In case you missed it | Fighting ‘Gang Green’

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Fighting ‘Gang Green’

So, you may recall that an out-of-state conservative group, Western Tradition Partnership (WTP), ran attack campaigns against liberals in the Longmont City Council election in 2009. Well, they also go by the name American Tradition Partnership (ATP). Identical websites and logo. Identical annoying pop-up urging you to join their e-mail list. Identical anti-environmental agenda.

“Help fight Gang Green!” these forward-thinking individuals proclaim on their websites, calling themselves “a no-compromise grassroots organization dedicated to fighting the radical environmentalist agenda.”

Their latest press release lauds the recent removal of the gray wolf from the endangered species list.

Donny Ferguson, who was WTP’s director of public relations in 2009 and is now listed as ATP’s executive director, acknowledges in the release that his group seeks “the eventual total repeal of the Endangered Species Act. … Thanks to meddling by East Coast environmentalists, wolves are now a fast-spreading predator that kills livestock, spreads disease and is wiping out sensitive natural game herds like elk and moose.”

Their websites also warn that “dozens of radical eco-organizations whose stated purpose is to dismantle the free enterprise system — and our Constitutionally protected rights — through so-called environmental protection have set their sights on robbing Americans of the right to exist, achieve and produce.”

Oh, and by the way, our very own Colorado secretary of state, Scott Gessler, is in bed with them — or at least he was in 2009, when he was WTP’s attorney and his office was listed as their street address in secretary of state documents.

We wonder if he would recuse himself and acknowledge his conflict of interest if faced with an election decision related to an environmental initiative.

The real Lennon killer

Speaking of wolves in sheep’s clothing, this item is from the kook folder in our email account: John Lennon was not actually shot and killed by Mark David Chapman, it was the Maharishi!

Some chap claiming to be Hamid Mahmoodi of London wrote to us insisting that this claim is “neither a prank, nor am I speculating.” Oh, good. We were worried there for a second.

“These yogis,” you can almost hear him whispering, “have the power to take over the body and mind of anyone at any distance or location and run their affairs as they will.”

He says the Maharishi took over Chapman’s body to kill Lennon because he was mad that the Beatles had a falling out with their spiritual adviser in 1968, left India and stopped giving him publicity.

“I am also a victim of the activities orchestrated by these criminals, and that is how I have come across these facts,” Mr. Mahmoodi writes. “You may be in a position to help a lot of people, including Mr. Chapman, who has no idea what happened to him. I hope that you have found this amusing, as I have put my life and livelihood in danger by coming out with this truth.”

Oh, we found it amusing all right. Thanks for sharing.

Freeloading illegals?

In honor of tax week, the Immigration Policy Center has released estimates showing that households headed by unauthorized immigrants paid $11.2 billion in state and local taxes in 2010. The estimates, produced by the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy, show that these “aliens” paid $1.2 billion in personal income taxes, $1.6 billion in property taxes and $8.4 billion in sales taxes.

Wait, you mean it’s not like the right-wingers say? We thought these people were contributing nothing to the economy, just glomming on to the underside of our proud American ship and sucking us dry by taking advantage of free services like education and health care.

Shocking. Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com