NOTE: Some readers did not receive this post because it was set for subscribers only. Hopefully, this post will be seen by all. I am sorry for the confusion. Thanks to the readers who alerted me about this problem.

Here are some of the topics that caught my attention for this column:

• I Feel Safer
• Masks On/Masks Off
• A Kentucky Man…

I FEEL SAFER:

I sure feel a lot safer this morning after reading a report from the Associated Press (AP) that said Montana had become the first state to specifically ban people dressed in drag from reading books to children at public schools and libraries.

I was being fictitious – I think it’s another embarrassment for our state. The embarrassments are piling up after the last legislative session.

Now Montanans are “protected” from drag queens and TikTok, but our kids are not protected from school shooters, and motorists are not protected from drunk drivers. I know there are a lot more things we are not protected from, but those two things came to mind – and they are important to me as an independent voter.

Republicans in Montana believe they know better than parents and that’s a slippery slope. Just this year, Republicans of Montana have come across as homophobes and seem to be chocked full of white supremacists. They want to know what is in your pants, and what is happening in your bedroom. It’s pretty sad and most of all, it’s creepy.

It won’t be long before Montana Attorney General Austin “Barney Fife” Knudsen has to spend taxpayer money to defend these silly laws. He will lose, again.

You can read the AP report HERE.

MASKS ON/MASKS OFF:

As I get older I spend more time at clinics and hospitals getting checkups and follow-ups. Just last month I had an appointment at one of the hospitals in Great Falls. As I approached the door, a sign stated, “Masks were Mandatory.” Did I bitch and complain about it. Nope, I took one of their free masks and put it on, and went to my appointment. This week I was back at the same hospital and a sign at the entrance stated, “Masks are Optional.” I did not wear a mask.

Although the global health emergency is officially over, I recently read that COVID still kills one person every four minutes. (Source)

A member of my family had COVID a few weeks ago.

My friend Aaron Flint recently posted a story on his “Montana Talks” website about a Marine veteran who was pissed that the Billings VA clinic was requiring people to wear masks. Flint wrote, “What a slap in the face to those who served, literally and figuratively.” Flint then wrote, “…somebody should have them fired and hauled out of there by the VA Police vehicle sitting out front.”

Seriously? As a veteran, I find it odd that a veteran would bitch about jumping through a hoop or two. We all jumped through several hoops in our military careers. We learned to hurry up and wait. We learned to adapt and overcome.

I trust healthcare professionals to make the right call about my healthcare and even about the wearing of masks. The fact is I have trusted them throughout the whole COVID pandemic. Have they always been right? No, but who is? I trust them more than politicians and some conspiracy theorists who are against an issue because someone from the opposite political party is for it.

If I was unhappy that the hospital in Great Falls was requiring masks, I could take my business somewhere else. It’s the same with a veteran and the VA Clinic – the Marine who Flint talks about being “pissed” could go somewhere else. I don’t presently use the VA healthcare system, although I am enrolled. Wearing a mask would not make a difference to me.

A KENTUCKY MAN…

Normally we hear strange stories about “A Florida man…” but this time the man is from Kentucky…

The Smoking Gun reports that a Kentucky man shot his roommate in the buttocks after the victim ate the last Hot Pocket in the freezer, according to cops who arrested the gunman for assault. It was also reported that the court citation does not indicate what flavor of Hot Pocket triggered the snack-related shooting.

Some commentators said it had to be the ham and cheese Hot Pocket because they are really good.

You can read the full report HERE.

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