurance, driving with expired license plates and a tail lamp violation. Those charges were dismissed, however, twice he missed his court hearing and a warrant was issued for failure to appear. That case was settled, according to court documents.

In 2010, he was ticketed twice. In El Paso County, he was cited and pled guilty to driving without a license. He was also cited in Arapahoe County with driving under restraint and failure to provide proof of insurance. When he failed to show up for that court hearing, a warrant was issued. In November of that year, he had to pay a bond of $1,000, and that case was finally settled for $134.

Nothing he’s proud of, Andrews says, but nothing terribly scandalous, either.

However, he says, the Democrats told him “that was not going to be acceptable. They said that they would have trouble finding people within the caucus who would support me.” (emphasis mine)

So the party that is running someone who has been convicted for public urination cannot support someone because of traffic violations?  In a district that he grew up in, and lives in now, and that he would perfectly represent?  How exactly do the Democrats expect to take back the State House with this kind of attitude?

I would rather not have to write this, but let me be clear.  I have no use for anyone stupid enough to impair their judgement with any substance and then operate a vehicle.  I have experience enough both professional and personal with this.  I have an aunt who is still dealing with the results of injuries from a drunk driver who rear ended her at high speed almost forty years ago.  I have had to work three  different fatality accidents in my ten years as a towing operator, two of which involved alcohol.   And I can't really count the number of non-fatality calls involving impaired drivers I've responded to.

If, as it appears did happen, Rep. Bradford was driving under the influence, she needs to admit it.  It doesn't matter what the Denver Police Department did in allegedly failing their duty.  And if she did not ask for legislative immunity, that is only doing what is right.  But in her apology on the State House floor, she did not actually admit to any wrongdoing.

If I am wrong in thinking that Rep. Bradford was impaired on the 25th, then I will apologize.  But she said she wanted to be treated like everyone else.  She accepted treatment that no one who is not in the legislature would get.

Update:

So now Rep. Bradford is threatening to leave the Republican Party if the House Speaker persists in holding an ethics inquiry.  

Note to the Representative:  If you have to threaten to quit your team rather than have them look into your activities, then people paying attention will come to the conclusion you were breaking the rules.

And apparently Minority Leader Ferrandino has been playing phone tag with her.  I guess he’s hoping to take advantage of the situation by drafting the DUI dodger to shift the balance of power in the State House.   

Zach Edwards, who worked on then Senator Obama's campaign for the White House in 2007-08 was arrested Friday, charged with trying to use the identity of Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz and/or the SOS brother Thomas.  Allegedly Edwards was trying to use their emails to create false evidence of ethics violations.  Edwards arrest report is at the Iowa Department of Public Safety here.  

Edwards was employed at LINK Strategies, a Democratic lobbying, campaign, opposition research, and public relations firm who fired him after he got caught his arrest. His involvment with the Obama campaign can be found on the (now erased) bio on the firms site.  To whit:

After a stint as a part-time political blogger and local democratic volunteer, he joined the Obama campaign in early 2007 as an intern organizing North-West Las Vegas. In September 2007, Zach joined the Obama New Media department as co-director of the Nevada New Media team and then moved on to direct New Media operations in five other primary states (New Mexico, Texas, North Carolina, and South Dakota).

During the 2008 General Election, Zach was the Iowa Director of New Media. In this capacity, he worked closely with communications, research and field operations to provide cutting-edge organizing tools and new media-based opposition research; which was emulated in battleground states across the country.

This is not a low level, coffee getting flunky, Edwards was a vital part of the Obama campaign.

LINK Strategies founder and president, Jeff Link, is a former Chief of Staff and Campaign Manager to Senator Tom Harkin as well as working on John Edwards and Barack Obama's presidential campaigns. You really don’t get much more connected to the top of the Democratic Party than this guy.  Of course he says that Edwards actions had nothing to do with his work.

You can find more details at the Iowa Grounds website.

You have to wonder what other Republican Secretary’s of State are being lined up for this kind of treatment.

Hat Tip to Instapundit where I first heard about this.