Caught My Eye…

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Quote for the Day…

Victory has a hundred fathers and defeat is an orphan. ― John F. Kennedy

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:

  • Jesse Slaughter
  • Lincoln County
  • The Extremes
  • Drag Queen Story Hour
  • States Most Dependent on the Gun Industry

JESSE SLAUGHTER:

There were 13,334 Republican votes in Cascade County and only 4,882 for Democrats. There were 105 Libertarian votes.

Jesse Slaughter received 9,248 votes and Jay Groskreutz received 3,925 votes for sheriff. There were four write-in votes.

The source for the above information can be found HERE.

The plan to have Democrats vote on the Republican ballot for Groskreutz failed miserably. The Democrats might have done better by finding a candidate to take on Slaughter, but it’s too late now.

I will get to the real reason Slaughter won the primary race in a second, but first…

A locally elected fool who reminds me of a min-Trump bloviated as to why Slaughter won his primary contest saying Slaughter has done “an outstanding job” and Groskreutz was endorsed by Democrats and Groskreutz did not defend Slaughter in what he termed “smears.” He also said Groskreutz did not have a convincing platform.

As I have said many times on this website, I voted for Slaughter the first time around, but not this time. It did not bother me that he changed parties, but it bothered me how he veered so far to the right and associated with some of the most extreme people of the Republican Party after being a Democrat a few months before that. He will need to move back to the middle before I would consider supporting him next time. I know he reads this blog, so I hope he takes that into consideration.

As for the real reason Slaughter beat Groskreutz – Slaughter received more votes. It’s that simple.

LINCOLN COUNTY:

Lincoln County Montana embarrassed the state when they could not count the ballots by machine because they were the wrong size. They had to count them by hand. (Source)

It kind of reminds me of the saying, “I cut the board twice and it’s still too short.”

Finally, Thursday evening at 5:52 pm the Associated Press (AP) declared Ryan Zinke the winner.

It seems that every election someone or something screws up and we must wait for hours or days to get the results. They are supposed to do a test run so they know these machines work.

Even the Montana Secretary of State’s (SOS) office can’t post the results quickly. Anyone who follows the elections knows that the New York Times, Washington Post, and even Politico have the latest results for Montana before the SOS. Shameful.

THE EXTREMES:

A promise – You won’t see me voting for any far-left or far-right candidates come this November. I live in HD 23 and SD 12. I will be looking for the most moderate candidates to which to give my very important vote.

DRAG QUEEN STORY HOUR:

There are more important things going on in Billings (like shootings every few nights), but many on the right are concerned about the upcoming “Drag Queen Story Hour” at ZooMontana.

U.S. Senator Steve Daines, who never misses a chance to get some publicity, chimed in and said the zoo should not hold the event. I don’t think his opinion matters on this issue.

A former legislator and mayoral candidate said, “They just lost me,” when he heard about the event. Since he only received about 36% of the vote in the mayor’s race, it appears most of the Billings residents do not care what he thinks.

I have a suggestion – If you don’t like “Drag Queen Story Hour,” then don’t go. If you do go, you might learn something

According to Q2 in Billings, ZooMontana is not budging:

June is Pride Month and with festivities kicking off soon, ZooMontana in Billings is receiving backlash for a Pride event being held there.
Some Billings community members are vowing never to visit the zoo again, but the zoo and 406 Pride, an LGBTQ+ resource center, say that’s not about to stop them.

Good for them.

STATES MOST DEPENDENT ON THE GUN INDUSTRY:

WalletHub has a new report out that many Montanans will be interested in: “2022’s States Most Dependent on the Gun Industry” shows Montana is ranked fifth overall.

One interesting piece of information is that Montana has the highest gun ownership rate, 65.00 percent, 7.2 times higher than in New Jersey, which has the lowest at 8.90 percent.

Check out the full report HERE.

## HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND ##

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24 thoughts on “Caught My Eye…”

  1. Terry, thank you for your cogent and effective argument. Let egalitarianism abound. We do not have to agree to like each other.

  2. Terry, thanks for the cogent and effective argument. I guess we will agree that intimacy is in the heart of the beholder. Love is where you find it not announce it. Thanks again

  4. Had a monkey as a pet in Viet Nam. One of the most rewarding and intelligent friends I have ever had. Also the most demanding. I would have another if I lived in a more temperate zone. Monkeys require constant monitoring sort of like a 2 year old. Monkeys are not drag queen pornographers.I

  5. Took my young grandson to Vegas a couple years ago. He flew over the Grand Canyon in a helicopter, saw a medieval show, rode a zip line and played in the water parks. I asked him what he thought after the trip. He said he saw a man in a thong.

  6. I have supposed many things that were not correct. Zoo funding is minor and not important. If you are open to the public you are publically funded by default.

    • Exactly. My two favorites publicly funded drag queens getting frisky in public. I didn’t even know it was called motor boarding.

      • One of the best movies ever. Priscilla Queen of the Desert. They’re drag queens who work the Australian outback where the men are real men. And they are much beloved by these entertainment starved fellas. Great movie. I highly recommend it. You’ll come away with a better understanding of drag queens. They’re not what you think.

    • The point was the lack of public funding means they are a private business and can do as they wish. Just like Twitter, Facebook, this blog, etc. Does not mean they are immune from free speech criticism. People who don’t like what they’re doing can vote with their feet or wallets. And people who feel like supporting them simply because they’re taking a principled stand can contribute to them.

      https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=zoomon&id=2

      • Terry, we do not agree on what is or is not public. I do not think your examples are analogous(an easy cop-out). I have been to this zoo. It is a nice place. Why would a man dress as a man and then parade around in public? I guess I do not want an answer. What would the principled stand be? I would not attend but I would not try to prevent the show? (that’s a stretch) either.

      • John

        By the definition you supplied above for publicly funded, “open to the public”, every business is publicly funded. Including strip joints and trashy bars. So why even draw that distinction for the zoo?

        No answer for why anyone at all dresses the way they do or cuts their hair or tattoos their body etc. except that’s what they want to do. I might think it is stupid, but it is really none of my business. It’s theirs.

        The principled stand by the zoo was they said they were going to put on this one event (one man, reading one story, on one day) in recognition of Pride Month just like many other venues have done across the country, and then didn’t cave in the face of criticism from people who think it is their place to tell a private business how to conduct its affairs as well as dictate to other people what their kids can see. Probably a significant intersection with the types howling at the moon during school board meetings about parents’ rights etc.

    • Geesch. Words have meaning. “Public Funding” means local, state or federal dollars are received.

      • Mary public means open to the public. I think lunch counters in the south settled that.

  7. Terry, if awarding “pastor” Jordan Hall a commendation medal isn’t radical enough, what is? Hall is the guy who commemorates the Jan 6 insurrection in Helena. Hall believes those assaulting the capital were good Christian patriots. Hall’s entire ministry is hate, mainly toward gays. This guy is a traitor and a hater, and good friend of Jesse’s. Jesse counts many members of hate groups as his friends.

    Richard Mack, founder of CSPOA has declared many times that “the biggest threat to our country is not terrorists, but the federal government.” Sounds like treason to me. He believes all federal land belongs to the states, and must be returned to the states. Most folks would call that crazy and a violation of the Constitution.

    Jesse believes all rights are derived from God, and who better to determine what God wants but Jesse, since he talks to God. In other words, if a law looks like God doesn’t agree with it, ignore it. This is right out of Christian nationalism in which civil law is subverted to Biblical law. We see this all over the state now in elected officials. Old Testament punishments all around!

    Jesse thinks he knows better than the Board of Regents. He’s a passionate advocate for guns on campus, an utterly bizarre idea. It’s that god complex again. God apparently told Jesse that students need to pack heat regardless of the fact nobody associated with universities wants them.

    And now, Jesse is taking his show on the road. He’s teaching civics in the schools. Can you even imagine? School children are being taught that the real enemy is the federal government. Never thought I’d see the day. Hope the parents are happy.

    I’m confident that Jesse will get more and more outrageous as time goes by. Give him time. Jesse has proven that he isn’t hesitant to insert himself where he doesn’t belong. And you’re right, Terry. Maybe there are enough folks who agree. But the department is going to suffer. It appears that the exodus from the jail is just the start.

    http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2016/04/12/sheriffs-as-outlaws/

    • I understand your views Larry, but there are lots of public officials who hold some pretty extreme religious views for instance, but voters tend not to hold it against them unless they obviously start making public policy according to their peculiar religious beliefs. I see it the same with Slaughter. As long as he is doing a competent job as sheriff, staying fair, and not policing his county and its citizens according to those radical right principles, a lot of people aren’t going to hold things like pinning a meaningless medal on a fringe figure like Hall against him. If people even know about it at all – the Trib and and newspapers in general aren’t everyone’s shared source of news like they used to be.

      There are also lots of people who look on this sort of thing as the sort of “woke mob” ideological purity test that they despise. Unless maybe the purity test is applied by the radical righty “Know-Nothing mob”, disparaging people they term RINOs who don’t tack far enough to the extreme right of Mussolini. Then purity tests are okey-doke.

      It is somewhat disturbing that the local radical right boosted Slaughter so hard at the expense of his fellow Republican. They obviously expect something from him a normal Republican is unlikely to deliver. That something remains to be seen.

  8. I think many people voted for Slaughter because he really hasn’t DONE anything outrageous that manifested any of those radical right ideas. Other than telling the court he wasn’t going to enforce their mask mandate, a position he quickly backed off. As long as he doesn’t act like a radical most people wouldn’t see a reason to vote against him. And of course many Montanans agree with those radical right ideas.

    He also seems to be a mostly reasonable guy. He was really a voice of thoughfulness and reason in that mostly kangaroo Crime Task Force that Commissioner Tryon shepherded with guidance from Doyon.

    As for those people threatening to never visit Zoo Montana again (who probably don’t visit anyhow) over the drag queen show all I can say is I’m shocked by this full-throated embrace of cancel culture by right wingers. Absolutely shocked.

    • Terry – I agree with your thoughts about Slaughter. That’s why if Democrats want to beat him next time they need prepare.
      As for Zoo Montana, I guess parental consent and rights don’t count to Republicans in this case.
      Thanks, JmB

  9. Zoo Montana is, nice place nice zoo. Men dress as women and admit they are men. I am confused. What does this have to do with a zoo? What sort of intimate contact are they asking for acceptance? I do not want to know. Nor do I want my children to consider. I will let them decide for themselves. Love, true love, is where you find it not NOT where you parade it.

    • John – it may not be for everybody and that is fine and up to each person or family.
      The Zoo holds several events like music concerts, outdoor movies, etc.
      Thanks, JmB

      • Drag queens move out of the strip joints and trashy bars to the ,I suppose, publically funded zoo.
        Hmm ? Next ,music concerts will include participatory sex and movies will show revered classics like “deep throat” and “behind the green door”. What could be next? Run naked on the zoo paths and bend over when you want it? After all, just mimics the animals.

      • From the ZooMontana website – it is NOT supported by public taxes or levies.

        “How are you Funded?

        By you! ZooMontana is one of the few city zoos that is not funded through public support such as taxes or levies. Our funding comes from our many special events, admissions, donations and gift shop sales. This funding mechanism is successful, however, it does lend to a slower growth in comparison to our colleagues.”

        https://www.zoomontana.org/why-we-are-the-way-we-are

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