Quote for the day…
Call me crazy, but I like to see other people happy and succeeding. Life is a journey, not a competition. -Unknown
Today’s independent commentary deals with these issues:
- The Western Word Poll
- Cascade County Justice of the Peace
- AG Knudsen & GoFundMe
- Kim Potter Sentence
THE WESTERN WORD POLL:
This week’s poll asks, “Do you agree with the Ex-officer Kim Potter receiving a two-year sentence for the killing of Daunte Wright?” (Source)
The results will be posted later this week.
CASCADE COUNTY JUSTICE OF THE PEACE:
“The Electric” is reporting that Cascade County Commissioners appointed Dave Phillips as a justice of the peace in August 2021. A complaint filed with the Montana Human Rights Bureau alleges that they made the appointment despite the fact that Phillips had multiple DUI arrests and state and federal tax liens filed against him while he was a Cascade County sheriff’s deputy.
It was also reported that “The Electric” has independently verified the DUI charges and tax liens.
This is another black mark on the leadership of Cascade County. The Cascade County commissioners remind me of the three stooges.
As many of my faithful readers know, my older sister had her life severely changed by a drunk driver when she was a teenager. I have pushed for stronger punishments for DUIs throughout my life. I do not have sympathy for anyone who drives drunk. Phillips has no business in this position.
Phillips should resign.
Plus, the Cascade County Commissioners should employ someone who knows how to conduct a background check.
By the way, I’ve done many background and never failed. I can find all sorts of crap on people.
Read the report from “The Electric” by clicking HERE.
AG KNUDSEN & GOFUNDME:
According to a press release, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has opened an investigation into potential violations of Montana’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Act in connection with GoFundMe’s redirection of funds from the Canadian Freedom Convoy earlier this month. After $10 million was raised on the GoFundMe crowd fundraising platform to support the protestors and $1 million was distributed to the peaceful protestors, GoFundMe suddenly announced it would withhold the remaining $9 million in donations from the Freedom Convoy and instead send the money to another organization.
I think that Knudsen has probably filed more lawsuits and conducted more investigations during the first 18 months of his term than any other attorney general in Montana history.
This is red meat for his base – it’s like prime rib with a side of horseradish!
Read the press release from the Montana Department of Justice by clicking HERE.
KIM POTTER SENTENCE:
I was a little surprised at the two-year sentence that former police officer Kim Potter received for the killing of Dante Wright.
The Associated Press reported:
Kim Potter, the former suburban Minneapolis police officer who said she confused her handgun for her Taser when she fatally shot Daunte Wright, was sentenced Friday to two years in prison. Wright’s family denounced the sentence as too lenient and accused the judge of giving more consideration to the white officer than the Black victim.
The AP reported that Wright was killed after Brooklyn Center officers pulled him over for having expired license tags and an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror. It was also reported evidence at Potter’s trial showed officers learned he had an outstanding warrant for a weapons possession charge and they tried to arrest him when he pulled away.
I have said this before in this blog, but if people would obey authority the chances of them being alive today would be much better. I am not black, but I have been stopped by police several times- especially when I was a teenager. I always listen closely to the commands given to me. I even had a blackjack used on my head.
I spent almost 12 years as a member of the security forces in the U.S. Air Force. Part of my duties was law enforcement.
Romans 13:1 – Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
The Western Word 
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I worked for the City for years. I could tell you some horror stories about their hiring practices. None of it ever hit the news. I quit the Tribune just this week. Not the paper it once was.
…if people would obey authority the chances of them being alive today would be much better.”
https://www.npr.org/2019/04/03/709432311/texas-prosecutor-drops-all-charges-in-2015-biker-shootout-that-killed-9
Looks like the chances improve more for white offenders.
“For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” I’ve dealt with a lot of authorities of different sorts over the years. I can’t honestly say I ever considered any of them to have been instituted by God.
Fred – I appreciate your views on this.
It seems to me that we don’t have as much respect for others as we once had.
As for authority comes from God, those are my beliefs. I don’t expect everyone to agree with me. Thanks again, JmB
I understand and agree about that lack of respect, but don’t you think authorities need to respect the people they claim to serve? Do your beliefs include the likes of Jesse Slaughter?
Fred – Of course, those in authority should respect those they serve. We, as taxpayers, are their bosses, but that does not mean we can get away with breaking the law.
As for Jesse Slaughter, I respect his position as Cascade County Sheriff. I do respect his position of authority, although I might not agree with the way he does his job. I will make my final decision when the election rolls around.
Thanks, JmB
I never had much to do with county government until I joined forces with those fighting the construction of the massive foreign owned slaughter plant. We learned quickly just how corrupt those folks are. Suffice it to say it would take a small book to describe what we encountered. They are corrupt as hell and they don’t care who knows it. They didn’t even try to hide it they were so confident that they were untouchable. Hence, one commissioner has resigned and those that remain find themselves in court trying to explain their actions.
This is excellent reporting by The Electric. I quit the Tribune years ago because it was pathetic. No news at all. Thank God we have the Electric to keep us informed on local issues. And we now have some great state wide blogs too. (Yours included). No need any longer for three GF Spitoon.
P.S. Anybody want to buy a vacant building? Cheap!
It would be a pretty poor excuse for a Good Old Boys Club if they weren’t willing to cut some slack for a Good Old Boy with a few measly DUIs. DUIs in Montana aren’t remarkable until the count reaches double digits.
Terry – It makes me wonder what else they have missed (or overlooked) over the years when hiring people.
Thanks, JmB
Not just the DUI, which is sufficient enough in my opinion to disqualify him out of hand for the position. But he also lied about it on the application. This calls into question his character on a whole new level. In other words, he committed what in essence is perjury. That was not an oversight. The instructions were explicit. If he couldn’t understand those, how will he interpret the sometimes difficult interpretations of the law? And will he overlook perjury in his courtroom? He should at least be held accountable to the same standards as the rest of us. Anyone of us would be rejected out of hand for such behavior. His background in law enforcement should not entitle him to special consideration. His judgement is already compromised. Do we really want to hire a judge with questionable judgement? Especially one who now owes favors to those who hired him? I think not.
Difficult to understand why AG Knudsen is suddenly wasting our taxpayer dollars on this GoFundMe investigation, since they decided two weeks ago to simply automatically refund all the donations and not follow their original plan of making refunds optional with the unclaimed funds sent to another charity of the Freedom Convoy’s choice. Predictably enough his press release omits that minor detail.
Apparently the state is so awash in money that the AG can simply waste it on useless investigations simply to bolster his own political profile and/or bully for strictly political reasons yet another private business that enforced its terms of service in a manner not to the liking of the extremist right.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/gofundme-backtracks-canadian-trucker-money-fraud-investigation-threat