Quote for the Day…
The only difference between where you are and where you want to be is the number of steps you haven’t taken yet. – Unknown
Today’s independent commentary deals with these people/issues:
- Congressional Districts
- Texas Abortion & Voting Laws
- Reading Assignments
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS:
In case you missed it, MTN News did a story about the drawing of Montana’s two new congressional districts.
MTN reports that members of the public are submitting proposed district maps now to the commission, which will choose several “finalist” plans Oct. 5. It then will hold public hearings on those proposals and vote Oct. 30 on which plan to adopt.
It should be interesting to see what the commission comes up with.
Check out the story HERE.
You can visit the Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission website HERE.
TEXAS ABORTION & VOTING LAWS:
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday defended a new state law banning most abortions that also does not provide exceptions for cases of rape or incest, saying it does not force victims to give birth even though it prohibits abortions before some women know they’re pregnant. (AP)
The AP also reported that Abbott signed an elections overhaul into law Tuesday that adds more voting restrictions in the booming state, after Democrats spent months protesting what they say are efforts to weaken minority turnout and preserve the GOP’s eroding dominance. Opponents did not wait for Abbott’s signature to begin filing lawsuits against the new Texas law known as Senate Bill 1.
We’ll see if these new laws can withstand challenges in court.
READING ASSIGNMENTS:
Here are some stories that you should read…
Native transgender lobbyist sues conservative news website for libel
This will be an interesting case…
Gianforte budget director to step down after nine months
He did not last long…
Labor Day: Butte still has a strong connection with labor
This is a great story from John Emeigh…
Two Decades after 9/11, Muslim Americans Still Fighting Bias
I see the hatred almost every day on social media…
The Western Word 
I post this article simply for informational purposes. I think there may be some people left out there who really don’t fully understand how abortion came to be such an all consuming divisive issue. It was by evil, insidious, devious design. A small group of extreme right wingers got together and weaponized it to attract voters to right wing causes. I knew about this from reading the book The Family by Jeff Sharlett. But this article presents quite nicely how it all came about and who the main players are. They’re all mentioned in the second half of the article. I can remember a time when abortion was never mentioned. This is what changed.
https://lithub.com/how-fringe-christian-nationalists-made-abortion-a-central-political-issue/?fbclid=IwAR1C048ERsvwXAHQgLcNYqHHheaRqukTd3CWh9ujdX7JiWRbQ76HMNndnk0