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September 13, 2014 07:37 PM UTC

Sister of Sandy Hook Victim Demands Accountability From Gardner, Beauprez

  • 37 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

SUNDAY UPDATE #2: The Denver Post's story on Tom Ready's comments was corrected late this morning, though their 180-degree misquote of what he said is unfortunately what their print subscribers are reading today:

*Editor's note: The article has been edited to correct the statement "There is still question about whether it really happened, Sal." The previous edit stated 'no question.' Lynn Bartels will follow up with a print correction in a future edition.

Not the fourth estate's finest hour, but we're glad to see the correction. Now if the Post can make sure as many people see the correction as saw the misquote to begin with…

Kidding, we know. It just kind of sucks like that.

—–

SUNDAY UPDATE: As a reader notes in comments, in addition to the Denver Post story published Saturday's failure to mention Republican Pueblo commissioner candidate Tom Ready's recent fundraiser attended by Senate candidate Cory Gardner and gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez (see below), it appears to have severely misquoted Ready's response to questions about whether the Sandy Hook shooting was a "hoax." The Post story quotes Ready responding in last week's debate, emphasis ours:

"There is no question about whether it really happened, Sal," said Ready, when questioned about the Newtown post.

When in fact, as video of the exchange plainly demonstrates, Ready said:

"There is still question about whether it really happened, Sal."

Again, here is the video. The statement in question comes just past the one minute mark:

Obviously, a correction is needed. And the 180-degree difference between the misquoted version and the accurate one is…notable.

—–

prayfornewtown

​Yesterday, we talked about the growing national scandal over the suggestion by Republican Pueblo county commissioner candidate Tom Ready in a debate this week that the mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut in December of 2012 may have been faked. One Colorado resident we know of close to that tragic event is Jane Dougherty, whose sister Mary Sherlach was the school psychologist at Sandy Hook Elementary. We speculated yesterday morning that she might not have much nice to say about Ready's theorizing.

We were not disappointed:

My name is Jane Dougherty and I'm from Littleton, CO. My sister Mary Sherlach was the school psychologist killed at Sandy Hook Elementary.  It is appalling that Representative Cory Gardner and Bob Beauprez attended an event at the home of Tom Ready, someone who believes that the tragedy in Newtown was a hoax. This is an insult to me, my family and to the many Coloradans whose lives have been touched by senseless gun violence. These two candidates want to represent the state of Colorado, yet they are willing to take money from an extremist, aligning themselves with someone who has dismissed the lives of six courageous adults and twenty little children. It is shameful and repulsive. I am calling on both of them to immediately disavow this conspiracy theorist and apologize to the Sandy Hook families and the people of Colorado.

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut similarly finds this whole business quite detestable:

With the connection of Ready's comments in a relatively obscure county commissioner debate in Pueblo to high-profile campaigns for the U.S. Senate and governor of Colorado, the story has taken on national significance. Concern that Ready could do harm to Republican campaigns well above his level is evident to us in a Denver Post story up now that fails to mention Gardner and Beauprez's attendance at a GOP fundraiser at Ready's home in late August at all. At this point, with the story already spreading on much bigger media outlets than the Post, that's probably not going to contain the damage.

And on a pretty basic moral level, we think Jane Dougherty should not be ignored.

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37 thoughts on “Sister of Sandy Hook Victim Demands Accountability From Gardner, Beauprez”

  2. Here's some shocking things about the Denver Post article:

    1. Ready's instant knee-jerk reaction to accuse his critics of being communists:

    "We haven't got all the questions answered," he said, adding he was surprised by the outcry. "Where's freedom of speech? I didn't know we were a communist community."

    2. Lynn Bartels flat out got Ready's quote wrong.  She wrote:

    "There is no question about whether it really happened, Sal," Ready said, when questioned about the Newtown post. 

    (emphasis mine)

    Here's what Ready actually said,according to the videos (mine, and the higher quality videos hosted by Community Access TV) and numerous sources:

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

    When a reporter changes the quote from "still" to "no" it makes Ready seem as though he was backing away from the "hoax", instead of embracing it, which is what he proceeds to do in the next two minutes.

    Ms. Bartels needs to run a correction.

    As for Ready and his accusations of communism, hand the guy a shovel. The hole's not deep enough yet.

     

     

    1. I noticed that, too. Bartels misquoting him as saying there's "no question it happened" is the opposite of what he said and coincidentally(?) makes him sound more reasonable. Will the paper run a correction of the misquote? Will Bartels apologize? And since the biggest thing about this story is the implications for BWB and Gardner, including demands for them to disavow the comments of the man  they were so happy to stand with in solidarity, how did that get left out of the report?

      Finally, I'm sick of all these wackos claiming the criticism they get is some kind of violation of their free speech. It's not. Other people are just as free to criticize and demand disavowals as they are to spout horrible insulting nonsense. It's not as if anyone can be forced to issue a disavowal. It's not as if anyone's getting thrown in jail for making offending statements or refusing to disavow the content or the morons making the statements. It's simply the messiness of everyone exercising their rights. 

      There's no right in the constitution that says you can say anything you want and nobody gets to say what they think of it or what they think of you for saying it or whether they think someone who says such things is fit to be in a position of authority because of it. So boohoo Ready. Get used to it.

      It would be nice if these supposed lovers of the constitution had the foggiest idea what the rights found in the document mean. But that would require them to be intelligent and well informed which is obviously not the case. Ready is as ignorant as he is twisted and dumb as a rock.

      1. They need to be reminded or educated that their First Amendment rights shield them from government repercussions. They won't save them from the angry mob, otherwise known as the electorate. 

        1. I'm a big proponent of these people exercising their First Amendment rights.  Whether it's Todd Akin or Dr. Chaps or Tom Ready or Ken Buck or Christine O'Donnell or Sarah Palin or whoever…..the more they talk, the more we get to see what's really on their minds!

           

      1. You have to assume that Chuckie is behind this whitewash of Ready's comments.  He can't let his adorable Tea Parties get exposed for their looney conspiracy theories.  What's amazing is how insidious conservatives have the Liberal Bias narrative co-opt our mainstream media.

          1. I never thought of Lynn as a GOP mouthpiece.  She may be at fault, but I also saw Jesse Paul's name in the byline.  It's possible the quote came from him.  Didn't he have to correct some erroneous bullshit a short while ago?  I remember looking him up, but I can't remember what he was writing about.

  3. Dr Ready has a lengthy history of service to Colorado by way of public land administration boards. I guess he's a pretty good dentist, too. 

    Despite that, it's not hard to imagine Sal Pace doing a happy dance every waking moment.

  4. He's also kind to animals and is an advocate for the bully breeds of dogs.(inferring from his Facebook page).  Even bigoted  conspiracy theorists can have redeeming qualities. 

    1. Not redeeming enough to make up for pushing this kind of toxic garbage. And how just plain stupid do you have to be to honestly think it's even remotely possible that all those families, police, EMTs, ambulance drivers, doctors, funeral home personnel and many others are all in on a conspiracy requiring them to disappear 6 adults and 10 children, either pretend they're dead and keep them hidden somewhere while pretending to grieve for them or actually kill them so the truth won't be uncovered, all for the sake of promoting gun control? You'd have to have a lower IQ than your average rock. I'm surprised Ready can dress himself, much less that he got though dental school.

      1. I didn't say he was "redeemed" enough for public service – on that, I can make a judgment call. Definitely Not. I don't want him as my county commissioner.

        As far as the state of his soul, that's above my pay grade.

  5. I actually feel sorrow for the current state of the Republican Party.  They believe they must appeal to and court such low, ignorant and prejudiced people to the point that their candidates are truely the hollow men. They stand for shallow, dishonorable things all wrapped up in a "patriotic" flag.  Too sad.  We all deserve better.

        1. Many old style Republicans and former Republicans do deserve sympathy. I could rattle off a dozen I know right off the top of my head who have switched affliation to U or even D because they don't recognize what the wackos have turned their party into.

      1. I noticed that even though it's now serious political season, the Denver Post didn't choose to run a single letter about our races in the Sunday's print edition. I know that letters have been sent in by me and by others.  Odd that the Sunday letters page would read as if nothing political was going on. The rag continues to deteriorate.

        1. As we now know, the paper is on the chopping block.  Editors and reporters are probably looking for the exits.  Not much interest in quality if you know you won't be around much longer.

          But the most popular career move for ex-newsies appears to be as a PR flack.  How many more job openings for that position can there be?

      1. Not many people would try to grab from an armed and dangerous man which makes the officer's narrative of Michael Brown trying to grab his gun sound suspicious.

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