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Too much hate in America for our own good
Although we’re in what has been dubbed the Sixth Great Extinction Event and species are disappearing all over the planet, one thing that sure isn’t endangered is the abundance of hate flooding the United States these days. Given that we are one of the wealthiest nations with a very high standard of living compared to […]
Consumers hosed at the pumps (again)
It seldom works out well when the government prioritizes the profits of mega-corporations over the welfare of the nation and its citizens. The latest example is the hosing everyday Americans are getting at the gas pump so they can get to work, take the kids to school or drive to a grocery store to keep […]
Another climate summit failure
As the latest in a long line of “global climate summits” comes to an end we — and future generations — are offered yet another litany of promises to “phase out” carbon pollution of the atmosphere, reduce global deforestation, and stop mankind’s destruction of its own and only planet. As usual, the “pledges” are to meet goals […]
The pitfalls of collaboration strike again
Oh the wailing and gnashing of teeth by the cluster of collaborators who supposedly spent 15 years sitting around “kitchen tables” hammering out the Blackfoot-Clearwater Stewardship Act now introduced by Sen. Jon Tester. And why are they so upset? Well, because Montana’s other U.S. Senator, Steve Daines, has decided the bill isn’t going anywhere unless […]
Climate change is killing our future
For years now we’ve been subjected to an endless stream of nonsense from those who deny the inescapable reality that our planet is overheating due to human-caused pollution in the atmosphere. It’s now apparent that the cascading effects of global baking — and the concurrent lack of action by our politicians and lawmakers — are […]
Gianforte, Knudsen go off the rails
Montanans would be fully justified to seriously question what’s going on with the Republicans elected to our state’s top positions. Their actions are outside the boundaries of any attorney general or governor in recent memory, regardless of political affiliation. They range from potentially illegal abuse of power and law enforcement personnel by Attorney General Austin […]
Sometimes, a great nation
You’d have to be of a certain age to remember what it was like to have passenger rail service on the southern route through Montana. But if you ever got a chance to ride those rails 50 years ago, the memory of enjoying an absolutely beautiful, effortless, and relaxed trip across Montana’s vast expanses of […]
Gianforte can run, but he cannot hide
Plagued by a mounting number of very serious problems in Montana, what did Gov. Greg Gianforte opt to do? No, he did not “put his shoulder to the wheel” and get to work addressing those issues — which would be doing the job he was elected and paid by taxpayers to do. Nope, he jumped on […]
Globalization means entropy and that means we lose
It seems like just a few short years ago that the theoretical economists and the insatiable capitalists were head-over-heels in love with globalization. And why not? As a continuation of old-style colonialism wealthy nations go anywhere on the planet to find the cheapest resources with the least amount of pesky environmental or labor regulations and […]
The perils of one-party rule
We find ourselves in a strange situation right now with one-party rule by Democrats at the national level and one-party rule by the Republicans in Montana. Of course there are tremendous benefits to holding the majority — primarily, not being overly concerned with the travails of the minority party. But there are also perils because there’s […]
GOP extremism is backfiring
By now people have plenty of examples of the GOP’s idea of governance, which consists of opposing everything that doesn’t fit their myopic ideology. Here in Montana we’re headed back toward Lockdown City thanks to the utter failure of our Republican-controlled executive and legislative branches of government. But evidence is quickly mounting that GOP extremism […]
You reap what you sow
It’s that time of year in Montana when summer winds down, the nights get cooler, leaves begin to wear their fall colors and “harvest season” is in full bloom. Humans, not unlike the grizzly bears, are preparing for the Montana winter ahead, enjoying the fruits of their labors on the land while the hunters prepare […]