Photo: FBI
For those of you who think big business leaders are automatically qualified to run government or head it’s important agencies, here is a picture of the Enron Code of Ethics, signed by the Company’s former Chairman and CEO Kenneth Lay. The foreword in the Code states that Enron “enjoys a reputation for fairness and honesty… but no matter [what]… Enron’s reputation… depends on its people, on you and me.”
Billionaire Elon Musk, who spent $277 million to get Trump elected and who publicly declared himself Trump’s “First Buddy” in a November 11, 2024 tweet, gave a Nazi salute not once but twice during his talk at Trump’s inaugural celebration at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. on January 20, 2025 [Video clip: PBS]
Musk, who is facing global criticism over the gesture, has not explicitly denied it was a Nazi salute. Instead he dismissed the criticism as a “tired” attack, writing on his social media platform that “The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”
Right wing extremists celebrated Musk’s use of gesture.
It is illegal to perform this gesture in Germany.
In an article by investigative reporter Bernard Condon posted January 21 on Associated Press, Kurt Braddock, a professor of communication at American University who studies extremism, radicalization and terrorism, said the gesture was a fascist salute and that “people shouldn’t doubt what they saw.”
Violent insurrectionist David Dempsey in front on the gallows set up at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 (Photo: U.S. District Court)
On his first day back in office, President Donald Trump showed the extent to which he is willing to disrespect the laws of the United States when it comes to protecting those who commit violence and sedition in his name.
As one of his first acts, Trump pardoned approximately 1,500 January 6 rioters, including the most violent offenders and those convicted of seditious conspiracy (the crime of conspiring against the U.S. government). Among them are David Dempsey, who was serving a 20 year prison sentence for viciously assaulting Capitol Police using crutches, flag poles, pieces of broken furniture, pepper spray and anything else he could get his hands on. Dempsey struck Washington D.C. Police Seargent Jason Mastony so hard with a metal crutch that Mastony collapsed and was left stunned with a gash in his head. Trump also commuted the 18-year sentence of Stewart Rhodes, leader of the far-right anti-government paramilitary militia the Oath Keepers, who was convicted of seditious conspiracy and evidence tampering, and Enrique Tarrio, former national chairman of the neo-fascist group Proud Boys, who was serving a 22 year sentence in prison.
The People’s March on Saturday, January 18, provided a chance for a large group of Mesa County’s growing number of liberal residents to get together, enjoy camaraderie, speeches, free hot coffee, chai and cookies provided by Octopus Coffee. People were bundled up as the temperature was just below freezing.
The crowd numbered around 300 people.
On Wednesday, January 15, President Biden gave a farewell address to the public in which he warned Americans of a coming “dangerous concentration of power in the hands of very few ultra-wealthy people, and the dangerous consequences if their abuse of power is left unchecked.” Biden said,
“Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power, and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.”
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has no medical background and no experience running a large agency. (Photo: Encyclopedia Britannica).
Activist and vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy, whom Trump has nominated to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) despite his having no experience in public health, formally petitioned (pdf) the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May of 2021 to revoke the Emergency Use Authorization for Covid vaccines at a time when thousands of Americans were dying weekly from Covid infections.
As false information about wildfires in Los Angeles rages online, Mark Zuckerberg is fanning the flames of disinformation.
Last week, the Meta CEO announced that the company would stop fact-checking posts on its social media sites. Meta will move to a community notes model, similar to that used by the X platform, relying on users to flag false claims rather than using professional fact-checkers, such as PolitiFact. While conceding that more “bad stuff” will appear on Meta’s platforms — Facebook, Instagram and Threads — Zuckerberg said the change was necessary to prevent “too much censorship.”
At a time when the World Economic Forum identifies disinformation as the greatest global threat, Zuckerberg is burning down the defense system of a social media company with 3.5 billion users worldwide. What could possibly motivate a move that will certainly lead to more chaos and upheaval in society?
The Womens’ March held around the time of Trump’s first inauguration in 2017 is coming back in 2025, but this time it has been rebranded as “The People’s March,” to be even more inclusive.
The 2025 Grand Junction People’s March will start at the Old Courthouse on 6th and Rood Ave. on Saturday, January 18 at 1:00 p.m. in Grand Junction, just prior to Trump’s inauguration on January 20. The event will coincide with a national People’s March will in Washington, D.C. scheduled to start 10:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.
Trump said he wouldn’t rule out the use of military force to seize Greenland from Denmark and seize the Panama Canal from Panama. He also says he wants to erase Canada’s borders and make Canada America’s 51st state
In an hour long news conference on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, convicted felon, sexual abuser and president-elect Trump insisted Denmark should “give up” Greenland to the United States and refused to rule out use of military force to seize the island. Trump also repeated his desire that the U.S. should seize the Panama Canal from Panama. The canal, which was built by the U.S. over a century ago and returned to Panama by the Panama Canal treaty, signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1977. Trump also suggested using “economic force” instead of military force to make Canada into America’s 51st state. Trump has threatened Canada with a 25% tariff on all Canadian goods coming into the U.S., and told reporters that if Canada voluntarily merges with the U.S., there “would be no tariffs.” Trump mused, “Canada and the United States. That would really be something.”
Trump also said he wants to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.”
Excerpt from Page 13 of the motion Red Rock’s attorneys filed on January 2, 2024 seeking reimbursement of attorneys fees from Derek Paiz, who filed a wage theft case against the company that he filed pro se (without an attorney) in 2023.
Attorneys for Red Rock Auto filed a 15 page motion on January 2, 2025 asking the court to award the company $210,746.50 in attorney fees in the wage theft lawsuit brought by former vehicle detailer Derek Paíz, who worked for Red Rock GMC for about 4 months in 2022 and served as his own attorney in the case.
Red Rock said in its the motion that “Plaintiff’s claims were…frivolous, objectively unreasonable, and groundless” and also that part of the purpose of asking Paíz for attorneys’ fees was to deter other employees from bringing similar cases:
Colorado House Rep. Matt Soper posted this comment about the death of former President Jimmy Carter on Twitter/X at 11:51 p.m. on 12/29/2024, the day Carter died. Soper deleted the comment shortly after, but not before a lot of people noticed and got screen shots of it.
Patrick Thomas Egan, 39, who attacked and attempted to strangle KKCO TV reporter Ja’Ronn Alex
KKCO TV News reporter Ja’Ronn Alex was followed and physically attacked December 18 by a Trump supporter who yelled “Are you even a U.S. citizen! This is Trump’s America now! I took an oath to protect this country from people like you!”
Chart from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy
The tax policies that convicted felon and President-elect Donald Trump wants to enact will raise taxes on working-class Americans, like those in Mesa County, while cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans.
Policies that raise taxes on poorer people while disproportionately benefitting wealthier people are called “regressive taxes.” A regressive tax essentially takes the most from people who can least afford it.
Matt Gaetz, Trump’s first pick to be United States Attorney General (AG). The AG serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the United States and principal legal advisor to the U.S. President
On December 23, 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Ethics Committee, whose “singular mission is to protect the integrity of the House,” released a long-awaited report on the behavior of former House Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) (pdf), who was president-elect Donald J. Trump’s first choice to be Attorney General of the United States.
Gaetz resigned from his Congressional seat after his nomination to be AG, and prior to the release of the report.
Anti-vaccine activists RFK, Jr. (L) with his friend Aaron Siri, who in 2022 asked the FDA to revoke approval of the Polio vaccine (Source: Facebook)
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (RFK Jr.), Trump’s pick to head the Department of Health and Human Services, is working with Aaron Siri to select candidates for top public health positions in Trump’s administration.
Aaron Siri petitioned the FDA in 2022 asking it to REVOKE approval of the POLIO VACCINE.
Courtroom drawing of Red Rock GMC minority owner Bryan Knight sitting at the Defendant’s table. (Anne Landman)
In a “David vs. Goliath” case, Derek Paiz, a former detailer for Red Rock GMC, lost his pro se wage theft lawsuit against Red Rock Auto Group II, Inc. on December 11, 2024 after a six person jury returned a verdict (pdf) in favor of Red Rock.
Swearing in Trump after he promised on national television to degrade the U.S. Constitution would be assisting him in undermining the Constitution
In a recent interview with Kristin Welker broadcast on national television on December 8, convicted felon and president-elect Trump promised to “absolutely” end birthright citizenship “on day one” of his presidency:
KRISTEN WELKER: You promised to end birthright citizenship on day one.
PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP: Correct.
KRISTEN WELKER: Is that still your plan?
PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP: Yeah. Absolutely.
KRISTEN WELKER: The 14th Amendment, though, says that, quote, “All persons born in the United States are citizens.”
PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP: Yeah.
KRISTEN WELKER: Can you get around the 14th Amendment with an executive action?
PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP: Well, we’re going to have to get it changed. We’ll maybe have to go back to the people. But we have to end it.
Trump
President-elect Trump’s nominees for cabinet and other powerful positions read like a “Who’s Who” of Christian nationalists (pdf) and Project 2025 creators. His choices for key federal positions in federal government constitute a direct threat to the secular foundations of the U.S. government and signal the implementation of Project 2025, the extremist blueprint aimed at reshaping the federal government to align with a narrow sectarian ideology. Project 2025’s agenda includes dismantling the wall between state and church, curbing religious freedoms for non-Christians, and pushing policies that marginalize religious minorities and LGBTQ-plus individuals. By nominating individuals deeply entrenched in Christian nationalist movements to key positions, Trump can fast-track the implementation of this radical agenda.
Here’s a rundown of cabinet and high-level picks that are prominently connected to Christian nationalism, Project 2025 or the America First Policy Institute, founded to advance Trump’s Christian nationalist-influenced agenda:
Frame from a TV ad by a local agency that sells Medicare Advantage plans
At this time of year, ads hawking “Medicare Advantage” plans flood every possible media outlet, imploring seniors to call 1-800 numbers for “free Medicare evaluations” where brokers can sign them up for Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. MA plans are also called Part C plans, which offer premiums for private insurance plans that cost less than traditional Medicare plans while also offering freebies like vision screenings, dental cleanings, gym memberships and a monthly allowance to spend on drugstore merchandise.
These plans definitely sound alluring, but beware.
