Tag: montana

Curious Cattle Mutilation Reported in Montana

Montana authorities are investigating a curious cattle mutilation undoubtedly committed by a sinister miscreant yet eerily similar to the classic phenomenon that has mystified investigators for decades. The confounding case reportedly came to light last week via a bulletin from the Chouteau County Sheriff’s Office. The unfortunate cow in question was said to have been slain under unusual circumstances at a ranch near the town of Big Sandy. Specifically, in a manner akin to the classic cattle mutilation phenomenon, the animal’s tongue had been inexplicably removed and its jaw skinned.

However, in an odd detail contrasting the myriad of mysteriously mutilated cattle cases that have come before, in this instance, it was clear that the perpetrator was a person as the cow had also been shot with a gun. Alas, the announcement from the sheriff’s office was short on additional details as they explained, “in order not to compromise the investigation, specifics will not be released.” That said, they did not that there have been two, presumably recent, additional cases “similar to this” that occurred outside the county.

While how the cow was killed almost certainly precludes the possibility that aliens were responsible for the incident, who the humans were and why they committed the dastardly deed remains uncertain. Given the similarities to the cattle mutilation modus operandi, which itself is an enigma, one is left to wonder if the strange slaying in Chouteau County had the same inscrutable intentions behind it. Hoping for some answers to the multiple mysteries surrounding the case, the Sheriff’s Office understandably asked for the public to contact them with any tips on the downed cow.

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Montana Lawmakers Pass Marijuana Bill To Set Zero-Tolerance THC Limit For Drivers Under 21

Advocates are warning that a bill passed by Montana’s legislature aimed at reducing marijuana-impaired driving by people under 21 would put younger medical cannabis patients at risk and criminalize minors who may have used the drug days earlier but are otherwise entirely sober.

The state House of Representatives voted on Friday to pass the measure—SB 508, from Sen. Willis Curdy (D)—which the Senate approved in early March. It next proceeds to the desk of Gov. Greg Gianforte (R).

Reform advocates are asking their supporters to urge a veto from the governor, noting that the proposal includes mandatory jail time for offenders and claiming that young drivers could be tested and charged after an accident that wasn’t their fault even if they weren’t impaired.

The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) said in an email about the bill that it would create an “extreme standard for drivers under 21, making it a DUI offense to have any detectable THC or certain metabolites in their system.”

“It would criminalize sober young drivers who are state-legal medical cannabis patients, people who tested positive after using legal CBD products, and people who were exposed to cannabis second-hand,” the group said. “Since THC can remain in the bloodstream and urine days after its effects have worn off, this approach would criminalize and incarcerate young Montanans who are completely unimpaired.”

Karen O’Keefe, director of state policies for MPP, said the House passed the bill after lawmakers made misleading statements about marijuana legality among people younger than 21 as well as circumstances under which minors would be tested.

In floor debate, Rep. Steven Kelly (R) said that marijuana use is already illegal for people under 21 and that minors would need to exhibit signs of impairment—such as bloodshot eyes or inhibited speech—in order to be tested.

But MPP points out that Illinois’s medical marijuana program allows patient use by people 21 and under with a doctor’s recommendation, and minors can also legally use hemp-based CBD products that in some cases can cause positive THC tests, especially when screening for trace amounts.

The group also noted that nothing in the bill appears to actually require evidence of impairment, meaning drivers could be tested even if there’s no sign they’re actually under the influence of the drug.

“There is no need for this unjust, overbroad law,” MPP said in its email, adding that “Montana already criminalizes impaired driving,” including with a per se THC blood limit of 5 nanograms per milliliter.”

MPP also put out a call to action asking supporters to urge Gianforte to veto SB 508.

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Montana GOP Purges 9 Turncoat Republican Senators for Backing Democrats, Says They Are No Longer Recognized as Republicans

The Montana Republican Party has formally censured nine Republican state senators for betraying the will of GOP voters and aligning themselves with Democrats during the 69th Legislative Session.

The state party’s Executive Committee has made it clear: these lawmakers are no longer recognized as Republicans.

The nine rogue senators—Jason Ellsworth, Wendy McKamey, Gayle Lammers, Josh Kassmier, Butch Gillespie, Gregg Hunter, Denley Loge, Russ Tempel, and Shelley Vance—have repeatedly sold out conservative priorities, voting with Democrats on key issues, disrupting committee assignments, and opposing vital amendments to Senate rules that would have preserved Republican leadership and integrity.

More from the press release:

The Executive Committee of the Montana Republican Party (MTGOP) has censured the nine Montana Senators as Republicans following their repeated alignment with Senate Democrats during the 69th Legislative Session. These Senators have undermined the Republican majority leadership and disregarded the will of Montana Republican voters.

The nine Senators in question-Jason Ellsworth, Wendy McKamey, Gayle Lammers, Josh Kassmier, Butch Gillespie, Gregg Hunter, Denley Loge, Russ Tempel, and Shelley Vance-have consistently voted with Democrats, betraying the core values of the Republican Party.

Despite multiple calls for unity and adherence to Republican principles, the Senators have chosen to align with Democrats, undermining Republican priorities and leadership. Their actions include voting to disrupt committee assignments, opposing critical amendment to Senate Rules, and failing to support the expulsion of Senator Ellsworth after an ethics investigation.

The MTGOP Executive Committee has determined that these Senators no longer represent the values or interests of Montana Republicans.

As a result, the MTGOP will no longer support or fund their campaigns. The Party is also urging the media and the public to refrain from referring to these Senators as Republicans.

The MTGOP is committed to ensuring that its elected officials uphold the trust of their constituents and the Party’s principles, and will continue to advocate for a united Republican voice in Montana.

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Montana Senate Approves Bill To Shift Marijuana Revenue From Conservation Programs To Police And Addiction Treatment

The Montana Senate on Thursday advanced a measure to change what programs receive more than $60 million in funding from recreational marijuana tax revenue.

Senate Majority Leader Tom McGillvray, R-Billings, is carrying Senate Bill 307 to shift marijuana tax revenue away from Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks programs, and bolster marijuana prevention and enforcement operations.

McGillvray framed the bill as a “simple” policy choice, and asked legislators whether they care more about children and those impacted by marijuana, or wildlife habitat.

“I would submit to you that the deer, the elk, the ducks, the geese are all doing pretty good in Montana,” McGillvray said, adding that FWP has “buckets” of money they could spend.

“I’m asking [us] to prioritize the babies, the moms, the teenagers, the children, the adults that are addicted to this and need a way out,” he said.

But opponents said that the funding was allocated for FWP programs for a reason, and that if the Legislature wants to address prevention efforts, they should tackle that separately.

Sen. Sara Novak, D-Anaconda, served on the Business and Labor Committee during the 2021 session, when recreational marijuana was legalized with support from conservation groups counting on some of the revenue.

“We worked very hard on a big piece of legislation that put all the guiderails around the legalization of marijuana, and it included the allocation of revenue sources,” Novak said. “I do wholeheartedly think we need to take a hard look at prevention, education, treatment, the crime that goes along with all of that and the whole trickle effect, I just don’t think that this bill is the way to go about doing that.”

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Senate Passes Bill To Protect Women’s Sports In Montana

The Senate passed legislation today to protect women’s sports programs in Montana from intrusion by biological men, sending the bill to the Governor’s desk.

House Bill 300 prohibits biological men from participating in women’s sports programs, protecting the safety and competitiveness of female athletes. The bill also requires educational institutions to provide sex-segregated facilities – such as restrooms, locker rooms, and sleeping quarters – based on biological sex.

HB 300 is carried in the upper chamber by Senator Sue Vinton, R-Billings.

“Montana’s female athletes deserve a level playing field, where they can participate in the activities they love without fear of having their safety or competitiveness compromised by a man ,” Vinton said. “HB 300 keeps the focus of women’s sports on women, not radical gender ideology.”

The bill already passed the House of Representatives, where it was sponsored by Representative Kerri Seekins-Crowe, R-Billings. Not a single House Democrat voted in favor of the legislation.

“This bill ensures that women’s sports remain a space where dedication and talent – not unfair physical advantages – determine success. We must protect the opportunities, safety, and dignity of all our students, especially young women,” Seekins-Crowe said.

The passage of HB 300 aligns Montana with the Trump administration’s federal effort to protect women’s sports in our schools and universities. In January, the US Department of Education announced that it would return to enforcing Title IX protections on the basis of biological sex.

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Wolves, Hyenas and Legislators Run in Packs

At an early age, we taught our kids to learn from others and to think for themselves. I still remember telling one child, “Truth doesn’t fly in flocks. You need to seek and find it on your own. And never be afraid to test and re-examine what you believe is true. Belief has no value if you close your mind to the ideas and arguments of others. Living in truth involves not only faith, but also the courage to think for yourself.”

Unthinking animals either herd up for security, or run in packs to pull other creatures down. Politicians do both. In the worst example I have seen in 48 years in Montana, the cowardly pack mentality has been on full display in the sixty-nineth session of the Montana State Legislature.

Most of us are aware by now of the hostile takeover of the Montana State Senate by a coalition of every Democrat plus a wolf pack of liberal Republicans, who locked claws on vote after vote to deliver a functional majority for the Democratic Party. At one point, twenty separate pro-Democrat floor votes were recorded, all by 27-23 margins – an impressive show of Pack Power over their own Republican leadership. The nine GOP deserters are senators Vance, Gillespie, Kassmier, Lammers, Loge, McKamey, Tempel, Hunter and Ellsworth.

First, the Pack held the Senate hostage for many days, eventually forcing leadership to change its own rules so that liberal Republicans could be inserted onto key committees to shift committee control.

Then came the Jason Ellsworth affair. Sen. Ellsworth was caught arranging a sweetheart contract for a buddy of his by quietly diverting, at the last moment, over $170,000 from the unspent budget of the Judicial Reform Interim Committee, over the objections of its members. The project made no sense and would be performed from the friend’s home. When discovered, auditors were shocked, and the Senate Ethics Committee began an investigation, as was its constitutional duty. But the nine-member GOP wolf pack again locked arms with the Democrats and stopped the investigation in its tracks – thus assuring that the liberal Ellsworth would remain in the Senate for the entire session, doing the Democrats’ bidding.

Other reports of Ellsworth throwing his political weight around started coming out. Clearly, he should have resigned, but the “the Pack” continued to give him protective cover, and he remains there still – larger than life – seemingly incapable of shame or contrition.

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Kentucky, Montana, Idaho Among States Looking to Ban mRNA Vaccines

As calls to ban mRNA shots intensify worldwide, a growing number of U.S. states and communities are eyeing laws to prohibit or pause their use.

A bill introduced Tuesday in the Kentucky House of Representatives would ban until July 1, 2035, the administration of “any human gene therapy product for any infectious disease indication, regardless of whether the administration is termed an immunization, vaccine, or any other term.”

Lawmakers in Idaho and Montana recently introduced similar bills. Legislative initiatives are in the planning stages or have been passed at the county level in at least four other states, including Iowa, South Carolina, Texas and Washington.

“A critical mass will soon be reached, forcing the federal government to follow suit,” said epidemiologist Nicolas Hulscher of the McCullough Foundation.

Dr. Kat Lindley, president of the Global Health Project and director of the International Fellowship Program for the Independent Medical Alliance (IMA), said such initiatives are “important in sending the message” to public health agencies “that states recognize the damage mRNA shots have done to U.S. citizens.”

Hulscher said the McCullough Foundation “will be actively engaged in legislative efforts to ban mRNA injections” in several states.

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Montana GOP Senator’s Bill Would Require People To Register And Pay A $200 Annual Fee To Use Recreational Marijuana

Marijuana reform advocates are sounding the alarm after a Montana GOP senator filed a bill that would require adult-use cannabis consumers to register and pay a $200 annual fee to participate in the legal program that voters approved in 2020.

Sen. Greg Hertz (R) introduced the legislation, SB 255, last week. It would create a registration system similar to what’s in place for medical cannabis in many states—except that this would be for adults in a recreational market, with a significantly higher annual fee.

Adults would need to pay the $200 fee to obtain a cannabis card from the state Cannabis Control Division (CCD). Participants would need to pay that fee each year for renewal under the proposal.

Upon applying for the card, there would be a 60-day period where adults could access marijuana from licensed retailers. But if they don’t pay the fee by the end of that window, the division “shall cancel the temporary marijuana identification card.”

“This is an outrageous attempt to gut the will of the people and re-criminalize cannabis for most Montanans. Voters legalized cannabis for all adults 21 and older,” Karen O’Keefe, director of state policies at the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), told Marijuana Moment on Thursday.

“No other adult-use state forces cannabis consumers to enroll in a state registry, and the people’s initiative explicitly prohibits this surveillance and government overreach,” she said. “Re-criminalizing cannabis for anyone who does not pay $200 per year to register with the state is an affront to Montana voters who made their voices clear when they passed Initiative I-190.”

The text of the bill states that a “marijuana cardholder shall keep the individual’s marijuana identification card in the individual’s immediate possession at all times. The marijuana identification card and a valid photo identification must be displayed on demand of a law enforcement officer, justice of the peace, or city or municipal judge.”

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Montana’s Porn Age Verification Law Is Headed to Court

It seems that a puritanical wave is sweeping the country as state governments increasingly try to make it more difficult to access pornography from within their borders. A lawsuit is challenging one of those laws, and this week, a federal judge allowed it to continue.

Montana is one of multiple states in recent years to pass a law requiring pornographic websites to verify users’ ages. Under Senate Bill 544, any website that “knowingly and intentionally publishes or distributes material harmful to minors” must “perform reasonable age verification methods to verify the age of individuals attempting to access the material,” so long as the site in question “contains a substantial portion of the material.”

The statute defines “material harmful to minors” as, essentially, the depiction of any sexual acts, covering everything from straightforward pornography all the way up to and including “bestiality.” It further notes that “reasonable age verification methods” can take the form of “a digitized identification card” or some other system that either checks a user’s “government-issued identification” or otherwise “relies on public or private transactional data.”

While perhaps well-intended, the law is a civil liberties nightmare: First of all, as a general rule, pornography is free speech protected by the First Amendment. And as Elizabeth Nolan Brown wrote in the April 2024 issue of Reason, the sort of age verification law that some states now favor “creates a record, permanently attaching real identities to online activity that many people would prefer stay private,” and “even the best verification methods would leave people vulnerable to hackers and snoops.”

The law also stipulates that it applies when the material in question constitutes “more than 33 1/3% of total material on a website,” meaning a site could be forced to enact an onerous age-verification scheme even if well over half of its hosted content does not meet the state’s definition of disallowed material. One imagines that porn sites could simply load up their servers with enough inoffensive content to stay on the right side of that ratio, but instead, sites like Pornhub have simply blocked access in Montana, as they have in many other states that have passed these laws.

In May 2024, a group of organizations and individuals led by the Free Speech Coalition filed a federal lawsuit seeking an injunction against the enforcement of the law. Per the lawsuit, S.B. 544 “operates as a presumptively-unconstitutional prior restraint on speech” since it requires “the use of some particularized approval method as a condition to providing protected expression.”

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Montana Dem Operative Caught Tampering With Ballot Box

Video obtained by Fox News shows a Democrat operative tampering with an election ballot drop box in Montana, appearing to try tearing the box off the wall.

The operative, Laszlo Gendler, has been paid by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), according to OpenSecrets.org, as Montana Talks reported. The DSCC is attempting to help incumbent Democrat Senator Jon Tester against GOP senatorial candidate Tim Sheehy.

Richie Melby, the Communications Director for Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen, told Montana Talks, “The Glacier County election administrator contacted our office expressing serious concern over surveillance footage that appeared to show an individual ‘tampering’ with a ballot box. Our Elections Director contacted the election administrator, who confirmed that the individual in the footage is Laszlo Gendler. The name of the suspect and details were turned over to Glacier County law enforcement. Our Elections Director was pleased that the individual was not able to remove the ballot box from the wall, although the activity was obviously highly suspicious and concerning.”

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