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

• Cascade County Politics
• Windy Boy Returns
• Deaths of Two Sisters
• One More Thing

CASCADE COUNTY POLITICS:

It looks like the Republicans in Cascade County are imploding. There’s a lot of friction lately, but the biggest shock was seeing Jesse Wagner go after Sheriff Jesse Slaughter in an Op-Ed. I thought Slaughter was a GOP favorite, but clearly, the party is more divided than it seems.

People may remember that Slaughter was a Democrat when first elected, then switched to the Republican Party in 2021. He cited several reasons, such as the “party left me” and the lack of respect for law enforcement within the Democratic Party.  

I feel he left the Democratic Party because he felt he could be reelected more easily as a Republican. I think he sold his soul to the MAGA movement.   

The Op-Ed by Wagner was posted by current Republican Public Service Commissioner and State Senate District 12 candidate Randy Pinocci. (Facebook page) 

The title of the Op-Ed was:

“A Pattern of Deception by Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter”

Wagner contends:

The thin veneer of “constitutional” leadership in Cascade County is peeling away to reveal a record defined by sworn falsehoods, staggering taxpayer-funded settlements, and a systemic failure to uphold the rule of law. While Sheriff Jesse Slaughter publicly champions himself as a “constitutional sheriff,” the official record suggests a pattern of behavior that directly undermines the U.S. and Montana Constitutions. 

You can read the full Op-Ed by clicking HERE. 

In the comment section on Pinocci’s post, Sheriff Slaughter responded:

Nice try Randy! Everyone knows this is all complete BS. This is also one the worst written tabloids ever. They can’t even spell my deputies name correctly. If you’re going to defame people you might want to be smart enough to get the correct spelling of their names.

There is a public record that disproves everything the Liberty Bell writes. You know the truth!

This case was investigated by the AG’s office and adjudicated by a jury. This is just tabloid nonsense, but you know that Randy.

You won’t dishonor my office or my deputy with this tabloid BS.

Randy you’ve got your own baggage and election. It’s people like you that makes everyone hate politics.

I doubt this Op-Ed does very much to keep Slaughter from winning reelection, but the infighting among Republicans in the county should give Democrats some hope. 

WINDY BOY RETURNS:

Via press release, Jonathan Windy Boy announced that he is unsuspending his campaign and rejoining the Montana 2nd District Congressional race. Windy Boy states the allegations that have recently circulated against him are matters being repeated that were previously investigated, referred to law enforcement, and that the matter was vacated over twenty years ago. 

The press release continues:

Windy Boy said the renewed publicity appears to be part of a coordinated political smear campaign effort designed to damage his credibility by character assassination. “This is a political ambush,” Windy Boy said. “This is an old smear campaign that has turned into a political hit. These allegations are being repackaged and pushed publicly for political purposes.” Windy Boy said “I am being politically prosecuted by the Democratic Leadership due to the political attack by my Congressional opponent Brian J. Miller, who is vexatiously smearing my name.” Windy Boy ended by stating, “The bottom line here is I have not been afforded my constitutional rights to due process, while those rights have been grossly violated I am innocent until proven guilty.” 

You can read his complete press release HERE. 

I can’t remember anyone suspending their campaign and doing very well after “unsuspending” it. But the 2026 campaign season has been weird. 

DEATHS OF TWO SISTERS:

This story made me so sad and mad… 

MTN News reported this week that Kai Taylor Redstar has been charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and one count of criminal endangerment in connection with the deaths of two sisters in a one-vehicle crash on East Airport Road nearly a year ago. Redstar’s blood-alcohol content was 0.182 percent, more than double the legal limit in Montana, according to charging documents. 

The two sisters, Alicia Half, age 16, and Alexia Half, age 18, both Billings residents, were thrown from the vehicle by the force of the crash and died at the scene. Neither was wearing a seat belt. 

There is no way that Redstar should ever be released from prison for killing these two sisters. Montana needs to get tough on drunk driving. 

ONE MORE THING: 

Every day, about 32 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes — that’s one person every 44 minutes. In 2024, 11,904 people died in alcohol-impaired driving traffic deaths. These deaths were all preventable. (Source)

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