Quote for the day...
Be decisive. Right or wrong make a decision. The road of life is paved with flat squirrels who could not make a decision. -Unknown
Today’s independent commentary deals with these issues:
>The Western Word Poll
>Stop Guilt by Accusation Act
>MLB All-Star Game
>One More Thing
THE WESTERN WORD POLL:
This session of the Montana Legislature has met for more than 60 days. This week’s poll asks you to grade the legislature thus far.
The results will be posted later this week.
STOP GUILT BY ACCUSATION ACT:
Sometimes I read about bills being introduced in the Montana Legislature and shake my head.
I know, I know, it helps keep my marbles loose.
Last week I read an Associated Press story about a bill called “Stop Guilt by Accusation Act” that supposedly would prevent media outlets from reporting on news that lawmakers deem defamatory.
One interesting part of the story was this:
A legal review of Montana’s bill prepared by legislative staff states that the measure could conflict with the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which protects freedom of the press.
No kidding – I guess you need to get up pretty early to get something by the legislative staff.
Another part of the AP story says the measure appears to originate from a group called Special Forces of Liberty.
I do not know if that is true, but I do believe that many of our Montana legislators are incapable of stringing together enough sentences to write a bill.
I hope that the last sentence did not hurt their feelings…
Read the full report from the AP HERE.
MLB ALL-STAR GAME:
Major League Baseball announced on Friday that it will relocate the 2021 All-Star Game and MLB Draft, originally scheduled to take place in Atlanta, to a to-be-determined location. The decision comes a little more than a week after the passage of S.B. 202, a Georgia law that President Joe Biden criticized earlier this week, saying that it will restrict voting access for residents of the state.
I do not have a problem with this move. Across the nation, we are seeing Republicans try to suppress voting. Here in Montana the Republican Legislature is trying to suppress voting even though they whipped the Democrats handily in 2020.
It is funny, but it all boils down to Republicans having a problem with voter turnout. Voter turnout.
I hope more organizations let states that try to suppress voting know there may be some repercussions for their actions.
Read the statement from MLB HERE.
ONE MORE THING:
If you feel like you are behind in life just remember that Matt Gaetz did not get a high school girlfriend until he was almost 40. -From Facebook
The Western Word 
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After 4 terms of Schweitzer and Bullock exercising rational restraint on the worst of the extreme right, they’re busy now catching up on 16 years of crazy. They get a large, red capital F for the spite and ignorance they’re inflicting on us.
Fred – Thanks for your comments. -JmB
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When you have folks who seriously consider a bill like this, they can be given nothing but an F. I can’t fathom how people vote for these guys whose sole purpose seems to be to screw them over! How is that good governance in any sense? How is it economic development? Economic development has to make economic sense. This doesn’t on any level. It’s simply theft from the people of Montana. I would suggest Fitzpatrick for the next dumbass of the week, except that he’s not dumb. He knows exactly what he’s doing and it’s ugly, as ugly as any robber baron stuff from the past. Schweitzer nails.
https://dailymontanan.com/2021/04/04/montana-lawmakers-are-acting-like-putins-pups/?fbclid=IwAR1jv8ucS-24LSmziGHGtqam_apDeYgu5LkQ04E6ptVAvexnsWfOsC3PjZg
Larry – Thanks. -JmB