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Fake news Fox fiasco: Lying for lucre
Thanks to a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit filed against Fox News by Dominion Voting Systems, the nation and world are peeling back the covers on the shocking lies perpetrated by Fox’s top commentators. And how ironic is it that these are the very people who baselessly accused other networks of “fake news” for reporting there […]
It’s the halftime show in Helena
The Montana Legislature just hit its half-way mark, called “transmittal,” in the 90-day session. It also means Montanans have a chance to grade their legislators’ performance. And in that regard, there’s plenty to consider, especially when it comes to voting for really bad bills or against good and necessary measures. Struggling to deal with a […]
Montanans getting fed up with GOP Legislature
It’s not every day 500 Montanans show up and stand outside in below-zero weather to protest the agenda of the GOP-controlled Legislature. But that’s just what happened when those who cherish our Constitution, our “clean and healthful environment,” our lands, rivers and the wildlife and fisheries they support showed up at the Capitol last week. […]
Montana is literally being loved to death
It’s becoming more clear every day that the endless push to develop Montana in every way possible is conflicting with and denigrating the very reason most Montanans live here – for our quality of life. Despite society’s delusions about “having it all” the simple truth is you can’t have it both ways. It’s not often you […]
Conservative contradictions stacking up in Montana Legislature
When Republicans run for office one of the most common themes is a pledge, as conservatives, to limit government in size, scope and intrusion. For many, that’s an attractive promise, especially in a state known for its “rugged individualism.” But in truth, as is more evident every day, the Republican-dominated Montana legislature is doing just […]
Desperate Dems turn to vote dealing
Faced with an historic Republican supermajority in the Legislature, it’s no surprise Democrats are having a difficult time trying to get their priorities included in bills. They’re having an even more difficult, if not impossible, time trying to derail Republican-sponsored bills. But last week a Senate Democrat apparently turned to the despicable practice of vote […]
Deregulation and the law of unintended consequences
Montanans have already had a very brutal lesson in deregulation and its unintended consequences. The great idea of the Legislature in the late ’90s was to deregulate our utilities under the “free market” theory that competition would lead to lower prices. Ha. Ha. Ha. We went from the lowest cost power in the region to […]
Republicans’ frivolous use of the word ‘frivolous’
For years Montanans have been subjected to the claim that “environmental extremists” have been flooding the court system with “frivolous lawsuits.” These absolutely false accusations have come from some of our top elected Republican officials including Sen. Daines, Gov. Gianforte, and Reps. Zinke and Rosendale to name a few. Strangely enough not one of these politicians has ever been able to […]
Forest Service undermining the consent of the governed in Holland Lake proposal
In a nation founded on the principle that all power in governance resides in “We the people,” the “consent of the governed” should be the goal not only of those in the public policy arena, but in the government agencies charged with implementing those policies. That’s particularly important in the management of public lands […]
The MAGA clown car crashes into Congress
Here we are on the second anniversary of Trump’s lie-fueled violent insurrection to try and halt Congress from certifying a duly elected president of the United States. Despite the death and destruction in its attempted takeover of the Capitol, the MAGA mob failed — and many are now paying the price in prison. But lo […]
Our New Year challenge: Keeping Montana Montana
Unlike in normal years, the 2023 Legislature finds itself wallowing in a fiscal surplus caused by massive infusions of money from the federal government that so many of the incoming legislators continually denigrate. But of course they’re not giving the federal money back. Instead, the incoming Republican supermajority leans toward massive development and urbanization of […]
Lawmakers remember: Mother Nature always wins
Despite all the political drama as the year draws to a close, it’s pretty clear to those of us living in Montana that Mother Nature still calls the shots. What we got for Christmas this year was a rather astounding jump in temperature from 35 below zero to 45 above in the space of a […]