Hello Friends! Here are the topics for today’s column:
- Great Falls Proclamations
- U.S. Senate Montana 2024
- Austin Knudsen
- One More Thing
GREAT FALLS PROCLAMATIONS:
Readers may remember last week when Great Falls’ new Mayor, Cory Reeves, announced on Facebook that he had decided not to issue a proclamation for LGBTQ+ (Pride) Month.
There was quite a lot of outrage about his decision. I disagreed with his decision.
On Friday, Reeves announced, via Facebook, the following:
I believe proclamations place the mayor in a difficult position, having to decide what merits government endorsement and what doesn’t. To avoid this, I am considering ending all proclamations. Instead, people or groups could discuss their events or issues during the public comment period at City Commission meetings; removing the need for government input.
213 people liked or loved the post and a little over 100 comments, with most being positive.
As for me, I don’t really care. I was upset about Pride Month not being recognized. If the city allows recognition during the public comment period, who would decide which group could be recognized? That may be the problem.
It might be better to have the full five-member commission vote on what issue is deserving of a proclamation. That way we could find out which members are bigots.
U.S. SENATE MONTANA 2024:
U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D) and challenger Tim Sheehy (R) debated Sunday at Fairmont Hot Springs during the Montana Broadcasters Association convention. The Montana Broadcasters Association and the Greater Montana Foundation co-sponsored the event.
The event time was not that well publicized. I guess it was held at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday. I saw that it was going to be televised at 7:00 p.m. Sunday night on KRTV in Great Falls.
From what I read it does not appear that anyone asked Sheehy about his lies to the Park Service Officer. If that is true, the folks participating in the questioning should lose their journalism card. All in all, I heard it was pretty boring.
You can watch the debate HERE.
You can read a report from the Associated Press (AP) HERE and from the Montana Free Press HERE.
AUSTIN KNUDSEN:
The Daily Montanan is reporting that Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen appears to have doubled down on his comments from a meeting in Dillon last month in which he told an audience that he had recruited a fellow Republican to run against him for attorney general so that he could raise more money. Those comments triggered a still ongoing investigation with the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices for violating state campaign and election laws, which Knudsen also described during that Dillon meeting as “ridiculous.”
The Daily Montanan also reported that in a radio interview with KGEZ in Kalispell, Knudsen said that he wasn’t trying to hide anything and meant to disclose his efforts to recruit an opponent as a demonstration of the state’s “quite silly” laws.
Apparently, Knudsen knowingly broke the law, so he should receive a severe penalty. Knudsen should know better.
ONE MORE THING:
The question is no longer about character. The question now is whether character matters to you. – Unknown
The Western Word 
my wife and grandson were at last years Pride Fest downtown, they told me about the man with the faggot sign screaming at the attendees. I read a bit about it the next day. I don’t know if he had the weapon he claimed he did. Apparently his employer sought fit to let him go and a little bit of research could tell you what local leader felt he was treated unfairly. You don’t have to declare yourself a bigot for someone like myself to suspect you are.
Very true. My point is there will always be someone trying to beat the system. Thanks, JmB
Anyone can speak at the GF Commission open subject public comment period. There’s no deciding who. Just get up there and speak. There’s only the three minute time limit.
Would be sorry to see official mayoral recognition of accomplishments by the city’s young people go. But if Mayor Cory is going to insert his own moral judgments about “personal life choices” into the process, judgments about whose choice of how they were born is worthy and whose is not, then everyone is probably better off without any proclamations at all.
Thanks. I understand about public comment period, but what if someone is speaking about something reprehensible. I think I’d rather see a vote by full commission on whether to do a proclamation or not. -JmB
Reprehensible. Reminds me when the City was writing up new Comment Guidelines & wanted to ban “impertinent comments.”
Haha. I’m glad I could bring back some memories for you! -JmB