Who are we as human beings if we ignore the suffering of others? – Anonymous.
In today’s column, I take a quick look at these people/issues:
- Vaccine Passport
- Born-and-Bred Residents
- Trump & Social Media
- One More Thing
VACCINE PASSPORT:
Some of the conspiracy theorists on the right are worried that they will need a vaccine passport to travel in the near future.
Here at the worldwide headquarters of The Western Word, where I am underground so I won’t be poisoned with chemtrails, I was thinking that it might be easier if they just tattooed a number on your body to show you were vaccinated, or insert a chip in your arm so it can be scanned and you can be easily tracked. It will also take the government to where you store your guns…
That last graph is a joke, but it would send those conspiracy nuts over the edge because they believe just about everything they read.
USA Today reports the following about vaccine passports:
It is documentation that shows a traveler has been vaccinated against COVID-19 or recently tested negative for the virus that causes the disease.
The information is stored on a phone or other mobile device that the user shows to airline employees and border officers. The Biden administration and others want a paper version available, too.
Those of us who served in the military carried a vaccine record with us about everywhere we went that showed all the shots we received. Since I was deployable worldwide, I received every shot imaginable.
I remember some states, like Montana, saying they would never comply with the REAL ID Act. I said they would sooner or later. It will be the same with a vaccine passport. We may even have some stupid commercials featuring “actors” playing “Lewis and Clark “and “Evel Knievel” showing their vaccine passports instead of their REAL IDs.
BORN-AND-BRED RESIDENTS:
Back in 1989 when I came to Malmstrom AFB from Andersen AFB, Guam, I had never heard of the third, fourth, or fifth-generation Montanan tag people used in their campaign ads. I was born in Missouri and never heard it mentioned about Missourians, either.
After helping Conrad Burns, a fellow Missourian, whip Jack Mudd in 1994, I started growing tired of the third, fourth, or fifth-generation Montanan bullshit spewed in almost every campaign commercial and flier. I still do – I’m still trying to figure out how Steve Daines, who was born in California, uses that tag in his campaign commercials.
Some of us actually left home to serve our country and picked someplace else to live and raise our families when we got out. Freedom.
I often wondered just how many Montanans were living here who were born-and-bred residents. I researched it and then lost the data. I happened to read a report the other day about it on a website called Stacker.
Here is how they compiled the information:
Using the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey, Stacker ranked every U.S. state and Washington D.C. based on the percentage of the total population that was born in that state of residence.
As for Montana, it came in ranked #34.
- 2019 population: 1,068,778
- Born in state of residence: 571,138 (53.44% of population)
- Born in other US state: 462,848 (43.31% of population)
- Born in US territory: 9,724 (0.91% of population)
- Born in foreign country: 25,068 (2.35% of population)
I guess the third, fourth, or fifth-generation Montanan bullshit only means something to a little over half the population. The rest of us probably don’t care.
Speaking of states, I saw the other day that pregnancies in Kentucky were at an all-time low due to COVID-19 restrictions that put a stop to family reunions. 😉
Read the whole Stacker report by clicking HERE.
TRUMP & SOCIAL MEDIA:
There are reports that in the next 2-3 months former President Donald Trump will launch a new social media platform.
He will need to if he plans on running for President or even to get Republicans elected. The big question is will it go the way of Trump University, Trump Steaks, Trump Airlines, etc.
I kind of miss Donald. He was so effing unpredictable that it was fun to read his Tweets. He sucked being president but was highly successful at being an asshole.
It sounds like Trump needs some money, so expect him to charge membership to his new social media platform.
ONE MORE THING:
Face it, faithful readers, talk radio is pretty one-sided and boring when it comes to politics in the state and sports talk radio gets boring to me pretty fast, also.
I recently found out that in Great Falls, KEIN 1310 AM plays a lot of stand-up comedy bits. Here is their Facebook profile:
KEIN (1310 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a pure comedy format as Montana’s Comedy Network. Licensed to Great Falls, Montana, United States, the station serves Central Montana.
Little known fact, KEIN is the very first station in Montana.
There’s a link on the Facebook page to stream the station.
We can all use a laugh now and then.
The Western Word 
If only those people touting themselves as X generation Montanans actually stood for anything like the values of the Montana I grew up in, where as the saying goes, “It was almost impossible to find a place you could NOT hunt”, union jobs were respected jobs instead of reviled, and Dem senators like Mike Mansfield reflected our values.
Terry- very well stated. Btw, Mansfield was born in New York City. Thanks, JmB
I’ve previously lived in CA, NY & PA. Only in MT have I heard the third or fourth generation thing. Back east you. Might hear, “My family founded X city.” At a debate when my opponent mentioned his generations in MT. I said, “I’m from Pittsburgh. Who doesn’t like Pittsburghers?”
Mary – great response! Thanks, JmB
I remember when Burns ran against Mudd and Charlton Heston was here to support him and Right To Work. We had a union picket set up outside the Russell Museum knowing Heston was coming. A guy across the street had a PA system and and kept yelling over it, “Don’t vote for Mudd, Mudd is a dud.” Heston arrived, looked me in the eye, and said, “Get a job.” I already had a good Union one out at the base. Charlton couldn’t have known that I guess. I’m a third generation Montanan and never gave it that much thought. Fun times.
Bill – haha. I poured Heston a couple glasses of wine that night. I still have a campaign shirt autographed by him. I remember hearing the Union guys.
When I was younger I attended many strikes and walked the picket lines with my dad who was a Union member in the Midwest (Operating Engineers). Good memories. Thanks, JmB