Tuesday’s Quick Hits

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Quote for the Day…

I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure – which is: Try to please everybody. – Herbert Bayard Swope

In today’s column, I take a quick look at these people/issues:

  • Failure to Lead
  • Sanders County
  • The Western Word Poll

FAILURE TO LEAD:

The Great Falls Tribune reported Monday afternoon that Montana led the nation over the past two weeks in positive COVID-19 case increases per capita, according to data tracked by the New York Times.

The Tribune went on to report that in the last 14 days, Montana saw a 55% increase in virus cases in daily reports per 100,000. In that two-week period, the state reported an average of 858 cases per day, or 80 per 100,000. Montana is currently sixth in COVID-19 cases per 100,000 in the contiguous U.S. as of Monday.

So, what is Governor Greg Gianforte (R-MT) doing about the pandemic?

Nothing.

On Monday, Gianforte posted a letter on Facebook about the northern border being closed saying, “President Joe Biden continues to lock down the U.S.-Canada border, hurting Montana families and our small business owners.”

Earlier in the day, he posted his concerns on Facebook about “the crisis at our southern border…”

Give me a break.

Maybe if Gianforte tried to fight the pandemic more in his state, the feds would be more inclined to open the U.S.-Canada border.

He has been a failure in dealing with the pandemic – the increase of deaths and COVID cases in Montana are a direct reflection of Gianforte’s failure to lead. Former Governor Steve Bullock took decisive action. Gianforte seems to be hiding from the crisis after undoing all the good that Bullock did.

Montana is in a crisis and it’s not because of the border issues.

Read the complete article from the Tribune HERE.

SANDERS COUNTY:

In case you missed it, the Associated Press (AP) reported that the public health officer in a politically conservative county in northwestern Montana has resigned his post to ease what his resignation letter called “the strife and conflict coming from a minority of people objecting” to his recommendations in responding to the coronavirus.

The AP reported that Nick Lawyer, a physician’s assistant at the hospital in Plains, said he submitted his letter of resignation on Friday at the request of Sanders County Commissioners. He released a copy of the letter on social media. Two commissioners said he offered to resign, and they accepted it.

The county will need to hire a new health officer. Maybe the county commissioners can take over those duties – they seem to think they know more than medical professionals.

The AP also stated that Montana lawmakers curtailed the power of local health officers to implement rules such as mask mandates and limits on gathering sizes.

Yes, some Montana lawmakers are that ignorant. This is part of the bullshit that passed in the last Montana Legislative session.

Meanwhile, you probably read earlier in this column that Montana led the nation over the past two weeks in positive COVID-19 case increases per capita, according to data tracked by the New York Times.

Is this winning? Is this freedom?

I want scientists and medical professionals making decisions about health issues, not some wacky county commissioners. Politicians should take a seat on the bench in a supportive role.

Read the complete article from the AP HERE.

THE WESTERN WORD POLL:

Last week the Washington Post (WaP0) reported that twice in the final months of the Trump administration, Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was so fearful that the president’s actions might spark a war with China that he moved urgently to avert armed conflict.

This information was from a new book called “Peril” by Washington Post associate editor Bob Woodward and national political reporter Robert Costa.

WaPo also reported that Milley also summoned senior officers to review the procedures for launching nuclear weapons, saying the president alone could give the order — but, crucially, that he, Milley, also had to be involved. Looking each in the eye, Milley asked the officers to affirm that they had understood, the authors write, in what he considered an “oath.”

Read the complete WaPo article HERE.

This week’s poll question asks, “Do you agree with the actions taken by General Mark Milley?”

The results will be released later this week.

## MASK UP – GET YOUR VACCINE – LIVE ##

8 thoughts on “Tuesday’s Quick Hits”

    • “Christy Baxter, the hospital’s director of critical care, said the ICU was operating at 160% of capacity.

      “Threats have on occasion required a police response. Screaming, profanity-laden insults are a daily occurrence. One patient threw his own feces at a doctor. Some, even in the face of an intubation tube, question the need to be vaccinated or the effectiveness of the medicine being prescribed,” he reported.”

      Throwing feces at a doctor. Hospitals so overwhelmed they have to call in the national Guard. Gianforte’s Montana.

      Apparently this is what he meant about not doing anything in favor of trusting people to make their own responsible healthcare decisions.

  3. I see where Gianforte is now requesting that the VA accept non-veteran patients. This after having repeatedly bad-mouthed the VA when he was a mostly-absentee Representative in the House. And here I thought he didn’t have any guts.

    • Gianforte has turned into a real big proponent of begging for help and money from the Feds ever since he took the office of Gov. His tax cut for Montana’s rich doesn’t leave much wiggle room for the State to truly be self-sufficient and pay its own way.

  4. Even though Gianforte does not seem to care if Montanans live or die, he did do one positive thing this week.

    The Montana Free Press reports that he made a statement welcoming the Afghan refugees fleeing Taliban terror and seeking freedom and safety to Montana, like you would expect decent human beings of all faiths to do, especially those who call themselves Christian. Daines and Tester issued similar statements.

    Compare and contrast to the prejudiced hateful statement issued by the ethnocentric xenophobe extremist Rosendale.

    https://tinyurl.com/vewmte8d

    • Terry – You are correct. That was nice of the Governor. I imagine he took some hits from the extreme members of his party. Thanks, JmB

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