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Environment, Ethics, Pollution, Safety, Security, Violence, Women

G.J.’s North Desert Trashed by Off-Road Vehicles, Shooting, Dumping

by Anne Landman • February 9, 2015 • 1 Comment

Off-roaders revel in tearing up the North Desert area after rain and snow, creating rutted mud pits for fun.

If you want tourists, friends and family to see the best our area has to offer, whatever you do, don’t take them up 27 1/4 Road into the desert north of H Road. While the panoramas from the north desert area are spectacular, this formerly stark and beautiful range of mancos shale hills running along the base of Grand Junction’s iconic Bookcliffs is now defaced from virtually end to end with trash dumps, mud ruts, shotgun shells and makeshift religious memorials to people who have died out there in accidents.

What used to be a marvelous place for a long, peaceful walk with your dog, is now so disappointing it tries the soul.

An airplane flies over areas on BLM land where shooting is permitted, right underneath the takeoff/landing patterns for G.J. Regional Airport

An airplane flies over BLM land where shooting is permitted underneath the takeoff/landing patterns for G.J. Regional Airport

Since the shooting range opened several miles out on 27 1/4 Road, and since the North Desert started being included on OHV (off-highway vehicle) maps, the area has turned ugly. It’s also a more dangerous place for peaceful users, like walkers, bikers and horseback riders.

Recipe for Disaster: Colorado Riverfront Trail Users Unprotected from Gunfire

by Anne Landman • February 4, 2015 • 1 Comment

The morning sun glistens on the Colorado River on the Monument View section, where hunters are allowed to shoot at birds in the very same vicinity where paths beckon people to run, walk and bike by to the river.

The morning sun glistens on the Colorado River on the Monument View section, where hunters are allowed to shoot in the same vicinity where people run, walk and bike by the river.

The Colorado Riverfront Trail is a huge asset to Mesa County citizens’ quality of life. It beckons residents and tourist to run, walk and bike amid the beautiful scenery alongside the river.

But frequently gunfire occurs around parts of the paths located outside City limits. Many times the sound of loud gunfire next to the path has reduced my dog to a quivering, drooling mass of fear. He digs in his toenails, shakes uncontrollably, refuses to walk any more and has to be lifted or dragged away from the area. The gunfire turns an otherwise pleasant, enjoyable time on the path into a nightmare for us and our dog, and cuts short the time we usually reserve for our morning walk. We have to drag the dog back to the car, leave the area and find somewhere else to walk where he — and we — don’t feel threatened.

So many of our riverfront walks have been ruined this way, I start to wonder why we ever go back. I have quietly wondered, too, if my dog is justified in being so frightened, and whether I should be a bit more concerned for my own safety.

Based on what I found out, I absolutely should.

On the Monument View section of trail, about 1/2 mile east of the Walker Wildlife parking area, there are two small, ominous signs — one facing in either direction — that say “Active Hunting Area. Please stay on trail and respect hunter’s rights.” But what, exactly, does this mean to people using the trail? The signs don’t say what to do if gunfire comes your way. They give no assurance you will not be hit by errant gunfire while on the trail. It doesn’t say where the hunters are or in what direction they shoot. It doesn’t give the dates of hunting seasons or point to protective barriers or cover.

State Sen. Ray Scott Votes to Kill Economic Assistance Bill for Rural Communities

by Anne Landman • February 3, 2015 • 0 Comments

House Rep Ray Scott (R) voted on 2/3/15 to kill a bill to provide economic help to rural Colorado communities that get hit with devastating economic events that cause mass layoffs.

On February 3, 2015, recently re-elected Colorado State Senator Ray Scott, voted to kill SB 36 (pdf), a bill that would have provided economic help to rural Colorado communities that suffer devastating economic events like large-scale layoffs or plant closures.

Freshman Sen. Kerry Donovan of Vail introduced SB 36 on January 7, 2015, in large part as a reaction to the devastating closure of the Elk Creek Mine in Somerset (Gunnison County) after a fire struck the mine on October 1, 2013. The fire resulted in 142 mine employees being laid off. The layoffs forced workers to leave the area to find more work, causing a downward economic spiral that put pressure on the area’s housing market and schools.

SB 36 would have provided one-time emergency grants to rural Colorado communities in the wake of such devastating economic events. The grants would have provided funding to help laid off workers get additional job training and help them with finding other employment in the area.

Republican Senate leadership assigned the bill to the State, Veterans and Military Affairs committee, chaired by Sen. Ray Scott (R-Grand Junction), known as a “kill committee,” where Senate leadership sends bills they want struck down. Ray Scott dutifully voted against the bill, even though he has claimed to be concerned about area jobs and the bill would have provided much-needed help to rural western Colorado communities like Somerset that get hit with devastating economic events. The bill ultimately was killed in Scott’s committee, even though it had won bipartisan support and the backing of business-related groups.

Consumer advocacy, Corporations, Fracking, Health, Pollution, Public health

Silt Blogger Falls Seriously Ill, Finds Glenwood Hot Springs Pool Contaminated with Pseudomonas

by Anne Landman • January 27, 2015 • 1 Comment

Peggy Tibbetts, an author who blogs about life up-valley in Silt, Colorado

Writer Peggy Tibbetts blogs about life up-valley in Silt, Colorado

Last August, Peggy Tibbetts, a blogger in Silt, Colorado fell seriously ill with a bacterial infection after using the Glenwood Hot Springs Pool. Tibbetts has been a member of the Glenwood Hot Springs Pool for 18 years and uses the pool 2-3 times per week. She had never had an adverse incident there, but noted recently that a close friend and her husband had also reported falling ill after using the pool.

After an extended period of illness, in October, Tibbetts was diagnosed with an infection of pseudomonas aeroginosa, a bacteria that thrives in wet places, including poorly maintained pools. Externally, it can cause a condition known as “hot tub rash,” The bacteria can survive the elevated temperatures of a hot tub or hot springs. Symptoms of internal infection include inflammation and sepsis. If pseudomonas auruginosa colonizes in major organs like the lungs, liver or kidneys, the resulting infection can be fatal.

On October 24, after receiving her diagnosis, Tibbetts contacted the Garfield County Health Department through their website, told them about her illness and the possible link to the Glenwood Hot Springs Pool and asked them to investigate. On October 28, Tibbetts received an email from Garfield County environmental health specialist Morgan Hill, stating: “[W]e received your website inquiry and are following up on your concern related to pseudomonas at the Glenwood hot springs pool. We will contact you soon with more information.”

On November 4 and 5, the pool had an unannounced closure.

By November 12, the county did not contact Tibbetts, so she contacted them and asked for the lab results regarding bacteria in the hot springs pool. She soon received an email response from GarCo Environmental Health Manager Joshua Williams with the lab results from a hydrologic engineering firm called Zancanella & Associates, which showed the Glenwood Springs Hot Therapy Pool had indeed tested positive for pseudomonas aeruginosa on August 6, 2014, and August 13, 2014. Included with the email was a memorandum from Tom and Tony Zancanella to the county dated October 29, 2014, showing the county had been sitting on those rest results for two weeks, and hadn’t notified either Tibbetts or the public. Correspondence from Zancanella showed the pool hadn’t been tested for pseudomonas before that since 2011.

The Weird World of Adult Babies

by Anne Landman • January 20, 2015 • 10 Comments

Adult baby bouncer

After a friend in another country expressed an interest in importing and selling American-made baby items, I agreed to do some research on popular brands, to find out which were made in the U.S. and what they sell for here. While doing so, I stumbled upon something very, very odd.

First I found adult-sized pacifiers for sale on EBay. Then adult-sized baby bottles. Then adult-sized, deluxe baby cribs. I even found an adult-sized baby bouncer.

Okay, this was weird, I thought. So I looked into the phenomenon a little further.

I discovered that there is a small subset of people who engage in paraphilic infantilism, or behavior called “adult baby syndrome.” These people enjoy regressing to an infantile state. They love wearing diapers and plastic pants, drinking from baby bottles, dressing in baby clothes like onesies or frilly dresses, and doing things like sitting in oversized high chairs or cribs and eating baby food. They like to be held and rocked or taken to the zoo, and generally be treated like infants or small children.

Adult baby crib for sale at BabyApparels.com, which makes furniture for adult babies

Yes, it’s true.

While most adults revile being treated like a child and would find it utterly humiliating, there are some people for whom it is a much sought-after lifestyle, and one they seek to create for themselves. Here is a fairly tasteful YouTube video that takes a look inside the lives a handful people who engage in this very odd behavior.

Paraphilic infantilists call themselves ABs for “Adult Babies.” While some apparently derive some sexual gratification from the behavior, for the most part adult baby behavior is not linked to pedophilia, because pedophilia is not a baby behavior, and these folks seek to both behave and be treated like babies.

An adult male wearing Sissy Baby clothing

There are also subsets of AB behavior types within the larger behavior class. For example, some adults are fine with being and acting like adults, but just love to wear diapers. They may wear diapers under their regular adult street clothes or just lounge around in them at home. These people call themselves Diaper Lovers, or DLs for short. “Sissy Babies” are either male or female adults who enjoy wearing the kind of frilly clothes that people dress little girls in, like way-too-short dresses with lacy underpants. Adult baby diaper lovers are called AB/DLs. As more people who engage in this behavior try to find each other online, more AB/DL sites are appearing, like DailyDiapers.com, DiaperMates.com and even a dating site for adult babies and diaper lovers called ABDLMatch.com.

An adult baby bottle for sale on EBay

Some professional fetishists make very good money providing safe places where infantilists can indulge in this behavior. These pros hire themselves out as self-styled mommies, daddies or nannies. In Chicago, one professional fetishist, “Mommy Madeline,” has many days on her online calendar that are booked solid at $300/hour, and she takes her payment in the form of donations. Mommy Madeline charges $1,400 for 8 hours and $6,000 to indulge an adult baby for a solid week. The “donation” includes meals, drinks, supplies and “up to one disposable diaper change per hour,” with no limit to cloth diaper changes.

Very little research has been done into the root causes of paraphilic infantilism, partly because the behavior is so rare. Also, few adult babies tend to disclose their behavior or seek counseling for it, or even view themselves as having a medical condition of any kind. Some think the behavior may be linked to stress reduction or transvestitism. Another theory holds that infantilism is an identity disorder centered purely on the self.

In any case, infantilists are increasingly reaching out to each other and finding each other online. As they do, other people, like EBay merchants and Mommy Madeline, are profiting financially from the syndrome by providing the necessary paraphernalia or arranging situations in which people can freely indulge their adult baby urges.

Advertising, Consumer advocacy, Corporations, Economics, Ethics, Food, Health, Marketing

Beware of Tricks at Local Grocery Stores

by Anne Landman • January 11, 2015 • 0 Comments

Read the fine print: the chicken is artificially injected with a 15% saline solution, for which you are paying by the pound

Last summer I picked up two raw chickens on sale at City Market, put one in the freezer and the other on the smoker for dinner. When it was done and I cut into it, the chicken oozed a milky-looking liquid and had a weird, stringy texture that all dinner guests agreed made it just too unappealing to eat. With my main dish inedible, I ran back to City Market with the second chicken and told them something was very wrong with it. They gave me my money back and I bought a ready-made rotisserie chicken to substitute for dinner that night. To say we were disappointed was an understatement.

After that, I couldn’t help but wonder: what was wrong with my chicken that it came out so funky?

The answer is, it wasn’t really chicken. The fine print on the label said the chicken had been “enhanced” with a “15% solution of chicken broth.”

This is what ruined my dinner. I cooked a chicken that had been pumped full of liquid, when I thought I was buying just chicken. It was also on sale, which meant it had probably been sitting around a little longer than desired prior to purchase.

“Enhancing” chicken is a euphemism for injecting it with a mixture of water, phosphate, sodium and sometimes carrageenan, a chemical derived from seaweed that increases the chicken’s ability to hold the injected liquid in its tissues. Injecting it this way plumps up the chicken, making it look more appealing to consumers. You can see a video of a chicken-injecting machine at work here.

The Mysterious Talking Hill off South Camp Road

by Anne Landman • December 20, 2014 • 2 Comments

For about five years, an unknown person has been climbing a slippery hill high on the Redlands and scratching brief messages into the greenish bentonite, and turning the hill into an ersatz billboard. The hill is just to the north of the intersection of Monument Road and South Camp Road. The messages are always in capital letters. They change frequently and consists of just four letters. It’s no easy task to make them, either. The letters are probably at least 10-12 feet tall. The messages are usually timely, too. At Mother’s Day, the hill says “MOM.” Near Father’s Day, it says “DAD.” Near the full moon it will say “MOON.” Other times, it has said “HELO,” or is just some cryptic anagram that leaves viewers scratching their heads. At the moment it says “XMAS.” If you stand near the northeast corner of Monument Road and South Camp Road and look towards the bentonite hills to the northwest, you can see it. Look for a greenish hill located between two higher, red-striated peaks. Check out what it says.

Want to take some bets on what it might say next? My guess is it might soon say “2015.”

Atheism, Children, Equal rights, Ethics, Ethnic/Minority, Human rights, Propaganda, Religion, Secularism

Delta Middle School Teacher Pushes Christianity on Students

by Anne Landman • December 11, 2014 • 0 Comments

Western Colorado Atheists and Freethinkers (WCAF), which advocates for western Colorado’s secular community, has a form on its website where people can submit violations of the separation of church and state that they observe in western Colorado. On December 10, 2014, the mother of a student who attends Delta Middle School submitted the following information about Christianity being forced on middle school students in Delta, Colorado:

Jime Charlesworth, teacher, Delta Middle School

A teacher named named Mrs. Charlesworth teaches reading and writing at Delta Middle school. She likes to share her Christian beliefs with the class. One day she told the class non Christians were bad people. A student said that the non Christians were the people who bombed people and she did nothing to correct the conversation. On Friday 11-5-14 all DMS students were forced to watch an 1.5 hour long play about the baby Jesus. My daughter repeatedly asked if she could leave the play because she thought it was inappropriate for school. The teachers would not let her leave. My daughter felt like she was forced to attend a Christian church. My daughter has also been forced to read a book called the witness. She said it has a lot of God stuff in it. I haven’t read it yet. I met with the principal and vice principal of DMS today 12-10-14. I informed them they were violating Church and state rules. They told me the play would never be performed in DMS ever again and the Christian bias would stop. They also assured me my child would treated with respect and would not suffer because I complained. Several hours after my meeting with the principals, my daughter was singled out and yelled at by Mrs. Charlesworth, in front of the entire class. My daughter is being retaliated against for
asserting her rights.

This incident of proselytizing to student in western slope public schools joins numerous others that have been reported, like Fellowship Church’s promotion of its 4640 youth indoctrination center to middle school gym classes, and the promotion of Christian “Good News Clubs” in elementary schools.

Something to Think About…

by Anne Landman • November 23, 2014 • 0 Comments

Corruption, Democracy, Elections, politics

Above the Law: Mesa County Republican Candidates Broke G.J. City Ordinance

by Anne Landman • November 16, 2014 • 1 Comment

Note: The following commentary was written by, and reprinted with permission from a local tea party activist who goes by the handle “American Patriot.” A few spelling errors have been corrected and links are provided to further information, including the City Ordinance cited in the piece, which was fully in effect in 2014.

A Commentary by American Patriot — November 16, 2014

Former Congressman Scott McInnis won arace for Mesa County Commissioner in November, 2014, even though his campaign broke several rules, including illegally posting campaign signs on power poles without permission and standing on city medians in violation of City Ordinance 9.04.250, "Prohibition against standing on or occupying medians."

Former Congressman Scott McInnis won a seat on the Mesa County Commission in November, 2014, even though his campaign broke several rules, including illegally posting campaign signs on power poles without permission and waving signs while standing on city medians in violation of City Ordinance 9.04.250, titled “Prohibition against standing on or occupying medians.”

Just before the last election, it was reported that Scott McInnis was parading up and down the Highway 6 and 50 traffic medians parading a political sign. And the Matt Lewis for sheriff campaign was engaged in the same illegal activity at First and Grand in violation of City Ordinance 9.04.250 which specifically forbids the use of medians for “political campaign activity.”

It would be bad enough if it were only a commissioner-elect and a sheriff-elect that flagrantly, if unintentionally, violated the law of the land, but wait for it; here’s the kicker. It was none other than our incumbent District Attorney Pete Hautzinger, who was sign-waving on behalf of sheriff elect Matt Lewis’ campaign while occupying a designated median at 1^st and Grand. Now, if you or I were to do the same thing, it could cost us up to a thousand dollars and/or one year in jail.

Have you ever heard the saying, usually used by prosecutors, DA’s and law enforcement officers that “ignorance of the law is no excuse?” Well, between McInnis, Lewis and Pete Hautzinger, which one of those three do you think could get away with using ignorance of the law as a defense? Well, maybe if they just plead ignorant, a jury of Mesa County voters could buy that?

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