Here are some topics that recently caught my attention:

• Malmstrom Air Force Base
• Electric Buses
• Gianforte’s Tax Rebates
• Third Mass Killing

MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE:

The Associated Press (AP) reported that nine military officers who had worked decades ago at a nuclear missile base in Montana have been diagnosed with blood cancer and there are “indications” the disease may be linked to their service, according to military briefing slides obtained by The Associated Press.

The AP also reported that all of the officers, known as missileers, were assigned as many as 25 years ago to Malmstrom Air Force Base, home to a vast field of 150 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile silos. The nine officers were diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to a January briefing by U.S. Space Force Lt. Col. Daniel Sebeck.

I was stationed at Malmstrom from 1989-92. I worked in the missile complex, but I was not a missileer.

I hope the Air Force can determine the cause of the cancer. Thousands of men and women have served as missileers over the years – all of them should get free health screenings.

Read the AP story HERE.

ELECTRIC BUSES:

MTN News is reporting that two buses in the Havre Public Schools’ fleet are entirely electric, becoming the first fully-electric buses to be used in Montana according to service attendant Allen “Woody” Woodwick.

The buses worked fine even when the temperature was well below zero.

Watch out Havre – I can see the MAGA crowd in the Montana Legislature scrambling to ban electric buses in Montana.

Read the MTN report HERE.

GIANFORTE’S TAX REBATES:

I saw a press release from Montana Governor Greg Gianforte’s office that says he was calling on legislators to provide Montanans with $2,000 in property tax rebates and permanent, long-term income tax relief without delay.

The Governor and the Legislature should just send me and my fellow taxpayers a $2,000 check to be used as we see fit. A check would go to each adult person in a household.

Here in Cascade County, they are already sticking it to us with increased taxes for a safety levy, and it looks the Great Falls city commission will piggyback on top of that and stick us we even more taxes in the name of “public safety.”

Come on governor – send me a nice $2,000 check…

THIRD MASS KILLING:

According to the Associated Press (AP), a gunman killed seven people at two agricultural businesses in Northern California, plunging the state into mourning again in the wake of its third mass killing in eight days.

It’s been rightly pointed out that California has stronger gun laws than any other state. (Source). These laws don’t appear to be working.

I really don’t know what the answer is to all these shootings. One thing I do know is that we should all be ashamed that we can’t come together as a country to stop mass killings.

Read the AP story HERE.

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