Happy Friday! Here are the topics for today’s commentary:
- Pride Flag Vandalized
- U.S. Senate Montana 2024
- Tester Delivers $88 Million
- Trump’s Gun License
PRIDE FLAG VANDALIZED:
On the heels of the announcement from Great Falls Mayor Cory Reeves that he would not issue a proclamation recognizing June as Pride Month, a Pride Flag was vandalized in Great Falls.
The vandalism was caught on camera and a pretty good photo of the young man, along with the pickup in which he was a passenger, was on the video. The information was turned over to the Great Falls Police Department.
The video and other information was posted on the Nextdoor app. You can see the post HERE.
We’re better than this, Great Falls. Love your neighbor.
U.S. SENATE MONTANA 2024:
Here are some thoughts on Republican Tim Sheehy challenging Democrat incumbent Jon Tester in the marquee matchup in Montana.
In the primary election, it was apparent that many Republicans (26%) voting on the Republican ticket did not pick Sheehy. He ended up with 74% of the vote, but his challengers received almost 49,500 votes. That’s something to be concerned about.
As for Tester, he received 97% of the vote in a two-way race. With so many MAGA incumbents losing to more moderate candidates, moderates like Tester should receive a lot of those votes. Of course, the Republicans will try to make Tester out as a liberal, but that has not sold well in Montana.
Sheehy has the “lying” problem that he has not contained yet. Very seldom will you see a candidate come right out and say he lied to a federal official and then try to dodge questions from then on. Sheehy needs to come clean and show the media his medical records. I would like to see his military records, too. Nobody really knows, except Sheehy, how many times he has been shot and where it happened.
Both candidates will have all the money they need to compete. Each will get their share of lobbyist money. If we were sick of the commercials during the primary, hold on to your hats during the general election season.
The race will be close as all of Tester’s races have been. I look for a Tester win by 3-5%.
TESTER DELIVERS $88 MILLION:
U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced that a more than $88 million contract that is funded through his bipartisan infrastructure law has been awarded to Montana-based NW Construction to complete the St. Mary Diversion Dam Replacement project.
The contract is part of the up to $100 million Tester secured for the Milk River Project through his bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which Tester negotiated and helped pass into law. Tester was the only member of Montana’s Congressional delegation to support the legislation.
The $88,321,400 project award to NW Construction, Inc. out of Bozeman, Montana, will ensure water users along the Milk River have a reliable water source while protecting Bull Trout through the Endangered Species Act.
This funding is vitally important to complete the St. Mary Diversion project. It’s needed repairs for many years.
This funding shows how important seniority is in Washington, D.C. Tester has it and no other member of the Montana delegation comes close.
TRUMP’S GUN LICENSE:
There will be one less bad man on the streets legally able to carry a gun. NBC News and several other sources are reporting that former President Donald Trump’s gun license is expected to be revoked now that he has been convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, according to a New York Police Department spokesperson. Trump’s gun license for New York City had been suspended upon his indictment, the spokesperson said.
As for the Biden campaign, their response was golden:
The Biden campaign slammed the former president in a statement about the expected gun license revocation.
“When Trump tells the NRA he won’t do a damn thing to prevent convicted felons, domestic abusers, and other dangerous people from getting their hands on guns, he’s talking about himself,” said campaign spokesperson James Singer in a statement.
Trump was found liable in a civil trial last year for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll, though he has not faced domestic abuse charges.
“The problem for Donald Trump is that Joe Biden is president and he is not — so just like he told the victims of gun violence– he should ‘get over it,’” Singer continued.
Singer was referring to Trump addressing an Iowa school shooting in January that left one dead and seven injured, where the former president said that people “have to get over it. We have to move forward.”
Is this a great country or what?
The Western Word 
Whether he likes it or not, mayor Cory is now a role model and authority figure. As such, his actions are imbued with all the gravity of his office. He took on this leadership role himself. I don’t recall anyone twisting his arm. And as a community leader, he will have followers. Therefore, he must use his position wisely.
When he fails to even acknowledge our LBGTQ population with a simple proclamation that requires no effort on his part at all, the message is clear. He’s implying that they are in the category of less than. He is saying that they are not even worthy of a simple act of kindness and acceptance toward their community even though they have suffered much undue abuse in the past. And by a simple proclamation he could have reassured them and the everyone that they are welcome here, and that they are equal, valued and accepted members of our city. Hard to understand why Cory found that so objectionable that he had to refuse.
But again, by virtue of his mayorship, Cory is a leader. His refusal signaled tacit approval of intolerance toward gays. And like all leaders, unfortunately Cory apparently has followers who got the message loud and clear. And they acted on it. If the mayor can be intolerant, it must be OK. This is a message that Cory must reject immediately. Cory must immediately recognize pride month and denounce any acts of violence. He’s no longer a cop where one can display their prejudices without consequences. He’s the leader of all the people, gay, straight, or otherwise. In other words, he needs to figure it out! Prejudice and hate cannot be allowed to take hold.
“Hard to understand why Cory found that so objectionable that he had to refuse.”
He is the leader of all the people, like you said. That includes all Great Falls’ many intolerants and haters. Cory has to choose who to please because you can’t please everyone, and he’s apparently chosen to come down of the side of those intolerants and haters who would wish LGBTQ out of existence. Probably a larger voter bloc anyhow.