I saw this on FaceBook earlier today…

Reporter Marnee Banks

Just got off the phone with former Secretary of State Brad Johnson. He will announce his 2012 campaign plans at the beginning of Oct. He says he is looking at all his options but he sees the Secretary of State’s office as a great fit for his qualifications.

And those qualifications would be????

– Short-term “serial employment” in the private sector – at least 10 different jobs (with different employers) in about 20 years.

– Losing three major elections – Senate in 2000, Secretary of State in 2008, and PSC in 2010

– Attempting to pay over $50,000 in illegal bonuses to his appointed staff after losing the 2008 election

– Chronic drinking that eventually led to his arrest and conviction for driving under the influence with a BAC over three times the legal limit

If Brad thinks he’s a good fit for SOS – or any job involving the public trust or taxpayer dollars, methinks he ought to take a good look in the mirror…

No, not the mighty Mississippi. Momentum. That force that propels the incredible into the inevitable and then onto reality. The force that sometimes starts out quietly – almost imperceptively – and then suddenly it becomes overwhelmingly irresistible as it crashes into the immoveable object.

We are at the threshold of just such a crash.

Professor Jacobson at Legal Insurrection put up a very interesting set of polls today – the first one asking you to select your favorite candidate from the current list of Republican wannabes. With over 2200 votes tallied, Herman Cain is leading with 49% of the responses; Perry comes in a distant second at 21%, and Romney at just under 10% is third. Gary Johnson and Ron Paul split the “so far right they’re left” fringe at about 2.5% each and Huntsman brings up the rear with a whopping 16 votes – .72%

Ok – no big shock there, especially after the debate last Thursday and the straw poll in Florida yesterday. The folks do not want Mitt Romney as their president. They just aren’t into him. They’ve flirted with Bachmann and even danced with Perry, but so far they aren’t showing much interest in going steady with the newest version of a compassionate conservative from Texas.

With the chorus of political strategists clammering for yet another “flavor of the month”, apparently there is an opportunity for one more East Coast, liberal establishment darling to enter the race. Toss in Chris Christie. But just to make things interesting, the good professor also included Sarah Palin in his second poll.

Guess what happened???

Yep – Huntsman lost 13 of those 16 votes he got in the first poll to keep a lock on last place; Romney ducked under the 4% threshold; Johnson and Paul don’t quite reach the 1.5% mark; Cain hangs on in second place; and the Kid from Jersey knocks Perry to fourth place by a healthy 4 percentage points. The novelty factor, as it were. But not to worry – just like Ben & Jerry’s new ice cream flavor “Schweddy Balls”, he’s a flash in the pan. Something to talk about at the water cooler for a day or two until the next political joke hits the email.

Who sucked all the oxygen out of the room?

You betcha – with over 57% of the votes, the hands-down favorite was – ta-da – Sarah Palin.

It will take a while before the LSM and the “establishment” understand what has hit them. No problem. Sarah is more than a phenomenon – she’s a force of nature. And the force is with her.

Consider Professor Jacobson’s poll an early warning alert.

For those of you who want to get on board the wave of the future, join us over at Montanans 4 Palin. We’re just starting up, but we plan to leverage the momentum as it starts in Iowa, continues to New Hampshire, crosses the country to Nevada and then to Arizona, South Carolina, and Michigan.

Guest Post by Loki

While shopping at Wal-Mart the other day I saw their newest fire trucks on display. I was surprised because they had even brought in a fire truck from Utah. They may not look it but I know these are fire trucks because they are parked in the fire lane. I even checked to see if these were fire trucks for handicapped firemen by checking for handicap stickers and mirror hangers. But these were for non-handicapped firemen.

Now, before anybody tries to tell me these were not fire trucks, I know these had to be fire trucks because there is an area reserved in the far side of the parking lot for inconsiderate *ssholes who think that they are special and can ignore rules.

Loki

Ahoy, me Hearties! Today is “Talk Like A Pirate Day” – a silly, twenty-first century celebration of the romanticized and fictionalized versions of the sea-going rogues, scallywags, and rapscallions of centuries past, some of whom may actually have existed.

Captain Jack Sparrow, Blackbeard, Cap’n Crunch, and others of their ilk are being joined by a couple of marauding landlubbers: Gubernatorial candidate Neil Livingstone, along with his faithful parrot First Mate, Ryan Zinke. They’ve set sail from the land-locked shores of coastal Montana in their eighteen-wheeled Man o’ War proclaiming their intent to “hoist the Jolly Roger” over the state capitol upon election. Batten the hatches and shiver me timbers!

No one seems to understand what Livingstone means by this bluster and bravado, but it makes about as much sense as some of his other campaign promises – like eliminating the office of the Secretary of State (a Constitutionally created office that the governor has no authority to eliminate!) and sitting down with every single state employee to determine whether they and/or their jobs are necessary. Blimey, it would take him at least four years to meet with all 12,000+ state workers! Okay, so that last might not be a bad idea if he does get elected somehow. Keeping this blowhole far away from the East Wing would at least minimize the damage he could cause to the state. Livingstone’s ideas for governance seem to be right up there with raping and pillaging and as much fun as walking the plank. Aaarrrgh, matey!

Well, heave ho and blow the man down! I’ve never been one to let someone starve to death after they stick a foot in their mouth, so – in honor of Talk Like A Pirate Day – my ode to Montana’s own Pirates of the Treasure State, “Cap’n Living Stone” and his First Mate “Sinky”

They’re pirates who don’t know anything
About running a campaign.
If you ask them what they’re doing
They respond like they’re insane.

They couldn’t post a schedule
Of where their ship [BUS] will be
‘Cause they take all their directions
From consultants in D.C.

They plan to start a revolution
And hoist the pirate flag.
They haven’t read our constitution
It’s too much of a drag.

They’ve got egos up the ying-yang
And their balls are made of brass;
They’re out to screw Montana
They’ve got money – but no class.

You want Neil’s resume for governor?
He knows how a pirate talks;
He’s learned to play with Seals;
And he’s a talking head on Fox.

He doesn’t need to have the facts
Or know the laws within the state
He can make things up and bluff away
Just like Barack Hussein the Great.

He can rape and pillage government,
Terrorizing working guys
Threatening their lives and treasure
With nonsense and other lies.

He doesn’t live in Helena;
He left here in his youth,
But he’s spent some time in Washington
Where they can’t tell the truth!

He’s the next buccaneer for governor
Schweitzer will pale in shame
Livingstone’s got “bull” and swagger
But no substance for this game.

Well you can knock me over with a feather: Butte, America may be turning against the unions.

I just happened to be surfing the Montana Standard this evening and, after checking the obits, I casually clicked over to the Letters to the Editor. Imagine my shock and surprise when I counted five – yep f-i-v-e – separate missives in opposition to the School Administrators’ strike for bigger raises.

This is Butte – “the Gibraltar of Unionism”. Miners’ Local Number One. Hard core union members from way back. Any union. Every union. Solidarity with our union sisters and brothers. Back in the day the church was only slightly more sacred than the union.

What changed?

Might it be that – finally – the union bosses have gone too far in their demands for more when there is no more to be had? Could Jimmy Hoffa’s over-the-top attacks on the American taxpayers last week have struck a sour note even in the Mining City?

Who knows.

But I think I figured out who’s being called “sumabitches” in Butte these days.

Much has been said about what was lost that horrible day ten years ago: Something so fragile – so precious – that we can never replace and, seemingly, we cannot restore. Before September 11, 2011, Americans were a people blessed with a sense of optimism and security that was unique in the world. Sure, we had experienced national tragedies, but somehow those events made us stronger and more resolved in our “Americaness”. Not so with 9/11. After a brief period where we came together in our disbelief and overwhelming grief, we have become more and more estranged. We have allowed our differences to make us weaker, and destroy our dreams for better, brighter tomorrows for ourselves and our children.

Perhaps it is not too late to again focus on the things that make this country the beacon of hope that it has been and should always be…

We often hear how Republicans are science deniers. The liberals throw the term ‘science deniers’ around almost as often as they casually throw out ‘racist’. If one should even offer a hint of disbelief or even questions the dictates from the liberals they are quickly tarred and feathered with labels and dismissed for being stupid.

But scientists and the media never label the ideas of the left as crazy, unworkable, illogical, unproven or just plain nuts. Let’s take a look at some of the ‘proven facts/ideas/science’ and science denial from the left.

Solar Power – Pushed by Obama who took our money and subsidized this failed science. Solyndra became the third company to go bankrupt since Evergreen Solar and SpectraWatt. It is not a failed science because you can produce electricity through the sun but because you can’t do it economically. American companies can not compete with China to produce a low cost solar panel. And even then the electricity produced is extremely expensive. And we won’t even talk about all of the toxic batteries and high maintenance costs. Works great in space, not so well on earth.

Wind Energy – Produces electricity but kills birds. Some from the left will defend the bird killing by noting that cats kill more birds. But cats don’t kill Bald Eagles or California Condors nor does that excuse not mean that even more birds will be killed. Then there is the illogic of the left when it comes to wind turbines. In Helena liberals fought hard to keep new cell phone towers from being erected because they would ruin the natural view. Even the Kennedy family fought against wind turbines being built in their back yards. Yet somehow fields of wind turbines are just fine in someone else’s back yard. Then to add to the illogic liberals fight even harder against the construction of transmission lines to bring the wind turbine energy to any place where it can be used. And you still need to construct just as many power plants standing by for when the wind does not blow. The costs are questionable depending on the location of the turbines and the ability to convey the electricity to where it will be used. Without government subsides this may turn out to be another more expensive energy substitute.

Ethanol from Corn – Stupidity… taking food and making it into expensive low grade fuel. Without subsidies it is unworkable. In fact it may take more oil fuel to produce less ethanol energy. Science is still debating that little problem. But don’t mention this to liberals or you will be a ‘science denier’.

Panda Poop – Converting Panda poop into fuel. Of all the stupid ideas this has got to be near the top of the list. Does anyone think we have enough Pandas in the world to make enough fuel to run more than a couple of vehicles?

Cooking Grease – Another crazy idea from the left. We will all have to start eating French Fries by the tub full to get enough grease to make this more than a novelty energy source.

Coal Energy – The lack of logic here it that somehow burning coal in the USA under strict EPA guidelines is more detrimental to the earth then shipping the coal to China and letting them burn coal with no regulations. So China gets a cheap energy source while the USA further cripples world trade by using more expensive energy.

Nuclear Energy – Fought against by liberals at every step, lawyer’s fees, environmental studies and government intervention has driven the cost to near uneconomical rates. In Europe some of the cheapest energy available is from nuclear. Guess we are just not as smart as those Europeans.

Yet you can’t find hardly a liberal (or Ron Paul) that does not think that every maniacal dictatorship bent on nuclear war should not be allowed to build ‘peaceful nuclear energy’. Somehow a nuclear power plant in the USA will spell doom for the world but for Iran it’s just fine.

Oil – And finally the totally illogical idea that we can give up oil completely. Oil does not just fuel our vehicles. It paves our roads, it makes our plastics, our chemicals, our fertilizers and is used in almost every industry in the USA. Try making any of that with wind, solar or even nuclear.

So it seems the real science deniers are liberals with their oil free utopian ideas. Be sure to mention that to them next time they start talking about oil. Call them science deniers who want people to die. Then while they are sputtering just call them racists and leave.

Loki

She hits it over the fence once more…