Guest Blog by Gail Segreto - A Corporate-Coup

May 9, 2017  An opinion by Gail Segreto

Of course everyone is talking about the actions of the president.  And this is a big deal.  We have a president and his entire executive branch based on an illegitimate election. 

Today we have an investigation of the players at the White House and the president fired the person investigating them.  

The reason given is that this action was recommended by the attorney general because of how the Clinton investigation was handled.  But we must remember that Jeff Sessions had previously recused himself from anything related to the election.  So how could he make such a recommendation.  The entire executive branch is corrupt. 

Yes, this stinks.  But it is just one part of a very serious situation.  We are seeing the final stages of a coup.  This is not the usual sort of coup.  It has been developed and played out over several decades.  I am talking about the corporate takeover of the nation.  

A shift in values and how the government represents and rules the people usually comes radically and dramatically, with a revolution of some kind. This time it comes from a long process of re-shaping the people's values with a program of propaganda, and what we now call fake news.  

This started as an economic policy under Reagan.  He helped to establish ALEC, an organization to bring government and business together.  It became a powerful force for changing state and national legislation to be more favorable to business.  But like any organization that operates in secret, they became corrupt, or maybe ALEC was actually designed to be so.   ALEC corporate members provide legislators ready-to-go bills for things like "Right to work" where workers see their rights diminished, or the proliferation of for-profit educational companies that take high tuition fees and leave graduates without full services.   

We see more and more consolidation as companies merge into mega corporations, often to the detriment of citizens, especially when it comes to communication and the media.  

As this movement gained momentum they used some hot issues like abortion to create a division among citizens.  And then they could wrap any other idea inside the hot topic and link them together earning favor for any topic by association.  

They became experts in persuasion and the use of sound bites and in supporting the development of news media specifically supporting their goals while calling all others the "liberal media".  Demonizing the opposition has been a key strategy.   They began to cast doubt on any science that was not favorable to business.   And they gerrymandered districts to insure extreme candidates success while  passing laws to suppress the vote.

I am sure there are many republicans who believe in the old republican values of serving the people with the least amount of government interference.  But the philosophy has become extreme. A profit motive without regulations will never be beneficial to the populace. The evidence is overwhelming that business will take advantage of workers, putting their health and lives in danger; and of allowing dangerous products to remain on the market and even fighting the science that proves the danger.  

In the last 20 years business has become so bold that CEOs do not hesitate to pay themselves and top people in the company salaries and bonuses that are truly outrageous while demanding to reduce regulations so they can grow the company.. meanwhile the numbers living in poverty balloon. 

We are they only developed country in the world without health care for all.  This is because we are beleaguered by a corporate, for-profit health care system.

In 2008 our country was brought to our knees because the supposedly smartest economists in the country at the Federal Reserve, the SEC and the Treasury Dept did not see the collapse coming when I personally know of several dozen people including myself, who saw it coming.   But it was good for banks so these traitorous experts let it all happen. 

Then we had the great tragedy called the Citizens United decisions where the Supreme Court determined that corporations have the same rights as individuals and spending money is the same as free speech.   It has been an influence free-for-all since then. 

We have been kept in wars for 16 years with no end in sight and all for oil and the profits that come to the military industrial complex.  War is profitable.  We have a belligerent president flirting with war on 3 fronts and with a real possibility of a nuclear weapon in use.    But this is as much a distraction strategy as state department policy.

Now we have this narcissist of a president supported by the GOP and being used by the GOP to achieve their cold hearted goals to promote business and the wealthy at the expense of the majority of the people.  The combination is more awful and devastating than anyone could imagine.  

• The cabinet is filled with wealthy corporate figures with backgrounds in complete opposition to the goals of the departments they now head.   
• Family members of the president have wide ranging power and specifically directed to suggest how to restructure the government.  
• There is enormous potential for known and unknown conflict of interest with the president and several of his cabinet. 
• Media is demonized to an extreme and blocked out from some events.
• The executive branch is fighting with the judicial branch.  The president and his people make comments about changing libel laws and many other outrageous, statements.  
• The president threatens to shut down the government in September if congress does not give him a budget he likes and threatens to let the national health care system collapse too.
• And all this in an environment where lies are the norm, just alternate facts, and they are accepted and ok!
• The administration is under investigation for ties with Russia.
• Several current or past administration members have lied about contacts with Russia.
• The president openly admires world leaders with the worst human rights abuses.
• And now he fires the guy who is investigating him. 

In a way it may be fortunate that Trump is here for this culmination of the corporate takeover.  He is so impulsive and ignorant on so many things that he is already tripping up.  The big question is if those who can take him down will do so.   I think they will run in circles for a long while but even when Trump is gone the corporate takeover may still resume.

It is up to the great masses of people in the USA to come together as one voice and say we want a government for and by the people. 

The Star of the Show - Guest blog by Barb Wyer

Who qualified as the "Star of the Show" at the BOCC meeting on April 24? Was it Ed Ehmann, central figure in the county commissioners' Love Fest, or was it Republican Chairman Tom Peterson, citizen-who-receives-special-treatment?

Perhaps in response to a recently circulated article about Mr. Ehmann's less-than-polite treatment of citizens who dare to criticize him, the county commissioners felt it necessary to wax eloquently in reassuring citizens just how fortunate they are that Ed virtually salvaged Elbert County from ruin, single-handedly.  Not only did the commissioners utilize nearly all the synonyms in the dictionary for savior, but more than twenty county employees were seated in the audience for back-up praises, if needed.

While all 3 of our commissioners, during their campaigns, vowed to investigate the many complaints lodged against Ed, it appears that these criticisms qualify as only so much fluff.  The commissioners voted, unanimously, to extend Mr. Ehmann's contract through December of 2018.

Or is Republican Chairman Tom Peterson more deserving of the "Star of the Show" award?  He was allowed the privilege (not granted to many folks) of violating county policy regarding public speeches and the accompanying protocol, three times during the BOCC meeting:
Utilizing Public Comment to talk about the "local and national Resistance movements" labeling them as "obstructionist." While county policy prohibits politicking during Public Comment, the commissioners seemed to enjoy his presentation, smiling from their chairs, and relishing the audience applause that followed.
Blurting out from his seat in the audience (podium-speeches-only rule applies here).
Speaking twice on the same topic (a privilege not customarily allowed).

Bolstered by his favorable reception from both the commissioners and the audience, Mr. Peterson then suggested that a list of citizens who submit Open Records Requests be made public, an idea with which Commissioner Thayer concurred. Per Mr. Peterson, citizens who have the audacity to access public records are "burdensome on the county."

Star of the Show.....Ed Ehmann or Tom Peterson?  Who wins the award?  Regardless of who goes home with the trophy, citizens clearly lost on several fronts.

Two Old Guys at a Tax March

The Invisible Indivisible Town Hall Meetings - Guest blog by Tony Corrado

Since Trump’s election, the Indivisible movement has created a weapon in seeking town hall meetings between district constituents and their elected members of congress. The ideological divide between Democrats and Republicans has never been more stark, than in the response to these town hall requests. 

In Colorado, the most vociferous and intense requests for meetings has been directed at Cory Gardner, our Republican Senator. Touting himself as a family values person, he has been busy hiding from constituents, who believe that health care, SCOTUS judges elected for life and the destruction of the American democracy are family values. Gardner, who flies to Washington DC every Monday and returns home on Friday, has continuously made himself unavailable to constituents. Protesters march outside his Denver office every Tuesday, and one protest meeting had over 2,000 persons in attendance at a meeting in which speakers delivered their concerns to a cardboard cutout of Gardner’s persona. Gardner has chosen to have telephone conferences in which he can hide from face to face meetings, spin his answers with impunity and generally not answer those questions that he considers “too hard”. 

Michael Bennet, our Democratic senator, has made face time available and his staff has given meetings to the Indivisible movement protesters. Some will argue that is easier for Bennet since he is a Democrat and not the target of such intense pressure. I would argue that this is a falsehood since Bennett is under extreme pressure from Indivisible to support the Gorsuch filibuster even though he considers Anshutz and Gorsuch, “personal friends”. It is this very fact, the position that friendship should prevail over the will of the people, that has brought Bennet into the controversy. His constituents do not want Gorsuch and they also want spineless Democrats to stand up for Progressive values in the same manner that the Tea Party has done in the past. 

Both Bennet and Gardner are the recipients of large sums of dark money. Koch bother’s money is a major factor in Gorsuch’s nomination. Anshutz money is equally corrupting to the process. Both Senators have breached their oath of office to defend the constitution, Bennet by not rejecting Gorsuch after the Republicans stole Obama’s nominee seat, and Gardner, by voting straight party on every issue Trump has put forth. Both are in real danger of losing their upcoming elections, especially to primary opponents. 

Bennet is up for re-election in 2022 and Gardner in 2020. It is convenient for these two “establishment” politicians to view the Indivisible movement as a flash in the pan that will eventually moderate as the members once again align themselves with Party nominees. However, this calculation is extremely dangerous for both Republican and Democrat candidates. 

First, the Indivisible movement has the ability to support primary candidates of it’s choice, not just those candidates having party support. They will support the primary candidate of their choice based on ideological reasons.

Second, the Indivisible movement will not align itself automatically with either party. Many of the Indivisible movement members see themselves as Bernie Sanders supporters and Sander’s supporters are creating a separate political entity. It is important to realize the Sander’s following as well as the Indivisible movement may move to support a major party candidate, but it will occur because that candidate represents their values; not because the establishment wants to continue to pick winners and losers.

People finally sense the danger of dark oligarchs and staunch ideologues controlling American politics. They also see the power of grass roots organizing and displays of protest power. This sense of empowerment is not going to be given away easily.  American democracy is on trial, and both of these Senators need to face their constituents at respective town halls.

Trump Keeps Losing So Why Do I Feel So Bad?

Imagine that the American Health Care Act was a gigantic rocket on a launch pad.  It was advertised to be the most superb rocket ever designed.  Once fired it was going to shoot up into space and deploy countless anti-Obamacare Republican Tie? fighters.  They would destroy the imperial edicts of the evil former president and anything that  was left of the collapsing  health care boondoggle would be blown to smithereens! It would be a beautiful display and everyone on the ground would be crying tears of joy as they chanted, "We Love Trump Bigly!" Unfortunately, when the countdown got to the end and the launch button was pushed, a huge flag popped out of the nosecone that read, “Just kidding!"

For millions and millions of Americans (some counts as high as 24,000,000) people let out a huge sigh of relief.  People were slapping each other on the backs and giving each other high-fives.  And that celebration went on for at least several minutes before everyone began to start feeling like crap once again.  Sadly it only took that long for people to realize that in the Age of Trump, it will take hundreds of these types of failures to bring his reign to its much anticipated end.

This realization should come as no surprise to anyone that has attempted to do something that is very large in scope and fraught with difficult tasks along the way.  I liken it to overcoming poverty and becoming the first person in a family going on to graduate from college.  Or maybe for you it is more akin to fighting a chronic illness.  For every step you make forward there is the realization that the fight is not over and that there are greater hurdles to face in the near future.  Some of these challenges may appear out of nowhere and they may have never been anticipated.  It is hard damned work.  Despite the criticism from the right that progressives need trophies for every success they may encounter, we are acutely aware that the only reward is in the future and possibly the seemingly far off future will only come when Trump is gone and the bleak shadow of corporate control of our once great democracy has been thwarted.

We feel badly because we care deeply.  We want to have a second chance at leading our country back to its rightful place as the world’s strongest democracy.  We know we became complacent and that the mistakes we made in our past are now exacting a price from the present.  We fear for the children who must face the challenges of the future.  We are beside ourselves with angst about the health of our planet and its environment.  In short, we have become painfully aware of the seriousness of now.  It is only logical that we will be on an emotional roller coaster until such time as we take our country away from plutocrats and ideologues who have hijacked the system.

This is the time where we must channel our remorse into resolve.  This is the difficult task of converting fear into courage.  This is the moment when we must rise above selfishness and replace it with altruism.

We need to do our best to celebrate our victories, never losing sight of the larger prize.  This is the time when we must take care of ourselves so that we remain strong in the greater campaign.  We must reach out and help those who have become discouraged and are feeling defeated.  We owe this to what Lyndon Johnson referred to as our Great American Society.  This is what we must do in order to make America what it was designed to be, not dismantle it into President Trump's perverted vision of greatness.

So the answer to the initial question of this blog posting, "Trump keeps losing so why do I feel so bad?" is painfully clear.  The reason we feel so bad is that we are coming to grips with the knowledge on just how far we have fallen and just how far we have to go.  Stay strong, brothers and sisters.  Together we will prevail.

The Truth about Governing through Fiat with Executive Orders

Fifty-five days into his term, President Donald Trump has issued fifteen executive orders.  He has issued eleven presidential memorandums.  He has issued a total of four presidential proclamations.   In contrast and focusing on executive orders alone, In 2009 Barack Obama issued 39 of those in the first year of his presidency. While it is unlikely that Trump will keep up this fevered pace to exert his leadership style on the the office of the presidency, if he were to keep it up, he would be on pace to sign 150 of these orders in his first year alone.  During his eight years in office, President Obama signed a total of 277 executive orders. 

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/01/23/obama-executive-orders/

Quick math reveals that Obama signed 34.5 executive orders per year. I cite as my source: The Federal Register from the National Archives,

https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/executive-orders/2009-obama.html.  In fairness to the current president, he has signed two less than our 44th President, but two of his executive orders have already been challenged by the Federal Court system.  He just cannot seem to clear the bar when it comes to the constitutional mandate that you cannot ban entrance into the United States based on a religious test.

So why do I bring this up?  The answer to that, of course, springs from the "Fractured Fairy Tale Vault" of the right wing conservative media which has demonstrated a real difficulty with the facts over the past decade.  If you have not read these following articles, I suggest you do.  The first is from February 12, 2014 by the folks over at the respected conservative think tank, The Heritage Foundation (also the originators of Obamacare, by the way). http://www.heritage.org/the-constitution/report/executive-unbound-the-obama-administrations-unilateral-actions.  

The title is a classic:

"An Executive Unbound: The Obama Administration’s Unilateral Actions."

Cue the spooky organ music and have a tape of Vincent Price laughing insanely in the background.

Or this gem, using the same operative language from  June 21, 2012 in the Washington Post:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/charles-krauthammer-obamas-amnesty-by-fiat--naked-lawlessness/2012/06/21/gJQAa5PltV_story.html?utm_term=.232d72ee64be.

Charles Krauthammer: Obama’s amnesty-by-fiat — naked lawlessness. 

Or this peach from Breitbart News:  

'More Flexibility': Obama to Govern by 'Executive Fiat' in Second Term, 

This one was designed  to scare the pants off of all good conservatives everywhere.  I mean, who needs a legislature when you have a pen and a good imagination?  Am I right?

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2013/01/21/government-by-executive-fiat-to-explode-in-obama-s-second-term/

So why did they all warn us of the destruction of America by an imperialist liberal African-American POTUS?  Because they found a debate term on the right they thought they could parlay into an advantage for the conservative movement.  All they had to do was tell their minions who followed fake right wing news sites that President Obama had signed over 900 executive orders.  Had he done that, of course, he would have been an actual imperialist.  But of course he was not, and he signed fewer executive orders than many of his predecessors.  

According to Dictionary.com Fiat has a very short yet precise definition. "Fiat is an arbitrary decree or pronouncement, especially by a person or group of persons having absolute authority to enforce it." Let that be the framework on which we proceed

Obama is no longer POTUS.  President Trump has vowed to undo all of the unholy things President Obama unleashed with his magic pens of executive orders.  But as I mentioned above, Trump will eclipse Obama with his executive orders if he continues on his current pace.  Of course, the major difference between the two men is that Obama is a constitutional lawyer, the product of arguably the greatest law school in the country.  His executive orders did not stray from the U.S. Constitution and so were not knocked down by the Judicial Branch of the United States government for breaking the law. Donald Trump is a reality television star and a dubious businessman with no knowledge or understanding of the United States Constitution. Trump is not doing quite as well on that front and quite honestly is just getting started, if you could even call it that.

This is a chart from Nate Silver's site, www.538.com:

An alternate definition of Executive Fiat in the age of Trump requires a bit of explanation.  Before being elected as POTUS, Trump was certain that Executive Fiat was an Italian sports car that Barack Obama drove around the White House lawn. Since then Trump has convinced himself that "Executive Fiat" is a "fantasy decree" that has no basis in constitutional oversight.  He has come to believe also that Executive Orders are  best derived  during sleepless nights as he is roaming the White House with the Presidential Advisor, Steve Bannon dressed as the ghost of President Andrew Jackson. The duo simply "Tweet" a plan into being.  The only thing that can throw a monkey wrench into this is when Reince Priebus has successfully hidden Trump's phone.  

The G.O.P. has a problem on its hands.  The very arguments that they have used to both tarnish and diminish the accomplishments of former President Obama are coming home to roost.  The new definition of Executive Fiat is now, "Rule by Twitter." Also known as, "Rule by Seeing What Floats."

Colorado’s Democratic Future - Guest Blog by Tony Corrado

By Tony Corrado

Congratulations to Morgen Carroll for her election as Chairwoman of the Colorado Democratic Party (CDP). She most certainly will be an improvement over Rick Palacio as she brings legislative experience and a new, progressive energy to the party. However, she also brings baggage to the position and only time will tell if she can move above her professional, establishment mindset as well as her ability to move from paid lobbyist positions to true progressive leadership which the CDP desperately needs.

Many will immediately take exception to this posit by virtue of Carroll’s recent support to the progressive and Indivisible movement positions. By analyzing her oil and gas positions as a Colorado State Senator, the warning signs are present. Carroll has supported a bill that gave preferences to oil and gas companies that agreed to provide methane burning at the onset of their drilling. In essence, the bill provided incentives for better performance. While this is commendable, it is far from sufficient. She failed to support a reduction in fracking nor does such a position address the immense waste of our most precious resource, water. A progressive leader would have required oil and gas companies to recycle all fracking waste water and therefore reject the high pressure, deep injection currently used to dispose of this hazardous and deadly waste product. At $50.00/barrel, the oil companies have almost $25.00/barrel of profit from which to fund all conservation efforts.

In addition, a bill was initiated in the legislature to ban oil and gas wells that were located within 300 feet of residences and public buildings. Such a bill would have acted to preserve real estate values, reduce unhealthful emissions and meet the needs of many front range communities. The bill was killed due to a lack of legislative support. This lack of true leadership does not bode well for the CDP, as we have a governorship as well as state wide legislative elections coming in 2018 and we need a leader, in the manner of Bernie Sanders, not an establishment politician leading the CDP.

There is another litmus test for progressives, such as myself, and that is the elimination of Super Delegates from the National Democratic Party. As the thwarted Bernie Sanders campaign has demonstrated, we, the citizens, do not need “elites” to decide who they will support. It is likely that Carroll will support a move to have all of Colorado’s Super Delegates pledge to vote for the candidate that garnered the most popular votes statewide. Again, this is an improved and more enlightened position, however, it remains insufficient. We need a leader that will work at the national level to eliminate the concept of Super Delegates. This must be accomplished before the 2020 election cycle. Will Carroll prove she is a leader by championing this issue or will she bow to establishment pressures to “get along” and advance her long term political career goals?

There is one final point to be made. The Indivisible movement has been effective, and with continued leadership, will continue to be effective. We are seeing previously apolitical persons voluntarily run for office from school boards to Congress. We have seen the Indivisible movement crowd fund candidates that would not have received nearly as much political attention of funding support such as Ossoff in Georgia and Zinke’s congressional replacement in Montana. It is vital to the future health of our democracy that the Indivisible movement not allow itself to be co-opted by the Democratic parties, either local, state or national. Will Colorado lead or follow?

Colorado's Economy is Vibrant...So Why is Trump Attacking It?

Can you think of anything that might calm this man down?

$17,300,000,000 is what Colorado's tourism industry generated in 2016. There is no doubt that our state does well with its skiing, hiking, hunting and fishing industries.  But were you aware that since Colorado legalized the use of both medical and recreational marijuana, our state has increased its tourism significantly? Agree with it or not, people are curious to see what the buzz (pun intended) is all about in Colorado.

In 2016, the legal sales of marijuana in the state added $266,000,000 to our coffers.  That has done a great deal to improve Colorado's budgetary woes, especially in the area  of capital improvement in schools and helping the homeless.  Theses facts can be found in a great NPR interview from last year aimed at making people aware of how these tax dollars are spent. http://www.npr.org/2016/10/01/496226348/where-does-colorados-marijuana-money-go. It is not going to completely heal our fiscal difficulties, especially since the prices for marijuana will begin to drop as more states fall into line with pot-friendly legislation, but there is no doubt it has helped a great deal.

In an October article in the Washington Post, the newspaper attempts to understand the impact on the states of Washington and Colorado after having legalized marijuana usage and possession amounts.  That article can be viewed here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/10/13/heres-how-legal-pot-changed-colorado-and-washington/?utm_term=.13b36d02e432.   In a brief summary, both states have not had any significant negative fallout from the decisions.  Crime is slightly down.  Drug arrests are very much in a downward spiral.  Usage among teenagers has not gone up and might actually be going down.  Traffic accident rates involving pot have not gone up.  There is even some evidence to suggest that medical marijuana may dramatically help abate the crisis in this nation as it struggles with the worst opioid crisis in its history. http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/11/could-pot-help-solve-us-opioid-epidemic.

But President Trump sees things differently.  His appointment of former Senator Jeff Session as Attorney General marks a return to the policies that rank marijuana as a dangerous drug on a par with heroin.  It is expected that the AG will make moves to criminalize those who recreationally use marijuana by throwing them in jail as common criminals.  This is going to become a gigantic crisis here in our state as a significant number of Coloradoans  benefit from the legalized sale and usage of the substance.  Many people grow their own marijuana and it has led to a reduction of alcohol consumption, which is both hazardous and expensive.  Many are finding pain relief that is safe and effective requiring less uses of dangerous and often addictive prescription drugs.  Some people are finding that marijuana not only helps them solve sleeping problems without the dangerous side effects of drugs like Ambien.  And, there does not seem to be the debilitating impact of what drinkers painfully refer to as "hangovers."

So why are the new AG and President Trump so worried about the twenty-eight states that have relaxed laws on marijuana?  Perhaps you need look no further than the high paid lobbyists of the alcohol industry.  Perhaps you need look no further than the high paid lobbyists working for private prisons that need customers in the form of inmates.  You may even want to examine the lobbyists for Big Pharma who see the medical benefits of marijuana cutting into their profits.  If you think that my belief is that our new president and his appointed officials are doing this for nefarious purposes, you would be correct.

This states' rights argument comes up from time to time.  When it is convenient for the conservatives, they say leave it to the states to decide.  When it serves their corporate sponsors, the conservatives want the federal government to step in and do the dirty work for them.  President Trump, Colorado has decided as a state to loosen federal regulations on marijuana and we are doing just fine. If you criminalize us for what we have done here in Colorado, you may be in for a big surprise.

Personally, I don't use  alcohol or marijuana for recreational purposes.  I do have relatives who have abused alcohol and prescription drugs, resulting in death.  I do have relatives who have had pain issues and have become addicted to painkillers.  I have a number of  family members who battle insomnia and then have had horrifying side effects with drugs like Ambien. 

I live in arguably one of the most conservative counties in our state.  As a liberal Democrat I am in a minority of epic proportions.  Many of my friends, neighbors, and acquaintances in this county are conservative Republicans.  They may not publicly talk about the fact that they not only use marijuana, but  they grow marijuana for their own consumption.  In my opinion, they are not going to be happy about this decision.  This may be more of a problem than anyone might imagine when the government comes for their weed.  These are the same people who said that they would not remain silent if someone came for their guns (which nobody ever did).  It will be interesting to see what happens in this case.

Suffice it to say, if Sessions turns its forces loose on the people of Colorado for marijuana usage, there will be resistance from both side of the political aisle and the other states will be watching.  This is just one more attempt to divide the people of this nation and replace our cherished Democracy with authoritarian rule of law.  Resist.

Might I suggest an app for your smart phone that will help speak truth to power?

Picture of CA app not the CO

Yes, it is a long title.  Truth be told, the title of this piece really says most everything that needs to be said.  The application is one that is called Mobile Justice Co.  It is free on iTunes.  It is software from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) located in Colorado. It is software that helps you watch situations where for example a police officer might be overstepping his bounds.  It might help a person being harassed or it might help someone who is a victim of a hate crime.  You simply load it on your phone.  If you find yourself in a difficult situation, simply pull out your phone and start the app.  You can see in the picture what features are included.  Push the orange button marked Record  and it will take over your phone's camera and begin recording.  When you feel you have captured a significant event, just press Report and the phone sends what you have captured directly to the American Civil Liberties Union offices here in Colorado. There is also a feature that allows your phone to be alerted in case someone else is being harassed and the event is nearby.  In this function you can quickly be told where to proceed and you hit the orange button marked Record to act as a witness. When you are finished you merely send the report as already discussed.

There is an information button that gives you instructions of what you can and cannot do in an arrest situation in the state of Colorado.  It also has an audio feature that works in a similar manner.  This app might just protect you in an unfortunate situation of over-policing or help someone have eyewitness protections.  Just something to think about when politicians are attempting to reel in protesters around the nation.  Be brave.  Resist.

State Senator Jerry Sonnenberg and U.S. Senator Cory Gardner: Old friends

If you live in rural Colorado on the Eastern Plains, these are the two people who will have the greatest clout in the argument for reasonable preservation of the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a ACA, Obamacare).  They are old friends from the Colorado State Legislature where they served together before Cory Gardner won his U.S. Senate seat.  They are both conservatives and both proponents of "anything but Obamacare."  Of course there has been no substantive alternative plan floated by either of these two men.  They both are seemingly unmoved by the pleas of their constituents who fear for the health and well-being of their families who are dependent on uninterrupted healthcare that cannot be taken away for preexisting conditions or be capped based on treatment needed.

These two elected officials have great appeal in rural Colorado for the majority of the people living there.  There is no secret that rural America tends to be conservative and has a high proportion of Evangelical Christians. Both of these politicians have their roots in agricultural settings. That said, what bothers me the most about these two men is that they both are against the kind of healthcare where women make choices that are suited to their beliefs and needs. care  Small towns the likes of which these two men evolved are places where religious beliefs sometimes make their way into the private confines of a doctors office. Women want to be able to chose for themselves whether they wish to become pregnant and have a family.  Women often want easy access to birth control pills or IUD's so they may plan for their financial futures.  They may need birth control pill for a wide array of female specific maladies, it is not just about getting pregnant and they want that decision to be theirs. They do not want to be harassed by people who believe every trip to a Planned Parenthood facility is an appointment for an abortion.  But these two guys are just fine with that.  In fact both are major proponents of legislation that reduces a woman's opportunity to receive quality healthcare for any reason including reproductive health. The cavalier dismantling of the Affordable Care Act and the defunding of Planned Parenthood just about guarantees that women especially those who have to raise a family on their own are going to get abandoned by the system. They are tired of men controlling their bodies.

Let's be perfectly clear here, there are good doctors both in Yuma where Cory is from and Sterling where Jerry makes his home.  There is even a Planned Parenthood office in Sterling. But let's just say you are living in Yuma and you give birth to a child with a genetic anomaly. It is almost a guarantee that he or she will need access to affordable healthcare for the remainder of their life.  Just a few years ago, that meant that if the child's parents attempted to gain access to health insurance the application would have been denied because the condition was preexisting.  The family would have run through its financial resources almost immediately.  Bankruptcy would soon have followed.  The child's life would have been put in jeopardy because of lack of treatment and then would likely have died. It is a scenario that was all too real just a few years ago in the days before the ACA. The ACA is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination but is doing it is a hell of an improvement.  But now, the republicans are on the brink of taking away the healthcare from 30,000,000 people.  They also decided to allow whatever the future replacement plan is to not honor the most important aspects of the ACA i.g., no disqualification based on preexisting conditions, children being allowed to stay on their parents insurance policies until the age of twenty-six, and no caps on major illnesses.  Never forget that before the ACA, the leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States was health related.  This is a situation that can happen to families in Yuma, Sterling, Hugo, Aurora, Denver or Boulder.  You see even conservative families also need adequate and affordable healthcare.  Illness does not follow party lines even though Sonneberg and Gardner behave as though it does.

These two politicians serve the citizens of Colorado.  Sonnenberg is probably safe in his senate seat due to the number of republican constituents in Eastern Colorado, but Cory Gardner has been put on notice by the voters of the entire state. Despite claims to the contrary by the cult of Trump, the progressives, if compelled to vote by the actions unfolding on our televisions daily, will definitely eclipse any attempts by the republicans to retain his seat in 2020. The Women's March on Denver was no fluke.  The republicans, by blindly acquiescing to this mean spirited and woefully ill-prepared POTUS have done just what Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto supposedly lamented in his diary after the attack on Pearl Harbor when he wrote, "I fear we have awakened a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve."  Women have it in their power to make the United States the envy of the world when it comes to healthcare.  I believe Mr. Gardner is beginning to hear the banging on the gates.  It remains to be seen whether Jerry Sonnenberg will begin to fear that the republicans will retain the control of the Colorado State Senate and tone his attack on healthcare down a bit.  

Time will tell us much.  SB17-003, only the third bill on the docket in the Colorado State Senate received such backlash and so many protestors at the capital that they postponed the initial hearing.  It is an age old tactic to keep the majority party from having to field citizen opposition from an organized citizenry.  The idea is they employed is that if you frustrate the people who have taken time off from work etc. by postponing a hearing without notice, they will be reluctant to come out again.  It may have worked in past legislative sessions, but when you meet these people.  When you begin to see the organization that is behind these protests, you begin to see that these people are as serious as a heart attack.  They will not be backing down anytime soon.  When people learned that the hearing was called off, instead of going away dejected, they either walked  to the offices of elected officials or joined in the protest at Cory Gardner's office a few blocks away.  That is not giving up.  That is reconnaissance.  The Indivisible movement is learning very quickly how to outpace the bureaucracy.  Welcome to the age of social media and huge groups of highly motivated people of every demographic imaginable.

Finally, if you do get a chance to visit the offices of either of these two politicians, you may or may not ever get the chance to meet them.  Their staffs are expert at keeping their bosses out of sight, especially if your hat is pink or your lapel pin is a donkey. But never leave without making the secretary take down your name and address.  Make sure you leave a message and tell them you want a response.  Then, as a final gesture, make sure they write down that you are not a paid protestor.  If they balk, tell them you have others waiting down the hall that you can request to have join you and make the very same request.  They work in your capital.  They will almost always do as you ask. 

20 reasons why you should be writing a guest blog at "Learning to Stand."

1.     If you have turned on the television in the past two weeks and you have stared with slack jawed amazement at what is transpiring in Washington D.C. and you fear for the stability of our democracy you need to share your thoughts with others.

2.     If you are the child or grandchild of immigrants who fled their home country and came to the United States to provide a better life for their family, you need to tell us that story.

3.     If you have ever felt you were discriminated against because you do not practice Christianity, by all means, we need to hear about that situation.

4.     If you felt your stomach churn with anger or embarrassment when you saw Donald Trump mock a reporter who had physical impairments that is a nobel  reason to take a stand as a guest author and sharing your feelings.

5.     If you feel that the Trump Administration is  making the world a more dangerous place in which to live by his cavalier disregard for for the the science of climate change consider telling us about your concerns.

6.     If you believe that it is a dangerous and unprecedented maneuver to embrace the Russian government who according to seventeen separate intelligence agencies, interfered with our presidential election we would love to hear why that is wrong.

7.     If you believe that Mr. Trump has a misogynistic attitude toward women and has bragged about his exploitation of them in his past, this is a platform to share why this is such an important issue.

8.     If you believe that President Trump has appointed a cabinet of wealthy business people whose only interest in government is to make it easier for them to enrich themselves at the expense of  the middle class and working poor then we need to hear about it.

9.     If you feel that the Trump Administration is making a mockery of the party of Lincoln perhaps you can make us understand how it feels to have your party hijacked by an opportunistic huckster who figured how to manipulate the election process.

10.    If you believe that Social Security is in trouble because these people are fast tracking privatisation of our hard earned contributions and this upsets you, we want to hear your thoughts.

11.    If you think that it is unfair that President Trump refuses to show us his tax returns which will shed some much needed transparency on his business holdings and possible conflicts of interest, don't you think it is about time you said something?

12.    If you think that President Trump should be able to use Twitter as a legitimate means to attack the press and his detractors with no obvious way to counter his arguments then you might just want to say something about that in the form of a guest blog.

13.  If you are concerned about the term alternative facts, as a way to distract you from his inability to handle the truth of a situation, perhaps you could instruct us on a better way that you believe our POTUS should behave.

14.    If you are concerned that our POTUS may actually be suffering from a severe form of Narcissistic Personality Disorder as diagnosed by famed psychiatrist John D. Gartner,  you may want to share your ideas about what the country should do about it.

15.    If the temperament and impulsivity of Donald Trump in conjunction with his access to the nuclear codes keeps you up at night you could elaborate your thoughts here.
 tell us why
16.    If the placement of Steve Bannon the Chief Strategist and Senior Counselor to United States President Donald Trump, a known white nationalist icon with alt right underpinnings is disturbing to you, then you are welcome to share your feelings on the topic here.

17.     If you believe the President is currently benefitting financially in violation of the Nobility/emoluments clause of the United States Constitution and you believe that is an impeachable offense, there is no better place to unburden yourself than right here as a guest author.

18.    If you think that NATO and our commitment to the countries of Europe has not become obsolete as proclaimed by Donald J. Trump, I want you to espouse your reasons why we should stand in support of this important treaty organization tell us why.

19.    If you think firing the U,S, Attorney General being fired because she refused to follow the Muslim Ban proposed in Trump's executive order because in her professional opinion it might not be lawful, I would hope you might take the time to expound upon it here.

20.    And finally,  if you are afraid that the election of Donald Trump poses the greatest threat to our democracy since the advent of the Civil War, please, please step up and tell us what you believe our best recourse is.

The Not So Secret Power of Women

Let's face it, the reason you are reading this is that you have become concerned that our newly elected POTUS is a couple of Cheetos short of a full bag and he is attacking many of the principles of our government on which you used to rely.  Perhaps you are worried that he has the nuclear codes and seems to be fixated on imaginary illegal alien voter fraud.  That is a pretty nasty cocktail.  Or just as importantly, perhaps you have a health issue that involves the use of Planned Parenthood services to insure that you are able to stay well enough to provide for your family. That used to be called "being responsible" but Trump and his sidekick Pence insist that you are really just using that evil institution as a place to gain access to abortion as an alternative means of birth control. That makes no sense whatsoever!  Their attitude is the epitome of both  arrogance and ignorance.  Neither of them knows the difference between a UTI, an STD or an IUD.  They are children who blush if they have to use the word Volvo in a sentence because they think it is the Swedish word for a woman's external sexual organs.  When a grown man opts to call those organs a "pussy" instead of its name, you are dealing with a child.  I know, because I taught sex ed. for nearly twenty years to grade school children and that is what children do, not grown men.

That is what was so powerful about the various Women's Marches. You had millions of women and women who were enlightened marching together wearing "pussy" hats not because they were acting like children, but instead they were mocking the unenlightened elected government officials who are acting like the children I used to teach in elementary school.  It was a great big beautiful reminder for these people, most of them pasty white old men, that they need to grow up and start treating women as equals.  It scared the crap out of them.  They have always been aware that to continue to remain in power they must control the majority of the voting population who just happen to be sporting two "x" chromosomes. Men have, up until the last two centuries, dominated women in this world because of their physical abilities to hunt, fight and protect their families, but that is no longer necessary for survival.  In a modern society, women are every bit as capable and perhaps even better suited for the jobs that provide for the family unit.  It is a fact that scares many men half out of their wits.  This recognition that women might even one day be treated equally intimidates them and unfortunately some men turn to the age old practice of suppression. The current administration is no friend to women.

It is a tool that women should keep in their tool box.  These political figures need to know that you are completely aware about their fear of women.  They need to know that you are not going to back down and are united in numbers that can and will make a difference in the 2018 election. They will respond to courageous action. Sara Bareilles says it way better than I ever could in her song, Brave.

 

Everybody's been there, everybody's been stared down
By the enemy
Fallen for the fear and done some disappearing
Bow down to the mighty
Don't run, stop holding your tongue
Maybe there's a way out of the cage where you live
Maybe one of these days you can let the light in
Show me how big your brave is

 

Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave

 

Do not ever forget that it has taken literally hundreds of thousands of years for mankind to reach this point.  We no longer need to play by caveman rules.  Women will be need to be the leaders in a future where the ideals of humanity will be vastly more important for our survival as a species than  faux toughness and bravado. These men are pushing back with fervor because they know this reckoning is near.  Enlightened men and women must continue forward and not be pushed backward.  Backward male politicians are in the minority and they must be reminded of it with a tone of complete resolve. As those of us who have ever run competitively will tell you, this a marathon, not a sprint. We must not lose sight of the finish line, but to regain civility we must stay organized, be supportive and endure.  This is why we must learn to stand.

Hello. I suppose you are wondering why I am here.

This is the the first post in Learning to Stand. This blog, unlike several other of the blogs that I have done over the years, is a shared project.  As I have stated on the Facebook group page, The High Plains New Common Sense, many people are feeling the need to be able to speak truth to power.  Standing up for something in which you truly believe does not come naturally for all but a few lucky individuals.  As a retired public school teacher for many years I can tell you that this is there is some good news here... it can be learned.  And better even yet, is the fact that there are tons of different methods by which you arrive at the place where you can stand up and speak your truth.  Even when the people to whom you are speaking are rude, or loud, or vulgar, or in a position of power, you can make your point without having to adopt those ugly and frightening tactics.

I am going to assume that if you are reading this, you are probably struggling with the recently emboldened followers of Donald Trump.  You are not alone.  I too struggle with getting my message out to people who seem unwilling or unable to listen to reason.  I have done community advocacy work for years and no two issues ever seem to be alike when you step into the fray.  Each and every argument presents many faceted reasoning, and it always feels like the people with whom you are facing on the other side other side, are more confident and willing to do do battle.  But let me let you in on a little secret here.  When an opponent is being loud, crass and even vulgar, it is because they have no substantive facts on which to make their opinion known.  They only have anger and a few time tested slogans guaranteed to fire up the the people around them, i.e., "If you don't love this country, leave!"  It is not fact based and appeals only to those people who are ill-prepared.

I recently posted the following on January 26, 2016 in feed stream on The High Plains New Common Sense, "If someone tells you that they believe torture is something that they believe the United States of America should utilize calmly ask them if they would want their own child who might be serving in the military to be tortured. Remind them that even if the person they love survives the torture, their child will never ever be the same again. Ask John McCain. Do not argue. Just plant the seed." I stated my point in this manner on purpose.  Many people can relate to someone who has a child in the military.  Generally speaking, most people can understand and empathize with the notion that this country has made great sacrifices in recent years.  This usually means that a young person goes off to war.  Many of these children come back and they are never quite the same.  Often it is because of injuries or PTSD.  If someone is tortured, it is life-altering. Rape is a form of torture. Hate crimes are a form of torture.  It is not a point that can be refuted, and even if someone tries to cast the argument aside, the others in their camp will most likely hear the message.

In the above example, I believe that you are refocusing people on their own "humanity," a quality to which most people, even those people on the other side of the argument, can relate as was pointed about by my friend Gail Segreto in her comment to the post.  This can all be done without screaming.  This can be done even if you are frightened because it is the truth.  The truth is powerful and if practiced with some regularity makes you brave and a worthy adversary.

This blog is about sharing your experiences.  This is a place to learn to stand up for your beliefs by hearing how others have arrived.  This is a place to share what your fears about standing up for what you truly believe.  If you are so inclined, I would love to have you guest blog here.  Just send me your post and I will post it for you here.  We are all in this together and this is a good place to share your story with others who are wanting to help you find your voice.

Be strong.  Share. Learn every day.