Happy New Year!
Today’s independent commentary deals with these issues:
- Montana Legislature
- We Hate Ricky Blogs
- Great Falls Fireworks
- Damar Hamlin
MONTANA LEGISLATURE:
As I write this, we are starting the second day of the 68th Montana Legislative.
In other words, the circus is back in Helena with at least 150 clowns and/or class presidents running around acting important and some are trying to ruin our lives.
If you are a reporter following the session, please remember to be reporters, not supporters. Please.
As I mentioned many sessions ago, bloggers cannot get credentials to report on the legislature. (Source) This is pure bullshit. I would put my credentials and education/experience up against almost any credentialed person reporting on the session.
What are they afraid of?
Some of the best reporting in the state is coming from organizations that post their reports on sites that are basically personal blogs.
Nonetheless, I will be following the happenings at the circus and giving my opinion. Stay tuned!
WE HATE RICKY BLOGS:
Great Falls City Commissioner Rick Tryon posted a couple of “I am a martyr” Facebook posts about how two blogs in the area supposedly hate him. Here is what he had to say:
“Someone reminded me yesterday that there are two local opinion blogs that have made a habit of hatin’ on poor ol’ Ricky.
First, I want to wish the folks who write those blogs a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year filled with God’s blessings.
Second, I pay no attention to either of those two ‘We Hate Ricky’ blogs.
I don’t read them and I don’t let anyone draw attention to them by posting links to their ‘articles’ or opinions on my page, for obvious reasons.
I appreciate friends wanting to give me a ‘heads up’ but I just don’t care what some folks write about me on their blogs.”
Since he did not have the balls to name the blogs, I don’t know if he thinks “The Western Word” (TWW) is one of those blogs. Let me be crystal clear, I don’t hate Tryon, but I do hate that he is raising my taxes. I voted for him once, but I never will again. Tryon and his MAGA friends are always welcome to come over to TWW to state their opinion and hear what my readers think.
He says about the blogs, “I don’t read them…” This is not true. Tryon has written about my commentary when I called the local sheriff a “rookie.” His posts were made on September 2 and September 5, 2020.
As for the other blog that he thinks hates him, “What the Funk” the folks over there have gotten into his head and he can’t stand it. Recently Jasmine Taylor wrote, “If there’s one tax credit I can claim every year, it’s the one I get for living rent-free in Commissioner Rick Tryon’s head.”
One other post from Tryon that I read is where is snitched on Jose Soplar because he did not like his comments on another Facebook page. Tryon called him an “internet troll using a fake FB profile to repeatedly insult and ridicule your readers and their comments.”
As far as I can tell, the Soplar comments are still there. I guess the power of a city commissioner only goes so far. Should we at least thank Tryon for being a watchdog?
One of these days, folks will grow tired of the MAGA nutjobs and those who act like mini-Trumps.
GREAT FALLS FIREWORKS:
The City of Great Falls ordinance states that “Fireworks may be discharged on December 31, from 10:00 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. January 1.” (Source)
I heard fireworks being discharged in my neighborhood from 5:00 p.m. on 12/31 until 2:30-3:00 a.m. on 01/01. Then on January 1, it started again around 5:00 p.m. for a few hours.
I’m sick of it. Since those participating don’t follow the rules, it is time for the city commission to ban discharging of fireworks in the city.
DAMAR HAMLIN:
Last night during the Monday Night Football game between Buffalo and Cincinnati, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field. He is in critical condition in a Cincinnati hospital. Reports say he had a cardiac arrest after he made a tackle early in the first quarter. He was given CPR and his heart was restarted on the field. The game was postponed.
I will be praying for Hamlin, and I hope you will join me.
The Western Word 
Somebody is always “reminding” or “bringing something to Tryons’ attention “. Like he’s too busy or important to ever have noticed criticism from his “haters”on his own. I’ve never seen someone so thin skinned. I think we can credit that to him being from the hard scrabble lower south side of Griffles where they don’t let “haters get away with name calling for free”.
Rick should realize there’s a difference between criticism and/or ridicule of a politician and “hate” of the person holding the office.
I’ve known him since high school. He’s not a bad guy. His association with the people who run that homophobic ECB blog is troubling. His politics writ large are execrable but that also describes some of my friends.
However as city commissioner his actions and words sometimes come off hypocritical, dishonest, and opposite of the “transparent” he loves to wave around. That’s fair game. The words and actions of the entire commission are fair game – they’re elected officials after all.
That’s true. Even his personal FB page is fair game. Thanks, JmB
Terry, I happened to receive advanced footage of the commission meeting of which you spoke. And to quote my Biblical conservative pals, “there is nothing new under the sun.” As Will S. so eloquently described five hundred years ago. The names have changed, but the characters are the same. In this scene, we see commissioner Dogberry appealing to Sheriff Slobber for a 191% tax increase. Enjoy.
He’s got all the MAGA folks in his corner to keep him informed.
You always gotta love a guy going to all the trouble to write out long Facebook posts saying “I don’t pay attention to this or that” when quite obviously he pays attention enough to write long Facebook posts about this and that. It’s right up there with going to all the trouble of signing into members-only platforms to post, “No one cares”. People who truly don’t pay attention to something don’t give it a 2nd thought.
It’s also pretty hard to believe Mr. Conservative Free Speech would censor other people’s opinions by removing or disallowing links and comments about other opinion sources. Aside from the free speech hypocrisy, if he truly does not care about these two mean local blogs, why specifically block any mention of or links to them? The action alone says, “I do care”.
And PS on the tax issue, you might want to tune into the GF Commission work session this afternoon to listen to the GFPD presentation of its Good+ wishlist for a tax increase. Manager Doyon seems to have his department heads on a path for a total annual tax increase ask in the neighborhood of $10-$12 million (excluding new fire station bonds) which would ONLY bump your city tax a low low 55-65% instead of that scary 191%. But even that would end up costing GF property owners considerably more in total annual taxes than a Billings resident with similarly assessed property.
Hamlin’s injury was frightening. Even all the players on the field who see gruesome injuries every week were obviously shaken. Pretty confident that today that all NFL fans have him in their hearts and minds.
Happy New Year!