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April 11, 2007 03:59 PM UTC

Unauthorized Use Of Colorado State Seal: A Felony

  • 27 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

Being the nice guy that Secretary of State Mike Coffman is, however, he’s going to cut the Senate Republicans a break. This time. Even though it’s apparently not the first time they’ve pulled this, as the Rocky Mountain News reports:

[Senate Minority Leader Andy] McElhany said he removed the Colorado seal from coloradosenatenews.com after Secretary of State Mike Coffman reminded party caucuses April 2 they can’t use the seal in communications.

It’s a felony to use the state seal for anything but official documents. [Pols emphasis]

This isn’t the first time Republicans violated the state’s strict rule about misusing the seal.

Former Republican Senate President John Andrews was forced to pull the seal from a GOP political Web site called coloradosenate.com in 2003…

“What concerns me is that a political committee is funding the creation of a Web site that purports to be a news and information site (that was) bearing the Colorado state seal,” said Chantell Taylor, director of Colorado Citizens for Ethics in Government.

“Nowhere does it indicate that it’s the Web site of the Minority office. It just says it’s the “Senate News,” she added. “I think that is misleading and disingenuous, because clearly the Senate Majority Fund has a very partisan motive.”

McElhany says that critics are making a “mountain out of a molehill” regarding this issue,  although he sure is scrambling to cover up the molehill. An unofficial (note the lack of an official seal) poll follows.

Is ignorance of the law a valid affirmative defense in American jurisprudence?

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Comments

27 thoughts on “Unauthorized Use Of Colorado State Seal: A Felony

    1. Give it a little time. The dirt on all the sleazy Dimocrats will start coming to light. The scene will be similar to roaches when the light is turned on.

      “D” does not mean “holy”. Just another stupid politician.

      1. It’s “ALWAYS” the Republicans trying to see what they can get away with.  Or maybe they are just plain stupid.  I would bet that during their orientation to the capitol that they are told not to do this.

        I put “ALWAYS” in quotes because I don’t mean literally 100.0000 percent, but somewhere close to it, 70-95%. 

        Your comment is so typical of the right wing; when the R’s in congress were running away from Jack Abramoff, the spin was that Dems were doing it, tool.  As Howard Dean emphasized, no Dem had taken money from JA.  Period.  End of story.

          1. If you want to play the Six Degrees to Kevin Bacon game, then you better come up with more than that. Bush took glamour shots with Jack Abramoff and then said he never knew the schmuck.

            How about Bush Family ties to Al Qaeda?

            1. When one of their boys – or girls – does obviously illegal and immoral things, it doesn’t matter.

              Yet when a Dem stumbles – and I”m not talking William Jefferson, but the Reid scenario – it’s big time scandal. And they never get their facts right.

              Thanks for that six degrees of separation analogy.

        1. You do LIAS’s post far too much honor by calling it (or comparing it to) spin: It’s just plain noise. I’m waiting for that guy to say something other than “Uh, democrats bad. Use sleeves to wipe nose! Me witty.”

          LIAS, do you have any THOUGHTS to share? You know, those things that we produce when we observe the world and apply reason in the effort to better understand it? As is, you represent your ideological brethren in a manner that does the liberal cause great service. With people like you publicizing their support for conservativism, this country will surely keep moving to the left. Keep up the good work.

    2. I’ve just read all the comments and I’m just stunned that there isn’t a single “Clinton and/or Kennedy did something worse” defense from one of our rightie regulars.  This is truly a first.  I thought they considered the blue dress relevant to whatever you care to mention.

      1. I can’t speak for the other “righties”, but if it were the first time, no big deal.  If it was not the first time, but the first time was say….10 years ago, still no big deal.  Second time in four years….someone should have remembered.

  1. How can we allow these lawbreakers to live among us?  They have demonstrated their disdain for our laws, deport Illegal Republicans NOW!  Build a frickin’ wall! 

  2. How can a political campaign pay for the Senate Republicans Communications? Wouldn’t that be campaiging on state time? How many felonies can the Senate Republicans rack up in one session?

    1. Mike Coffman and John Suthers office if the laws do not apply to Republicans. It seems they have a short memory, having used this tactic just a few short years ago. McElhany, Coffman, and Suthers were all around when John Andrews was busted for the same crime to be punished with a finger waving.

      1. Remember that Coffman has his own rap sheet for violating Colorado campaign finance laws (using state money to take a position in a ballot issue).

  3. everyone knows that republicans are exempt from the law-the law you see is for the “other” people you know the small people-the dems- the indies-etc. You too can be exempt from most laws -all you have to do is drink the Kool Aid, spout neo-con ideas, do what you are told and life will be good!

  4. “Sen. Nancy Spence, R-Centennial, said she doesn’t see what all the fuss is about.”

    What Mike said during the campaign…

    “I have demonstrated the courage to stand up to the political establishment of both major political parties and to the powerful special interest groups that dominate Colorado politics. I have earned a reputation for independence and fairness that is so critical to this office.”

    …The only concern for the Secretary of State must be that our electoral processes are fair, honest, transparent and accountable.”

     

  5. campaign snafu occurs when amateur campaign managers make collateral with the official seal included.  In the last primary season, I counted no less then six pieces of literature.  Luckily, I live in a very republican area and apparently the rascally dems down here don’t file regular complaints.  Though they should, in all fairness… 

  6. I recently got a speeding ticket on I-70 just west of Avon. Apparently the speed limit is 65 in the mtns, though it returns to 75 in Eagle. The road was wide open and I was going 75. When the police officer pulled me over, I tried to defend myself by saying that I thought, since I appeared to be out of the mtns at that point, the speed limit was in fact 75. The officer then reminded me that “unfortunately for me, ignorance is not an excuse for breaking the law.” And regardless of the fact that the fine took away my grocery money for 6 weeks, I happen to agree.

    If I, as an average citizen, cannot use that excuse, why then can the state gatekeepers of those laws be allowed to do so?

      1. Hardly, but the speed limit does in fact change to 75 to compensate for the easily drivable nature of the roads on that stretch of the highway west of Avon (before heading into Glenwood Canyon, to be specific).

        So while you may quiz me on my knowledge of Colorado’s topography, you just made my point that we have these laws to achieve an ultimate goal. The fine for my speeding ticket will most likely (and hopefully) go to repair the damage on 70 from the winter storms in time for next ski season, while also reminding me to ease up on my accelerator. But what about the law that was broken by the minority office for the second time in 4 years? They just get a slap on the wrist and another “warning” from the SOS’s office? This may be my “ignorance” speaking again, but shouldn’t we demand more from our elected officials?

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