I’ve been a bit at a loss to talk about all of the stuff that is swirling around Laura Bradford. I know Laura. I’ve had dinner in her home. She’s had dinner in my home. That isn’t recent, it goes back to the days when she had a business in the Incubator Center and I was the Revolving Loan Fund Manager.

I started a monthly dinner club that rotated among members, and Laura was one of the participants in that club.  The first dinner was held at my home and Laura showed up with some linen napkins that her company had made as a hostess gift. Laura, thanks for those napkins. I still use them.

I’m sure that Laura is embarrassed to be in this situation. She knows that it isn’t a good idea to drink and drive. She sponsored a bill that would make it murder of a child if a pregnant woman was killed in an accident after a pregnant woman and her unborn child were killed in an accident.

Laura said that when she votes in the legislature her first priority is her conscience, followed by her constituents, followed by her caucus. I recently met with her about the Cottage Food Act that I’d like to see passed as a board member of Western Colorado Congress. She is sponsoring a competing bill that is much narrower, but would approve making cakes and cookies in home kitchens and selling them to friends and neighbors. She proposed that bill because two of her constituents asked her to do so.

Today an ethics committee will decide if she should be punished in the House for her actions. I think it may be hypocritical of some House members if they vote to censure her. I’m sure many of them are guilty of driving home after more than a few drinks in Downtown Denver. The Denver Post ran an article about historic ethics reviews. I personally found it amusing that the picture chosen to illustrate the story was one of Steve King.

Laura may be in more trouble for having drinks while carrying a concealed weapon, but I’m not up on that part of the legal code—since I don’t have a conceal and carry license.  I feel badly about the trouble that Laura is experiencing, even though she did make some bad choices to get in this position. She’s not a bad person. Could we all just treat her with a little humanity?