that her employer held back her paycheck today because of confusion over the ACA and the Republican new so-called"health plan." Sounded like her employer was trying to pull a fast one since the ACA is still the law of the land at least for another day or two. But I guess her insurance was up for renewal, and they wanted her to choose a new plan. She said they want her to pay an extra $400/mo for even the cheapest available plan and she can't afford it. I guess the health insurance companies just can't wait to start raking in bigger profits because I also got a notice from the insurance carrier who just so happens to cover my prescriptions via Medicare/Medicaid and the AARP and coincidentally enough, I got their letter in my mailbox today of all days. I have a disability and I'm forced to take a number of meds to help me deal with it. Well, my insurance carrier informed me that they were dropping coverage on THREE medications that I have been taking for years and that have actually helped. In return they want to substitute some snake oil stuff that I know for a fact won't help my condition because I was prescribed these things years ago with a very bad outcome.

They told me I could file an appeal to have exceptions made or have my doc file an appeal (like he's really gonna have the time for that). I guess this is just a taste of the things to come when the republicans get rid of medicaid, so I can buy an I-phone instead. I'm mad as hell about this and foresee another exhausting morning tomorrow when I wake up and start making endless phone calls. OOOH, I hate 45 and the Republicans so very, very much!

Trump supporters are trying to organize mass rallies of their own in order to counter the anti-Trump nationwide marches and rallies that seem to being springing up from Progressive grassroots groups everywhere, often under the inspiration and advice from Indivisible!

An offshoot of the Tea Party – Main Street Patriots – with backing from Breitbart organized two nationwide rallies in the past week – one on 2/27 and another scheduled for today, 3/04. I’ve been checking on the Internet, trying to find news about today’s rallies and their turnout numbers. So far, it’s been pretty sketchy (4 pm MST) -heard about a 30 second mention on NPR - but perhaps more info will begin to roll in from the media outlets as the day progresses.

Updated 5:00 pm MST:

I now see DU is reporting stories that "dozens" showed up in NYC and about 100 in the state capitol of Maine.

7:15 pm MST update:

Denver Post just reported "over 100" Trump supporters showed up in the Colorado State Capitol for today's rally. Clear skies and sunshine, too.

9:00 pm MST update (this will be my final update):

The Oregonian/OregonLive's Eder Campuzan reported that 200 Trump supporters showed up in Lake Oswego, Oregon and were met by about 700 ANTI-Trump demonstrators. There were also some reports of clashes between the two groups.

Local station KKCI in Iowa reported that “dozens of Trump supporters” showed up in the State Capitol in Des Moines.

Indianapolis Star reported that 35 – 40 Trump supporters showed up in support at the Indiana State Capitol.

While this random sampling of mine is admittedly haphazard, I did try to include a cross section of the country and I did not "cherry pick," looking for stories that showed only low turn outs. My sampling came from the first few local news sources that showed up each time I checked Google. I used local reports because I noticed that the national media is referring to "thousands" of Trump supporters turning out. While this is true : 35 + 200 + 40 + ... will eventually add up to thousands if there were enough demonstrators turning up in enough towns across the country, it gives the impression that there were mobs of Trump supporters clogging the streets. This is patently untrue.

Tsk, tsk, tsk, Deplorables - you certainly are turning out to be a wimpy group so far.

I also discovered some reporting of last Monday’s rally on February 27th on the state capitol steps in Denver as covered by Fox Denver outlet. I include this one for the pictures of the "mob" of Trump supporters. I know what the steps of the State Capitol in Denver look like - I've been there many times, and I know what a big demonstration in downtown Denver looks like. Hint: NOT like the one photographed by Fox.

Fox stated that about 350 people showed up at noon on a bright, sun shiny day. The Denver metro area has a population of around 3.3 million, BTW. Check out the pathetic “crowd” in the pix on the Fox Link.

In a way, I’m not surprised that the blue part of Colorado – mostly the big population centers in the Denver/Boulder area - would field such a small turn-out of Trump supporters. But compare this with the turn-out for the Women’s March for Unity on January 21 on the other end of the state in conservative rural Colorado. The turn-out and the march in my little town of Cortez, pop. 8,000 was amazing! There are only 18,000 or so residents in the entire county and 8 inches of snow was on the ground and still falling at the time of our march.

Conservative Montezuma County which went 80% for Trump in the election turned out 500 marchers AGAINST Trump in the middle of what was almost a blizzard - amazing. Things are starting to become VERY interesting...

Progressive groups in Montezuma County have THREE more marches scheduled for the 11th, the 18th, and the 25th of this month. Wish us well everybody!

Check out the picture of us all in the snow in The Four Corners Free Press!

Women’s March for Unity draws 500 in Cortez
January 21, 2017

Women’s March for Unity Saturday – a demonstration for civil rights and progressive causes and a protest against Donald Trump’s administration.

Braving eight inches of slushy snow, the Cortez marchers walked down Montezuma Avenue from City Park to City Market and back along Main Street. They carried signs ranging in tone from amusing to angry to passionate: “The 1950s are knocking – don’t open the door”; “Sex change for Trump”; “Tiny hands off public lands”; “There is no Planet B”; “My p—y grabs back”; and the now-classic “Love trumps hate.” Some quoted Bible verses, such as, “I was sick and you looked after me” – on a sign expressing concern about the future of health care in America.

Meanwhile, marches were occurring in every state in the union, according to published reports. In Colorado, 100,000 people gathered near Denver’s Civic Center, according to the Denver Post. The protests appeared to indicate a newly energized progressive movement after a divisive presidential election in which the popular-vote winner by some 3 million votes did not take office.

Montezuma County strongly supported Trump in the election, choosing him by a 2-1 margin over Hillary Clinton. But Saturday’s march occurred without incident, drawing mostly curious stares or supportive honking and waving from passing drivers.

I'd be interested to know what other folks here have noticed in regard to protests and rallies from both sides in their own towns. Sure seems to me that the anti-Доналд Трамп crowd is much more active and ready to stand up for our Democracy then the fellow travelers who now make up the Republican Party. Keep up the good work everyone and viva la revolucion!

This cascade of information that has been coming down about the Traitor and all his pals in high office is just making me sick and more than a little scared. Are the Reputinans going to be disloyal enough to quash all this stuff out of shear lust for power? It's all so completely awful and unbelievable, I just want to cry. I love my country and the thought that we may have lost it is keeping me from falling asleep tonight.

A Game of Thrones (Mi vida loca!)

(Written in reply to a post comparing the election of Доналд Трамп to being handed a plate of fish heads)

________________________________________
We have indeed been handed a plate of fish heads. However, if one is starving, a plate of fish heads presents any number of delicious culinary opportunities. I look into my boiling kettle of fish heads, toil, and trouble and I see – The Game of Thrones!

Prince Joffrey now runs the country and while winter is NOT coming, global warming has arrived and biologists inform us that the planet is undergoing its 6th Great Extinction Event ever recorded in the fossil history of life on this planet. Many species will become about as common as Daenery’s dragons – of which I believe there were three in the entire world. A Great Wall is to be built on our southern borders, but there will be no commander with the integrity of Jon Snow to take control of it. Besides, Jon Snow was killed by his traitorous friends. So much for that thought. Joffrey has turned potential allies in Latin America and the Middle East into enemies. Those who were already our enemies have used the waves of hatred now emanating from our nation as a warning to become even more implacably set against us. They sell their opium poppies and collect ever more money from their sympathizers to increase there arsenals of weaponry and become bloated with blood lust. The Taliban is not exactly snoozing in the high mountain passes of Afghanistan as Joffrey raids the royal treasury to increase the size and might of our military in order to destroy our enemies – the illegal aliens, the refugees from famine and war, those who do not belong to a faith with the first letter “C.”

Thus, Joffrey hones his military skills and tactics (such as they are) here at home before making yet one more attempt to assault Afghanistan’s bitter mountains. We are a nation of refugees and illegal’s. Our ancestors were labeled as criminals by their countries of birth in the Old World. Perhaps they were forced out because of their religious beliefs. Perhaps they were caught in a round-up of outlaws in Ireland or Scotland for daring to strike back at the iron rule of the British Crown. As Pogo so famously said, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” Already, in today’s news, we see that hate crimes against members of the Jewish faith have escalated. Their cemeteries are desecrated, bomb threats are sent to their community centers and schools. And of course there’s the infamous and unconstitutional travel ban against the people of the seven nations of evil (Muslims). Let’s not forget either about the “Dreamers” who now face deportation or else go underground. The Statue of Liberty is a lying bitch who should be deported herself. Let the Frogs have her back. She’s no longer wanted here.

Melisandre holds the leaders of the Kingdom under her spell. Science has been turned up-side down and made a matter of faith, rather than fact. We do not “believe” in global warming. The 97% of all reputable scientists and scientific organizations that continue to sound the alarm about climate change are dismissed as paid off liars and scoundrels who have formed an evil conspiracy against the big petroleum corporations. My heart bleeds for Exxon and all the rest. Truly, it does. Scientists now communicate with one another in secret – no different than Galileo under the heel of the Inquisition. Yes, Prince Joffrey, the sun does indeed orbit around the earth. Ah, let us behead those heretics, anyhow. They were so boring. No more EPA, no more National Parks – those will be parceled out and given to Joffrey’s henchmen in the West.

And to the East – to the East we have King Putin who is busily rebuilding his Soviet Kingdom with the help of Joffrey behind the scenes. The stage has been set for the apocalypse as the rabble applauds and the curtain begins to rise for the next exciting act. Me, I have dibs on the role of Aerya. I’ll walk thru the riots with my wheelbarrow of fish heads and throw them at the Pussy Grabber.