Welcome! Here are the topics for today’s independent commentary:

• Cascade County Elections
• SOS Jacobsen Discriminated
• 2024 Word of the Year
• NFL Football
• One More Thing

CASCADE COUNTY ELECTIONS:

It looks like the election nightmare in Cascade County is finally over (until the next election). 

The Electric is reporting that Cascade County officials certified the Nov. 5 election results during an hours long canvass on Nov. 25 after some delays and a hand recount of seven precincts after some ballots had been misplaced.

The Electric also reported that the canvass was initially scheduled for last week but was delayed when Terry Thompson, county election administrator, discovered that some ballots had never been removed from their secrecy envelopes and were mistakenly placed in a box of discarded secrecy envelopes and were never run through the tabulator.

Thompson said those 117 ballots were in seven precincts but did not impact the results of any race.

The article becomes more interesting (to me) around the ninth paragraph:

During the meeting, Thompson said she was going to take a moment to make a public comment sits {since} she has to sit at the table during meetings and listen to the public accuse her and elections staff of various things. 

The next 10 or so paragraphs report about Thompson fighting back against the accusations and placing some of the blame on the Post Office, County Commissioner Rae Grulkowski, and poll watchers. 

As the saying goes, “the straw that broke the camel’s back” to me was the elections office misplacing 117 ballots. Thompson can say over and over it did not change the outcome of any races, but the lack of attention to detail has sown distrust in the community.  

With a mistake this big, someone should lose their job and that person is the Elections Administrator, Terry Thompson. Will it happen? I doubt it. 

Read the complete article from The Electric HERE. 

SOS JACOBSEN DISCRIMINATED:

I think this is a very serious finding from the Human Rights Bureau, although some of my MAGA friends don’t think so. We’ll see.  

The Montana Free Press (MTFP) is reporting that Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen emailed Cascade County commissioners in February as they considered candidates for the elections administrator position. Jacobsen urged them not to hire Rina Fontana Moore, a Democrat, or any member of her administration. Fontana Moore ran elections for 16 years as the county’s clerk and recorder.

An investigator from the Montana Department of Labor and Industry’s Human Rights Bureau recently concluded, according to a report obtained by Montana Free Press, that reasonable cause existed to support Fontana Moore’s allegation of political discrimination. Furthermore, the investigator determined that it was Austin James, Jacobsen’s election director, who convinced Jacobsen to take the unusual step of weighing in on the county matter.

The MTFP reports that the email stated:

“Please do not hire Ms. Moore or a member of her administration as Cascade County’s Election Administrator,” Jacobsen, a Republican, wrote. “Doing so would directly undermine the voters of Cascade County, among other reasons.”

Moore settled a case with the Cascade County Commissioners about this issue. Moore and Commissioners settled for $52,500. I expect a settlement with the Secretary of State would be more lucrative for Moore. She should take them for all she can get.  

Check out the entire article from the MTFP HERE. 

2024 WORD OF THE YEAR:

Each year, Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year and short-listed nominees capture pivotal moments in language and culture. These words serve as a linguistic time capsule, reflecting social trends and global events that defined the year. The Word of the Year isn’t just about popular usage; it reveals the stories we tell about ourselves and how we’ve changed over the year. And for these reasons, Dictionary.com’s 2024 Word of the Year is demure.

Dictionary.com says though the term demure has traditionally been used to describe those who are reserved, quiet, or modest, a new usage has spread through social media — one used to describe refined and sophisticated appearance or behavior in various contexts, such as at work or on a plane. (Source)

NFL FOOTBALL:

Don’t forget that we have three NFL games on Thanksgiving Day and one more on Black Friday!

THURSDAY:

• Chicago at Detroit. The game starts at 10:30 a.m. Mountain time on CBS.

• NY Giants at Dallas. The game starts at 2:30 Mountain time on Fox.

• Miami at Green Bay. The game starts at 6:20 p.m. Mountain time on NBC. 

FRIDAY:

• My Kansas City Chiefs host the Las Vegas Raiders. This game is on Prime Video and starts at 1:00 p.m. Mountain time. 

ONE MORE THING:

Happy Thanksgiving! Please take a moment to say a prayer for those who are working this Thanksgiving, especially those who are serving in the military and their families. 

I will be back next week unless there’s breaking news!   

## HAPPY THANKSGIVING ##