Tuesday’s Quick Hits

Posted on by

Hello! Here are the topics for today’s commentary:

  • Election Administration Duties
  • Climate-Friendly Energy Projects
  • Shoulder Surgery
  • One More Thing

ELECTION ADMINISTRATION DUTIES:

REMINDER: The Cascade County Commission meeting that will discuss a resolution removing election duties from the Clerk and Recorder’s office will be held at Exhibition Hall in Montana Expo Park. The meeting will take place at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, (TODAY) December 12. (Source)

This Commission Meeting may be more eventful than usual since the three-member Republican County Commission will discuss removing election duties from Republican Clerk and Recorder, Sandra Merchant. There will definitely be a lot of RINO (Republican In Name Only) talk and accusations. The issue has split the party. Local political party infighting can be ferocious.

Keep in mind that this whole event would not be happening if Merchant and her team had done the election job properly.

A faithful reader alerted me that a few protestors were out around town on Monday protesting the proposal to remove election duties from the Clerk and Recorder’s Office. I saw that KRTV has a story HERE.

I was forwarded an email that appears to be from the pro-Sandra Merchant (MAGA) crowd wanting its members to show up and, although the author went a little overboard with their caps lock on, it shows just how rattled and angry they are (click to enlarge)::

Calling it a “Tyrannical Act” is pure ignorance.

Please be safe out there!

CLIMATE-FRIENDLY ENERGY PROJECTS:

In case you missed it, 60 Minutes did a segment Sunday night called, “Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon pursues green, carbon-negative agenda in one of the nation’s reddest states.”

Here’s an excerpt:

For the moment at least, the world and the United States need both fossil fuels and renewable energy, and the best proof of that may be found in the state of Wyoming.
It is the country’s leading coal producing state, and very conservative politically, yet its Republican governor, Mark Gordon, is emerging as a leading voice promoting climate-friendly energy projects and action to address the climate crisis.
Essentially, Mark Gordon is trying to prove that it is possible to be both red and green.

You can read/watch the segment HERE.

SHOULDER SURGERY:

In case you missed it, I had my shoulder surgery on November 30, and it went well. I will be in a brace/sling for a few weeks. I meet with the doctor this Friday for the first time since the surgery, and I am looking forward to doing what is needed to get back to life with a little help from Aleve and Tylenol.

It’s not easy using one arm, but I have mastered putting on socks. I can’t drive for a while, so that has been a bummer. Of course, feeding myself was never a problem.

Thanks to all those who wished me well and sent messages of encouragement.

ONE MORE THING:

Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win. ― Stephen King

## END ##

6 thoughts on “Tuesday’s Quick Hits”

  2. One thing for sure about this Cascade County Commission meeting about the elections office today, the seven minute allocation for comment is FAR too long.

      • There’s 6-1/2 hrs of my life I’ll never get back.

        Resolution passes 2-1.

        We sure have a lot of crazy people in Cascade County. And a lot of thoughtful ones. And God takes the side of some.

  3. The writer of your email went a little overboard calling a vote for the county elections official a constitutional right, as well. It isn’t.

    Briggs’ resolution spells it out: “WHEREAS, pursuant to MCA § 13-1-301(1), the county Clerk and Recorder of each county is the Election Administrator unless the governing body of the county designates another official or appoints an Election Administrator”

    “Unless” being the key word.

    Those darn wingnuts, always sticklers for/spouting chapter and verse of the MCA … except when it is inconvenient for them.

    Would be great to have the popcorn concession at the fairgrounds today, but think I will avoid a crowded hall full of basic health measures deniers and stick to Zoom.

    And interestingly it turns out Cascade County isn’t the only county in Montana the elections conspiracists have turned upside down. Daily Montanan has an fun story about Carbon County. It’s a juicy one for sure, lots of intrigue, and the details may or may not be true. The people raising all the stink claim to the Daily Montanan writer that they are not partisan – just regular folk who got interested in elections and election equipment after 2020. You know, for whatever reason. Though an op-ed written by the main guy for Western Montana News make clear he’s part of the tinfoil hat “hand count!” crowd.

    https://dailymontanan.com/2023/12/08/broken-seals-shredding-and-a-fbi-investigation-carbon-county-couple-raise-election-concerns/

    https://www.westernmt.news/user/chip/story/carbon-county-commissioners-clerk-and-election-administrator-intentionally-keep-public-information-from-the-public

    So much fun.

Comments are closed.