Tagged: Ravalli County

Posted: April 5, 2013 at 7:33 am

Bitterrooter County Commissioner is Sick and Tired of Hearing from Constituents

Suzy Foss, from her website

by Cowgirl

Anti-choice Ravalli County Commissioner Suzy Foss (R) is tired of hearing from people who are concerned about her bad ideas.

Some time ago, the county commission tried to refuse family planning money from the state legislature. The money would have covered things like cervical cancer screening and support for unplanned pregnancy (though not abortions, which the Ravalli county health clinic does not provide). But cervical cancer screenings and the like are anathema to the pro-abstinence, anti-choice crowd. So angry Foss, representing the right wing of the Republican party of Ravalli, proudly advocated that the commission refuse the state funding for its county health center.

But as with most things right-wing Republicans do, it backfired. Local leaders were angry about the effort to reject the money, and so the commission was forced to capitulate. The county ended up taking the money.

Now when the legislature is over the funding will soon be up for renewal, and local right-wingers are again making noise about refusing it. Foss is thus dreading getting many letters and emails, and many concerned citizens who will show up to testify at hearings about the matter. Foss doesn’t like all this advocacy, and so she fired off a letter to the county health department, accusing county health officials of generating the emails and letters and of “bringing in out-of-county Pro Choice people to bombard our emails and to protest during our meetings.” She also made a thinly veiled threat, that she would vote against the money simply out of spite:

“While this gets lots of press it does not help your perceived agenda with us, at least not with me. It actually ticks me off and I have to fight my urge to say no on principle versus listen to a staff report.”

Politicians exist in their job for only a few purposes, one of which is to listen to constituents. Foss should keep this in mind.

Posted: July 13, 2012 at 12:02 pm

New GOP Commissioner Lied to Officials about involvement in Conspiracy Blog

The Ravalli County Republican Central Committee this week appointed a conspiracy theory blog administrator to replace a commissioner who resigned earlier this year, the Missoulian reports.

After posts were uncovered which appeared to call for armed resistance against law enforcement officials, and after the Sheriff’s department expressed concern about him, Republican Jeff Burrows was questioned about the blog by the other County Commissioners. Its content includes various ideas for surviving in doomsday scenarios–as well as the conspiracies afoot which could lead to the collapse of our safety and our nation.  According to the Missoulian, Burrows told officials that his involvement with the Bitterroot Survival Outfitting Systems Co-op Blog “is limited to technical work.”  He claimed he “hadn’t read the blog.”

However, a visit to the site shows that Burrows actually administers the blog as you can see from this screenshot:

Furthermore, a blog administrator has the ability to determine what gets posted and what doesn’t, including setting posting guides and usage regulations.   Burrows also authored twenty-seven posts himself.   The blog contains no one “blogger.” Rather, it is a series of diary style-posts by a number of different people.  A sampling of the conspiracy theories posted on the blog include:

Posted: May 18, 2012 at 7:31 am

Bitterrooter Says “Ecoterrorists” at Work in GOP Primary

A Darby Republican legislative candidate says he believes that a conspiracy is afoot to paint obscene drawings on some of his campaign yard signs. Someone also opened his gate to let his horses out, he alleges.

Naturally, while these scary things were going on, Republican Scott Boulanger did the only thing he could do: tell people he is the victim of “one of those ecoterrorist groups.”

Boulanger is one of six conservative candidates to file in House District 87, according to the Secretary of State website. He will be going up against fellow Republican and incumbent Rep. Pat Connell in the June 5 primary as well as another Republican challenger, Ron Burrows. Two Libertarians Dan Cox and Karen Fischer has also filed for the seat.

Who’s the Democratic candidate you ask? There is not one. TEA Partier Jan Wisniewski has filed as a fake Democrat for that seat. Wisneiwski is also one of seven TEA Party candidates that filed as fake Democrats to take over the Ravalli County Democratic Party board.

The evidence of terrorism, says Boulanger, is that nobody responded to his $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perps. Also, Boulanger says “If it was a local kid, someone would have been talking about it at a bar or school or somewhere.”

Boulanger doesn’t appear to consider the fact that all his opposition for the seat comes from the right, nor the fact that perhaps there is somebody out there who has nothing to do with politics who just doesn’t like him.

The irony of a Republican legislative candidate seeking to scare people with phrases like “ecoterrorist” as a way to denounce an agenda as radical is rich–especially given what happened last legislative session where Republicans sought to secede from the union, abandon U.S. currency, and other wackiness.

Posted: May 1, 2012 at 12:03 pm

Well Played, Ravalli Dems

Ravalli County Dems have exactly zero interest in letting cackling TEA Party simpletons succeed in their plot to take over the local Democratic organization.  This week, they are fighting back.

After seven teabaggers filed paperwork to run for Democratic precinct committee person, a party leadership position, the Missoulian is reporting that local Dems will have write-in candidates for every single precinct in Ravalli County.

Ravalli County Democratic Central Committee chair John Meakin and vice-chair Corrine Gantt expect to have 44 (a record number) official write-in affidavits for these party leadership positions.  The filings come after a nasty plot was discovered in Ravalli county, hatched by the local Tea Party.   Embarrassed at the fact that they have become a national joke, the Montana Tea Party resorted to an attempt to invade and infect the Democratic Party, Trojan Horse style, and take it over.

When you vote in a primary in Montana, there is a place on your ballot to vote for “precinct committee person.” This is an unusual item to be found on a ballot for a state election because a precinct captain is a Party post, not a government office. Yet Democratic and Republican ballots both provide this opportunity to vote for a candidate for this political position.

And what is a precinct committee person? There is one elected from each voting precinct in every county, and these people make up what is called the “central committee” for the county. A central committee is simply the governing board of the county party.

The fraudulent TEA Party candidates are: Lyle E. Goracke, Jan Wisniewski, Donna Gibney, Pamela Nearpass, Catherine Lieberth, Wayne K. Dunkin and David J. Erickson.

So far, the plot to prevent local Dems from turning out voters in support of Steve Bullock, Jon Tester, and others appears to have backfired.  Instead of being overrun by fraud-intent imbeciles, the local democrats are more organized than ever.

Posted: April 5, 2012 at 6:16 am

Explanation of Tea Party Plot in Ravalli County

As I recently mentioned, there is a nasty plot afoot in Ravalli county, hatched by the local Tea Party.  It’s dirty, below-the-belt, highly dishonest stuff.  Embarrassed at the fact that they have become a national joke, the Montana Tea Party has resorted to an attempt to invade and infect the Democratic Party, Trojan Horse style, and take it over.  Let’s take a closer look at exactly what’s happening.

When you vote in a primary in Montana, there is a place on your ballot to  vote for “precinct committee captain.” This is an unusual item to be found on a ballot for a state election because a precinct captain is a Party post, not a government office. Yet Democratic and Republican ballots both provide this opportunity to vote for a candidate for this political position.  Sometimes there will be a name, or several names, from which to choose.  Other years, the slot will be blank and the voter must either write in a name, or else not cast a vote.  It is often left blank, because most people don’t even know what the heck it is.

And what is a precinct committee captain? There is one elected (on primary day) from each voting precinct in every county, and these persons collectively form what is called the “central committee” for the county.  A central committee is simply the governing board of the county party.

But this year, a bunch of Tea Partiers (in several precincts in Ravalli county) filed paperwork to run for Democratic precinct Committeeperson.  And unless the Ravalli democrats undertake a campaign to inform voters not to vote for these candidates, these idiots will be elected to the county committee and will then exert control of the local Democratic party. The TEA Party candidates are:   Lyle E. Goracke, Jan Wisniewski, Donna Gibney, Pamela Nearpass, Catherine Lieberth, Wayne K. Dunkin and David J. Erickson.

Posted: February 22, 2012 at 10:26 pm

Ravalli County Republicans Confess Budget Incompetence

Ravalli County Commissioner Suzy Foss has written a tell-all opinion piece this week confessing the budget incompetence of the County Commission, all Republicans.

The Ravalli Republicans’ budget failures remind one of the fiasco created by GOP-ers in the Montana Legislature, who ginned up a fake budget crisis to undercut jobs and schools.  You’ll see what I mean when you read how Foss explains it.  She says the Ravalli Republicans:

“floundered our way through the budget process last year. With no guidelines other than “it has always been done this way,” we simply let our staff tell us when to be where and what to do next. Obviously there were big holes in that approach”

It seems the Commissioners were so uncertain about how to do their jobs that the GOP-ers thought it best to focusing on scrutinizing their own internal procedures.  Those of you who spent sleepless nights wondering what Ravalli County elected officials were up to can now rest assured. They were “creating documents” on such matters as taking minutes.  You’ll be pleased to learn that, in order to justify their paychecks, the Republican Commissioners plan to update these documents every year.

Posted: August 8, 2011 at 7:17 pm

Colbert Lampoons Anti Family Services Crowd

How awful is the rash of anti-woman fervour we’re seeing lately over our health care.

First there was the TEA Party Republican Legislature, who tried to eliminate all funding for breast and cervical cancer testing in the state.  Then there was the Ravalli County Commission, who tried to prevent women in Ravalli County from receiving the health care benefits.

Thankfully, after an outpouring of public support for women’s health care, the county commissioners voted 3-2 yesterday to accept the federal funding, the Missoulian reported, and to keep the clinic doors open for another year.

Now, the anti-medical science crowd is frothing about the new no-cost birth control policy recently rolled out by Kathleen Sebelius.

Fortunately, Dr. Stephen T. Colbert of The Colbert Report has the antidote to crazy. Here’s what Dr. Colbert has to say:

Posted: October 11, 2010 at 4:47 pm

It’s About Service

Terry MoranWhat better way to gage an individual’s commitment to public service than by looking to those who have given us their time away from their lives and families and honored our country through military service.   Here are two Democratic candidates for the state legislature who have proven their willingness to serve.

Terry Moran worked as a nurse in the U.S. military at the U.S. led multi-national clinic at the NATO headquarters in Belgium.  Her husband was a Major in the US Army Medical Corps.  He worked as a family doctor while she worked as a nurse at the U.S. led multi-national clinic at the NATO headquarters.  Terry is the Democratic candidate from Hamilton and is running for Ravalli County’s House District 88.  Her opponents are Republican Ron Ehli of Hamilton and Libertarian James Morris Pearson of Darby.  Currently, the citizens of Ravalli County have no women representing them in the Montana Legislature.

John FlemingJohn Fleming teaches middle school social studies and driver education. He is also a rancher and a Vietnam veteran of the U.S. Army. When asked by the Missoulian what the first piece of legislation he would seek to pass this session, Fleming demonstrated he understands the concerns of the people in the district:


From talking to my constituents, it is clear the greatest concern is jobs. It is my priority to support and pass legislation at every opportunity which will create good-paying jobs for Montanans. Let’s keep our kids here. Only then will Montana return to a stable economy.

His opponent said he “had no plans for specific bills” at the time of the survey.  Fleming is the Democratic candidate running for House District 12 in Lake County, the seat he currently holds.  His opponent is Republican Daniel Salomon of Ronan.

Take some time to say thank you by helping Terry Moran and John Fleming with a campaign donation today.