Hello Summer! Welcome back! Here are the topics for today’s commentary:
- City of Great Falls Happenings
- Sheehy & NRA
- The Ten Commandments
CITY OF GREAT FALLS HAPPENINGS:
Two interesting things happened in the Great Falls city government that caught my attention.
The first thing was reported by the Montana Free Press (MTFP). Great Falls city commissioners reappointed Noelle Johnson to the Great Falls Public Library Board of Trustees by a split vote Tuesday night during a lengthy public meeting.
I disagree with this appointment. I would have voted against Johnson. Why appoint someone who did not care about the library enough to support the library levy?
One good thing that many people already knew came out of this: two commissioners and the mayor lean toward the MAGA side. Two other commissioners are moderates. There needs to be a concerted effort to recruit more moderates to be commissioners and mayor. The three MAGAs we have serving now are an embarrassment.
The second thing that caught my attention was reported by The Electric. The headline kind of tells it all, “CITY TAKES FIRST LOOK AT PROPOSED BUDGET, WITH TAX INCREASES.”
Yes, that headline said, “with tax increases.” I really doubt any of the five members of the commission have the guts to say “No” to tax increases. Great Falls residents can’t afford more taxes on top of fees being increased.
Residents of Great Falls should be ready to be screwed over again when the city budget is approved.
SHEEHY & NRA:
I always find endorsements and ratings from groups in political campaigns interesting.
For example, Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, Tim Sheehy, says he has an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association (NRA) in a recent ad. Since Sheehy has never held elective office, I guess they rate him on a questionnaire he completed or from a meeting – or maybe money he donated. Since Sheehy has never cast a vote, nobody knows how he will vote on gun issues. He can say anything to get their endorsement. We already know Sheehy lies. I’d still like to know who shot him.
Then there is last Friday’s story from Politico about Sheehy and the NRA:
Montana GOP Senate candidate TIM SHEEHY received the endorsement of NRA earlier this month, with the gun-rights organization bestowing an “A” rating on the former Navy SEAL and businessman.
But in audio from August 2023 obtained by Playbook, Sheehy directed some stinging comments toward the NRA at a meet-and-greet event in Glasgow, Montana.
“It’s the Second Amendment in our Bill of Rights for a reason,” Sheehy began after an attendee asked his thoughts about the issue of gun control. “I will say, I’m not the biggest fan of the NRA, because I don’t think the NRA is really, truly worried about Second Amendment rights. I think they’ve really become a mouthpiece for the gun industry. That’s just my personal opinion.”
That statement is coming from someone the NRA “A” rated.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS:
Several years ago, the man who played Moses in “The Ten Commandments” (Charlton Heston) came to Montana to campaign for my boss. I was lucky enough to work the fundraiser chat with Heston and ensure his wine glass was never empty. I asked how he was enjoying his visit to Montana and he said in his booming voice, “It’s always great to be back in God’s country.”
That really has nothing to do with the next part, except for the “Ten Commandments” part.
The Associated Press (AP) is reporting that Louisiana has become the first state to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom, the latest move from a GOP-dominated Legislature pushing a conservative agenda under a new governor.
The legislation that Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed into law on Wednesday requires a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in “large, easily readable font” in all public classrooms, from kindergarten to state-funded universities.
I’m a Christian, but I don’t think my religious beliefs should be thrown at others. There are many religions in this world, and for Louisiana to pick the one in which they want to display scripture is over the top.
I don’t see how this will withstand constitutional scrutiny.
The Western Word 
Elementary school in the 60’s — A picture of the President, an American flag, and the alphabet, written in cursive, across the top of the blackboard.
Ideologies never even entered the equation back in those days.
I’m sort of a two-way street sort of person in that if the classroom is good enough for the Pride flag, then it should be good enough for the Ten Commandments.
I personally favor neither because that’s not what school is for.
Keeping Religion (any Religion) out of the classroom should be the order of the day.
As a teacher, if your kids know your political, religious, or ideological preferences/affiliations then you’ve already failed as a teacher.
I agree. There are religious schools if people want a daily dose of religion every day for their children.
I had a government professor in college who I could never figure out which way he leaned. I like that.
Thanks,
JmB
I heard a politician say that the ten commandments were the original law. Apparently he had never heard of the code of Hammurabi.
Good point. I have not heard anyone mention Hammurabi for a long time. I think it was around a thousand years before the Ten Commandments. Thanks, JmB
The Code of Hammurabi is like dinosaurs, fossils, geological time, galactic time, and any other history and/or science that does not comport with the very narrow history recounted in the Bible, as promulgated by hardcore “believers”. It is written off into “and in that day there were monsters”. Case closed.
Speaking of your former boss, this
https://montanafreepress.org/2024/06/14/can-dems-keep-winning-in-indian-country/
If I remember correctly, Indian Country was not won by him then.
I believe you are correct. But by only losing by around 3600 votes, you can pick many groups that could have cost him the election + the third party candidate.
Thanks, JmB
Forty years ago I was picketing at the Russell museum when you, Burns, and Heston were campaigning there. A man in a nearby house had a loud speaker and yelled,”Don’t vote for Mudd, Mudd is a dud.” Right to Work was the issue for us.
Heston said, “ Get a job.”
I remember the picketing. Fun times. It’s funny how times change.
I had Heston sign a few campaign t shirts on the hood of the SUV. I still have a couple. The others were auctioned off for big bucks. -JmB
MAGAs are not only an embarrassment, but now they’re getting to be a real pain in the ass! Why do people vote for these maroons? Well, this ought’a bring them lots of new voters! Maybe Lola could check for violators!
https://www.rawstory.com/pornhub-ban/
And btw, I’ve got no problem with the Ten Commandments displayed in public as long as our MAGA members of the city commission can place their hands on the Bible in public and swear that they’ve never committed adultery! Word on the street is that certain members might have a hard time with this one! Some might say that them adhering to their MAGA values that they want to place on the rest of us is bullsh*t! They’re some of the biggest violators and hypocrites! Therefore, it’s really irksome to hear their preaching about anything! They need to go the way of the Rae Rae bird! Extinct!
My favorite passage in the Electric story about the budget was this:
“City Manager Greg Doyon said that with the tax cap under state law, slower growth and a rate of inflation has left ‘little opportunity for additional discretionary funding’ and that’s frustrating to him and department heads.”
Astoundingly enough, that’s exactly how I feel about my own income. Grows very slowly, little opportunity for additional discretionary funding/spending, frustrating. Willing to bet I am not the only taxpayer who feels that way.
Maybe the City should go out and get a job flipping burgers for extra money, like they seem to feel all us older people should do to pay the higher municipal taxes they want to gobble up. Not all of us are taking down $197k annually like Manager Doyon.