Quote for the day…
If you know how quickly people forget the dead you will start living your life on your own terms instead of other people’s terms. ― Samuel Clément
Today’s independent commentary deals with these issues:
- The Western Word Poll
- BDC Editorial
- Reading Assignment
- One More Thing
THE WESTERN WORD POLL:
Dr. Anthony Fauci is the director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the chief medical advisor to the president. Fauci has been in the news recently after some of his emails were released through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
BBC News reported that some conservative politicians and media pundits have cited the emails in their calls to sack Dr. Fauci for his work on the pandemic response, while across the political aisle, liberals have argued Dr. Fauci’s positions adapted to the scientific evidence available at the time.
This week’s poll question asks, “Do you trust Dr. Anthony Fauci?”
The results will be posted later this week.
BDC EDITORIAL:
I enjoy reading a good editorial. In my humble opinion (which I give here five days a week and put my name on) the Bozeman Daily Chronicle’s editorial board takes the blue ribbon/gold medal for their editorials.
Sunday’s editorial will anger those on the right, but it should serve as a wake-up to the righties. Here is the title:
The Montana attorney general’s recipe for a litigious hot mess
The Board starts the editorial with this observation:
There are public officials who put their heads down and do the work they were elected to do and there are those who merely seek to advance their political fortunes by calling attention to themselves at every opportunity.
Put state Attorney General Austin Knudsen in the latter category.
Ouch!
Here’s the reason for the editorial:
The Republican Knudsen recently issued an “opinion” banning the teaching of “critical race theory” in schools and employee training. He did so at the behest of Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen, a fellow Republican who is apparently also prone to self-aggrandizement.
The Board adds that Knudsen and Arntzen have fallen prey to the latest culture war bugaboo issued from national conservative circles.
No kidding. Their concerns amount to a nothing burger. It will end up costing the state a lot of money to defend.
Read the full editorial by clicking HERE.
READING ASSIGNMENT:
Here are some articles that I think you will find interesting…
- Public Service Commission to hire director after violations
- Judge overturns California’s 32-year ban on assault weapons
- American Legion post in OH closing after cutting veteran’s mic during Memorial Day speech
- Guest view: Rosendale way off base on military
- Southern Baptists head for annual meeting at a crossroads on race and gender
ONE MORE THING:
From The Other 98%…
The devil’s best work was being able to convince Evangelicals that a vulgar, greedy, racist man who has five children with three wives, pays porn stars for sex, gropes women, incites violence, and never tells the truth, was sent here by God.
The Western Word 
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Let’s see………….Dr Fauci: Education, background, credentials out the wazoo, experience, integrity, compassion, concern, and courage.
The people who attack and denigrate him with lies and insults: None of the above.
Gee……….that’s a tough decision on who to trust. Gimme a little while to ponder.
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So little did we know that a hard working Medical Doctor and Immunologist who has worked for The National Institutes of Health plus 50 years and advisor to 7 presidents 4 Republicans and 3 Democrats that received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and spent years finding treatments for HIV/AIDS,Swine Flu,Ebola and Covid 19 was actually a card carrying Communist. He supposedly lied under oath to Congress,lied to the public and needs to be prosecuted and jailed for years,and sued for causing the deaths of thousands from Covid. Yes Dr. Anthony Fauci age 80 is that evil man. How do I know that, well this past weekend I tuned into Fox News to see what fair and balanced was up to. They had a line up of famed Virologists on to tell the truth about Fauci. There was virologist former Judge Jeanine Pirro, famous virologist attorney Greg Jarrett and far right political talk show host,former Secret Service agent immunologist Dan Bongino. They all wanted Fauci fired and jailed for fraud and lying. I believe those three no doubt received their medical degrees from Trump University. I guess the GOP has decided the path to re-elect Donald Trump in 2024 is to run against a man with a popularity rating in the 60″s.
Dennis – great points and observations. Thanks for sacrificing some of your weekend to watch Fox News. -JmB
I find it hard to believe Rosendale wrote that by himself. Way too articulate. Sounds more like the work of a right wing think tank. Remember this crap has to come from somewhere – guys like Rosy are just the messenger. No way he comes up with such a thoughtful justification of racism woven with left wing boogeymen and right wing talking points on his own. There’s more to all of this. Who are, Rosy, AG AK and the rest of them taking their orders from?
Pretty sure it’s some outfit that is not much concerned with loyalty to our constitutional order.
mtcreels – Great points. Thank you, JmB
As is usual in these cases, a great deal of the misinformation about CRT that you read from R politicians and is faithfully regurgitated in righty blogs comes from The Heritage Foundation, as well as similar right wing influencers. They have fabricated their own fantastical far right version of what CRT means and includes to misinform and inflame the right wing base, like the crazy uncle who forwards all those nutty chain emails.
Education Week had a good article on the recent attention this 40 year old idea has suddenly drawn from the right:
https://tinyurl.com/y7ezukf8
So did US News:
https://tinyurl.com/y6cdwj74
On the subject of Critical Race Theory, that recent Rosendale guest opinion in various Montana papers was quite a doozy. The guest view linked here under reading assignments did a good job of taking it down. But unaddressed were some of Matt’s basic dishonesties.
The diversity training in the military is not something new, as Matt would have the reader believe. Biden simply rescinded Trump’s exec order that had closed it down late last year. There’s been no mention in reputable news stories that Bishop Garrison had anything to do with the reassignment of Lohmeier. And Lohmeier did not get reassigned simply for opposing CRT, he got reassigned for participating in prohibited partisan political activity, or exactly the sort of political partisanship Matt argues the military is respected for avoiding. And Lohmeier wasn’t really even speaking out about CRT as such, what he claimed was that diversity and inclusion training in general was rooted in CRT which itself is rooted in Marxism, which is truly Lohmeier’s personal bugaboo, as evidenced by his book he was promoting.. Not to mention all the disinformation about CRT itself tossed out there by Matt.
But never let honesty and facts stand in the way of an opportunity to fire up a good stemwinder against the far right’s latest culture war bugaboo and burnish your national level extreme right bonafides if you’re Matt Rosendale.. (As opposed to, say, spending your time trying to craft legislation that would benefit Montanans.)
Matt finishes his editorial on a low note by admitting that 85% of his own Republican caucus rejected that dishonest extremism and naked opportunism and refused to sign on to this publicity stunt with Matt and his far far right fellow radicals. The same caucus that voted overwhelmingly to disenfranchise America’s voters and support Trump’s Big Lie found Rosendale too extreme. Kind of embarrassing for Matt. Really embarrassing for Montana.
Terry – Thank you. -JmB
My Republican Party seems obsessed with losing control of the Legislature. The attack on the the Montana Supreme Court and this venture in to critical race theory are going to lose elections next year.
Dave – Thanks. One would think so, but I wouldn’t bet on it. -JmB
My one reason for hope is that legalizing marijuana in Montana got 57% last year. There is a rational middle in Montana.
What the hell kind of AG tells parents to sue their school district? And really, it doesn’t have to be parents. Anyone who hates public Ed (“government schools”. Remember that one.) has been given the green light by no less than the AG to destroy their schools. Think school board meetings have been wild in the past, think again! Can’t have socialistic commie teachers indoctrinating the young with ideas that go against our governor’s theory of creation! A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but zero knowledge will get you elected to the highest offices in Montana state government! We’re screwed.
Larry – Thanks. I hope sooner rather than later people see through this wacko crap and vote them out. Thanks, JmB
good, timely blog. Thanks
John – Thanks for reading! -JmB