Thursday Thoughts

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Welcome! Here are the topics for today’s column:

  • The Helena Circus
  • Daines the Dodger
  • Inauguration Viewers
  • One More Thing

THE HELENA CIRCUS:

The Montana legislature is in full swing and, as usual, it has turned into a circus. Montanans should be embarrassed. 

First, we had a fight in the state senate that the Montana Free Press reported was a fight over committees and rules. The state Senate faced delays just three days into the legislative session. It was embarrassing because the Republican leaders looked weak and ineffective. Republicans are getting pretty good at imploding when they are in charge. 

Due to some excellent reporting from the Helena Independent Record, readers found that Republican State Senator Jason Ellsworth from Hamilton recently signed a six-figure contract with a longtime business associate without legislative leadership’s knowledge, skipping the public bidding process. The contract was for $170,100. It was also reported that Ellsworth was state Senate President at the time. 

You can read about this mess HERE, HERE, and HERE. 

The Montana State House endorsed a ban on transgender people using bathrooms in public buildings that do not align with their sex assigned at birth. (Source) I wonder who will be “checking” on people using the bathrooms. It’s craziness. 

It’s a circus and we’ve got a ways to go. 

DAINES THE DODGER:  

Talk about dodging the issue – CNN and other sources reported that Republican senators struggled to defend Donald Trump’s decision to commute and pardon hundreds of January 6 protesters, including those who were charged and convicted of crimes against police officers, just hours after the president entered office Monday.

U.S. Senator Steve Daines was asked about Trump’s decision to commute and pardon hundreds of January 6 protesters. He had this to say:

“I’m grateful President Trump is the president of the United States.”

Daines has no guts. As expected, he won’t stand up against Trump. Daines is up for reelection in two years. He does not want to piss off Trump and get primaried.

INAUGURATION VIEWERS:

The Associated Press (AP) is reporting that an estimated 24.6 million television viewers watched President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, the smallest audience for the quadrennial ceremony since Barack Obama’s second inauguration in 2013. 

Ouch. Joe Biden’s inauguration had more viewers. 

The AP also reported that Fox News Channel had 10.3 million viewers between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., when Trump was sworn in and gave his inaugural speech. In that same period, ABC had 4.7 million viewers, NBC had 4.4 million, CBS had 4.1 million, CNN had 1.7 million and MSNBC had 848,000. 

God bless America! 

ONE MORE THING:

If your Christianity causes you to be offended by someone asking the most powerful person in the country to be merciful towards the powerless, then you have deeply, deeply misunderstood the teachings of Jesus Christ. – Rev. Benjamin Cremer

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8 thoughts on “Thursday Thoughts”

    • Can you point me to an article where Daines says he supported the release? Thanks.

  2. Another in the series “Gosh I am sure glad we are paying good taxpayer money for legislators to spend time on this”:

    Rep. Braxton Mitchell ( R – Columbia Falls) has introduced HB LC2008: “Eliminate damages for injuries and death arising from dueling”.

    This bill would repeal section 27-1-223 of MCA which states, “If a person slays or permanently disables another person in a duel in this state, the person shall provide for the maintenance of the spouse and minor children of the person slain or permanently disabled in a manner and at a cost, either by aggregate compensation in damages to each or by a monthly, quarterly, or annual allowance, that is determined by the court and the party is liable for and shall pay all debts of the person slain or permanently disabled.”

    As of last night I would swear it also had Steve Fitzpatrick’s name on it and was scheduled for a hearing in some committee but I can’t find that today.

    Sure hope this bill is simply eliminating archaic code out of MCA, because if there is really some current issue with dueling and this is instead an attempt to thwart the intent of our forebears in placing a heavy burden on victorious (but no doubt hard-working and patriotic) duelers, then God help Montana.

    https://bills.legmt.gov/#/lc/bill/2/LC2008

    • Great googly moogly! If we allowed dueling, it could increase tourism. The city of GF would probably require a permit and tack a fee on it. 😉

  4. For Seekins-Crowe and her MAGA pals who endlessly attack transgenders. Their Jesus is full of hate and love of trump!

    “So I thought it was wonderful for [Budde] at this particular time to stand up and say, in effect, ‘By the way, world, Christians see these matters differently,’” he said. Faith leaders should speak up on issues that affect communities. 

    “Religious leaders have a twofold obligation, which is to help congregants cultivate a relationship to the sacred, the Divine or spirituality, as well as to help individuals understand their moral obligations to each other,” Raushenbush said. “If you are only doing one or the other, you are not fully fulfilling your role as a faith leader.”

    “So, of course, we have to talk about how transgender people are being targeted, because they are our neighbors — and in my Christian tradition, we have an obligation to love our neighbor as much as we have an obligation to love God,” he said. “Same with immigrants and others. We cannot sit these questions out and still say that we follow the mandates of Jesus.”

    • She triggered the MAGAs real good! One southern congressman said she should be deported. Too funny.

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