ICYMI: Montana Political Reads for 15 February 2015

Milestone: Preserve the Beartooth Front passes 100,000 hits | – Preserve the Beartooth Front

There’s No Vaccine for Stupid | – “If the anti-vaxxers had gone to public school, they might have learned that the father of modern immunization, a man who invented more than 36 vaccines – is actually from right here in Montana – from Miles City.    Maurice Hilleman is “credited with saving more lives than any other medical scientist of the 20th century.”  He did it with vaccines.” MT Cowgirl

Sen. Fielder’s empty promise that ex-federal lands won’t be sold – “A safeguard? Not hardly. Her bill offers protection only until a subsequent legislature repeals it — and repeal undoubtedly will occur once a lobby for selling off the lands to the diggers, drillers, choppers, and grazers, reaches critical mass. And a sell-off has always been, and still is, the goal of the Sagebrush Rebels and their ancestors. Conservationists understand that even if Fielder doesn’t.” Flathead Memo

Montana Legislature continues work on imaginary problems | – “Senator Jana Taylor (R)-Dayton has introduced SB199, a law to “Prohibit the application of foreign law in state courts.” If you weren’t aware that this was a huge problem in Montana, neither is Taylor. “In all of the cases she was aware of, Taylor said, higher courts had overturned rulings that sided with Sharia law. None of these cases have been in Montana, but Taylor wants to be certain the state’s citizens will be protected…”” The Button Valley Bugle

A Tweet Of Purist Stupidity – “Knudsen’s stupidity would have it that if a gun causes violence then another gun can stop that violence, like a fire extinguisher stops … fire extinguishers?  Umm, no.  The purpose of a gun is clear.  Firearms kill.  I don’t find that disputable on any level.  Knudsen’s logic, the real kind and not his stupid version, is that students, staff, faculty having guns will ‘extinguish’ others using the same tool. “ A Chicken Is Not Pillage:

Gazette opinion: Take your fridge, leave your guns – “This legislation isn’t a political statement, compliments of some ultra-conservative group like American Legislative Exchange Council. This could have deadly consequences. This law would guarantee one thing: If there aren’t loaded guns on campus now, there would be if this legislation goes into law. If lawmakers really cared for students, they’d quit worrying about guns on campus and start worrying a lot more about graduation rates, brain drain of Montana’s best graduates and training a more globally-competitive workforce — armed or not.” Billings Gazette

Pledging Allegiance to a PAC – – “Perhaps this is the best way for candidates to fight back. In Garner’s case, he found out about the meeting, showed up with supporters, debated AFP’s hired gun and reiterated to the audience that he wouldn’t make any promises to anyone but them. And he shouldn’t. If a politician breaks a pledge to voters, that’s a fireable offense. But actually making a pen-to-paper promise to an out-of-state super PAC is not much better.” Flathead Beacon

Legislature should move past theatrics – “We get it, Reps. Wittich and Burnett: Some of your constituents dislike and distrust the federal government. But is it really necessary to turn the Legislature into a circus sideshow to keep them happy? These measures aren’t going to be enacted, and even if they were, they are utterly unenforceable.” Bozeman Daily Chronicle

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