Quote for the Day…
A leader is great not because of his or her power, but because of his or her ability to empower others. ― John Maxwell
Caught My Eye (CME) is the once-a-week column that is posted every Friday morning. This is when I look at some of the stories I did not have time to write about during the week.
Here are some of the things that “Caught My Eye” this week:
- Reminder – Scouting For Food
- Hate in Great Falls
- Surprise, Surprise, Surprise
- Daines Caught in Lie
- Rosendale & Insulin
- Now Hear This
REMINDER – SCOUTING FOR FOOD:
Don’t forget Great Falls readers that this Saturday (April 2) in Great Falls (I am not sure about other places in Montana) is the 28th Annual Scouting for Food Drive. The food will be donated to the Great Falls Food Bank.
Please take a moment to help those less fortunate.
HATE IN GREAT FALLS:
As I mentioned yesterday, the Great Falls Tribune reported that Tawny Cale of Great Falls (MT) found a sandwich bag in her driveway that contained a folded flyer with a popular phrase criticizing President Joe Biden. The flyer lists members of the Biden Administration and health officials, labeling them as “Jewish” and labeling some as “Transgender.”
The Great Falls Police Department posted a Facebook message about the flyers saying they have “assigned an officer to investigate this activity and we are seeking to identify those responsible.”
Then they said this: “DON’T CALL if you receive a flyer, please just throw it away.”
WTF…
They also said to give them a call if you have information that may assist in identifying the persons responsible.
I would think the investigating officer would want to know if someone received the flyer so he/she could contact the people and see if maybe they had some camera or something to help identify those spreading the hate. What about fingerprints?
There’s a lot of hatred toward Biden and his folks on social media in Great Falls, as well as across Montana. I asked yesterday if “Grandpa Joe” was one of the names on the flyer – it’s a popular slam by some ignorant people on social media in Great Falls. Some are elected officials.
There are few elected officials in the Great Falls area who think they are mini-Trumps and try to emulate his assholish actions.
They aren’t saying much about this latest hateful attack, which is kind of ironic, don’t you think?
SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE:
The Missoula Current reported that Missoula County praised its election’s staff on Thursday after a paid recount of signature envelopes submitted during the 2020 General Election found that a private group’s allegations of election fraud were unfounded.
According to the Missoula County Elections Office, the recount conducted this week and funded by the local Republic Central Committee found a 0.09% difference from the 71,924 affirmation envelopes counted by the county in November 2020.
Like I said earlier this week, the $5,000 spent by the Republicans for the recount could have better been used to purchase tinfoil hats for all the wackos that have taken over the Montana Republican Party.
Read the complete report from the Missoula Current HERE.
DAINES CAUGHT IN LIE:
If you thought for one minute that U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) would vote for Supreme Court nominee, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, then I have some oceanfront property to sell you near Geyser, Montana.
Daines is the guy who spends most of his time trashing Biden on social media, instead of trying to work with him.
Daines fired off a statement this week saying a scheduled meeting between him and Jackson was canceled. ABC/FOX Montana has the report HERE.
That was a lie. The meeting was rescheduled.
At the end of his statement, the clearly hurt Daines stated, “I will be voting no on Judge Jackson’s nomination.”
Oh, did the junior senator get his feelings hurt? This is the big league and different from selling laundry detergent and feminine hygiene products.
The only thing I can say is Daines should man up and do what is right for Montana once in a while, instead of his party.
ROSENDALE & INSULIN:
The U.S. House on Thursday passed legislation to cap the cost of insulin at $35 a month, a move that would significantly lower the price of the life-saving drug for more than 7 million diabetes patients. The bill passed on a mostly party-line vote, 232-193. (The Hill)
U.S. Representative Matt Rosendale (R-MT/AL) voted NAY.
NOW HEAR THIS:
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That’s our Rosie. Guess I can understand now why he never put on a uniform to defend anything. He stands for nothing. Guess that you’d have to label him an appeaser hawk. Hard to believe that anyone could love Putin and not see the danger he represents.
“Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) echoed Kent’s views about Ukraine. The real invasion, he suggested, wasn’t taking place in Ukraine but on America’s southern border. He explained that he opposed bills targeting Russia in Congress because “I could not support that at the exact same time we are seeing an invasion take place on our own southern border.” While “life in the Ukraine is sad and tragic,” America should be more concerned about the 100,000 American citizens who died of drug overdoses — “just as dead from an invasion.” Nor was he particularly impressed by Biden’s efforts to send aid to Ukraine, declaring, “I have major concerns about a compromised president of the United States who is sending incredible support to a less-than-forthright president of the Ukraine.” He added, “We have war hawks all over the place.”
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/04/02/trump-conservatives-emergency-meeting-gop-russia-00022419
For 50 years, federal Title X funds have been disbursed to the MT Dept of Public Health & Human Services for allotment to agencies, both public and private, providing medical services to the women of Montana. The current administration and the far-right faction dominating the Legislature have done everything conceivable to protect and support those services. (Yes, Virginia, that’s what is known as “sarcasm”)
They have done so much, in fact, that one of the private, not-for-profit agencies entered their own application to be the recipient of those federal Title X funds. The spite-driven actions of the administration and Legislature have been so egregious and discriminatory that Bridgercare was awarded those Title X funds. They are already reaching out to all qualifying agencies to make sure that those funds are properly distributed.
Gianforte and DPHHS director Meier were apparently caught completely unaware of that possibility. (Yes, Virginia, that’s what is known as “going along fat, dumb, and happy”). I suspect the shrill cries of outrage could be heard throughout the precincts of the Capital when that was announced. I’m sure the ‘bat**** crazy’ signal has been activated, and AG Knudzey will yet again bluster about ‘big gummit’ overreach and file yet another asinine lawsuit against those nefarious people in DC who are actually doing the job they’re supposed to be doing. I doubt that the irony will be apparent to him.
Fred – I saw that and enjoyed the story behind it. You can bet the AG is searching his Westlaw and/or Lexis/Nexis database for ideas.
Congrats to Bridgercare for their work on this. Here is a link to the story:
https://montanafreepress.org/2022/03/30/bozeman-nonprofit-to-take-over-montana-family-planning-program/
Thanks, JmB
Unclear why Daines thinks we are supposed to care that he and his very important very partisan questions got blown off for a week on meeting Jackson. He was a nay vote from the moment it became clear Biden was going to be President thus maybe naming a Supreme Court justice at some point during his presidency. No matter who Biden picked. Everyone in Montana knows it. The White House knows it too. When you’re a totally useless and predictable partisan line voter you go to the back of the line, behind people who might make some difference.
Regarding the Missoula County recount, Rep Tschida said it best previously. If these results did not support the discrepancy found by his totally dispassionate “the vote was stolen!” group’s previous count, then the new results are simply not to be believed. Now there’s really no choice for conspiracy-minded righties. Stay away from the polls in droves. That will show them. It will show all of us. And oh by the way contribute generously to make up that $5,000 Tschida forced his party to waste.