Archive for April, 2007
by Jay Stevens Montana Headlines pointed out a compromise forged by North Dakota Republicans on providing a tax rebate for its citizens in a fiscal situation similar to Montana’s. The details: North Dakota property tax payers who also pay income taxes may take a credit on their income tax returns equal to 10 percent of [...]
by Jay Stevens What is it about ideologically-controlled media and humor impairment? Is it something about sucking up to power that renders propagandists immune to satire? Why else would a media outlet report parody as truth? No, no, I’m not talking about the time a Beijing newspaper reprinted a story from the Onion. I’m talking [...]
by Jay Stevens A couple of juicy resignations today – which must be really, really bad, announced as they were on a Friday. First, the fun one: a senior administration official, Randall L. Tobias, resigned his office today because he was outed as a customer of a prominent DC madam. Wait, it gets better. Tobias [...]
Attention DCer, a group of renegade Montanans is going to host their very own testicle festival in our nation’s capitol! Montana’s Chief Justice of the state supreme court, Karla Gray, announces she will not seek re-election. Jeff Mangan pays homage to the retiring public servant. Mike McGrath announces he’s a candidate for Montana’s now vacant [...]
by Jay Stevens Jon Tester has posted a speech he gave to the Twenty-First Century Democrats yesterday on The Huffington Post. It was a great speech and should remind us all who worked our tails off to get this man into office that it was worth it. On power: But power can be seductive. And [...]
by Jay Stevens As you’ve probably no doubt seen, there’s video of the Mike Lange outburst! What struck me about watching it – and what wasn’t evident from the original reports on Lange’s rant – was that the profanity came in the midst of a speech on the “honor,” “integrity,” and “dignity” of the House [...]
by Jay Stevens On the front page of yesterday’s Missoulian, Tristan Scott addresses the recent “spate” of bike deaths in Missoula, bringing our total this year to two, and three since October. That’s news, because there were none all of 2004 and 2005. I’d agree with the report that it’s hard to draw any conclusions [...]
by Jay Stevens Remember way back when there was a little debate about civility here in the Montana blogosphere? You remember! First there was criticism of the left bloggers’ use of a nickname for the Montana Legislature’s Speaker of the House, in which our antics were compared to racism. Apparently our constant mocking of Sales [...]
David Halberstam died yesterday. Like John, I grew up reading his sports nonfiction. In my case, it was “The Summer of ’49,” which helped shape my Red Sox angst. Colleague Evan Thomas recounts Halberstam’s Vietnam reporting. Kemmick excoriates Max Baucus for his co-fundraising account with House Ways and Means Committee chair, Charles Rangel. Sirota, as [...]
by Jay Stevens Many lefty pundits are getting weak-kneed over the idea of an Office of Special Counsel investigation into the politicization by the Bush administration of the nation’s civil service – which includes the Department of Justice – only I can’t help but feel that this is another political move by the President and [...]
by Jay Stevens There’s a new, gentler libertarian stalking the virtual corridors of Montana’s blogosphere: Montana Liberty Project. It’s been a pleasure reading his blog and his perspective. That said, I admit I don’t agree with everything he says, and I especially don’t agree with his latest post on health care. In it, he quotes [...]
Services for Private 1st Class Kyle Bohrnsen, killed in Iraq, held in Phillipsburg. Ed Kemmick – back from his luxury cruise – mulls over the possibility that Montana Meth program financier, Tom Siebel, has his eye on the governor’s seat. I would like to think that Montana would shun a wealthy out-of-stater buying his way [...]
by Jay Stevens As you can imagine, this Earth Day weekend is one of Missoula’s highlights of the year, with a bejillion things going on, all of it fun. On Saturday there was the Clark Fork River cleanup, a bicycle festival at Bonner park, and a screening of the global warming documentary, “Five Planets: Montanans [...]
The Good Guv pens an editorial on energy for Forbes. Erik “Allen” Iverson wants the chair of the state’s GOP. Fair enough. But the reasons why are pretty silly. State Senate Democrats block funding for televised Legislature coverage??? What are you people thinking??? Jason notes that Conrad Burns has dropped $150K this year on legal [...]
by Jay Stevens So how did Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez do yesterday? The New York Times: If Attorney General Alberto Gonzales had gone to the Senate yesterday to convince the world that he ought to be fired, it’s hard to imagine how he could have done a better job, short of simply admitting the obvious: [...]
by Jay Stevens The long-awaited grilling of Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez has begun. For those of us who like to see incompetence and malice appropriately rewarded, Gonzalez’ appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee is especially sweet. Senator Patrick Leahy’s opening remarks began with thoughts on the Virginia Tech shootings, and hopes that the Justice Department [...]
Jon Tester likely to block any gun control talk that’s to surface out of the VaTech shootings. The Senate blocks Baucus-led effort to negotiate drug prices for the elderly. Congressional Quarterly profiles Max. The administration disagrees with Max over tax cheats. Like Wal Mart. Or prominent Republican donors. (I’m shocked, shocked.) Montana on the Real [...]
by Jay Stevens What’s going on? Didn’t we already learn to be wary of the “conventional wisdom” on Iraq passed down from on high? The latest meme is that we should stay in Iraq, because if we leave chaos will ensue, that we owe Iraq the obligation to stay until the mess we’ve made is [...]
David’s sister earns the Bronze Star. Congratulations to her, along with thanks for her service and wishes for her safety and mission. F-Words has found a link that gives some insight behind the madness of mass shootings, like what happened at Virginia Tech. The Y Chromosone’s John recalls a shooting at the University of Arizona, [...]
Praise for Montana’s latest Iraq casualty, Kyle Bohrensen. Max Baucus reverses course on fast-track trade authority for the President; he now opposes it. Good move, Max! Max also drives bill through the Finance Committee that allows the government to negotiate prescription drug prices for its Medicare patients. Good move, Max! Max states his position on [...]
by Jay Stevens Commenter Kevin’s been pestering me for a post on the Duke rape case, as if it somehow represents the end of legal jurisprudence as we know it. I’ve avoided this case from the very beginning because of all the sensationalist coverage of the case, the shameful prejudging of the Duke students by [...]
by Jay Stevens As I guessed, House Republicans wouldn’t let the bill abolishing the death penalty to reach the floor for debate. I’m with Bigfork Republican, Bill Jones, who responded to Scott Sales’ implication that considering a death penalty ban would hurt Republicans politically: “There’s more liability for those who obstruct the legislative process than [...]
Phillipsburg soldier, Kyle Bohrnsen, was killed in Iraq. My condolences, and thanks, to his family. Jon wins kudos for his independent streak in the Senate. Thanks, Jon, that’s why we elected you. Baucus goes after tax cheats. While he didn’t mention the worst cheats – the rich — maybe he’ll pressure the administration to rehire [...]
by Jay Stevens Kurt Vonnegut is dead. I’m at a loss for what to say. He was one of my favorite writers and humans. Julie Fanselow fondly remembers Vonnegut’s scathing indictment of new conservatism. The Booman Tribune’s Steve D thinks Kurt – WWII POW, survivor of the Dresden firebombing, teacher, and social critic – was [...]
by Jay Stevens This story on how one of Katie Couric’s “personal comments” was cribbed from a WSJ op-ed really hits home the points made in Gary Kamiya’s Salon piece, “Iraq: Why the media failed.” Kamiya’s piece is a must-read withering attack on the media passivity that plagues big-corporate traditional media outlets. Basically Kamiya argues [...]
Baucus to support government negotiation for prescription drugs for its Medicare patients? Montana Headlines – in reply to Jeff Mangan’s urging of Senate Republican leadership to compromise – says the burden of compromise should rest on Senate Democrats. (And you wonder why nothing’s getting done in Helena?) And then MH comments on the “hot partisanship” [...]
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