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CBI probes threatening e-mail

Sen. Spence says police guarding her grandchildren

Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News

Published April 10, 2007 at midnight

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The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is trying to track down the author of an e-mail who threatened a state senator and her grandchildren over an education issue.

Sen. Nancy Spence, R-Centennial, said police are providing security at her grandchildren's homes and at their schools while the CBI investigates the e-mail.

"The person who wrote it will be prosecuted," Spence said Monday.

Spence on Saturday received the e-mail, which was signed "the edcation (sic) panthers." She was told she and her grandchildren needed "to pay" for a recent incident in which a conservative blog posted an anti-school-choice e-mail from Rep. Mike Merrifield, D-Colorado Springs. That posting led to Merrifield's resignation as chairman of the House Education Committee.

Spence is a leading advocate of school choice and has carried school voucher legislation.

Spence said she has no idea who might be behind the e-mail, which also was sent to the Rocky Mountain News. She doubted the author used his or her real name. The e-mail came from an "Ed Barger" at "cea98barger@ya hoo.com."

It's unclear whether the author wanted Spence to believe he was affiliated with the Colorado Education Association(CEA). The group opposes vouchers.

Deborah Fallin, CEA spokeswoman, said she's never heard of an "Ed Barger." In addition, she said the group uses "NEA" - for National Education Association - as part of its e-mail address. That's because Connecticut already had the CEA Web domain name.

As for Merrifield's e-mail, it was written last December to Sen. Sue Windels, D-Arvada, chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee.

"There must be a special place in hell for these Privatizers, Charterizers and Voucherizers. They deserve it!" he wrote.

The e-mail recently was posted by FaceTheState.com., leading to an outcry from school-choice advocates.

The e-mail to Spence accused Alex Cranberg, a well-heeled vouchers advocate, of financing the new blog.

Cranberg said he doesn't reveal to whom he gives money: "Why is it that so often when someone is looking to shift attention from a special place in Hell or whatever, my name comes up?" he wrote in an e-mail. "I'm not part of a vast right-wing conspiracy (they're probably mad at me, too)."

'We know where they live'

From: Ed Barger (mailto:cea98barger@yahoo.com)

Sent: Saturday, April 07, 2007 11:48 AM

To: nancyspence@qwest.net

Cc: Bartels, Lynn

Subject: Nancy read this

nancy, you are the tip of the cranberg organization. you need to pay for the cranberg-financed facethestate blog humilitiating merrifield.

cranberg controls everything. sb 215 is hardly a speedbumb.

nancy, we are going to take it out on your grandchildren (even the one from Darfur). we know where they live (we have contacts all over the country) and where they go to school.

you are worse than Andrews. cranberg must pay, but your grandchildren will pay first.

the edcation panthers

or 303-954-5327