Free Republic

Since this spring’s blink-and-you-missed-it debate over reauthorization of several controversial provisions of the Patriot Act, Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Mark Udall (D-CO) have been complaining to anyone who’d listen about a “Secret Patriot Act“—an interpretation of one of the law’s provisions by the classified Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court granting surveillance powers exceeding those an ordinary person would understand to be conferred from the text of the statute itself. As I argued at the time, there is an enormous amount of strong circumstantial evidence suggesting that this referred to a “sensitive collection program” involving cell phone location tracking—potentially on a...

DENVER—Colorado Sen. Mark Udall says President Barack Obama supports extending a tax break for wind energy that supporters say is vital to the state's wind-turbine industry. Udall, a Democrat, said Thursday that Obama's support is welcome.

For more than two years, a handful of Democrats on the Senate intelligence committee have warned that the government is secretly interpreting its surveillance powers under the Patriot Act in a way that would be alarming if the public — or even others in Congress — knew about it.

Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO) and Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) have unveiled legislation in the Senate and House which would ensure that any individual detained on U.S. soil under the Authorization of Military Force (AUMF) has access to due process and the federal court system. The bill would repeal the provision in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 that requires the military to detain on U.S. soil any individuals suspected of terrorism. Senator Mark Udall and Rep. Adam Smith launch an effort to protect U.S. citizens from indefinite detention and preserve civil liberties.Senator Mark Udall and Rep. Adam Smith launch...

_resident Obama's $858 billion tax package won a huge bipartisan majority in the Senate Monday evening, setting it up for a contentious debate in the House. In a 83-15 vote, the Senate quashed a filibuster by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Va.). Fifteen lawmakers voted against it, including five Republicans: Sens. Tom Coburn (Okla.), Jim DeMint (S.C.), Jeff Sessions (Ala.), John Ensign (Nev.) and George Voinovich (Ohio). Nine Democrats and one independent voted against the bill: Sens. Jeff Bingaman (N.M.), Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Russ Feingold (Wis.), Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Kay Hagan (N.C.), Frank Lautenberg (N.J.), Pat Leahy (Vt.), Carl Levin (Mich.), Mark...

Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., is expected to explore legislation next year that would allow Aurora to use the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project to move water out of the Arkansas Valley. The information was included in a report by attorneys for Aurora and the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District filed late Friday in the Denver U.S. District Court. The report says Udall has agreed to circulate draft legislation along the lines of past attempts to change federal law to allow Aurora to use Fry-Ark storage and exchange contracts to move water from farms dried up in Lake, Crowley and Otero counties into...

A western Colorado land swap sought by U.S. Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., would eliminate what National Park Service officials termed a development threat to the Curecanti National Recreation Area. Salazar’s biggest individual campaign contributor, meanwhile, would get land that would allow him to complete assembly of his ranch in Gunnison County. At the heart of the measure is a land swap that would enlarge by 1,841 acres the Bear Ranch owned by William Koch and allow him to knit together disparate parts of his ranch tucked between Ragged Mountain and Paonia Reservoir. Koch and his family members have contributed $39,800...

How do you outgun the NRA? Very, very carefully. Mark Pryor knows all about that. The Democratic senator from pro-gun Arkansas was nowhere to be seen on the Senate floor during Wednesday's showdown over a proposal, championed by the National Rifle Association, that would have gutted state gun-control laws across the nation. Toward the end of the vote, Pryor entered the chamber through the back door, took a few steps inside, flashed a thumbs-down to the clerk, and retreated as fast and furtively as somebody dodging gunfire. Several minutes later, the Democrats had racked up more than enough votes to...

A Denver-based veterans organization has voted to disband after accusing its founder of fabricating an identity as a former Marine captain who served three tours in Iraq and was at the Pentagon on 9/11. Thirty-two-year-old Richard Glen Strandlof, who used the name Rick Duncan, founded the organization, the Colorado Veterans Alliance, about two years ago. Major Carl Redding, spokesman for the U.S. Marines, said there is no record of Richard Glen Strandlof or Rick Duncan serving in the Marines. Strandolf appeared several times as a campaign spokesperson attacking Republicans in 2008 on national security issues. Colorado Republican State Chairman Dick...

Rep. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) said Sunday that House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) should step down from his chairmanship while an ethics investigation takes place. Questioned by host Tom Brokaw on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’, Udall initially cited the ethics process and demurred. When pressed, though, he said that it would be “helpful” if Rangel stepped down. “I think it would be helpful if Charles Rangel stepped down,” Udall said.

U.S. Senate candidate Mark Udall took $1,500 in contributions from two firms that once employed disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Udall's campaign spokeswoman Taylor West said the donations from the companies' political-action committees to the Eldorado Springs Democrat's congressional campaigns were legal. But, she said, Udall plans to donate the $1,500 to an organization in the Marianas Islands that assists victims of human trafficking. Abramoff and the islands have become an issue in Udall's Senate race against former Congressman Bob Schaffer... Schaffer's campaign manager, Dick Wadhams, ripped Udall on Wednesday, questioning why he waited to return donations he received in 2000...

When the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments last week about the Washington, D.C., ban on handgun ownership, U.S. Rep. Mark Udall of Colorado issued a news release saying he hoped the court would affirm the right of citizens to "keep and bear arms." But on four occasions when Udall, a Democrat running for an open U.S. Senate seat, could have voted in Congress to repeal all or sections of the gun ban, he did not. Udall campaign spokesman Taylor West said the congressman did not support the 32-year-old ban but also didn't think Congress was justified in overriding the district...

Colorado Democrats caucused in record numbers Tuesday night, clueless about which candidate their party leaders prefer for president. That's because Gov. Bill Ritter, Sen. Ken Salazar, Rep. Mark Udall and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper have refused to make picks ... But where is the backbone in silence? And what is more worthy of a clear stand than the question of who governs our country? "There's a certain responsibility to being a leader in your party. In a presidential race, that means taking a side," said state GOP chairman Dick Wadhams. Though Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama differ only slightly...

Before Congress left for this year, lawmakers in Colorado's delegation put down their markers for next year. "You can never start soon enough," said Alan Salazar, chief of staff to Rep. Mark Udall, D-Eldorado Springs. With the presidential election next year, he said, passing bills could become difficult. "So the sooner you get things done, the easier it is," Salazar said. Udall is one of those who introduced a bill in the last two weeks before the congressional session ended. Sen. Salazar's bill asks to study ways to protect the open space in and around Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests....

When the nation votes in November, working control of the U.S. Senate could hinge on three Western races involving three members of a Mormon family whose roots in the region go back 155 years. The Udalls remain rooted in the inland West, where political power has flowed through four generations. Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., was in Seattle last week to raise money in his campaign for the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Wayne Allard. He is an Outward Bound veteran, outdoorsman and conservationist in the tradition of his father, the late Rep. Morris Udall, D-Ariz. "It's in his blood. It's...

I wrote my congresscritter concerning BMovement.org and the congressional response. here was the reply: Congressman Mark Udall Serving Colorado's Front Range and Western Slope Dear Mr. Jones: Thank you for contacting me and expressing your views about how Congress should respond to public controversies involving free speech. As a general rule, I do not think it is the business of Congress to condemn or applaud statements by individuals or groups. And I strongly support every American's right to free speech. If Congress took time to notice every asinine or unfortunate public utterance, we would have little time to address the...

Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) said Tuesday that he introduced a House resolution to support Rush Limbaugh because the conservative talk radio host "needs defending" from Democrats who have introduced resolutions and made statements condemning him for using the words "phony soldiers" on his radio show. On his Sept. 26 show, Limbaugh used the term "phony soldiers" in setting up a story about Jesse Macbeth, a former soldier who was recently sentenced to five months in prison for obtaining veterans' benefits by falsifying his military records. Macbeth claimed to have been an Army Ranger with a rank of corporal. He further...

I've just learned that Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO) will be introducing a resolution in the House of Representatives on Monday condemning Rush Limbaugh for his "phony soldiers" remark. This is significant because it has the potential to dramatically up the stakes in this fight. If the Democratic leadership allows it to go for a vote, it will force all the Republicans in the House to either vote for it, against it, or skip the vote -- and to pass judgment on the powerful conservative talk show host's contention that troops who don't support President Bush's war policies are "phony soldiers."...

Federal records show wanted man raised big money for Dems. Congressman Mark Udall's U.S. Senate campaign committee is among dozens of mostly Democratic political organizations to have received a large financial contribution from a New York fundraiser who has been wanted by authorities in California. Federal Election Commission records indicate that Norman Hsu, listed as a resident of New York, gave $1,000 to "Udall for Colorado Inc." on June 25. Hsu has a lengthy record of gathering large contributions for prominent Democratic campaigns, including those of presidential hopefuls Sen. Hillary Clinton, of New York, and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. FEC...

The U.S. Senate recently blocked a bill that would have junked 72 years of U.S. labor law and, for the first time, allowed the federal government to force employers and workers alike to sign union contracts without their consent. The proposal, which passed the House with support from Rep. Mark Udall, contained an offensive and little-known provision that would have allowed a government arbitrator to impose a two-year contract on businesses and workers that actually specified wages and working conditions. Neither the employer nor the workers could appeal the decision. The government has no place mandating how much private employers,...

Former Rep. Bob Schaffer (R-Colo.) said Saturday at a Lincoln Day Dinner that he would run for U.S. Senate in 2008... Speaking at a small dinner in Teller County, Schaffer told a crowd of about 100 ... “He announced that we were the first to know that he is a candidate,” said County Commissioner and former county Republican Party Chairman Bob Campbell. Campbell added that Schaffer said a formal announcement and release would be coming at a later date. Current Teller County Republican Party Chairman Mark Sievers also confirmed Schaffer’s announcement: “He did say that. He was unequivocal.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Will Adams November 18, 2005 202.226.6997 Tancredo Blasts Colorado’s ‘Bridge for Nobody’ Tancredo Says Animal Bridge Shows Democrats’ Hypocrisy on Budget Rhetoric WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) blasted Colorado’s “vegetated wildlife overpass” as an egregious example of the Democrats’ pork-barrel spending. The $500,000 down payment on the nearly $5 million overpass, which was approved as part of the Transportation Appropriations bill today, will, apparently, serve animals who want to cross over I-70 near Vail. “We’ve all heard of the ‘bridge to nowhere’ that was stripped from the transportation bill today. At least that bridge...

Co-Sponsors to Date (for a list of organizational endorsements, click here) U.S. House of Representatives- there are currently 50 co-sponsors Check to see if your Representative is a co-sponsor, and then check out our action page to see how you can take action to support this legislation. Click on the first letter of your state A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W read Rep's names in alphabetical order Alabama None at this time Alaska None at this time Arkansas None at this time Arizona Grijalva , Raol (D-AZ, 7th) California Farr, Sam (D-CA, 17th) Filner, Bob (D-CA, 51st) Honda, Michael (D-CA, 15th) Lee, Barbara (D-CA, 9th)...

BOULDER – Rep. Mark Udall won't challenge Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell in the 2004 U.S. Senate election. Udall confirmed his decision Tuesday. The Boulder Democrat was believed to have the best shot of unseating Nighthorse Campbell, the two-term Republican incumbent.

DENVER (AP) - Joan Savage is suing to get royalty payments she feels she is due from a gas company drilling on her western Colorado ranch. She is also watching as a federal task force explores how to speed up energy production in the Rockies. The task force meets in Denver on Tuesday as part of the Bush administration's efforts to make it easier to drill for natural gas and oil on federal land. The Rocky Mountain Energy Council, made up of federal and state land managers, is studying ways to streamline approval of permits and avoid lawsuits blocking development....

Udall calls for Hayman inquiry panel Probe sought to ensure blaze won't be used to 'overlog,' build roads in forests to cut fire risk By M.E. Sprengelmeyer, News Washington Bureau June 27, 2002 WASHINGTON -- Rep. Mark Udall has called for a special panel to investigate the Hayman Fire so the case is not used to justify widespread logging of the nation's public forests. In a letter to U.S. Forest Service chief Dale Bosworth, Udall said a panel including forestry experts, environmentalists and logging industry officials should use the 137,000-acre blaze six miles northwest Lake George as a case...