It’s official now – there’s a new word in Montana’s political discourse: “Schweitzered”. It obviously means “to be bamboozled, misled, or fooled”. The folks in Hardin are the latest to experience the concept up-close and personal, but over the past four years, many of us have had the pleasure. Go ahead and share your own example of how you or someone you know has been “Schweitzered” by our governor.

The recent uproar over the association between Barak Obama and his pastor of twenty years compels me to break my silence.  Whether you want to hear from me or not I must speak out.

Two thoughts come to mind when one is considering how to evaluate this upstart candidate: 1.) One is known by the company one keeps, and 2.) Actions speak louder than words.

Sorry, Senator Obama – you are largely an unknown quantity, recently thrust upon the national stage.  We want to know you.  We watch you and are impressed with your poise, your charisma, your fine words.  But we want to know more before we are willing to give you the highest honor and the ultimate power the citizens of this country can bestow.  So now the spotlight shines on the darker corners of your life – and suddenly we are not so impressed.  

For the past twenty years you have been a faithful follower and regular congregant of Pastor Jeremiah Wright.  In your bestselling book, you refer to him as “an inspiration”; he performed your wedding ceremony and baptized your children.  He is an unapologetic racist at best.  He preaches a message of hatred for white men, for America.  That is not the mindset that most Americans wish for their President.  The company you keep is not acceptable to an America wanting something better.

As the story grew legs over the last couple of days, you tried to distance yourself from the disgusting pronouncements of your pastor by telling us that you weren’t there when he said those things.  Sorry again.  For twenty years you continued to attend services and put your money in the collection plate.  It’s not about the specific comments – it’s about the attitude – the culture – the mission of the church that you are a member of.  You cannot make twenty years of actions go away with a few press releases or a couple of stumbling, inarticulate interviews.  

So many were excited about the choice you seemingly offered – the change from that which we have found so distasteful.  Your youth and rhetoric offered the promise of so much that this country fell in love with in 1960 when another Senator – John F. Kennedy – burst onto the scene.  

But, alas, Senator Obama – you are no JFK.  His vision was a positive one for all Americans.  His vision was for a better American for all of us – a color-blind America.  We have now learned from your pastor, your inspiration, that your vision of and for America is a negative one, a vision of yours against ours, of black racism against non-blacks.

No, thank you, sir.  Now that we’re getting to know you – the real you – we really don’t like you as much as we thought we did when we didn’t know who you really are.  

I won’t even pretend I know or understand the rationale or the politics behind the new proposal to locate a $35 million Montana Heritage Center in a new building cum parking garage across the street from the current museum.At first blush it seemed a bit strange – after the 2005 Legislature agreed to provide the seed funding to locate the new museum in the space now occupied by the Capitol Hill Mall. Upon further review, strange doesn’t even begin to describe the new proposal – it’s downright bizarre!  The architects who presented the new plan are the ones hired to develop the 20 year plan for the capitol complex (Wait! Do I hear a conflict of interest?). The proposed new museum would be built on an existing parking lot – of which there is a prodigious lack thereof already – at the corner of 6th and Sanders – a currently overly congested intersection. The building as designed will only be large enough to satisfy the projected demands of the museum for less than ten years and the parking garage would only have about 59 more spaces than the existing lot.  Not much room for many museum visitors there.  Of the more than 50 people attending the public hearing last week only one spoke in favor of the plan!!!!! Doesn’t this sound like a government plan – too little, too late, for too much, with complete disregard for previously agreed upon proposal?It’s time to derail this train and get the original plan back on track.  We need a place to showcase Montana’s history.  A place that’s easy to find, easy to get to, with lots of parking and plenty of room to grow as our future becomes our history.  We need to “Mall the Museum”!!! If you agree – post your thoughts here and then copy and paste them and send them to: Sheryl Olson

For the past couple of years, the liberal left has tried to tell us that their opposition to the wars in Afganistan and Iraq did not mean they didn’t support the troops.  Many of us had a problem believing that, but until last week we were lacking that one piece of evidence that conclusively established the hypocrisy.  Well, now we know for sure.  MoveOn.org has tipped their hand.  The left has no respect for the well-being of our troops – they would just as soon spit on them and revile them ala VietNam as not.  You cannot “support” the troops while attacking their leaders in the blatantly despicable manner of the New York Times and MoveOn. It’s time to wake up and smell the coffee, folks.  The Progressive Democrats and their supporters hate the war, hate the military, and above all they hate America.  We have to call ’em like we see ’em.  No more sugar-coating the stark raving reality.   There is a contingent of American Society that cannot be tolerated by those of us who understand what this country is truly about.  It’s time to pick sides.  

Even now – six years later – the horror of that morning is still too great to truly comprehend.  May God be with the families who lost loved ones, and may we all learn the most important lessons of that day:  Treasure every day and be sure to say I love you every time you can to everyone you love; Pray – in supplication, sorrow, gratitude, and thanksgiving – for the blessings of the Almighty; and always –  Remember. 

I’ve been watching the verbal gymnastics over at LeftintheWest.com about the Larry Craig situation and I feel it is incumbent upon me to help Matt out of his mental angst. In today’s post he posed the following moral conundrum: “I’m asking because I don’t understand how the outrage meter on the right really works. A President getting a blowjob from an intern? Impeachable. A Senator allegedly attempting to solicit gay sex in a bathroom? Kill him and/or make him resign.”

The reason that you don’t get it, Matt, is because the outrage on the Right with Clinton was not about a blowjob. The whole basis for the impeachment of Bill Clinton was his perjury, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice – not his adultery. You’ve heard about perjury – lying under oath – in an official court proceeding? Think Scooter Libby – it will help you get a feel for the underlying concept. The Left finally got a bit twitterpated about perjury last year. But I digress. During the Clinton/Lewinsky mess you were probably focused on the salacious details of the incident, given that you were probably a sex-starved young stud back then. However, for those of us who could get beyond the the diversionary tactics of the Democrats and the Main Street Media and actually watch the House proceedings on CSPAN, we had to come to grips with the idea of the President of the United States of America doing something incredibly stupid and then making it worse by committing one or more felonies in an attempt to get away without being caught. Thus the outrage meter hit the bell.

Now let us look at the Craig thing. Almost ten years and a couple of other Congressional imbroglios (Can we say “learning experiences”???) later, we have a United States Senator who is evidently dumber than a friggin’ box of rocks. Once more the outrage on the Right is NOT about the sex – there was none! – but about how a supposedly intelligent person in a position of power and leadership can be so arrogantly, unrealistically stupid as to: 1.) argue with a cop, 2.) plead guilty, and 3.) think he could make it go away without anybody finding out.

What planet has this ding-dong been living on for the past decade?

Anyone who has watched even one episode of Law & Order knows that when confronted by a police officer who is about to arrest you – you request a lawyer. And then you shut the hell up!!!!!!! It’s that whole Miranda thing (I’m pretty sure they had something about it in the newspapers in Washington DC and even Idaho.). And then – if you have even two brain cells to rub together – you listen to the advice of your lawyer, who will probably suggest that pleading guilty is generally not a great strategy. And next – if you were even a tiny bit conscious during the past few years you would go buy yourself a copy of Lanny Davis’ book about dealing with an impending crisis and follow his excellent suggestions.

But no. Not this lugnut. He thinks nobody will notice the lump in the rug. The outrage on the Right is because after Clinton, after Foley, after Jefferson, Libby, and all the other Washington headliners over the last ten years, this jerk hasn’t gotten the message: If you f**k up, it WILL bite you in the butt! And we are all fed up with watching these prima donnas act as if the rules don’t apply to them! So the outrage meter hits the bell again.

What you need to understand Matt – it isn’t so much about the sin. We’re totally outraged at the stupidity, arrogance, and hypocrisy of these sinners!

Off with their heads!

The State GOP will vote this weekend on a proposed rule to institute a caucus to select the state’s presidential primary winner. I’ve been pondering this issue for a couple of weeks now and I have to admit – I really don’t know how I feel about it.On one hand, it’s an excellent way to generate enthusiasm early in the political season. On the other hand, does anyone think the enthusiasm level will remain high for the second and third tier candidates come June?In one scenario, Montana republicans could make their presidential preference known before the fait was accompli’d, so to speak. In an alternate scenario, due to the front-loaded nature of the primaries and the relatively huge number of viable candidates, there may not be a “clear frontrunner” by the time Montana’s regularly scheduled June primary rolls around. In that event, our seemingly paltry number of delegates could make the difference on the first ballot at the convention. Which, of course, would make Montana a really popular vacation spot for late May and early June for the likes of the Romney, Guiliani, Thompson, and Huckabee families. Possibly even the McCain’s. Just think of the boost that would give the tourism industry. Not to mention the political industry.See what I mean? It’s hard. I’ve heard it said that the definition of “mixed emotions” is watching your mother-in-law drive your brand new car over a cliff.Anybody want to say “bye” to Mom before she goes?

Governor Schweitzer – known fondly in some circles as “BS Shyster” – has been getting away with a huge scam perpetrated on the good citizens of Montana. For the last seven or eight years he has been selling himself as a “different kind of Democrat” because he knows that Montana voters don’t take too kindly to the progressive liberals like Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and that crew. So he dresses up in jeans and bolo tie and keeps Jag close by to complete the “down-home” persona. But the mask that has been hiding the politician behind the good ol’ boy is melting…

Let’s take just a few little peeks at the wizard behind the curtain. 1.) He’s rich. Seriously rich. Just where did the governor’s fortune come from? BS keeps telling us he comes from modest means and yet the only job we know he’s had in the last seven years – the governorship – pays less than $100k/year. So if Mom and Dad didn’t subsidize the family, and figuring he’s brought home an average of about $22,000/yr after taxes if we only count the money he’s admitted to making – how does this guy pay the bills, feed the kiddies and the ol’ lady, and galavant all over the state campaigning for four out of the last six and a half years? He claims to be frugal – but c’mon now – he’s got money coming in from somewhere! During the 2004 campaign there were many calls for the candidates to disclose their financial history. Bob Brown produced all his tax records for twenty years. BS claimed it wasn’t any of our business – we could just trust him. Right. And since the election he has released his individual income tax returns- just like he promised – but what do you want to bet there’s a Trust or two that he’s not mentioning? You can’t really say he’s lying – the Trusts file separate returns. And since Montana is one of three states that don’t require our state leaders to disclose their financial holdings we don’t have a clue where the good gov got his spending cash.

We know he’s got it – and lots of it – but where does it come from??? Consulting contracts with the House of Saud??? That’d would be a hoot, wouldn’t it? I mean BS is leading the parade on alternate energy development in this state, isn’t he? Look at all the ethanol plants that have been built since January 2005! See all the new wind farms (not counting the ones that were approved prior to his election)? And – wow – aren’t you impressed with the coal gasification projects around the state? Oh, wait – maybe we’re getting hot air confused with wind energy. Sorry. So why don’t we have anything to show for all that enthusiasm he’s been generating in lieu of real energy? Perhaps his “real” employers don’t want any energy competition?

Today’s papers are carrying the story about the mansion that BS is building on Georgetown Lake. Somehow the poor kid from Whitefish was able to frugal his way into a multimillion dollar cedar and stone showplace on some of the most expensive real estate in the whole state. And we, my fellow Montanans, have no right to know where that money came/comes from.

I don’t think so.

Next time we’ll look at the shell game BS is playing with ethics. That’s a fun one too.

I guess everybody needs a break now and then, but I have to admit that it’s been a bit too long to justify this one. Not that I haven’t had lots of thoughts and opinions that I been more than willing to share – it’s just that writing them down seemed to be giving them too much reality. And there was more than enough reality to go around these past months – virtually none of it the political kind. All in all though, the important things – family and friends – are pretty much intact, albeit somewhat the worse for wear in some cases, and – in one special case – the arrival of our grandson, Nicholas James – much improved.

So it is time to move onward and upward.

2008 looms large. Already.

The upcoming Montana Republican convention is suddenly (finally?) generating some excitement in the trenches. Speculation about possible candidates and upcoming races is generating a buzz that is starting to replace the bummed out attitudes left over from the session. I heard the gloating from the left. (Just because I wasn’t writing didn’t mean I wasn’t reading!) I don’t think I’m buying what they’re selling.

Once the dust settles, when all the vetoes are either upheld or overridden, and we have had time to really examine what happened and what it will mean in the long run, many Montanans will probably be less than delighted with some of the Governor’s results. For instance, last week the Montana Chamber of Commerce released it’s report on the Governor’s and Legislature’s “business” grades. It’s an incredibly informative, in-depth analysis. Remember how Brian Schweitzer campaigned on how he wanted to attract businesses to Montana? How he wanted to make sure Montana had a strong economy, with higher wages and more and better jobs for all Montanans?

i think he’s got a credibility problem for the next campaign. I mean – if your kid came home with a grade of 12% – a REALLY LOW “F-” by any standard – would you be very inclined to believe that he was honestly trying to pass that class?

Me neither.

I just read the story about the direct mail piece sent by Chris Wilcox to the home districts of five legislators who voted against HB340.

Holy Feet to the Fire, Batman! Finally, someone has the guts to hold legislators accountable to their constituents for the votes they make during the session. With all due respect to Mike Lange, this is an excellent way to inform voters about what is happening in the hallowed halls. I’m sure the message was not received well by some. They probably don’t support the bill anyway. Those who do support HB340 specifically, or gun rights generally, and voted for a legislator who voted against it should be informed in a timely manner – while the gun is still smoking, so to speak. By the time the next election rolls around, this vote will be lost in the mists of time. Those who really care about this issue should be able to factor it into their decision two years from now. Nothing like a four color postcard to make the point in the kind of memorable way that lasts.

NOTE TO LEGISLATORS: Remember that you are representing your constituents every time you vote on a bill. They have an absolute right to know exactly how you vote on any issue – and how they find out about your record is irrelevant. If you would be embarrassed (angered?) to have an honest, albeit dramatic, mailer sent to your district about one of your votes, maybe you should question the vote, not the mailer.

NOTE TO CHRIS: Keep up the good work. Montana voters need to know what their elected representatives are up to!!!!!!