Ron Branson continues beating the drum of legally bogus and idiotic claims of fraud in his latest rant and rave. Today’s again deals with Attorney General Larry Long’s ballot explanation and the South Dakota Legislature unanimously passing a resolution urging voters to vote against Amendment E.
According to Branson’s keen and insightful analysis, “it behooves the F.B.I. to move in swiftly and arrest and try government officials statewide before this evil blossoms in other states. ‘Know ye not that a little little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?” I Cor.5:6.” (Italics in original). Fortunately, Branson has a three-part solution.
“First, we recommend you pray.”
Once that is accomplished,
you are advised to compose a criminal affidavit setting forth the particulars as described above, and submit it to your local F.B.I. Office, urging them to open a criminal investigation of State Attorney General Larry Long for seeking to influence an election. In a nutshell, the Attorney General has inverted, through manipulation, the objective of J.A.I.L. from jurors going after judges to criminals going after jurors. Likewise, name specific State Legislators in their individual capacity for the crime of utilizing their public offices and public funds for campaigning against a state ballot initiative, in violation of South Dakota Codified Law 12-13-16.
(Bold in original.)
“Lastly, again seek God’s face and ask Him to plead your cause and show you His Wondrous Works on our behalf.”
Branson is so busy trying to somehow say the Bible and God endorse JAIL that he missed a few legal elements.
As for Long, Branson ignores the fact that the ballot explanation has been determined to comply with state law as a result of Bill Stegmeier’s legal challenge to it. As such, there is, by definition, no crime. Likewise, an order Friday in Stegmeier’s latest trip to the courts he detests so much reinforced the fact that saying JAIL might lead to “criminals going after jurors” is also true.
Second, Branson ignores the fact that affidavits are to be based on personal knowledge that the facts set forth in it are true. I guess I’m not quite sure how Branson or any of his out-of-state zombies have personal knowledge that Long or the Legislature “inverted, through manipulation, the objective of J.A.I.L. ,” particularly in light of the binding court decisions. Of course, maybe that’s why he calls it a “criminal affidavit.”
Finally, the statements contained in the legislative resolution are true. Moreover, as I’ve pointed out before, courts in other states have specifically recognized that if a legislative body is not disseminating literature or purchasing ads for or against a measure, such resolutions are legal. In fact, they have been viewed as “serv[ing] beneficial purposes, including generation of public interest and debate [and] informing citizens of their elected representatives’ stands on the ballot issue.”
But then, Branson and people like Stegmeier and Bonnie “Shriek” Russell want nothing to do with the facts or the law. Those things tend to get in the way of their effort to gut justice and democracy.
We have just enough religion to make us hate[.]
Jonathan Swift, Thoughts on Various Subjects
