Thursday Thoughts

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Many topics caught my attention for today’s column:

  • Malmstrom AFB & Drag Story Time
  • Reefer Madness is Back
  • City Commissioner Joe McKenney
  • One More Thing

MALMSTROM AFB & DRAG STORY TIME:

I wondered how long it would take the sensitive MAGA folks across the country to discover that Malmstrom Air Force Base (AFB) in Montana held a Drag Story Time and a Drag Show, on June 30, 2021. (Source) (Source) (Source)

Yes, that happened way back in 2021.

I remember it because I keep up with the activities at the base, where I was once stationed, and was also a liaison for U.S. Senator Conrad Burns, where I routinely met with Malmstrom officials from 1995-2007.

U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is somehow a member of the House Armed Services Committee and he took his time not to question Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin about important issues, but to question him about Drag Queens performing on military installations.

Gaetz tried to make it a gotcha moment, but Austin said drag shows are not something that the Department of Defense supports or funds. He seemed to not know about the Drag Show Story Hour at Malmstrom, which is not uncommon to know about every event that happens at military installations.

I’ll bet Austin or Gaetz don’t know about volunteer efforts at Malmstrom where hundreds of members help clean up Great Falls each spring, how much blood is donated by members at the base, or how many volunteer hours are donated by base members. Gaetz would not be one to bring up these efforts because Austin is a member of President Joe Biden’s cabinet.

For his work, Gaetz appeared on Fox News with Tucker Carlson to bask in the spotlight of trying “to get” the Secretary of Defense and save the world from Drag Queens.

Meanwhile, The Hill is reporting:

Most adults said they oppose laws restricting drag shows or performances as Republicans in several states push to block the shows from being seen by children, according to a new poll.
The results of an NPR-PBS NewsHour-Marist poll, released Wednesday, show 58 percent of respondents said they oppose laws restricting the performances, while 39 percent said they support them. Democrats are the most likely to oppose such laws, with almost three-quarters of them saying they are opposed, but 57 percent of independents and 37 percent of Republicans also said they do not support them.

Come on MAGA folks, this is not news. Seriously, there are more important issues facing our country than Drag Queen Story Hours.

REEFER MADNESS IS BACK:

The Republicans in the Montana state legislature love to go against the will of the people a lot. It should piss off Montana voters.

The latest attempt, as reported in the Daily Montanan, is a bill (SB 546) by state Senator Keith Regier that would repeal adult-use marijuana in Montana.

Montanans approved adult-use marijuana with 57% of the vote in 2020.

Opponents contend that his bill is an effort to undo the will of voters and it would kill hundreds of small businesses and thousands of jobs, harm sick people who rely on medical marijuana, and cost the state millions of dollars.

They are correct.

I urge people to keep track of this bill and when someone votes for it, let them know they are going against the will of Montanans. We must hold these idiots accountable.

CITY COMMISSIONER JOE MCKENNEY:

I know I already announced that Great Falls City Commissioner Joe McKenney is running for Mayor of Great Falls, but when I was cleaning out my SPAM folder I found an email and attachment from Commissioner McKenney to The Western Word and its readers. I apologize for missing the message.

You can view the announcement HERE. McKenney talks about his background and his vision for Great Falls. It is worth the read.

ONE MORE THING:

I saw this on Facebook and wanted to share it:

Things that didn’t kill kids today: Books. Drag Queens. Pronouns. Statue of David.

## END ##

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11 thoughts on “Thursday Thoughts”

  2. Jeremy Trebas watch part 137:

    Jeremy actually did something good for a change, so he deserves mention for that.

    He voted against a bill that would earmark 15% of out-of-state big game tags for the sole use of out-of-state landowners on their own land, presumably to invite in their out-of-state buddies for a private drunken shootathon. Whether or not 15% of Montana’s big game actually does exist on private land owned by out-of-staters.

    So kudos Jeremy. But it passed anyhow with the collusion of our other GF area senators, McKamey and Fitzpatrick, and is now headed to Gov Greg.

    I don’t really care about out-of-state big game tags except there are too many which reduces the opportunities (and game) for resident hunters, and don’t really care about the tragic plight of professional guides who consider Montana’s game their private property. But I do care about the legislature’s continual push to turn everything that used to make this “The Last Best Place” over to monied out-of-staters.

    So now part of the harvest of OUR big game herds will be privatized over to out-of-staters too, unless Gov Greg vetoes this. That seems highly unlikely considering he appears to be a card-carrying member of the cabal that’s trying to transform every field and stream of Montana into a “no trespassing” private game reserve for out-of-staters, but who knows.

    The bill is HB 635 and there’s still time to email or phone Gov Greg.

    http://laws.leg.mt.gov/legprd/LAW0211W$BLAC.VoteTabulation?P_VOTE_SEQ=S1482&P_SESS=20231

    • I am shocked about Trebas doing something good! 😁
      I don’t care for him, but this proves that even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in a while. Thanks, JmB

  3. re: SB 546 Reefer Madness:

    It never ceases to amaze me how much utter contempt some of these legislators have for the expressed will of Montana voters.

    “Regier, a Kalispell Republican, said his bill was about ‘public safety’ and called marijuana legalization, which was approved by 57% of voters on I-190 in 2020, ‘controversial’ and something the legislature had the authority to overturn.”

    So in essence according to Regier, “We have the authority, so let’s just overturn what 57% voted for themselves. This isn’t a state where the democratically expressed views of the voters carry any weight. This is Montanastan where the only thing that carries weight is what we legislators feel like dictating to the population.”

    Senators on the current committee considering that bill are as follows. Will Great Falls’ own Steve Fitzpatrick also hold his voters in contempt by voting to undo what they gave themselves?

    Jason D Small (R) SD 21 Chair
    Willis Curdy (D) SD 49 Vice Chair
    Mark Noland (R) SD 5 Vice Chair
    Jason W Ellsworth (R) SD 43 Member
    Steve Fitzpatrick (R) SD 10 Member
    Mike Fox (D) SD 16 Member
    Bruce Gillespie (R) SD 9 Member
    Christopher Pope (D) SD 31 Member
    Walt Sales (R) SD 35 Member
    Terry Vermeire (R) SD 39 Member

  4. good blog. Thanks for what you do. I think you have your finger on the pulse (weak as it is) of Montana.

  5. It saddens me that fear seems to be the biggest motivation for many in the GOP. “If it isn’t exactly like me, then it must be evil. Get rid of it!” It also seems that for all their “concern” about mental health, they are bent on destroying that, too!

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