There is a Time to Fish, and a Time to Cut Bait...

   I have tried, folks...I really have tried.  I have walked up close to my big-screen television and looked him in the eye.  I have turned up the sound so I wouldn't miss what he was saying.  I watched the look on the faces of those people standing near him.  I have done my level best to search for some redeeming value in this man.  (I know most of you have done the same.)   

   But the truth must be told.  He is a businessman huckster.  He is a charlatan, a fake, a fraud, a phony, a pretender...a quack!

   And one thing he definitely isn't:  Fit to be President of the United States of America!

   He speaks with the wisdom of a high school dropout.  His command of the English language is ranked somewhere in the ninth or tenth-grade level.   He is brash, arrogant, and rude.  When called out on his incredulous remarks, he (and his handlers) beam with pride that he is "doing things his way."  It's a lame cover-up for his inability to properly function as leader of the free world.

   Therefore, if you believe as I do that the process can begin by one person lighting one candle...then consider my candle burning like a blowtorch.  This man will never reach the level of knowledge and ability to fulfill the duties that are required of this job.  A terrible injustice was committed on November 8, 2016.  He and his entourage will continue to make a stupendous mockery of this country and an embarrassment to all of our friends abroad.

   He can make the choice to leave on his own or face the fact that Congress will eventually have to impeach him.

   But one thing is clear:  He must go...and he must go soon.




  

  

By Our Missteps We'll Be Judged...

   This is the opinion of one disgusted man who needs to get something off his chest, out of his heart, and away from the uninformed followers of one Donald Trump, President-Elect and all-around bad guy.

 

   How many lashes of the whip must we self-administer before we can say this ugly deed is over and we must now live with the failures made by our own hands at the ballot box?  

 

   How much harm can he do as president?  Can't we be secure in the knowledge that Congress will keep a tight rein on this often-reported pathological liar?

 

   I don't need to hear you tell me that it is too late to put the "bad genie back in the bottle."  I have always believed that there is an "out" to any problem created in America,  and I also assumed that the "out" would come from our illustrious, albeit ill-tempered, congressional horde. 

 

   (Still, Congress is yet another disastrous problem that we must keep for another time.)

 

   I plan, however, to keep hope bubbling, down to the bottom of my very toes.  We have been mostly successful in our country's advancement for 240 years.  We have made friends wherever we could and made wars when necessary. (sometimes, even when unnecessary.)  We Americans - for the most part -  have a good heart, and that's saying a lot considering this world we live in today. Until November 9, 2016, most of the world looked up to us, too. 

 

   Simply put, we will undoubtedly muddle through this catastrophe and try to do it right in four year.

 

   Or, we will give this guy enough rope to hang himself. 

 

   Life is always full of little choices, isn't it?

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

When You Hand Out Billions...A Simple "Thanks" Would Be Nice.

Whereas..."Benjie" Netanyahu is such a scallywag.

Whereas...President Obama has signed bills to give Israel more money (billions and billions) than any previous administration to date.  High-ranking members in Israel have stated that during the Obama time in office, it has brought the American-Israeli partnership as close as at any other time.

Whereas...It is reported that Mr. Netanyahu can only count about 25% of his citizens actually in agreement with him on how he is handling the "war" with his Palestinian neighbor.  Seventy-five percent would like "Benjie" to begin new and more constructive negotiations.

Whereas...We all remember how "Benjie" was invited and hustled into America's House of  Republican Representatives for a temper tantrum talk,  begging them to kill the Iran Deal of President Obama.  (It has been unbelievable how those knot-heads placed everything and everybody ahead of their own president - time and time again!)  They succeeded in rubbing our president's nose in the stink as "Benjie" was given a GOP pass to snub Obama.  (Gee...why was there bad blood between "Benjie" and Barack?  Probably for the same reason there was bad blood between the House GOP and Barack.)

Still, America has always been - and always will be - Israel's biggest supporter.  Our pledge to protect Israel is on our signed papers, on our minds, and in our blood!

"Benjie"...not so much!

How Wrong Did The Right Get It?.

 

 

 

Once upon a midnight weary, while I ponder, weak and weary...while I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, as of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. "'tis some (unwelcomed) visitor,"  I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door.  Only this and nothing more."

 



   My mind turned to this poem, The Raven, by Edgar Allen Poe on November 9, 2016.  I imagine a similar thought was felt by millions of Americans, as well as millions in foreign lands.

   A shiver ran up my spine when I heard the unbelievable.  Donald Trump's win was like a "visitor" (albeit an unwelcomed one) rapping, rapping at my chamber door.  It left me muttering, "tapping, tapping, all is done!  Is he really to be the one?"

   It has become a very bad nightmare - not because my candidate didn't win (other candidates of mine haven't won and it didn't give me this degree of heebie-jeebies) but because it was this one who won!

   And, it doesn't give me any warm and fuzzy answers when the Right tells us we are being poor losers.  No...we are all going to be "poor losers!"  I am hearing from many folks who voted for Trump and are already going through the pain of "buyers remorse."   
 
   What are we really in for?  Well, we will see vital programs that have given small victories to the Middle and Lower Class disappear into the Right's trash bin of humanity. 

   And, everything that big business has cried for since George W. Bush left office will be given back to them...in spades!  Bush was a piker compared to Trump.  The President-Elect has long been seen as a flim-flam cheat, according to the other mega-rich "businessmen" that tolerated him in their circles. As a businessman (his only qualifications for president) he was known as a guy who would do anything to feather his own nest - including bordering on the criminal.  He needed a constant horde of attorneys nearby to keep him out of jail.  The nation's cry for him to turn over his tax returns is now the least of our concerns.  (For interesting reading, research the words of Mayor Bloomberg, who knows Trump well.) 

   That will give us a very clear picture of where we're headed, and by that I mean back to the very brink of financial collapse during the last days of the "Glory Days of Good Ol' Dubya Bush."  Ultra-rich good ol' boys will now be sitting at the president's round table and they will be handed the keys to the country's vault and all departments they wish to ransack.  It appears that each candidate was specifically recruited for an office  they were well-publicized to hate - and swore to eliminate.

   Isn't this going to be fun?
 

  

  
 



A Bold-Faced Opinion, Based On Facts...

 

 

   In case anyone gets the idea that I am still angered by the recent election, let me put this thought to bed.  I fully realize that both parties have successfully elected our nation's presidents, and I have always accepted the outcomes.

 

   What has me still fightin' mad from this election is WHO has been elected.  And I don't mean a REPUBLICAN "WHO"...I mean an unqualified, unfit, unprincipled, and untruthful "WHO!" 

 

   It appears our national media is walking around the Donald Trump world with too much caution and too little hard news.

 

   The American People deserve to know some truths about the Trump Administration's plans from a domestic - as well as an international - point.  I don't mind telling everyone that I am in a frightened, agitated, and confused state of mind.

 

   The Conservative Right in this country can only salivate and see beyond the possibility that Trump might be able to appoint two or three like-minded twits to live out their days on the U.S. Supreme Court.

 

   They also get a big chuckle out of Trump's trumped-up Cabinet of home wreckers.  A Head of Education who hates public Schools.  A Head of the EPA who hates those who believe in global changing, etc.  Each cabinet position was filled by someone who doesn't give a damn about this nation's financial crisis, water and air pollution, veterans welfare...and on and on.  And no one believes this travesty of justice was accidental, either.

 

   While Trump and his troublesome twits - who seem to have sprung from a pool of billionaires, bigots, and bamboozlers - are at the starting blocks and ready to speed our country into obliteration, they have also given a dire picture of what is in store for our allies.

 

   I will foist my opinions in your direction in the days and months to come...unless, of course, Trump decides he is way in over his head and looks for a quick and face-saving maneuver to  "get outta' Dodge."

 

   Stay tuned, my friends.    

 

     

Neophytes and Numbskulls

Rep. Ryan Zinke had but one claim to fame:  retired Navy Seal.  But according
to his commanding officer, he got into trouble and was passed over for a promotion. 
 He thought Zinke was always looking for greater things.  

 

   If you, as a Montana Voter, pay attention to but one thing during this political season, make sure it is about "transferring Public Lands to States."

 

   We have three Republicans who are being manipulated by outside Conservative forces to make a land grab in Montana - and other states - for the purpose of subsequently handing it over to the billionaires and their corporate friends.

 

   Two of these neophytes (Zinke and Daines) have not finished their first term in office and the third (Gianforte) has yet to step foot in politics.   Gianforte, candidate for Governor;  Zinke, candidate for re-election to the U.S. House; and Daines, not through his first term as U.S. Senator are ready and willing to sell our pristine public lands to the highest bidders.

 

   The "brains" behind this evil endeavor prey on the GOP politicians still wet behind the ears and craving fame and fortune. 

 

   Stop for a moment and let this maneuver really sink in.  Why are they doing it?  What's in it for them?  How do you think this will impact your future visits to these sites if they are owned by the "rich and power" of America?

 

   Vote Zinke out of office.  He has delusions of political stardom and nary a care about Montanans.  (He asked to be Trump's Vice-President and when that didn't happen, he bowed out of being a Montana Delegate to the RNC Convention because he's no longer a Trump supporter.)  He's a "grand-stander" of the highest order.

 

   Vote Daines out of office when he runs for re-election.  He is a supporter of Trump and a rubber stamp for the Party.

 

   Finally, don't waste your vote on Gianforte.  He has flip-flopped on so many things you don't have any idea where he stands.  We do know he is a huge supporter of Charter and Private Schools and is out to rip our Public School System to shreds.  He has some very weird religious ideas, too. 

 

   Let's use some common sense when we vote this year. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

    

Hallelujah! There's A New Day Comin'

 

 

   We were all taught as children that there is a time and place for everything.  It seems evident, however, that too many of us have forgotten those few words of wisdom.

 

   Unless you have been living in a cave the past few years, you are aware - and many of you have participated in - the dysfunctional world of American Politics.  Heavy is the heart of any who may search for truth in that arsenic-laden atmosphere longer than a few minutes.

 

   Once upon a time, there were actual cases where a candidate could sway a voter from an opposing party to vote in his or her favor.  A simple eureka moment and the other party picked up a vote. 

 

   That was once upon a time, however.

 

   Now, we are duty bound to follow the path we have chosen, based on the political polarization that kidnapped our minds, paralyzed our reasoning process, and pointed us toward the everlasting political party of eternal truth.  And, we are 100% convinced that any who dare to question our party's rationale will burn in the red hot den of iniquity.

 

   But, as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, we can expect one day soon to witness no further need for candidates campaigning and raising billions of dollars.  There will be two National Conventions.  They will choose who will be their nominee for each office.  We, as a nation, will bide our time and wait for the national election day.  Each voter will mark their "X" for their political party...and that will be that!

 

   From the National Conventions until November Election Day, there will be no campaigning, no name calling, no threats, no political ads to mute on television, and no angry arguments between people because everyone knows we are but one of two kinds:  Republicans or Democrats.  Candidates be damned!

 

   We will save our strength, vocal cords, and time on social media.  Oh, it will be a wondrous time.

 

   And we shall live happily ever after.

 

 

 

 



Delusional Political Neophytes..

 

 

...AND "T" STANDS FOR TRUMP!

 

 

WHICH, BY THE WAY, THESE TWO GUYS DO

 

   Senator Steve Daines and Representative Ryan Zinke are fighting for the coal industry in Montana and have held congressional meetings to get things moving.

 

   However, their staffs were very disappointed that Governor Bullock didn't send someone to attend.  The Governor's spokesperson, however, stated that  they WERE NOT INVITED.  That didn't stop the "political theatre" from happening, though.  These two guys stay up nights working on underhanded, malicious, untruthful maneuvers to help themselves get re-elected,  and their good friend Greg Gianforte elected as Governor.

 

   Everyone knows - including these two coal "experts" - that the coal industry is on a downhill slide because of  newer, cleaner energy sources.

 

   We all understand how this makes it tough on coal workers.  But they certainly haven't been singled out.  In the recent decades, millions of jobs have disappeared because of better, cleaner, and more up-to-date ways of doing various businesses.  Coal is a dirty, stinky, expensive way of producing the energy we all need.  We now have wind, solar, and various other clean ways of doing the job.

 

   Daines and Zinke have jumped on the "re-elect me" bandwagon and are going to ride it to the ballot box.  This we all have to accept, but accusing Gov. Bullock's Office of turning his back on their campaign ploy WITHOUT INVITING HIM is beyond the bounds of decency.  Bullock has shown great support in the past on the coal industry and coal workers.

 

   Any of you wonder why Donald Trump has won the full support of these two political neophytes?

 

 

 

 

 

 



Land of Haves, Hanging-Ons, and Have-Nots...

Cartoon by John Watson

   Tighten your seat belts folks, because this new - and deformed - American political vehicle is giving us a very bumpy ride.

   It is as plain as the nose on our faces that we are watching the end of political parties such as Democrats, Republicans and Independents.    They are the parties

of what was and never again will be, because they fit no identifiable molds.

   As time changes all things, money - and who it can buy - changes the future of our nation.

        We have become a land of  Haves, Hanging-Ons,

        and Have-Nots.  (Not exactly a flattering picture.)

 

   And I can tell you one thing:  Very, very few of us will be among the Haves.  The greatest number will be in the Hanging-On category, and too many will be in the Have-Nots.

 

   But there is good news for any who want to explore the possibilities of redemption.  There is, however, a catch.  A very large number of voters will be needed to attain but one goal:  Get involved in the political process! 

 

   If you want to eliminate the injustices in our current political landscape, make yourself aware of what is happening. Don't wait for someone else to fix it, because that "someone else" will be the one who has caused all of the trouble in the first place! 

 

   Money is necessary.  Business needs it to manufacture goods and services... and pay their workers.  Workers need it to buy merchandise from businesses to keep our economy moving.  Everyone needs it to pay their fair share in taxes, which will keep our government humming and our infrastructure maintained.

 

   But nobody needs it to buy laws and lawmakers!

 

   Get involved...it's your membership dues for living in the best country on the planet.

 

 

 

  

There are fibs, falsehoods...and BIG FAT LIES

 

   Well, some cowboys come out of the chute and make a decent ride of it.  And then there are those who get bucked off before the gate hardly opens.

 

   Were they ready for the ride?  Did they try to show us their worth, or did they think they could bluff their way through the ride?  It's important that we know the difference when we apply this analogy to Greg Gianforte's "purchase of the Office of Governor of Montana."

 

   Montana Cowgirl Blog has found some interesting facts about the listing of Mr. Greg Gianforte on Wikipedia.  His page has not-so-mysteriously been altered recently.  An IP address "70.33.4.200" has scrubbed and replaced information to mitigate his being caught in a big fat lie.

 

   That lie involved Gianforte claiming Facebook didn't build a center in Montana because of our high business machine tax.  That has been refuted by Facebook and someone scrubbed it from Gianforte's Wikipedia page.  Even worse, Facebook says neither Gianforte nor any of his staffers ever contacted them with the question regarding a business machine tax. 

 

 

   The Montana Cowgirl Blog further says the same editor has previously removed references to Gianforte's "donations to anti-LBGT groups" and replaced it with "donated tens of millions of dollars to various charities."  The page has been continually and heavily edited to remove references to his religion, ties to the Montana Family Foundation, and to the fringe groups to which he has donated.

 

 

   Yep, pardner...some imitation cowboys from back east just can't seem to hardly get out of the chute before exposing their lack of talent and inability to tell the truth.

 

   I'm pretty sure we were all taught that it's not nice to lie...even if you're a very rich politician!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

Denise Juneau: Superbly Qualified!

 

 

Do you remember how Ryan Zinke won the Montana Election for the U.S. House of Representatives?  Do you remember his qualifications? 

 

He earned a BS in Geology from the University of Oregon where he was a football player for the Oregon Ducks,  an MBA from National University, and a MS from the University of San Diego.  But most importantly, he was a Navy Seal and NRA aficionado. 

 

 

 

Enter...Denise Juneau!

 

Juneau's qualifications: A BA in English from Montana State University.  Masters Degree in Education from Harvard.  A Law Degree from University of Montana.  Present Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction who is term-limited this year.  She was given an Honorary Degree from Carrol College.  Juneau gave a speech at the Democrat National Convention in 2012 and in Montana, she has won high praise from people of both political parties. 

 

 

 

Rep. Zinke?  Well, we are continually reminded that he was a Navy Seal.  And by now probably knows where they hang the key to the men's rest room in the U.S. House.   Probably.

 

Meanwhile, the Montana and National Republican Party is pouring over Juneau's impeccable record...relentless in their pursuit of evil to bring her down... as only they can!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Montana: A rich man's Garden of Eden?

  
   Do we really have to be bulldozed by more campaign lies from a Republican Candidate?

   Mr. Greg Gianforte, the Bozeman Billionaire, is trying to convince Montana Voters that Governor Bullock has driven our state to the poor house.  He talks about higher paying jobs like they are just scattered on the ground and waiting for him - and only him - to pick up.

   We all need to look at some facts for a change.  Montana has thrived under our current governor's leadership and here are a few items Mr. Gianforte doesn't talk about: 

   *More people are working in the state of Montana than any other time in our state's history.

   *Personal income growth in Montana is sixth highest in America.

   *Montana is maintaining as the most fiscally-prudent state in America.

   Gianforte is rolling out the over-used phrases of his ultra-rich cohorts in the Republican Party.  While we can certainly welcome him to our beautiful state, we can also suggest he remain in the business community and do his own special magic for Bozeman and other Montana cities.  

   We don't need big money buying our state's highest office.  One reason, alone, is enough to turn me away from this man:  Gianforte and his ilk around the country are trying to get state legislatures to take public lands back from the federal government and then put those lands up for sale to the highest (billionaire) bidders , because they will - in due course -  explain that Montana cannot fiscally afford to maintain these lands.   It's already in the works, thanks to a Republican politician from Utah, who is working on Montana and other western states.

   America's wealthiest should enjoy their success, but they shouldn't be allowed to buy recreational dreams from the rest of us. Montanans don't like to be fenced out of land that was always meant for them to enjoy.  And it appears Mr. Gianforte and his friends just can't understand any part of that!

   No wonder he thinks the Earth is only six-thousand years old...he also thinks Montanans were born yesterday!





  

     

Montana must look like "easy pickings"

Greg "the fox" Gianforte
GOP Candidate for Montana Governor

 

 

   Evan Barrett of Butte has been a leader in Montana economic development, government, politics and education for more than 46 years.  Any time I read or hear his stance on a given subject, I know it'll be something I can hang my hat on - and you can, too.

 

   He sums up Republican and tea party politics this way:  "Their mantra includes phrases like 'government is the problem,' 'any business regulation is bad,' and we just need to 'trust the marketplace and the companies that inhabit it.' "

 

   Barrett is critical of GOP gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte's announcement that he would appoint someone from industry to head Montana's Department of Environmental Quality.   We are all very familiar with the term "fox guarding the hen house," but maybe Gianforte - being of New Jersey politics and not of Montana soil - thinks we sod-bustin', fence ridin' hayseeds don't understand the implications of that.

 

   Barrett is further quoted as saying,"I firmly believe Arco/British Petroleum would not have spent one red penny cleaning up the environmental mess (in Montana) had they not been forced to by law."

 

   We can now see the handwriting on the wall if Gianforte is elected governor because he is a true believer in:  Business regulations are bad...trust the marketplace...trust companies that inhabit the marketplace.

 

   We will see outrageous amounts of money from big corporations rolling into this election.  Gianforte's political package includes deregulation, state takeover of federal (public) lands for his mega-rich friends to buy, a rise in private and charter schools (through special tax breaks) to the detriment of our public school system, and any other pro-business ideas he will be paid to support. 

 

   Along with his flaky ideas about religion and he and his wife, Susan's, dangerous ideas about education,  we can't let him within fifty miles of Helena and the Governor's Mansion!

 

   Study this man carefully.  He represents wide-right fanatics and big business tycoons who have wrecked our state before.  Don't let him get anywhere close to Montana's hen house!

 

 

 

Enough is Enough...

At times, we find our state and country in dangerous waters.  We must make sure
we have the right leadership...those who will work for us and not for special interests.

When do the Middle Class Montanans - and Americans -  say "enough is enough" and decide this is the year we head to the polls in November and kick out the "trouble makers" and elect only those who will work for Montana.

And that goes for a billionaire from New Jersey who has strange religious ideas and caters to those who want to turn over public land to the State and, subsequently,  sell it off to those who can afford to buy it for strictly personal use and fence out the rest of us.

We need to pay closer attention to what's happening in Montana politics!

The wrong people are "stacking the deck" with a governor and legislators of their own choosing...and that's going to spell disaster for the rest of us.

The New Jersey guy says he'll bring back jobs to Montana.  There are more people working today in Montana than in years and years. 

He says he'll create "good paying jobs."  But he doesn't say it'll be for Montana workers. 

He says he'll improve Montana's economy.  Montana's economy is better than it has been in years and years.

 So...just what is it he's going to do for Montana?   A better question might be "What is he going to do to Montana? 

Now is not the time to stay away from the ballot boxes in November.  Now is the time to start paying attention.  I know most Montanans shook their heads in disbelief at some of the strange bills that almost became laws in past sessions.  We all need to be more vigilant at what's happening in our Legislative Body.

Otherwise, next time, we'll be shaking our heads in horror at what we let them do.

 

 



It's time to fish or cut bait...

 One Man's Opinion

John Watson, The Montana Troublemaker

 

 

 

 

 

While most of the Montana Media are giving Greg Gianforte a free pass on answering important questions, The Billings Gazette has called him out on his intentions should he become governor.

 

The billionaire "maybe-I'm-running, maybe-I'm-not" has been very successful at getting his name and face circulated around the state, while refusing to actually tell us what we could expect from him.  Deception seems to be his style and a disingenuous smile is troublesome.  Many will take from his manner a rather "place your vote and take your chance" style of (maybe) campaigning.

 

Gianforte has some over-the-top ideas concerning his interpretation of the Bible.  He believes the Earth is only about 6,000 years old, which means native Montanans were hunting - and chewing - on dinosaur steaks.  Also, he is quick to point out that we shouldn't retire from our jobs because retirement is "not Biblical."  ("Some of those folks kept working into their 600's.")

Of greater concern to this writer is his ideas about our Public School System in Montana - and presumably elsewhere, too.  He wants more money funneled into religious, private and charter schools.  This would, of course, cut the heart out of our Public System.  Gianforte's wife, Susan, and friends established a heavily funded group (from the billionaire, of course) to see that this insane idea gets off the ground.

I compliment Mr. Gianforte for his success in the business world, but I strongly resent his power play to buy the Montana Governor's Office to carry out his wide-ranging and insane ideas. 

Go back to the business world, Greg Gianforte, and leave politics to those who would actually work for Montanans.  Your ideas of tax breaks and other incentives to business gurus like yourself are not on our wish list for 2016.  We know you can find jobs for high-tech workers in your field of expertise, but you know nothing about what the other 90% of Montanans want and need.

Explain yourself, sir.  What are you afraid we'll find out?