The Wednesday Read

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Quote for the Day…

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. – Arthur Ashe

In today’s column, I take a look at these people/issues:

  • Great Falls Homeless Issue
  • Election Deniers
  • Trump 2024
  • Montana High School Association

GREAT FALLS HOMELESS ISSUE:

And the sign said
“Anybody caught trespassin’
Will be shot on sight”
So I jumped on the fence and I yelled at the house
“Hey! What gives you the right
To put up a fence to keep me out
But to keep Mother Nature in?
If God was here, he’d tell you to your face
‘Man, you’re some kind of sinner'”

-“Signs” by Five Man Electrical Band.

There are several reports, including THIS ONE, from The Electric that says the First United Methodist Church at the corner of 2nd Avenue North and 6th Street North in downtown Great Falls has posted no trespass signs on their property in an effort to address the repeated issue at the church. Rev. Dawn Skerritt and church officials are planning to begin actively trespassing people who engage in criminal behavior and/or contribute to problems in the area, according to a release.

One of the Great Falls City Commissioners, Rick Tryon, had this to say:

While some folks have spent their time pointing fingers and making phony ‘holier than thou’ public accusations, others, like our GFPD leadership, have been working quietly and patiently behind the scenes to find the best solutions to this problem.
Thank you, Great Falls MT Police Department. This is a big step in the right direction.

I don’t think a few “No Trespassing” signs are really the “best solution” for the problem. Homeless people will just go somewhere else. Not all are criminals.

As long as the homeless stay out of sight, I’m sure the folks in the area will be happier than a pig in the mud. Nonetheless, the problem continues.

By the way, I thought criminal behavior was illegal no matter where it is committed?

ELECTION DENIERS:

Over at the blog, “What the Funk,” Jasmine Taylor attended the counting of the remainder of the votes at the Expo Park in Great Falls and provided a great report:

Election deniers- the stupidest of the right-wing MAGA stupid. The folks that WON Republican victories in Cascade County in 2020 and now 2022. These people, who have won for two terms, continue to claim that our free and fair elections are a lie. And their extremism is getting way out of hand.

She also points out the deniers were wearing camouflage and using binoculars to see the ballots, which is hilarious. I’m surprised she could see these people with the camo on…

Check out the post HERE, and there are photos!

TRUMP 2024:

I remember back in 2015-16 when Donald Trump announced his intention to run for President. He was not given much of a chance, but he destroyed the other Republican candidates with a different style of politics. The debates were brutal for his opponents. It was comical to watch him at the debates, but then he won, and it was not funny anymore.

Last night Trump announced that he was running for President in 2024.

By the way, I did not vote for Trump in 2016, or 2020, and I will not be voting for him in 2024. Yes, I am smarter than the average bear. I gave up on the Republicans when they picked Trump as their candidate. I lost many friends because I disliked MAGA politics. I am now a full-fledged independent, and I sleep better at night.

It is time for the Republicans to get some guts and let Trump know that he is not the future. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis may be the best pick for the Republicans. He is a veteran, which I like, and he is highly educated.

Currently, Trump is 76 years old. President Joe Biden is 79 years old. Both are too old to be President. DeSantis is 44.

MONTANA HIGH SCHOOL ASSOCIATION:

Once again, the Montana High School Association (MHSA) has scheduled playoff games during the annual “Brawl of the Wild” between the Cats and the Griz.

Although the AA championship will be played Friday night, the Class A, Class B, 8-player, and 6-player championships will be played Saturday at 1:00 pm.

The “Brawl of the Wild” game begins at noon on Saturday.

Many states have their football state championships at a college or NFL field. It would be nice if the MHSA would schedule the games on Friday before the Cat/Griz game, plus it would be even better if the teams played on the field at the college that was not hosting the Cat/Griz game.

You can visit the MHSA website HERE.

## THE END ##

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5 thoughts on “The Wednesday Read”

  2. If you’re looking for material for future columns, you might want to check out Tuesday evening’s GF city commission work session meeting where they discussed the city’s “possible” 2023 public safety levy.

    Executive summary: The commissioners, led by our “conservative” duo, want to double your tax bill. At least. This is no puny $38 on a $200k house like the County just got.

    Supporting documents linked at the bottom, with the discussion of the levy starting at about the 33 minute mark of the video. Particularly eye-opening is finance director Kinzler’s comment about the effect on your tax bill near the end.

    https://greatfallsmt.net/citycommission/work-session-meeting-november-15-2022

  3. Come now, a few No Trespassing signs around one church will totally solve all the homeless issues of Great Falls. That’s obvious to any “critical thinker”, at least of the MAGA type.

    Just like ending the formal encampment did. But oddly enough, there was reportedly a recent GFPD update to the Council of Councils that said homeless problems had spread out into surrounding neighborhoods after that encampment was closed down. What the heck.

    Incidentally, I recently read through the “tough love” services-first approach to homelessness proposed by Arizona’s failed MAGA darling Kari Lake. Her ultimate solution was much the same as Tryon proposed for GF panhandlers and so on during the city’s Crime Task Force – a one way bus ticket out of town. (In Lake’s case preferably California. Apparently Arizona’s homeless problems are Gavin Newsom’s fault). Unlike Tryon’s creative suggestion, and to her credit, Lake’s bus ticket came only after all other options had been exhausted, which involved the proposed expenditure of a lot of government money and effort on shelters, services, treatment, and rehab efforts, something Tryon and his fellow local MAGAs have no tolerance for, or interest in funding. Or Tryon’s fellow commissioners in even trying. Imagine, Great Falls even more MAGA than Kari Lake.

    Also imagine a church with No Trespassing signs around it. What a friendly town! Certainly a 180 from the final lyrics of that song you were quoting above.

    There’s been rumblings of some people involved with FUMC working to bring a low-barrier homeless shelter to Great Falls. A real shelter, the type the City said FUMC should be pursuing instead of the tent camp. Predictably, “forces” in GF are already marshaling to head that off.

    • Good information and insight. I hope churches and the city can address this issue compassionately. As it gets colder, many homeless people disappear, but reappear as the weather gets warmer. Thanks, JmB

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