Troopers No Longer Protecting Rossi (DEMS: "PAYING FOR A LOSER")

Seattle Times ^ | February 17, 2005 | Ralph Thomas

[srm913]

Fewer than two weeks after expressing concern for former state Sen. Dino Rossi's safety, the State Patrol this week ended the round-the-clock security it had been providing to Rossi and his family.

"We are not protecting Mr. Rossi any more," Capt. Fred Fakkema, spokesman for the State Patrol, said yesterday.

Fakkema said the decision to stop protecting Rossi was made last week. But for security reasons, he said, the State Patrol did not announce the decision.

The patrol's Executive Protection Unit had been guarding Rossi since November, when he was declared governor-elect after winning the initial ballot count in the contentious race for governor.

Troopers continued guarding Rossi even after a subsequent ballot count gave a 129-vote victory to Democrat Christine Gregoire, who was sworn in as governor last month.

Once Gregoire was declared the winner, the State Patrol had no legal obligation to protect Rossi. But with emotions still running high over Gregoire's victory — and with an election challenge filed by Rossi still pending in court — the State Patrol said earlier this month that continued security for Rossi was warranted.

Both Gregoire and Rossi both have received threats since the Nov. 2 election. A Yakima County man was arrested last month on suspicion of making a death threat against Gregoire and her family.

Rossi, however, was informed last Friday that his trooper protection would end at midnight Sunday. The State Patrol told Rossi it would reassess its decision if he receives more threats, said Rossi spokeswoman Mary Lane.

[srm913]

"How much should taxpayers have to pay for a loser?"

Not as much as they're going to pay if Gregoire- the REAL loser in every sense of the word- sticks around and bumps Washington taxes.

[Darkwolf377]

"How much should taxpayers have to pay for a loser?"

You gotta love that 'coming together' crap they sling. If a Republican saidthat about Gore in '00...well, you know the rest.

[SW6906]

BTTT Ping!

[Horatio Gates]

Oh, so now it's the taxpayer's money? I'm curious as to who the WSP protection detail actually prefers to be around.

[snugs]

Ping

[srm913]

If it's Gregoire, my name is Gunga Din.

[llevrok]

Too bad the troopers are not protecting US from Crissy. Man, that woman is nuts!

[KC_Conspirator]

Washingtonians got screwed and they let it happen; playing by the Queensbury Rules while the democrats were playing by the handbook of Ernst Rohm.

They only have themselves to blame.

I hope they do what they did in MO and turn it around the next election.

[anniegetyourgun]

Game out there in WA is not over.

[chimera]

I hope they do what they did in MO and turn it around the next election.

The next election will be a romp for Cantwell, then Fraudoire, against whoever the Republicans put up. Ne'erDoWell has two years and Fraudoire four years to fix this up with the sheeple. This current debacle will be buried down the memory hole by the 'Rats and their allies in the MSM by then. That's why the WA Republicans need to fight the fraud now, and see this battle through to the end. There is no tomorrow, and Rossi knows it. Once a 'Rat gets entrenched, they are awfully hard to dig out.

[GretchenM]

Thx for the ping - I think I would have missed this otherwise.

[KC_Conspirator]

You feel the same way I do. This is nothing short of a massive violation of civil rights and these people ought to be in jail instead of running the state. The GOP did not do a damn thing about the fraud here and it makes me sick. Its part of the reason (the other is outsourcing) that I have gradually become very cynical about donating my time and money tot the GOP (and I used to donate alot).

In 2002, MO democrats filed a lawsuit with a Dick Gephardt judgeto keep innner city precints open past the deadline while they stuffed the ballot box. Well, a the GOP got the precints to close down after about an hour of this fraud. As a result of fraud in St. Louis and KC, Jim Talent lost the governor's race.

Talent and newly elected Lt. Governor (now gov.) Matt Blunt were going to ignore this like good check pants republicans but the base was outraged that they took action. There were just too many complaints. Blunt fought to install anit-fraud rules and prosected some dems in St. Louis for registering fake voters.

As a result, Talent won a race for the senate in 2002 and Blunt won the governorhsip in 2004.

[FormerACLUmember]

Governor Rossi dissed again.

[chimera]

Two weeks ago, the state Democratic Party put out a news release blasting Rossi for accepting trooper protection at a time when the state is facing a huge budget shortfall. "How much should taxpayers have to pay for a loser?" the release said.

So much for Fraudoire's attempts at "healing". I knew all along it was really "heeling". What would one expect from a liberal 'Rat?

But what is galling is the faux concern the 'Rats are showing for "taxpayers". They'll have no problems sticking those same taxpayers with a tax hike or new tax to pay for Fraudoire's social programs (i.e., boondoggles designed to buy votes).