Tagged: Greg Hinkle

Posted: October 10, 2012 at 8:00 am

GOP Candidate for Legislature has Militia Ties

A prominent member of a group linked to the Militia of Montana is running for legislature in Sanders County.

Republican Jennifer Fielder is a leader of the innocuous sounding Sanders Natural Resource Council–the organization is the latest incarnation of the Militia of Montana. Fielder, who is running for senate district 7, is on the group’s board of directors, according to her website. Here’s the screenshot.

Fellow Militia of Montana leader John Trochmann explains in this radio interview why the Militia of Montana is currently operating under the name Sanders National Resource Council–to evade detection by federal agents. Organizing an armed anti-government para-military group is against the law.

“For you federal agents that are listening, this movement is growing. There are sweet little units everywhere. Government, you figure it out…

Here in MT it is impossible to start an armed militia and take ‘em out and train them because of state laws…so if you want to train you have to do one thing at a time. You go out and target practice or you go out and do your skills as camping out or cold weather survival, especially like communications. We do that very well here, undetected hopefully…the name may be changed but we are still the same. “

Right now, that name is Sanders Natural Resource Council, Trochmann explains. If you wonder why the Militia of Montana would want to pose as an anti-environmental group, consider this. The militia leaders say that the biggest threat the militia sees right now is from attacks by “globalist organizations” of ”environmental wackos.”

The Sanders Natural Resource Council (pronounced “SNaRC” by locals) believes that conservationists who support wildlife management of local bear populations are part of a conspiracy to conduct surveillance on the militia movement. Here’s how the bear surveillance conspiracy works:

“If you try to do anything with these bears–they have collars on them. If you try to plug a bear and the heart stops there will be a satellite over the top you instantly to take your picture of you and call out the game wardens instantly.”

“What if you plug one of the game wardens?” the host asks. To be sure, the host goes on to clarify his remark :”I was being somewhat facetious–but only somewhat, with that.”

And so, to fight the ominous threat of bear-activated satellite surveillance systems, the SNaRC Militia set about spreading fear with a spree of “town hall” meetings. GOP candidate Jennifer Fielder led the meetings, saying the Forest Service was planning a conspiracy to close down the entire forest.

At the meetings, the militia members raved that private property rights are at risk over grizzly management lines that they only just learned of. Problem is, the bear management lines have actually been on the map for thirty years.

Besides legislative candidate Jennifer Fielder, nutjob all-stars Rep. Greg Hinkle (R-Spear Hunter) and Ron Olfert also participated in the conspiracy briefings. Hinkle is running for county commissioner. Olfert is running for, of all things, county administrator: an unpaid position that is responsible for ensuring indigent people who die get a decent burial. (This was the only other position available to run for after Olfert lost his county commissioner race last election).

The Militia of Montana organized from the remnants of an earlier organization, United Citizens for Justice. That was the group of angry white supremacists that formed in the 1990′s after the wife and son of white supremacist Randy Weaver were killed in a standoff with federal agents in Ruby Ridge, Idaho. The Alliance Defense League reports that “nearly all of its leaders and chief supporters were white supremacists, including Louis Beam, former ambassador at large for Aryan Nations.”

If Fielder is elected, expect another “secession session” focused on militia favorites like we saw in 2011. The gold standard, making sheriffs the supreme law of the land, armed militias etc–at a greater level even then we saw last time from Greg Hinkle, Derek Skees, Jerry O’Neil and crew.

Posted: July 3, 2012 at 12:27 pm

Another Montana Republican Inducted into Wingnut Hall of Fame

Several of Montana’s TEA Party Republican legislators have made names for themselves in the national news–as laughingstocks anyway.

Yesterday, Rep. Krayton Kerns (R-Laurel) added himself to that list. TEA Party Republican Krayton Kerns was featured in a popular Huffington Post story yesterday for his blog post claiming that moving some bison will “topple the Republic” and lead to $25/gallon gas prices.

The story was first reported last week here at the Montana Cowgirl Blog.

Other inductees include GOP Rep. Alan Hale (R-Basin) who said that DUIs laws are destroying small business was featured on MSNBC (VIDEO here.) Rep. “Birther” Bob Wagner (R-Madison County) has appeared on CNN‘s Anderson Cooper 360 to discuss his belief that President Obama is not a U.S. citizen, and Rep. Joe Read (R-Ronan) was featured on the Colbert Report for his legislative resolution declaring that global warming is good. Then there was Derek Skees, Rep. from Whitefish who proposed that Montana “nullify” all federal laws. Rep. Greg Hinkle (R-Thompson Falls) was mocked on Fox News, as was GOP Sen. Jim Peterson, for his frivolous bill to put the “Code of the West” into Montana law and for his proposal to make spear hunting legal. And there’s David Howard, the legislator whose Facebook page is devoted entirely to anti-gay rhetoric, and Tom Burnett, that programs to combat hunger are not needed in America because we have so many fat children. And let’s not forget our Congressman, who says that the EPA is using drones to spy on ranchers. I’m sure I’m missing some others….there are so many…..

Posted: November 2, 2011 at 5:04 pm

One Hot Mess

Readers here will no doubt recall TEA Party Republican Greg Hinkle’s Senate Bill 114, which would have given county sheriffs authority trumping that of the federal government – one of the nuttiest bills of the legislative session.

TEA Party Congressman Dennis Rehberg has the latest iteration of this nutball idea–he is an original co-sponsor of the infamous bill that would give the Department of Homeland Security complete control over all federal lands within 100 miles of the Canadian border. We’re talking about the top half of the entire state of Montana.

It isn’t known to what extent Hinkle may have helped Rehberg to develop the idea. Perhaps they thought that starting with half of the state first and switching from County Sheriffs to Homeland Security would somehow be more palatable. What is known is that local hunters and anglers are furious. Montana Hunters & Anglers today have launched a second ad campaign aimed at Congressman Dennis Rehberg.

Here’s the ad:

On the Hunters and Anglers website, the group explains why they created the second ad:

Rehberg is an original co-sponsor of H.R. 1505 by Representative Bob Bishop of Utah. The bill would allow the DHS to obtain “operational control” of federal lands within 100 miles of the Canadian border. Although Rehberg says his amendment makes the bill more palatable, Montana Hunters & Anglers Action President Land Tawney called those provisions “lipstick on a pig” and he says the legislation remains “ominous and frightening.”

Whatever you call it, the bill is evidence that a combination that includes Rehberg and lawmaking only results in one hot mess.

Posted: July 5, 2011 at 10:24 pm

Montana Republican:”God is America’s King”

On July 4th in the Clark Fork Chronicle, Montana state Senator Greg Hinkle (R-Spear Hunter) got his patriotism on. The message is so inspiring that you can practically hear the fife and drum corps in the background when you read it, as you must surely do here.

Quoting not the Constitution nor the Declaration of Independence but the more scholarly and appropriate work “Little House on the Prairie” Hinkle explains his belief that the “true meaning” of the Declaration of Independence is that

“God is America’s King.”

Representative Hinkle invokes Laura Ingalls Wilder (whom he calls, fittingly “Laura Ingalls” – only one last name per Republican thank you) but the next thoughtful paragraph is all his own:

“You see, freedom has its roots deep within the spiritual heritage upon which Independence Day came into being. Liberty is really freedom with responsiblilty[sic] and self-government. Personal responsibility requires us to “boss” ourselves. Abdicating that responsibility to government can do nothing except bring us back into the kind of society the early colonists sought to get away from.”

Setting aside the clear and elegant writing, this paragraph merits a further look for another reason: if liberty is about “freedom with responsibility and self government”, why is Hinkle continuing to curb the freedom of terminally-ill, mentally competent adults to access legal aid in dying?

Posted: April 28, 2011 at 7:13 pm

POST SESSION PREVIEW: GOP Primed With Unique Leadership Pool for 2012

The GOP has realized it is out of bad ideas and is preparing to abandon ship. So with the end of the session near, it is time for gubernatorial candidates to start campaigning in earnest.

The primary candidates will need to work hard to separate themselves from the pack –I believe there are at least six R’s thought to be running– by winning over key constituencies that are parts of the GOP base. One way to do that is by the strategic recruitment of future political appointees.

Here is a list of potential cabinet level possibilities selected from the GOP’s top leadership –bold minds that a Republican may need to get to get through a full primary field.

Director of the Department of Revenue, Bob Wagner (R-Harrison) was the most outspoken member of the GOP legislature on monetary policy, especially the gold standard.

Wendy Warburton (R-Havre) has positioned herself well as the GOP expert on military affairs, or at least militias, making her a great choice for GOP pick for Director of Military Affairs.

A Lt. Governor pick is key for helping to turn out the vote among key constituencies, and Champ Edmunds (R-Missoula) certainly was the Republican poster boy for voter policy this session (leading their campaign to suppress the vote in Montana) .

For Fish Wildlife and Parks director, the GOP need look no further than ~~spear~~ hunting spokesmodel, Greg Hinkle.

For the right pick for Department of Environmental Quality look no further than GOP visionary, Derek Skees, (R-~~Whitefish~~ Kalispell) who was advocating for nuclear power before Japan, oh..wait…

The Montana GOP already has a man whose making national waves in the climate change discussion, making intelligent science expert Joe Read (R-Ronan) a perfect pick to lead the DNRC.

Alan Hale, expert on driving (especially where drinking is concerned) exemplifies the views of many GOP-ers on transportation issues, making him a leading pick for Director of Transportation.

And for the Department of Health and Human Services – Tom McGillvray (R-Billings) who understands that the best way to help people is to attack and insult women and to keep them down! Sums up the GOP philosophy of keeping government out of everything — except your most personal and private business– perfectly.

Posted: April 22, 2011 at 12:20 pm

Fringe Political Element’s Election Plot Uncovered

The Missoulian is reporting that a cabal of far right wingers that are part of a “fringe political element” has launched a campaign to take over the board of trustees at Flathead Valley Community College.

I can understand why local community leaders are afraid. School board races are often the starting points of future political careers, and the slate of far-right extremists will only end up dragging area schools into senseless and divisive “culture war” battles on issues that have nothing to do with public education, solely to promote their far-right views.

What’s worse, the move comes on the heels of Chuck Baldwin’s tirade in favor of making Montana into a right-wing mecca and that his machinations are in preparation for “a coming battle.” (Baldwin is the father of sect member Tim Baldwin.)

As the Missoulian reports, in addition to Ed Berry, the founder of Montana’s most extreme online forums Edberry.com and PolyMontana.com, the challengers running for three of four open college trustee positions are:

“Tim Baldwin, an attorney and the son of Chuck Baldwin, the 2008 presidential nominee for the national Constitution Party;”

“Roland Horst of Bigfork, where he is a board member of the Prolife Coalition” - the group whose leader was raided for Medicaid fraud; and,

“Glenn Wehe of Columbia Falls, a board member on the Evergreen School District and an active supporter of Senate Bill 114, which would have given county sheriffs authority trumping that of the federal government” – one of the nuttiest bills of the Legislative Session.

The candidates are so far to the right that even local conservatives are coming out in opposition to the extremists.

No doubt the extremists will pull the old “they’re lying about me!” response, but I don’t see where the wiggle room is. You lead these movements, you live with the consequences. You start a forum for the most far-right commentary in the state, you own it (like Obama owning Jeremiah Wright. Remember that, Ed?). You join a board of directors led by a woman suspected of defrauding the taxpayers of Montana, you own that too.

Posted: April 1, 2011 at 7:11 am

Another Montana GOP Legislator Makes It Big as a National Laughingstock

Montana Republican Representative (and bar manager) Alan Hale raised eyebrows across Montana yesterday when he defended drunk driving in a passionate speech to the House.

Video of his speech appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe watch the MSNBC VIDEO here, on the Howard Stern show UPDATED, and national political blogs like Wonkette - read the comments for an irreverent, if accurate look at what the rest of the world thinks of our GOP legislators.

Hale is but the latest to make it big as a national laughingstock. Rep. Bob Wagner has appeared on CNN, and Rep. Joe Read was featured on the Colbert Report, and Rep. Greg Hinkle appeared on Fox News. Legislation proposed by Montana Republicans has been mocked by people across America.

Here’s the latest from CNN.

Posted: March 29, 2011 at 6:42 am

Even Fox News Mocks Montana Republican for Kooky Bill

Remember way back a long time ago earlier this session when the GOP tried to portray themselves as the party of the Constitution, even hosting a “seminar” about the Constitution from the conservative National Center for Constitutional Studies. Even now, you’ll still see one of these legislators occasionally whip one out, although it is usually only to try to brush some snack cake crumbs off of their other papers or to misapply it to justify their own kooky ideas.

No, the hypocrites in GOP can’t hide utter disdain for the actual document. Take Rep. Greg Hinkle (R-Spearhunter) who, when confronted in his anti-constitutional stance by Fox News of all things in a segment titled with the double entendre “Taking Liberties,” immediately dismisses the document.

Other GOP lawmakers have endorsed a seemingly endless list of proposals to rewrite the Constitution into something barely recognizable. These range from a bizarre proposal to create a new, incredibly cumbersome method to repeal federal laws, to more distressing proposals to strip people of their citizenship, enshrine discrimination into the Constitution, eliminate all federal education programs, and even repeal the right to privacy and the right to a clean and healthful environment.