In a video taken last September, House Rep. Lauren Boebert touts “replacement theory,” the racist ideology that led an 18-year old to massacre ten Black people at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York on Saturday, March 14, 2022. Payton Gendron, the shooter, left behind a 180-page manifesto that showed he was fixated on the idea that White people in the U.S. are being intentionally replaced — the same idea Boebert spouts in this video.
Dangerous Republicans, Embarrassing Republicans, Extremism, Immigration, Lauren Boebert, politics, Xenophobia
Boebert votes against bill to help people access baby formula
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House Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) was one of nine House Republicans who voted against the Access to Baby Formula Act, a bill introduced to help alleviate the national baby formula shortage. The bill passed on May 18, 2022 by a vote of 414-9.
Twenty six states have seen a 40-50% decrease in the amount of baby formula stocked in grocery stores after Abbott Laboratories closed a plant that manufactures the formula. Abbott initiated a recall and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered one of their plants to close after four babies who ate formula manufactured at the plant became infected with Cronobacter, a rare but serious infection that can lead to a lethal blood infection and meningitis. So far two infants have died.
About half of the infant formula in the country is purchased by low income people using federal supplemental nutrition benefits through the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, but the program restricts the brands participants can buy. About 89% of all the infant formula people buy using WIC benefits is manufactured by Abbott Labs, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA). The Access to Baby Formula Act would loosen this restriction and allow WIC participants to buy other brands.
Boebert joked about the shortage, then voted against a bill to increase people’s ability to access formula
On May 13, Boebert joked about the shortage of baby formula on “The Dana Show,” a nationally-syndicated talk show. Boebert used the topic to take a dig at transgender Americans by saying “perhaps it’s from all the men who are becoming pregnant and cannot lactate on their own, so maybe that’s where this shortage is coming from.” Boebert then pivoted to blame the shortage on “all the pallets being sent to the southern border for all the illegal aliens breaking our laws to come into our country.” Boebert’s xenophobic comment reflects how Fox News has used the infant formula shortage as a way to demonize immigrants.
CMU, Crime, Ethics, Fake Religiosity, Harassment, Racism, Religion, Religious hypocrisy, Safety
Einstein Bagels is rounding up change to support a group that is facing multiple sexual assault and EEOC claims
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Einstein Bagels asks people to round up their purchase to the next dollar to donate to a Christian missionary youth group that has been charged with widespread sexual assault, misconduct and harassment.
Einstein Bagels in Grand Junction is asking customers to round up their change to support Young Life, an evangelical Christian missionary youth group that is currently facing a slew of sexual misconduct lawsuits by former club participants across the country and at least four Equal Employment Opportunity Complaints for racial discrimination, improper termination and other sordid allegations.
Young Life came under federal investigation in 2021 after students, members and volunteers across the country reported they had experienced unwanted sexual advances and solicitations, racially discriminatory comments and treatment, and verbal harassment consisting of sexual innuendoes, comments, jokes, inappropriate texts and social media messages, grooming, inappropriate physical touching, sexual assault, racially discriminatory treatment and retaliation against volunteers who reported such events.
Crazy Republicans, Dangerous Republicans, Election deniers, Embarrassing Republicans, Ethics, Extremism, Republicans violating laws, Scams, Tina Peters, Weird western slope stuff
Ethics Commission rules third complaint against Tina Peters is valid
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Tina Peters’ mugshot for her arrest on 3/9/2022, charged with 8 felonies and 3 misdemeanors related to election tampering
At their meeting today, May 17, the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission (IEC) unanimously ruled the third ethics complaint they received about Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters is non-frivolous. The vote means they will proceed to act on it.
The third complaint, assigned Complaint #22-22, is about Peters’ acceptance of a purported $800,000 donation from fellow election denier Mike Lindell, CEO of the My Pillow Company, in violation of Article 29 of Colorado’s Constitution, which limits the value of any gifts an elected official can accept to $65.
Conspiracy theories, Crazy Republicans, Ethics, Tina Peters
New ethics complaint against Tina Peters will be heard by CO Independent Ethics Commission tomorrow
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A third ethics complaint (pdf) was filed against Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters on May 9, 2022.
This one is about her failure to report contributions to her legal defense fund, in particular the $800,000 donation that My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell said he made to Peters’ fund. Lindell disclosed the donation at an election denier event at the state Capitol April 5. 9News in Denver described it as the single biggest contribution ever made to any elected official in Colorado history. The Colorado Independent Ethics Commission (IEC) designated the latest complaint as Complaint No. 22-22. It is the third ethics complaint filed against Peters since she became a high-profile election denier.
Andrea Haitz, Children, Embarrassing Republicans, Equal rights, Ethics, Extremism, Good things about Mesa County, Intolerance, LGBT issues, Transphobia
First Congregational Church welcomes trans kids amid furor over School Board President Andrea Haitz’s transphobic memes
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The First Congregational Church sign (Photo: Shirley Zimmerman Kodis)
After the uproar over anti-transgender memes District 51 School Board President Andrea Haitz posted recently on her personal social media accounts, the First Congregational Church at 5th and Kennedy in Grand Junction took steps to make it clear to the public that their church welcomes transexual kids. The church is directly across the street from Grand Junction High School.
Church Administrator Beth Rakestraw said on her social media account that “Transkids are loved and welcomed at my church!” The church describes itself on its website as a “progressive Christian community” and says “We welcome all people regardless of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender preference, ability, and disability…At our church you don’t have to check your brain at the door. We believe that science and religion are not mutually exclusive. … No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you’re welcome here.”
Haitz tried to walk back her posts by telling the Daily Sentinel that people had “misinterpreted” her memes because they “don’t understand satire,” but that was disproved after Heidi Hess of One Colorado revealed to the Daily Sentinel that Haitz belonged to the Facebook group Reboot 2022, whose mission statement says “Transgender is not an option.”
Anti-semitism, Conservatives, Cringeworthy, Dangerous Republicans, Democracy under threat, Domestic terrorism, Elections, Embarrassing Republicans, Ethics, Extremism, Homophobia, Inept Republicans, Lauren Boebert, politics, Violence
Like Enstrom Candies? You might want to re-think that. They’re one of Boebert’s biggest donors.
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Enstrom Candies is Lauren Boebert’s 4th biggest donor. Source: OpenSecrets.org
How OpenSecrets.org computes donations from an entity.
GovTrack officially lists Colorado House Representative Lauren Boebert as a participant in the January 6th, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters. She has had zero accomplishments while in office. Instead, to cover that up, she lied to her constituents and took credit for
Enstrom Candies, a favorite coffee shop, ice cream shop and candy factory in downtown Grand Junction, is Boebert’s 4th biggest donor
accomplishments achieved by Democrats. She supports Putin and Russia with her votes. She embarrassed all of Colorado with her shocking outbursts at the 2021 State of the Union address by President Biden, shouting out loud at him while he was talking about his deceased son. She openly insulted a group of Jews who were visiting the U.S. Capitol. She made homophobic comments about Transportation Secretary Pete Butigieg about his taking parental leave to care for his two newborn twins. Boebert made bigoted jokes to intentionally disparage a Democratic colleague. She challenged a wheelchair-bound House colleague to a sprint. She mocked the death of a 42 year old cinematographer who was accidentally killed on the set of a movie by a firearm. Boebert wants government to take orders from the church. She has openly promoted the white supremacist myth of “replacement theory” that is leading to more mass shootings in the U.S. She voted against a bill to help Americans get easier access to baby formula.
Andrea Haitz, Cindy Ficklin, Dangerous Republicans, Education, Embarrassing Republicans, Ethics, Ethnic/Minority, Extremism, Hate, Intolerance, LGBT issues, Lies, Racism, Transphobia
D-51 School Board President Andrea Haitz belonged to anti-transgender Facebook group
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Screenshot of members of the transphobic Facebook group, Reboot 2022, taken on Wednesday, May 11, 2022, after which time her name was removed.
A May 13, 2022 Daily Sentinel article discussed the outrage District 51 School Board President Andrea Haitz’s recent anti-transgender social media posts generated among people in the valley.
In her own defense, Haitz told the Sentinel she didn’t mean the memes to be hurtful, and that she “has gay and lesbian friends.” Haitz said the “memes had been misunderstood” because “people don’t always understand satire,” and said that people “made up what they thought I meant by it.”
But people didn’t make up anything, and they most definitely did not misinterpret the intent of Haitz’s posts.
How do we know?
Dangerous Republicans, Election deniers, Elections, Embarrassing Republicans, Ethics, Extremism, politics, Republican incompetence, Republicans violating laws, Tina Peters
Court rules Republican County Clerk candidate Julie Fisher is not competent to run elections, either, and was complicit in Peters debacle
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Julie Fisher, who is a candidate for Mesa County Clerk and Recorder in the Republican primary June 28th. The judge found she has insufficient experience to run elections and was complicit in the Tina Peters/Belinda Knisley capers.
On Tuesday, May 10, 2022, District Court Judge Valerie Robison granted an injunction that prohibits Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters and Deputy Clerk Belinda Knisley from running elections through 2022, making it the second year that the two top officials in the Mesa County Clerk’s Office have been barred from having anything to do with elections.
No less important, though, were Judge Robison’s findings about current employee in the Clerk’s office and Republican candidate for County Clerk Julie Fisher, whom Tina Peters had dubbed her “Second Chief Deputy Clerk.”
Robison found Fisher did not have adequate experience in handling elections, hadn’t taken the election training provided by the Secretary of State and that the position Tina had appointed Fisher to, “Second Chief Deputy Clerk,” was a fake position.
The Court ruled “there is no statutory provision for the position of “Second Chief Deputy Clerk” in the Clerk and Recorder’s Office.
Essentially, Tina invented the “Second Chief Deputy Clerk” position to do an end run around the County Commissioners and the Court, and appoint her own hand-picked person to perform her job in her and Knisley’s absence.
But Judge Robison wasn’t having any of that.
Andrea Haitz, Children, Embarrassing Republicans, Ethics, Extremism, Homophobia, Human rights, Intolerance, Mental health, Public health, Transphobia, Trump Insanity
D-51 School Board President’s transphobic social media posts draw condemnation
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District 51 School Board President posted this photo to social media recently on her personal account
Recent social media posts by District 51 School Board President Andrea Haitz, and one in particular that she posted on Mother’s Day, are drawing condemnation, disgust and shock from many Mesa County residents who saw them.
Abortion, Activism, Democrats, Health care
Need an abortion in Grand Junction, or on the western slope? Here is updated information.
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NOTE: I’ve written about how to obtain an abortion in Mesa County before on this blog, most recently in 2020, but the landscape on this issue keeps changing. Some options disappear while others expand, and with potential changes looming on the national policy front, I’m re-visiting the topic, and will continue to update it periodically.
In light of the recently-leaked draft Supreme Court ruling indicating the right wing majority of the U.S. Supreme Court is likely next month to formally overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that assured abortion was legal throughout the U.S., it is prudent to revisit the issue of abortion in Colorado, and specifically how to obtain one in Grand Junction and on the western slope.
First of all, there is no reason to fear losing the right to have an abortion in Colorado, ever. Abortion will stay legal and accessible in Colorado, whatever the Supreme Court does.