by jhwygirl
Well, remember this post where I linked to Skylar Browning’s Indy blog post on Brad Giffin’s private facebook page (he has a Giffin 4 Sheriff page too) indicating his friend status with Sarah Palin and the Tea Party?
Well, he’s apparently “de-friended” Sarah Palin and the Tea Party.
Guess that sunshine on his candidacy was too much.
Again, though – good goddess! He isn’t even smart enough to know that someone might see it?
Do we really want an Einstein like that as our sheriff?
by jhwygirl
Now that summer is on the downhill side (sorry), thoughts turn to elections for many. This years election in the House and Senate gives many choices, but what is important to remember is that many serious and important issues face citizens in Montana.
Legislative sessions are tumultuous, the last two all the more so because of the precarious balance – the state house split 50-50, and the senate with a clear conservative majority.
The legislature is promising to rehash many issues, and with money short and revenues down, the budget is certain to be the big war. Funding for education and health and human services are already being cut, and certain to come – but along with that we’ve got Republicans proposing tax cuts directed towards Flathead lakefront properties.
Who’s in support and lobbying hard? The real estate industry. The very people who profited immensely for driving real estate prices up and up for the last 6 years, playing an immense part (along with bankers) in the bubble that is the housing implosion.
One of several legislative seats that Democrats have a chance of picking up is House District 100. Willis Curdy, a Grass Valley resident is repeating his candidacy this year, with Bill Nooney, the would-be incumbent having decided not to run after Curdy nearly defeated him in 2008.
4&20 was fans of Curdy last time around, and I continue to believe that he is the better candidate for the seat. An educator, a smokejumper, a trustee on the Missoula Rural Fire District….the list goes on, but his resume speaks leadership and good-as-gold common sense.
Sadly, It takes money to win an election. There’s no other way to say it. Curdy is a hard worker – knocking doors in a huge district that runs from Fish Creek to the Idaho State line and the Ravalli County line. But again – it’s gonna take cash.
Not only that – Champ Edmunds, Will Curdy’s Republican challenger, is all to happy to enjoy and cash campaign checks made out to failed GOP Missoula County Commissioner candidate Jim Edwards. As ya’all might remember, I like to listen to conservative talk radio in the morning to get my blood flowing in the morning, and a few short weeks ago I heard him bragging that he was getting campaign donations made out to Jim Edwards due to people confusing him with the former candidate. When asked what he did with them, he said – proudly – that he was “of course” cashing them, and he and the host had a nice laugh.
Lovely, huh?
Obviously, if Edmunds isn’t honest enough to at least contact the check writer and let them know that they were confused by his name before he cashed the donation, he isn’t honest or trustworthy enough to serve the very citizens he’s taking the money from.
~~~~~
You can donate to Willis Curdy by hitting this link, snail-mailing him a check, made out to Curdy for HD100, to 11280 Kona Ranch Rd. Missoula, MT 59804
In local elections, even a $5 or $10 donation adds up. It’s getting to be the time where signs need ordered, radio spots need to be planned, and newspaper and mailings prepared.
Let’s not let HD100 go to a dishonest man. Again.
by jhwygirl
He also {hearts} Sarah Palin.
So we can safely assume he isn’t too bright. I guess he missed all those Facebook memos too.
Yowza.
by jhwygirl
I don’t know about you, but I’m intrigued by Carl Ibsen, a candidate for sheriff who’s running for the office under the premise that a sheriff should have no political affiliation.
Refreshing.
Ibsen has worked as a law enforcement officer in Missoula for 37 years.
He lists DUI and alcohol issues and domestic violence as two of his issues on his main page.
Check that…we’ve got far too much of both, both here in Missoula and here in Montana.
Next up he lists training and recruitment, which are good things for both officer AND citizen.
Ibsen also has the county’s Detention Center listed on that front page, along with a page of his thoughts and concerns on the issue – and that is not only brave, but quite forward thinking and open and needed in this community. Issues concerning that detention center have headlined here far too long.
I’ll be looking more into Carl Ibsen. I hope to meet him – he sounds like the kind of candidate that is worthy of serious consideration.
by jhwygirl
Update:
I used an old article for the 6-4 vote…and I can’t find what the vote was in the Missoulian. When I can clarify that, I will. It appears there are several versions of what the final vote was on Apostle’s raise.
Missoula citizens and Missoula County Public Schools (MCPS) teachers alike aren’t too pleased with the Missoula County School Board’s recent 6 to 4 vote to approve what amounts to a 20% pay hike to Superintendent Alex Apostle’s compensation.
Apostle will now make $155,000 a year – he’ll get an annual automobile reimbursement of $12,000 and an annual contribution to his tax-sheltered annuity to $9,996.
Sweet, huh? In this economy? In a county where the median household income is about $35,000?
Let’s give some credit where credit is due, too – trustees Rick Johns, Kelley Hirning, Drake Lemm and Adam Duerk opposed the pay hike.
Yeah, yeah – that’s right….j-girl is agreeing with something Drake Lemm did.
Citizens and teachers alike will be on hand tomorrow, starting sometime before 5 p.m. to let the school board members know what they think of their 6 to 4 vote for a 20% hike in Apostle’s compensation. 5 p.m. is the public meeting for the budget hearings and there is no agenda set. At 6 p.m. is the regular monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees, and the agenda for that meeting can be found here.
The meeting is at 915 South Avenue.
In related news:
Nancy Pickhardt? Don’t Let the Door Hit Ya Where the Good Goddess Split Ya
Nancy Pickhardt is a school board trustee. An elected official. She has a potty mouth, and no respect for the people that elected her.
No only that, she isn’t very smart.
A deadly combination of attributes to have, IMNSHO.
I have no doubt that elected officials get mad and frustrated. But leaving a message on a phone messaging system – whether you know them or not – and telling them to “Go #!&$ yourself!” is a whole bunch of messed up arrogant stupidity.
It’s one thing to think it….it’s one thing even to say it out loud – but to hear the beep of a messaging system and to actually leave that kind of message? Seriously?
Makes you wanna see her emails, doesn’t it.
Time for Nancy Pickhardt to go. Her arrogance for the voters is dangerous. Can we recall her? Someone should look into it, because I get the sense that she doesn’t give a you-know-what what the voters think of her and her representation on the Board of Trustees.
by jhwygirl
Sen. Greg Hinkle, who resides in Thompson Falls and represents state senate district 7, writes a column pretty regularly for The Clark Fork Chronicle. He’s one of those tea party types who hates government, but is more than happy to run for office and collect his senator’s pay and per diem that they all get when they are in session.
Gotta love that irony, huh?
In his latest column he gets to comparing undocumented immigrants to livestock as he rants on about a proposal by the USDA to require documentation for livestock that crosses state lines.
Whoa! The thought just occurred to me; I wonder if these same officials are drafting regulations requiring the USFWS to track diseased wolves (or deer and elk for that matter) crossing state lines? In the same vein, it does not appear that there is the same concern for diseases brought across our southern border by illegal aliens.
So not only is he a xenophobic disgusting piece of a human being, he supports big government Again – got to love that irony.
You know what’s even more amazing to me? That Sen. Greg Hinkle is so comfortable in his own skin that he writes a piece of garbage like this and sends it to a newspaper knowing that it is going to be printed and published and read by 1,000′s of readers in at least 3 counties. The twisted sick word that he lives in has him thinking that it is OK to contemplate the need for the USDA to regulate border crossings – southern border crossings – of human beings.
As an aside from this topic, Sen. Greg Hinkle clearly has no respect for the Montana Constitution. He’s proposing a bill to ban physician assisted suicide.
So here is a state legislator – a state senator at that – that doesn’t even have a basic understanding of the court case to which he is trying to overturn with a law. The right in Montana for a terminally ill person to seek physician-assisted suicide is found in our state’s constitution.
Putting it another way – no legislator can write laws to forbid those rights that are granted to us by our constitution.
He takes two separate oaths as a state senator – one to uphold the United States Constitution, and another to uphold the Montana Constitution. I guess those oaths don’t mean crap to him.
For me, this is another example of tea baggery gone mad – not only does Hinkle want more laws to regulate that which can’t be regulated away, he wants to take away constitutional rights of Montana’s citizens AND have Montana citizens rack up the legal tab defending a law that would be unconstitutional from its inception.
by JC
For your weekend reading pleasure, I direct you towards Wulfgar!’s story about growing up “normal” in the Bitterroot and his perspective on Wayne Nance, the serial killer who met his maker one day by being sloppy, and died at the hands of one of his victims in 1986. It was just a few days after I moved to Missoula into a cabin a few blocks from the scene of the crime–having just spent a few weeks in West Riverside with a friend (the location of Nance’s first known victim) as I moved and waited for my rental to open up, and hearing the stories of unsolved murders. What had I gotten myself into, I thought?
GO NOW, over to A Chicken is not Pillage and read “One Degree of Separation.” You’ll be a better person for it. And for what it’s worth, I think that Wulfgar!, instead of being a bookstore employee, should be feeding bookstores novels…
“I grew up in Stevensville, the first community in Montana, having moved there when I was barely 10. Stevensville, as with the other communities in Ravalli county, was a normal small Montana rural town. Except Darby, which was and remains a little … off. By ‘normal’ I mean that very thing, which is why I laugh at those usually urban dwellers who paint small towns with the brush of Mayberry USA. Stevensville wasn’t Mayberry, it was normal. We had a bar owner in town who was an unbelievable bully. Everybody knew he was dealing drugs out of his place, as well as other nefarious things, but he was aided by the inaction of the town cops. The latest of those ‘fine officers’ as I grew up is now the mayor of Stevensville starting in January, and what a twit he is. The bully kind of shriveled up when an ex-NFL football player bought the bar across from his. Funny how that works. We had (and have) the yearly celebration of our town’s industry, the Creamery Picnic. The junior high math teacher ran away after being caught banging the wife of the junior high science teacher. He ended up in Polson for a while. None of my female classmates cared because they thought the math teacher was creepy. He’d stand at the bottom of the stairs between class, especially on Friday when girls were required to wear dresses. There were the usual rumors that the senior prom queen was sleeping with the good looking chemistry teacher. Our town’s prominent business men were often corrupt and usually licentious…”
by jhwygirl
And why is the Board of County Commissioners signing a contract with them for the fair?
Got this sent to me just a few minutes ago, and while it might not be what it looks like, I can’t help but wonder if the BCC is spending taxpayer money for some sort of religious “thing” for the county fair.
As a not-so-aside, I can’t seem to find this on their website. The person that sent this to me explains that they put out daily agendas every afternoon of stuff they’re going to do every day. Every afternoon? Singing a contract sounds like spending taxpayer money to me. So does signing an employment contract. How in the world does that get done without proper public notice?
Again, I say – it’s 2010. Can’t the Missoula BCC at least enter the 1990′s with regards to technology and webpage use? In a county that holds nearly 100,00 people? 1/10th of the population of the entire state of Montana?
by JC
In a major victory for gay rights activists, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday that a voter initiative banning same-sex marriage in California violated the Constitution’s equal protection and due process rights clauses.
After a five-month wait, 9th Circuit District Court Judge Vaughn Walker offered a 136-page decision in the case of Perry v. Schwarzenegger, firmly rejecting Proposition 8, which was passed by voters in November 2008.
“Although Proposition 8 fails to possess even a rational basis, the evidence presented at trial shows that gays and lesbians are the type of minority strict scrutiny was designed to protect,” Walker ruled.
“Plaintiffs do not seek recognition of a new right. To characterize plaintiffs’ objective as “the right to same-sex marriage” would suggest that plaintiffs seek something different from what opposite-sex couples across the state enjoy — namely, marriage. Rather, plaintiffs ask California to recognize their relationships for what they are: marriages.”
“Proposition 8 places the force of law behind stigmas against gays and lesbians, including: gays and lesbians do not have intimate relationships similar to heterosexual couples; gays and lesbians are not as good as heterosexuals; and gay and lesbian relationships do not deserve the full recognition of society.”
This is a huge decision folks! Finally, the road to sanity in regards to gay marriage has been paved by a judge with some intelligence. Here are a few highlights of the decision:
In deciding the case, Walker offered a variety of findings that may be as important as the ruling itself. Among them were the following:
- “Sexual orientation is commonly discussed as a characteristic of the individual. Sexual orientation is fundamental to a person’s identity and is a distinguishing characteristic that defines gays and lesbians as a discrete group. Proponents’ assertion that sexual orientation cannot be defined is contrary to the weight of the evidence.”
- “Individuals do not generally choose their sexual orientation. No credible evidence supports a finding that an individual may, through conscious decision, therapeutic intervention or any other method, change his or her sexual orientation.”
- “Same-sex couples are identical to opposite-sex couples in the characteristics relevant to the ability to form successful marital unions. Like opposite-sex couples, same-sex couples have happy, satisfying relationships and form deep emotional bonds and strong commitments to their partners. Standardized measures of relationship satisfaction, relationship adjustment and love do not differ depending on whether a couple is same-sex or opposite-sex.”
- “Marrying a person of the opposite sex is an unrealistic option for gay and lesbian individuals.”
- “Same-sex couples receive the same tangible and intangible benefits from marriage that opposite-sex couples receive.”
- “The availability of domestic partnership does not provide gays and lesbians with a status equivalent to marriage because the cultural meaning of marriage and its associated benefits are intentionally withheld from same-sex couples in domestic partnerships.”
- “Permitting same-sex couples to marry will not affect the number of opposite-sex couples who marry, divorce, cohabit, have children outside of marriage or otherwise affect the stability of opposite-sex marriages.”
Perhaps the most important political finding that Walker made was his conclusion that the fact that Prop 8 passed as a voter initiative was irrelevant.
That the majority of California voters supported Proposition 8 is irrelevant, as “fundamental rights may not be submitted to [a] vote; they depend on the outcome of no elections.”
And let’s not forget that Montana has a Constitutional ban on gay marriage passed in 2004. That ban was challenged in court last month:
“Seven gay couples in Montana filed a lawsuit against the state Thursday for its failure to provide legal protections to gay couples and their families.
In 2004 voters approved a state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage or same-sex couple recognition.”
Should be a slam-dunk case, given the findings in Judge Walker’s decision!
Update: Here’s a link to Judge Walker’s Decision at Scribd.
by jhwygirl
Hi folks. Miss ya. Hope this post finds you happy and tanned and well-rested.
Pepsi has been sponsoring a grant program called the Pepsi Refresh Project. It started in February, and runs on a monthly cycle. There are multiple levels of grants ($5K, $25K, $50K and $250K), and they’ve got $1.3 million up for grabs this cycle. Good for Pepsi, good for communities and well-deserving non-profits everywhere.
And yeah – I’m a Pepsi gal, when I do soda. Pepsi is something I’ve been known to crave. Yum. Caffeine-free, of course.
Missoula’s Poverello Center has been nominated for a $50,000 grant. You can vote here.
In fact – save that link. Put it on your desktop. Mail it to friends.
You can vote twice a day. TWICE A DAY.
And for you haters out there – there’s a list there at that You-can-vote-here link that tells you what they intend to do with the cash – and it includes funding for MT ID cards, bus tickets and birth certificates…..all things that help homeless find jobs.
So vote. Vote early, vote often.
Thank you.
Peace.
by JC
Problembear’s post the other day about letting the Bush tax cuts for the rich expire has sparked a lively debate between Big Swede and Mr. Benson, and pb and I. The governing philosophy on their side it seems, is this notion that the more money the rich have, the more jobs they will create. Here’s Big Swede:
“Will raising taxes on the wealthy increase jobs?”
This is nothing more than regurgitated reaganism and its trickle-down, supply-side economic theory. BS and Mr. Benson seem to be wishing for a return to the days of a “shining city upon a hill.”
I see this as nothing more than wishing for a new era of neo-fuedalism where the success of the country is dependent upon the most wealthy individuals. And because we are dependent upon them, we must give them whatever they ask for, because the consequences of not doing so are dire: Who will create the jobs? Who will buy the luxury items that drive economic growth and technological advance…
The inequity in wealth between the rich and the poor has returned to early Depression-era levels. Congress is awash in crony capitalism, and the Obama administration is mired in corporatism. Corporations have been given first amendment rights by the Supreme Court. Wall Street dictates financial policy. The health insurance industry controls access to, and provision of health care. Energy companies must never be held accountable for fear we’ll have another return to a Carter-era energy shortage.
And we’re being asked by conservatives to preserve the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, because, well, because who else is going to create jobs?
This is nothing more than sheer economic blackmail. It is more than looking back for guidance from Reagan, it is looking to the dark ages and a return to the comfort of the lord in his castle on the hill, surrounded by his serfs who will do his bidding in return for a small scrap of land to sleep on, and enough of a share in the crops in order to not starve.
This drive to let the rich and powerful run free among us, dictating policy and our economic future paints an ugly picture of the state of our union. For when the wind blows foul from the past, it is time for those who value true freedom and independence to declare that enough is enough.
This debate is not about taxes, as the tea baggers would have us believe. But they are just tools of the rich and powerful used to create a smokescreen behind which the lords can solidify their grip on our nation.
As Gharrett Johnson wrote in “Slouching Towards Neofeudalism”:
“Neofeudalism isn’t just about the powerful taking over everything. It’s about conditioning the poor to accept their designated role in society, even fighting to defend the ability of the wealthy to exploit them. It requires working people to do things that are against their own interests, and nowhere is this more true than in our current economic system.”
This is about the future of our country, and what it will become. This isn’t about politics. It transcends the two party system. It is about whether or not the masses are willing to become subservient to money and power. It is class warfare.
http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=138218&catid=8?bctid=292314103001
by problembear
the wealthy shouldn’t just be taxed more. we should demand our money back.
warren buffet agrees the demise of the bush tax cuts will be a good thing for america.
for those of us who make less than $200,000.00 per year, there is little to worry about according to this wall street journal article.
excerpt from WSJ article above: “Raising taxes on the middle class seems unlikely in the near future. President Obama says he wants to renew the tax cuts for all those making less than $200,000 to $250,000 a year. Republicans, and some Democrats, want to renew them across the board.”
this issue promises to be a real showdown this fall when congress returns from summer recess.
by problembear
i thought i had met the vilest form of evil in payday lenders until i heard about these grave robbers who boldly pick the gold fillings out of the teeth of our fallen soldier’s greiving families.
when the hell are the people of this once-proud and decent country going to start demanding some integrity from greedy renegade corporations.
and this is completely inexcusable and dishonorable treatment of our fallen.
decency demands that the effin’ perpetrators of both of these crimes is held accountable.
one grieving mother of a fallen soldier says:
“I’m shocked,” says Lohman, breaking into tears as she learns how the Alliance Account works. “It’s a betrayal. It saddens me as an American that a company would stoop so low as to make a profit on the death of a soldier. Is there anything lower than that?”
no
by problembear
like Gahan Wilson and Gary Larson, John Callahan was a cartoonist of the dark side of life. he depicted what people think but never utter in polite society. i like that in any artist. so long John. it’s been good to know you.
many people, when confronted with John’s dark humor for the first time were offended, until they met him in person. John did not shy away from anything. John’s courage and bold independence as he cruised the streets of Portland are legendary.
by problembear
from this website: http://www.summitilc.org/
On July 26th through July 28th Summit, the Statewide Independent Living Council, and Montana’s Centers for
Independent Living will be holding the 2010 Statewide Independent Living Symposium and Youth Symposium at the Hilton Garden Inn in Missoula.
In commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, there will also be two celebrations where we will reflect on where we’ve been, celebrate how far we’ve come, and reaffirm our commitment to move forward in our work towards ensuring that all Americans, including people with disabilities, have full access to their rights of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” through full participation and equal opportunities in all areas of life.
For more information about these exciting events, including information about participating, please visit the 2010 Statewide Independent Living Symposium page, or, if you are interested in becoming a sponsor or setting up a vendor booth, please visit our sponsorship/vendor information page.
By JC
Continuing on with our annual discussion about the conflict downtown–spurred on by City Councilor Bob Jaffe’s remarks on his listserve– between shoppers, tourists, visitors and businesses vs. the homeless, transient, “serial inebriates” and the mentally ill, today’s Missoulian digs a little deeper into the details (thanks liz for your attention to this issue, and pointing out the article!):
“When Michael Van Riper was ordered to spend three nights behind bars after screaming obscenities and threatening the owner of Worden’s Market, Tim France figured he’d get a couple days of relief from the persistent menace outside his shop.
“He’s very loud, thoroughly obnoxious and obscene beyond what’s tolerable – and what’s legal, for that matter,” France said.
But hours after Municipal Judge Marie Andersen heard Van Riper plead guilty and sentenced him, the Detention Center cut him loose. The reasons aren’t clear, and the incident has the judge wondering how often the jail ships out inmates of its own accord.
“I am not aware of any legal authority by which the jail may unilaterally release Defendants prior to the completion of a valid sentence,” wrote Andersen in an e-mail about the incident.”
So it seems that Sheriff McMeekin has taken to interpreting Judges’ detention orders according to his own criteria, which seems a little… arbitrary:
“Missoula County Sheriff Mike McMeekin said the department doesn’t keep statistics on the times and reasons it chooses to let people out before they have served their sentences. The reasons vary, but McMeekin said detention officers can, in some cases, override a sentence without consulting the judge.”
While I’m all about protecting the civil rights of individuals who choose to inhabit or visit downtown Missoula, I also understand the need to have a system of accountability that works as intended for those who break laws, of which the justice system plays a major role. Sheriff McMeekin’s taking on the role of Judge just isn’t going to cut it here.
So it’s obvious that the county jail isn’t doing, and doesn’t have the resources to deal with, Missoula’s problems with the disenfranchised. They don’t want to hold people whose medical expenses they may incur. They don’t want a repeat of the Heather Wasson story, where if she had been diverted to a medical facility for treatment, she wouldn’t have died in lockup.
Missoula needs to sit down and figure out a new way to deal with the problem before it: increasing numbers of homeless, transient and mentally ill people in the face of diminishing resources available to care for and treat their needs. Last year’s panhandling ordinance working group had these words about their work:
“The working group aims to protect and improve quality of life in downtown Missoula for all people who use the area, including business owners, people who live and work downtown, shoppers and patrons of professional offices, and people who are without means and depend on social services,” said city communications director Ginny Merriam.”
Judging by the story in today’s Missoula, those efforts have failed miserably, and they need to get back to the drawing board–maybe with a different mission in mind.
In the words of Municipal Judge Marie Andersen: “we need to find a different solution.”
Get to work, Missoula.
by problembear
but elouise has not given up on passage yet. details here… http://buffalopost.net/?p=10876
by problembear
most montanans do not care what goes on in their neighbors bedrooms, but a tiny minorityof conservative religious zealots and busy bodies have held up this right far too long for a minority that deserves equal protection under the laws of our state. enough with the stupidity! it is time we turn our backs on the dark ages and join modern society in granting everyone equal rights regardless of race, gender, and sexual orientation.
jay covers this well in his post at left in the west…. http://www.leftinthewest.com/diary/4291/montanans-sue-for-domestic-partner-rights
By JC
Seems that Missoula Councilor Bob Jaffe let loose his true feelings in a post to his listserve yesterday. I guess it’s time for our annual bash the homeless prattle from town hall, now that Missoula is at it’s seasonal height for transient migration, coupled with a burgeoning local homeless population including far too many Missoula families.
So I thought I’d poke my nose in Jaffe’s business and bring to light what he really thinks about Missoula’s less fortunate. Here’s the relevant part of his post for your reading [dis]pleasure. Feel free to leave your comments about homelessness in Missoula, and the way our public servants think and talk about it:
“Next we had a presentation in Public Safety regarding our new full time downtown officer. Her name is Nicole Pifari and she has decided to leave the police force to go to law school. The plan is that she will continue to work for the force during the summers while she is in school. She has been at it for about six weeks now and the response from downtown business owners and patrons has been extremely positive. Assigning an officer to this beat full time creates continuity. She sees the same folks over and over and gets to know what’s going on.
The presentation was from Assistant Chief Brady and BID director Rod Austin. I wanted to hear what Officer Pifari had to say so I asked her up to come up and answer some questions. She had a few comments that I thought were important. She clarified that the work was primarily about dealing with the homeless population. She was clear that her job is not about solving homelessness or vagrancy. It is about keeping it out of downtown. She lets the folks know they need to find a more socially acceptable place to throw up and piss themselves. She knows that Missoula is a very friendly and empathetic place. Her job is to make it a little less friendly and comfortable for the least among us.
I had the impression she was fully aware of the unfortunate and tragic nature of this assignment. We have a very friendly and accepting community and a population of destitute people who survive by manipulating and taking advantage of this kindness. There is a critical mass or threshold that gets crossed and then the community starts to feel victimized. Our response is to dial down the love these folks feel when they come to Missoula. This is Nicole’s job.
On the up side, she provides the rest of us with a sense of security, safety and order. In general, the odds that a shopper will suffer any actual harm from a homeless person is incredibly small. But the perception of danger is real. An officer in uniform creates a perception of safety. Folks love it. Her presence is a huge benefit to the health and future of our downtown. I got the feeling that she had the perfect disposition to serve the community in this role. Hopefully the plans to retain her during the summers will pan out.
Jon Wilkins also pointed out that we can’t just arrest these folks because our judge just lets them go free. He wants to see them go to jail and be given an orange jump suit and be put to work picking up trash along the highway. I’m actually intrigued by the idea of instituting a chain gang in Missoula. Nothing wrong with a little community service and clearly these folks aren’t concerned with being humiliated in public. We would need to find a big tobacco chewing officer with a shotgun to oversee the crew to get the full effect. I think the word would get out pretty quick that maybe Missoula isn’t the best place to be sprawled out on the sidewalk. There is a major issue with funding and liability. One of the reasons we don’t put transients in jail is they have all sorts of medical problems that become our responsibility once they are incarcerated. I can’t imagine what would happen if we actually made them perform physical labor. If we could come up with a funding mechanism I would be curious if we could try this. I’m wondering if anyone north of Texas has attempted it and whether folks would be horrified or happy the trash was being picked up.”
P.S., hat tip to Duganz and lizard for bringing this topic up today on another blog post
by problembear
i have been thinking lately that voting for republicans or democrats is simply not enough to save this country anymore. we need to get back to the basics again. corporate money and lobbies dominate our elected representatives so much these days that electing one over the other doesn’t make much difference. once they take office, they ignore us and pander to the wealthy elite, the special interests and the corporate lobbyists who provide them with the money to keep winning future campaigns. there are not enough real statesmen and women in congress anymore to make even a dent in the juggernaut of corporate takeover of this country’s politics.
but we do have a weapon to defeat the corporate lobbies in the state of montana and at least save this state from the quicksand of pay-to-play crony capitalistic politics which has consumed washington dc.
i think if we pass enough good citizens initiatives in montana we could solve many of our own problems without even darkening the doorway of corrupt politicians or their bribing special interests and corporate lobbyists.
they don’t want anything to do with the people who work for a living anyway. what do we have to offer them besides our one stinking vote on one day every 2 or 4 or 6 years. the rest of the year, they ignore us anyway. so let’s get creative shall we?
how about some citizen initiative brainstorming? i will start if off with a few of my favorite pet projects and leave it to the commenters to add some of your own.
- a montana citizens initiative to provide a public health option for everyone regardless of income. the base to fund it would be a 2% state tax on income. affordable co-pays would be based on a sliding scale also according to income.
- corporate subsidies of any kind would be illegal in the state of montana.
i am not a lawyer and it is a long way off to 2012 so i fully expect to hear all the reasons these citizens initiatives would not work by commenters. bring it on. i don’t care who you vote for president or congress or senate. i don’t care what party you are from. i am willing to listen and learn.
by problembear
montana’s secretary of state linda mcculloch has just sent out an announcement that I-164, the citizens initiative to cap the rate of payday lenders has achieved enough signatures to be on the ballot this november.
now the real work begins
by problembear
i come into contact with lots of people of all political persuasions- some are independent like me, some republicans, some democrats…..
they all ask the same question when it is time to vote- invariably for either a democrat or a republican…
what’s the difference?
it seems like all politicians are beholden to those who support their campaigns and to those who donate to their political re-election war chests. it is confusing to most people and it makes them angry to be taken for granted by either party. so who is listening to the needs of the people who elect them?
Health Care Reform:
the people want affordable health care with choices. democrats gave them more of the same old thing only worse- under a weak reform written by health insurers, the health insurers are raising rates and decreasing our choices. republicans would have trusted the health insurers to do everything right with no regulation. so what’s the difference?
we still end up with health insurance premiums spiralling out of control and we still have health insurers between us and our doctors.
so, to the american people gathered around their dining room table trying to balance a budget for the month both parties get an F-
Economy:
bush presided over this country when the economy crashed, so it has to be his fault for driving us into the ditch but obama and a democrat majority congress seem to have kept most of the rich people and their banks solvent but very little help is trickling down to help beleaguered workers and their families. both parties get a D-
wars:
bush started a needless war in iraq and a senseless one in afghanistan. democrats told us that if we elected them, we would bring our troops home and stop hemorrhaging money in two countries that don’t seem to want anything to do with democracy or us. republicans get an F- for involving us in the first place. democrats get an F- for failing to make good on a promise to get us out of there.
Jobs:
the stimulus plan was too small to get the job done. republicans who seem bent on keeping our country in a depression so they can unseat obama in 2012 have been intransigent when it comes to spending enough to get unemployment down. democrats have been less than brave in their opposition to this intransigence because they fear the far right’s increasingly effective propoganda about the deficit. while feigning a sincere desire to stop deficit spending (something they failed to do under 8 years of bush) it is apparent that republicans are cynically turning up the volume in order to stop progress in creating jobs, to further their political agenda. democrats get an F- for looking like cowards. republicans get an F- for callously manipulating the suffering of workers in order to regain power.
so what is the difference for me? i see in the far right a dangerous fascist malevolence which threatens the very freedoms that we espouse as a people. i see a greedy mean-spiritedness that appalls me. i see hatred and racism. i see a conservative movement that wants to set women’s rights back a hundred years. i see conservatives defending torture. i see the far right telling us that payday lenders are mere businesses instead of loan sharks. i see conservatives saying that people who cannot afford decent health care should die because they did not plan ahead. i see mean-spirited wing nuts saying that people who are unemployed like it.
that is why i continue to fight the good fight. many republicans as well as democrats are as appalled as i am by the far right. it is a hateful movement which has no business in the halls of a decent government. i intend to keep them out by whatever means i can muster. as disappointed as i am by the democratic failures, i do not see a similar evil smell emanating from the far left. rather, i see a lot of insider wonks and policy makers insulated from the real needs of people acting arrogantly and fearfully in timidly facing the far right.
i hope to provide an occasional alka seltzer here for those of you who, like me, are bored to death and getting sour stomachs watching democrats cave every time a right winger barks. it is time to demand some spine from our elected representatives and our candidates. it is time to stand up to the right wing intimidation with courageous stands rather than mealy-mouthed policy drivel.
we want our leaders to show us the difference.
by problembear
http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/article_16ef726c-9211-11df-9f54-001cc4c03286.html
this is recommended reading for anyone tired of the audacity of rep. rehberg’s lawsuit against the city of Billings, MT. his own home town….ferkrisakes!
below is an excerpt of the above linked article:
“The fire report states that the fire rekindled after a lightning strike, but Rehberg’s lawsuit alleges that firefighters abandoned the fire on July 3, allowing it to restart on July 4. While avoiding specifics because of the pending lawsuit, Fire Chief Paul Dextras said his department sticks to its priorities in each fire it fights and did so in the Rehberg fire, too. “The priority that we have is protecting life. Protecting property is second, protecting open space is third,” Dextras said recently. “That’s where most of the resources were allocated when fighting that fire. Crews did an outstanding job of being prepared if the fire were to go into the developed area.” Cliff Edwards, the attorney representing the Rehbergs, said the Rehbergs have the facts on their side, even if city officials choose to fight things out in the media. “I’m tired of this being played out in the newspaper. We filed a suit because they forced us to file a suit,” Edwards said. “We’re paying for this fire chief and city administrator to make all of these outrageous statements. It ain’t gonna be tried in the newspaper. They’re going to face under-oath depositions. We have the facts behind us. “They trash their own firefighters and they lose millions of dollars. They trash their own police officers and they lose millions of dollars. We’re going to prove our case; that’s our obligation. I’m tired of this fire chief and this city administrator going to the press and spewing their stuff. Just take a look at their history with litigation in the past few years.”
i am sure that rehberg’s lawyer is tired of this being reported in the press. he would prefer that it be carried out behind closed doors. just one thing denny should keep in mind though while he is twisting slowly in the wind over a barbecue of his own making….
it was your decision to sue your own hometown. so deal with it.
by problembear
many are troubled by the slow progress of change. many listen to the yammering of the few and lose heart…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GAHFrLAxzM&feature=channel
the future is progressive by definition. take heart and do not become disconsolate over transitory and minor setbacks.
this too shall pass.
we are water. they are stone.
have a good weekend, montana.
by Pete Talbot
I wish this organization all the luck. It’s going to need it.
Montanans Against Gun Violence is going public. Here’s an excerpt from guest columns that are appearing in newspapers around the state:
Annually some 30,000 Americans die from all forms of gun violence—from homicides, suicides, or accidental deaths. In Montana, domestic violence, alcohol-related violence, suicides, and accidental deaths–especially of minors, lead the list of causes.
Respected Missoula progressive Robert McKelvey heads this group, but this is not radical gun control he’s advocating. Using the recent SCOTUS Second Amendment decisions as a springboard, the column quotes (surprise) Justice Scalia:
“the right to keep and bear arms is not ‘a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever and for whatsoever purpose’.”
Scalia then proceeded to list a wide range of local or state gun-ownership and gun-carry regulatory measures that remain lawful and appropriate.
Gun rights are the most controversial issue in Montana, to my way of thinking. And considering that Montana’s three members of Congress are leading the charge to expand access to guns and ammo — particularly our two senators, although our congressman is no piker — this is an extremely tough row to hoe.
Let’s face it, Gary (Bazookas for Babies) Marbut and his Montana Shooting Sports Association is one of the more successful lobbyists at our state legislature. Legislators roll over like trained poodles when Gary introduces a bill.
Then take a look at the comments when the Missoulian ran the column, with one-out-of-twenty in support of McKelvey’s organization. This from Missoula, although it also includes comments from the Bitterroot, Sanders County and other outlying areas. Enough said.
We’ll see if Montanans Against Gun Violence gets any traction in this state. It’s up against a rabid constituency. Again, good luck.
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