9News’ Kyle Clark in Denver reports that Colorado Republicans are pressuring Gov. Polis to pardon Tina Peters, and have contacted the U.S. Attorney General to ask the Department of Justice to prosecute Mesa County Court Judge Matthew Barrett, who presided over Tina’s criminal case and sentenced her to 9 years of incarceration after the jury found her guilty of multiple criminal charges related to election equipment tampering.
Tag: Corruption
Activism, Advertising, Corporations, Corruption, Ethics, Fake patriotism, Freedom under threat, Oligarchy, Trump Insanity
Under multi-billionaire owner Jeff Bezos, Washington Post pulls full page ads critical of Musk
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One of two full page ads the Washington Post cancelled at the last minute with no explanation. The ads were funded jointly by Common Cause and the Southern Poverty Law Center.
At the last minute, the Washington Post (WaPo) pulled two full page ads funded by the nonprofits Common Cause and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) that called for Elon Musk’s ouster from government. The ads were “wrap around ads” set to cover the entire front and back pages of the paper. The groups also bought a large ad inside the paper, but pulled that ad after being informed their wrap-around ads were being cancelled. The ads met all of the criteria the paper had established for publication. WaPo offered the groups no explanation for the last minute cancellation. The ads were supposed to appear in the Washington, D.C. edition that gets delivered to the White House.
The Washington Post is owned by multi-billionaire Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and the third richest human being on Earth, who has been increasingly kowtowing to Donald Trump.
Bad behavior, Corruption, Crime, Dangerous Republicans, Democracy under threat, Ethics, Fake patriotism, Freedom under threat, Law and Order under threat
Trump, governing as an authoritarian, publicly portrays himself as king, dictator
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Actual Trump TwitterX post from Feb. 19, 2025
Instead of signing legislation passed by Congress — the normal way policies are made in U.S. — Trump has been continuously circumventing Congress’s power by writing a slew of executive orders, signing at least 70 of them as of February 20. Trump has essentially been governing not as the president of a representative democracy, but as an authoritarian.
What Trump wants goes, and no one else’s opinion matters or gets any consideration.
Even more worrisome, in the last week Trump openly likened himself to a dictator and a king.
The post above is from an official White House social media account, not from a parody or Trump’s personal account. It’s on an official government account for the White House, an official document. It refers to Trump’s interference with a new congestion toll policy instituted by New York City to reduce extreme traffic congestion in the busiest part of Manhattan, and it’s one of Trump’s unprecedented efforts to inject his interference into local issues.
Corruption
Trump hands Musk control over the U.S. Treasury & government payment system
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Photo: ABC News
Whistleblowers confirmed late Friday that convicted felon and President Trump has handed his unelected billionaire co-president Elon Musk control of the U.S. Treasury and access its sensitive payment system that disburses payments each year totaling $6 trillion. Musk, an unaccountable billionaire who is ineligible for a security clearance due to his ties to the Chinese government through his factories there, now has access to control all payments made by the U.S. government and access to every American’s personal information including Social Security numbers, bank account information, dates of birth, home address, Medicare and Medicaid payment and other personal data.
Members of Musk’s non-government “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) stormed the Treasury building, ordered the longtime Treasury employees out their jobs, and seized control of the servers and payment system.
This is an illegal act.
Corruption, Crime, Democracy under threat, Economics, Ethics, Fake patriotism, Inept Republicans, Oligarchy
A reminder of the dangers of putting wealthy business leaders in charge of government
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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.”
Remember Enron?
Activism, Corporations, Corruption, Dangerous Republicans, Ethics, Extremism, Freedom under threat, Human rights, Liberals, Oligarchy, politics, Tech, Trump Insanity
People’s March unites locals who oppose oligarchy, loss of rights & right wing extremism
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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.”
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
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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, 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
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“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.
Bad behavior, Conspiracy theories, Crime, Dangerous Republicans, Democracy under threat, Elections, Ethics, Tina Peters
The verdict is in in Tina Peters’ criminal trial
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Tina Peters at her trial in Mesa County
Following are the findings of the jury returned at 5:20 p.m. this afternoon in the criminal case of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters:
Count 1 – Attempt to influence a public servant – Jesse Romero (employee of the Colorado Secretary of State’s office) – GUILTY
Count 2 – Attempt to influence a public servant – David Underwood (employee of the Colorado Secretary of State’s office) – GUILTY
Count 3 – Conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, April 23-May 18, 2021 – NOT GUILTY
Count 4 – Attempt to influence a public servant – Danny Casias (employee of the Colorado Secretary of State’s office) – GUILTY
Count 5 – Criminal impersonation May 23-27, 2021 – NOT GUILTY
Count 6 – Conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation – May 23-27, 2021 – GUILTY
Count 7 – Identity theft – NOT GUILTY
Count 8 – First degree official misconduct – guilty on all options on interrogatories
Count 9 – Violation of Duty – GUILTY
Count 10 – Failure to comply with requirements of the Secretary of State’s office – GUILTY with all interrogatories proven beyond a reasonable doubt
Peters’ sentencing is scheduled for October 3, 2024, at 9:00 a.m.
Activism, Advertising, Corruption, Crime, Dangerous Republicans, Election deniers, Ethics, Republicans violating laws, Trump Insanity
Trump “Jail Time” billboard goes live June 1, visible on Broadway bridge heading west towards Redlands
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Graphic by MadDogPac.com and used with permission.
The above billboard goes live June 1 on the north side of the Broadway Bridge. You’ll see it as you’re heading west out of downtown towards the Redlands, and it couldn’t be more timely in light of Trump’s conviction yesterday on 34 criminal counts of business document fraud.
Since it’s a vinyl billboard and not a digital one, it will be visible 100% of the time and will even be lit up at night.
Yesterday Trump became the first former U.S. president in history to become a convicted felon.
Advertising, Corruption, Cringeworthy, Election deniers, Embarrassing Republicans, Extremism, Fake patriotism, Republicans violating laws, Scams, Tina Peters, Vile Republicans, Weird western slope stuff
Tina Peters taking advantage of delays in her trials to sell “Tina Peters-as-Hero” swag
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Tina Peters “Patriot Whistleblower Truth Teller” dog hoodie
Tina Peters has wasted no time in taking advantage of the most recent delays in her criminal and civil trials to milk her status as a darling of the Trump Party and rake in more money. She has started broadening her appeal to the MAGA crowd by praising people convicted of participating in the deadly January 6 insurrection, lovingly referring to them as “our J6ers.” She condemns “the military-age men who are coming across our border with debit cards and buying $5,000 worth of new clothes” “and saying in no uncertain terms “… we need an authoritarian in office.”
While she repeatedly insists in her videos that she hasn’t profited from anything she’s done, Tina has also quickly rolled out a huge line of Tina Peters-as-Hero themed promotional gear for sale through her website, including T-shirts, sweatshirts, “Patriot-Whistleblower-Truth Teller Tina Peters” greeting cards (pack of 5 for $25), aluminum Tina Peters-themed vanity license plates with her website on it ($14.85), Tina Peters Sherpa Fleece Blankets ($70.40 – $97.70), “I stand with Tina Peters” scented candles ($38.10), dog hoodies ($37.35), backpacks and whiskey glasses,
Consumer advocacy, Corporations, Crime, Ethics, Greed, Red Rock Nissan, Weird Grand Junction Stuff
Local owner of Red Rock Auto pushed out
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Bryan Knight, the now former part-owner of Red Rock Auto dealerships
The sole local owner of the Red Rock Auto dealership chain, Bryan Knight, has been pushed out of the company.
Documents from the Colorado Department of Revenue show Mr. Knight, who oversaw the Red Rock dealerships and had long been listed as a partner and minority owner of the Red Rock GMC and Honda stores, is no longer an owner of record for any Red Rock stores.
The rumor that Mr. Knight had been pushed out of Red Rock Auto came on January 19, when someone in the local auto industry contacted AnneLandmanBlog to say “Bryan Knight no longer works at Red Rock.”
Rumor: In a reversal, Red Rock got fleeced by a customer
Corporations, Corruption, Crime, Ethics, Greed, Local business, Red Rock dealerships, Scams
Second Red Rock Auto financial manager charged with crimes against customers
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Daily Sentinel headline, August 29
A second former Red Rock GMC financial manager has been charged with forgery, criminal impersonation and identity theft within the last month after posing as a customer on a phone call to the Canvas Credit Union to try to expedite a customer’s vehicle loan.
Matthew Morris acted as an accomplice to Tiffany Miller, the first Red Rock GMC financial manager charged with the same crimes in early August. Both Morris and Miller were fired from Red Rock, but in her arrest affidavit Miller pointed to Red Rock management as pressuring her to commit the crimes. In the same affidavit (pdf), Morris said that Red Rock GMC Sales Manager Tyson Chambers and General Manager Caleb Stillman both knew he and Miller were making the fake calls to
Tyson Chambers, General Manager of Red Rock GMC
the lender and that they “and essentially encouraged the behavior.” Morris added that “he was terminated [from his job] not for making the call, but for being caught.”
Advertising, Corporations, Corruption, Ethics, Marketing, Red Rock dealerships, Red Rock Nissan, Scams
Red Rock promotes its reviews on TV, but wait…
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Screen shot of a Red Rock TV ad
The Red Rock Auto Group, which owns five dealerships in Grand Junction, has been advertising heavily on local news with ads that tout what they say are their many positive reviews.
We’ve already seen evidence, however, that indicates Red Rock manipulates online reviews by coercing its employees to write positive reviews (a violation Google policy) and by purchasing good reviews from customers by offering them perks like free gas and oil changes in exchange for positive online reviews.
But we shouldn’t forget the slew of gritty and honest negative reviews that show the real difficulty Red Rock has caused so many customers, and the responses or lack thereof to such reviews from “the owner.”
Corruption, Crime, Dangerous Republicans, Ethics, Janet Rowland, Mesa County, Public health, Republicans violating laws, Republicans violating rules, Todd Starr
Background check: County Attorney Todd Starr
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7/5/23 Sentinel article about Mesa County Attorney Todd Starr’s fraudulent action to deceive a court Trustee
People in highly-paid, taxpayer-funded jobs who also are in positions to influence Mesa County actions and policies should be background checked, especially when they start doing potentially illegal things like helping the Mesa County Commissioners dismantle of the Board of Public Health for no real reason, and in apparent violation of county policies and state law.
Mesa County Attorney Todd M. Starr certainly meets that criteria. He makes a salary of $190,800/year, not including perks and benefits, and appears to have facilitated illegal acts by the Mesa County Commissioners against the Board of Public Health.
So I decided to background check him.
Corruption, Crime, Ethics, Red Rock dealerships, Red Rock Honda, Red Rock Nissan, Scams
Red Rock dealership customers still finding surprise additional charges and claimed forgeries on their documents
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Think Trouble: Red Rock’s proprietary USB key-style thumb drive that they use to hand people their documents
Since Red Rock dealerships’ shady sales tactics were first exposed in this blog, people have been digging out documents from their vehicle purchases at Red Rock, examining them and continuing to discover expensive extras added to their contracts that they didn’t know about and signatures on them that people say are not theirs.
One of these people is Natasha Bury-Wilder, a hard-working single mother of three employed in home care, who says she got taken twice by Red Rock Nissan and ended up in a deep financial hole as a result.
Corruption, Dangerous Republicans, Ethics, Harassment, Janet Rowland, Public health, Republican incompetence, Republicans violating rules
Mesa County Commissioners violate County policy to appoint Janet Rowland to Board of Public Health
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Last page of the intergovernmental agreement MCA 2012-079, laying out the relationship between Mesa County and the Board of Public Health (BOH). The appointment of Janet Rowland to the BOH was highly controversial at the time Commissioners made it, but the Commissioners skipped holding the required meeting with the BOH about it first.
The relationship between Mesa County and the Health Department is governed by the 2012 “Agreement, MCA 2012-079” (pdf), dated June 25, 2012.
The Agreement discusses financing, budgeting, purchasing and personnel policies, and it lays out the overall relationship between the two agencies.
Item #2 of the Agreement says a county commissioner may be appointed to the Board of Health, but Item #10 says:
“10. Points of controversy hereunder will be addressed by a meeting between the Mesa County Board of Health and the Board of County Commissioners.”
Janet Rowland
Janet Rowland was appointed to the Board of Health on April 25th.
It was a highly controversial appointment at the time.
Corruption, Embarrassing Republicans, Ethics, Lauren Boebert, Safety, Secrecy, Weird western slope stuff
Lauren Boebert’s eldest son, Tyler, causes serious accident; passenger accuses Rep. Boebert of covering it up, minimizing extent of his injuries
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Rep. Lauren Boebert’s eldest son, Tyler, who impregnated his girlfriend at age 17. His mother praised the situation. The baby is due this month. Tyler caused a rollover car crash in his father’s 2021 Ford Expedition on 9/17/22 that left his passenger with serious injuries. (Photo: Instagram)
Westword, Newsweek, the U.K. Independent, Daily Mail and other news outlets are reporting that Colorado House Rep. Lauren Boebert’s eldest son, Tyler, caused a serious car crash on September 17, 2022 that gave his passenger life-changing injuries, and the injured passenger is saying since then Rep. Boebert has been covering up the incident and minimizing the severity of his injuries.
Tyler Boebert, 18, was driving his father’s black Ford Expedition SUV at 11:30 p.m. on a Saturday night on Garfield County Road 100, going to a party with a friend, Noble D’Amato, 19, when he failed to negotiate a curve and flipped the vehicle 180 degrees. It landed on its roof in Cattle Creek, leaving the driver and passenger upside down. D’Amato was taken to the hospital with concussions and a severely lacerated hand, an injury D’Amato says has kept him from being able to hold a torch for welding, and forced him to change vocations. He is now a personal caregiver. D’Amato says the injury will probably affect him for the rest of his life.