Hello, faithful readers! Today is Thursday, August 17, 2023, and here are the topics that I am providing commentary about today:
- Held v. Montana
- Knudsen, Austin Knudsen
- New Conservative Anthem
HELD v. MONTANA:
Since Lewis and Clark District Court Judge Kathy Seeley ruled in favor of the youth plaintiffs in the case (Held v. Montana) saying they have a “fundamental constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment” there have been numerous attacks against the judge and the youth. Those on the MAGA side of the fence were pretty upset. Those on the progressive side of the fence were pretty happy.
The Montana Free Press (MTFP) reported that the lawsuit, the first of its kind to reach trial, was filed by 16 youth plaintiffs from across Montana who alleged the state violated their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment by promoting the fossil fuel industry and exacerbating climate change. The state attorney general’s office said it will appeal the ruling.
Some of the elected officials and others from the MAGA crowd were soon posting their thoughts on social media. Here is a sample:
U.S. Representative Matt Rosendale (R-MT-02) said the following on social media:
This is not a school project. It’s a courtroom.
Judge Seeley did a huge disservice to the courts and to these youths by allowing them to be used as pawns in the Left’s poorly thought-out plan to ruin our power grid and compromise our national security in the name of their Green New Fantasy.
U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) had this to say:
Activist judges, even here in MT, are helping far-Left environmentalists push their green hallucination down the throats of Americans.
Shutting down energy projects that support an all-of-the-above energy portfolio is setting America on a dangerous path. We must reverse course.
Montana talk radio host Aaron Flint called the trial a “clown show.”
Tim Sheehy, who is running for the U.S. Senate as a Republican, had this to say:
The latest example of a liberal activist judge trying to legislate radical Green New Deal disastrous policies from the bench.
We must fight back and take a strong stand against the climate cult and their job-killing agenda.
Ironically, Sheehy seems to always mirror what Daines says about the major issues.
The ruling in Montana District Court is just the first step, but I think congratulations are in order for the youth involved in Held v. Montana.
KNUDSEN, AUSTIN KNUDSEN:
Yesterday I commented about the Montana Free Press (MTFP) article reporting that Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has accused one of the state’s most prominent abortion providers of falsifying records and “flagrantly” violating state law by withholding required reports about sexual assault against minors and statutory rape, suggesting that similar alleged inaction by the organization “could be happening with human trafficking victims.”
A faithful reader brought to my attention another story in which it is reported that Knudsen is spreading a conspiracy.
The (MTFP) reported that Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen told a radio audience that local election officials ‘stonewalled’ state investigations into voter misconduct. Fact Check: There have been no documented state investigations into voter misconduct in Montana.
It was also reported:
No available evidence supports the existence of any state-level investigation into voter misconduct in Montana during Knudsen’s tenure as attorney general, which began in January 2021. The attorney general’s office has refused weeks’ worth of attempts by Montana Free Press to confirm the existence of such an investigation or to clarify Knudsen’s remarks.
I wonder if anyone has asked Knudsen who won the last Presidential Election?
He should start his day by reading fact-checking websites like Snopes and/or Factcheck.org. This might prevent him from looking like a dumbass when he says things that are not true.
NEW CONSERVATIVE ANTHEM?
A song is being played that has captured the attention and admiration of the conservatives. The song is titled “Rich Men North of Richmond” by American country music singer Oliver Anthony.
According to Wiki, the song’s lyrics revolve around common right-wing talking points. Wiki also says Shortly after its release, the song became popular among conservatives and far-right pundits. Various commentators have described it as an “anthem” for the right wing, conservatives, or blue-collar workers. It was praised by Republican House representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, country singer John Rich, podcaster Joe Rogan, and conservative commentators Dan Bongino and Matt Walsh.
You can check out the video of Anthony singing the song HERE.
The Western Word 
Slam dunk.
Knudsen spent nearly $100,000 of taxpayer money to hire three supposed ‘experts’ to ‘debunk climate change consensus’. Two were so hapless that his trial staff didn’t even dare put them on the stand. The third, Terry Anderson, has been a virulent climate change denier for decades, and is crazier than a wood watch. Knudsen is probably lucky that the trial judge didn’t find him in contempt for failure to responsibly represent the state.
Ever notice how Knudsen is never around when this sort of issue is being adjudicated? I guess he’s too busy being a national figure in issues that have nothing to do with Montana than to stand up in court and reveal his own deplorable lack of legal competence. Yet, he’s always got a mouthpiece available to blame ‘judicial activism’ when every judge they face rules on the actual facts and the actual Montana Constitution.
I know he weaseled in a $2 million budget category for hiring outside attorneys (presumably more competent than his in-house staff), to defend the pile of indefensible, unconstitutional bills passed and signed into law. I haven’t seen recent numbers, but I would be amazed if he hasn’t already run through that and is trying to get more taxpayer dollars to waste.
Good points. Thank you. – JmB
Thanks for the info.
You’re most welcome. I just wish it reflected better character in the incumbent. I look back at MT AG’s over the past 50 years or so, and they generally ranged from centrist to conservative, but always determined to just do the job for all of Montana. Regardless of political leanings, we seem to have some really disappointing individuals infesting some very important offices with predictably damaging consequences.
Hopefully, we’ll do better next year.
Here is a fascinating article on an event that just preceded the ‘72 Con Con and was still fresh in their minds. The MAGAs of the day were content to literally let Montanans die in the name of promoting industry. This true story indicates the type of corruption that was commonplace back in the day, and how it can affect politics. Gov. Tim Babcock, who was a major player in the Zortman/Landusky disaster, was governor at the time. After that fiasco, he moved on to attempt to develop the proposed mine under the Cabinet Wilderness. Lots of bad actors in this state that need to be reigned in, just as the Held decision does. They are unconcerned with a healthy environment and unable to control themselves. We have to do it for them before they literally kill us.
https://fluoridealert.org/news/the-town-that-refused-to-die/
“The MAGAs of the day were content to literally let Montanans die in the name of promoting industry.”
That’s been the attitude since the days of the Copper Kings. The lives and health of human beings and the environment were total non-considerations compared to money.
Reading about the clean environment trial when it was happening, I thought that the state relied on a new law that was passed to disalow our state from considering co2 when issuing permits. Conservative critics then were agast that the State failed to even try to debunk climate change consensus folks as alarmists. Good luck appealing to the MT Supremes. But one never knows.
I don’t know that the decision will stand. We shall see.
But it would have been so easy for the legislature to deal with the CO2 question in a different way to begin with, by simply saying okay let’s maybe establish a formal process for at least considering greenhouse gas emissions in permits under the MEPA. Instead they went full right wing extremist climate-change denialist/fossil fuel booster and dictated that the effects of greenhouse gases are not to be considered at all. It’s akin to dictating that the contribution of sulfur emissions to acid rain and waterways pollution are not to be considered at all.
Thanks. I think the “they went full right wing extremist climate-change denialist/fossil fuel booster” folks are the base of GOP. It will be interesting. -JmB
It’s going to be interesting to see how this turns out. – JmB
Another great article on the Held decision. It’s a really big deal. This article mentions that there’s plenty of historical precedent for this ruling. It’s a precedent that all our outta state MAGA politicians are unable to appreciate because they weren’t here and invested in the struggle. For them, it’s easy to dismiss all that’s come before. But Montanans know, and every poll indicates that they overwhelmingly want to preserve what we have. Let the MAGAs whine. Not many are listening. There’s no turning back now.
https://dailymontanan.com/2023/08/16/impacts-of-held-vs-montana-decision-already-being-seen-in-montana/?emci=58cc854a-913c-ee11-a3f1-00224832eb73&emdi=9e9ab7c4-f93c-ee11-a3f1-00224832eb73&ceid=106840&fbclid=IwAR3Xf5W6WA_6G3aBhrIQ3K_X6s-yM7kaUoG4xjsf5fQntSgfbm-WuJMCk3s