Today State District Attorney George Brauchler spoke at the Jefferson County Republican Men’s Club Monday morning breakfast meeting.
It was a fascinating talk.
He works in the second largest district out of twenty-two. He prosecuted the Aurora shooting massacre. They tried for the death penalty but lost.
Human trafficking is an increasing concern. And although he did not mention it, I understand it is often related to drug runs as well.
Speaking of such, marijuana has not delivered on its promises. Lots of money, improved schools and less crime have not come to pass. Instead there is more crime since people are ending up with more pot grown than they can use, they sell it out the back door (which is illegal).
There are bigger drug busts than before. And there has been no excess income and certainly not any advantage for the schools. (A similar story was told by the State Attorney as well in a prior meeting).
The way judges and district attorneys are legally and politically handled is a problem. The problem is that people (you know who they are) are pushing for more prosecutorial discretion for…judges.
But the criminal court judges are appointed by the governor (Colorado has only had one Republican governor in the last fifty years) and Hickenlooper likes to pick those without criminal law training (as only a brain-dead Progressive would).
Furthermore, judges are held in office unless voted out (only 3 have in the last several decades). And keep retention on a simple majority vote of the people (most of whom do not know their judges–Jefferson County district has almost two dozens various judges). Otherwise they they stay a judge until they are 72.
Oh, and the Colorado judicial branch is not beholden to the open records act like….say the District Attorneys.
Who are held to a two year limit of term (eight years). And have to be voted in (not retained). And since this office has greater accountability, George reasoned that the current level of prosecutorial discretion for DAs is sufficient and should not be handed over to a branch of government that has less oversight and transparency.
He also gave illustrations of the Feds constant desire to meddle into local law-enforcement affairs. It is bad enough, he reminded the audience, that the Feds have their finger on 1 in three inches of Colorado land and over half of the West as a whole.
That compared to five percent for the rest of the Free States of this dying Republic.
Lastly, as a self-avowed man of faith, he gave four proofs of Providential intervention of the Aurora massacre.
- Loud music outside with a brown bag that had a remote control car and a remote. The loud music was to attract neighbors and police. The brown bag with the boombox was laid in the ally outside the room. Someone was to come buy, check the bag out and fiddle with the remote…which was tied to the booby trapped apartment! But a drunk found it instead and took the bag and never opened it!
- The booby trapped apartment. It was designed to blowup when someone crossed the threshold and tripped the wire. Several bombs were inside as well as home-made napalm and thermite. And the fire was to be electrical to retard normal fire suppressant reactions. The downstairs neighbor heard the loud music at night, went upstairs and knocked, banged and kicked the door. She reached for the door nob but stopped as she recalled stories of people opening loud apartments and finding dead bodies. She called the police instead!
- He had two tear gas canisters: one for each of the two main exits of the theater. He dropped one outside before entering. He gave up on finding it and went with his plan. Most of the crowd escaped out the one exit that was not gassed!
- He trained for a few month shooting all his weapons at a remote range up north. He practiced switching magazines and guns. And he practiced various shooting positions. When firing his AR-15 a round jammed in the chamber. He tried two other magazines but they would not work. Over seventy rounds were thrown away before switching to his shot-gun. All because he never trained on how to dislodge a jammed rifle!
He sounded like a good guy. He is currently a Lt. Colonel in the Army National Guard. And this Fall is his last round as a DA if the people of Eastern Denver and Colorado vote for him.
And if you are able to vote, remember he’s the only DA who asked to have his pay cut. Most DA’s around the metro area get north of 150,000 a year!
