The Audacity Of Coal

I’ve decided I’m in the wrong business. The biggest growth industry in this crappy economy is the Clean Coal Lobby. The main lobbying group, the American Coalition For Clean Coal Electricity spent $10.5 million lobbying for coal last year and $45 million for advertising. They’ve even got the President using the “CC” euphemism. Hey, I [...]

Quick Note

Okay, I know I told you to take a break, but I just stumbled across some information that I should have seen sooner. SB425, the Walleye Welfare Act to magically discover more funding for the Fort Peck Warm Water Hatchery was re-written to do away with the warm water license stamp and increase your general [...]

Take A Break

Congratulations to those of you who are still following the legislature. You made it to the Transmittal Break. Go have a beer and do something fun this weekend while the legislature is in recess, but I expect to see you here Monday morning with both guns drawn. We still have a lot of work to [...]

Group Hug

Gives yourselves a big pat on the back. In the first half of this year’s legislative session, Helena has received over 13,000 phone calls and more than 30,000 email messages for legislators. That is more than the total for the entire 2007 session. Latte’s on me at the Java Hut! Keep up the good work!

Science Don’t Count

What is it about the words “Environmental Protection” that starts republicans foaming at the mouth? Yet the words “Homeland Security” have them falling thankfully to their knees and singing hosannas. It seems to me that the two phrases are essentially synonymous. How stupid is it to protect your homeland from external threats while at the [...]

International Superstar

You don’t want to miss this one. The International Harvester Collector’s Club is holding it’s Winter Convention March 5-7 in Waterloo, IA. The star of the show this year will be a Montana Native.
This 1974 Model F-1066 International Harvester Farmall is the 5-millionth produced. It rolled off the assembly line Feb. 1, 1974, making IH [...]

Your Coal, Their Rights

Four really nasty bills are advancing in the legislature aimed at taking away the right of the public to file an appeal when their water, land or air is threatened. Senator Keith Bales (R) and Representative Llew Jones (R) don’t think you should be upset if energy companies want to ruin your state. “Streamlining the [...]

SB425 Walleye Welfare

Senator Keith Bales SB425, the Walleyes Right To Work Act, passed out of the Senate Fish and Game committee last week. This bill will make the Fort Peck warm water hatchery eligible for state welfare payments using your tax money. It will pretty much gut the FWP budget for the rest of the state to [...]

Young Futurists

The Great Falls Tribune reported today on the 25th annual Great Falls Invitational Science and Engineering Fair on Saturday at the Great Falls Civic Center. The paper reported on an investigation by Abby Vanderkilk, a 6th grader at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School, into the edibility of food that has been dropped on the [...]

Spirits of the Spirit

No word yet on the “Blood of Christ” bill in the Legislature (LC2182). It seems that Montana Church Supply in Great Falls has been supplying local churches with their religious toddies illegally for years since they don’t have a liquor license. Now their supply has dried up. Sacramental wine (surprise) is regulated under the Montana [...]