Posted: May 11, 2012 at 6:02 am

A TEA Party Legislator Explains His Life’s Work

Failure hasn’t stopped one TEA Party Republican from continuing to focus his entire legislative career on a manic crusade to address his personal problems.

This is the legacy of Montana State Rep. Jerry O’Neil (R-TEA, Columbia Falls) who has been failing to wreak havoc on American democracy and justice for over thirty years through an….eclectic hodge-podge of approaches. O’Neil went on the radio this week to explain what started it all.   It is not clear exactly what he is talking about, but it involves a cult and appears to be an attempt to explain his fixation with legalizing fake lawyering.  Basically, after his wife left him for a cult called the “Fatima Crusaders” the obsessive O’Neil says he could only address the situation by representing himself in court.  He sued the cult for causing his divorce. O’Neil is not an attorney.

The Columbia Falls community deserves better than a crackpot who is obsessed with a single issue related to his own personal life.  People want a representative who cares about jobs and quality schools.

O’Neil’s career has been a series of failures to make drastic alterations to the justice system to fix his nutty personal problems. Perhaps it was O’Neil’s inability to sound coherent that precipitated a foiled run for Supreme Court.  There was also a failed Constitutional Amendment to end the “discrimination” that prevents those with no education from practicing law. He even got himself into the legislature so he could blunder an attempt to move jurisdiction over the bar from the Court to the legislature.  (This would let the bright minds in the legislature decide which Burger King employees could become lawyers–education be darned).

I’m sure O’Neil would say he knows lots and lots about the law. That doesn’t mean he’s succeeded in abiding by it.   A mailer last election cycle explained in no uncertain terms that O’Neil’s legal experience includes being:

Held in Contempt of Court (stood trial and was found guilty November, 2004, Lake County court)

Charged with Practicing Law Without a License (cited by Supreme Court commission, 2001)

and

Abuse of an Elder / Exploitation of an Incapacitated Elder / Trespassing
(issued formal warnings by the State, March 2010; ordered to cease and desist his conduct)

In the infamous Bat Crap Legislative Session of 2011, O’Neil can take credit for a botched go at legalizing fake lawyering, and even a run at getting rid of some elections so that legislators can hand pick our U.S. Senators.

O’Neil lost again. If, instead of launching his first scheme against law and justice, he had sought education instead, his potpourri of attacks on the justice system might have at least been more successful–if not exactly relevant to his consituents. Of course, he may have flubbed getting an education too. TEA Partiers are not known for their love of schooling.

Now that he’s put his actions into better context, I hope you’ll see this TEA Partier’s life’s work for what it was: a great success.  We needn’t remember O’Neil as the crackpot who tried to ruin democracy as we know it, but rather as the nutjob who thankfully continued to fail at doing so for thirty years.

42 comments

  1. Kristin G

    Funny how O’Neil never talks about all the jobs the TEApublicans are creating with their wars against gay Americans and women and minorities and the poor, and children, and education.

  2. Larry Kralj, Environmental Rangers

    Anybody know what the “cult” was that Jer was in?

  3. Kristin G

    O’Neil only says on that link that:

    “Between 1975 and 1979 the attorneys I retained to represent my children and myself against a cult did nothing for over 2 1/2 years. During this time members of the cult, in violation of a known court order, traveled from Idaho to Montana with the intent to indoctrinate my children in their dogma. While this allowed a longer length of strain and emotional damages to us, the Idaho Supreme Court in O’Neil v Vasseur, protected the monopoly and threw out my case against the attorneys.”

  4. Havre Voter

    According to this link, the cult involved was called “The Fatima Crusaders” which claim to be the “true” Catholic Church. After O’Neils wife left him for the cult, he sued. O’Neil that the cult caused his wife and him to get a divorce.

    In the article, O’Neil said he would have rather had a lawyer but he couldn’t find one that would do it how he wanted it and spend the amount of time he wanted spent.

    http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=860&dat=19830809&id=OIRUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HI8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4148,5227371

  5. Hi-liner

    I always appreciate this blog but in this case cowgirl has missed an important piece of the story. O’Neil at one point conned an Indian tribe into giving him a law license. He then charged people on the reservation, people who don’t make or have a lot of money for his worthless services. Lord only knows the injustices that were perpetrated on Indians at the hands o his man.

  10. Larry Kralj, Environmental Rangers

    Ooooo! What a godly man he is!……and a war criminal too! And really? The Dali Lama was one of his great influences?? Oh yeah. I forgot. The Tibetans were just SO warlike! What the hell? How can a shitbag like Chimpy Bush attract a crowd of so-called christians? What gives?

    http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20120513/NEWS01/205130324/Bush-talks-about-faith-fundraiser?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Frontpage

    Read The Family by Jeff Sharlet. It will explain a lot of this nonsens.

  12. Norma Duffy AKA ILIKEWOODS

    Craig WHO CARES???? The reason our Dem senators don’t follow Obama on everything is because the state’s people dont follow everything either! Thats a good senator, not a bad one…means he is listening to the people of Montana not a party like Rehberg does!

    You still haven’t pointed out anything Rehberg is done for this state, which is Nothing for the last 8 years!

    Tester’s has taken care of Us, Rehberg just talks BS.

    Or prove your talking points!

    • Michael Searalika

      I notice that the GOP never cite Rehberg’s record…….. Cause he has none. Never answered your question yet either!

    • Larry Kralj, Environmental Rangers

      Thanks for the link, Norma. I suspected that Saintscrotum was linked to Opus Dei, but I never took the time to investigate it, for I never considered him to be a serious contender anyway.

      I’m familiar with Opus Dei and Escriva. He was one of Franco’s good buddies during the Spanish Civil War and afterwards. I have no use for the guy. For me simply highlights the Catholic Church’s integral role in the fascism in Spain! And WWII. And I think that that needs to be understood well.

      The Catholic Church SUPPORTED completely and aided and abetted the overthrow of the Republicans after they won the election! The Church, the wealthy, and the military all joined forces to smash democracy and to commit one of the biggest atrocities of the twenteith century. And it’s basically still going on!

      I believe that the Spanish Civil War was the precursor for all that we’re experiencing today. The fascists never really went away. And their resurgence becomes more evident daily. Christofascism in this country is everywhere.

      And lest we forget, the Catholic Church drew UP lists of Republicans for execution by the fascists! Some priests did the same thing in Latin America! The Catholic Church is extremly rightwing! Except of course for here in America, where many Catholics tell the Nazi pope to kiss their asses! And well they should!

      Saintscrotum represents the nazi church, the one that supported Franco in Spain, Hitler in Germany, and the Ustaha in Croatia. They are some real sickos! As the article mentions, they are NOT interested in democracy, ONLY power! ie. The power of the church. They are to be feared. There is nothing Christ-like about them.

      Again, I think it’s very important in this time of all these various religions vying for power that people FULLY understand that just because they claim to be on the side of God, they are still FASCISTS! Remember, when fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and religion! Just as it was in Spain! If you want to see the future, study the Spanish Civil War!

    • Craig Moore

      Norma, Santorium, who has nothing to do with Montana, is interesting to you but you shrug and say “Who Cares” when Tester, who is a Montana senator, comes out and fails to support gay marriage? Does it cross your mind that if Tester doesn’t support Montana’s gay community that they just might not vote for him? As to your request for support, just follow the links regarding Tester on gun registration and gay marriage, or just look it up yourself.

      • Norma Duffy AKA ILIKEWOODS

        Mixing metaphors like Moltov Cocktails again Craig! Really? Look Craig, trying to pull me into arguments isn’t gonna happen! My Issues are clearly defined on my candidate site, I am not Tester! But we both think alike on a lot of issues, because they do make sense.
        Honestly, though its not a game changer for me, its a challenge!

      • Larry Kralj, Environmental Rangers

        Craig, I invite you to post a BIGGER non-issue than gay marriage! There IS none, unless of course it’s CEEment Jesus! It’s over. Gay marraige is here to stay. They are NOT 4/5′s of a person. They are real people! End of story. And O’Bama will clean UP now that he has declared his support! Mark my words. The ONLY people who care about gay marraige are the Teatards, and we know how well THEY’RE doing!

        • Craig Moore

          Norma, you are right. Here’s where you started your commentary directed at me without me having engaged you to “pull you into arguments” as you falsely claim:

          Norma Duffy AKA ILIKEWOODS
          May 13, 2012 at 11:15 am · Reply

          Craig WHO CARES???? The reason our Dem senators don’t follow Obama on everything is because the state’s people dont follow everything either! Thats a good senator, not a bad one…means he is listening to the people of Montana not a party like Rehberg does!

          You still haven’t pointed out anything Rehberg is done for this state, which is Nothing for the last 8 years!

          Tester’s has taken care of Us, Rehberg just talks BS.

          Or prove your talking points!

          Now prove different if you can.

          • Larry Kralj, Environmental Rangers

            I don’t know what fwiw means, but I’m glad to see that we’re in agreement on gay marriage. My christofascist pals are quick to remind me that gay sex “it’s immoral”. But I ask them for whom? Not for me! Hell, I hear that there’s actually LOTS of different ways to perfmorn hetero sex too that mimics gay sex! But I won’t go there. HEY, to each his own. Marraige, two people who love each other. I’m good with that, and I suspect that most of the country is too! It’s a non-issue that the christofascists want to use as a wedge, exCEPT that the morons have worn out their welcome with all their horseshit! The Jesus factor is gone.

            http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/david/clay-aiken-confronts-tony-perkins-youll-be-a

  15. Craig Moore

    Norma, I have made no attempt to engage you on this thread. You responded to me.

        • Norma Duffy AKA ILIKEWOODS

          Then you answered with a 2 more questions didn’t you?

          “Norma, Santorium, who has nothing to do with Montana, is interesting to you but you shrug and say “Who Cares” when Tester, who is a Montana senator, comes out and fails to support gay marriage? Does it cross your mind that if Tester doesn’t support Montana’s gay community that they just might not vote for him?”

          What a petty person you are Craig! You see I just said who cares. You tried to bring me into a conversation, for your own benefit! You didn’t respond in the wrong spot Craig? Your just deflecting as Usual. LK is right, the only reason you came on here with your tit for tat this time was cause your party is in trouble.