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September 12, 2014 10:55 AM UTC

You Shall Know Them By The Company They Keep

  • 89 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE #2: In today's Pueblo Chieftain, Tom Ready responds…badly.

“I was definitely ambushed, no doubt about it,” Ready said, as The Huffington Post, The Daily Koss and other Internet news services ripped him for his comments…

“I know those kids were killed,” Ready said of Sandy Hook. “But there are some facts that have not been proven. That’s all I was alluding to, period. It’s terrible.”

…Asked whether the comments hurt his chances to gain a seat for Republicans that just one candidate, Jim Brewer, has won in recent years, Ready said, “Well yeah. I had some lady come up to me and say ‘That was the worst thing I heard in my life.’ But it doesn’t kill my campaign.”

Sal Pace isn't sorry:

Pace responded: “Tom Ready set himself up plain and simple. He posted an absolutely outrageous conspiracy theory on Facebook, I called him on it, and he not only didn’t deny it, but he doubled down on it. That’s absolutely shameful, and I’m glad this story is getting the attention it deserves.

“Real kids, the same ages as my kids, died.” [Pols emphasis]

—–

UPDATE: It didn't take long for a photo of Tom Ready and Bob Beauprez to surface.

—–

Rep. Cory Gardner (R).
Rep. Cory Gardner (R).

​​As Huffington Post's Samantha Lachman reports, the unpleasant story of Republican Pueblo County Commissioner candidate Tom Ready, whose incendiary conspiracy theorist views on the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting were challenged by Democratic incumbent Sal Pace this week, has now ensnared Republican candidates at the top of Colorado's ballot:

Given that Colorado has had its fair share of mass shootings, the fact that two high-profile Republicans there attended an event with a candidate for local office who has expressed doubts about whether the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting really happened might strike some voters as insensitive. [Pols emphasis]

Rep. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), who is running to unseat Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), and former Rep. Bob Beauprez (R-Colo.), who is challenging Gov. John Hickenlooper (D), attended an Aug. 24 Republican Party steak fry at the home of Dr. Tom Ready, a candidate for Pueblo County Commissioner. Photos of the event were shared on Facebook.

Pueblo Commissioner candidate Tom Ready (R).
Pueblo Commissioner candidate Tom Ready (R).
​

To recap, here is what Tom Ready said at this week's debate in Pueblo:

In a Sept. 10 debate, Ready's Democratic opponent asked him why he had shared an article on Facebook claiming that the 2012 shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, that killed 26 people was actually a hoax arranged by the federal government to advance gun control policies.

"There is some question whether it really happened," Ready responded.

As the crowd booed, Ready explained his theory.

"Some people in the videos, thank you very much, if you recall, there was a picture of a man walking in whose daughter had died. He was smiling and joking. When he walked into the room he turned and all of a sudden had tears in his eyes. Why? I question that."

“I don’t think [the Sandy Hook shootings have] been proven," he added. "And what’s wrong with open discussion?” [Pols emphasis]

Needless to say, this photo is now a significant liability for U.S. Senate candidate Cory Gardner:

We haven't seen an equivalent picture of Tom Ready with GOP gubernatorial nominee Bob Beauprez, but to be honest, that would be less shocking given Beauprez's lengthy history of similarly wacky on-record statements. It's important to recognize that the Sandy Hook conspiracy theory relies on larger suppositions by gun rights extremists, who believe that the government is working nefariously to deprive them of their Second Amendment rights.

Indeed, there are family members of victims of the Sandy Hook shootings who joined the debate over gun safety legislation at the Colorado legislature last year. One who was prominent during that debate was Jane Dougherty of Littleton, whose sister died at Sandy Hook Elementary. We haven't seen any statement from Dougherty about Tom Ready as of this writing, but we think we know what she would say. And it wouldn't be very nice.

Bottom line: Sandy Hook denialism is just another flavor of the same far-right fringe that has had a disturbing degree of influence in Republican politics in Colorado in recent years. What may be most troubling about Tom Ready's flirtation with this madness is that it is not terribly uncommon. We submit to our readers that such extreme viewpoints were far more common among the organizers of last year's recall elections, which Ready of course supported, than among the general population. Don't get us wrong: we're pretty certain that once Gardner and Beauprez are asked about this, assuming our genteel local media works up the nerve to ask, they will distance themselves from Ready, and any suggestion that the Sandy Hook Elementary shootings were somehow faked to precipitate gun control.

But the damage is done. The connection is in the record. The photo cannot be untaken.

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89 thoughts on “You Shall Know Them By The Company They Keep”

  2. Birds of a lunatic-fringe, oil-coated feather flock together. In today's GOTP, scratch an alleged "moderate" (yeah, right), find a whack-job, deranged Teabagger,

  4. Known by the company they keep?

    As in Udall the liar being supported by Elizabeth "pow-wow chow" Warren the plagarist who was recently out here supporting Mark "you can keep your policy, your doctor etc" Udall?

      1. I hadn't seen this when I wrote my comment. That's how predictably revolting Piss Ant is. Not a word about how deplorable accusing all the loved ones of all the Sandy Hook victims of faking it . Just a completely lame Johnny did it too, with an example that isn't  in any way comparable to claiming a father would fake his child's death with the complicity of first responders, police, hospitals, doctors funeral homes, all in on a vast conspiracy, all willing to fabricate the deaths of and presumably hide the not really dead little children and adults for the sake of gun legislation. And he couldn't resist using bigoted language or implying , on the strength of no evidence whatever, that Warren lied about a little (that's all she ever claimed) Native American ("powow" in Piss Ant's words) heritage. At least he didn't say "redskin". 

        Can we ban the worthless piece of crap yet?

          2. Yeah, because you and Skippy are just so well known for your love of "discussion."

            Got a cartoon or a dead-horse gif to share? Maybe a nasty, lie-filled Rush or Rove or Luntz or Koch talking point to regurgitate? We ignore your kind; we don't waste our time going to your sites to crap in your punchbowl, yet you two insist upon coming here daily to crap in ours. You lend nothing to any discussion. You come here solely to bait us, and so you will get rhetorically head-punched every time you do.

            You two keep forgetting that we here ARE NOT the dimwitted, gullible, racist rubes you're so used to high-fiving at your precious COPeak and the other neanderthal Bagger sites you frequent.

          3. I'm sorry modster, he made quite clear that he belives this to be possible and that, inspite of all the police, EMTs, families, hosptials , reporters and funeral homes involved, there isn't "proof"that this ever happened. That's ridiculous on it's face, even more so than that there isn't any "proof" Obama is an American. And once again you and Frank fail to understand the first amendment. Of course he has the right to ddiscuss whatever he wants, just as ward had the right to cll the victims of 9/11 little Eichmanns, but  we have the right to consider him to be a a despicable, heartles creep unworthy of elected office as a result. Gardner has the choice to support the guy or guy or not. Voters have the right to decide if they want to support a candidate who supports that kind of theorizing.

            Sal Pace is already  sending out an e-mail to make sure people know just what Ready considers a perfectly legit "theory". Here's an excerpt.

            My opponent said, “There’s still questions about whether (the Sandy Hook Massacre) really happened, Sal.” He added that pictures of one parent of a deceased child “was caught smiling and joking and all of a sudden had tears in his eyes. Why?”   

            I just got off the phone with my cousin Richie, who's a firefighter from Newtown, Connecticut.  He said that he'd like to invite Dr. Ready to Newtown to see the graves of the children firsthand.  Richie would know, he was one of firefighters who participated in a ritual firfighter funeral for seven year old boy who dreamed of growing up to be a firefighter. 

            The tragedy was especially brutal because of the young, innocent lives taken. It’s a tragedy that left grieving parents and grandparents behind to contemplate it for the rest of their lives. As a father of three young children, I can’t begin to imaging how such a tragedy would impact my family. Yet my opponent, Dr. Tom Ready, wants to have an “open discussion” on whether or not the incident actually occurred. 

            My opponent's comments and feelings on the matter are reprehensible, disgusting, and extremely sad.

             

          4. Got confused on this thread. I see now you're defending Piss Ant's right to post this for discussion and apologies to Frank, too. But the point remains. Ready should be denounced, not supported, by any one who'd like to be considered a decent human being.  Nothing Piss Ant posts is worthy of discussion but plenty of it is bigoted and offensive.

          2. Dems have unsavory characters  (Anthony Wiener, Rob Blagosevich, Jesse Jackson, Jr, etc) – the difference is that when they are exposed, they usually apologize and face legal and/or political consequences for their misdeeds.

            It's completely fair to expose the thinking of current candidates for office at whatever level. I don't know about you, but I want to know if the person making policy decisions that affect my life believes in vast conspiracies, monsters, or alien takeovers.

            People with power, or who aspire to have power, over others, should not be crazy. It's that simple.

            1. Exactly.  Did Nancy Pelosi waste any time tossing the cell phone perv's ass out of the House once it was clear what he was doing? And for good measure, she threw her two cents in on his mayoral candidacy even though it didn't directly effect her as minority leader.

              And Blogo was impeached and removed from office by a Democratic-controlled legislature.  IIRC, the House vote was almost unanimous.  The only vote against impeaching Blago came from his wife's sister who was a House member.

              OTOH, the GOP embraces its nut cases because without them, there aint much left.

               

          3. What mama said. Did you see Dems rushing to appear with and support those people you name?  Have they apologized? Were Dems on this blog defending them with Johnny does it too excuses or were they getting plenty of criticism from us?

            So far, Piss Ant hasn't said there is anything wrong with a thing Ready said or with BWB and Gardner  supporting him. Would you be saying that about Dems standing with the people you mention? With Ward? 

            You have serious double standard problem and inability to ever admit an R could be to blame for anything. Period. Full stop. Without reference to what some Dem Johnny did too. We Dems manage to admit it when of ours behaves badly. No matter how many Republican Johnny's did it too.

    2. What a dreary post from an infantile person.  Try to change the subject so people don't look at what a louse Gardner hangs out with.  No doubt this piece of shit also believes that Obama is coming for his erotic toys and planned the entire Sandy Hook hoax.  It's truly a pathetic post you fucking denier.

      2. You almost have to feel sorry for AC.  (I said almost.)  Since his sidekick has been taken off line and deactivated, he's carrying the load of two moronic shills.

    3. Your beef with Elisabeth Warren is not that she may have put a plagiarized recipe in an ethnic cookbook ( we all copy recipes, after all), but that she is an effective spokeswoman for working people, honestly promoting policies which will advocate for consumers.

      This is, of course, poison to your paymasters. Nice ethnic dig with the "pow wow chow" thing, by the way. She has proven that she is  at least 1/32 ) Native American. That would allow her to be on the tribal rolls, should she choose to be.

      That she doesn't "look Indian" reflects much more on the observer's biases than on her.  I have my issues with Warren – I don't like her unquestioning recent support for Israel – but she is one of the best progressive politicians in national office, and she will work to make your children's and grandchildren's futures brighter.

    4. Warren lied about her ethnicity to get preferential treatment. If liberals believed what they say should would be ostracized. Instead she may run for President.

      Liberals have no credibility.

        1. Society: ‘We have no proof’ of Liz Warren’s claim

          http://web.archive.org/web/20120518001125/http://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view.bg?articleid=1061131901&srvc=home&position=comment

          Shortly after the Herald first reported that Harvard Law School had touted Warren’s Native American background, a genealogist at the society indicated that a document existed purporting that Warren was 1/32nd Cherokee because of her great-great-great-grandmother. But the Society backpedaled yesterday, saying they haven’t been able to find primary documentation to back up that claim. Their comments came as the Herald reported yesterday that an Oklahoma county clerk said a marriage application proving Warren’s tribal roots does not exist.

          “We have no proof that Elizabeth Warren’s great-great-great-grandmother O.C. Sarah Smith either is or is not of Cherokee descent,” said Tom Champoux, a society spokesman.

          2. Backpedaled? First the society says one thing, then back pedals about supporting proof, apparently in addition to whatever they chose to cite in the first place, and that's supposed to be irrefutable proof that what they said was so really isn't and Warren is a liar? 

            Lots of families only have oral traditions of background info. That doesn't make them liars.  Sometimes they're mistaken. Not all family legends are accurate but believing a mistaken family legend doesn't make you a liar.  

            My grandmother, born in a sod house in Ukraine,  never even knew for sure what day she was born and none of her family had records that survived WWI, much less WWII, after which her village, which went back and forth between German occupiers and the Russian Empire during her WWI youth, ceased to exist. Does that mean she never was born? There's no paper trail proof of who her grandparents were besides what she told us. Does that make us liars if we claim them as ancestors? We can't prove anything beyond the family members we actually saw with our own eyes.

            But the larger point is, what does this have to do with any discussion of Ready and his insulting offensive tinfoil hat theories directed against people who lost their children?  All you people seem to know how to do is change the subject to what somebody else did or didn't do. So far, neither you nor Piss Ant has said anything, not a word, about what you think of Ready, nobody else, claiming it's never been proved that anyone died at Sandy Hook and it's perfectly possible that all those grieving families are just a bunch of liars involved in a conspiracy. 

            Whatever Warren or anybody else did or didn't do, is or isn't, has nothing to do with Ready.  Why won't you say anything about what you think of what Ready said about Sandy Hook? The answer seems pretty obvious and it doesn't speak well of your guts or integrity, modster.

            1. What Bluecat said. I'm as guilty as anyone of getting off track, but yes. I'd be interested in hearing:

              Do you think that the Sandy Hook shootings didn't happen?

              Do you think that Dems staged the shootings to promote gun control?

              Why do you think that Tom Ready's social media page is so full of hateful, Tea Party – sponsored, homophobic, racist against Mexicans/Muslims/Blacks postings?

              Do you want your public officials, who create policy which affects real-life ethnically diverse constituents, to espouse those views?

              Do you agree with Mr. Ready's views as represented on his Facebook page?

               

               

               

               

              2. And one more thing. If this is the kind of guy who gets elected County Commissioner in Pueblo, I'm staying the hell away from Pueblo! Wouldn't be surprised if he also has a well thumbed copy of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. 

            2. Turquoise Tabby (Can I call you Turqoise)

              The fact that you wasted one post on this bullshit about Warren while endearing to the rest us of but gives the creepy Sandy Hook Truthier a chance to muddy the waters. 

              What kind of an depraved asshole chooses to embraced an untenable conspiracy about a violent tragedy so he can justify the reprehensible behavior of one of his own?  A gutter dwelling slimeball like Moldy, that's who.  It boggles the mind that he doesn't believe the facts regarding the Sandy Hook murders and instead embraces another ridiculous conspiracy theory.  Giving him/her/it a chance to talk about anything other than why he believes in conspiracies instead of facts is just giving him too much respect.  Fuck him and his horrible Sandy Hook conspiracy beliefs.

      2. Another denier with another conspiracy theory.  What part of she has already  validated her heritage do you not understand?  Why you endorse Ready and his Sandy Hook hoax?  He has no proof but you've bought it hook line and sinker because liberals believe there was a mass murder by a psychoatic individual and anything liberals believe is wrong so Ready must be right.  Warren is part Cherokee and the Sandy Hook tragedy really happened.  That's why they say reality has a liberal bias.

        1. Excuse me, but I didn't say a thing about your wife. I quoted a news story that says a genealogical society that sais they couldn't verify Warren's claims. Why does that insult your wife? That makes no sense. I suspect you just have a chip on your shoulder.

          2. And you haven't said anything about Ready and what you think of his theories. You don't have the guts to talk about his crazy hurtful claims that it's reasonable to believe those little children didn't really die and their parents are faking it. You don't have the guts to  defend him or Gardner and BWB for supporting a person who would believe and say such things. That's why you're so desperately grasping at any Johnny did it too distractions you can think of.  You need to grow a pair, modster.

    5. So a guy gets a lifetime ban for calling somebody a cracker, but little Mr. "Pow-wow-chow" keeps his posting privileges?  I guess I don't understand CoPols' rules.

    7. It appears you're laboring under the impression you've made a point, and perhaps you have, but I don't grasp it.  Perhaps you'd be so kind as to explain how Dr Ready's comment has a relationship to either Senator Waren or Udall's terms in office?

  5. Hey, Cory — did the Aurora Theater shootings actually occur, is that just another figment of our imaginations as well?

    C'mon, GOTPers Shaun Boyd and Chuck Plunkett — ask him! We dare you!

    1. You won't see a word about this in the Denver Post as long as Plunkett is in charge of political news. We can forget the Denver Post as a source for anything but pro-Republican propaganda from here on out.  

      1. Update. I was partly wrong. See how easy that is Piss Ant and modster? A Post editorial rips Ready and asks voters not to vote for him. Plunkett is not on the editorial board. He's the political news editor and still doesn't think this qualifies as political news in spite of his paper's editorial or doesn't want to embarrass Republicans. When is the Post going to do the right thing and replace him as political editor with someone just a tad less unable to put blatant personal political bias aside when it comes to objectively editing political news?

        1. This wouldn't be the first time the editorial board has covered something Plunkett has refused to. It's embarrassing for them, and confusing for their readers, who maybe haven't seen a single story about Ready but do see the editorial slamming him.

          Plunkett is helping make the Denver Post irrelevant despite the editorial board's occasional good efforts.

    1. He would indeed, the poor numbskull. Speaking of which, where is Zippy? I thought he and Skippy would have been vomiting all over these boards last night, but so far, just one lame-ass turd-drop from Skippy this morning…

  7. If Ward Churchill of  "little Eichmanns"  fame were running for office and Dem candidates were attending his events, one can only imagine the reaction from righties like Piss Ant and modster. You can bet it wouldn't involve any dead horsie beatings even if it  was on a continuous  24/7 loop in on TV, radio and the internet and in the Post for months on end.

    Ready is actually implying that the father he refers to was faking it as …. what… part of a giant anti-gun conspiracy ? Pretending his child was dead? Presumably that would mean he must have sent his child into hiding somewhere?He and all the other parents? And the loved ones of the adults? With the complicity of all their families, all the first responders, police, hospitals, doctors,funeral homes and God knows who else?  All to help push moderate gun regulation? And Gardner sees nothing wrong with that "opinion"?  Nothing wrong with the pain and outrage such an outrageous "theory" must cause the grieving  families?  

    It's going to up to Dems to make sure every Colorado voter hears about this. Our local media won't touch it. Especially the Post with Plunkett as political editor. Colorado voters need to know that Gardner sides with this despicable crazy person and believes he deserves to  be elected. I want to see outside group ads all over all media making this connection and asking Gardner how he could possibly support this awful man.

    And Piss Ant and modster better not offer up any Johnny did it too crap because there isn't anything they can find on any of our  Colorado Dem candidates that could come within light years of supporting Ready.

      1. Neither of whom were running for office or serving in any official Dem party capacity. And Obama did renounce Wright's racist remarks. I would dare Piss Ant to come up with an example of a Colorado Democrat supporting a fellow Dem who advocated a theory equally insane and deplorable but I don't want him on this blog at all. And we know it can't be done as there aren't any Dems running who have said anything that horrible and nuts so no other Dem candidate would even have the option of supporting such a  fellow Dem candidate. From now on I'll skip right over all Piss Ant comments so I don't have to keep taking showers. With the cold weather and drying indoor heat around the  corner, that would be hell on the skin. And for what?  We can get all the latest Tea Party crap from the comparatively inoffensive modster.

  8. OK outside groups. I want to see those pics plastered all over my with explanations of what kind of tinfoil hat moron Gardner and BWB  love to hang with and support. You can start with the bright color pics, then wash out the color and cue the sinister music  and run quotes, with audio where available, right of out Ready's mouth. But keep it classy. No shots of families grieving their Sandy Hook loved ones. Viewers can put two and two together. Just like we have here.

  9. ZOMG — now one with BothWays too.

    Can Mikey Coffman be far behind? Maybe a phonecam of him and Ready doing pushups at DIA? A sense a trifecta in the making…

  11. Republican running for County Commissioner takes pictures with Republican running for Governor and Republican running for Senate at Republican events.

    The guy's a cimplete wack job, but are we to now expect that candidates have knowledge of every facebook post and tweet a person have ever done before taking a simple picture with them?

    This is much ado about nothing.

     

    2. Come on Boehner.  Everyone knows that the company you keep is a direct indication of who you are and everything they believe you believe.

      If Barack Obama believed everything Bill Ayers believed then Cory Gardner believes everything Tom Ready believes.  If you believe it's true in the first instance than it must be true in the 2nd instance and Cory Gardner believes that the Sandy Hook murders were a hoax.

      Of course it's possible that you really didn't believe that Barack Obama believed everything that Bill Ayers believed which means you believe your demonization of the president with over the top outrage about what a bad person Barack Obama is because he believes everything that Bill Ayers believes was good manipulative politics.  If so then it should be good politics for Democrats to portray Cory Gardner as a Sandy Hook truther because it is all deniers believe all conspiracies and Cory Gardner is definitely a denier when it comes to climate change and affordable health care so he must believe that the Sandy Hook murders were a hoax just like you do.  What's good for the goose is good for the gander and Gardner's goose is about to be cooked.

    3. Hang on now, Orange. They didn't just bump in to him at the county fair or a random fundraiser. They "attended an Aug. 24 Republican Party steak fry at the home of Dr. Tom Ready." He hosted the damn thing. So yeah, if you don't think the campaigns of two very competitive races with national importance should vet the people whose houses the candidates visit (and encourage others to visit with them) then maybe politics isn't your thing.

      1. How long ago was it posted? Was it before or after the county GOP staged and sponsored but Ready hosted steak dinner (this isn't made clear)? 

        If it was after, there's obvious reasons why it wasn't an issue that raised concern with the campaigns. The real story – the one that is actually damaging to the two, not the story that they posed for a photo op – is whether Gardner and Beauprez now denounce his insane comments or not.

        But maybe you're right. If the political discourse has been boiled down to "candidate poses for picture with guy, he therefore endorses everything guy says and believes," maybe politics isn't my thing. 

        1. Orange, the original FB post (which was by Ready, with link to the Sandy Hook truther guy)nwas on July 24. Dylan Scott of Talking Points Memo wrote a well-researched piece to fill in some of the factual gaps.

          The GOP steak fry was on Aug 23. I spent an unpleasant two hours perusing Ready's FB posts, and he has many, many links over the summer to the American Christian Patriot Association, which, in my opinion, is almost as bad as the Sandy Hook truther crap. I'll post a couple of the nastier ones here, just to give you the flavor:

          Cory Gardner and Bob Beauprez have bajillions of dollars of Koch and Adelson and Rove and Coors money. Their staff people have staff people. All party operatives these days routinely scan social media of their own and opposition candidates, to screen and dig up dirt.

          Somebody had the time to investigate what kind of guy they were supporting for political office. Somebody either didn't do their job, or didn't care if they were supporting an overt racist , homophobic, pconspiracy-loving birther, because he's an Good Old GOPer.

          People do put weird stuff on other people's FB pages if one's permissions allow that. I monitor my page and delete anything I'm uncomfortable with. The fact that Ready has all of this ACPA garbage on there shows that he agrees with them.

          We live in the age of social media exposure, Orange. If you're a politician, and  you're going to have a public social media presence at all, it's important to have it reflect your real values and tastes. Ready did – and now it's coming back to bite him.

              1. Um. I hope that it's OK that I posted that article with your photo on it You do post here under your own name, Duke, and "Oil Change" is  a public media outlet. Does that count as "outing"? I meant well.

                Congratulations on the recognition.

                 

                1. Not an issue, mama. I have been posting under my real name for quite a while. And thanks for the shout out. I have learned though, that recognition has its pluses and its minuses…smiley

                   

                  and I wanted to say to Orange Free.

                  are we to now expect that candidates have knowledge of every facebook post and tweet a person have ever done before taking a simple picture with them?

                  As crazy as it sounds, it is good politics. The 24 hr. news cycle and the ascent of the media as the front lines of political discourse and confrontation has led us to a situation where every minute detail of a candidates' life appears to be fair game.

                  Vetting everyone the candidate is going to likely encounter is not a bad idea if you have the manpower, specifically because you can bet the oppo research will be.

                   

                    1. Duke is a nickname I have used since childhood. If you want to know my given name, you will just have to come to the next Pols meet-up.smiley

                  2. well, Duke, you have my support…fully…and totally…Have you heard of The Citizens' for a Healthy Colorado group??? I believe the goals are the same…we need more like you to get the word out and defeat the frackers…it is too bad we have to support the likes of Frackenlooper…

                    1. Thanks, Sunmusing.If you are talking about the CHC based in the Paonia/Hotchkiss area, yes I am very familiar with the group. I have made many visits to the North Fork. Theo Colborn and I used to do presentations together when I worked with WCC (Western Colorado Congress).

                      I no longer speak for any group,  except occasionally on behalf of our local League of Woman Voters. In fact, while we are on that subject, some of the information in the story is a bit dated. Subsequently, a few of the relationships mentioned are now past affiliations and I now no longer speak officially for those groups. But , this I know…

                      Success will not be had until three things happen. The broad coalition of groups who believe that, while we all use fossil fuels…we need to stop it…as soon as possible…not after we have managed to squeeze every penny of profit possible out of the resource.

                      We start by leveling the playing field. We hold the fossil fuel industry to the same or higher standards as every other industry. Let's quit subsidizing oil and gas and increase our focus on creating the energy economy of the future …and let's do it right here, dammit, and right now…enough is quite enough.

                    2. My Dukedom for a preview function…

                      This sentence and phrase don't go there.

                      Success will not be had until three things happen. The broad coalition of groups who believe that,

                      Start with "while"….frown

                       

            2. I echo what Duke said, Mama.  You have more integrity in your pinkie finger than Gardner & Co. have in their entire being.  While you make a difference in kids lives, stay involved on the ground in your community and do what may be the best sleuthing in Colorado on politics – these assholes run around with their billionaire buddies looking for ways to get 'even richer'.  You are a gift to the progressive community.

              1. blush Thanks….I'm honored to count you as a friend, Michael, and look forward to voting/campaigning for you when you finally are able to take that step!

                Meanwhile, Colorado will continue to benefit from your environmental activism and hemp advocacy.

    1. If moderate Republican and Independent voters are presented with these facts,

      • Tom Ready advocated for the "Sandy Hook= Hoax" theory on July 24.
      • He has many other links posted from the ACPA, which meets the criteria to be considered as a hate group.
      • Cory Gardner's staff either didn't vet Ready, or didn't care that he espoused these extreme views, when they chose to do photo ops with Ready at the annual Steak Fry.

      then it may sway a few of them. Progressives and strong Democrats were never going to vote for Cory, anyway.

      Got to get rolling to La Junta, no time to post links, but if requested, I will later.

    1. My guess… never, unless he's pushed really hard. With the party's major candidates failing to express the slightest dismay over what he said,  he doesn't strike me as the type to reward them by selflessly fall on his sword. 

      They're going to be hurt by this in the absence of a disavowal, now being called for in national media. Even on the right, most (besides modster and Piss Ant and maybe Rush Limbaugh) will be appalled by the sheer callousness of his accusatory speculations about  the grieving parents of little children quite likely being phony conspirators.  In fact, it's probably too late for disavowals now as they would be seen as just giving into pressure, not as anything genuine. Doubt Ready cares.

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