Quote for the Day…
Should you ever find yourself the victim of other people’s bitterness, smallness, or insecurities, remember, things could be worse…you could be them. – Unknown
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:
- The Constitutional Sheriff
- In My Mailbox
- 2022 Election Guide
- Baby Formula
- One More Thing
THE CONSTITUTIONAL SHERIFF:
The Great Falls Tribune is reporting that the Montana Human Rights Action Network (MHRAN) has published a report accusing Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter of siding with far-right organizations with roots in anti-government militia, racism, and anti-Semitism.
Ouch. That about covers all the shitty things a person could be in life.
The Tribune said they could not get a comment from Slaughter.
By the way, I voted for Slaughter last time.
On social media, Slaughter’s supporters, some who do drive-by hit pieces on candidates they don’t like, called the Tribune story and the report a drive-by hit piece. Isn’t that ironic?
The Tribune also reported that Slaughter has publicly identified himself as a “constitutional sheriff” multiple times, including before the legislature, at candidate forums and on broadcasts by Montana Gazette Radio (MGR).
In my opinion, a sheriff calling him or herself a “constitutional sheriff” means he/she is lacking in something. I have taken several oaths to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States over my lifetime and never felt the need to add “constitutional” to my titles.
Nonetheless, this report is alarming on many fronts. The story is behind a paywall on the Tribune website, but it won’t be for long. Click HERE to see if you can view it.
As for the MHRAN report, click HERE.
IN MY MAILBOX:
The “In My Mailbox” might become a weekly thing…
This week I received information from the Cascade County Republican Political Action Committee that was called a “Scandal Sheet.”
In the mailer, they endorsed Randy Pinocci for Public Service Commission, Joe Briggs for Cascade County Commissioner, and Desma Meissner for SD 12. They also endorsed two people in my area for the precinct committee.
As usual, they also advertised for a gun raffle.
There was a “Message from the Chairman” who talked about conservatives waking up and taking the country back from the Democrats and the RINOs (Republican in Name Only).
Republicans seem to get pissed if someone is not 110% Republican.
The interesting part was the line, “We need to take one step at a time and assert our God given domination over the earth and take it back.”
I did not know someone took the earth from us. I was probably napping.
A friend received the same mailer and that part stood out to him, too. I said it must be from the Book of MAGA because most of the Republicans in Cascade County are MAGA/tinfoil hat folks.
You can check out the message HERE.
2022 ELECTION GUIDE:
The Montana Free Press (MTFP) has an election guide posted on its website.
Check it out HERE.
BABY FORMULA:
Some on the right are upset about a story in the Washington Examiner with the clickbait headline “Illegal migrants first to get ‘pallets’ of hard-to-find baby formula.”
When one only reads the headline, you might not get the full story.
In the opening paragraph, we find why they are receiving “pallets” of the baby formula: They are detained by the Border Patrol.
For my friends on the right, detained means “to hold or keep in or as if in custody.” That means they can’t run out to the store for things like formula. I bet there are pallets of diapers being delivered, too, but that would not garner as much hatred from the right.
Be better.
ONE MORE THING:
REMINDER – STAMP OUT HUNGER, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) food drive, is this Saturday, (Tomorrow) May 14.
Customers simply leave their donation of non-perishable food items next to their mailbox before the delivery of the mail on Saturday, May 14. Letter carriers will collect these food donations on that day as they deliver mail along their postal routes, and distribute them to local food banks, pantries, shelters and churches. (Press Release)
Please donate!
More information can be found HERE.
The Western Word 
Terry ,monomaniacal focus? on identity politics. Your focus instrument must be clouded with democrat blunders (of which there are many). Wipe it clean and focus on the monomania that brought us an unqualified person as president. The monomania list is too long; at least 6 years too long. It is evident that people listen to this guy.
What’s particularly disturbing about having a constitutionalist sheriff is the outsized role they can play in land disputes. We have lots of federal land in Montana that we all enjoy. But there are greedy forces that would love to steal this land from us through privatization never to be returned. We already see it in our legislature with the introduction of endless unconstitutional bills to take federal land from the feds and give it to the states. The constitutionalist sheriffs always side with the land grabbers at the state level. This creates untold situations for violent confrontations. Why would we want that? Why would we want a sheriff who’s sides with any future Bundy’s? I don’t think we do.
If you’re a policy wonk, you might enjoy this scholarly study. I read this stuff because it’s that important. And it ain’t goin’ away any time soon. A big part of being a constitutionalist sheriff is facilitating the theft of our beloved public lands.
Click to access nemerever-2019.pdf
Did the Republican PAC NOT endorse Slaugher??
He was not listed on the mailer as being endorsed. I forgot to mention that. Thanks, JmB
Interesting he’s a regular at the weekly Pachyderm Cub meetings. The Pachyderms and the PAC are rivals of the Republican Central Committee. Maybe they can’t stomach endorsing a former Democrat?
Citizens of Cascade & Belt are being denied their constitutional rights.
Each has a City Court & Judge where tickets should be written into. The Deputies have been writing tickets into Cascade County Justice Court.
The Montana constitution created city courts for the residents of an incorporated city.
The US constitution guaranteed the right to a Jury Trial and Venue (proper court to hear the case.)
The jury of one’s peers is composed of those residents of Belt & Cascade.
They are being denied those rights for no comprehensible reason.
I’ve been trying from behind the scenes to have this changed back to the way it was & getting nowhere.
Mary – Thanks. I did not know this. Seems like it should be done the way you are thinking – JmB
Yes someone did take the earth from the radical far right. Though most normal people would say “saved it from them”.
They are mightily P.O.’ed that human laws and government agencies prevent or at least slow them down from cutting down all the trees, poisoning all the waterways, polluting the air all living beings breathe, killing all the wildlife, transforming every mineral deposit into another Berkeley pit, owning all what are now public lands and keeping everyone else off it, and most of all fulfilling white Christian nationalism’s Manifest Destiny over the inferior peoples and species of the earth.
The phrase “God given domination over the earth” is a dead giveaway where they are coming from. If you don’t subscribe to their extremist version of religion get out of the way … much like the Taliban. Occasionally you catch a glimpse of this in social media posts from Cascade County pachyderm club persons, wherein they’re begging for more “Christians” to join the party to help them prevail and run government. Not voters in general, just Christians. And not just any Christians, but the radicalized type like them. There is no place at the table for anyone else in the small tent party, or in their vision for America.
Terry – crazy times. I wonder if our country will survive. -JmB
Only if those of us with moderate centrist beliefs wake up / stand up and say no both the religious fanaticism of the current R party and the monomaniacal focus on identity politics of the current D party. There HAS to be a center road.
Speaking of which, meet & greet rally for Gary Buchanan coming up Wednesday, May 18th. 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Darkhorse Hall, Celtic Cowboy. Maybe finally a local petition signing event which so far has been noticeably lacking.
Terry – With the extreme Republicans choosing which Republicans get their endorsement in primaries more and more these days, it might make it easier to find the moderates. On the same day I received the Cascade County Republican PAC mailer, I received a flyer on my door from another couple running for precinct committee man/woman. I will probably pick the later since the extremes did not endorse them. Thanks, JmB