“Now let it work. Mischief, thou art afoot. Take thou what course thou wilt.”
― William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
On March 23, 2024, the Park County Republicans, such as they are, conducted their county assembly in Fairplay. The “such as they are” qualification must be made to point out that the organization is now, contrary to what it used to be before June 2023, beholding to Christian Dominionist theology, Trumpian demagoguery, and the conspiracy-laden, brainless MAGA bastardization of the Constitution.
Part of their assembly process was submitting proposed resolutions from precincts. The resolutions approved by the county assembly will then be presented at the state assembly. What is approved at the state assembly may eventually become the state party’s platform.
Unsurprisingly, the Park County Republicans offered resolutions befitting what they became after June 2023. Prominent in the resolutions are the Big Lie, abortion, immigration, culture war issues, the Second Amendment, and, of course, religion. A few inane resolutions were, I assume, approved just for the hell of it to substantiate that the MAGA crowd views politics as performance art, which is a nifty tool to reel in the gullible.
I’ll detour here for a moment.
Reeling in the gullible. How many have hurried to get the newest Lee Greenwood/Donald Trump version of the King James Bible for $59.99 because Donald Trump told them to?
As a practical matter, culture war issues persist as the foundational differences that separate us. Perhaps they are somehow embedded in our DNA, unreconcilable with opposing beliefs, because they represent who we essentially are. Answers sought from a book written sans science and natural reason are filled with fantastical conclusions about who we are and why we’re here, truths believed to be divinely inspired that do not withstand the test of science and natural reason.
Reasonable natural truths based on science and the observable universe that deny the fantastical conclusions of that book, the Bible, are, for the Christian Dominionist sect, necessarily wrong, even inherently evil. And there are labels for the evil ones: Baby Killers, Marxists, Socialists, Democrats, Illegals, etc. There is no discussion. The righteous have gleaned the answers from their book, whose main protagonist is God, who has three starring roles in one—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Although Christians account for only 30 percent of the world’s population (40% of America’s population is Protestant, with 24% of that 40% identifying as evangelical), Christian Dominionists in America, certainly in Park County, wear their righteousness on their sleeves. They can’t help it. Their politics is the Bible. Their Bible is the roadmap to their intent to establish One World Christianity. It’s in their DNA.
I will apologize, if only for the sake of continuity, for taking the detour into the realm of Christian Dominionist religiosity, which I believe is the foundation of MAGA populism. I think it is dangerous to our republic, hazardous to the democratic principles upon which our republic was founded, and the avenue through which demagogic authoritarianism will trample the founders’ and framers’ intentions, operational now for 236 years.
Let’s continue with the resolutions from the Park County Republican Assembly of March 23, 2024, which first and most prominently addresses “Voter Integrity Resolution – Machines/Hand Count.”
Resolution Number 1 says, “The voters of Park County and the voters of Colorado have increasingly lost faith that our elections are secure and have become disenfranchised from the process…”
Any fool knows this preamble, presented as a categorical truth, is neither categorical nor axiomatic. Instead, it is a Big Lie verse in the MAGA Book of Revelations where faith is the key. Folks rely on faith when they don’t have definitive evidence to prove anything.
Flowing from this lie, the Park County Republicans say the solution is: a) Single day elections; b) In-person voting at precincts using printed poll books; c) Hand counts of ballots at the precinct level; d) No mail-in voting except for military or those housebound or traveling. No universal mail-in ballot opportunity unless a voter affirmatively requests a mail-in ballot well in advance of the election; e) Walk-in registration and voting on the same day is eliminated; f) Closed primaries where Unaffiliated voters cannot participate in party primaries; g) The Colorado County Clerks Association be defunded, and no longer have any influence on County Clerks.
During Dave Wissel’s campaign for District 3 Commissioner in 2022, his intent, memorialized on his website as a “campaign promise,” was to give the taxpayers of Park County election integrity. He says he “will work to implement voting measures that mirror the ‘Improve Public Confidence Election Validity’ measure (SB21-007).”
The bill was proposed by Senator Paul Lundeen in the Colorado Senate in 2021.” It would have required all Colorado general elections to be conducted in person at designated polling places. Mail-in ballots would not be automatically provided to the electorate unless the elector “affirmatively” requested one. Voting was restricted to seven days, and all votes had to be counted by the close of election day.
The fiscal note on SB21-007 noted it would increase expenditures by the Secretary of State’s office by over one million dollars. The increased costs for small counties could reach eighty-six thousand dollars.
Even though Senator Lundeen’s bill died in committee, Wissel adopted it as his template for what he envisions for Park County. He went a couple of steps further than Lundeen. He wanted hand counts done and said he would investigate the termination of Park County’s contract with Dominion. He said this was necessary because “there is enough evidence to justify people’s concerns of election fraud and general lack of integrity.”
You may recall District 3 Commissioner Dave Wissel is the current Chair of the Park County Republican Central Committee. His immediate predecessor in that position was District 1 Commissioner Amy Mitchell, who assumed that position and title in June 2023 when the Park County Republican organization, mirroring the State and National organizations, became MAGA-infested, with its foundation solidly Christian Dominionists.
Amy Mitchell was not only the Chair of the Park County Republican Central Committee but also Chair of the Board of County Commissioners in June 2023. She remains the BOCC Chair but gave up her lofty position in the county Republican Party when she decided to seek a second term as commissioner.
The Park County Board of Commissioners majority bloc, Mitchell and Wissel, tacitly and demonstrably believes the Big Lie. Indeed, the resolution forthcoming from the county Republican assembly affirms that. With that said, what machinations will that majority bloc undertake to impose their fantastical MAGA-based conspiratorial imaginings on the Park County Clerk and Recorder for the upcoming November election?
It is instructive to provide the extent to which Commission Chair Amy Mitchell is buried within the heap of MAGA claptrap regarding the Dominion machines.
Mitchell repeatedly spouts bogus claims, which have been proven false. Take, for instance, her arguments in the BOCC work session and general Board of County Commissioner meetings of October 19, 2021. The purchase of Clear Ballot machines was on the agenda on that day. These machines are approved by the State of Colorado, along with the Dominion machines for vote tabulations. Debra Green, the Clerk and Recorder at the time, proposed the Clear Ballot purchase as an audit check on the vote totals provided by the Dominion machines. Mitchell opposed the purchase, reasoning from her MAGA-inspired dismal recapitulation of lies that, among other things, the Dominion and Clear Ballot machines share the same software and algorithms. Remarkably, she said that she would prefer the money for the Clear Ballot machines go instead to an audit of the 2020 election because, quote, “2020 is still broken,” and “the Dominion machines and Clear Ballot machines are guilty by association because it has been proved they facilitate fraud across the nation.” She also repeated the lie (included in the county assembly resolution) that all county’s citizens are concerned about election integrity.
No, Dominion and Clear Ballot do not share software or algorithms. Each company has proprietary software and systems, including Election Management Systems (EMS). To suggest otherwise is to expose one’s ignorance of the technology and the nature of competing private companies that manufacture software-based systems. The Big Lie conspirators have won no lawsuits that claim the machines perpetrate fraud, regardless of what Mike, the Pillow Guy, Lindell, Doctor Douglas Frank, Tina Peters, Lauren Boebert, Ron Hanks, Donald Trump, or even Amy Mitchell says. Remember, too, that Michell said in October 2021 that Park County’s best interests would be served by spending ten thousand dollars to audit the 2020 election rather than purchasing the Clear Ballot machines to verify future tabulations of vote counts.
Mitchell was also at the forefront as a plaintiff in an effort by Ron Hanks to sue the Colorado Secretary of State over the administration of Colorado’s 2020 general election. It was a Big Lie suit, highlighting the nefariousness only the MAGA conspirators could see. Mitchell’s other co-plaintiffs were Jeff Rector, a Rio Blanco County Commissioner who subsequently resigned; Gary Moyer, a Rio Blanco County Commissioner who was subsequently recalled; and Merlin Klotz, Douglas County Clerk who, in December 2020 posted this on Facebook: “Pence has plenary authority on January 6 and can declare AZ, GA, MI, NM, NV, WI and PA elections illegal, not following state and general election processes … Contact/encourage Pence.” A late arrival to the lawsuit, Elbert County Clerk Dallas Schroeder made copies of the Dominion system hard drives and gave them to two attorneys.
On April 18, 2023, a BOCC work session was devoted to restoring voter confidence in Park County. It was a dog and pony show allowed on the agenda by Mitchell and presented by quintessential MAGAites, a fellow named David Justice, and a former Park County Commissioner, Leni Walker. I won’t provide details of the meeting other than the video I made, which captures what I eventually called the “Theater of the Absurd.” Interestingly, ex-commissioner Leni Walker (featured in the video) placed Amy Mithchell’s name in nomination at the March 23, 2024, Republican County Assembly for reelection to her commission seat.
Again, this first and most prominent resolution of Park County’s Republican Assembly should concern us all. At least those of us who depend on natural reason and logic to define our truths. What mischief is afoot here? I suppose we’ll find out soon enough.
So, what were the other resolutions presented at the March 23rd assembly?
Of course, there was a resolution that addressed “Illegal Immigration,” which provided the MAGA litany of red meat for the red hats. It ended with this: “…elected officials or non-elected government Bureaucrats who support, promote, or enable illegal invasion shall be required to house, feed, clothe, and provide for a minimum of 10 illegals out of their own finances. The cost should be borne by those who advocate for illegal invasion.”
There was a “Prayer” resolution, ending with this: “…any person of any age can pray anytime or anywhere they want without restriction or persecution with any words they choose; this includes in our schools just like it use to be done 100’s of years prior.” [sic]
A “Park County Specific Censorship Resolution” was approved, reading: “Citizens nationally and locally are censored and have their freedom of speech right removed in written, public speaking, internet, and verbal speech all the time. Therefore, Be it Resolved that Park County Republicans believe: No speech shall be suppressed, and we support always upholding our 1st amendment right of freedom of speech and no one shall be censored. There are sometimes benefits or consequences of what you say but you always have the right to say it.” [sic]
There’s an anti-grooming child safety resolution that presses the CRT and DEI hot buttons. One that affirms the MAGA crowd’s desire for closed primaries. There’s one to defund the Colorado County Clerks Association. Another affirming personal sovereignty “…concerning Health decision and choices, to include any mandates for vaccines, medical treatments, and practices. (No, a woman’s right to determine her reproductive health choices was not included.) Naturally, there was a resolution about the right to bear arms. One is for energy independence, term limits for commissioners, removal of Dave Williams as chairman of the State GOP (certainly not from the MAGAites, but the Lincoln Republicans), outlawing abortion clinics in Park County, no funding for Ukraine, and, my favorite, a Words Matter resolution.
No, I can’t leave this without providing the essence of what the national, state, and Park County Republican party has become. Here, verbatim, is the “Words Matter” resolution:
Resolution 22 – Words matter
- Marxist Democrat
Whereas: the Democratic party today is not the party of our parents or grandparents, it is not the Democratic Party, they have become marxist, they are the Marxist Democrat Party. Marxist Democrat Party supporters promote and demand things like drag queens in schools castrating little boys, mastectomies for little girls, child mutilation, in general destruction of the family, corrupt education, anti-Semitism in schools, illegal Invaders over citizens, open borders cartel supplying Fentanyl destruction, indoctrination of the US Military, and communist China’s interest over those of the us.
Therefore, be it resolved that the Park County Republicans support: using correct terminology referring to The Democratic party as the Marxist Democrat party.
- Slavery
Whereas: based on some reports, there are more slaves today than in the 1800s. a Civil War was fought which ended slavery, supposedly. slavery has a far more Sinister and emotional connotation than the more sterile modern trafficking.
Therefore, be it resolved that the Park County Republicans support: using the correct terminology and calling human trafficking and sex trafficking what it truly is, slavery. consider using child slavery child sex slavery sex slavery work slaves and labor slaves.
- Gun confiscation and banning
Whereas: the United States public is the most heavily armed population on the planet and tyrants do not want an armed population. Unarmed population or citizens are targets and tyrants want a disarmed population as their subjects. The Second Amendment is not about hunting or sport shooting. It is about self-defense against tyranny at any level. They are trying to deceive us with the word gun control.
Therefore, be it resolved that the Park County Republicans support: using the correct terminology and calling gun control gun confiscation and banning.
- Mainstream media propagandists
Therefore, be it resolved that Park County Republicans support: using the correct terminology for mainstream media they will now be referred to as propagandist.
- Republic not democracy
Whereas: the United States of America is a republic, not a democracy. More accurately, it is a constitutional republic. The power of the majority is not absolute but is tempered by checks and balances. This nation is not, and never was intended to be, a democracy. Democracy is not the goal; Freedom, Prosperity, Human Flourishing, and Individual Liberty are.
Therefore, be it resolved at the park County Republicans support: using the correct terminology of our constitutional republic, it will not be referred to as a democracy any longer.
I noted at the beginning of this missive that a few inane resolutions were approved just for the hell of it to substantiate that the MAGA crowd views politics as performance art, which is a nifty tool to reel in the gullible. And if you are gullible, a MAGAite, perhaps even a South Park Outsider, or one of their fellow travelers, you undoubtedly adore the inanities.
“If today you can take a thing like evolution and make it a crime to teach it in the public school, tomorrow you can make it a crime to teach it in the private schools, and the next year you can make it a crime to teach it to the hustings or in the church. At the next session, you may ban books and newspapers. Soon, you may set Catholic against Protestant and Protestant against Protestant and try to foist your own religion upon the minds of men. If you can do one, you can do the other. Ignorance and fanaticism are ever busy and need feeding. Always, it is feeding and gloating for more. Today, it is the public school teachers; tomorrow, the private. The next day, the preachers and the lectures, the magazines, the books, the newspapers. After a while, your honor, it is the setting of man against man and creed against creed until, with flying banners and beating drums, we are marching backward to the glorious ages of the sixteenth century when bigots lighted fagots to burn the men who dared to bring any intelligence and enlightenment and culture to the human mind.”
― Clarence Darrow
