Local TV news stations KJCT and KKCO are reporting that Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) is terminating the leases of four federal Agencies in Grand Junction:
Category: Conservatives
Authoritarianism, Conservatives, Dangerous Republicans, Democracy under threat, Disinformation, Ethics, Trump Insanity
Fact-checking convicted felon, adjudicated sexual abuser and President Donald Trump’s speech to Congress on 3/4/25
by • • 5 Comments
Donald Trump flat-out lied to Congress and Americans last night in his talk to Congress and the country. Here are some of the lies, fact-checked immediately after the speech by political commentator Rachel Maddow.
Here is more vetting of Trump’s lies by the New York Times.
Here is more fact-checking of Trump’s lies by CBS News.
More checking of Trump’s lies by ABC News/Politifact.
The Guardian: “Trump’s talk was littered with false claims he’s been corrected on but continued to repeat.”
Bad behavior, Conservatives, Cringeworthy, Dangerous Republicans, Democracy under threat, Embarrassing Republicans, Ethics, Extremism, Fake patriotism, Fascism, Freedom under threat, Generic idiocy, Inept Republicans, Oligarchy, Stupid Republicans, Vile Republicans
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy publicly bullied and berated over his war time clothing at White House visit
by • • 17 Comments
At a shameful White House meeting last week between convicted felon/adjudicated sexual abuser President Trump and his #2, JD Vance, Trump and Vance bullied and yelled at Ukrainian President Zelensky in a televised display of anger and resentment toward the leader of a democratic country that’s been invaded by Russia. Beyond this, as bad as the made-for-Russia meeting already was, Brian Glenn, White House correspondent for the right-wing cable channel Real America’s Voice, chimed in and berated Zelenskyy over his war time clothing, to the delight of Trump’s cabinet. You can see the harassment of Zelenskyy over his war time attire playing out in the clip above.
Trump’s illegal, unappointed “co-president,” billionaire Elon Musk, dominates a cabinet meeting at the White House on 2/26/25 wearing a baseball cap and T-shirt. No one publicly criticized his attire.
Brian Glenn, who attacked Zelesnkyy over his clothes, is the boyfriend of right-wing firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, and one of the hand-picked reporters the White House has chosen under its new policy of choosing the press pool reporters who will cover them favorably and excluding reporters they think won’t cover them favorably — a classic authoritarian move to assure a positive spin on all news coverage of the regime.
Conservatives, Dangerous Republicans, Economics, Ethics, Extremism, Housing, Hunger, Jeff Hurd, Public health, Trump Insanity
CD-3 House Rep. Jeff Hurd votes in favor of massive cuts to Medicaid and SNAP (food) benefits
by • • 5 Comments
CD-3 House Rep. Jeff Hurd, who represents western Colorado (Photo: X/Twitter)
Colorado CD-3 House Rep. Jeff Hurd voted for a budget resolution that, if approved in the Senate, will leave Congress no other choice than to slash hundreds of billions of dollars from programs the neediest Americans depend on, including Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/food assistance benefits), housing assistance and energy programs.
Anti-semitism, Conservatives, Dangerous Republicans, Democracy under threat, Extremism, Freedom under threat, Law and Order under threat, Lies, Trump Insanity, White Supremacists
Convicted felon Steve Bannon, who gave a Nazi salute at CPAC on 2/21, is set to headline the Colorado Republican Party’s 2025 annual fundraising dinner in Denver
by • • 1 Comment
Convicted felon and former Trump aide Steve Bannon will headline Colorado’s Republican fundraising Centennial Dinner on March 28, 2025 in Denver.
Bannon plead guilty February 11, 2025 to defrauding donors to his “We Build the Wall” nonprofit organization, which told donors it was carrying out a private effort to build a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. Charges against Bannon included money laundering, conspiracy and fraud. Bannon was also convicted in another similar federal case in 2020, but escaped prosecution in that case after Trump pardoned Bannon at the end of his first term. Bannon has also been banned from serving as an officer or director of any charitable organizations or nonprofits that has assets in New York, and is banned from accessing the names of people who donated to “We Build the Wall.”
Conservatives, Democracy under threat, Disinformation, Ethics, Fascism, Republican lies, Trump Insanity, Trump's lies
Multiple Republican senators break from Trump’s views on Putin, Ukraine War
by • • 10 Comments
In a seismic shift against Trump’s favorable views of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump’s overt lie that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is “a dictator,” GOP Senators Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) and John Kennedy (R-Louisiana) publicly spoke out against Trump’s views.
Senator Wicker, the Ranking Member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, told a reporter that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a criminal who is not to be trusted in peace negotiations about Russia’s war on Ukraine.
When asked about the way the U.S. conducted peace negotiations with Russia in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and specifically how the U.S. excluded Ukraine and America’s NATO allies from the talks, Senator Wicker said Ukrainians should “definitely” be at the table in any peace negotiations, and European interests should be “considered and carefully weighed.”
When Sen. Wicker was asked if Putin can be trusted in peace negotiations, Wicker answered,
“No. Putin is a war criminal and should be in jail for the rest of his life, if not executed.”
Conservatives, Cringeworthy, Dangerous Republicans, Ethics, Fake patriotism, Lies, Propaganda, Republican lies, Trump Insanity
Trump lies on the world stage, saying Ukraine started the war with Russia
by • • 12 Comments
In an incredible statement the equivalent of blaming a rape victim for being raped, Trump blamed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Ukraine itself during talks with Russia in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, February 18, 2025.
Ukrainian authorities were upset over not being included in Tuesday’s talks in Riyadh, but Trump dismissed the country’s concerns, saying Ukraine had “had three years to end the war,” before blaming the start of the conflict on Kyiv.
“You should have never started it,” Trump said, echoing a Kremlin talking point. The Kremlin has previously accused Ukraine of starting the war against Russia.
It is an undisputed fact that Russia invaded Ukraine unprovoked on February 24, 2022, after seizing the Ukrainian territory of Crimea in 2014.
Children, Conservatives, Dangerous Republicans, Equal rights, Extremism, Freedom under threat, Law and Order under threat, Republicans violating laws, Trump Insanity
The practical effects of Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship
by • • 6 Comments
Presidents have no authority to change the rules of citizenship on their own, as adjudicated sexual abuser, convicted felon and President Donald Trump is trying to do, but if Trump’s recent dictatorial attempt to end birthright citizenship at the stroke of a pen were to ultimately be realized, it would create negative repercussions for parents and babies born in the U.S. after February 19, 2025. Estimates are that about 150,000 children born in the U.S. each year and their parents could face obstacles under this system.
Conservatives, Corruption, Cronyism, Dangerous Republicans, Democracy under threat, Ethics, Extremism, Freedom under threat, Lies, Trump Insanity
Meta’s Abandonment of Fact-Checking Empowers a President Who Traffics in Lies
by • • 9 Comments
Republished from The Contrarian with permission from the author, Barbara McQuade, a professor at the University of Michigan Law School, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan and author of the New York Times bestseller Attack from Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America. As a legal analyst, her work has appeared in The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, Lawfare, Just Security, Slate, and National Public Radio, and she has been quoted in The New York Times, Time, Newsweek, Politico, and other publications.
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.”
Disinformation now identified as the greatest global threat
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?
Conservatives, Economics, Greed, Poverty
Trump’s tax policies will raise taxes on less wealthy Americans & cut taxes for those making over $360k/year
by • • 5 Comments
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.
Bad behavior, Christian nationalism, Conservatives, Conspiracy theories, Crazy Republicans, Cringeworthy, Dangerous Republicans, Democracy under threat, Election deniers, Extremism, Generic idiocy, Public health, Trump Insanity
The threat posed by the Christian nationalist bent of Trump’s nominees
by • • 15 Comments
Republished with permission from the Freedom From Religion Foundation. AnneLandmanblog included some additional information, references and videos:
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:
Conservatives, Conspiracy theories, Corruption, Election deniers, Embarrassing Republicans, Extremism, Republican lies, Republicans violating laws, Tina Peters
CO Ethics Commission to resume investigating 3 ethics complaints against Tina Peters
by • • 49 Comments
“I don’t belong here. I haven’t broken any laws,” says Tina, who continues to do internet shows from Mesa County Jail. (Screenshot: Rumble.com)
If you need some good news at a time when Americans have embraced racism, misogyny, vindictiveness, sexual abuse, large-scale fraud, corruption and grift as acceptable behaviors in their incoming commander-in-chief, here’s it is:
On November 25, 2024, the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission (IEC) voted to resume investigating Tina Peters (pdf) for multiple ethics charges filed against her while she was County Clerk, and not let her off the hook as a result of committing even worse crimes that landed her in prison.
Conservatives, Crazy Republicans, Cringeworthy, Democracy under threat, Elections, Embarrassing Republicans, Inept Republicans, Mental health, Trump Insanity, Vile Republicans
Trump mimes giving a blow job to his microphone at rally in Milwaukee, WI
by • • 19 Comments
[Warning: This post about the Republican nominee for U.S. President is unsuitable for children.]
Upset about a problematic microphone at his Friday, Nov. 1 rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Trump went on an extended rant about microphones that included his miming of giving oral sex to another male while standing behind a podium that bore a sign saying “Trump will fix it.” [The BJ part starts at 3:00 into the 4:05 video]
Abortion, Charter schools, Conservatives
Amendment 79: Constitutional Right to Abortion and Amendment 80: Constitutional Right to School Choice
by • • 6 Comments
Amendment 79: Constitutional Right to Abortion
(Numbered amendments, like Amendment 79 Amendment 80, are initiated by citizens.)
Amendment 79 would put the right to obtain an abortion into Colorado’s Constitution and repeal the existing ban on state and local government funding for abortion, so public employees can use their health insurance for abortion care. Amendment 79 will make it harder for Colorado legislators to pass laws in the future to regulate or restrict abortion in any way.
In 2023 Donald Trump openly bragged about his role in ending federal abortion rights and eliminating the long-held human right American women possessed to make decisions about their own bodies and lives.
After the 2022 Dobbs decision by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Christian nationalist majority ended Americans’ federally-guaranteed right to access abortion, Colorado’s legislature enacted a state law to protect people’s right to abortion. But since legislators can amend or repeal existing state laws, Coloradans can easily lose this right again if Republicans gain a majority in the state legislature.
Amendment 79 makes it far more difficult to eliminate the right to abortion, because only a majority of state voters can amend the state’s constitution. Thus Amendment 79 will help preserve Coloradans’ freedom to make their own personal health care decisions regarding abortion and keep the government from interfering in such decisions.
Cody Davis, Conservatives, Economics, Elections, Mesa County, Mesa County Republican Party, politics
Mesa County Ballot Issue 1B: Can the County keep tax revenue above the Tabor limit and use it to fix roads and bridges?
by • • 8 Comments
Mesa County Ballot Issue 1B asks voters if the County can keep almost $11.5 million that’s already been paid in taxes, use it to maintain roads and bridges and raise the TABOR limit in the future so they can keep more tax money. So Ballot issue 1B asks Mesa County voters to let County government avoid complying with the state’s TABOR law.
What’s TABOR?
Tax-and-Spend Republicans?
Colorado’s TABOR (Taxpayer Bill Of Rights) law says state and local government can keep and spend only a specific amount of money based on their prior fiscal year’s revenue, an amount called the TABOR limit. If they collect money above that amount, it must be refunded to the taxpayers. The TABOR limit can only be adjusted according to a “population plus inflation” formula. The intent of the law, which was promoted by Republicans, was to constrain government to keep it from growing, a long-held conservative ideal.
Conservatives, Elections, Ethnic/Minority, Extremism, Housing, Immigration, Lies, Republican lies, Trump Insanity
Why we keep hearing about a gang “takeover” in Aurora
by • • 17 Comments
Fox News helped spread the lie being promoted by former President Trump and MAGA extremists that Venezuelan gangs were “taking over Colorado”
Message from Colorado Senator John Hickenlooper, September 26, 2024:
You’ve probably been hearing nonstop from conservative media and MAGA Republicans, including Donald Trump, that Aurora has been “taken over” by Venezuelan gangs. You might be confused why this information continues to spread even though it has repeatedly¹ been² proven³ false. You might also be wondering what the truth is – the actual ground truth stripped of the politics.
I wouldn’t blame you. This whole thing has been a confusing mess with plenty of misinformation. So let’s look at the facts without the games.
Conservatives, Democracy under threat, Ethics, Lauren Boebert
Trump admits he lost the 2020 election, causing supporters to turn on him
by • • 6 Comments
Mesa County’s die-hard, Trump-loving Republicans probably won’t want to hear this, but Donald Trump admitted in a September 3, 2024 interview with Lex Fridman that he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden “by a whisker.” The full interview of Trump is 1 hour and 4 minutes long. The admission that he lost the 2020 election starts at 10:41 in the interview.
And this is not the only time Trump has admitted this, either.
During a visit to the southern border in Arizona last August, he acknowledged that he lost the election, saying he “came up a little short.”
Trump’s admissions come after years in which he relentlessly lied to his supporters by claiming he was robbed of victory in the 2020 election due to widespread voter fraud, a claim that he’s never proven. Despite this, millions of Americans believed him.
Abortion, Christian nationalism, Climate change, Conservatives, Dangerous Republicans, Democracy under threat, Extremism, Freedom under threat, Intolerance, LGBT issues, Public health, Religion, Trump Insanity
The right wing’s Project 2025, to be implemented in a 2nd Trump presidency, will impose Christian nationalism, restrict reproductive & LGBTQ+ rights, dismantle the FBI & DOJ and move America towards a more authoritarian regime
by • • 9 Comments
The stakes couldn’t be higher for the entire country, as Trump supporters have created comprehensive plan to curtail American freedoms, impose Christian ideals on all citizens and end human and civil rights as we’ve known them in America if Trump re-takes the presidency in the November general election.