RUMORS REFUTED
Before reading this essay further, reflect for a moment. I am 58 years old. I have been in the public eye in Colorado for 22 years. I was your County Commissioner for three years. Is it credible that, after all this time in public life, I would go berserk in four months in Denver, and collapse into this caricature of a violent, military-hating, anti-Hispanic, sexual predator? Of course not. Aren't these set-up jobs better seen as cases of political retaliation for my effectively blowing whistles on corrupt politicians in Denver, as promised? For example, I exposed their dishonest misconduct in routinely declaring false "emergencies" that strip citizens of their constitutional right to petition government. In fact, I had a press conference on that very subject on my second day at the Capitol. Read about that true scandal here.
I. "Sexual harassment"
The easiest rumor to refute is the sleaziest, the absurd and desperate claim that I engaged in "sexual harassment" at the state Capitol. This tabloid trash talk arose during the closing days of the session. My opponents weren't sure that their prior set-ups (see below) had fatally ended my election chances, so they came up with this nonsense as the finishing blow.
Under House rules, claims and investigations of sexual harassment are to be confidential. Nonetheless, the Democrat Speaker of the House received a written complaint (leaked to the press), then overtly gave me a copy in an envelope marked "PRIVATE." He did so on the floor of the House in the presence of the media, who then followed me around, hounding me about its content. They speculated falsely in their stories that the complainant was a House staffer.
Apart from obvious partisanship and ideological hatred towards the author of TABOR, the Speaker's malicious motives to keep me out of the House are clearly laid out below in the Opening Day section below. It also help to know his House resolution, now a state petition, repeals forever the state spending limits in the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR) constitutional amendment, which I proudly wrote. Discrediting the author of TABOR would certainly help him argue to legislators and voters that TABOR was flawed and must be ended. I spoke against his resolution in State Affairs Committee testimony (the committee from which I had been removed, so I no longer had a vote—hmm...). I also filed a case with the state supreme court challenging his legally-flawed petition.
The legislature's chief lawyer and House rules both say that, while protecting the confidentiality of the complainant, I can publicly deny and rebut claims in this secret process. The hand-written complaint is so absurd that merely describing it destroys its credibility. Here it is: A lobbyist for a left-wing cause complained that in public hallways, at distances of 15 feet or more, at unspecified times and dates during the session, I had looked at her and smiled. THAT'S IT! No fooling! She agrees I never talked to her, never touched her, never made any gestures, never wrote or phoned her, never requested sexual acts, and had no other type of contact.
I do not know this woman or recognize her name, and could not identify her in a police line-up. Understand, anyone can file a complaint with impunity. I cannot even comply with a routine directive not to contact her, since I don't know what she looks like! Do you begin to understand that politics is a dirty business filled with dishonest and vicious egomaniacs? Do you realize that cleaning up this corrupt mess is why I ran, and why I serve without pay?
When I was a prosecutor, cases were brought in for my review. If no evidence of a crime existed, the complaint was rejected. The House doesn't do that, since political correctness dictates that any charge of sexual harassment must be pursued to the end, to please the ultra-feminists of the Democrat party. So they investigate charges which, EVEN IF TRUE, are not offenses. That's mindless conformity gone wild! Routinely called gruff, blunt, grouchy, and aloof, I am now faulted for smiling at others! It's all a smokescreen by my liberal adversaries in both parties.
Did you hear of Michael Garcia, the #3 Democrat in the House? He resigned at the end of January because he had exposed his genitals to a lobbyist in a bar while making lewd comments. When this was reported, four other lobbyists said he had done the same thing to them in public places over the prior SEVEN YEARS! The Speaker won't deny earlier complaints were made, because everything is secret! Keep in mind that indecent exposure is a crime. Why was no action ever taken? Because he was a Democrat and voted "the right way." Getting the picture?
Newspapers reported on former Speaker Doug Dean, who had a lobbyist as his mistress/girlfriend, despite his having a wife and three children here in Colorado Springs. One night, he went to his girlfriend's apartment and could not get in. He tried to break in with a screwdriver. She appeared and he chased her down the street, waving his screwdriver. Was anything ever done? No. He now heads a big state agency, and is paid six figures. Some punishment.
One legislator endorsing my opponent publicly called all unmarried pregnant teenagers (and their boyfriends) "sluts," and later called me a "demagogue" on the floor of the House. The new #3 Democrat publicly called me a "bigot." Both violated House rules and the resolution on civility for which we all had voted. Neither was punished. That's why hypocrisy is the supreme rule of the House.
Colleagues also told me of a current senator's homosexual relationship with his (teenage?) male intern. The intern had to leave, but there was no investigation of the senator. That is sexual harassment, even if consensual, because it involves abuse of power for sexual favors. The senator is a liberal, so senate leadership did nothing. I told many reporters, but none would investigate because sodomy is politically correct, and liberals are immune from criticism. Do you now grasp why the Left hates me and will stop at nothing to destroy me politically?
UPDATE: IN LATE JULY, I WAS TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY EXONERATED, JUST AS I HAD PREDICTED I WOULD BE. THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE REVIEWED THE INTERVIEWS WITH BOTH PARTIES AND SAID THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE TO JUSTIFY SUCH A CHARGE, SO THE MATTER WAS DROPPED. FOR MORE DETAILS, SEE MY PRESS RELEASE, POSTED AT THIS WEBSITE UNDER GENERAL ASSEMBLY--BRUCE CLEARED.
II. House Bill 1325 (to import more aliens into Colorado)
House Bill 1325 was sponsored by a female Republican. My opponent brags that she endorses him, and he told the press he supports her bill. Get it?
HB 1325 will import a total of 15,000 aliens over the next five years to do agricultural work in Colorado. The aliens would have to "promise" to leave the U.S. after the harvest. There is no guarantee they will leave, and not even a plan to record their failures to depart, since their mass disappearance into the underground culture would make the program look bad. Of course, the bill would also undercut wage levels and create cut-rate labor wars, which can later spread from farms to factories, then to all other forms of manual labor.
I read the bill twice and told the sponsor I opposed it. When it came time to speak on the bill on the floor, I was repeatedly interrupted and prevented from giving my prepared speech. (You can read the full speech, which I was not allowed to make, by clicking here .) The Democrat chair and the Republican sponsor both argued the bill is not about aliens (just people who are not Americans!), nor about immigration (though they would be coming here from another country!) Finally,
I was told to summarize my objections and replied I would like to be able to state at the mike the reasons why we don't need more "illiterate peasants" brought here.
No one has yet denied the accuracy of my description of the group of foreigners who would be imported, thereby increasing our dependence on foreign labor. (Note: everyone now concedes we should not be dependent on foreign oil.)
Dictionary definitions of "illiterate" indicate an inability to read and write in the language of the country you are in (so I would be illiterate in Japan), or a lack of formal education. Many aliens can't even read or write their native language.
"Peasant" means a farmworker or field hand, one who harvests crops or works on the land. Those are exactly the people who would be coming here. We aren't importing brain surgeons or computer programmers.
The temporary chair, who had verbally attacked me on the floor on many other occasions, shouted, "How dare you!" to my last effort to get my point out, and ordered me to stop speaking. My bluntness and candor were too much for her, and she saw another chance to portray me as unfit for office. (See the videotape here .)
Despite false media stories, I said nothing about anyone's race, ethnicity, or country of origin. I don't care if aliens originated from China, Nigeria, or Russia, though the sponsor said the port of entry was via Mexico. I was speaking only about people who aren't even in this country yet. How could my words hurt the feelings of some villagers? Do you really think they saw our legislature discuss HB 1325 in English on the internet in some Bolivian hut and concluded I meant them?
I received about 2400 emails, 95% favorable. I prepared a form letter to reply to supporters. Read it here . All thanked me for telling the truth about this invasion, this crisis. Nearly all condemned the politically-correct mentality I had defied, and expressed outrage at blatant "liberal" censorship of my right to speak.
My little-known opponent saw a chance to get his name in the paper, and called on me to resign for my politically-incorrect phrase. He did not deny its accuracy, nor could he. I called a spade a spade. My opponents would urge we call it a "manually-administered soil excavation implement."
III. Military Appreciation Day
One of the dozens of symbolic, ceremonial resolutions with which we were presented this year was on February 13, 2008. See the full lists here and here .
The real story on HJR 1007 is detailed here . I also have the CD of the entire 109-minute proceeding. Contrary to the false letters to the editor signed by my legislative opponents, I did not vote against the resolution or against veterans. It was a voice vote, as the scanned-in House Journal entry on my website shows ("viva voce" signifies a voice vote--it's Latin, to make us look literate). The audio clearly shows there were no votes uttered against the resolution. There were 27 standing ovations, and I joined in standing and applauding each time.
When later pro-military resolutions came before us, I voted for all of them, too. Those votes were recorded; you can review the Journal. My opponents know the large military population of Colorado Springs, and wanted to alienate me from my constituents at election time by use of this vicious lie. Don't be fooled!
I did say, as I have while your County Commissioner, that it is wrong for us to spend so much time on symbolism, not substance. I appreciate the sacrifices of veterans, past and present, every day. To set aside only ONE DAY for veterans, yet pass a THIRTY-DAY resolution for "Colo-rectal Cancer Awareness Month" and other silliness insults those to whom we should be truly grateful. It also demeans the resolution process to treat the flood of all such resolutions equally.
The minority leader used this outright lie of my voting against veterans as an excuse to remove me from the State, Veterans, and Military Affairs committee. Was he admitting his own bad judgment in appointing me to it? I do know this—he voted in 2003 to swipe, plunder, steal, raid—use whatever term you want---$2.28 MILLION from the state veterans' trust fund. If that isn't anti-veteran, what is? My opponent proudly claims an endorsement from this same Rep. May.
This January, a bill to restore those stolen funds came before us in the Finance Committee. As a former prosecutor and victims' advocate, I saw that it proposed an interest-free "loan" for the past five years, and objected. I successfully amended the bill to require that five years of back interest be added to the restitution, which gave the veterans' trust fund an extra $636,400. My critics steal from trust funds and then make hypocritical speeches about how pro-veteran they are! By contrast,
Rep. Douglas Bruce serves real veterans and gets real results. See here .
Can you now see how my foes are falsifying my record for their political gain? My opponent also was caught in his own misuse of the military. The June 28th Gazette ran this small article:
"Mark Waller violated military policy by appearing in uniform and talking about his Air Force career in campaign literature...Waller admitted the mistake after being alerted to it by The Gazette."
A lawyer in the military reserve should know military rules. Also, my opponent's "Iraqi War veteran" description means he was a trial lawyer in Baghdad for five months while on leave from his job as a trial lawyer in Pueblo. I respect and thank everyone who has served in the military, but it is wrong to misuse our country's uniform to score political points, while implying a campaign opponent is unpatriotic. I do not question Waller's patriotism; he should not attack mine.
IV. Opening Day
I was sworn in as your state representative on January 14, 2008. I did not want to be criticized for holding two offices at once, and there were important votes to cast at the county commission in that prior week, which also marked three full years of my service there. The only events at the legislature were more ceremonial speeches. I had already read the boring ones made in 2007 by the same speakers.
I took only four days more than newly-chosen Senator Cadman between my selection and my installation. No one criticized him, but the liberals claimed my extra four days were outrageous. I knew and supported the term limits law because I helped write that constitutional amendment. A binding court opinion that aided a Democrat legislator had also ruled that waiting one or more days after the official opening ceremony would allow the ability to serve an additional term. Two days of empty rhetoric or two years of public service—it was not a hard choice to make.
Both the Speaker and the minority leader wanted me to choose attending their speeches (which I could hear on audio any time), not continuing to truly serve my local citizens. There was no serious voting until January 14th, the day I began, but they resented that they could not bully or bluff me. The Speaker falsely said I was violating or evading the law, but could not prove it. The minority leader said I was violating the "reasonable time limit in the law" to be sworn in, but that was made up, too. He also claimed Republican legislators can tell a local vacancy committee to declare the seat vacant, which neither can do. The truth is, neither wanted me there for two minutes, much less an additional two years. Why? They saw I was an independent voice for political reform who refused to be one of their docile robots.
The oath takes 30 seconds to administer. I suggested in writing, but did not demand, that it be during that day's session. The leaders had made such a big deal of the timing of my arrival that I did not want to appear to be sneaking into office, as if I had done something wrong. I also thought it would break the tension they had created to propose 90 seconds of self-deprecating humor. For example, the author of TABOR , the ultimate outsider, was now inside the fortress.
My motive was no ego trip. I had brought four dozens roses for the helpful staff (and was even criticized for that!), 64 baggies of Jelly Bellies for my 64 colleagues (also criticized for my trademark tribute to my role model, President Ronald Reagan), and 64 written invitations to take each of them out to a meal. I wanted them to see I was not the ogre the sensationalist media was portraying in order to invent stories of conflict and crisis. I did everything I could to start off in a cordial manner with my new colleagues.
When I arrived at 8:15 a.m., well before the 10 a.m. session, the media feeding frenzy began. I endured without complaint 105 minutes of non-stop flash photos and silly questions. I was followed everywhere by this unruly herd.
Just before 10 a.m., I went to the House floor, where the constitution requires oaths of office be administered. I insisted all photographers agree they would not snap noisy flash photographs of me during the public prayer and pledge to the flag.
ALL AGREED. Just before the prayer started (which is before the House is even called to order, because the liberals want to separate religion and government!), I reminded the News and Post photographers again. They promised again. As soon as I closed my eyes for the prayer, they broke their promise. The photographer admitted in testimony he also violated his code of ethics, which requires that he
"honor the sensitivities of his subject" (me).
My website link, "The Nudge," lists in great detail the circumstances of my trivial touching. The liberals kept trying to get me to "apologize" for trying to quietly and peaceably stop the pushy paparazzi photographers from continuing to disrupt a public prayer, for which disruption I would be blamed. Keep in mind, the House was not yet called to order, so how could I have disrupted the order of the House? I will never--NEVER--apologize for gently upholding the right of anyone, including me, to pray in public without interruption. See "The Nudge" here .
This was obviously the first in a series of set-up jobs. Remember that before I was judged, I held my second-day press conference exposing their 75-year history of 30,000 false declarations of "emergencies" to deprive YOU of YOUR RIGHT to petition the government and to vote under Article V, section 1 (3) of the state constitution. Read about the "emergency" scam here . Note: my opponent told me on April Fool's Day this year, on his first trip to see the Capitol, that he would not let such a false declaration affect his vote for a bill. We simply disagree on that. I think honesty in government comes first, along with obeying the constitution.
The official finding that "Rep. Douglas Bruce made physical contact with a photographer" correctly conceded that there was no "kick," yet falsely called it misconduct by a "representative." I was still a private citizen who had touched another private citizen, the way you would poke or prod a snorer in church to wake him up, or jab a finger in someone's shoulder to "back off." The tiny force would not have moved a football one foot. There were no marks or bruises, no signs of wincing or flinching, no loss of balance, no civil or criminal charges, etc.
It was such a sham proceeding that 56 of the 65 members voted without ever hearing ONE WORD OF EVIDENCE. They didn't even get a transcript of the committee hearing, in which the News photographer admitted he had broken his promise, had signaled the TV cameraman (who had just stepped on my family Bible to get a better shot) to change his angle (shown on tape) so he can capture my reaction to their breaking their promise and disrupting the prayer. Witnesses were neither sworn, nor cross-examined, etc. I was never even informed of the specific House rule that I had allegedly violated!
I would call what happened a kangaroo court proceeding, but that would insult all marsupials. I was not allowed to demonstrate my gentle tapping of the top of my shoe sole on the top of the knee of the photographer, who was seated below me, blocking the aisle, his bottom on the floor. I was interrupted in mid-sentence when stating my defense to the House, and told I could not speak any more. When I tried to have my written testimony made part of the record, the House voted not to allow it. I was not even allowed to vote on the main motion! So much for fairness, justice, and due process. It just doesn't apply in politics. Now you know.
Dear Republican,
Since you have lasted this far, you are obviously a conscientious voter. I am confident you have seen that the truth of these matters is not what the liberal media reported. If you wish to help correct the injustice of what happened to me in this first session, don't let the liberals succeed! Please volunteer to help my campaign by walking your precinct, phoning fellow Republicans, hosting a reception in your home, planting a yard sign, and affixing bumper stickers to your cars.
If you have any further questions on any topic, you may call me at home at 550-0010. (What other elected official not only gives away his entire salary, but also gives out his home number?)
Thank you for caring enough to read the truth.
Your state representative,
Douglas Bruce
550-0010