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October 26, 2010 08:40 PM UTC
27 Comments
To quote Szabo’s words from the mail piece, “How do they get away with it?”
According to the CRS:
So my question is, was the very use of this an illegal use? Is it illegal because the seal has been “affixed to any written or printed document whatever.” In short, because I’m not a lawyer, is it absolutely illegal to use the seal or a facsimile of the seal if it’s not a government document? I’m not trying to be snarky or anything. I’m just kind of wonky and curious about the law.
We’d guess this will end up in a plea bargain, but you can’t use the state seal for anything without permission.
You need to witness the crime, so just take your copy of the mailer; knock on her door and ask if she produced it; when she says “Yes” you can make a citizen’s arrest based on probable cause she has committed a felony. Then call the authorities to take her in; job well done!
Might help to break the ice and get her to answer the door if you wear a “Tancredo for Governor” t-shirt.
and stomp on her head while you’re at it.
Oh wait, wrong state.
gang dragging that woman to the ground…it took some time…then the one guy placing his foot on her head and neck and stomping down, was the most nauseating moment of this entire election season and looked exactly like films of Hitler’s Brown Shirts on the attack.
Put that together with Miller’s goons detaining a reporter who asked a question he didn’t like and its pretty clear what this country would be like if the Tea Party ever took over. All their alleged dedication to the constitution is crap. The ignorant among them don’t know what’s in it and the ones in charge can’t wait for a chance to wipe their asses with it.
I’m sure the righties will be quick to say the left is just as bad but I defy them to come up with footage of a Dem supporter or a non-Tea Party GOP type supporter, for that matter, that is in the same ball park as this disgusting display.
The Paul campaign has said that it has severed ties with the one volunteer (I suppose the stomper) but there was a whole gang involved who are all guilty of assaulting this woman. I don’t care if she was yelling protests or rude remarks or even trying to push through the crowd. There is absolutely no excuse for what they did to her. None. Period.
And it isn’t just a matter of violence on all sides as characterized by the Paul campaign statement. Paul himself has said nothing. This isn’t the usual. The Tea Party is definitely a whole different and extremely ugly animal. The ordinary people seduced by them should get out now.
I’m not sure if this exactly qualifies. What’s displayed is actually a corruption of the official seal of the State of Colorado. The state’s motto, Nil Sine Numine, was omitted from this corruption of the seal.
Does that still count?
The intent was clearly to make it appear as though it was the state seal.
It’s unfortunate for Szabo, because the background really doesn’t do anything to add to the mail piece.
Isn’t that Latin for
I thought the same thing — a quick Google search shows what “illegal” means. Illegal is any use not previously approved by the Colorado Secretary of State
http://www.sos.state.co.us/pub…
Remember these episodes of the Republican Senate Caucus displaying the State Seal multiple times on their website?
I do remember that episode, good catch. I remember, at the time, thinking that the failure to prosecute the Republican felons was because Davidson was making a partisan choice to look the other way.
Now that we have Buescher, who is less of a partisan hack, maybe we could see the issue prosecuted correctly. I’m sure if Gessler wins, he would be sure to prosecute any Democratic violator.
Which has she said she prefers?
IT’s relevant becasuse it tells us a lot about her as a candidate.
If she chooses “fine” – it says she doesn’t care about the law or consequences if she can buy her way out of trouble.
If she chooses prison – it says she doesn’t value freedom.
It’s not a choice. She get’s BOTH a fine AND prison time per the statute.
Unless this is a strict liability statute, merely using an altered copy of the state seal is not likely to be a crime.
You open with Lynn Bartels at the ‘other Denver newspaper’ which is at the top of your list. Is there some gray area I’m missing here?
There is no quoted text and no link.
Mentioning Lynn’s name and the other paper doesn’t count because it’s not linked or quoted. I’d call that gray.
I have seen state seals as well as municipal and county seals. It is very sloppy at best and deliberate most of the time.
Usually by time the courts get involved the elections are finished and there is not much interest in pursuing the felony.
Do you really not know what the State Seal in your own state looks like???
I thought ColoradoPols would be much less gullible than this.
There is little doubt in my mind that the image that Szabo’s mailer relies on was intended to represent the Seal of the State of Colorado, despite its imperfections in star count and the lack of the State motto.
That said, I think that Seal used in that mailer will qualify as a “corruption” of the Seal, which, according to my admittedly base knowledge of the statute, still qualifies as illegal. If you have knowledge to the contrary, however, I’d really love to hear it. I’m trying to figure all this out from a legal perspective, so if you know something I don’t, or if I’m wrong, please let me know!
The law is specific about usage of the seal:
There is no “wilfully misleading” or other qualifier. Where they’ll try to squeak is the fact that it’s not a perfect copy, but it still looks bad.
But I doubt anybody goes to jail, Mike Coffman sent nasty letters but that’s all. I know a lot of other laws I’d like to see enforced this election first, I have to say.
Seriously: I think Szabo is a turd but unless she’s using the seal with intent to impersonate the State of Colorado, and unless that stupid flier her idiot campaign manager produced looks like an official document in some manner, ain’t no way no how nowhere that she even gets charged let alone convicted. Get real.
I do like the hammer-and-(almost)sickle type emblem on the seal, though. Very socialistic. And the fascist fasces. And the all-seeing Mason’s eye. Glenn Beck would have a field day with it.
that is an insult to turds everywhere.
of the State of Colorado, I don’t see any prosecution happening.
The felony is probably intended to prevent the equivalent of forgery accomplished by using the seal to imply the official endorsement of the state.
In the context of political speech, the First Amendment provides a defense similar to that involved in using a U.S. flag contrary to the statutory flag code.
Also, it may be, given the coloration, that the graphic designer had a source document with the seal and the picture and actually intended to color over the seal rather than intentionally trying to include it.
There is also the question of size. The Seal of the State of Colorado is a specific size (three inches, if I recall correctly, it was recently changed by legislation). The same picture, if it is not the same size, is not the Seal of the State of Colorado. Indeed, isn’t even clear if the image created, as opposed to the device that makes the impression is really the state seal at all.
throw the book at her.