I wouldn't blame you if you didn't give to the NRA. Rules for thee, but not for Rep Woodrow. The consequence and arrogance of one-party domination.
I wouldn't blame you if you didn't give to the NRA.
I'm not a member of the organization myself, but I have been watching out of the corner of my eye how the NRA has had some corruption scandals of late.
I will admit to knowing next to nothing about it, but if you have not given to the organization because of these scandals, I don't blame you.
If you have not given as much lately because you've been busy or finances have been tight, I don't blame you either.
I'm not here to solicit on their behalf. Give to the NRA or don't.
What I am here to do is to share with you something from my inbox last Friday. It's the first link at bottom. Look at the numbers for money that gun control political action groups are pulling in.
Quoting:
"Giffords PAC, the political arm of the country’s second-largest gun control group, outraised the NRA on its own with its $603,636.50 July haul. The group easily led the pack on the gun control side, followed by a total of $122,563.51 from Everytown for Gun Safety’s SuperPAC. Everytown’s PAC took in an additional $17,581.62, while the Brady PAC rounded out the big three with a $65,275.56 month. Together, the groups increased their collective fundraising by nearly a quarter of a million dollars from the previous month."
As money goes, so go elections, so goes policy.
Right now, gun rights advocates (at least as measured by NRA money) are getting outspent. This is should be a concern, a big flashing light.
I understand not giving to the NRA, I understand not giving any money, but I urge you to get involved and start paying attention.
Daily, groups of people are working hard to take your rights and they will succeed if you let them.
https://thereload.com/gun-control-groups-open-up-political-fundraising-lead/
Rules for thee, but not for Rep Woodrow. The consequence and arrogance of one-party domination.
I'd probably go stronger than "tacky" for Rep Woodrow's behavior, but let me first quote Rep Steve Woodrow (whose legislative page is linked first below) from the 9News story linked second below as to why he used a Colorado Constitution provision to skirt a photo radar ticket for going 18 MPH over the limit. Quoting:
"'I could totally see the critique, "This is a little tacky like not everyone gets to invoke this type of thing,"' Woodrow said. 'I also at the same time know that people respect the constitution.'"
See, tacky to me doesn't quite get to the nub of the matter.
The part of the Colorado Constitution that Woodrow cited to avoid a traffic ticket, Article V, Section 16, gives legislators an out from arrest or detainment (by my non-lawyer's reading) during any of their official duties.
The thinking here being that you wouldn't want some rogue law enforcement officer leaving the people of some district devoid of representation by intentionally arresting or detaining a legislator. Excepting, things like felonies or treason.
Fair enough. I can see the wisdom in that.
No one tried to arrest Rep Woodrow. No one tried to detain him. He says as much in the trial transcript (here I quote Rep Woodrow from the transcript which was embedded in the 9News article):
"I acknowledge that I was not arrested. And I believe the privilege extends for me to be free of arrest. But I do believe that it is not within the spirit to essentially let me go to the Capitol then send me the citation afterwards."
No Rep Woodrow got a photo radar ticket. In the mail. Likely days later. Let me repeat. He was in no way prevented from acting in his official capacity.
Now put that next to (and you can get a good sense if you watch the video in the 9News story) the complete and utter lack of self-consciousness about this whole thing evident in Woodrow's tone and word choice.
Yeah, tacky just doesn't quite get it here.
This, what you see in Rep Woodrow's behavior and explanation thereof, is to me as much a reflection of the arrogance of solid, one-party dominance of this state as anything.
This is kind of Federal level swampiness that gobs of out of state cash creating then running a Democrat political machine brings.
This is the kind of cavalier smirk you get from someone who knows that as long as a D is behind his name in his district, he really can't be held too responsible for his choices.
https://leg.colorado.gov/legislators/steven-woodrow
Related:
Class act that Rep Steve Woodrow.
See the first article below for how a bill he helped sponsor could also help his pocketbook, and then below that an op ed taking him to task for his comments after the Trump assassination.
https://pagetwo.completecolorado.com/2024/03/01/steven-woodrow-payday-law-legislature/
https://pagetwo.completecolorado.com/2024/07/16/natelson-rep-woodrows-trump-post-progressives/