Disqus - Latest Comments for Truthteller

Re: Fawcett Launches Drive to Retire Campaign Debt

Truthteller — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 06:39:02 -0000

This Loser This Loser couldn't even get support from the Soros bunch when he was actually running for office. What makes him think that others will bail him out of his mess now?

But I suppose he would have been perfect in Congress, since he's obviously already trained in spending other peoples' money that he doesn't really have.

Re: Fawcett Launches Drive to Retire Campaign Debt

Truthteller — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 11:37:46 -0000

This wasn't a story about Lamborn This was a story about Fawcett. When you do a story about Lamborn, then I'll be happy to comment about Lamborn.

As for Soros, since he and his money, conveyed through a number of organizations, provide a significant portion of Democrat Party campaign funding, that was a relevant comment. Interesting that you try to dismiss it by calling it a "boogeyman."

So you just came across as very strongly partisan. I have to wonder why that is.

Re: Impeachment Calls Create a Futile, Divisive Pipe Dream

Truthteller — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 06:55:14 -0000

Since everyone knows that they are bogus accusations, is it any wonder that you could never get an impeachment started? Only the real radical nutcases even talked about it. And given that the democrat party-led Congress has lower approval ratings with the public than even President Bush.........

Re: Ritter Picks Computer Fixes

Truthteller — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 14:23:00 -0000

Why not be honest, Mr. Ritter? Full disclosure

EDITORIAL

THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

THE ADMINISTRATION of Gov. Bill Ritter should disclose all the details of talks and other communications it has been holding outside the public eye with labor union officials.

The Colorado Association of Public Employees has been talking with Gov. Ritter about forming what's being described as a partnership with the state work force. That possible accord, as one union official describes it, is based on principles used by two private companies - Kaiser Permanente and Southwest Airlines.

Until recently, the administration would not confirm these "partnership" communications were in the works. Only after the news media forced the administration to release some public records did Coloradans learn of months worth of private communications between administration officials and the unions.

The public's business should not be handled this way. Big Labor has put a lot of money and effort into electing Democrats in Colorado, but secretive talks are no way to pay the unions back.

The light of day should prevail here. The Ritter administration should let Coloradans know all the details of what it is doing, when and where so they can judge for themselves.

Re: Ritter Was Where?

Truthteller — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 14:23:34 -0000

Why not be honest, Mr. Ritter? Full disclosure

EDITORIAL

THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

THE ADMINISTRATION of Gov. Bill Ritter should disclose all the details of talks and other communications it has been holding outside the public eye with labor union officials.

The public's business should not be handled this way. Big Labor has put a lot of money and effort into electing Democrats in Colorado, but secretive talks are no way to pay the unions back.

The light of day should prevail here. The Ritter administration should let Coloradans know all the details of what it is doing, when and where so they can judge for themselves.

Re: Ritter Chim Chim Cher-ees GOP Legislators

Truthteller — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 14:24:17 -0000

Why not be honest, Mr. Ritter? Full disclosure

EDITORIAL

THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

THE ADMINISTRATION of Gov. Bill Ritter should disclose all the details of talks and other communications it has been holding outside the public eye with labor union officials.

The public's business should not be handled this way. Big Labor has put a lot of money and effort into electing Democrats in Colorado, but secretive talks are no way to pay the unions back.

The light of day should prevail here. The Ritter administration should let Coloradans know all the details of what it is doing, when and where so they can judge for themselves.

Re: Impeachment Calls Create a Futile, Divisive Pipe Dream

Truthteller — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 09:10:46 -0000

What part of bogus accusation did you not understand?

"cities" the plain fact is that you and all those who bring forth such lies and propaganda in a vain attempt to forward your radical political agenda are just full of it. No other answer is either required or appropriate.

Re: The Congressional Crib Sheet

Truthteller — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 18:44:39 -0000

And how is the democrat party Congress doing?

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's own party is turning on her, apparently because of a perception among California Democrats that she has not done enough to shake up the status quo in Washington, D.C., according to a Field Poll released Friday.

Congress overall is doing even worse with California voters, with an approval rating sagging to 30 percent or below for only the seventh time in the past 15 years, the poll of 1,201 registered voters found. Both Pelosi, the San Francisco Democrat who became speaker this year, and Congress as a whole have fallen short of voter expectations since taking over both houses, poll director Mark DiCamillo said.

"I think the reason for her decline and the low ratings Congress is getting is that voters here are not seeing any change," DiCamillo said.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein's approval rating of 51 percent is down 10 percentage points since March, but consistent with her average over the years. Sen. Barbara Boxer's rating also has slumped, from 54 percent in March to 44 percent. Both Boxer and Feinstein, however, still enjoy the approval of more voters than disapproval of them.

For Pelosi, it was the first time the poll showed more people disapproving than approving of her performance - 40 percent to 35 percent, with 25 percent having no opinion.

Other polls since 2003 have shown larger numbers of voters with no opinion, but Pelosi always won more approval than disapproval. As recently as March, California Democrats approved of Pelosi by a 5-to-1 ratio, DiCamillo said. Now it's less than 2-to-1. Nonpartisan voters also have soured on her.

Only 22 percent of voters approve of the job Congress is doing, the poll found, while 64 percent disapprove.

The six other times that congressional approval has dipped to 30 percent or below can be tied to specific events, such as the impeachment of President Clinton or the economic downturn of the early 1990s that hit California particularly hard, DiCamillo said.

Re: Unguided Missile Douglas Bruce Pointed North To Denver

Truthteller — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 17:09:03 -0000

Hey, Zappaterro..... I heard you were going to run against Dougie Bruce. Is that true?

Re: Unions Decry Federal Labor Board

Truthteller — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 06:40:25 -0000

If the question is what is the truth? I can't think of a worse source.

Re: Live Q&A with Jared Polis from Iraq

Truthteller — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 17:11:21 -0000

It's been four days since Polis answered any questions here. What are we to conclude from that? Interesting how he disappeared when a few of us readers, and his potential constituents, started asking a few hard questions.

Re: Live Q&A with Jared Polis from Iraq

Truthteller — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 05:15:40 -0000

If you'll look, there were several hard questions asked during the required time that simply were not answered. That is very disappointing. Further, you would think that a serious candidate would take every possible opportunity to answer questions from his/her potential constituents.

Re: CU Prof Seeks to Debunk Immigration Myths

Truthteller — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 08:46:28 -0000

Atzlan Isn't this guy one of the big supporters of the Atzlan movement? You know, those Hispanics who claim that pretty much all of the Southwest was stolen from Spain/Mexico and should be subject to a "reconquist" (re-conquering)? I believe he appeared in a panel discussion of that just yesterday up at the university.

Re: CU Prof Seeks to Debunk Immigration Myths

Truthteller — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 08:57:28 -0000

Answered my own question. Here it is:

Fears of Aztl

Re: Federal Labor Board A Hot Topic For Unions

Truthteller — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 17:38:22 -0000

Since Ritter is nothing more than a political hack for the union I guess that there are nothing but hacks on both sides.

Re: The Race Is Not Always to the Swift (Boat)

Truthteller — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 06:52:30 -0000

Wow The democrat party in Colorado is really self-destructing over this one, isn't it?

Re: Bruce Wins House Seat to Replace Cadman

Truthteller — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 18:19:11 -0000

Weird The hachet job website that the teachers' union used to attack Republicans running for the school board in Colorado Springs is hardly the best source to seek information about Doug Bruce (or anything else, come to think of it).

Re: Bruce Wins House Seat to Replace Cadman

Truthteller — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 07:20:08 -0000

Of course. You can talk about the vote all you want, but it doesn't change the fact that the website in question was specifically for doing a hatchet job.....in fact, told out and out lies about the Republicans running for office in D-11 several times. I suppose you moveondotorg types figure that is nothing more than business as usual, but after awhile, those same voters will figure it out - particularly when D-11 continues to fail to teach its students at such high rates.

Re: Treatment for Vets’ Brain Injuries Should Be a No-Brainer

Truthteller — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 05:56:21 -0000

Hmmmm. Let's see. Which governmental entity is it that passes the budget (if they ever get to it on time) and allocates and appropriates money for treating ill veterans? Gee, that would be Nancy Pelosi's democrat party-controlled do-nothing Congress.

Oh, wait, I forgot, in the twisted world-view of democrat party hacks, nothing is ever the responsibility of the democrats...it's always those horrible demons on the other side of the aisle.

Get real.

Re: Treatment for Vets’ Brain Injuries Should Be a No-Brainer

Truthteller — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 07:55:38 -0000

Wow He bashes Bush to no end, and you have the audacity to complain about MY partisan bashing? Better check that log in your eye before you look at the mote in mine......

Re: Treatment for Vets’ Brain Injuries Should Be a No-Brainer

Truthteller — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 07:57:19 -0000

Oh, and I think you overlooked this "The president wasn't aiming at TBI programs so much as overall spending."

So spare me the faux pretend-to-be-nonpartisan-out-for-the-vet outrage.

Re: BREAKING: Udall Gets a Primary Challenge in Senate Race

Truthteller — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 16:02:06 -0000

So I take it that you fully supported the Starr Investigation and the Clinton Impeachment, right? And you'd support a complete investigation into Hillary Clinton's influence on the sale of pardons, and the abuse of FBI files?

Re: BREAKING: Udall Gets a Primary Challenge in Senate Race

Truthteller — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 20:12:11 -0000

Wow, nice.... I must have really touched a nerve or two.

But I didn't ask about the results of any investigation. I asked if she fully supported the conducting of those investigations, the purpose of which is to determine if the allegations made were correct or not. Isn't that the responsible thing to do, in order to keep the government as clean as possible? Or do you two only object to investigations when they're directed at members of one particular political party?

Re: ‘What Would Jesus Buy?’ Takes Aim At Corporate Sin

Truthteller — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 19:15:46 -0000

Union-busting? If they're involved in union-busting, maybe I'd better start patronizing Starbucks. At least then I'll know that they have their employees working to serve the customer, instead of spending all of their time on union activities.

Re: Church Shootings Show Method in Media Madness

Truthteller — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 05:26:59 -0000

Of course. Of course the media will go into a frenzy on such stories. That's what they do.

Then there are bloggers who will use thisdouble tragedy to bash those they hate, like what we saw over on the PeakDems blog, where the victims were being blamed for their own murders.

I suppose all of this is just human nature......unfortunately.

Re: Church Shootings Show Method in Media Madness

Truthteller — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 09:25:16 -0000

That's a good question. But apparently some numbers of people are reading something in the blogs. Example: They got so many negative complaints about the blaming the victims comment over on peakdems.org by Zappatero that they shut down the comment function.

It was kind of amusing that they did so right after a poster reminded them of the quote by DEMOCRAT President Truman that, "if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen."

But that aside, it does illustrate an interesting point - that there are a lot of people out there in the more "mainstream" media who got very used to not being questioned or criticized. I think that one reason that the more traditional media is seeing a falloff of readers/listeners in the face of blogging and the internet is that the more traditional media lacks any meaningful opportunity for feedback from their consumers/target audience. So they lose touch. They get up in their own little "ivory tower." And that increases them being out of touch....so they lose more customers.....and it spirals downwards. I suppose that is human nature, too.....to want to be able to criticize others, but not suffer criticism yourself, but if the "mainstream" media wants to continue to be mainstream, they're going to have to be more responsive to their customers.

Re: New Life Church Guard Faced Discipline as MN Cop

Truthteller — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 20:12:45 -0000

So what?????????? Why do you feel as if you have to badmouth her with an incident from her past? It doesn't change a thing about what she did to stop the shooter. Nor does the fact that he, himself, fired the bullet that resulted in his own quick death. On that day, she acted correctly and courageously and saved a bunch of lives. That is enough to make her a hero. Why you feel the need to trash her and disparage what she did is beyond understanding. Was it because those she defended were Christian, and probably more conservative than you like?

You really ought to be ashamed of yourself for trying to turn this into some kind of scandal story.

Re: New Life Church Guard Faced Discipline as MN Cop

Truthteller — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 06:15:31 -0000

The questions are irrelevant. They had nothing to do with the recent incident. They had nothing to do with anything currently relevant. It's just a trash job, and you should be ashamed of yourself, along with the others in the media who felt compelled to report this non-news.

Re: New Life Church Guard Faced Discipline as MN Cop

Truthteller — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 06:20:40 -0000

Wake up. And smell what you're shoveling.

News Flash - this story has NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with President Bush. Good God, does EVERYTHING have to be partisan and political with you? This is pure National Enquirer-like tabloid "journalism." It's disgraceful, and for no purpose other than to personally trash someone, in this case someone who was a hero for saving a bunch of lives. Ah, but, of course, they were religious lives - and that really seems to bother people for some reason. Perhaps you'd better consider why that bugs you so much.

Re: New Life Church Guard Faced Discipline as MN Cop

Truthteller — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 07:21:35 -0000

This coming from the guy who thinks.... ....that the murder victims deserved what they got because they didn't give that evil murderer a bed for the night. Yeah, Zappatero, we're really going to listen to you.....not.

And how interesting that you didn't have the guts to take any criticism about your position over on PeakDems.

Re: New Life Church Guard Faced Discipline as MN Cop

Truthteller — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 07:23:11 -0000

And although it is obvious The Gazette shouldn't have printed this tabloid trash, either.

Re: New Life Church Guard Faced Discipline as MN Cop

Truthteller — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 07:25:41 -0000

For those who don't know Here's what Zappatero said over on PeakDems that created a firestorm of criticism on that blog and on the radio....so much so that the blog cut off commentary and deleted previous critical comments:

"Just like Jesus...

...turned away at the door.....given no love.....given no shelter from the cold.

Yet many will cheer a bullet in his head."

Re: Democratic Convention Security Team Named

Truthteller — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 08:40:32 -0000

Maybe they should hire Jeanne Assam.

Re: New Life Church Guard Faced Discipline as MN Cop

Truthteller — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:08:45 -0000

What was REALLY funny..... ....was that they stopped the commenting and deleted posts after someone reminded them of what DEMOCRAT Harry Truman said about "if you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen." LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!! The irony of that action just pours from PeakDems.

Re: Abortion Foes Taunt Denver Businessman with Gruesome ‘Truth Truck’

Truthteller — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 06:23:07 -0000

And if this was PETA And if they were using just the same kind of "tactics" (which I personally think are pretty far over the top), I strongly suspect you'd be defending them as engaging in legitimate exercise of their freedom of speech. This, even though PETA members have also been associated with violence, arson and other criminal behaviors. But of course, PETA is made up of people from the left side of the political equation, so they'd get a pass from your criticism, wouldn't they?

Re: New Poll Shows Udall with Lead Among Women, Independent Voters

Truthteller — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 13:42:41 -0000

Who? Who commissioned the poll, and who released it? What were the actual questions asked? Without that data being made available, all we get are the conclusions of the pollsters, and so we have no way of truly judging the veracity of those conclusions.

Re: New Poll Shows Udall with Lead Among Women, Independent Voters

Truthteller — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 20:15:15 -0000

So is this a "Research for Change" poll? If it is, you should advise people that "Research for Change provides research and strategy for progressive causes and political campaigns" to quote from the organization's website.

In other words, it's a leftie spin organization.

Re: President’s Vetoes Leave Congress Settling for “Good” Instead of “Perfect”

Truthteller — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 05:13:10 -0000

This Congress This Congress can't get it's basic job done. Can't seem to do anything on time. Has the lowest approval ratings in history. Has had yet ANOTHER page scandal after solemn promises that such would NEVER be repeated. And who's fault is it? Why, George Bush's, of course. Yeah. Right. Get real. This kind of neener-neener-neener finger-pointing is just an attempt at obtaining political cover in an upcoming election.

Re: President’s Vetoes Leave Congress Settling for “Good” Instead of “Perfect”

Truthteller — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 18:15:05 -0000

Actually, two. The first has to do with pages involved in shoplifting. The second has to do with two pages engaging in a sex act in a public place. So much for the promised supervision.

Re: UPDATED: DeGette to Congress: Show Me the Money (for the Democratic Convention)

Truthteller — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:59:05 -0000

No wonder No wonder the approval ratings for Congress are the lowest ever recorded. They can't get anything done that needs to get done.

Re: 2007 Retro: What happened to the St. Paddy’s Day 7

Truthteller — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:24:24 -0000

If she'd cooperated and walked to the sidewalk, like any reasonable person when the cops asked them to, then we wouldn't have had this manufactured spectacle, would we?

Re: Immigration activists to state lawmakers: Advance real reform

Truthteller — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 19:42:08 -0000

Because if they did The American taxpayers wouldn't have to pay for it, of course.

Re: 2007 Retro: What happened to the St. Paddy’s Day 7

Truthteller — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 17:36:08 -0000

Go cry to your mama... All that was required was minimum cooperation with the police who were engaged in perfectly legal action, and there wouldn't have been the fuss. But they WANTED to create a ruckus and pretend to be victims. So boo-hoo. Spare us the fake indignation and the bogus accusations of incipient naziism.

Re: Immigration activists to state lawmakers: Advance real reform

Truthteller — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 17:40:53 -0000

If they could, they would? BALONEY, cubed and squared.

Engage in all the namcalling you want, but it doesn't change the facts that people who simply want the law to be fairly enforced are neither "racists" nor "nativists" nor "crypto-racists" nor "hate-mongerers." In fact, it's those who would bring such false accusations who deserve such appelations.

It's not the US immigration laws that are the problem. Those laws do not create the situation where persons flee their own nations and break our laws to come here. And IF those laws need to be changed, then there is a process by which it can be done - and until that occurs no one is somehow entitled to simply choose to break them without consequence, whatever the color of their skin.

Re: Immigration activists to state lawmakers: Advance real reform

Truthteller — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 06:41:20 -0000

A real look at a piece of the problem - how illegal immigrants act like parasites Calif. School Targets Mexican Students

Dec 31 02:39 PM US/Eastern

By ELLIOT SPAGAT

Associated Press Writer

33 Comments

CALEXICO, Calif. (AP) - Children are more likely to shield their faces than to smile when Daniel Santillan points his camera.

Santillan's photos aren't for any picture album or yearbook-they help prove that Mexican youngsters are illegally attending public schools in this California border community.

With too many students and too few classrooms, Calexico school officials took the unusual step of hiring someone to photograph children and document the offenders. Santillan snaps pictures at the city's downtown border crossing and shares the images with school principals, who use them as evidence to kick out those living in Mexico.

Since he started the job two years ago, the number of students in the Calexico school system has fallen 5 percent, from 9,600 to 9,100, while the city's population grew about 3 percent.

"The community asked us to do this, and we responded," school board President Enrique Alvarado said. "Once it starts to affect you personally, when your daughter gets bumped to another school, then our residents start complaining."

Every day along the 1,952-mile border, children from Mexico cross into the United States and attend public schools. No one keeps statistics on how many.

Citizenship isn't the issue for school officials; district residency is.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled illegal immigrants have a right to an education, so schools don't ask about immigration status. But citizens and illegal immigrants alike can't falsely claim residency in a school district.

Enforcement of residency requirements varies widely along the border. Some schools do little to verify where children live beyond checking leases or utility bills, while others dispatch officials to homes when suspicions are raised.

Jesus Gandara, superintendent of the Sweetwater district, with 44,000 students along San Diego's border with Mexico, said tracking children at the border goes too far. "If you do that, you're playing immigration agent," he said.

The El Paso Independent School District in Texas sends employees to homes when suspicions are raised. But spokesman Luis Villalobos said photographing students at the border would be a monumental, unproductive effort.

That's not the thinking in Calexico, a city 120 miles east of San Diego that has seen its population double to 38,000 since 1990. A steel fence along the border separates Calexico from Mexicali, an industrial city of about 750,000 that sends shoppers and farm laborers to California.

Calexico's rapid growth outstripped school resources, resulting in overcrowding and prompting demands that Mexican interlopers be ousted. Taxpayers complained their children were bused across town because neighborhood schools were full, even after Calexico voters approved a $30 million construction measure in 2004. Portable classrooms proliferated.

The 62-year-old Santillan (pronounced sahn-tee-YAHN) was hired in He is an unlikely enforcer. Posters of Cesar Chavez and Che Guevara adorn the walls of his ranch-style home. The Vietnam War veteran and labor activist is an outspoken advocate of amnesty for illegal immigrants and fills water jugs in the desert for Mexicans who trek across the border illegally.

He parks his old Toyota Echo at the border two or three mornings a week, often in a handicapped spot that his bad knees allow him to occupy. He photographs some of the hundreds of students who exit the inspection building and walk to class.

Some hide their faces when they see his 6-foot-5, 310-pound frame. Sometimes he follows students to school.

Many of the students know him. Others in town are not always sure what he is up to. A new police officer once ran his name through a database of sex offenders. A talk-radio host warned listeners that an odd- looking man at the border might be looking for children to kidnap.

Some students taunt him. Friends have called him a hypocrite. Santillan reminds them that he is only enforcing school residency rules, not immigration laws. Still, he says, "You've got to have hell of a tough skin."

The California native also visits addresses listed on student enrollment forms, knocking on doors as late as 9 p.m. and introducing himself in Spanish.

One crisp December morning, he went to three homes before dawn, carrying a clipboard with several pages of students suspected of living in Mexico. A woman who opened her door at 6:30 a.m. said her niece no longer lives with her. At another home, a woman said her niece moved last month.

Many Calexico residents support the crackdown.

Fernando Torres, a former mayor, was upset when the district said his grandchildren would have to transfer because there was no room in their neighborhood school. "It's not right" for U.S. taxpayers to build classrooms for Mexican residents, he said. The district eventually relented.

School board member Eduardo Rivera estimates there are still 250 to 400 students from Mexico attending Calexico's schools.

"It's a continual struggle," Rivera said. "You have people who are determined to continue sending their kids over here."

Re: Immigration activists to state lawmakers: Advance real reform

Truthteller — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 06:44:21 -0000

So So try telling Rivera and Torres and Santillan that they're "racists" or "nativists" or some kind of proto-Nazis because their children are being so adversely affected by the actions of illegal immigrants.

Re: Push the Orange or Red Button, Just Send the Cash NOW

Truthteller — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 06:48:02 -0000

Weinstein's appeal sounds like the flip side of the Doug Bruce coin. They have that same fanatic fervor and ideologic see-nothing-else about them.

Re: Colorado’s Potential Election Fiasco

Truthteller — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:33:23 -0000

Didn't Chuck Corey tell you about this potential problem years ago?

Re: New-direction Dems Try to Seize the Moment

Truthteller — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 06:41:46 -0000

Oh, wow, Gary Hart. Hillary is toast if failed politician Gary Hart isn't on her side.

This is a story?

Re: New-direction Dems Try to Seize the Moment

Truthteller — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 19:34:23 -0000

Sound a bit bitter and angry there. Could it be that you're nothing more than a Hillary campaign hack?

In any event, how is it that it is somehow a big story that a failed politician who has been out of the public eye for a decade, at least, endorses her? I have to say, that smacks of desperation.

Oh, and by the way, I noticed how your website went offline for awhile...what's the matter, moveondotorg not able to raise enough money to pay the bills?

Re: New-direction Dems Try to Seize the Moment

Truthteller — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 19:35:28 -0000

Sorry, I meant to say "DIDN'T endorse her..."

Re: Democratic Convention Officials Take to the Sky

Truthteller — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 08:33:33 -0000

Pretty big carbon footprint For a pretty small set of purposes.

Re: ‘Real’ Colorado Journalists Wear Purple

Truthteller — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 17:08:08 -0000

Of course. if party hacks and political idealogues didn't pretend to be objective journalists in the first place, even when everyone knows that they're not, then there wouldn't be this problem. But anyone who believes in "advocacy journalism" (a shocking contradiction in terms to anyone who believes in true journalism) can't possibly be objective. That includes 999,999 out of 1,000,000 bloggers, of whatever stripe.

Re: Proving Journalism Creds Inspires One Word: Demeaning

Truthteller — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 17:10:23 -0000

Ah, so this is REALLY what it's all about Colorado Confidential didn't get credentials. I see.

Re: ‘Real’ Colorado Journalists Wear Purple

Truthteller — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 19:57:59 -0000

That is very scary Because absolute perfect objectivity cannot be attained, you would argue for casting it away entirely.

Very scary.

Maybe you should spend some time on quiet reflection and think that through a bit more.

Re: ‘Real’ Colorado Journalists Wear Purple

Truthteller — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 19:59:11 -0000

OH, and by the way. I've never seen ANY of the "reporters" here ever challenge their own biases. Or does that only work for one side? Only Fox needs to challenge its biases?

Re: Proving Journalism Creds Inspires One Word: Demeaning

Truthteller — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 20:01:52 -0000

Came together before? But I notice you didn't have any problem highlighting how you were denied credentials..even though that happened after the "story came together." Hmmmm.

Re: ‘Real’ Colorado Journalists Wear Purple

Truthteller — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 07:43:49 -0000

OH, yeah, Media Matters is SUCH an unbiased source. Sure. Right.

Get real. Wake up and smell what you're shoveling.

Re: Proving Journalism Creds Inspires One Word: Demeaning

Truthteller — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 07:46:40 -0000

None of which obviates my point, which is that you only decided this was a story when it affected YOU. If it had been, say, for example (since others mentioned it), Fox News that had been denied (or not recommended, if you prefer), you would have either been silent, or loudly crowing about it in glee.

Re: ‘Real’ Colorado Journalists Wear Purple

Truthteller — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 09:23:51 -0000

"This is more about hurt feelings than the public's right to know." Precisely.

Re: ‘Real’ Colorado Journalists Wear Purple

Truthteller — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 09:29:43 -0000

You bet my bias is showing I'm biased against ANYONE who pretends to be a journalist when what they really are is an advocate for one political philosophy or political party.

But then, I'm not pretending to be anything else. I'm not claiming to be a journalist when I'm not.

Neither was Thomas Paine.

You want to be the modern equivalent to avowed and unabashed political pamphleteer and general rabblerouser Thomas Paine, go right on ahead. More power to you. But don't pretend that is journalism, because it's not.

(And I'd bet there is a lot of political and philosophical echoing going on in your "robust editorial meetings," too).

Re: ‘Real’ Colorado Journalists Wear Purple

Truthteller — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 18:14:29 -0000

OH, yeah, Zappaterro Like you're SO unbiased yourself.

:rolls eyes:

GMAFB.

Re: ‘Real’ Colorado Journalists Wear Purple

Truthteller — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 19:53:15 -0000

P.S. We have a republic, not a democracy.

Re: Lobbyist’s Gift Raises Legal Questions About Disclosure

Truthteller — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 08:43:54 -0000

Seems like the lobbyists don't want their activities to be reported. Gee, now why would you think that would be? <-------- (irony and sarcasm)

Re: Lobbyist’s Gift Raises Legal Questions About Disclosure

Truthteller — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 08:29:57 -0000

You're not automagically pure just because you lobby for non-profits, nor automagically corrupt if you lobby for a corporate concern. No doubt there are many who would prefer such a simplistic, bumper-sticker analysis, but that wouldn't comport with reality.

Re: Migrants Have a Human Right to Cross Borders, Activist Says

Truthteller — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 13:42:20 -0000

Humans are not animals We have laws. We can manage to live together because most of us obey those laws. There is no inherent right to disobey the law. And in OUR system here in the US, we have the ability to work to change laws deemed to be bad ones.......so we don't just disregard them whenever it's convenient.

They are ILLEGAL immigrants. What part of ILLEGAL don't you understand?

Re: 2007 Second Warmest Year in 100 Years

Truthteller — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 06:34:36 -0000

Headline today: "Snow in Atlanta and Montgomery Alabama"

Yep, must be getting warmer.

Re: Everybody Duck! The Fists And Kicks Are Flying

Truthteller — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 06:36:07 -0000

Hey, don't confuse her with the actual facts since it disturbs, however momentarily, her hatred for anything Republican in EPC.

Re: Everybody Duck! The Fists And Kicks Are Flying

Truthteller — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 14:45:53 -0000

Republicans or RINOs?

Re: Everybody Duck! The Fists And Kicks Are Flying

Truthteller — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 14:46:54 -0000

Wow, someone who doesn't hesitate to show their blind hatred clearly. Nice.

Re: Colorado Confidential Founder Responds To Baseless Claim

Truthteller — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 08:30:02 -0000

You're offended because he's protecting a confidential source? You're kidding, right?

Re: Colorado Confidential Founder Responds To Baseless Claim

Truthteller — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 11:57:13 -0000

Hey now, be fair Zappy isn't the ONLY democrat who can't stand to have the other side of a story told, or to seek to shut up any opposition. It's pretty much a trend. Of course, the El Paso democrats are a little uncomfortable with Zappy being their mouthpiece, as he has a tendency to head off to the wild side, so on their blog, that's as much to rein him in as it is anything else.

Re: Colorado Confidential Founder Responds To Baseless Claim

Truthteller — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 12:00:06 -0000

That sounds a bit unsourced.........

Re: Everybody Duck! The Fists And Kicks Are Flying

Truthteller — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 16:51:18 -0000

Getting a bit sensitive there, Ms. Degette? You seem to be more concerned with dodging the issue by the personal attack than any discussion of substance.

And I notice you NEVER mention how Mr. Cadman was provoked into that rather foolish statement. Why is that?

Re: Colorado Confidential Founder Responds To Baseless Claim

Truthteller — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 06:55:25 -0000

So you want NSA to be tracking citizens which everyone knows is illegal. Hmmm. Why is it that you are advocating activity that is clearly against the law? Could it be that you wish to divert attention from your own behavior?

Oh, and by the way, cutting off commentary is pretty cowardly of you and your fellow EPC democrats. It shows how afraid you are of differing viewpoints.

Re: Colorado Confidential Founder Responds To Baseless Claim

Truthteller — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:37:47 -0000

Actually, you can tell when you're wrong when one of your supporters immediately starts with the namecalling. You know, saying things like "little pug doggies." It means that they don't have anything of substance or meaning to say to support your positions, so the best they can do is throw around insults.

Re: Local Union Official Pleads Guilty To Embezzlement

Truthteller — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 19:40:14 -0000

Why does this kind of thing seem to be endemic amongst union officials? Is there something about the job that attracts dishonest people? (Plus, how do you get a lousy, meaningless six months home detention when you steal $30k? Sheesh.)

Re: Immigrant Rights Coalition Introduces First Public Policy Coordinator

Truthteller — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 06:22:38 -0000

Lots of talent won't make much difference if she's one of those who believes that anyone who opposes ILLEGAL immigration must therefore be a hateful racist. Her comments lead one to think that is just what she believes. Doesn't leave much room for any meaningful discussion or dialogue if that's the case.

Re: Journalists’ Group Weighs In On Capitol Access

Truthteller — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 17:48:06 -0000

Perhaps there are a number of Colorado "journalists" and the like who should think about this and reconsider their somewhat slavish devotion to the democrat party in the state.

Re: Journalists’ Group Weighs In On Capitol Access

Truthteller — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 19:22:13 -0000

Nice attempt at spin, but it won't work.

Who is it that is at the head of the Colorado legislature and are at the center of this plan? Democrats. Everybody knows this - so it is DEMOCRATS who can either support freedom of the press for bloggers, even pretty clearly slanted bloggers or not. So far, Romanoff et al aren't standing up for those "journalists" who ALWAYS support them. Why is that, I wonder?

So why don't you try answering the argument that is offered, instead of twisting and spinning and gleefully knocking down the strawmen you set up, eh?

Re: Journalists’ Group Weighs In On Capitol Access

Truthteller — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 19:23:24 -0000

Oh, yeah, Zappy and you are SO well known for telling the truth..........not.

Spare us the personal insults for once, and actually look at the truth when it's staring you in the face how about?

Re: Journalists’ Group Weighs In On Capitol Access

Truthteller — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 15:30:14 -0000

Geez do you actually READ what I WROTE?

That is NOT my argument. That is almost exactly the REVERSE of my argument.

Let me see if I can spell this out for you - since DEMOCRATS are in control of this, and since this is SO BAD for the blogs like Colorado Confidential, whose members HAVE UNSWERVINGLY SUPPORTED DEMOCRATS 100%, maybe it is time for those bloggers to RECONSIDER how they have been and are supporting those DEMOCRAT POLITICIANS that they previously thought were their friends. Maybe they should figure out that democrats are NOT their friends, after all. Maybe they should think about how the DEMOCRAT POLITICAL LEADERSHIP HAS STABBED THEM IN THE BACK.

I can't see how I can be any clearer than that.

And it has a LOT to do with politics, by the way.

Re: Onetime Rising GOP Star Back To Prison For Sex Assaults

Truthteller — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 11:35:29 -0000

He's not being an butthead and trying to do the "guilt by association" crap that democrats like Zappaterro always attempt.

Re: Onetime Rising GOP Star Back To Prison For Sex Assaults

Truthteller — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 11:46:19 -0000

Nice display of blind hatred. Like there are no registered democrats who are child abusers and molesters. Yeah, right. Sure.

Re: Journalists’ Group Weighs In On Capitol Access

Truthteller — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 12:15:14 -0000

Featuring "prominent Republicans" like Ankeney is on your front page right now? Real even-handed and non-partisan, that. Uh huh. And how many stories about DEMOCRAT child molesters have you made front page news, eh?

Tell us another about how you don't take a partisan side. That is nothing more than a blatant attempt at fomenting guilt by association ("Look how Republicans are Child Molesters!!!!") and pure emotional appeal. And then look at your blog list - not one right or Republican-oriented blog, but you sure got all the lefties, radical and otherwise, represented.

And where was your effort to "investigate and report wrongdoing" when Michael Merrifield was engaged in namecalling and slander as chair of the education committee? (Remember, "special place in hell?") You were all over Dougie Bruce for his bad behavior - why is it that Merrifield gets a pass? And how is it that you're not bothering to "investigate and report" how democrat activist Aaron Fink is abusing the court system for purely partisan reasons? Or how the democrat Governor is in secretly in bed with certain labor unions? Doesn't look like you have much of a "commitment" to "investigate and report wrongdoing" when it's on the democrat side of the aisle, frankly.

There's no "supposition" involved - all it takes is a look at the evidence.

Re: Journalists’ Group Weighs In On Capitol Access

Truthteller — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 12:18:35 -0000

What I'm saying is that the democrats are in charge, and they have the ability to either change this policy or perpetuate it. And what I'm saying is that if it were REPUBLICANS doing it, that party's leadership wouldn't be getting the pass that the DEMOCRATS are getting.

What you're saying that I'm allegedly saying is only in your own mind. Why is that?

You're right about one thing - there are much fairer ways to handle this kind of thing, by lottery, or some other method.

So why isn't the DEMOCRAT leadership of the Colorado legislature leading the way to some fairer method? Forgive me if I don't buy the fantasy that they don't have any responsibility for this situation.

Re: Journalists’ Group Weighs In On Capitol Access

Truthteller — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 13:42:58 -0000

Bothered at how accurate my comments are, eh, Ms. DeGette? No wonder you and your buddy keep trying to twist them into something I don't actually say.

And I understand perfectly what's going on - what's happening isn't fair. Yep, got that. But why are you giving the democrat leadership of the legislature a pass on that? If anything should "get under your skin," it should be the total and abject failure of the democrat leadership to step up to the plate and do what is right and fair in this situation. You and CCJNew can try to shift ground and dodge that issue all you want, but just because you want to ignore it doesn't change it one bit.

Re: Science Sunday: How About a New Deal Instead of an Old Trickle?

Truthteller — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 13:46:45 -0000

How is giving almost everyone in the country a chunk of money "just for Wall Street?"

I'm just asking, is all, since that was your leading claim.

Re: Onetime Rising GOP Star Back To Prison For Sex Assaults

Truthteller — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 14:21:56 -0000

Why don't they focus on the issue? Because that wouldn't give them the opportunity to bash and disparage their Republican political enemies, that's why. Why do you think that this story was given front page, top banner treatment in the first place? To bash Republicans, obviously.

Re: Onetime Rising GOP Star Back To Prison For Sex Assaults

Truthteller — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 06:43:20 -0000

More Republican bashing. :Yawn:

And no Republican is defending Ankeney. Not one. So why did you tell the lie that democrats don't defend sex offenders when Republicans do? Not to mention that "25 Republicans to 1 democrat" lie. Wouldn't care to try to give a source for that "statistic," now would you?

Wake up and smell what you're shoveling. All you're doing is demonstrating, once again, your blind hatred for Republicans. Spare us.

Re: Onetime Rising GOP Star Back To Prison For Sex Assaults

Truthteller — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 06:48:10 -0000

Name them, if I can? The last year the Democrats were in control of the House of Representatives in 1994, Rep. Mel Reynolds (D-IL) was indicted for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old campaign volunteer in August 1994. Instead of demanding his resignation, Democrats rallied to his defense and played the race card and the "nuts and sluts" defense ala Bill Clinton. "Deny, deny, deny. Attack, attack attack." That's the Democratic mantra when one of their own is accused of wrongdoing.

Reynolds was inexplicably re-elected by the voters of his district. The following August he was convicted on 12 counts of sexual assault, obstruction of justice and solicitation of child pornography. He waited another three months after his conviction before he resigned. While he was in prison, he was convicted on other crimes for bank fraud. And for being such a nice guy, President Bill Clinton rewarded him on his way out of office by commuting his sentence to time-served. Reynolds was a free man.

So not only do democrats have sex offenders, they PRAISE them. They REELECT them. They FREE THEM TO PREY UPON MORE VICTIMS.

Gee, is that the kind of naming you wanted?

Re: Onetime Rising GOP Star Back To Prison For Sex Assaults

Truthteller — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 08:23:03 -0000

Who treats sex offenders with kid gloves? While he represented inner-city Chicago, Reynolds was a good friend of the Nation of Islam's Louis Farrakhan. They were such close friends that Reynolds had no problem spouting some of Farrakhan's various anti-Semitic incantations against Jews while in office.

But all of this vicious hate couldn't help Reynolds when he helped himself to regular illegal sexual relations with a 16-year-old "campaign worker," Beverly T. Heard. A tape of an explicit June 6, 1994, phone conversation between Heard and Reynolds was exhibit number TR-1 in People v. Melvin Reynolds, a trial that ended in Reynolds' conviction. Reynolds was sentenced to several years in federal prison for this and fraud and corruption convictions; his wife and three children went on welfare in Boston.

A sampling of Reynolds' phone conversation rivals the lurid detail of Clinton's lewd behavior in the Starr Report. Various underwear choices and sex acts are graphically described by Reynolds to his youthful female target. This includes a planned threesome with a 15-year-old Catholic schoolgirl named Theresa. Awestruck with the prospect, Reynolds rhetorically asks, "Did I win the Lotto?" It's enough to make Reynolds' pardoner, Monica's boyfriend, blush.

And not only was Reynolds pardoned by Clinton, but he was hired by Rev. Jesse Jackson's Operation PUSH to decrease the number of young blacks going to prison. Given its new employee -- teen "romance" king Reynolds -- it's ironic that Jackson founded PUSH to persuade minority students to avoid, among other things, teen-age pregnancy. Until Clinton's pardon, Reynolds, like any other convicted child molester, was required to register as a sex offender in each place he lived.

Contrast Jackson's and Clinton's nonchalant and -- worse -- forgiving attitude toward this convicted child rapist and sex offender to the behavior on the other side of the aisle toward his Republican counterpart. In 1989, conservative Republican Congressman Donald "Buz" Lukens of Ohio was caught on tape discussing his sexual relationship with an underage teen-ager. The sting, set-up by FOX's now defunct "A Current Affair," at a Columbus, Ohio, McDonald's, ended with Lukens' 1990 conviction for under-age sex, jail time, a mandatory AIDS test and sex-offender counseling.

But, even before charges were filed against Lukens by authorities, then-House Republican Whip Newt Gingrich, called for Lukens to resign and filed ethics charges against Lukens with the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. Even Republicans, like Rep. John Kasich -- who cut his political teeth as an aide to Lukens when he was an Ohio state senator -- called for Lukens' removal. House Republicans even funded and campaigned for a successful Republican primary opponent against Lukens, Rep. John Boehner. In Reynolds' case, just like Clinton's, House Democrats did nothing, insisting that this was a matter for the courts to decide.

Lukens resigned from the House in disgrace, served his jail time, got prostate cancer and is now broke. But, at the end of his presidency in 1992, President George Bush didn't even think of pardoning Lukens, nor did any conservative organization hire him in any capacity, unlike Jackson and PUSH have done for Reynolds.

But that's the difference between Democrats and Republicans, between conservatives and liberals. Sex offenders are persona non grata in the party of Lincoln. For Democrats, it's just imitation -- the sincerest form of flattery -- for the just-retired commander in chief. And just like Clinton, Reynolds never showed any form of remorse for what he did, whether it was to the girl he molested, or to Laurance Capriotti, whom Reynolds cheated, among others, out of $25,000 to earn his 1997 fraud and corruption convictions.

Re: Onetime Rising GOP Star Back To Prison For Sex Assaults

Truthteller — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 08:27:54 -0000

And which president signed anti-child molester legislation? Not Clinton..... Bush Signs Bill to Keep Tabs on Convicted Child Molesters

Thursday , July 27, 2006

WASHINGTON -

President Bush, joined by "America's Most Wanted" host John Walsh, signed a new law Thursday that requires convicted child molesters to be listed on a national Internet database and face a felony charge for failing to update their whereabouts.

"Our nation grieves with every family that's suffered the unbearable pain of a child whose been abducted or abused," Bush said in a bill-signing ceremony in the Rose Garden. "This law takes an important step forward in this country's efforts to protect those who cannot protect themselves."

The measure was named for Walsh's 6-year-old son, Adam, who was abducted exactly 25 years ago Thursday, and subsequently murdered.

It aims to help police find more than 100,000 sex offenders by creating the first national online listing available to the public and searchable by ZIP code. It also called for harsh federal punishment for sexually assaulting children, including the possibility of the death penalty when a victim is murdered.

"Today is truly a family day for us," Walsh's wife, Reve, told reporters outside the West Wing following the event. "Adam's presence is felt here with us today. This is all about children. It tells children in our country that they are precious and are cared about - even though they don't have any money, or vote or lobby - that we will take care of them."

Bush said the new law will help prevent child abuse by creating the national child abuse registry, and requiring investigators to do background checks on adoptive and foster parents before they are approved to take custody of a child. Giving child protective services professionals in all 50 states access to this information will improve their ability to investigate their child abuse cases, he said.

"These improvements will help prevent sex offenders from evading detection by moving from one state to the next," Bush said.

Child advocates have called the bill the most sweeping sex offender legislation to target pedophiles in years. It would:

-Establish a comprehensive federal DNA database of material collected from convicted molesters, and procedures for the routine DNA collection and comparison to the database when someone has been convicted of such an offense.

-Provide federal funding for states to track pedophiles using global positioning devices.

-Allow victims of child abuse to sue their molesters.

The law imposes a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years for raping a child; a mandatory 10-year penalty for sex trafficking offenses involving children and for coercing child prostitution; and increases minimum sentences for molesters who travel between states.

Re: Onetime Rising GOP Star Back To Prison For Sex Assaults

Truthteller — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 08:35:49 -0000

Gosh, maybe I should put up some more democrat sex offenders?

REP. JOHN YOUNG (D-Tex.):

On June 11, 1976, Colleen Gardner, a former staff secretary to Young, told the New York Times that Young increased her salary after she gave in to his sexual advances. In November, Young, who had run unopposed in the safe Democratic district five consecutive times, was reelected with just 61 percent of the vote. The scandal wouldn't go away, and in 1978 Young was defeated in a Democratic primary runoff.

REP. ALLAN HOWE (D-Utah):

On June 13, 1976, Howe was arrested in Salt Lake City on charges of soliciting two policewomen posing as prostitutes. Howe insisted he was set up and refused to resign. But the Democratic Party distanced itself from his candidacy and he was trounced by his Republican opponent in the November election.

REP. FRED RICHMOND (D-N.Y.):

In April 1978, Richmond was arrested in Washington for soliciting sex from a 16-year-old boy. Richmond apologized for his actions, conceding he "made bad judgments involving my private life." In spite of a Democratic primary opponent's attempts to cash in on the headlines, Richmond easily won renomination and reelection. But his career came to an end four years later when, after pleading guilty to possession of marijuana and tax evasion - and amid allegations that he had his staff procure cocaine for him -- he resigned his seat.

REP. JOHN HINSON (D-Miss.):

On Aug. 8, 1980, during his first reelection bid, Hinson stunned everyone by announcing that in 1976 he had been accused of committing an obscene act at a gay haunt in Virginia. Hinson, married and a strong conservative, added that in 1977 he had survived a fire in a gay D.C. movie theater. He was making the disclosure, he said, because he needed to clear his conscience. But he denied he was a homosexual and refused GOP demands that he resign. Hinson won reelection in a three-way race, with 39 percent of the vote. But three months later, he was arrested on charges of attempted oral sodomy in the restroom of a House office building. He resigned his seat on April 13, 1981.

REP. ROBERT BAUMAN (D-Md.):

On Oct. 3, 1980, Bauman, a leading "pro-family" conservative, pleaded innocent to a charge that he committed oral sodomy on a teenage boy in Washington. Married and the father of four, Bauman conceded that he had been an alcoholic but had been seeking treatment. The news came as a shock to voters of the rural, conservative district, and he lost to a Democrat in November.

REP. DAN CRANE (R-Ill.) and REP. GERRY STUDDS (D-Mass.):

The House ethics committee on July 14, 1983, announced that Crane and Studds had sexual relationships with teenage congressional pages -- Crane with a 17-year-old female in 1980, Studds with a 17-year-old male in 1973. Both admitted the charges that same day, and Studds acknowledged he was gay. The committee voted to reprimand the two, but a back-bench Georgia Republican named Newt Gingrich argued that they should be expelled. The full House voted on July 20 instead to censure the two, the first time that ever happened for sexual misconduct. Crane, married and the father of six, was tearful in his apology to the House, while Studds refused to apologize. Crane's conservative district voted him out in 1984, while the voters in Studds's more liberal district were more forgiving. Studds won reelection in 1984 with 56 percent of the vote, and continued to win until he retired in 1996.

REP. ERNIE KONNYU (D-Calif.):

In August 1987, two former Konnyu aides complained to the San Jose Mercury News that the freshman Republican had sexually harassed them. GOP leaders were unhappy with Konnyu's temperament to begin with, so it took little effort to find candidates who would take him on in the primary. Stanford professor Tom Campbell ousted Konnyu the following June.

SEN. BROCK ADAMS (D-Wash.):

On Sept. 27, 1988, Seattle newspapers reported that Kari Tupper, the daughter of Adams's longtime friends, filed a complaint against the Washington Democrat in July of 1987, charging sexual assault. She claimed she went to Adams's house in March 1987 to get him to end a pattern of harassment, but that he drugged her and assaulted her. Adams denied any sexual assault, saying they only talked about her employment opportunities. Adams continued raising campaign funds and declared for a second term in February of 1992. But two weeks later the Seattle Times reported that eight other women were accusing Adams of sexual molestation over the past 20 years, describing a history of drugging and subsequent rape. Later that day, while still proclaiming his innocence, Adams ended his campaign.

REP. JIM BATES (D-Calif.):

Roll Call quoted former Bates aides in October 1988 saying that the San Diego Democrat made sexual advances toward female staffers. Bates called it a GOP-inspired smear campaign, but also apologized for anything he did that might have seemed inappropriate. The story came too close to Election Day to damage Bates, who won easily. However, the following October the ethics committee sent Bates a "letter of reproval" directing him to make a formal apology to the women who filed the complaint. Although the district was not thought to be hospitable to the GOP, Randy "Duke" Cunningham, a former Navy pilot who was once shot down over North Vietnam, ousted Bates in 1990 by fewer than 2,000 votes.

REP. GUS SAVAGE (D-Ill.):

The Washington Post reported on July 19, 1989, that Savage had fondled a Peace Corps volunteer while on an official visit to Zaire. Savage called the story a lie and blamed it on his political enemies and a racist media. (Savage is black.) In January 1990, the House ethics committee decided that the events did occur, but decided against any disciplinary action because Savage wrote a letter to the woman saying he "never intended to offend" her. Savage was reelected in 1990, but finally ousted in the 1992 primary by Mel Reynolds.

REP. BARNEY FRANK (D-Mass.):

In response to a story in the Aug. 25, 1989, Washington Times, Frank confirmed that he hired Steve Gobie, a male prostitute, in 1985 to live with and work for him in his D.C. apartment. But Frank, who is gay, said he fired Gobie in 1987 when he learned he was using the apartment to run a prostitution service. The Boston Globe, among others, called on Frank to resign, but he refused. On July 19, 1990, the ethics committee recommended Frank be reprimanded because he "reflected discredit upon the House" by using his congressional office to fix 33 of Gobie's parking tickets. Attempts to expel or censure Frank failed; instead the House voted 408-18 to reprimand him. The fury in Washington was not shared in Frank's district, where he won reelection in 1990 with 66 percent of the vote, and has won by larger margins ever since.

SEN. DANIEL INOUYE (D-Hawaii):

In October 1992, Republican Senate nominee Rick Reed began running a campaign commercial that included a surreptitiously taped interview with Lenore Kwock, Inouye's hairdresser. Kwock said Inouye had sexually forced himself on her in 1975 and continued a pattern of sexual harassment, even as Kwock continued to cut his hair over the years. Inouye, seeking a sixth term, denied the charges. And Kwock said that by running the commercial, Reed had caused her more pain than Inouye had. Reed was forced to pull the ad, and while many voters took out their anger on the Republican, Inouye was held to 57 percent of the vote - the lowest total of his career. A week later, a female Democratic state legislator announced that she had heard from nine other women who claimed Inouye had sexually harassed them over the past decade. But the women didn't go public with their claims, the local press didn't pursue the story, and the Senate Ethics Committee decided to drop the investigation because the accusers wouldn't participate in an inquiry.

REP MEL REYNOLDS (D-Ill.):

Freshman Reynolds was indicted on Aug. 19, 1994, on charges of having sex with a 16-year-old campaign worker and then pressuring her to lie about it. Reynolds, who is black, denied the charges and said the investigation was racially motivated. The GOP belatedly put up a write-in candidate for November, but Reynolds dispatched him in the overwhelmingly Democratic district with little effort. Reynolds was convicted on Aug. 22, 1995 of 12 counts of sexual assault, obstruction of justice and solicitation of child pornography, was sentenced to five years in prison, and resigned his seat on October 1.

So what was it you were saying again about how only the Republican Party has sex offenders and child molesters?

Re: Onetime Rising GOP Star Back To Prison For Sex Assaults

Truthteller — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 09:34:18 -0000

Hey, "ederlore," you were quick with the namecalling.... .....but not so quick to respond to actual FACTS being presented. What's the problem? Having a hard time admitting that you were flat wrong with your assertions? Bummed out at your namecalling and bashing being exposed for what it was?

Re: Onetime Rising GOP Star Back To Prison For Sex Assaults

Truthteller — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 11:36:04 -0000

And how about you, "deswiss?" You were real fast to "putt" up that BS moveondotorg propaganda....but now pretty slow to respond to some actual FACTS. Why is that, I wonder?

Re: Onetime Rising GOP Star Back To Prison For Sex Assaults

Truthteller — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 21:46:37 -0000

WAS. Past tense In fact, several YEARS past tense now. And since no Republican is defending him and no Republican wants to have anything to do with him, then why is it relevant to bring it up? It's not.

And you presume that he will somehow "resume his career in and around politics?" And IF he does, THEN it would be relevant? OH, please! Like any sex offender in his situation could possibly do that. With all due respect, Ms. Norris, give me a break.

Re: Onetime Rising GOP Star Back To Prison For Sex Assaults

Truthteller — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 05:48:03 -0000

If I'm telling a "story" then why is it that neither namecallers like you or anyone else has been able to refute it with facts of your own? Why is it that you stoop immediately to nothing more than the personal attack and feeble attempts at ridicule?

The answer is obvious - you have nothing truly of substance to say.

Re: State of U.S. Latinos has Suffered in Bush-led Union, Hispanic Leaders Say

Truthteller — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 07:56:04 -0000

Sorry, which Latino "leaders" are claiming that Hispanics have suffered?

I see one Latina from a "progressive think tank" in the story.

I see one other Latina who is a FORMER state senator and now running her own "think tank" in the story.

But the only Latino LEADER quoted in the story is talking about how Hispanics have BENEFITTED, not how they allegedly suffered.

So just which Hispanic "leaders" are making that claim? Other than Ms. Baca? Anyone actually IN office?

Re: Rocky Promises Doozy, Delivers Snoozy

Truthteller — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 11:56:27 -0000

So with everthing going on in the world Randy Ankeney's most recent incarceration gets "breathless front page treatment" from Colorado Confidential?

Strikes me that the importance factor in decisions to feature particular "stories" are very much a matter of one's personal perspective.

Re: Rocky Promises Doozy, Delivers Snoozy

Truthteller — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 14:52:13 -0000

IF there had been some kind of conspiracy to give him special treatment, I would completely agree with you.

But you have no indication of that. No evidence of that at all. Nothing other than he was once, years ago, a political operative. Lacking anything else, I'd say, no, that was not a very important story, and I question your purpose in making it a banner headline, as you already know.

I'll just let your slight attempt to slam my news interests just slip by.....other than to wonder at why you feel so compelled to keep track of me reading your site. What is it you're afraid of me doing or saying, I wonder?

Re: “Obamania” Sweeps Denver

Truthteller — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 13:30:28 -0000

With all this comparing to Camelot, I keep waiting for someone to say, "Obama, I knew Jack Kennedy, and you're no Jack Kennedy."

Which is what happened the last time a candidate invoked the Kennedy image in such a major way..........for those who might not remember.

Re: Rocky Promises Doozy, Delivers Snoozy

Truthteller — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 20:41:12 -0000

If sex offenses by political persons are so important then why aren't you reporting the current sex offense allegations against Mr. Garcia? That's MUCH more current, politically speaking, than Mr. Ankeney's situation.....

Re: Top Dem Leader Resigns Amid Sex Allegation

Truthteller — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 06:32:46 -0000

Wonder why this didn't get the breathless banner headline treatment that the non-story on Randy Ankeney got? After all, this is a truly CURRENT political figure.......

Interesting.

Re: Top Dem Leader Resigns Amid Sex Allegation

Truthteller — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 07:50:19 -0000

Actually, the partisanship and prejudice of this blog are clouding its collective views.

Face it - if this had been, say, Republican Andy McElheney, Cara DeGette would not only be all over the story, it would have been HUGE BANNER HEADLINES with photographs and sidebars tying him and his alleged sex offenses to any other Republican within reach, just as they did with the Ankeney "story." We would have had a bunch of Democrats chiming in with ridiculous postings about how ONLY Republicans commit sex crimes, and how the Republican Party attracts such persons, just as we did with the Ankeney "story." (Interesting how none of those democrats seem to want to comment on this story, though).

Re: Top Dem Leader Resigns Amid Sex Allegation

Truthteller — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 08:42:15 -0000

You can never resist personal perjoratives and namecalling can you? Says a lot, that does.

And if you think that headlines are necessarily all in the same font, you obviously don't have a clue about how things work.

Interesting, though, that you would defend him for doing "the right thing." Gee, and I thought that democrats NEVER defended sex offenders in their midst. At least that's what your buddies were saying over in the Ankeney story posts....

And Mr. Romanoff has been curiously silent about this. Why is that, I wonder? Where is that much-vaunted democrat leadership? Why don't we have even as much as a simple statement from him?

Re: Top Dem Leader Resigns Amid Sex Allegation

Truthteller — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 08:47:26 -0000

Hey, where's "ederlore," who said, "The difference with our party is we don't defend sex molesters. We don't care if they have a big D after their name. A criminal is a criminal and they should be punished for their crimes! Trust me, I'd be just as angry about this jerk no matter what party he belonged to although I'm sure your remarks would be much different if he were something other than a Republican."

We're waiting for you to tell us all about how you're going to make sure that this DEMOCRAT sex offender is punished, ederlore. We're waiting for you to be "just as angry about this jerk."

And why is that that a certain PeakDem member of your party is defending him? I thought that you democrats didn't do that? That IS what you said, after all.......

Re: Top Dem Leader Resigns Amid Sex Allegation

Truthteller — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 11:02:10 -0000

Are you saying that the several lobbyists he apparently approached in such a fashion weren't injured, so we should excuse this? And isn't his resignation sufficient proof? Why would he resign, especially so quickly, if he had not done this?

And he's a college teacher part-time.....you have to wonder if he approached any female students and hit on them the way he hit on female lobbyists, don't you?

Re: Top Dem Leader Resigns Amid Sex Allegation

Truthteller — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 11:03:22 -0000

Speaker Romanoff hasn't said one word about this - so how would you know that he "took control of this situation immediately?" Or are you just trying to put a positive spin on it?

Re: Top Dem Leader Resigns Amid Sex Allegation

Truthteller — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 11:06:28 -0000

Although I'll note that at least ONE leading democrat is attempting to minimize and excuse this - his potential replacement. From the RMN:

"The leading candidate for Garcia's seat in House District 42 is state Board of Education member Karen Middleton, who already was seeking the seat as Garcia was term-limited. An appointment will be made by a Democratic committee on Feb. 10.

"I think it's a just a tragedy," Middleton said. "I'm not sure we'll ever know the whole story. I'm not sure we need to. Michael's a personal friend, and I just feel sorry for him during this difficult time."

Middleton said she briefly talked to Garcia on Thursday.

"He was still sorting things out and wanted to focus on his family," she said."

So she thinks it's a "tragedy" for him and his family and feels sorry for him....wonder what she thinks it is for the women he "approached?"

Re: Top Dem Leader Resigns Amid Sex Allegation

Truthteller — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 14:21:48 -0000

Yet another personal attack. Is that the best you can do? Because, frankly, it's a pretty good indicator that you are unable to say anything of substance.

Re: Top Dem Leader Resigns Amid Sex Allegation

Truthteller — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 14:31:06 -0000

Indeed I agree it's apples and oranges - Ankeney has been out of politics since 2001 (that's 7 years ago, Ms. DeGette) and Garcia is a politician NOW (well, at least as of yesterday).

So why did a story on sex offender Ankeney get top-of-the-website, multiple screens of treatment mentioning every possible Republican previous associate, and sex offender Garcia's story gets minimized as much as possible?

Interesting to compare those apples and oranges sometimes.....

Re: Top Dem Leader Resigns Amid Sex Allegation

Truthteller — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 20:29:48 -0000

How would you like it if he did that to your daughter? Or sister? Or mother?

Re: Top Dem Leader Resigns Amid Sex Allegation

Truthteller — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 08:30:30 -0000

Interesting how those democrats who were HOT to talk about Randy Ankeney last week have no comment now. Very interesting. And very revealing.

Re: Top Dem Leader Resigns Amid Sex Allegation

Truthteller — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 14:58:08 -0000

Still waiting "ederlore" You were telling us how democrats NEVER commit sex offenses, and don't defend those who do????? Gee, why your silence now?

Re: Top Dem Leader Resigns Amid Sex Allegation

Truthteller — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 18:24:33 -0000

Nice attempt to change the subject but we notice that you didn't answer the question, either.

So are we to presume that it's perfectly all right with you if a sex offender goes around exposing himself to your sister, daugter or wife? That seems to be the only conclusion we can draw (other than you'll excuse bad behavior of a democrat at all costs).

Re: Obama, Clinton Campaigns Target the West Slope

Truthteller — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 11:59:05 -0000

I wonder how Coloradans will respond when they hear that unless you do just what Hillary demands for your health care, you'll get your paycheck garnished. I think that she's just killed her campaign, whatever Obama does at this point.

Re: Clinton Advisers Whack Obama Over Mailer

Truthteller — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 14:22:01 -0000

So, don't do what Hillary wants, and she'll take your salary (that which you have left after taxes). Nice.

Re: Ted Haggard Quits New Life ‘Restoration Team’

Truthteller — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 04:40:26 -0000

Nice example of hate speech. One wonders how you can live a life so obviously full of bile and bitterness.

And isn't it odd how any discussion of religion these days brings the Christian-bashers out of the woodwork. You have to wonder just what it is that they're so afraid of that they have to try and tear down Christianity any way that they can.

Re: Ethics Group Claims Denver Officials Ignoring Complaint

Truthteller — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 04:47:00 -0000

Of course, since "Colorado Ethics Watch" is being run by a long-time democrat party activist, you have to seriously question the credibility of that organization's attack on anything Republican....especially since other legal actions brought against that Republican organization have met with such abject failure as to be determined to be frivilous by the presiding judge. Maybe a better story would be the sanctions and attorneys fees about to be paid by Aaron Fink, another democrat party activist? Here, I'll help you out:

"In September 2006, Fink filed a campaign finance complaint against the Senate Majority Fund, a Republican political organization, claiming that the "527" organization had violated the prohibition on corporate funding for "electioneering communications" -- a specific type of political communication that occurs just before an election. There was only one problem - at the time Fink filed his complaint, the fund had not made any communications, and no electioneering communications. And, as the court concluded, Fink knew it.

In his complaint, Fink also included both the Trailhead Group and the Colorado Leadership Fund, two other high-profile Republican political groups. The complaint drew plenty of press coverage before the election, but Fink quietly dropped his claims against all three groups shortly after the 2006 general election. Republicans cried foul, however, and demanded attorney fees. When the administrative court rejected that request, the SMF appealed to the Colorado Court of Appeals. More than two years after Fink's first press release, the court ruled that he must pay the SMF's legal fees. This is the first case in which the Court of Appeals has demanded attorney fees for a frivolous campaign finance complaint.

Fink's complaint is not the first against the SMF. In fact, the fund had been sued three times in two years - a campaign finance complaint just before the 2004 election that was quietly dropped after the election and another complaint shortly after the election, where the fund won at trial and on appeal. In order to stop what some observers thought was a Democrat campaign if legal harassment, the fund decided to take action.

In its opinion, the Court of Appeals concluded that "Fink's complaint was founded on nothing more than unsupported speculation." At the same time, there is speculation that Fink himself may not have to pay attorney fees, as rumors at the state Capitol indicate that Alice Madden, the Democratic House Majority Leader, was the hidden force behind the lawsuit.

Scott Gessler, the attorney who represented the SMF, also hopes that the case will have a broader impact. "We tried to resolve this case quickly and privately, but Fink just persisted. Hopefully, these Democrat activists will now stop suing the Senate Majority Fund immediately before every general election."

Re: Ted Haggard Quits New Life ‘Restoration Team’

Truthteller — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 06:22:49 -0000

Wow, even more hate speech. Nice. Thanks for the examples.

Re: Ted Haggard Quits New Life ‘Restoration Team’

Truthteller — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 06:24:42 -0000

Sorry to have to point it out but that little rant began with "Christians......" and went on from there. So this is far from limited to Ted Haggard at this point.

And then YOU said, "So many Christians believe....."

So how is this just a discussion of Ted Haggard?

Maybe you should think a little more before you post?

Re: Ted Haggard Quits New Life ‘Restoration Team’

Truthteller — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 06:26:41 -0000

So, for example, if I said something like "all homosexuals are mentally ill," that wouldn't be bashing homosexuality? Is that what you're saying? Because the accusation was made that all Christians are mentally ill.

(Accusing all of them of "arrogance" and lacking compassion is also bashing, in case you didn't realize it).

Re: Ethics Group Claims Denver Officials Ignoring Complaint

Truthteller — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 06:34:27 -0000

As the Post reported: "A two-minute Google search would have identified Taylor's affiliation with the ACLU of Colorado and her active role as a district captain for the Denver Democratic Party. And less than five minutes searching the contribution records on the Colorado Secretary of State Web site would have shown that Taylor is a contributor to Ken Gordon, the Democrats' candidate for Secretary of State."

Maybe you should check your facts a bit?

Re: Ted Haggard Quits New Life ‘Restoration Team’

Truthteller — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 20:42:56 -0000

Hmmmm. Let's recap. Let's see...."ilk,"......."bash your enemy of the day".........."whine and moan"......"their own dispicable behavior".........etc.

Yep, pure hate speech. Not surprising, but not very original, either.

Keep it up. Your own words are showing just how much of a hater you are.

(P.S. I never claimed to be Christian. But you don't have to be one to recognize when someone hates them.)

Re: Ted Haggard Quits New Life ‘Restoration Team’

Truthteller — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 20:47:42 -0000

And when you can show me "Calling all homosexuals.... ...any of those things, you can rightfully accuse me of bashing that particular group. Sorry to pop the bubble of your delusions, but you won't find any of that from me. But you WILL find me pointing it out when you or others engage in hate speech against anyone. Don't like it? Tough.

So you're not sure what church I belong to (in fact, I don't), but you accuse me or my fellow religionists (of which there aren't any, but telling that little fable doesn't seem to bother you) of making "numerous statements....." Hmm. Maybe you ought to actually CHECK YOUR FACTS before you make accusations? Or is that too much to ask? No doubt, easier to simply engage in mindless hateful false accusations. Well, let us know if that works out for you in the long run.

Re: Ted Haggard Quits New Life ‘Restoration Team’

Truthteller — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 20:51:14 -0000

More hatred and bashing :yawn: I confess, it begins to be boring, it's so predictable.

And anyone who engages in such IS a coward and a barbarian. Sorry to have to be the one to tell you that. So before you come to these discussions with all that bias and blindess, perhaps you should open your eyes and look in a mirror.

(P.S. I never claimed to be a Christian, or Xtian, if you prefer your own attempt to disparage through childishness. Let us know when you've grown up enough to have an adult discussion, eh?)

Re: Ted Haggard Quits New Life ‘Restoration Team’

Truthteller — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 20:52:21 -0000

You want to debate the semantics of what "hate speech" is and isn't?

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!

Next you'll be arguing over what the definition of "is" is.......

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!

Re: Ted Haggard Quits New Life ‘Restoration Team’

Truthteller — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 20:53:10 -0000

And your guess would be wrong but don't let me confuse you with any facts, since your mind is made up.

Re: Ted Haggard Quits New Life ‘Restoration Team’

Truthteller — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 20:55:57 -0000

Can't you do any better then the childish personal attack and namecalling?

No, I suppose not.

Ah, well.

And where you came up with that nonsense about me being female, I have no idea, but you're WAAYYY off the mark. But don't let yourself be confused with any actual facts. I can see you're far too lost in your fantasy. Have a nice day.

Re: Larry Liston Joins The ‘Sluts’ Slinging Brigade

Truthteller — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 07:57:04 -0000

As unfortunately happens sometimes, complete idiots can find their way into public office, by sucking up to the party officials, mostly, as witness Larry Listless.....err....Liston.

Larry, why don't you do us all a favor and resign, so we can have a REAL Republican in that office who actually knows what he or she is doing, ok?

Re: Science Sunday: More Harm Than Good From Biofuels?

Truthteller — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 08:02:10 -0000

When you get to the point that... ...you're burning food for fuel, you have a problem.

Ethanol is not a great idea, unless and until they figure out how to produce it economically from non-food crops. Biodiesel is a much better option, if you must. But anything that will free us from dependence on foreign energy sources is a good idea SO LONG AS we can do it economically.

Re: Delegate Math Predicts an Uncertain Summer for Democrats

Truthteller — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:54:06 -0000

Too bad that... almost every item on that list is completely false.

Re: Delegate Math Predicts an Uncertain Summer for Democrats

Truthteller — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:55:22 -0000

And too bad that.. Mr. Bush isn't a candidate in this election, no matter how much you'd like to run against him.

Re: BLM Plans for Oil Shale Mining

Truthteller — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:48:24 -0000

So, I take it that you have completely stopped any use of petroleum products, right?

What's that? You still drive a CAR? You still heat your HOUSE? OUTRAGEOUS!!!!!!! How DARE you!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Re: Liberal Gun Club Gathers To Celebrate Second Amendment

Truthteller — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 09:24:23 -0000

Interesting that you should feel compelled to try and taunt someone who hasn't even made a comment about this topic. Why is that, do you suppose?

Re: The Irony Of The Bruce Anti-Tax Machine

Truthteller — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 17:06:07 -0000

Just out of curiosity.... ...are you claiming or intimating that his activities are illegal?

Re: The Irony Of The Bruce Anti-Tax Machine

Truthteller — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 05:27:22 -0000

So why aren't you out there... .....doing a lengthy expose for something like the Denver Post?

Re: The Irony Of The Bruce Anti-Tax Machine

Truthteller — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 09:07:49 -0000

I mean that if this is so shockingly bad, then a good journalist would be trumpeting the story from every possible angle, in every possible medium. I know you don't work for the Post....I said "like the Denver Post," meaning (sorry I wasn't clearer) that you (or someone) should be working to get such an important story much wider circulation than merely here on a relatively minor political blogsite.

Re: The Irony Of The Bruce Anti-Tax Machine

Truthteller — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 08:18:18 -0000

On another matter why do you seem to feel it necessary to attack me personally? I was asking a legitimate question about what she said was a very important story. What is your problem?

Re: Take Me To Your Leader: A Colorado College Round-Up

Truthteller — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 08:19:24 -0000

Too many lawyers on that list.

Re: Supremes Bring Gift Ban Back; Still No Ethics Commission

Truthteller — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:10:02 -0000

It appears, from the quote from the ruling that the Court ordered the injunction vacated on purely jurisdictional grounds, because the case was not ripe. That means that no injury has yet occurred. So when a lawmaker can point at an injury, won't we just see this case, or an identical one, all over again?

Re: Locked and Loaded: Bullets New Addition to National Park Experience?

Truthteller — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:07:12 -0000

Those are exactly the same arguments offered by anti-gun nuts to oppose licensed concealed carry. They were terrified about all the impending bloodbaths and shootouts. Everybody who carried was supposedly a "Rambo" just panting for a firefight. Funny how those things NEVER HAPPENED despite all of the dire predictions.

And if you think that "aiming a firearm and taking the life of another human is the simplest most natural thing in the world," then you don't really have a clue about how difficult that kind of thing really is. Just out of curiousity, have you EVER shot a gun in your entire life? I don't mean the plastic "guns" on arcade videogames, I mean the real thing. Have you ever heard a shot fired in anger even close to your direction? Ever even gone on a ridealong with a cop when the situation got a little tense? I'd bet "no" on every one of those - I'd bet that your entire picture of firearms and firearm use and even crime is taken straight from TV and movies, and nowhere else. Well, guess what - Hollywood rarely, if ever, gets it right.

Re: U.S. Is Undermining International Criminal Court, U.S. Attorney Says

Truthteller — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 07:42:17 -0000

What's obvious is that the cost to US sovereignty from participating in such things is not worth the cost. They inevitably seem to end up being used by other countries with clear anti-American agendas. THAT is why we can and should "undermine" such organizations.

Re: U.S. Is Undermining International Criminal Court, U.S. Attorney Says

Truthteller — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 16:32:21 -0000

Actually, I HAVE read it and I noticed, though you don't seem to have, all those "OR's" in the requirements. And, I note, it's not the US that will determine what it is to be "unwilling or unable to adjudicate." That does NOT necessarily mean "no functioning judicial system."

And, I'm compelled to point out, especially since you felt it necessary to make a personal attack, that ANY case by the ICC that exercises ANY jurisdiction over the US or any US citizen is an infringement upon US sovereignty. That is why this whole business is a HORRIBLE idea for the US to participate in, in any fashion at all.

Re: Spring Flood Threat Keeps Towns on Alert

Truthteller — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 08:32:46 -0000

Wow, all this snow we have...... ...it MUST be GLOBAL WARMING!!!!!!! Aggggghhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

(P.S. unless sunspot activity increases significantly in the near term, we'll all be terrified of global COOLING).

Re: Spring Flood Threat Keeps Towns on Alert

Truthteller — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 09:30:35 -0000

Hey, don't tell me, tell.... ....all those global warming extremists who want to point at an extremely limited data set and tell us that the sky is so obviously falling.

Re: No Word From Ethics Commish - Other Than It Doesn’t Exist

Truthteller — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 09:33:14 -0000

Makes you wonder... ....who Cara pissed off, doesn't it? Heh.

Re: Spring Flood Threat Keeps Towns on Alert

Truthteller — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:47:20 -0000

Sunspots have.... .....a "negligible effect on our climate?"

OH, PUH-LEAZE.

"No reputable scientist" with actual knowledge of the solar cycle would ever try to claim that.

Who are you trying to kid?

And "600,000+ years of data?" Yeah, I'm sure that there are accurate records of every meteorlogical event from even, say, 2000 years ago? What's that, you can't seem to find them on the Internet? Gee, what a surprise.

Stop trying to pass off speculation based on the geological record, which EVERY geologist will admit is incomplete, as fact.

See, this kind of thing is EXACTLY why you can't believe the hype about "global warming" and "climate change." Because people will lie to forward a political agenda using such wild nonsense. Unfortunately, too many people buy off on the lies, not knowing any better. If the hype and BS weren't such serious threats to our economy and way of life, it would all be laughable. As it is, it's scary and pathetic at the same time.

Re: Spring Flood Threat Keeps Towns on Alert

Truthteller — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 21:07:59 -0000

Wow, the Global Warming Religionist Fanatic.... ..launches an attack on her perceived Religious Fanatic opponents.

Real good scientific argument, all those personal perjoratives and feeble attempts at sarcasm, not to mention the out-and-out namecalling. Thanks for the terrific demonstration of just what is so completely wrong with the Global Warming crowd. That kind of thing is EXACTLY why they can't be believed. Appreciate it.

Re: Spring Flood Threat Keeps Towns on Alert

Truthteller — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 21:09:17 -0000

Excuse me, but just exactly what "records that exist" came from 600,000 years ago, as you claimed?

Re: Spring Flood Threat Keeps Towns on Alert

Truthteller — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 21:18:59 -0000

What Senator Inhofe says about this......very revealing

Since 1895, the media has alternated between global cooling and warming scares during four separate and sometimes overlapping time periods. From 1895 until the 1930's the media peddled a coming ice age.

From the late 1920's until the 1960's they warned of global warming. From the 1950's until the 1970's they warned us again of a coming ice age. This makes modern global warming the fourth estate's fourth attempt to promote opposing climate change fears during the last 100 years.

Recently, advocates of alarmism have grown increasingly desperate to try to convince the public that global warming is the greatest moral issue of our generation. Last year, the vice president of London's Royal Society sent a chilling letter to the media encouraging them to stifle the voices of scientists

skeptical of climate alarmism. During the past year, the American people have been served up an unprecedented parade of environmental alarmism by the media and entertainment industry, which link every possible weather

event to global warming. The year 2006 saw many major organs of the media dismiss any pretense of balance and objectivity on climate change coverage and instead crossed squarely into global warming

advocacy.

SUMMARY OF LATEST DEVELOPMENTS OF MANMADE GLOBAL

WARMING HOCKEY STICK

First, I would like to summarize some of the recent developments in the controversy over whether or not humans have created a climate catastrophe. One of the key aspects that the United Nations,

environmental groups and the media have promoted as the "smoking gun" of proof of catastrophic global warming is the so-called `hockey stick' temperature graph by climate scientist Michael Mann and his colleagues.

This graph purported to show that temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere remained relatively stable over 900 years, then spiked upward in the 20th century presumably due to human activity. Mann, who also co-publishes a global warming propaganda blog reportedly set up with the help of an environmental group, had his "Hockey Stick" come under severe scrutiny.

The "hockey stick" was completely and thoroughly broken once and for all in 2006. Several years ago, two Canadian researchers tore apart the statistical foundation for the hockey stick. In 2006, both the National Academy of Sciences and an independent researcher further refuted the foundation of the

"hockey stick." http://epw.senate.go...

The National Academy of Sciences report reaffirmed the existence of the Medieval Warm Period from about 900 AD to 1300 AD and the Little Ice Age from about 1500 to 1850. Both of these periods occurred long before the invention of the SUV or human industrial activity could have possibly

impacted the Earth's climate. In fact, scientists believe the Earth was warmer than today during the Medieval Warm Period, when the Vikings grew crops in Greenland.

Climate alarmists have been attempting to erase the

inconvenient Medieval Warm Period from the Earth's

climate history for at least a decade. David Deming, an

assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma's College

of Geosciences, can testify first hand about this effort. Dr.

Deming was welcomed into the close-knit group of global

warming believers after he published a paper in 1995 that

noted some warming in the 20th century. Deming says he

was subsequently contacted by a prominent global warming

alarmist and told point blank "We have to get rid of the

Medieval Warm Period." When the "Hockey Stick" first

appeared in 1998, it did just that.

END OF LITTLE ICE AGE MEANS WARMING

The media have missed the big pieces of the puzzle when it comes to the Earth's temperatures and mankind's carbon dioxide (C02) emissions. It is very simplistic to feign horror and say the one degree Fahrenheit temperature increase during the 20th century means we are all doomed. First of all, the one degree Fahrenheit rise coincided with the greatest advancement of living standards, life expectancy, food production and human health in the history of our planet. So it is hard to argue that the global warming we experienced in the 20th century was somehow negative or part of a catastrophic trend.

Second, what the climate alarmists and their advocates in the media have continued to ignore is the fact that the Little Ice Age, which resulted in harsh winters which froze New York Harbor and caused untold deaths, ended about 1850. So trying to prove man-made global warming by comparing the well-known fact that today's temperatures are warmer than during the Little Ice Age is akin to comparing summer to winter to show a catastrophic temperature trend.

In addition, something that the media almost never addresses are the holes in the theory that C02 has been the driving force in global warming. Alarmists fail to adequately explain why temperatures began warming at the end of the Little Ice Age in about 1850, long before man-made CO2 emissions

could have impacted the climate. Then about 1940, just as man-made CO2 emissions rose sharply, the temperatures began a decline that lasted until the 1970's, prompting the media and many scientists to fear a coming ice age.

Let me repeat, temperatures got colder after C02 emissions exploded. If C02 is the driving force of global climate change, why do so many in the media ignore the many skeptical scientists who cite these rather obvious inconvenient truths?

Re: Spring Flood Threat Keeps Towns on Alert

Truthteller — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 21:22:57 -0000

Sunspots don't count? Hmmm...... Sun's low magnetic activity may portend an ice age

The Canadian Space Agency's radio telescope has been reporting Flux Density Values so low they will mean a mini ice age if they continue.

Like the number of sunspots, the Flux Density Values reflect the Sun's magnetic activity, which affects the rate at which the Sun radiates energy and warmth. CSA project director Ken Tapping calls the radio telescope that supplies NASA and the rest of the world with daily values of the Sun's magnetic activity a "stethoscope on the Sun". In this case, however, it is the "doctor" whose health is directly affected by the readings.

This is because when the magnetic activity is low, the Sun is dimmer, and puts out less radiant warmth. If the Sun goes into dim mode, as it has in the past, the Earth gets much colder.

Tapping, who was originally from Kent, says that "Typically as you go through the ten or eleven year solar activity cycle you see the numbers go up or down. The lowest number is 64 or 68. The numbers 71 or 72 are very low, but they usually start to go up. We are at the end of a cycle, but the numbers still haven't gone up. We have been joking around coffee that we may be seeing the Sun about to shut down." (To date Tapping has been far more concerned about global warming.)

These were the values released yesterday -

Density Values in sfu for 22:00 on 2008:01:30

Julian Day Number : 2454496.406

Carrington Rotation Number : 2066.207

Observed Flux Density : 0073.6

Flux Density Adjusted for 1 A.U. : 0071.4

URSI Series D Flux, Adj. x 0.9 : 0064.3

According to NASA, "early, well-documented records indicate that the Sun went through a period of inactivity in the late 17th century" from about 1645 to 1715, during the Maunder Minimum.

Source: http://www.britsatth...

Re: Spring Flood Threat Keeps Towns on Alert

Truthteller — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:55:44 -0000

Name them. Describe them. Tell us how reliable these unsourced "chemical records" are from 600,000 years ago. We are just ACHING to hear this.

Re: Spring Flood Threat Keeps Towns on Alert

Truthteller — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:56:41 -0000

So, you have no response to the substance other than engaging in namecalling. That tells us quite a lot, it does.

Re: Spring Flood Threat Keeps Towns on Alert

Truthteller — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:58:08 -0000

So, nothing more than mere namecalling... ...and pointing us at a clearly dubious source....really, "media matters" is now an expert on global climatology? And not biased at all, right?

Wake up and small what you're shoveling.

Re: Spring Flood Threat Keeps Towns on Alert

Truthteller — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 07:01:20 -0000

It's not a "perjorative" if it's a fact rather unlike "neonurse's" reference to things supernatural.

OH, but hey, don't let me confuse you with any facts, since your minds are so clearly made up. Just go ahead and label people "deniers" to associate them with Holacaust Deniers and keep right on with what you're doing, not matter how based on false assumptions and limited data it might be. After all, who am I to question your new religion, right?

Re: Spring Flood Threat Keeps Towns on Alert

Truthteller — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:16:46 -0000

Have a nice day This problem of confusing one's beliefs with reality is the mark of this age, and you are not the only one afflicted with it. Good day, sir.

Re: Spring Flood Threat Keeps Towns on Alert

Truthteller — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:18:07 -0000

Have fun following your new religion of global warming Hope it works out for you.

Re: Mark Waller Has Shinpads, Will Challenge Bruce for Statehouse Seat

Truthteller — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 08:02:45 -0000

Yeah, Mary Lou Makepeace... ....and her whole pro-developer crowd were and are really "fiscal conservatives." Right. If you're wondering how we got to where we are, you can't point fingers at true fiscal conservatives, because the Colorado Springs City Council hasn't had hardly any elected to it in the last 15 years. Maybe Tom Gallagher. Certainly not John Hazlehurst or any of that crowd.

And that's not even mentioning the number of California-style bureaucrats on the city staff, particularly the planning staff.

And who were the first in El Paso County to say NO to a developer when there was no water.....gee, could it be all those Republicans on the Board of County Commissioners? Yes, it could...and was.

Re: Spring Flood Threat Keeps Towns on Alert

Truthteller — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 08:57:30 -0000

Warming. Uh huh. As straws in the wind, note that it snowed in Baghdad in January, for the first time in a century. There is still snow in the Australian Alps at midsummer, never before seen. The extent of the Antarctic sea-ice last austral winter exceeded all records. These are of course mere anecdotal evidence, not to be taken seriously.

However, the four major organizations that track the global average temperature have now released their results for 2007. They are the Hadley Centre in the UK (Hadley), the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), Remote Sensing Systems, Inc., in Santa Rosa, CA, (RSS) and the Christy group at the University of Alabama at Huntsville (UAH). The first three have been alarmed about GW for years, while the UAH group (which uses satellite MSU measurements) has tended to be skeptical.

All four of these studies report an astonishing drop in global temperature during 2007, between 0.59 and 0.75 degrees C. You can see graphs of their data at

http://wattsupwithth...

02/19/january-2008-4-

sources-say-globally-cooler-in-the-past-12-months/ .

This is by far the fastest change in global temperature on record. It is probably just a blip - but if the climate stabilizes at this level, it will have wiped out all the increase since 1920, and the whole GW thing will have gone away. Moreover, if 2008 shows another decrease of this magnitude, we will have to consider seriously the possibility that the 20-year transition to the next Ice Age has begun.

To paraphrase Eugene O'Neill, The Ice Age Cometh?

If this is true, the consequences are appalling. Most of North America and all of Europe north of the Alps will be under a mile of ice by 2030. This means that most of the advanced countries except Australia will cease to exist. There can be little doubt that the need to survive will trump any international norms of behavior: I would expect that Europe would invade Africa and the US would invade Mexico, accepting genocide of the indigenous populations as an unfortunate necessity, given the absolute need for lebensraum.

Perhaps we could delay or stop the transition by using nuclear explosions to release floods of methane (a much more potent greenhouse gas than CO2) from the hydrate deposits under the Arctic permafrost and on the continental shelves, and/or by mounting a major effort to reduce the albedo by shoveling dirt over northern snowfields. Unfortunately, the reputations and income of far too many influential people now depend on the existence of the GW threat, and they will resist recognizing the truth as long as possible. In any case, I don't expect politicians to have the chutzpah to act before it is too late.

Until we find out whether the present cold is transient or getting worse, the Precautionary Principle demands that we all do our duty by guzzling as much gasoline and emitting as much CO2 and CH4 as possible. Flatulence is now a patriotic duty.

Re: Grassroots Democrats Worry about Split in Party

Truthteller — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 18:55:45 -0000

The Obama/Clinton contest is kind of..... ......like watching at train wreck. It's horrible, and you know it, but you can't really take your eyes away from it. The Clintons are really intent on getting back to the White House, and they're willing to destroy anyone and anything that the perceive as getting in their way.

Re: Mark Waller Kicks Douglas Bruce Down a Line

Truthteller — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 18:58:28 -0000

Indeed. He is his own worst enemy. Very difficult to have any sympathy for him, since he has neither sympathy nor empathy for anyone else.

Re: Grassroots Democrats Worry about Split in Party

Truthteller — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 06:19:58 -0000

Just out of curiosity.... ....is there anything that you don't see through a completely partisan lens?

Re: Grassroots Democrats Worry about Split in Party

Truthteller — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 11:12:28 -0000

Nice attempt at a spin move.... ....but if you'd bother to READ what I actually say, instead of just throwing darts at what you THINK I've said, you'd know the answer.

Interesting, though, that you felt you had to dodge that question. Very revealing.

Re: Grassroots Democrats Worry about Split in Party

Truthteller — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 11:15:29 -0000

And, by the way.... ....there was nothing particularly partisan in my "train wreck" comment, unless you happen to think that the Clintons and the Democrat Party are one and the same. Which you may very well believe, so far as I can tell........

Re: Ward Connerly’s Anti-Affirmative Action Machine

Truthteller — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 19:00:02 -0000

You forgot to mention.... ...that this measure is strongly supported by former-state senator Ed "Cocaine Deal" Jones, a fact that, when it is widely known, will almost certainly cause the entire effort to end in failure.

Re: Bush Impeachment is on Arapahoe Democrats’ Platform

Truthteller — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:53:17 -0000

Ridiculous posturing n/t

Re: Bush Impeachment is on Arapahoe Democrats’ Platform

Truthteller — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 19:54:44 -0000

SSSHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Don't tell anyone at Colorado Confidential, but there's a big story going on about a DEMOCRAT having to resign from a high office.....in New York....but keep it quiet....it's really kind of scandalous......

Re: Bush Impeachment is on Arapahoe Democrats’ Platform

Truthteller — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 08:12:48 -0000

Strike a nerve there, Ms. Norris?

Funny, I can't seem to shake myself of the notion that if he were Republican, you'd be all over that story, and telling us how deeply it would affect Colorado and the nation. Ah, well.

Re: 5 Years In Iraq: The Costs of War

Truthteller — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 10:09:14 -0000

So you would have preferred to leave Saddam Hussein in power... ....so he could continue to feed his own citizens, alive, into wood chippers, right? Oh, and don't forget the torture rooms....the multiple rapes by his sons and soldiers, the illegal invasion and occupation of Kuwait....the poison gassing of his own Kurdish citizens...

Yeah, lots of good reasons there to leave Saddam in power.

Re: 5 Years In Iraq: The Costs of War

Truthteller — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:47:02 -0000

Excuse me, but you didn't address the points made. Is it or is it not your position that we should have left Saddam Hussein in power, knowing what we did about a) his torturous regime, b) his known ability to develop, and then USE chemical weapons, and c) his obvious willingness to carry out wars against neighboring countries?

You can talk about why there were or why there were not WMDs found endlessly, and you can accuse President Bush of lying all you want, but that still doesn't address those points. Why are you afraid of addressing them?

And, by the way, all of the evidence indicates that Saddam Hussein was engaged in a deliberate campaign to make outside nations THINK he actually had WMDs (chemical weapons), as well as taking deliberate actions to maintain the capability to make such weapons in modeately short order, if left alone.

So, is it your position that we should have left Saddam Hussein in power, to develop chemical weapons of mass destruction? A simple yes or no will suffice.

Re: 5 Years In Iraq: The Costs of War

Truthteller — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 21:43:09 -0000

Hmmmm. You found it pretty easy to pop off and bash the Republicans and the present, but somehow you don't find it so easy to answer these questions. Interesting.

Re: 5 Years In Iraq: The Costs of War

Truthteller — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 09:58:36 -0000

Well, we weren't talking about Afghanistan and al-Qaeda, but..... From today's New York Sun:

WASHINGTON - A Pentagon review of about 600,000 documents captured in the Iraq war attests to Saddam Hussein's willingness to use terrorism to target Americans and work closely with jihadist organizations throughout the Middle East.

The report, released this week by the Institute for Defense Analyses, says it found no "smoking gun" linking Iraq operationally to Al Qaeda. But it does say Saddam collaborated with known Al Qaeda affiliates and a wider constellation of Islamist terror groups.

The report, titled "Saddam and Terrorism: Emerging Insights from Captured Iraqi Documents," finds that:

Re: 5 Years In Iraq: The Costs of War

Truthteller — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 10:02:18 -0000

I'm sure that if you could just get Bin Laden to listen... ....then everything would turn into sweetness and light and we'd all sit down around a campfire and sing Kumbaya together. Sure. Right.

Nice dream, but it is only wishful thinking. That just doesn't cut it in the real world where there are people who, if you were in their camp, would cut off your living head and put it on video for the world to see, just because you are an American.

Re: 5 Years In Iraq: The Costs of War

Truthteller — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:28:30 -0000

Oh, and just out of curiosity.... ...what would the "cost" have been if Saddam Hussein had stayed in power, built WMDs, and set off several chemical weapons in the center of New York Harbor?

....what would the "cost" be if we hadn't forced Bin Laden to hide in a cave in Afghanistan.....and let him plan and carry out even more suicide terrorist attacks?

....what would be the "cost" of letting ANY kind of radical Islamist terrorist group just run rampant by the US doing nothing?

....what would be the cost of even ONE terrorist "dirty bomb" exploded in any major US city?

Did John Denver sing any songs about that?

Re: 5 Years In Iraq: The Costs of War

Truthteller — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:13:37 -0000

So you're saying that if I didn't serve in wartime (which you have no clue.. ...about), then I'm somehow not qualified to speak about it, eh?

That obviously disqualifies you, then, since, it is very, very plain that you have never, ever heard a shot fired in anger.

Spare me the high school level debate tactics, eh? Like wishful thinking about war somehow vanishing if we just "give peace a chance," they don't work in the real world.

And, by the way, despite your allusion to the contrary, I have not called war "glory," nor have I "cried aloud for blood, for vengeance, for desolation." I have suggested that a realistic view of the world requires us to defend our country, and that sometimes requires war, whether we like or not, whether we want it or not.

Now, I know that may be a little too nuanced for the bumper sticker crowd, for those who think that a protest sign saying "Impeach Bush the Criminal" is the highest form of human endeavor, but until you come up with a better alternative that actually WORKS, I think we ought to stick with something that does.

Re: 5 Years In Iraq: The Costs of War

Truthteller — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:16:40 -0000

So, I take it that..... ....you are OH SO EXPERIENCED in war, eh?

Well, what you're so "sure" about me, as it happens, is completely and totally wrong. So instead of the innuendo and feeble attempt at sarcasm, how about actually trying to deal with the issues, eh?

Re: 5 Years In Iraq: The Costs of War

Truthteller — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:20:21 -0000

"Millions more.."? And since you're demanding proof and evidence from me, where is your proof for that little assertion?

While you're trying to find something more than opinion to back up your statement, try finding out how many friends we've made by killing terrorists...how much good we've done....how many lives we've saved....how schools have reopened in Iraq and Afghanistan...how many women aren't being abused and raped....how any families in Iran have had their sons and daughters treated in American military medical facilities.......you know, all that stuff you like to try to ignore while nobly declaring to us all that war is bad and Bush is a liar.

Re: 5 Years In Iraq: The Costs of War

Truthteller — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:22:33 -0000

Tell, me, anonymous... .....why is it that liberals always seem to want to try and start a personal argument by making a personal attack?

Now THAT is "silly."

And speaking of "logic," try not using strawman arguments. They, too, are "silly."

Re: 5 Years In Iraq: The Costs of War

Truthteller — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:57:39 -0000

As John Stuart Mill once said: War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature, and has no chance of being free unless made or kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.

Re: 5 Years In Iraq: The Costs of War

Truthteller — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 22:02:00 -0000

Try getting your facts straight. Because you obviously do not know what you're talking about. And I don't mean that unkindly, really. It's just that you don't have a grasp of the basic facts. Calling the truth "neocon rhetoric" strongly suggests that your entire worldview is derived from moveondotorg and the like, which isn't exactly the most reliable of sources. Try seeking information from sources other than those which fit your pre-dispositions.

(P.S. The NY Sun was REPORTING what came from an independent think-tank study which examined thousands and thousands of captured Iraqi documents. So why don't you believe the facts? Because you don't want to, most likely....)

Re: Bush Aims to Change Labor Landscape Before Leaving

Truthteller — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:28:34 -0000

In case you didn't know it, "tallport" is a paid union official.

Re: 5 Years In Iraq: The Costs of War

Truthteller — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:49:39 -0000

A point that will perhaps illustrate the value of our soldiers fighting overseas.. ....how many successful terrorist attacks have there been on American soil since 9/11?

Now, you KNOW that there are those out there who would make such attacks.

And you KNOW that those people would if they possibly could (see the Bin Laden tape just released).

But we have not had ANY such attacks successfully made on American soil since 9/11.

How can that NOT be a indicator that we are doing SOMETHING right with the way that President Bush is conducting the war on terrorism? Isn't it reasonable to conclude that the overseas fight is a strong factor in preventing more terrorist attacks here at home?

THAT is how we can do it when our soldiers are on another continent. That is WHY they are on another continent.

What would you have us do? Bring them all home and station them on the border, shoulder to shoulder, just waiting for the threat to emerge and hit us HERE? That isn't a very realistic defense strategy.

Re: Bush Aims to Change Labor Landscape Before Leaving

Truthteller — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:19:19 -0000

You are a union official... who is paid a government salary to, in part, perform union duties as well as being a drug counselor. That is ON the record. If that isn't a "paid union official," then just what is?

Re: Bush Aims to Change Labor Landscape Before Leaving

Truthteller — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:21:46 -0000

Your bio, by the way.... .....is online.

Tim Allport, is currently Vice President at Local 709, American Federation of Government Employees, at the Federal prison in Jefferson County. Tim has held elected or appointed position in this local for almost 20 years and has taken an active role in representational duties and union administration. He also serves as a Legislative Coordinator for the prison Council's North Central Region, serves on the executive board of the Denver Area Labor Federation, active on the Colorado State Democratic Labor Education/Advisory Committee and other community groups. Tim works full time as a Drug Abuse Treatment Counselor at the prison maintains state certification as an Addictions Counselor.

Sounds like you're pretty involved with the union to me............maybe a BIT more than a "labor volunteer," eh?

Re: Salazar Brothers Team Up to Find Balance in Energy Development

Truthteller — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:03:53 -0000

They're always wearing cowboy hats..... ....but does either of these guys even OWN a cow?

Re: Rural Colorado Struggling With Food and Health Care Costs, Study Shows

Truthteller — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 15:15:41 -0000

So everything that you don't like is... .....George Bush's fault, eh?

Must be very convenient to have such a simple worldview.

Tell us, do you give him credit for anything?

Re: Rural Colorado Struggling With Food and Health Care Costs, Study Shows

Truthteller — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 21:20:06 -0000

So, all you can do is repeat.... ...moveondotorg propaganda over and over. OK. Just wanted to know.

Re: Rural Colorado Struggling With Food and Health Care Costs, Study Shows

Truthteller — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 08:29:19 -0000

Yeah. Sure. Right. Whatever you say.

(P.S. You don't have to be a member to do nothing more than repeat their propaganda).

Re: Hart Attack on Iraq: ‘The war is making us weaker’

Truthteller — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 08:30:53 -0000

When did.... ...Gary Hart suddenly become an expert on the Iraqi war? Did he even serve in the military? Has he even been to Iraq recently? What are his qualifications?

Re: Survey Sez: More Americans Tuned in to Presidential Campaign (with poll)

Truthteller — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 08:03:19 -0000

How much continuing interest will there be in..... ....Hillary, the Sniper Fire Liar? You have to wonder.....given how many have, according to the polls, abandoned Obama after his lies about not listening to his pastor were revealed. So how many will now abandon Hillary? Hmmmmmm......

Re: Where Will Dobson Go?

Truthteller — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:57:19 -0000

"should not be subjected...." So you would not let either of them speak? Interesting.

Re: Where Will Dobson Go?

Truthteller — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:20:27 -0000

"Misspoke?" You mean like the Sniper Fire Liar "misspoke" about her alleged experiences visiting the troops overseas? Or "misspoke" in that you revealed your true intentions to silence those who don't toe your political line? I mean, after all, you engage a lot in attempting to "dis, rebut and put down what anyone" says who doesn't agree with you........you know, kind of like that snide little comment about bug repellant.......

Re: Hart Attack on Iraq: ‘The war is making us weaker’

Truthteller — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:21:45 -0000

Does Hart support.... ....the Sniper Fire Liar or Mr. Listens to Racists? Just curious.

Re: Hart Attack on Iraq: ‘The war is making us weaker’

Truthteller — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:23:11 -0000

P.S. Unlike Hart, I don't claim to be an expert in the Iraqi War, I DID serve 9 years in the Marine Corps, and I didn't fool around with a blond on a boat and dare the press to follow me. <shrug></shrug>

Re: Where Will Dobson Go?

Truthteller — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:54:41 -0000

Hmmmm. So she says I should be sprayed with bug repellant, and I am the one who gets chastised?

Maybe you'd better read her a bit more closely in the future for determining who is picking upon whom.

Re: Bush’s Labor Department Sets Priorities Against Organized Labor

Truthteller — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 07:33:59 -0000

Too bad that there's so much corruption... .....in the unions across the country that we have to do all those criminal investigations. The unions have brought this upon themselves, and have no one else to blame.

Re: It’s Easy Being Green, Unless You’re Nader

Truthteller — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:40:51 -0000

I think that her problem was more with men than it was with neo-liberals.

Re: Bush’s Labor Department Sets Priorities Against Organized Labor

Truthteller — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 07:40:54 -0000

Loudly and lengthily declaiming how... ..."everyone is doing it" doesn't change the fact that unions are often corrupted. Just google "union corruption" and see what all you find.....you get over 40,000 hits.

So you can attempt to impugn others' motives all you want, but if there's criminal corruption going on in the unions, as there so obviously is, it deserves to be investigated and rooted out whenever possible.

Re: Bush’s Labor Department Sets Priorities Against Organized Labor

Truthteller — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:20:01 -0000

Well, since you have always been a complete and total defender of anything a union does, no matter what, it's hardly surprising that you'd do nothing more than bring a personal attack (speaking of "trash talk") against someone merely pointing out the truth. But that's pretty much what we'd expect from a union flack, isn't it?

But as to how much union corruption there is? Here's a sample of headlines........and it's only a SMALL sample:

AFL-CIO Files Suit to Block New Financial Reporting Rule (2/25/2008)

S.F. Federal Judge Issues Injunction against 'No-Match' Mailing (10/22/2007)

S.F. Federal Court Again Delays No-Match Letter Mailings (10/8/2007)

Top Aide to Secretary-Treasurer Charged with Theft (8/13/2007)

Senate Blocks Card-Check Bill; Supporters Vow They'll Be Back (7/16/2007)

Union Bosses, Researchers Distort Data to Push Card-Check Bill (6/18/2007)

Pension-Backed Film Studio in New Mexico Target of Fraud Suit (6/4/2007)

Federation Split May Have Little Effect on Corruption (8/1/2005)

Calif. Unions Find Loophole through Landrum-Griffin (3/28/2005)

9-11 Lay-Off Fund Ripped Off (4/12/2004)

Silicon Valley Union Accused of Embezzlement & Illegal Politicking (4/12/2004)

Long Island Fedtn, Investigating Theft of Funds (3/29/2004)

Exec. Council Meets in Hotel Boondoggle Fed with Union Pensions

Frmr. NO Secy. Sentenced for Embezzlement

Ex-Ofc. Secy. in New Orleans `Fesses to Embezzling Charge Accts, Petty Cash

New Orleans Staffer Accused of $2,300 Embezzlement (5.12 06/10/02)

Watchdog Calls on Tainted Bosses to Resign (5.11 05/27/02))

Building Trades Avoid Split, Growing ULLICO Scandal Cited (5.9 04/29/02)

Campaign Finance Regulator Mess in San Diego, Tainted Unions Fight Back (5.9 04/29/02)

ULLICO Scandal Grows: Maddaloni, McCarron, Bahr Sold Shares (5.8 04/15/02)

Grand Jury Probing Union Bosses' Tainted Stock Offer (5.7 04/01/02)

Judge Keeps AFL-CIO Documents Secret (5.1 01/07/02)

Convention Sides Against Rank-and-File (4.26 12/17/01)

Wisconsin Staffer Confined for $44,000 Theft (4.25 12/03/01)

Finally, Mary Jo White to Go (4.24 11/19/01)

I especially liked the one where the 9/11 fund was ripped off.

Enjoy paying your union dues to corrupt union bosses........

Re: Bush’s Labor Department Sets Priorities Against Organized Labor

Truthteller — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:35:50 -0000

And, gee.... ....it even happens in Colorado.

(SHHHHHHH. The union doesn't want you to talk about this one)

Colorado Local Treasurer Arrested for Theft

Kristen Prevedel thought her secret was safe with a friend. It's a good thing for members of the Falcon Teachers Education Association that it wasn't. Prevedel, a language-arts teacher at Skyview Middle School in Falcon, a suburb of Colorado Springs, and also the association's treasurer until this July, went to dinner with a fellow teacher, a next-door neighbor at that. At the restaurant, she told her friend that she'd written about $50,000 worth of union checks to herself at the behest of then-union President Tom Wilke, who said he was changing banks; Wilke told her to keep the cash until a new account was set up. Shortly thereafter, her friend informed police of the conversation. That led to the arrest of Prevedel on August 24 on suspicion of felony theft of $90,750, a sum representing 48 checks written out during 2005 and this year.

Prevedel, alleges the arrest affidavit, also falsified financial reports, including information about funds she presumably had forwarded to the Colorado Education Association. The Falcon association had fallen behind by about $87,000 in payments to the state association and its parent, the National Education Association. Prevedel was supposed to have been sending $14,000 a month in local funds to the state and national associations. Independent of the arrest, the local is considering legal action. But it's also sent the word out to rank and file that mum's the word. An association letter stated: "We ask that you keep this matter in confidence and that you not discuss it with nonmembers, representatives of the school district, or others outside the district." It's too bad Prevedel hadn't thought of that one first. Wilke, for his part, thus far has not been charged.

Re: Bush’s Labor Department Sets Priorities Against Organized Labor

Truthteller — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:38:04 -0000

Ooooops, Gosh, here's..... .....some more. Gee, how much does it take to qualify as "often?"

Beyond newspaper accounts of union corruption, the Department of Labor's Office of Labor Management Standards (OLMS) investigates and prosecutes union bosses who embezzle members dues. Since 2001, OLMS has prosecuted dozens of cases against UFCW locals and has recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in embezzled union member dues. Below are the OLMS's UFCW case reports.

UFCW 717 Amount Embezzled: $14,000.00

On March 24, 2006, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, Rebecca Bandt, former President of United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 717, was sentenced to six months in prison followed by three months in a community treatment center and three years probation. Bandt was also ordered to make full restitution to the union. On January 13, 2006, Bandt pled guilty to embezzling more than $14,000 from the union. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Milwaukee District Office.

UFCW 990 Amount Embezzled: $20,385.00

On February 2, 2006, in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, Stephen L. Bush, former Recording Secretary for Food and Commercial Workers Local 990 was sentenced to six months home detention with electronic monitoring and five years probation. Bush was also ordered to make restitution of $20,385.98 and to pay a special victims' fund assessment of $400. On October 6, 2005, Bush pled guilty to four counts of embezzling union funds. Bush is the son of former Local 990 President, Ronald A. Bush, who also pled guilty to embezzling union funds. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Denver District Office.

UFCW 717 Amount Embezzled: $14,065.00

On January 13, 2006, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, Rebecca Bandt, former President of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 717, pled guilty to one count of embezzling union funds totaling $14,065. Bandt had previously been indicted on September 14, 2005, in a 14-count indictment consisting of five counts of embezzling union funds, five counts of falsifying union records, and four counts of making a false statement on a required report. The guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Milwaukee District Office.

UFCW 538 Amount Embezzled: $30,210.92

On November 29, 2005, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, Michael Rice, former President of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 538, was sentenced to six months imprisonment, six months home confinement, three years probation, and ordered to make full restitution, for embezzling union funds totaling $30,210.92. Rice entered a guilty plea on September 19, 2005. The conviction follows an investigation by the OLMS Milwaukee District Office.

UFCW 990 Amount Embezzled: $1,967.00

On June 29, 2005, in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, Ronald A. Bush, former president of Local 990, United Food and Commercial Workers, pled guilty to four counts of embezzling $1,967 in union funds. Bush's guilty plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Denver District Office. [Related documents: HTML | PDF]

UFCW 1050 and 1052 Amount Embezzled: $91,126.00

On April 5, 2005, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Angelous "Smokey" Lineback, former international representative for the United Food and Commercial Workers, Retail Wholesale (UFCW) District Council, was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment followed by 36 months of supervised probation. In addition, he was ordered to make restitution in the amount of $77,441.00 to UFCW Local 1050 and $13,685.00 to UFCW Local 1052. On May 3, 2004, Lineback pled guilty to embezzling union funds and falsifying union records for the two locals he was representing following an investigation by the OLMS Nashville District Office.

UFCW 990 Amount Embezzled: $9,806.80

On January 14, 2005, in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, Grace Maldonado, former bookkeeper of Local 990, United Food and Commercial Workers, was sentenced to five years of supervised probation for embezzling union funds. She was ordered to pay a $100 court assessment and make restitution in the amount of $9,806.80. Maldonado pled guilty on September 3, 2004, following an investigation by the OLMS Denver District Office.

UFCW 990 Amount Embezzled: $27,248.82

On December 14, 2004, in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, Barbara Ann Hayes, former bookkeeper of Local 990, United Food and Commercial Workers, was sentenced to six months home detention enforced by electronic monitoring and five years probation. Hayes was also ordered to pay a $100 court assessment and make restitution in the amount of $27,248.82. On May 17, 2004, Hayes pled guilty to embezzlement following an investigation by the OLMS Denver District Office. [Related documents: HTML | PDF]

UFCW 294 Amount Embezzled: $3,672.84

On June 8, 2004, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Brian Brabazon, former president of Chemical Workers Local 294 (United Food and Commercial Workers), was sentenced for making a willful false entry in union records. Brabazon pled guilty to the charge on March 5, 2004. He was initially indicted in September 2003, on one count of embezzling union funds; he later pled guilty to the lesser charge. Brabazon was sentenced to one year of probation, restitution in the amount of $3,672.84, and a $100 fine (which was waived). The guilty plea and sentence follow an investigation by the OLMS San Francisco District Office.

UFCW 1050 Amount Embezzled: $182,443.00

On May 3, 2004, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, a two-count information was filed against Angelous "Smokey" Lineback, former international representative for Retail, Wholesale District Council of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, Local 1050. The information charged him with one count of embezzling $182,443 in union funds and one count of making false entries in union records. On the same date, Lineback entered a plea agreement and pled guilty. The charge and subsequent plea follow an investigation by the OLMS Nashville District Office.

UFCW 1116 Amount Embezzled: $53,570.00

On April 16, 2004, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, Julie Palmi, former bookkeeper of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1116, was sentenced to six months home confinement with work release privileges and three years probation. In addition, she was ordered to make full restitution. Palmi pled guilty on January 21, 2004, to one count of embezzling approximately $53,570 in union funds. An information charging Palmi with embezzlement was filed on October 16, 2003. This case was transferred from the District of Minnesota to the Southern District of California pursuant to the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and the consent of the parties. The charge, guilty plea, and sentence follow an investigation by the OLMS Minneapolis Resident Investigator Office.

UFCW 1101 Amount Embezzled: $9,987.00

On March 11, 2004, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, James Robinson, former president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1101, was placed on two years probation for failing to maintain union records. He was ordered to complete restitution to the union in the amount of $9,987. Robinson pled guilty to the charge on December 9, 2003. The guilty plea and sentence follow an investigation by the OLMS New Orleans District Office.

UFCW 655

On October 17, 2003, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Nick A. Torpea, former business agent for Food and Commercial Workers Local 655, was sentenced to one year probation and fined $750 for making a false entry in union records. Torpea pled guilty to the charge on July 30, 2003. Torpea's sentencing followed the September 18, 2003, sentencing of his father, Nick J. Torpea, to three years probation for making a false statement to a Department of Labor investigator. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS St. Louis District Office.

UFCW 193 Amount Embezzled: $7,000.00

On February 14, 2002, in Kings County (California) Superior Court, Robert S. Ramos, former president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 193-I, entered a plea of no contest to misdemeanor theft and was sentenced to one year in the county jail and three years of supervised probation and was fined $2,700. He was also required to pay $6,000 in restitution ($1,000 was previously paid) over the next three years. The charges had been brought on November 1, 2001, following an investigation by the OLMS San Francisco District Office.

UFCW 427 Amount Embezzled: $13,218.46

On January 30, 2002, in the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, Roger Causby, former secretary-treasurer of Food and Commercial Workers Local 427, was sentenced to four months imprisonment and four months home detention, followed by two years of supervised probation. He had earlier pled guilty to embezzling union funds and had made restitution of $13,218.46. The charges had been brought following an investigation by the OLMS Nashville District Office.

Re: Bush’s Labor Department Sets Priorities Against Organized Labor

Truthteller — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:41:15 -0000

OH, and here in Colorado, we see unions illegally trying to strongarm..... .....REPORTERS!!!!

"After hearing from state employees that Colorado WINS is aggressively trying to organize an election, Face The State attempted to attend an on-site meeting between the union and state employees. Face The State had cleared its attendance with Dawn Lee, the media contact at Colorado WINS. Then minutes before the meeting, Lee contacted FTS to say that the government building where it was being held had restricted access and she was unable to clear the attendance of a FTS staff writer without performing a background check, for which there was not enough time.

In response, FTS contacted Julie Postlethwait, the public information officer for the Department of Personnel, to confirm Lee's claim. Postlethwait said that FTS's presence at the meeting was not a problem, yet when FTS staff writer, Rachel Boxer, arrived to cover the meeting, she was denied access at the door. After Boxer identified herself by name, a DPA employee told her she was not allowed into the meeting and needed to leave the building "immediately."

According to Postlethwait, Colorado WINS had directed DPA staff to deny FTS access to its public meeting - an action that directly conflicted with the department's orders. Postlethwait apologized to FTS for the breakdown in communication, and said that the reporter should have been let into the meeting."

Gee, how is it that union officials think that they can order around state agencies and deny reporters access to public meetings? Hmmmmm?

Re: Bush’s Labor Department Sets Priorities Against Organized Labor

Truthteller — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 18:34:31 -0000

"....some embezzlement here and there.... LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!

That was a masterpiece of understatement. Really. Thanks for the chuckle.

Re: Bush’s Labor Department Sets Priorities Against Organized Labor

Truthteller — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 18:36:34 -0000

With all due respect, I think you understand incorrectly. It was a meeting in state offices, during state time, and should have been open to the public, including the press.

As a member of the press, aren't you concerned at all that the union is using such strongarm tactics against other members of the press?

Re: McCain Drills for Cash at the Petroleum Club

Truthteller — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 18:45:11 -0000

I wonder how... .....a McCain-Romney ticket would do against a Ms. Sniper Fire Liar-Mr. Listens to Racists (or vice versa) ticket. Now THAT would make for a VERY interesting election, indeed.

Re: Bush’s Labor Department Sets Priorities Against Organized Labor

Truthteller — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 19:58:17 -0000

Interesting..... ....when I googled "illegal union busting," I got 1630 hits. When I googled "union corruption," I got over 40,000.

So which one is the biggest problem? I grant you that's not exactly a scientific survey, but it gives rise to a very strong suspicion that illegal union busting is a huge problem more in the minds of union organizers than it is in the real world.

Re: Bush’s Labor Department Sets Priorities Against Organized Labor

Truthteller — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:05:42 -0000

Hmmmm. Well, the law says, in pertinent part:

24-6-402. Meetings - open to public.

(1) For the purposes of this section:

(a) "Local public body" means any board, committee, commission, authority, or other advisory, policy-making, rule-making, or formally constituted body of any political subdivision of the state and any public or private entity to which a political subdivision, or an official thereof, has delegated a governmental decision-making function but does not include persons on the administrative staff of the local public body.

(b) "Meeting" means any kind of gathering, convened to discuss public business, in person, by telephone, electronically, or by other means of communication.

(c) "Political subdivision of the state" includes, but is not limited to, any county, city, city and county, town, home rule city, home rule county, home rule city and county, school district, special district, local improvement district, special improvement district, or service district.

(d) "State public body" means any board, committee, commission, or other advisory, policy-making, rule-making, decision-making, or formally constituted body of any state agency, state authority, governing board of a state institution of higher education including the regents of the university of Colorado, a nonprofit corporation incorporated pursuant to section 23-5-121 (2), C.R.S., or the general assembly, and any public or private entity to which the state, or an official thereof, has delegated a governmental decision-making function but does not include persons on the administrative staff of the state public body.

(2) (a) All meetings of two or more members of any state public body at which any public business is discussed or at which any formal action may be taken are declared to be public meetings open to the public at all times.

OK, it was clearly a "meeting" by the definition in 1(b). Those who attended were members of a "state public body" as defined in 1(d), in that they were members of a formally constituted body of any state agency," and since an attempt to unionize state government officials and employees is obviously "public business" that was being "discussed," persuant to 2(a), I'd have to disagree with you.

Re: Bush’s Labor Department Sets Priorities Against Organized Labor

Truthteller — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:08:14 -0000

Since state officials/employees were pretty clearly on duty... ...in that it was them who refused access to the reporters in response to the demand by the union, wasn't it pretty clearly "during working hours?"

Or perhaps some crack investigative reporter should look into this further....since they are "prohibited to hold meetings during working hours?"

Re: Bush’s Labor Department Sets Priorities Against Organized Labor

Truthteller — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 08:54:54 -0000

Oooooooo. I seem to have touched.... .....a VERY large nerve with this particular union official. Wonder why that is?

I notice, Mr. Allport, that you are unable to refute or contradict even ONE fact that I have cited in support of my positions. I think that speaks for itself....and tells us a great deal about who is putting out "garbage" and who isn't.

But thanks for playing.

Re: Colorado State Troopers Form Union

Truthteller — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 08:57:34 -0000

Welll, we can hope, at least, that cops.... ...won't form a corrupt union or have corrupt leadership, the way every other union seems to be able to do rather easily.

Re: Colorado State Troopers Form Union

Truthteller — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 08:58:20 -0000

Will they be forced to pay union DUES.... ....even if they're not a member?

Re: Colorado State Troopers Form Union

Truthteller — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 19:16:00 -0000

Yeah, knock down those strawmen... .....and other things that I never said nor implied. Obviously, that's the best that you can do.

Have fun.

By the way, I'll be speaking to my counsel about your false accusations of "threatening and harassing." Strikes me as libel, but we'll see what she says about it.

Re: Group Claims Dozens, Perhaps Thousands, Duped in ‘Voter Fraud’

Truthteller — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 09:40:15 -0000

So the real question is,...... ....is it "voter fraud" to take and advance a position that a number of voters don't understand because of their own ignorance?

Re: A Shining Interrogation Center on a Hill

Truthteller — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 05:34:03 -0000

And this is... ...an important Colorado political story.....how?

Re: A Shining Interrogation Center on a Hill

Truthteller — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 07:17:18 -0000

Wave that bloody shirt some more. Nice.

Re: A Shining Interrogation Center on a Hill

Truthteller — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 07:18:27 -0000

But the plain fact is that alleged torture has very little, if anything, to do with the sacrifices of soldiers from Colorado. Nice attempt at bashing, but it really doesn't mean much.

Re: Breaking: Union Group Files Complaint Against Right To Work

Truthteller — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 22:38:43 -0000

So since the MAJORITY of Americans and Coloradans don't approve of unions or belong to them, by "basic democratic principle" they should not exist. Majority rule, you know.

Re: Eagle County Republicans Emboldened by Controversial Commissioner’s Loss in Mayor’s Race

Truthteller — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 07:50:55 -0000

So, this guy is kinda' like Doug Bruce, just for the other side of the political equation? Interesting.

Re: Vail Business Leaders, Politicians Fear Epic Problems from ‘Epic Pass’

Truthteller — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:13:39 -0000

Markets to GOP types? Gee, I was unaware that skiers had to be in a particular political party. ;rolls eyes;

Re: Hotline To Take Police Bias Complaints

Truthteller — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:27:26 -0000

Gee, can I file a complaint.... ....if someone falsely accuses me of taking advantage of "white privilege" on the CU campus? Just wondering......

Re: Vail Business Leaders, Politicians Fear Epic Problems from ‘Epic Pass’

Truthteller — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 07:16:42 -0000

So are you saying that Mr. Williams.. ..engaged in a little yellow journalism?

Re: Ferry ‘Riff-Raff’ Comments Spark Firestorm of Controversy Statewide

Truthteller — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:34:17 -0000

Why did you take down the previous story WITH HER RESPONSE? Seems rather unfair.

Re: Ferry ‘Riff-Raff’ Comments Spark Firestorm of Controversy Statewide

Truthteller — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:39:11 -0000

Weird. I could swear it wasn't there.... .....when I posted that.

As it is now clearly there, I presume that I am mistaken, for which I do apologize.

Re: Ferry ‘Riff-Raff’ Comments Spark Firestorm of Controversy Statewide

Truthteller — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:43:34 -0000

I wonder if... ....a copy of the cell phone apology might be posted somewhere?

Re: Ferry ‘Riff-Raff’ Comments Spark Firestorm of Controversy Statewide

Truthteller — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 20:51:38 -0000

Nice. Real nice.

I may get a bit sarcastic myself here from time to time, but calling someone an "arrogant ass" is really rather excessively rude, don't you think?

Re: Ferry ‘Riff-Raff’ Comments Spark Firestorm of Controversy Statewide

Truthteller — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:20:19 -0000

Wow, nice display of personal vitriol there. Do you do that for a living, Front Ranger? Seems like you have gotten in a lot of practice.

Re: Media Opinions Split on Two Closed-Door Government Meetings

Truthteller — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:52:41 -0000

Since most people DO NOT want unions.. ...how about a little fundamental democracy gets applied and they get outlawed, eh? Let's have a democratic vote on that, how about?

Re: Media Opinions Split on Two Closed-Door Government Meetings

Truthteller — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 06:30:36 -0000

Ooooooooo..... ....touched a nerve there with your own point about democracy, and what do you get? Namecalling and personal attacks. Nice. About what we can expect from a union official, though.....pretty par for the course as far as I can tell. Thanks for the demonstration.

But, seriously, you're arguing for a democratic vote to determine the status of unions, why not put it to EVERYONE? That's FAR more democratic, isn't it? Why should only state employees get to make that decision? They're not the only ones affected, after all. So let's put it to a vote of EVERY voter in the state, and make sure that EVERY VOTE IS COUNTED. That's DEMOCRACY!!!!!!! And if your precious unions get voted down, tough noogies.

Re: Media Opinions Split on Two Closed-Door Government Meetings

Truthteller — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 09:02:01 -0000

Well, Mr. Allport was making the argument that this issue should be determined by a democratic vote. My point was, if that is so, then why limit the vote to merely potential union members? That's not "democracy," is it? Certainly, this is an issue that affects every person in the state, since we're talking about tax money that will have to be spent, in fact, is already being spent, dealing with the unionizing of public employees. So why shouldn't EVERYONE get a chance to vote on it? That is democracy, after all, and that's the bar that Mr. Allport set......

(By the way, I don't believe I have ever argued for "unfettered corporate operations in the sense that there should be absolutely no governmental regulations of any business." But this is very free market and regulation-eliminating......it would maintain freedom of choice for citizens of the state, and not force them to have to deal with a union when they want public officials to accomplish public tasks. Why add all of that additional body of regulation of public tasks if the citizens don't want it?)

Re: Media Opinions Split on Two Closed-Door Government Meetings

Truthteller — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 13:42:42 -0000

Hmmmm. Interesting idea. It would certainly be more "democratic" in just the way that Mr. Allport demands.

Of course, Mr. Allport has so much of a vested interest, being a union official himself, that you can't really take him too seriously. He'll obviously do or say anything to promote his union, so he can have more power for himself.

Is it any wonder, with all that power and money at stake, that unions almost always end up with corrupt "leaders?" They may disguise it in demands for "workplace democracy," but what they really want is to be in control themselves, often so they can dip into the union treasury.

Now, I've demonstrated all of that before, with a plethora of facts that Mr. Allport was totally unable to refute even to the smallest degree....but the facts don't seem to be terribly relevant to his positions, and pointing them out only seems to result in more namecalling from him. That is a very interesting indicator, in and of itself, wouldn't you say, Ms. Norris?

Re: Media Opinions Split on Two Closed-Door Government Meetings

Truthteller — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 15:48:14 -0000

Geez, I thought we were having a polite discussion.... ....and you come in with this DEMAND for my position.

Well, that's rather rude, but, OK.

Yes, I think that all Colorado voters should have a voice in whether or not our public employees should be represented by a union.

And I don't give a crap whether or not YOU happen to think that is "practical" or "fair." But since you seem to think that we should be in cross-examination mode, rather than in discussion mode, why don't you PROVE that it is not "practical" nor "fair." Let's see your evidence. Let's see your documentation. Or don't you have any?

Re: Media Opinions Split on Two Closed-Door Government Meetings

Truthteller — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 15:59:41 -0000

Oh, and by the way..... ...it's pretty obvious that you have no problem with Mr. Allport engaging in petty namecalling, personal attacks and insults, while you simultaneously accuse me of "attacks." And it's also pretty obvious why that is so, despite his clear and repeated violations of your own rules here. Just so you know that your lack of fairness isn't going unnoticed.......

Re: Media Opinions Split on Two Closed-Door Government Meetings

Truthteller — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 18:39:18 -0000

Perhaps, then, Mr. Allport.... ...you could be bothered to name even ONE fact which I have cited that was incorrect? I'm not talking about disagreeing with my opinions, I'm talking about the FACTS that I have stated here. You have never managed to do it even ONCE before, but I want to make sure you have another chance to back up your claims and your namecalling. You know, you like to accuse people of "trash talk," but you're mighty short on facts of your own....and especially short of refuting the facts provided by others. So let's see what you can do.

Go ahead. We're waiting.

Since you CLAIM to be more than merely a namecaller, PROVE IT. Can you refute even ONE fact I have stated? (Calling them "trash talk does not refute anything, by the way).

"the democratic principle of majority rule..." You keep talking about democracy and the democratic principles....so why is it you want ONLY a limited set of people to vote on the unionization of state employees? How is that "democratic?" Please do explain it to us how we all will be subjected to the effects of this unionization, but only state employees get to decide, and somehow that meets "the democratic principle of majority rule." A minority dictating to the majority isn't exactly "majority rule," you know......

Re: Media Opinions Split on Two Closed-Door Government Meetings

Truthteller — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:58:56 -0000

And that's the best you can do? False and unsubstantiated claims, namecalling, a feeble attempt to mock a username and personal attacks (not to mention the gratuitious insult to anyone who happens to be retired - which I am not). Talk about "riddled with logical fallacies."

Then you wonder why no one takes your side of the argument seriously.....

Re: Media Opinions Split on Two Closed-Door Government Meetings

Truthteller — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 07:35:14 -0000

Still waiting, Mr. Allport... ....for you to attempt to refute even ONE fact that I've cited in support of my positions.

And still waiting for you to explain how a minority dictating to the majority is "democratic."

Re: Media Opinions Split on Two Closed-Door Government Meetings

Truthteller — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 08:32:53 -0000

Hmmm. Wasn't it our "elected representatives" who have..... ..."the authority and recognition to act on behalf of the people they represent" that passed the Labor Peace Act in the first place? So how is that "undemocratic?"

Re: Media Opinions Split on Two Closed-Door Government Meetings

Truthteller — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 08:39:49 -0000

Now this is interesting.... Seems that the pro-labor folks here haven't been completely honest with us about the law.

They've been claiming that the law requires a "super majority of 72% of the vote" to unionize. But that's not completely true. From the AG's office:

"The Colorado Labor Peace Act, (the "CPLA"), Sections 8-3-101 to 124, C.R.S. (1986), which was enacted in 1943 as a comprehensive labor relations regulatory scheme, 1943 Colo. Sess. Laws, does not include such a provision [right to work provision] either. The CPLA provides, in pertinent part:

An employer shall not be prohibited from entering into an all-union agreement with the representative of his employees ... if such all union agreement is approved by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of all employees eligible to vote or three quarters or more of the employees who actually voted whichever is greater ... in favor of such all union agreement....

Section 8-3-108(1)(c)(I), C.R.S. (1986)."

So you have to get a "MAJORITY OF ALL EMPLOYEES ELIGIBLE TO VOTE" _OR_ three quarters of those who actually voted.

Most interesting that the pro-union folks here neglected to mention half of what the law says on this issue. Most interesting.

Re: Media Opinions Split on Two Closed-Door Government Meetings

Truthteller — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:45:04 -0000

Ah, but it's NOT a hard and fast requirement for.. ......a "supermajority," now is it? It's a requirement for a SIMPLE majority of those eligible to vote. Sounds pretty democratic to me. (Or is it that unions just can't seem to get a majority of those eligible to vote? Is that why you didn't bother to give the whole truth about the law?)

And, by the way, you've never explained how a minority determining an issue is somehow democratic. Care to try?

>>>How many elected officials would agre to that for an election?

Actually supermajorities are not uncommon. For instance, see the practices of the US Senate, the rules for which contain quite a number of supermajority requirements.

>>>Name one employer who has allowed the simple majority?

But you yourself have said it is the EMPLOYEES who determine the outcome of the vote, not the employer. By law, employers have no say if the simple majority of those eligible to vote do so to unionize, right? In fact, isn't it already illegal for an employer to interfere with such a vote?

Re: Ballot Measures Stir Small-Business Concerns

Truthteller — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:58:15 -0000

How union influence is destroying Denver..... http://www.rockymoun...

Re: Breaking: Union Group Files Complaint Against Right To Work

Truthteller — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:59:52 -0000

How union activity is destroying Denver http://www.rockymoun...

Re: Breaking: Union Group Files Complaint Against Right To Work

Truthteller — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:00:51 -0000

Yes, you really shouldn't show all of that lack of character and poor moral judgment. It doesn't do you or your side any good at all.

Re: Breaking: Union Group Files Complaint Against Right To Work

Truthteller — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:02:13 -0000

By the way, that should be.... "you're," not "your." You might try learning some basic English before you make those feeble attempts at personal attacks.

Re: COMING: Live Q&A with Denver City Councilman Paul Lopez

Truthteller — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:02:54 -0000

I wonder if he'll comment on this story: http://www.rockymoun...

Re: Breaking: Union Group Files Complaint Against Right To Work

Truthteller — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:07:28 -0000

Oh, and by the way.... your accusation that I'm lying is itself a baldfaced lie, Mr. Allport's alter-ego:

"With union memberships in decline nationally, a new Zogby International poll shows that just one-in-three (35%) non-union workers would consider voting to unionize their workplace, while a 56% majority would not. The poll also finds workers nationwide are generally content with their jobs and their employers.

The survey of 802 workers nationwide was conducted June 14 through 21, 2005, and has a margin of error of +/-3.6 percentage points. Polling was performed by Zogby International on behalf of the Public Service Research Foundation.

The poll found broad-based consensus among employees against unionizing, with 56% of all non-union workers in the survey saying they would vote against bringing a union into their workplace. One-in-three (35%) indicate they would consider voting for a union, but just half of that group (16%) say they would definitely vote to unionize, while two-in-three of all those who oppose unionizing (38%) would definitely vote against unionizing. These trends held for all age groups under 65, but was most noticeable among workers age 30 to 49, where three-in-five (60%) indicated they would not support unionizing.

This opposition to unionizing holds in every region of the country as well, with majorities in the Eastern U.S. (61%), South (50%), and Central/Great Lakes Region (60%) and a 49% plurality in the Western states all saying they would resist unionizing their workplace.

The survey also found men more likely to oppose unionizing their workplace, by a 61% to 50% margin versus women, and married people are more likely to oppose unionization than single people by a 61% to 51% margin."

Re: Breaking: Union Group Files Complaint Against Right To Work

Truthteller — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:08:33 -0000

You notice that Mr. Allport.... .....can never seem to answer legitimate questions about unions. You do have to wonder why that is, don't you?

Re: Tweeting the Movies: Ben Stein’s ‘Expelled’

Truthteller — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:30:20 -0000

Christine Comer was NOT "fired" because she refused to teach.... ....intelligent design. She RESIGNED, she claims under pressure, because she did not wish to maintain NEUTRALITY in a Texas state government education position (NOT a policy-making position) with respect to the emphasis to be given in Texas schools on evolution and any other alternate theories, to include creationism and intelligent design (which are not the same thing, by the way).

Bit of an excessive slant there, "expelledexposeddotcom."

And that website is hardly the "first independently publish review of the film," either. You can find reviews all over.....some of which were apparently written without the benefit of having seen the movie.

All of which makes me wonder....what is it that some find so threatening about this movie that they have to attack it so vehemently? If it is as wrong as they say, wouldn't that be self-evident? Seems like they're busily engaged in proving the movie's premise - that if you say anything contrary to the "establishment" notion that the theory of evoluation is the only possible theory for how live on Earth came about, you're some kind of heretic who should be censored at least, or, preferably, burned at the stake.

Re: Tweeting the Movies: Ben Stein’s ‘Expelled’

Truthteller — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:39:53 -0000

Goodness, you jump immediately to the personal attack. Why is that, do you think?

But it seems you are making the point of the movie yet again.

Be that as it may, do you assess those same criticisms against "documentaries" by Michael Moore? Were you equally outraged?

Re: Union Coalition Secures State Worker Ballots

Truthteller — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:14:21 -0000

From an earlier poll "With union memberships in decline nationally, a new Zogby International poll shows that just one-in-three (35%) non-union workers would consider voting to unionize their workplace, while a 56% majority would not. The poll also finds workers nationwide are generally content with their jobs and their employers.

Re: Tweeting the Movies: Ben Stein’s ‘Expelled’

Truthteller — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:32:09 -0000

How would you know it was "flawed"....... .....until you've actually SEEN it?

Seems to me that you're listening to a bunch of people with a particular agenda....and that agenda is what the movie purports to try to expose. Hmm. Interesting.

Re: Tweeting the Movies: Ben Stein’s ‘Expelled’

Truthteller — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:34:30 -0000

And how, exactly, does the attempt to advance this particular theory.... ......"puts everyone at risk?" What, the movie is going to reach out and kill members of the audience or something? How is everyone "at risk" over a MOVIE?

Re: Young Voters Snubbed as Dem Convention Delegates

Truthteller — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:37:49 -0000

It certainly appears as if there are increasing..... ....levels of inside-party hostility and nasty, hardball political gameplaying going on within the democrat party this primary season. It will be very interesting to see if they can re-unify after trying so hard to tear each other apart.

Re: Tweeting the Movies: Ben Stein’s ‘Expelled’

Truthteller — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:47:18 -0000

Interesting assertions.. ......but I'm afraid that they're not totally correct. It is true that some religious people back the theory of intelligent design. But they are far from the only ones. I fear your analysis of the situation is a bit too simplistic, perhaps because you're caught up in the politics that have evolved around it? There's a lot more to it than that, if you'd care to take a deeper look.

Re: Romanoff Gathers Support to Gut TABOR, Change School Funding

Truthteller — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:51:18 -0000

Weren't we told over and over... .....that Ref. C, if passed, would provide all the money for education that we'd need? Hmmmmmmm............

Re: Members Claim Club 20 Controlled by Oil and Gas

Truthteller — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 14:33:11 -0000

Do you.... ...feel that you speak for San Miguel County's citizens?

Re: Tweeting the Movies: Ben Stein’s ‘Expelled’

Truthteller — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 17:02:55 -0000

No doubt, namecalling is emotionally satisfying, but..... ......it doesn't add much to a reasoned discussion of the issues at hand.

Most of those criticizing the theory of intelligent design use a simple method of argument: proof by repeated assertion, plus entirely ignoring what the other side says. Instead they will tell you what they want you to believe the Intelligent Design crowd said (if they bother with the other side's arguments at all).

Then they assert that anyone who believes that nonsense is an idiot not worth your attention, and all their opponents are ignorant buffoons at best, and more likely mendacious scam artists. To say they have no respect for the other side of the argument is a simple understatement of fact. Yet, for all that, the arguments don't go away, which causes despair for those who are wedded to this, for lack of a better phrase, modern Darwinist position.

Let me give an example of some of their common arguments, which I've encountered before:

"Intelligent design "theorists" (a misnomer, for they have no theory) often use the alien scenario to distance themselves from old-style creationists: "For all we know, the designer might be an alien from outer space." This attempt to fend off accusations of unconstitutionally importing religion into science classes is lame and disingenuous. All the leading intelligent design spokesmen are devout, and, when talking to the faithful, they drop the science-fiction fig leaf and expose themselves as the fundamentalist creationists they truly are."

No doubt, many reading this topic with interest have heard similar things. This statement is fairly typical of the anti-Intelligent Design types. It is also egregiously wrong. Begin with the last sentence: that only fundamentalist creationists assert the possibility of evolution influenced by aliens from outer space. Baloney. This was in fact an hypothesis put forth by the late Sir Fred Hoyle in his book Evolution from Space. Far from being a fundamentalist creationist, Sir Fred Hoyle had a pretty sophisticated theory of how evolution might be influenced by extra terrestrials who were neither gods nor superbeings. Sir Fred's theories would and did horrify fundamentalists.

They were also THEORIES, not just opinions, and that's what we should be talking about. By theory I mean statements sufficiently precise to generate falsifiable hypotheses. His book gives a number of assertions about Darwinism and natural selection, and gives his reasons for believing in the high improbability to impossibility that certain known conditions were the result of random factors. His arguments are complex and I don't intend to reproduce them here; but they are available in his book. Whether or not Sir Fred Hoyle makes his case I leave to others; but I at least have not seen a definitive refutation of what he said. Mostly, he has been ignored by what has shaped up to be the two sides of this debate.

Nor is he the only one I know of to assert what anyone not beginning with utter contempt for his opponents would call real theories. Without going into terrible depth and complexity, the essence of "Intelligent Design" theory is summed up in the statements: "If you find a watch in the woods, you do not look for a random assortment of parts that somehow put themselves together; you look for a watchmaker. And if you find a watchmaker..." In other words, they assert that there exist features of living creatures that are so complex that they could not have arisen by chance plus natural selection; that certain steps in the evolution of those features are, far from giving a species advantage, would give them an evolutionary disadvantage at one stage of the development.

But about all the "establishment" of science side does is assert that their opponents are fools and "flat-earthers," and that only they, inspired by random selection and the dance of the atoms which is the only meaning to the universe according to their assumptions, is far the wiser and the true purveyor of the only true theory of the ascent of man. This is increasingly a problem with what is coming to be known as "Big Science."

Why those who assert that there is no intelligent design and that all is a random dance of the atoms, a tale of sound and fury signifying nothing, are so fervent in their assertions is....... interesting. Such an attitude completely avoids true use of the scientific method, and depends completely on emotion, not on the testing of theories through the advance and reasoned criticism of hypotheses. I see a lot of heat, but very little light...lots of namecalling and badmouthing, but no actual refutation of the theory.

Alas, I fear that any such reasoned debate won't occur, or, if it does, it will be totally submerged and lost in the political/religious/anti-religious furor. Ah, well.

Re: Colorado Political Corruption Report Names Rogues’ Gallery

Truthteller — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 10:30:41 -0000

I'll grant you that Doug Bruce is an ass.... ....but how does that make him "corrupt?"

Re: Union Group Holds National Video Contest

Truthteller — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 11:21:00 -0000

Hmmmmmm. How about a video calling on the candidates to end union corruption? That might go over big. :)

Re: Colorado Political Corruption Report Names Rogues’ Gallery

Truthteller — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 11:32:33 -0000

And Abel Tapia is suspiciously absent..... .....despite how he's steered state money to his own firm.

"Tapia, a Pueblo Democrat, carried many bills directing money to his hometown fair at the same time his engineering firm, Abel Engineering Professionals, benefited from $440,000 in contracts he did not disclose."

Tapia sponsored a bill giving the struggling fair $3.2 million a year to pay off its debts.

Other fair bills Tapia voted on or sponsored included a $1.1 million appropriation the senator carried for a construction contract his firm had already won.

Must be nice to be able to dip into state taxpayers' monies to support your own company, family and lifestyle, with the purportedly "independent" state ethics watchdog not bothering to even mention that kind of corruption.

Re: Colorado Political Corruption Report Names Rogues’ Gallery

Truthteller — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 16:23:34 -0000

Couldn't be because...... ...."Colorado Ethics Watch" is a little bit partisan, now could it? Hmmmmmm?????

Re: Tweeting the Movies: Ben Stein’s ‘Expelled’

Truthteller — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:03:43 -0000

Haven't even really read a word I've written, have you? Ah, well. That's about what I expected.

Too bad.

Re: Tweeting the Movies: Ben Stein’s ‘Expelled’

Truthteller — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:05:22 -0000

OK, you're a namecaller. :shrug: And that's about the total semantic content of your postings. Sorry, but I'm afraid that you just won't be able to discuss this rationally, based on what you've written. Thanks, anyway.

Re: Tweeting the Movies: Ben Stein’s ‘Expelled’

Truthteller — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:08:08 -0000

But just as a "by the way,".. ...very much a part of the idea of intelligent design is that we DON'T KNOW who "the watchmaker" is, but that we see what appears to be the work of a watchmaker. I realize that may be lost on you, but perhaps someone else here will benefit from this answer.

Re: Tweeting the Movies: Ben Stein’s ‘Expelled’

Truthteller — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:16:14 -0000

Oh, and thanks for demonstrating... ....just about everything I said in my previous post about the anti-ID crowd. Appreciate the fine examples.

Re: Union Coalition Secures State Worker Ballots

Truthteller — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 22:16:35 -0000

JUST when I was thinking that maybe.... ...Mr. Allport might deign to actually discuss some facts, there it is again - his false accusation that all I do is make "smear attacks." Never mind that everything I've posted I've backed up with facts and sources......

If you ever get to the point that you can discuss these issues without making personal attacks, let me know, eh?

Re: Union Group Holds National Video Contest

Truthteller — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 06:59:15 -0000

More namecalling.... ......and assertions without any demonstrable factual basis. :yawn:

Re: Tweeting the Movies: Ben Stein’s ‘Expelled’

Truthteller — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:00:23 -0000

Even more examples.. Thanks, again. I do appreciate it.

Re: Tweeting the Movies: Ben Stein’s ‘Expelled’

Truthteller — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:02:12 -0000

Actually, I gave some evidence.... ....but you didn't even bother to read it, obviously, and equally obviously, you can't really discuss this issue rationally. Have a nice day.

Re: Colorado Political Corruption Report Names Rogues’ Gallery

Truthteller — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:11:39 -0000

Yeah, right. You might want to look up the definition of "corruption" while you're at it.......

(Ever heard of "hold the presses?")

Re: Members Claim Club 20 Controlled by Oil and Gas

Truthteller — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:13:23 -0000

No response to the question, eh? Figures.

Re: Colorado Political Corruption Report Names Rogues’ Gallery

Truthteller — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:02:36 -0000

Scary, isn't it. But if an entity wishes to claim to be an ethics watchdog, then it must truly be ABOVE REPROACH. That very obviously didn't happen in this instance, and it was almost certainly because the members of that organization didn't do the job very well. It's hard not to speculate on the motives for that, because the selections are rather suspicious in a partisan way.

Either clean up your own act, watchdog, or get out of the business.

Re: Colorado Political Corruption Report Names Rogues’ Gallery

Truthteller — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:33:00 -0000

And while you're at it..... From the Denver Post:

"Financial discrepancies revealed this past week in Gov. Bill Ritter's campaign and inaugural operations have spawned a cloud of questions that deserve answers.

We're glad to see that three independent entities are looking into the situation. We hope one of them eventually explains to the public in detail how the situation unfolded and details the nature of oversight Ritter exercised - or didn't.

The buck stops at the governor's office, and if anything this mess again raises questions over his management skills.

The situation came to light this week when Ritter revealed that $217,164 in campaign expenses were improperly paid with money raised for the governor's inauguration. The expenses were legitimate; they just shouldn't have been paid for with inauguration money.

Furthermore, it was revealed by the governor that Greg Kolomitz, Ritter's campaign manager and the head of his inaugural committee, overpaid himself $83,250.

We're glad to see that both financial problems have been corrected. It's to Ritter's credit that he took out a loan against his home to pay off campaign debts. Kolomitz also has repaid the money in question.

"I concede to having used poor judgment in the use of that inaugural committee for the campaign account," Kolomitz has said. "When the issue over the overpayment of those funds was raised, I immediately volunteered to return the funds. I'll continue to cooperate with the governor's office to fully resolve any outstanding matters."

But how did he take $83,250 without anyone noticing for almost a year? Clearly, there was little oversight over the $1.1 million fund, which even the governor's office admits.

Kolomitz won't say why he made the improper payments from the inaugural account either. But we do know that Ritter's fundraising slowed considerably one month after the election, even though some $200,000 in bills trickled in through March 2007."

Re: Focus, Freethinkers Schedule Get-Down With God

Truthteller — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 19:41:07 -0000

So Focus is reaching out in the spirit of amity and tolerance... .....and this is what they get. Nastiness and namecalling. Nice.

Re: Tweeting the Movies: Ben Stein’s ‘Expelled’

Truthteller — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 06:28:18 -0000

Yeah, whatever. Have a nice day.

Re: Union Group Holds National Video Contest

Truthteller — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 08:25:36 -0000

OK, first of all, I don't know who "thegrunt" is...... ....much less having "cloned" him or her.

Second, your lies and personal attacks are getting tiresome, Mr. Allport. Do you think that possibly you might actually read the code of behavior that applies here and at least try to follow it? You might get a much more harmonious result, or at least lower your blood pressure a little bit.

Re: Union Group Holds National Video Contest

Truthteller — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:07:46 -0000

You wouldn't happen to know what happened? Jimmy Hoffa, president of the Teamster's Union, disappeared without a trace on July 30, 1975. Jimmy Hoffa led the teamsters from 1957 to 1971. From the beginning, he had been instrumental in unionizing workers and had been the brains and guts behind its success. It was alleged that he had ties to organized crime. He admitted that liaisons with the Mob were needed, because they had the power to disrupt strikes, so deals had to be made with them. The federal investigators pursued him in the 1950's & `60's without much success at first, "charging that his empire thrived on violence, fraud and misuse of union money."

The Justice Department during the Kennedy Administration turned up the heat and made the charges stick finally convicting him in 1964. In 1967, after all his appeals were exhausted he was sent to federal prison at Lewisburg, PA., convicted on the testimony of a teamster, Edward Grady Putin who was awaiting trial for a variety of crimes, and had made a deal with the prosecution. Thus Hoffa was convicted of fund fraud, jury tampering and conspiracy, along with teamster Tony "pro" Provenzano, whom Hoffa blamed for drawing federal interest in the first place to his illegal activities.

Hoffa only served 4 years of his 13 year sentence, because President Nixon commuted his sentence, with the understanding that Hoffa wouldn't resume his office until 1980, which would've been the end of his sentence. This deal supposedly was made between the White House and Union Vice-President Frank Fitzsimmons, who was now Hoffa's rival for power in the Union.

On July 30th, 1975 things did not start off well for Hoffa, when New Jersey mob leader Tony "jack" Giacalone and Tony "pro" Provenzano, the same fellow Teamster that had been in prison with Hoffa stood him up at the luncheon meeting at Machus Red Fox restaurant in Michigan, that they were supposed to have, which indicates that Hoffa had fallen out of favor with some rather nasty people, in the mob and in his own Union. Several hours passed, and Hoffa called home to see if they left any messages. His last phone call was to his friend, Louis Linteau. Apparently a car load of men did finally pick him up, and he was last seen sitting in the back seat, with several men, leaning forward to talk to the driver. The F.B.I think that he never left that car alive. His blood and hair were found in the car he was last seen in.

When he failed to come back, the authorities swung into a full man hunt, questioning Union Mob friends, digging up various places, hammering walls and cement floors looking for his body, but to no avail. The F.B.I theorize that his body was run through a Mob-controlled fat-rendering plant that was later mysteriously destroyed by fire. In 1983, Hoffa was declared legally dead.

After talking to many people, it was discovered that Hoffa had many enemies. At the top of the list, suspects included Russell Bufalino, Anthony "Tony Pro" Provenzano & two Hoffa cronies, Thomas Andretta, Gabriel Briguglio and Salvador Briguglio, who was killed for talking to the F.B.I. There wasn't enough evidence to charge any of these fellows, but they all wound up in prison for other crimes.

In 2001, DNA tests done by FBI experts have tied Hoffa to his friend's car, an associate by the name of Charles O'Brien, and charges may still be made in his death.

One theory as to why he was bumped off, was that he had begun to "spill the beans" about the connections between the Union and organized crime, because he was livid about the deal Fitzsimmons had made with the White House.

Others think he was rubbed out because he was trying to regain his power in the Union, and certain individuals weren't about to let him. Tony "pro" Provenzano had told him at one point, "get out of Union politics or else." The F.B.I. and many teamsters think that "Tony Pro" ordered Hoffa's death, and the new Jersey Mafia did the deed and disposed of the body. "Tony Pro" had an air-tight alibi though.

Other individuals have linked his murder to various parts of the continuing corrupt relationship between the mob and the Union, whose pension funds have been blended in with illegal gains from gambling, prostitution and illegal drugs. It seems that the Mob found Hoffa's replacement, Frank Fitzsimmons much easier to manipulate and deal with. Also, Frank Fitzsimmons was approved of by the White House, while Hoffa was not, and would have the Feds watching their operations closely, making illegal mob activities harder to carry out.

Re: Union Group Holds National Video Contest

Truthteller — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:24:58 -0000

How unions and organized crime helped ruin NYC - could it happen here? From a 2001 article:

How To Run the Mob Out of Gotham

Steven Malanga

For 100 years, organized crime, working through corrupt unions, has levied a huge tax on New York's economy. Now prosecutors and pols are learning how to fight back.

One of the worst consequences of New York's long love affair with the labor unions has been the power it has given to organized crime. For decades, the mob, working through corrupt unions, has infiltrated whole swathes of Gotham's economy-everything from the garment industry to garbage carting to construction-while timid politicians, fearful of losing union support, have determinedly looked the other way. As a result, the wise guys have levied a steep mob tax on the city-enforced by intimidation, violence, even murder-that has added billions of dollars to the already high cost of doing business in New York.

Recently, criminologists have proclaimed that organized crime is dead in Gotham. This report is, emphatically, premature. True, over the last decade, prosecutors have at last begun to figure out how to break the mob's hold; they have thrown some big racketeers in jail and forcibly injected economic competition into mobbed-up industries. What's more, both Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Governor George Pataki have shown a lot more backbone in fighting gangsters than their predecessors and have gotten real results. But recent indictments in the construction industry are a stark reminder that the mob's costly, malignant influence persists, so that prosecutors must intensify their efforts to clean up mob-corrupted markets and politicians must be willing to legislate changes that make industries less liable to mob influence. It will take unflagging political will to get the job done.

The mob's control of labor unions, which gives it power over New York's economic life, goes back to the 1920s, when unions, their members mostly Jewish and Italian immigrants, turned to street gangs to provide muscle against strikebreakers and rival workers' groups. These petty immigrant gangs took advantage of Prohibition's vast opportunities for bootlegging to build themselves into larger, more organized crime groups with their own system for divvying up criminal markets. With Prohibition's end in 1933, these gangs-forerunners of the five families that dominated organized crime in the city for much of the twentieth century-changed their relation to organized labor: they moved beyond breaking kneecaps for union bosses to taking control of big unions themselves.

The crime families' command over labor unions gave them the power to shake down company bosses who sought to buy labor peace or an exemption from onerous union work rules or merely the assurance that their jobs would get done on time. As Genovese crime soldier Vincent "Fish" Cafaro told prosecutors in 1988: "With the unions behind us, we could shut down the city, or the country, for that matter, if we needed to get our way. . . . We got power over every businessman in New York. With the unions behind us, we could make or break the construction industry, the garment business, to name a few." Worse, power over the unions gave the mobsters leverage to gain hidden ownership of companies and power over employer associations, creating cartels that have controlled entire industries within the city. "Every industry I've ever seen the mob take control of started with their influence in the union," says Daniel Castelman, chief of investigations for Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau.

The saga of New York's garment district shows exactly how the mob and the unions first became symbiotic, how the wise guys typically use corrupt unions to take over an industry, and how prosecutors, after decades of ineffectiveness, at last learned how to fight back.

In the early 1920s, the United Hebrew Trades union asked Lepke Buchalter and his Jewish and Italian gangster pals from Brooklyn to work as union enforcers. Buchalter deployed 250 toughs, who threatened owners and threw acid on the merchandise of companies that dared buck the union. Sometimes, his troops squared off with those of another Jewish gangster, Dutch Schultz, who broke strikes for the garment bosses. Occasionally, the two hoodlums would work both sides of a strike for mutual benefit. Buchalter also struck up an alliance with Sidney Hillman, legendary founder of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers Union that represented 50,000 garment industry laborers and a close advisor to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Working for Hillman, Buchalter battled company goons and fought to keep Communists from taking over the union.

But the ambitious Buchalter wasn't content merely with being hired union muscle. Grasping how the industry functioned, he launched a plan to control it. The business, he realized, couldn't operate without the 1,900 workers who cut the cloth and shipped the goods. If you had the power to withhold their labor at will, you'd have leverage over the entire industry.

By the early 1930s, Buchalter had persuaded the Amalgamated cutters' local to align with him by offering their officials protection from rival union forces, and he managed to get the drivers behind him, too. In exchange for labor peace-he could now shut down business with a word-Buchalter coerced the garment companies into doling out sweetheart contracts to trucking firms that gave him kickbacks. News accounts from the thirties estimate that, at the height of their power, he and his crew took home $5-10 million yearly from these criminal enterprises-$50-100 million in today's dollars. Buchalter died in the electric chair in 1944 for the murder of a trucker, detailing his links to Hillman and the Amalgamated before he went to the chair. But neither the union nor Hillman ever faced charges, some said because of the union leader's close ties to FDR. Meanwhile, Buchalter's garment-district rackets went to his associate, Albert Anastasia, chief executioner of Murder Inc., the murder-for-hire organization that evolved out of their old street gang.

It took Carlo Gambino, who assumed control of the garment district in 1957, after a mob hit at a Manhattan barbershop had rubbed out Anastasia, to transform what was a mob-influenced industry into a full-fledged organized crime cartel. He and his family used their control of the unions to take over the trucking companies that serviced the garment district, so that few manufacturers could get a delivery or make a shipment without their say-so.

Already in the early 1950s, Carlo had set up his son Joseph as a minor partner in Consolidated Carriers Corporation, in exchange for giving that firm a union-friendly edge on the competition, and son Thomas joined later. As other Consolidated partners retired, the Gambinos became owners of what had become the district's most important trucking company, and they acquired interests in other trucking firms, sometimes partnering with rival crime families like the Luccheses. By the mid-1980s, operating 90 percent of the trucks that serviced the garment district, the mob held the industry in a vice-like grip. In the early 1990s, to take just one example, a production manager for fashion designer Nicole Miller testified that once, when he tried to use a small gypsy trucker, trench-coated mob goons showed up and stood around menacingly, hands in pockets, until the frightened independent operator fled. District kingpin Thomas Gambino, honored as the garment industry's Man of the Year at a 1981 dinner at the Plaza Hotel, grew extremely rich: by 1992, investigators estimated his personal wealth at $75 million.

But the $2.5 billion garment industry suffered. Records from the early 1990s showed that mob trucking companies generated yearly revenues of about $50 million and operating profits of $22 million, a hefty 44 percent profit margin, compared with the 10 to 15 percent margins that typical city truckers averaged. The added costs that mob trucking imposed, in other words, amounted to $15-17 million yearly. The estimated mob tax on the district as a whole-if you include extortion, double billing, and other illegal activities-was a staggering $60 million a year by the early 1990s. Combined with New York's inflated legitimate taxes, it accelerated the flight of garment jobs from the city. From the mid-1950s, when the Gambinos took over the garment district, until 1992, the business shrank 75 percent, costing New York 225,000 jobs. The mob helped bump off a once vibrant industry.

Re: Union Group Holds National Video Contest

Truthteller — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:29:40 -0000

And there's more.... From a recent book review on the topic:

Mobsters, Unions, and Feds: The Mafia and the American Labor Movement | Book Reviews

Published by EH.NET (October 2006)

James B. Jacobs, Mobsters, Unions, and Feds: The Mafia and the American Labor Movement. New York: New York University Press, 2006. xxxii + 320 pp. $33 (cloth), ISBN: 0-8147-4273-0.

Reviewed for EH.NET by Melvyn Dubofsky, Department of History, Binghamton University.

A quotation from the labor leader David Dubinsky that opens this book summarizes the author's purpose: "Racketeering is the cancer that almost destroyed the American trade-union movement." James Jacobs, the Warren E. Burger Professor of Law and Director, Center for Research in Crime and Justice, NYU School of Law, amasses the evidence to prove Dubinsky's claim. Jacobs asserts that the "Mafia," or as he prefers to label it, La Cosa Nostra (LCN), turned its penetration of trade unionism into its most profitable criminal activity and the accumulation of political power. In Jacobs' words, "the Mafia's unique political and economic position in American society derives from its base in the labor movement" (p. xii). The LCN's penetration of unionism explains organized labor's dwindling power (p. xiii). Indeed, in a twist on conventional explanations of "American exceptionalism," Jacobs cites the criminalization of trade unionism as the most singular feature of the United States.

Jacobs makes his case for the links between LCN and trade unionism not in the manner of an historian or a social scientist, but in the style of an attorney preparing a brief for the prosecution. He vacuums up every available scrap and shred of evidence to establish historical and contemporary connections between crime and unionism, seldom pausing to subject the evidence swept up with his vacuum to careful analysis or doubt. In building his case for historical connections between criminals and unions, Jacobs draws upon any publication that buttresses his point, whether or not the source is reliable, scholarly, or verifiable. For the contemporary connections between crime and unionism, he relies on his own investigative work for a state commission in New York that probed organized crime's penetration of unions, research and publications that he compiled with the assistance of other attorneys and legal scholars, and the findings of a presidential commission on organized crime (PCOC). Jacobs appears incredulous about what he has done and what he continues to do, observing in a footnote, "... studying racketeering in the labor movement is no more antilabor than studying family violence is antifamily" (p. xiv).

Nevertheless, there is simply no doubt that some unions and their officials cooperated with organized crime, that criminals gained control of many union locals and few international unions, and that criminals and corrupt union officials enriched themselves at the expense of rank-and-file unionists, exploited businesspeople. A recent book by Robert Fitch, Solidarity for Sale: How Corruption Destroyed the Labor Movement and Undermined America's Promise (New York, 2006), lays out a similar case with more sophistication. Anyone interested in the illicit activities that soiled such unions as the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), the Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA), the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA), and the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union (HERE), as well as many locals in the building trades, will find all the evidence they desire in the pages of this book or Fitch's.

So it seems like I'm far from the only person who's pointing out the long-time connections between labor unions, corruption, and organized crime. Guess that all of this presentation of FACT is just a "smear campaign," right? Yeah, sure.

Re: Union Group Holds National Video Contest

Truthteller — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:35:09 -0000

Even more..... According to www.unionfacs.com:<p>
"When most people think of violations of labor law, they think first of "Big Business." But employees, employers, and labor organizations file thousands of charges each year-called "Unfair Labor Practices"-alleging violations of labor law by union officials.

The National Labor Relations Board's annual report for fiscal year 2005 included the number of Unfair Labor Practices alleged against employers and unions. Once again, union officials faced a disproportionately high number of allegations of wrongdoing, when compared to employers. The worst part: The vast majority of allegations said that members were the ones hurt by the union officials that are supposed to protect them.

The NLRB reported in 2005 that:

Unions faced a total of 6,381 allegations

82% of charges against unions alleged illegal restraint and coercion of employees (by comparison, the leading allegation against employers -- at 53% -- was for refusal to bargain)

594 charges were for illegal union discrimination against employees

The NLRB reported in 2004 that:

Unions faced a total of 6,917 allegations of wrongdoing

80% of those charges were filed by individuals

Unions filed more than 100 charges against other unions

81% of charges alleged illegal restraint and coercion of employees

More than 600 charges alleged illegal discrimination against employees, an increase of about 6 percent from 2003."

Re: What Happened Under Doug Bruce’s Golden Dome Yesterday?

Truthteller — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:54:30 -0000

I really, really wish that Dougie.... ....would just go back to California. :sigh:

Sincerely, Dougie, thanks for Tabor.

Now go away.

Re: What Happened Under Doug Bruce’s Golden Dome Yesterday?

Truthteller — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 20:09:56 -0000

So it's all a plot? To what end?

Re: Colorado Political Corruption Report Names Rogues’ Gallery

Truthteller — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 08:52:09 -0000

Sorry, but that won't wash. Political corruption is taking bribes, peddling influence, steering government contracts to your friends and families.

It's not kicking a photographer or hitting someone, including a spouse. Those things are ridiculous, foolish and criminal, but they're not "dishonest" and they don't constitute political corruption. You want to do a "Top Ten Stupid and Criminal Things Colorado Politicians Did in 2007" and include those things, and I'm right there with you. But when you try to change the meaning of pretty commonly understood words and phrases to make a political point, especially a partisan political point, and you risk your OWN integrity if you wish to be an impartial watchdog of the ethics of public officials.

Re: What Happened Under Doug Bruce’s Golden Dome Yesterday?

Truthteller — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:23:50 -0000

With all due respect, I think that there.... ....was a pretty strong allusion that the media were all doing the same thing, and for the same bad reason, hence the question about "plot." I don't think I'm off base of what he was suggesting.

Re: Anti-Affirmative Action Signatures Challenged

Truthteller — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:41:28 -0000

Interesting that you didn't report the fraud by the OPPONENTS as was reported in other sources, to include Face The State, last week:

"For the second time in as many days, opponents of a citizen-led civil rights initiative are facing allegations that they manufactured voter fraud allegations. The latest dust up: A Democrat state legislative aide who had claimed to be a victim of voter fraud saw her complaint dismissed after state officials learned that she was not a registered voter.

On February 26, Chloe Johnson filed a complaint with Secretary of State Mike Coffman's office alleging that she was tricked into supporting Amendment 46, also known as the Colorado Civil Rights Initiative, a ballot effort designed to end race and gender preferences in government hiring, education, and contracting. The complaint was formally dismissed by the state's Office of Administrative Courts because Johnson never registered to vote.

"If you know you aren't registered, then you have perjured yourself by signing a petition." Rich Coolidge, Dept. of State spokesperson

"I wasn't a registered elector at the time, so they dismissed my case," said Johnson. "I thought I was registered and that I registered last year when I turned 18." More than six weeks after lodging her complaint, Johnson is still not a registered voter, though she claims to be in the process of registering. Voters can obtain voter registration forms and verify their registration status online through the Secretary of State's Web site.

Under Colorado law you must be a registered voter in order to sign a petition. According to Rich Coolidge, Coffman's spokesman, "If you know you aren't registered, then you have perjured yourself by signing a petition."

Johnson had sought to have her name removed from a petition supporting Amendment 46 on the grounds that she was misled by the petitioner. Johnson claims that she signed the petition because she believes in "preventing discrimination anywhere," but that after signing it and during the course of her legislative internship with Rep. Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora, she became outraged when she learned that the initiative would not "end discrimination," but was "in fact a petition for anti-affirmative action." Face The State attempted to contact Carroll, who did not return calls for comment Monday.

Upset by this revelation, Johnson says she called the office of Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat, and requested that her name be removed from the petition. She was instructed to contact Coffman's office about the matter, which she did, leading her to subsequently file a complaint.

The initiative specifically reads: "The state shall not discriminate against or grant preferential treatment to any group or individual on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public contracting, or public education."

In addition to interning for a state legislator, Johnson is a political science major at the University of Colorado at Denver. When asked how she was confused by the petitions intent despite her background, Johnson replied, "There was nothing in the wording that said anything about ending affirmative action; it just talked about ending discrimination."

The dismissal of Johnson's complaint comes on the heels of a Face The State investigation made public Monday revealing that CCRI backers are now questioning the validity of similar allegations made by another Colorado woman, Dara Burwell. While Burwell had also complained that she was tricked into signing on in support of the initiative, the fact that she works as a professional diversity trainer raised eyebrows with her political foes. While Burwell made her allegations at an April 1 press conference, she has not yet filed an official complaint with Coffman's office."

Re: Union Group Holds National Video Contest

Truthteller — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:45:00 -0000

Ever notice how... ....Mr. Allport runs and hides whenever anyone points out uncomfortable and damning facts about unions.

Hee, hee, hee. It's really rather comical.

Re: Breaking: Union Group Files Complaint Against Right To Work

Truthteller — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:48:01 -0000

I have yet to find any union that doesn't want to feed off of the public trough.. .....either legally or illegally.

But the CONSTANT illegality is what concerns me the most.

From a recent book review on the topic:

Mobsters, Unions, and Feds: The Mafia and the American Labor Movement | Book Reviews

Published by EH.NET (October 2006)

James B. Jacobs, Mobsters, Unions, and Feds: The Mafia and the American Labor Movement. New York: New York University Press, 2006. xxxii + 320 pp. $33 (cloth), ISBN: 0-8147-4273-0.

Reviewed for EH.NET by Melvyn Dubofsky, Department of History, Binghamton University.

Re: Breaking: Union Group Files Complaint Against Right To Work

Truthteller — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:49:17 -0000

And I notice.... ....that you simply couldn't answer his questions. As usual. :yawn:

Re: Breaking: Union Group Files Complaint Against Right To Work

Truthteller — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:51:36 -0000

And there is... .....even more.....

According to www.unionfacts.com:

<p>
"When most people think of violations of labor law, they think first of "Big Business." But employees, employers, and labor organizations file thousands of charges each year-called "Unfair Labor Practices"-alleging violations of labor law by union officials.

Re: Anti-Affirmative Action Signatures Challenged

Truthteller — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 21:16:54 -0000

Heh. What do you think.... ....that Colorado Confidential does?

Re: Anti-Affirmative Action Signatures Challenged

Truthteller — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 21:18:30 -0000

So, are you claiming that the report is false? Upon what facts do you base that claim? Other than your opinion about the nature of Face The State.......

I see you don't like them, but I don't see a serious attempt at refuting the claim in any way. How does THAT pass in the community of ideas?

Re: Anti-Affirmative Action Signatures Challenged

Truthteller — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 21:20:17 -0000

And her complaint WAS dismissed.... ....so isn't that very relevant to the story? Shouldn't that have been included in your reporting? But you didn't mention it at ALL. Silence. How is that impartial journalistic reporting of events of public importance?

Re: Anti-Affirmative Action Signatures Challenged

Truthteller — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:38:49 -0000

You still have not given any facts... ....that would refute the claim made in this instance. So do you admit that, in this one instance, their reporting was correct and accurate, or not?

Re: Union Group Holds National Video Contest

Truthteller — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:41:10 -0000

Hmmm....no response from the union flack to the facts..... .....as usual.

Re: Anti-Affirmative Action Signatures Challenged

Truthteller — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 12:29:31 -0000

From you silence, we must presume... ...that you do not deny the facts reported, even though by Mr. Jones at Face The State. Guess the factual accuracy and completeness of the "media matters" only when you can bash at conservatives and Republicans, eh?

Re: Limbaugh Muses About DNC Race Riot, Local Radio Pimps Itself

Truthteller — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 16:02:42 -0000

What was actually said....... RUSH: Jerry in Denver. (laughter) Welcome to the EIB Network, sir. Hello. You're listening on KOA.

CALLER: Hi, Rush. Nice to talk to you.

RUSH: Thank you.

CALLER: I know the Drive-Bys are gonna start coming after you about your "dreaming of riots" in Denver, and they've already started in the Denver papers. But it's kind of strange that the Denver police and fire departments are already doing training for crowd control and they're bringing in police officers from outlying suburbs to supplement the Denver Police Department, and they've already been advised that they have 750 so far and they're going to need another few thousand for the convention.

RUSH: Right. And this is all because I am "dreaming of riots."

CALLER: There you go, and they've also put the Colorado National Guard on a 24-hour alert for the thing, so...

RUSH: It sounds like a paramilitary operation out there being prepared here to deal with --

CALLER: No riots.

RUSH: -- raucous protesters at the Democrat National Convention in Denver.

CALLER: Yeah, it's just really strange that the --

RUSH: Isn't that funny? Isn't that amazing?

CALLER: Yeah. The media says --

RUSH: And you say that the local Drive-Bys have been reporting this?

CALLER: Yeah, there was an article in the news last night.

RUSH: Let me ask you a question about this, Jerry. In the local Drive-By reports on all of the efforts -- paramilitary and others -- to prepare for possible unrest, have any potential protest groups been identified by the Drive-By Media?

CALLER: Recreate '68 is one. They had an article on them.

RUSH: Uh, wait a minute, Jere. Hang on here just a second. I want to make sure that everybody heard what you just said. There is a protest group in Denver called Recreate '68?

CALLER: They're headquartered in Longmont or Boulder, which is kind of amazing, huh? The leader of that organization --

RUSH: (laughter.)

CALLER: -- is a close friend of Ward Churchill. His name is Glenn Spagnuolo.

RUSH: Glenn Spagnuolo, good friend of Ward Churchill is the leader of Recreate '68.

CALLER: That's correct.

RUSH: Headquartered in Boulder.

CALLER: In the Boulder area.

RUSH: Alright. Now, let me ask this question of you, Jerry. When you hear an organization entitled Recreate '68, what do you think?

CALLER: Well, I remember the convention of 1968 in Chicago with Mayor Daley. They just about destroyed that city, and that's --

RUSH: How?

CALLER: -- what he's trying to do.

RUSH: How did they destroy the city, Jerry? What happened in Chicago in 1968?

CALLER: Well, they were burning cars, smashing storefronts, running up and down the streets.

RUSH: Wait! You mean there were riots?

CALLER: Oh, yes.

RUSH: At the Democrat convention in Chicago 1968?

CALLER: That's correct.

RUSH: And there's now a group in the Boulder area headed up by some Spagnuolo guy who's a best friend, or close friend of Ward Churchill called Recreate '68?

CALLER: Recreate '68.

RUSH: And now the paramilitary and cops are arming up and preparing for potential unrest in Denver in August for the Democrat National Convention?

CALLER: Yes, they are. They're going through training as we speak.

RUSH: Now, in any of these Drive-By Media reports, Jerry, that you have read; how far back do they go? A week? A month? How long have you been reading about these stories?

CALLER: It's just been recently. The Recreate '68 guys' petition to get permits to parade -- and they were protesting, they weren't allotted the right amount of permits -- and they were also meeting with the Denver Police Department to lay down ground rules that they wanted the police to accept of how they were going to handle arrests and so forth.

RUSH: Really? The Recreate '68 group met with the cops to try to strike a deal on how arrests would be handled? So the Recreate '68 group intends, or at least is planning on some kind of action that would require the cops to arrest them and they want to strike a deal with how?

CALLER: Well, they were anticipating that.

RUSH: Yeah. Now, think back. I want you to. A week ago you started reading about this. Was this a month ago? March? February?

CALLER: Yeah, let's see. There was an article about a week and a half ago in the Rocky Mountain News that the Recreate people were holding seminars with their members, with attorneys giving them advice on how to deal with the police, because they said, "The policemen are not your friends and they will lie to you."

RUSH: Let me ask you this, Jerry. In any of those stories a week and a half ago, two weeks ago, did you read my name?

CALLER: Not in those. But I just read it recently, or it was on Channel 4 in Denver last night that they mentioned your name about "dreaming of riots" in Denver.

RUSH: Yeah. So that has captured attention. From what I understand, most of the talk radio stations in Denver are talking about it. All three television stations are talking about it. The newspapers are writing about it, about me on this program the day before yesterday and yesterday talking to people, "dreaming of riots."

CALLER: There you go.

Re: Anti-Affirmative Action Signatures Challenged

Truthteller — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 20:21:01 -0000

I posted the whole story... ....and her complaint was dismissed because she wasn't a registered voter. It said so quite specifically. Further, it included her claim that she thought she was registered, as well as numerous other facts not reported here, though clearly relevant to the issue.

So what is so "wrong?" Why is that supposedly "so-called" truthtelling?

No doubt you receive some small personnal satisfaction out of accusing those who you perceive to be on the other side of politics from you of lying, but you've just engaged in it yourself. How does that make you feel?

Re: Limbaugh Muses About DNC Race Riot, Local Radio Pimps Itself

Truthteller — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:30:54 -0000

So, "Hater," we are safe in assuming.... ....that you would call for the indictment of Rev. Al Sharpton, too?

Re: Limbaugh Muses About DNC Race Riot, Local Radio Pimps Itself

Truthteller — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 21:41:29 -0000

What Recreate '68 is planning...... Days of Resistance

August 24-28, 2008

During the Convention, there will be five major protests, one each day. Each protest will focus on a symptom of the disease of an Imperialist, Capitalist, Racist system as seen in our communities. Some of the proposed themes are as follows:

Sunday - End All Occupations at Home and Abroad

Monday - Human Rights/Free All Political Prisoners

Tuesday - No Borders

Wednesday - No Warming

Thursday - No Racism/Imperialism

As actions develop, we will post more information!

Re: Limbaugh Muses About DNC Race Riot, Local Radio Pimps Itself

Truthteller — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 21:44:10 -0000

More from their website.... Welcome to the "Re-create 68" website, your virtual activists' Convergence Center for the Denver Democratic National Convention of 2008. This website was created for all the grassroots people who are tired of being sold out by the Democratic Party.

R-68 agrees with the proposition, POTESTAS IN POPULO, "all power comes from the people." What stands between the people and power are the party machines. The parties were devised as a means to represent the people. Today they represent nobody, not even party members, but only party bureaucracy. The people have been left without appropriate institutions for their representation. We intend to create those institutions!

Join us in the streets of Denver as we resist a two-party system that allows imperialism and racism to continue unrestrained.

Re: Supreme Court OKs Getting Carded at the Ballot Box

Truthteller — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:15:17 -0000

Total non-sequiter....... "Unfortunately, this case is going be spun as holding that "Voter ID laws are constitutional" when in fact it holds only that they are not per se unconstitutional."

Isn't that a lot like arguing over what the definition of "is" is?

Re: ‘Right-To-Work’ Initiative Certified for Ballot

Truthteller — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:30:48 -0000

Attention media matters FORMAL

OPINION

of

DUANE WOODARD

Attorney General

No. 88-10

AG Alpha No. LO AD AGAQY

December 16, 1988

Tim Schultz

Executive Director

Department of Local Affairs

1313 Sherman St., Room 518

Denver, Colorado 80203

RE: Colorado's status as a "right to work" state.

Dear Mr. Schultz:

This opinion letter is in response to your November 11, 1988 letter, in which you inquired whether Colorado is a right to work state.

QUESTION PRESENTED AND CONCLUSION

Your request for an attorney general's opinion presents the question:

Whether the provisions of the Colorado Labor Peace Act, or any other law, causes Colorado to be properly described as a "right to work" state?

No.

ANALYSIS

The origin of the phrase "right to work" is often attributed to a 1941 Dallas Morning News editorial which urged the adoption of an amendment to the federal constitution protecting the right of employees to work without coercion with respect to joining a labor union. See William B. Ruggles, Dallas Morning News, Tuesday, January 12, 1965, "An Open Letter to the President." However, the phrase "right to work" has developed over the past 50 years primarily in connection with state constitutional or statutory provisions permitted by section 14(b) of the National Labor Relations Act of 1935, 29 U.S.C. Section 164(b) (1988). As commonly understood, a "right to work" state is one which, either by constitutional or statutory provision, prohibits contractual terms conditioning employment on membership in or financial support of a labor organization. See generally, Anno., Validity and Construction of Right to Work Laws, 92 A.L.R. 2d 598, 599; Note, International Union of the Plumbing & Pipefitting Industry Local 141 v. NLRB: Closing the Door on Representation Fees in Right to Work States, 1983 Wisc. L. Rev. 1231, 1231 n.2; Eissinger, The Right to Work Imbroglio, 51 N.D. L. Rev. 571, 573 n.8, 575 (1975). See also, e.g., United Steelworkers of America v. Johnson, 830 F.2d 924, 925 (8th Cir. 1987); Meade Electric Co. v. Hagberg, 129 Ind. App. 631, 159 N.E. 2d 408, 413-14 (1959).

Colorado has neither a constitutional nor a statutory provision prohibiting labor agreements which condition employment upon membership in or support of a labor union. In 1958, Colorado voters rejected the opportunity to amend their constitution to explicitly include such a provision.FN1 The Colorado Labor Peace Act, (the "CPLA"), Sections 8-3-101 to 124, C.R.S. (1986), which was enacted in 1943 as a comprehensive labor relations regulatory scheme, 1943 Colo. Sess. Laws, does not include such a provision either. The CPLA provides, in pertinent part:

Section 8-3-108(1)(c)(I), C.R.S. (1986) (emphasis added).

Because this provision only regulates, rather than prohibits, union security agreements, Colorado does not qualify as a "right to work" state. Building Construction Trades Council v. American Builders, Inc., 139 Colo. 226, 337 P.2d 953, 960 (1959). See also Communications Workers of America v. Western Electric Co., 198 Colo 128, 551 P.2d 1065 (1976).

SUMMARY

An agreement requiring membership in a labor organization as a condition of employment is, under certain circumstances, permitted in this state. The Colorado Labor Peace Act explicitly provides that employers "shall not be prohibited" from entering such agreements, provided certain preconditions are met. Consequently, Colorado does not fall within the traditional meaning of a "right to work" state.

Sincerely,

DUANE WOODARD

Attorney General

DW:13818:wp

AG Alpha No. LO AD AGAQY

AG File No. OHR8806303/AQY

LABOR UNIONS

ELECTIONS

EMPLOYEES

Section 8-3-101 to 124 (1986)

29 U.S.C. Sections 141-187 (1988)

LOCAL AFFAIRS DEPT.

Colorado is not a right to work state. The Colorado Labor Peace Act explicitly authorizes execution of agreements conditioning employment on union membership or financial support if a qualifying referendum has been voted favorably upon by a majority of employees eligible to vote or 3/4 of those voting.

Has that changed since 1988? Or are you trying to mislead readers about that important AG's opinion?

Re: Expect the Unexpected at State Dem Convention

Truthteller — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:19:06 -0000

Can we expect..... ......demonstrations and even riots at the state convention, too? Anybody heard anything from the Recreate '68 folks on this one?

Re: ‘Right-To-Work’ Initiative Certified for Ballot

Truthteller — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:28:19 -0000

Hmmm.....no response from Media Matters. Gee, I wonder why not?

Re: Expect the Unexpected at State Dem Convention

Truthteller — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:36:52 -0000

If you look at their website, Recreate '68.... ...seems to detest the democrat party quite a bit.

But what I was curious about was if anyone had heard anything from that crowd about the state convention - they're already full of plans for the national convention, you know. (Or if you don't, just take a look at their website).

(By the way, standard Internet conventions and customs hold that typing in ALL CAPS is the online version of shouting........)

Re: Pray Hard, For The Non-Evangelicals

Truthteller — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:36:04 -0000

Funny, I didn't see even a mention of.... .....Focus on the Family in that story. (There was, of course, the obligatory liberal nasty swipe at "Holy Rollers").

I think maybe several somebodies' blind hatred for Christians is showing......

Re: Pray Hard, For The Non-Evangelicals

Truthteller — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:37:12 -0000

OH, wait, THERE.... ...it is.....that Mrs. Dobson is coordinating the day's efforts. Gee, I guess that "coordinating" now means "dictating" if your a libbie.......

Re: In the Matter of The Rocky, Douglas Bruce and Anonymous Sources

Truthteller — Thu, 01 May 2008 12:15:09 -0000

What is.... ....Colorado Confidential's policy on the use of such anonymous sources?

Re: ICE Raids Send Chill Through Mountain Communities

Truthteller — Thu, 01 May 2008 19:07:08 -0000

Uh, because..... ....he was and is totally corrupt?

Look how much money they've made since he left the presidency........by accident? Good luck? I don't think so.

Re: Pray Hard, For The Non-Evangelicals

Truthteller — Thu, 01 May 2008 20:16:08 -0000

I wonder, Wildflower, if you'd agree with this statment: "The "Christian" capitalist regards work as the means to the exploitation of other peoples. He never works as a productive creator without the great aim of becoming the master. He works unproductively, using and enjoying other people's work. And thus we understand the iron sentence which Mommsen once uttered: 'The capitalist is the ferment of decomposition in peoples,' that means that the he destroys and must destroy because he completely lacks the conception of an activity which builds up the life of the community. And therefore it is beside the point whether the individual evangelical Christian is 'decent' or not. In himself he carries those characteristics which Nature has given him, and he cannot ever rid himself of those characteristics. And to us he is harmful. Whether he harms us consciously or unconsciously, that is not our affair. We have consciously to concern ourselves for the welfare of our own people."

Re: Obama Loves His High-speed Rail

Truthteller — Fri, 02 May 2008 19:43:36 -0000

And there wil be... ...pie in the sky, by-and-by.........

Re: Colorado Job-seekers Up Against a Tough Economy

Truthteller — Sat, 03 May 2008 08:08:59 -0000

Maybe all those Coloradans.... ....looking for jobs can go where ICE is conducting all the raids, and get the jobs that illegal aliens have had to leave behind?

Re: Remember Kent State during Convention Protests

Truthteller — Sun, 04 May 2008 21:48:57 -0000

So, the convention hasn't even happened, but you're already..... ....accusing the "CO GOP" of causing violence to disrupt the convention.

Talk about being a "provocateur." Who's paying you?

Re: Obama Loves His High-speed Rail

Truthteller — Sun, 04 May 2008 21:50:36 -0000

Re: Remember Kent State during Convention Protests

Truthteller — Mon, 05 May 2008 06:13:38 -0000

No, it's not. Maybe you ought to spend a little less time reading moveondotorg propaganda, and a little more finding the truth. Look at the Recreate '68 website, and you'll see just who IS calling for riots.....and it ain't Limbaugh or any other talk radio host.

Re: Obama Loves His High-speed Rail

Truthteller — Mon, 05 May 2008 06:17:06 -0000

Aw, you ruined it. I would have bet a decent sum of money that "Wildflower" would agree with that statement as written, given past statements (see, above and in other topics) and the displayed hatred of Christians. You should have let him/her answer for themself.

And what it has to do with is just that - the hatred displayed by some over matters religious or religious-connected. Now what that has to do with Obama's love for high speed rail, I don't know - but I wasn't the one who brought it up here, now was I?

Re: And Speaking of Democrats

Truthteller — Sun, 06 May 2007 13:44:52 -0000

sorry Wilson, it was LSA who told lawmakers about the 24% property tax increase, not Mitch. get your facts right!

Re: My Dinner with Democrats

Truthteller — Sun, 06 May 2007 13:45:37 -0000

Wilson, are calling Abdul a Nazi???!!! That's low even for you.

Re: WHEN THE CHIPS ARE DOWN OR GONE!

Truthteller — Thu, 10 May 2007 16:26:38 -0000

I was just down at the warehouse. It's a disaster down there.

Re: http://www.crimene.ws/2008/04/overcharged.html

Truthteller — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:47:48 -0000

It is outrageous that none of these girls have any remorse and don't even appear to understand that they did anything wrong, and the attorneys are out of their minds if they think that they can get these girls off with a smack on the wrist.

Going by the actual definition of kidnapping, it is not an inappropriate charge. It would be one thing to be hearing remorse and humility from these girls. The fact that they think they can plead not guilty, when the whole thing is on video tape, and then just wait for it all to go away is remarkable to me. What kind of sheltered, privileged world are these girls living in? It is time for a major wake up call, perhaps even a life long one...after all, if they get away with it now, who is to say that the next person that pisses this posse off doesn't wind up dead?

Re: Feigenholtz goes negative * UPDATED x1 *

Truthteller — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:17:15 -0000

Giangreco is a solid guy. Blagojevich pays him;he stands by his man(til the cash stops flowing.)
Morrison gives him business, he defends Morrison.
Pete's an independent businessman, not for sale, but for rent.

Re: Quinn: No apologies

Truthteller — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 23:47:40 -0000

Reporters missed SEIU leader's praise of Quinn's budget.Kelliher did well by sucking up to Blago and is obviously pursuing same strategy with Quinn.If you're organizing a rally to protest cuts, why would you let the guy making the cuts make a speech?
Ronald Reagan once famously remarked that he had paid for the microphone. Why give it to the guy whose program you are opposing?

Re: Senate approves tax hike

Truthteller — Sat, 30 May 2009 23:54:56 -0000

If this bill doesn't pass, the legislature will find itself in the same pickle again next year.
It's the only bill that addresses the structural deficit by expanding the sales tax base.
Why would any legislator want to go thru this agony again?
Schnorf is right about Meeks, but he forgot to mention Ralph Martire .
If there were more Democrats like Bond, Schoenburg,and Garrett in the Congress, Obama's economic program would be dead.

Re: WLS embarrasses itself yet again

Truthteller — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:45:10 -0000

For those who insist that the public sector should be run like the private sector this is a good lesson. Can you imagine any public employer hiring Blagojevich for any purpose while he is under indictment? But for the private employer, the only question is "Can we make a buck?"
There is no shame. But this is a good example why the State shouldn't simply follow a private sector model.

Re: Polling secrets

Truthteller — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 07:31:10 -0000

Daley says Walmart will bring 400 jobs. He just laid off more than 400 employees, including those who provide health, public safety, and other vital services.If he wants to create jobs, why doesn't he recall those he laid off?

Re: Let’s play: “Rate that… ”

Truthteller — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 21:33:36 -0000

AFSCME_10 Whatever happened to the rule of law and the sanctity of contracts?
Do the anti-union conservatives have such animosity to workers that they think it is ok to violate a signed contract and/or the law if it will suppress wages?
Everyone who believes that contracts are important should applaud AFSCME's action

Re: Tamms reforms offered and why this hasn’t been discussed much here

Truthteller — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 06:55:04 -0000

Shame on you, Rich. Actually visiting prisons. Reporting on the verdict in the trial, not merely publishing the sensational charges.Your insistence on the facts is what distinguishes you from the Trib and other news outlets which seek the "truth" and rarely let the facts get in their way.