This latest posting in the "Lamborn Files" comes via the esteemed Colorado Independent (see the Extended Post Text).  Where we learn that the lesser Congressman from Colorado Springs has pronounced his policy for providing Veterans Administration (VA) benefits only to deserving (according to his confused definition) veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and standing against his delusional tide of undeserving vets suffering from PTSD.

Wendy Norris lays it out pretty clean and to the point reporting this story.  But, there's the rest of the story to consider.  Lamborn's conduct is an indictment both of his inadequacy to represent the people of the heavily military 5th CD, but also of his Party's penchant to picking, choosing (discriminating) and ultimately denying the right of Americans to adequate healthcare.

Perhaps in earlier decades a Congressman could get away with making such statements.  In the age of C-SPAN such an allowance and forgiveness for being horrifically wrong cannot go unanswered and without penalty.  While it is shocking that Lamborn would disregard the pleas of the supporting Veterans organizations, the silence of those groups in response to Lamborn’s offense is an even greater indictment of their often brazen Conservative posturing.

It is fortunate that America is not facing a Republican controlled US House.  With the likes of Lamborn in charge such a deserving and important piece of legislation could very well have been defeated.  Don’t hold your breath waiting for the national vets groups to thank the Democratic Congress, or criticize a Republican.

This is a clear example of the long-running self-destructive practices of the veterans and military advocacy groups.  Regardless of the truth and obvious merits of Democratic introduced policies and legislation it is all too often the reaction of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign War and others to side with the Republicans who have inexplicably sided not with soldiers and veterans, but with off-shore defense contractors and mercenaries.

For several years now the evidence of the Alberto Gonzales gang's manipulation of the Federal Civil Service within the Department of Justice has been well publicized. The fact that right-wing political ideologues were being approved for career professional positions based on social issue orthodoxy, rather than competence and qualifications, is yet another blight on the scandalous legacy of the current occupant of the White House.

Today's report in the Washington Post reveals that this practice of burrowing right-wing political operatives into the Civil Service is also in-place in the scientific agencies. Perhaps this is the mis-administration's strategy for making permanent the Republican obsession for combating the truth of science with their twisted political and social priorities.

The Center for Public Integrity is soon to release their "Broken Government" study. The fund-raising teaser release promises 120 specific cases. This kind of investigative effort to hold the Bushies accountable as the mis-administration fades into oblivion is crucial.  Revealing and acting on the depth and breadth of this conspiracy is vital to the success of any reforms and corrects to the offenses of the past eight years.

The Obama-Biden Administration will be stretched and tested to uncover and flush-out these right-wing activists who have burrowed their way into the Civil Service like so many termites. The evidence of these infestations must be met with quick action.

Executive appointees selected for positions above these people must be prepared to take every possible action within the laws and regulations of the Civil Service structure to either get them dismissed, or make it too hard for them to stay and accomplish their nefarious goals. Attention to the selection of the Administrator of the Office of Personnel Management will be a key to success in this area.

Various Executive agency inspectors general must be supported in investigating these political opportunists. IF they are found to be substantially unqualified for the job description that they were hired to fill, then it should be clear grounds for dismissal as an unlawful appointment.

The Obama-Biden appointees who are saddled with these burdens must enforce clear, precise and enforceable performance standards. When confronted with qualitative requirements to enforce and perform based upon laws and regulations that these infiltrators are likely to hold ambitions to undermine and avoid, could more easily force them to resign.

Even in its demise the minions of the current mis-administration are appearing to be increasingly unwilling to follow the current occupant of the White House and the vice out of Washington. This certainly adds to the challenge and urgency of establishing the new administration's executive leadership. Too many months and too many acting, caretaker, leaders in the executive departments will make it all the harder to untangle the tentacles of the Bush parasites.

Bob Schaffer's out of touch, wrong on critical issues rap-sheet grows by the day. I found this latest charge in Ed Quillen's column in the Sunday Denver Post.

Read the whole column online at http://www.denverpost.com/quillen/ci_10799075

or scroll down to the extended post text.

The Referendum A test still carries a lot of weight with me.  Once again here's a case where Bob Schaffer sided with big-monied interests and against Colorado farmers, ranchers and communities.

Hopefully, he'll be sliding into the dustbin of Colorado political history by 10:00 PM on November 4th.  Being too cozy with the "drill baby, drill" crowd of oilies is bad enough, but working on the wrong side of water policy is unforgiveable.

PS - If you get a chance, drop a complimentary email to Ed (his email link at at the end of the Extended Post Text).  It is so hard to find something worthy of praise in the Denver Post these days that we should encourage Ed to continue his good work.

BREAKING - Sunday, September 7th 

Perhaps this should be counted as a media watch victory.  R-H editor Ken Amundson published a lengthy apology and signifcant policy change for the telephone call-in column.  Still, the R-H won't publish even their own editorials online.

In addition to the election season curtailment of political LTEs to 200-words, Amundson will not allow comments on individual candidates to be published in the call-in line column.  At least this could slow down the Right WingNut lies and slurs in one Colorado newspaper.

///original post/// 

Among the wide range of Colorado newspapers the Loveland Reporter-Herald rests in a unique place between hometown paper and loyal arm of a conservative media group. But, on Tuesday September 2, 2008 the R-H crossed a dubious line by publishing an anonymous telephone message claiming that assassinating Brack Obama is acceptable because he is inexperienced.

 "All you Democrats take what you're saying about Sarah Palin, and that's what all of us Republicans are saying about Obama.  He's way too inexperienced for the job.  I would much rather have a little inexperience at the number two position than the No. 1 position.  The only way to get rid of that experience in an inexperienced president is either by impeachment or assassination." (emphasis added)

Political commentary is expected in America, but advocating one of the worst crimes for the offense of "inexperience" is truly despicable.  By publishing this rant without edit, or disclaimer is an indictment of complacancy  and possibly even accessory by the Reporter-Herald.

In response to my my protest of this publication the Managing Editor of the R-H, Ken Amundson, provided this response:

I also reacted negatively when I read that comment this morning. I have taken steps internally to deal with it.

Ken Amundson

Today's edition of the R-H makes no mention of the offending comment.  It seems that Mr. Amundson's true definition of dealing with it internally is to ignore it and hope the issue dies.

The Extended Post Text holds the necessary information for others to join me in demanding that Ken Amundson and the Reporter-Herald take responsibility for this incident, cooperate with Federal authorities to determine if there really is a threat to Barack Obama, and publish an apology with a condemnation of inciting the public to illegal, criminal acts that undermine the political process in America.

OK, so this is a copy-cat of a great idea that kicked-off in Aurora. The Colorado Confidential story http://www.coloradoconfidential.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=3472 enticed me that this is a "too good to be true" idea that I don't want to see fade off as a one-time shot (pun intended).

Considering the current season, I am familiar with a phenomenal indoor shooting range in Loveland.  With sufficient interest I am ready to organize and evening or Saturday Shooting Liberally event in Northern Colorado.

All that I need is just a handful of ProgressNow responses.  Then, I'll kick this off and be ready to place announcements in the Loveland newspaper to generate more interest.

Like the original organizers in Aurora I am encouraged that this is a program to demonstrate that Liberals and Progressives do support the Second Amendment to the US Constitution; without bowing to radical NRA proliferation of cheap handguns and automatic weapons.  I've got some ideas to roll into the agenda on environmental protection, water quality, safety and private property rights/respect.

This is also a rare opportunity for "Sportsmen for Progress" to have a get-together.  An opportunity to whittle-away at the GOP's perceived exclusivity on gun rights is very valuable.  I'll even consider inviting Northern Colorado Democratic political candidates to participate.

Take a look at Cara DeGette’s Colorado Confidential report on Colorado GOP demon-in-chief Dick Wadhams’ most recent speech in Colorado Springs - Link “Wadhams: Off the Mat and into the Game … Again.”  Then we can try a basic lesson in opposition research, and what it means to beat “Dick-Wad” by studying his own speech.

There is no doubt that Wadhams has every intention to push the Colorado GOP into 2008 along his classic fear and smear line.  This report gives clear indicators that he has begun to pick-out his favorite Democratic gaffes with full intent to twist and distort them to fit his warped ambitions.

The danger lies in the probability that what he released in Colorado Springs is only the start of his fear, smear and distortion campaign plan.  Keep and eye out, and check your closets, that there are other stories that the Wadhams machine will twist to taint Democratic candidates and Progressive issues to mislead and manipulate the electorate.  Or, at least the gullible media that seems so obsessed with his commentary.

Here’s a “Way to GO!” for David Brock (President and CEO, Media Matters for America), and the Campaign for America's Future.  They have completed a new report that is a welcome relief for those of us who must content with friends and family members who are afflicted with the worst cases of Radical Republican Right WingNut –itis. 

The typical Right WingNut relies on a foundational ideal of an American conservative majority.  From there they promulgate all sorts of outrageous and dangerous policies. 

Thanks to Media Matters for America and the Campaign for America's Future, we now have proof that the WingNuts are way off the mark. The hard work now is to put he pressure on the media (yes, I know Faux Noise is a lost cause), politicians and those irritating (but still beloved) friends and family. 

Here’s the highlight summary provided by Media Matters for America.

• The role of government -- 69 percent of Americans believe the government "should care for those who can't care for themselves;" twice as many people (43 percent vs. 20 percent) want "government to provide many more services even if it means an increase in spending" as wanted government to provide fewer services "in order to reduce spending."
• The economy -- 77 percent of Americans think Congress should increase the minimum wage; 66 percent believe "upper-income people" pay too little in taxes; 53 percent feel the Bush tax cuts have failed because they have increased the deficit and caused cuts in government programs.
• Social issues -- 61 percent of Americans support embryonic stem cell research; 62 percent want to protect Roe v. Wade; only 3 percent of Americans rank gay marriage as the "most important" social issue.
• Security -- 43 percent of Americans say we are spending too much on our military; 60 percent feel the federal government should do more about restricting the kinds of guns that people can purchase.

• The environment -- 75 percent of Americans would be wiling to pay more for electricity if it were generated by renewable sources to help reduce global warming; 79 percent want higher emissions standards for automobiles.
• Energy -- 52 percent of Americans believe "the best way for the U.S. to reduce its reliance on foreign oil" is to "have the government invest in alternative energy sources;" 68 percent of the public thinks U.S. energy policy is better solved by conservation than production.
• Immigration -- 57 percent of Americans feel "most recent immigrants to the U.S. contribute to this country" rather than "cause problems." 67 percent of Americans feel that "on the whole" immigration is a "good thing for this country today."
• Health care - 69 percent of Americans think it is the responsibility of the federal government to make sure all Americans have access to health coverage; 76 percent find access to health care more important than maintaining the Bush tax cuts; three in five would be willing to have their own taxes increased to achieve universal coverage.