4 March 2016

Friday political briefs

Last night’s Republican debate was obscene. Figuratively, and worse, literally. Donald Trump admitted he has small hands, something to which the man he calls “Little Marco” has called attention, then averred that does not mean other of his parts are small. Yes, Long Schlong Trump. I don’t want to see the movie.

Why is Denise Juneau running for the U.S. House of Representatives? Yesterday, she finally got around to officially filing. But, although her website provides a link for donating to her campaign, it still doesn’t have an issues page. That’s neither acceptable nor responsible.

Schoolteachers should pack a lunch, not a sidearm. Which means, voters should not support Initiative 175, young Chet Billi’s ballot measure to allow elementary and high school employees to carry concealed weapons at work. As Logicosity’s E.R. Burrow observes this morning, I-175’s text has the effect of prohibiting school districts from purchasing extra insurance to cover the possibility that the janitor might accidentally shoot the wrong person. It’s an excellent analysis that nicely complements and extends Flathead Memo’s more lyrical post last June.

The controversial Montana Meth Project refuses to die. Meanwhile, reports William Skink, quoting an excellent report in the Missoula Independent, there’s no evidence that the project actually has an effect on how much meth is used in Montana. According to the Independent, the project lists Gov. Steve Bullock’s wife as a member of its board of directors. That should help if the project seeks funding from the government.

White supremacists and Craigslist. Yesterday I reported that the counter-demonstration to the Stand for Tolerance rally on 1 March was organized through messages on Craigslist. That, readers advise me, has been going on for years. I’m not surprised. Craigslist never has struck me as a reputable source of information, but its rants and raves section does provide a way to broadcast calls to action. Am I going to start monitoring Craigslist for right wing news? No. The mischief makers who waved signs Tuesday belong to a cohort that’s growing older, but not more numerous. Although loud and obnoxious, they’re politically harmless.

More arrests in the Cliven Bundy case — are some Montanans getting nervous? I think some should be. Ryan Payne of Anaconda is already in the slammer, indicted for both his role in the Malheur occupation and the standoff at the Bundy ranch in 2014. Other Montanans, mostly militia genre small fry, traveled to Nevada to support the standoff. They might be wise to lock their weapons in the basement and instead carry a card with the phone number of a good criminal defense attorney.