BackboneAmerica

By Karen Kataline (kaykat73@aol.com)

I know it’s a stinky subject but the recent acquittal of Kathleen Ensz, of a criminal charge, for filling a political mailer with dog feces and returning it to Marilyn Musgrave’s office, got me thinking. Underneath the sheer entertainment value of reporting on the extent of political “dung-slinging” lies a profoundly serious issue. Ensz was acquitted on the grounds of free speech. But what exactly does that mean nowadays? We are living in a time when words are increasingly punished and seen as “violence” — while actions, which used to be the only thing punishable by the courts, are now defined as speech and protected accordingly. (more…)

The long legal battle over our 2003 bill to draw permanent congressional districts ended Monday when the US Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal of four Colorado voters seeking redress under Article I, Section 4 of the US Constitution.

The Denver Post gloated editorially that this “high-handed and illegal” action of the General Assembly has at last been disposed of. Presumably written by Bob Ewegen, who has had a four-year mad against yours truly about this issue, the editorial did me the honor of personal responsibility for the disputed legislation. (more…)

(Denver Post, Feb. 18) “Ninety-nine and 44/100 percent pure.” Remember the old Ivory Soap slogan? It made the sensible point that if you start with a really clean cleaning agent, everything else will clean up better as a result.

Squeaky clean is certainly what Coloradans want with our judges, entrusted as they are with interpreting the laws, punishing wrongdoers, and dispensing justice. So you will be glad to learn that by one yardstick, voter approval, state judges are better than 99 percent perfect. It sounds improbable, but the statistic is easy to calculate.

In nine elections since the judicial performance review system began in 1988, over a thousand judges have faced the voters for retention or dismissal. Fewer than one percent were dismissed (seven, to be exact). Only 13 were even recommended as “do not retain” by the sweetheart-minded performance commissions. Be my Valentine, your honor? (more…)

The 18th Judicial District DA, censured this week by a state regulatory panel, sent the following letter to newspaper editors in response to what many of us believe was grossly slanted coverage of the whole matter. - JA

By District Attorney Carol Chambers (cchambers@da18.state.co.us)

Dear Editors: When I took office, I made a commitment to do the right thing, the principled thing in any given situation. I took this job because I wanted to improve a criminal justice system in need of a great deal more accountability to our constituents for the things that we do and the money that we spend. Our judges, deputy district attorneys and public defenders are public servants first and foremost and should conduct themselves accordingly. It is my job as the District Attorney to represent the People of the state of Colorado and I never forget that.

Identity theft is rampant in the state of Colorado. We rank 5th in the nation for identity theft related crime. District attorneys along with law enforcement must promptly and aggressively investigate this crime and assist victims whenever they can. (more…)