Quote for the Day…
This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in. ― Theodore Roosevelt
In today’s column, I look at these people/issues:
- Montana Republican Party
- Media Confidence
- The Western Word Poll
- Final Thoughts For Today
MONTANA REPUBLICAN PARTY:
I know I provided commentary about the Montana Republican Party platform convention yesterday, but today Lee Newspapers has a little more information that is worth some more time.
Lee Newspapers reported:
Montana Republicans voted to make clear in the party’s guiding document they want to ban all abortions, even if a pregnant person is raped or in the case of incest. They also moved to aggressively push for hand-counting all ballots in the state’s elections.
Further down in the article Lee Newspapers reported that Montana Republicans voted to add language saying the party supports a “complete ban on elective abortion.”
The complete abortion ban is extreme in my humble opinion. I would expect the Montana Republicans to hold a special session to pass this ban to “save lives” shortly.
It was also reported by Lee Newspapers that changes to the party’s platform also include methods to track if GOP members don’t vote along with the rest of their party on priority legislation.
I guess they are tracking their own members so they can tell who the RINOs are…
The “big tent” of the Montana Republican Party is zipped up tight these days. Will Montana voters hold the Republicans accountable for their extreme views? We’ll see come November.
Read the Lee Newspapers article HERE.
MEDIA CONFIDENCE:
When I was growing up I would watch CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite end his evening newscast with this line, “And that’s the way it is.” I always felt I was getting the truth from Cronkite, but these days it’s hard to tell if I am getting the straight scoop from the news or a slanted version that leans to the left or to the right.
Gallup reported this week that Americans’ confidence in two facets of the news media — newspapers and television news — has fallen to all-time low points. Just 16% of U.S. adults now say they have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in newspapers and 11% in television news. Both readings are down five percentage points since last year.
Maybe it’s just me, but I think since Fox News came along, they have taken the news media down the toilet. The public had 36% confidence in television news in 1996 when Fox News launched. Confidence has stayed the same (in 2000) or gone down every year since then.
Now we can get the news that we like and the type that fits our beliefs even if it’s not always factual.
Check out the Gallup article by clicking HERE.
THE WESTERN WORD POLL:
This week’s poll question asks, “What should happen to the law enforcement officials who failed to properly respond to the mass shooting at Uvalde elementary school?” (Background)
The results will be posted later this week.
FINAL THOUGHTS FOR TODAY:
The United States of America is 245 years old. We’ve lasted a long time, but I am afraid we are screwing up the greatest country on the face of the earth.
Will the USA last much longer?
There’s a lot of hate going around the USA. We kill each other every day. Debates turn to fights or attacks. Social media has divided us and may end up conquering us.
I was taught to show respect to the police, firefighters, military personnel, my elders, and the flag, just to name a few people and things.
There’s not a lot of respect in this country today. It’s hurting us.
I love my country more than ever, but I am very afraid for it.
The Western Word 
You wonder why we don’t trust the media?
Big Swede – Thanks. Many reporters are not following the rule, “Be reporters not supporters.” -JmB
It’s an outrage that the MAGAs are attempting to foist their own peculiar religious beliefs regarding abortion and misogyny on the entire state. In our democracy, the religious views of everyone must be considered and respected regarding such a personal, private, and intimate decision such as abortion. That is between her and her God and her doctor. Period! And a woman’s bodily autonomy is inviolate and not to be disrespected. She is in no way to be compared for legal purposes to any of the assorted animals mentioned by the MAGA politicians as a precedent for abortion. In their church settings they can legislate whatever they want and bully their women folk into thinking they’re the same as “preg tested cows and turtle eggs.” That’s acceptable. But they can not legislate by committee how the women of the state decide their health care. That’s unacceptable and none of their damn business! We know what their committees of abortion arbiters would look like, for they constantly show up with Lola at the capital to protest. Do women really want to have to get the approval of a MAGA committee for health care decisions? It takes a village to raise a child. It does NOT take a MAGA committee to approve your health care!