The Monday Memo

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Welcome! It’s great to be back! Here are the topics for today’s column:

  • Great Falls Fireworks
  • Yellowstone Shooting
  • Biden & Lord Almighty
  • Welcoming Immigrants

GREAT FALLS FIREWORKS:

The Electric is reporting that during the Fourth of July holiday, Great Falls Fire Rescue responded to 33 calls for service in a 24-hour period. (Source)

I happened to see that Great Falls City Commissioner Rick Tryon posted the following question for his followers:

The annual “fireworks in GF city limits” debate is now in full swing.
What do you think about putting it on a City ballot and letting the people decide?

The last time I looked there were about 45 comments from readers on both sides of the issue.

The biggest problem I have with fireworks in Great Falls is people do not obey the rules. They start shooting them days before they are allowed and continue shooting them long after the designated hours are over.

With our police and fire personnel being stretched, I would vote to stop all personal fireworks from being discharged within the city.  

If that can’t be accomplished., I suggest only allowing the discharge of fireworks in the city on the Fourth of July from 9:00 a.m. until midnight.

Those who don’t obey the rules are ruining it for the rest of us.

YELLOWSTONE SHOOTING:

I happened to hear the news about a shooting in Yellowstone National Park. The National Park Service has the story HERE.

Maybe it’s just me, but every time I hear about a shooting in a National Park, I think of U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy who may have shot himself while visiting Glacier National Park. I don’t think we really know the whole story about Sheehy and the shooting.

Here is one report:

In the first story, Sheehy told the Washington Post that he sustained the wound in Afghanistan and did not disclose the gunshot to his superiors in Afghanistan after getting shot out of fear that it may negatively impact his former platoon-mates. Years after he was discharged, however, he told a Glacier National Park ranger that he accidentally discharged his Colt .45 and shot himself in the arm.

Nonetheless, Sheehy has a lot of explaining to do about the many shady details of his past.

BIDEN & LORD ALMIGHTY:

ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos interviewed President Joe Biden on Friday. ABC News says the interview is part of a push from the White House and the campaign to recalibrate after Biden’s halting debate performance left some Democrats panicked about his ability to carry out a grueling reelection campaign and a second term.

In one part of the interview, Stephanopoulos asked, “If you can be convinced that you cannot defeat Donald Trump, will you stand down?” Biden responded with, “It depends on — on if the Lord Almighty comes down and tells me that, I might do that.”

I don’t know if Biden can withstand the push to get him to stop running for a second term. He will need to be flawless in any interviews and when he does (if he does) a press conference. I don’t know if his elevator goes to the top floor anymore.

On the other hand, if those on the right are hoping for a Kamala Harris – Donald Trump matchup, be careful what you wish for. Harris may be a tougher opponent than you think.

WELCOMING IMMIGRANTS:

A round of applause goes to the people of Topeka, Kansas, for the way they welcome immigrants to their city.

Topeka has created a modern-day welcome wagon. Check out the story from CBS News HERE.

A lot of folks could learn a lesson from the people of Topeka. I did notice that the citizens of Topeka did not panic when the immigrants arrived, nobody fired off a press release about them to get publicity or contact Homeland Security, and I did not read anywhere that anyone wanted them deported.

They were nice to their new neighbors…

## HAVE A GREAT WEEK ##

3 thoughts on “The Monday Memo”

  1. I have lived in cities with “no fireworks in city limits” laws. Those laws work about as well as the current GF rules about fireworks work: Hardly at all.

    If the vote was also open to dogs I bet such a at-least-it-is-on-the-books ban would pass, though.

      • Veterans too. I still hate them and I left a war zone fifty-two years ago. It was real bad when I first got back. No matter how hard you try, after about fifteen minutes of constant explosions, you’re right back in a combat zone mentally. It is very disconcerting. I’m OK with them now, but I just sit in the house with my dogs and listen to music. I think it’s better than it used to be because of better restrictions. They don’t go on all night like they used to.

        And once you’ve seen the real thing, fireworks aren’t that impressive. Gun ships working out all night long with tracers, and drop flares all around, and secondary explosions when they hit an ammo dump, and B 52 raids within ten miles, and rockets and mortars coming in, and constant firefights in the distance, now that’s impressive. There was never a dull moment at night. Fireworks displays just can’t compare. They’re pathetic by comparison.

        For the sake of returning vets, I would hope for strict limitations on them. The needs of the vets must be part of the equation. PTSD is bad enough without being subjected to simulated combat like explosions all night long. And PTSD is a by product of war. Stop sending troops to combat, and no more problems with fireworks. Problem solved.

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