tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75928419814167283472024-03-13T11:25:02.882-06:00Montana HeadlinesCommentary on culture, politics, and beyond...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger746125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592841981416728347.post-59158564692100459532013-09-06T23:26:00.002-06:002013-09-06T23:26:50.624-06:00A nice link to my Hilton Kramer piece. <br><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kiiSHjKPwJVw4X9MMKFbqpNM4VGqSw3os5ch2iTpS8dNTybbkSRn7JmIaw5BGGfoc4rjVQNV_uMaE0FCWpc8N54aytWcV2kgbQt_WPomyiNDQ06OqyI428VLzmicHQBmX8NCwYf6M8A/s1600/links.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kiiSHjKPwJVw4X9MMKFbqpNM4VGqSw3os5ch2iTpS8dNTybbkSRn7JmIaw5BGGfoc4rjVQNV_uMaE0FCWpc8N54aytWcV2kgbQt_WPomyiNDQ06OqyI428VLzmicHQBmX8NCwYf6M8A/s320/links.jpg" /></a></div><p>I was happy to see <a href="http://pjmedia.com/eddriscoll/2013/09/05/pushing-back-against-the-age/">this link</a> from Ed Driscoll at PJ Media about my recent <i>Touchstone</i> <a href="http://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=26-04-034-f">article about Hilton Kramer</a>. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592841981416728347.post-4560695132610247812013-07-24T00:19:00.000-06:002013-07-24T00:20:15.503-06:00My piece in The American Spectator on the Montana Senate race<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LoEk-4ATtkEN6iOSUwls3qbwFSx3bpmZt2yPSKoIPMzPm96JwEw6eXdunschNR2TOxDk-5slO0Qn-ARdttFEzxgdXD_PSiE7UzJ6UDpJqfgKElkAt1d4DC3GXUMzYv6HgkKxyeX-CqQ/s1600/The+American+Spectator.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LoEk-4ATtkEN6iOSUwls3qbwFSx3bpmZt2yPSKoIPMzPm96JwEw6eXdunschNR2TOxDk-5slO0Qn-ARdttFEzxgdXD_PSiE7UzJ6UDpJqfgKElkAt1d4DC3GXUMzYv6HgkKxyeX-CqQ/s200/The+American+Spectator.png" width="200" /></a></div>
I was asked by my editor at TAS to share my thoughts on the Montana Senate race, especially in light of former Governor Brian Schweitzer's announcement not to run. <p>For those who have been following events in Montana closely, there won't be much "news" in my piece, but it does have what I like to think of as the "Montana Headlines" touch, when it comes to setting the race in historical context (both recent and more remote). <p>For those who don't have occasion to follow Montana politics, it is a good place to start when it comes to this race.<p>Here is the link: <a href="http://spectator.org/archives/2013/07/23/montana-piece"> Enjoy</a>!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592841981416728347.post-77484434008872850742013-07-18T22:56:00.000-06:002013-07-21T19:46:59.857-06:00My article on Hilton Kramer in Touchstone Magazine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/darius/images/issues/smallcover-26-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/darius/images/issues/smallcover-26-04.jpg" /></a></div>I haven't had time to blog here at <i>Montana Headlines</i> for a long time due to a sudden and dramatic increase in workload in my day job, but I haven't been completely idle on the writing front. <p>Last year, after his passing, I wrote a fair amount here on <i>MH</i> about Hilton Kramer and his legacy at <i>The New Criterion</i>. I distilled a summation of my thoughts into a major feature article that I wrote about Kramer for <i>Touchstone</i> magazine. It recently was published, and I was happy not only to see that the editors chose it as their front cover article, but also used it as their lead online article from the current print issue (they generally only provide electronic access to a couple of articles each time).<p><a href="http://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=26-04-034-f">Here is the link -- enjoy.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592841981416728347.post-10772700336514238622013-02-27T04:00:00.000-07:002013-02-27T04:00:06.270-07:00More in The American Spectator: this time my thoughts on an aspect of Obamacare<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LoEk-4ATtkEN6iOSUwls3qbwFSx3bpmZt2yPSKoIPMzPm96JwEw6eXdunschNR2TOxDk-5slO0Qn-ARdttFEzxgdXD_PSiE7UzJ6UDpJqfgKElkAt1d4DC3GXUMzYv6HgkKxyeX-CqQ/s1600/The+American+Spectator.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LoEk-4ATtkEN6iOSUwls3qbwFSx3bpmZt2yPSKoIPMzPm96JwEw6eXdunschNR2TOxDk-5slO0Qn-ARdttFEzxgdXD_PSiE7UzJ6UDpJqfgKElkAt1d4DC3GXUMzYv6HgkKxyeX-CqQ/s200/The+American+Spectator.png" width="200" /></a></div>This morning, <i>The American Spectator</i> is publishing my web article about the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). I specifically touch on that body's findings last year about prostate cancer screening. <p>As readers of this website know, I am a mild-mannered urologic surgeon by day and an occasional intrepid blogger and free-lance writer by night. Here in Montana, as is true in most parts of the country, we urologists are in short supply and have more work than we can handle, so I don't view the USPSTF's findings as an existential threat to my profession in the way that some of my more counterparts in saturated urban markets do. Any doctor who doesn't <i>want</i> to find that certain tests and treatments are unnecessary -- well, let's just say that is someone I wouldn't want to be <i>my</i> doctor. I disagree that prostate cancer screening is unnecessary, but I do believe that treatment should be done more selectively.<p>The larger point, and the reason I chose to write about it, is that this is an example of a government agency having some correct information but drawing the kind of wrong conclusion that only an impersonal committee can. Anyway, welcome to medical care dictated by impersonal committees. With Obamacare we will only get more of the same -- unless, of course, "we" are elites (like the President) who will be exempt from its strictures.<p><a href="http://spectator.org/archives/2013/02/27/scared-of-obamacares-ipab-meet">Here is the link</a> -- enjoy! Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592841981416728347.post-43384950484982517302013-02-22T06:00:00.000-07:002013-02-22T06:00:10.064-07:00My piece in The American Spectator about bison, national monuments, and Montana<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LoEk-4ATtkEN6iOSUwls3qbwFSx3bpmZt2yPSKoIPMzPm96JwEw6eXdunschNR2TOxDk-5slO0Qn-ARdttFEzxgdXD_PSiE7UzJ6UDpJqfgKElkAt1d4DC3GXUMzYv6HgkKxyeX-CqQ/s1600/The+American+Spectator.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LoEk-4ATtkEN6iOSUwls3qbwFSx3bpmZt2yPSKoIPMzPm96JwEw6eXdunschNR2TOxDk-5slO0Qn-ARdttFEzxgdXD_PSiE7UzJ6UDpJqfgKElkAt1d4DC3GXUMzYv6HgkKxyeX-CqQ/s200/The+American+Spectator.png" width="200" /></a></div>This morning, <i>The American Spectator</i> published a web article with my musings on last fall's sale of the Etchart Ranch to an environmentalist group, a subject I <a href="http://montanaheadlines.blogspot.com/2012/09/land-confiscation-by-feds-continues-in.html">wrote about</a> here at <i>Montana Headlines</i> at the time it first happened. <p>The good editors were interested in the subject matter, but we were in the middle of a heated election season at the time that was using up all available oxygen. <p>Now that the voting is over and President Obama is firmly entrenched for another 4 years, there is more room for other subjects. When asked recently about the piece, I offered my opinion that this particular topic is a timeless one, and the editors apparently agreed. My opinions are, as the piece makes clear, colored by my own experiences -- I don't pretend to be an unbiased observer by any means.<p>Anyway, the reader can be the judge -- <a href="http://spectator.org/archives/2013/02/22/land-grabs-and-buffalo-visions">here's the link</a>. Enjoy! Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592841981416728347.post-71679953466249408832013-02-08T22:04:00.003-07:002013-02-12T23:32:04.534-07:00About the state: Big Sky Big Grass Festival<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0PzOOeHba33JKBY7VKNYAjUGPiw3Z4lcuB7jvIIUbXiyDrYRdsJ5zGkiys9Bgo8El-tBAzdKWic-Dd6OdK9HOu-Ds7EbSr82s6TWKANwXQ7elN_yLzG5VgjBkIdxDv28Qu_le86IQ1eY/s1600/Big+Sky+Big+Grass" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0PzOOeHba33JKBY7VKNYAjUGPiw3Z4lcuB7jvIIUbXiyDrYRdsJ5zGkiys9Bgo8El-tBAzdKWic-Dd6OdK9HOu-Ds7EbSr82s6TWKANwXQ7elN_yLzG5VgjBkIdxDv28Qu_le86IQ1eY/s320/Big+Sky+Big+Grass" /></a></div>Sunday update:<p>I was up too late Sunday night to post and too busy until now, so I'll hit the highlights. <p>My suspicions about the acoustic/sound problems in the ballroom on Saturday night were confirmed when I went to see the Traveling McCourys early Sunday evening in the same small venue that Special Consensus played. The Traveling McCourys are Del McCoury's band, only without Del McCoury and with a guest guitarist and/or assorted other guests. This evening, the guest guitarist was Bill Nershi of the Emmitt-Nershi Band. I didn't get to hear that band perform due to conflicts in my activity schedule, but Nershi was a fine addition to the McCoury band, led by Del's oldest son Ronnie on the mandolin and with all the band members other than banjo playing Robbie McCoury taking turns on lead vocals. They used the same old school double condenser mike setup to handle the core of their needs, and in the more intimate setting the sound was superb. I felt a little bad about leaving early, but the beloved was holding down seats at the ballroom and I wanted to join her there. <p>I was glad to have done so, since opening for Sam Bush was the (apparently) world-famous auto-harp player <a href="http://www.bryanbowers.com/">Bryan Bowers</a>. Anyone (i.e., me) who thinks that the autoharp is little more than a guitar for dummies will get a rude awakening by hearing Bowers perform. There were moments when his playing was stunning, and others when it was merely transcendent, as in a slowed down, wistful performance of Ola Belle Reed's "High on a Mountain," backed by John Lowell on guitar and Tom Murphy on mandolin (of Bozeman-based Two Bit Franks). Del McCoury, who has probably done the most to make that song well-known to modern bluegrass audiences, had performed it the night before, but due to the afore-mentioned acoustic issues, its beauty wasn't really conveyed very well, so I was glad to hear it again. Bowers was at times a bit crude for my taste, but the old man has paid his dues with a lifetime of playing on street corners and smoky barrooms and has earned the right to be who he wants to be. Part of his point was that a lot of traditional and folk music has been sanitized over the years for more polite consumption, and he's certainly right about that. <p>There were parts that I liked better than others about his show, but I went from the starting point of "who is this old guy who's opening for Sam Bush?" to "I'm glad I got to hear this guy once while he's still alive."<p>The ubiquitous Sam Bush and his guitarist came out and played and sang on the last couple of songs in Bowers's set, and then was back not long later with his band with what ended up, with encores, being nearly a 3 1/2 hour set. Those who are familiar with Bush know that he is a rock star trapped in a bluegrass mandolin player's body. Well, that's really not true -- "trapped" would be one of the last words one could possibly use to describe Bush. He is his own man with his own style, fusing bluegrass, old-fashioned rock-and-roll, free-form jazz, folk, you name it... If you ever want to try to wrap your head around the idea of a rock band with screaming mandolins and banjos, go experience Sam Bush.<p>Bush is best known as one of the world's top mandolin players, but he made his name as a young man by playing the fiddle, and we were treated to him playing fiddle for perhaps the last quarter of his show, ranging from straight-ahead bluegrass to psychedelic jazz/folk fusion (really can't think of a better way to describe it). <p>For an encore, Bush started by coming out to sing a couple of his old crowd-pleasers: Van Morrison's "Hungry for your Love," and Bob Dylan's "Girl from the North Country," accompanying himself solo on the mandolin while his stage man set up for the finale. That finale was a "Sam Bush and friends" moment, with a stage full of performers from the week's leading bands (minus Special Consensus, of course, who were flying back from the Grammy Awards, where they lost to Steve Martin's Steep Canyon Rangers). <p>In typical Sam Bush fashion, the finale started with that old bluegrass standard -- Bob Marley's "One Love," and ended with a tribute to the recently departed Levon Helm: The Band's "Up on Cripple Creek." Everyone on stage and in the audience seemed to enjoy it as much as Bush, with Ronnie McCoury joining Sam Bush at the center microphone to do his best Robbie Robertson imitation. And needless to say, a good jam was had by all. This being a bluegrass festival, Bush knew how to end it, morphing "Up on Cripple Creek" into the bluegrass fiddle tune "Cripple Creek," accelerating until everyone's strings were ready to melt by the end.<p>Could my nearly 50 year old body and psyche handle the energy of another Sam Bush concert? Not sure, but I'm pretty that by the next time Bush arrives in Montana again, I'll be ready to give it a try.<p>Kudos to Steve Merlino for organizing a great festival.<p>* * * * * <p> Saturday update:<p><a href="http://www.specialc.com/">Special Consensus</a> played a great show early in the evening at a smaller, more intimate venue than had originally been planned for them. Plan A was for them to open for Sam Bush on Sunday night in the main ballroom, but then their latest album "Scratch Gravel Road" was nominated for a Grammy, which meant that they needed to fly out for the Grammy Awards just in case (they have stiff competition from Dailey and Vincent and the Grascals, among others), and then they are flying back to Big Sky to appear at a couple more events on Monday, including a benefit for the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center. <p>I had a chance to meet band leader and banjo player Greg Cahill before the show -- very unassuming both in person and on stage, and quite a performer. The rest of the band, as is so often the case in bluegrass music, were veritable kids by comparison -- and as is also so often the case, they all were incredible musicians. I've always enjoyed listening to Special Consensus on bluegrass radio, and wish them well at the Grammy Awards.<p>I originally felt bad for them, since their crowd was much smaller than it would have been (there were maybe 25 of us at the start of the show, but it had probably tripled by the end -- and it was an enthusiastic bunch). But by the end of the evening, I think that they perhaps got the better end of things in some ways, as will become clear.<p>The night's headline act was back over at the main ballroom, which is, to put it nicely, an acoustically challenged venue. It was great to see and hear a legend like Del McCoury in person, but it would have been nice to have been able to hear the music better. It was difficult to make out any of what was said between the songs, and not easy to hear the vocals. Granted, not all of this was the venue -- part was also the crowd. The main ballroom was packed and the same young and rowdy crowd that was so invigorating the evening before just didn't seem to be inclined to quiet down enough to let people hear. Still, you gotta love it when the vast majority of those turning out in force to see an old man with silver hair playing traditional bluegrass music are young enough to be his grandkids. I was particularly warmed to have a college-aged kid walk by during his performance of "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW-w0KgE-8s">Vincent Black Lightning</a>" who knew the words well enough to be singing along. <p>McCoury is old school -- he and his band (which includes two of his sons) perform in dark suits and ties in the best bluegrass tradition. More to the point, he and his band perform with an old-school setup: a couple of multi-directional condenser microphones do most of the heavy lifting. This may have been part of the problem, since the opening act used a more modern setup, with miked instruments and individual vocal microphones -- and their sound projected much better. Sam Bush also uses a more modern mike setup, so I suspect he will sound better in this venue tomorrow night. We shall see...<p>Speaking of Sam Bush, he made a surprise appearance on stage to close out the set and play the encore ("White House Blues" -- an old 1920's tune that Bill Monroe turned into a bluegrass classic) with Del McCoury and the band. He and McCoury have been touring together as a duo, so they had plenty of material to choose from for this part of the show. <p>Bush said it best tonight: if there is a king of bluegrass today, his name would be Del McCoury. In spite of the sound problems (oh, and a temporary failure of sound and light systems worthy of this year's Superbowl), he held the young audience's attention just as well as Mumford and Sons could have. Another youngster (if they're young enough to be my kids they are youngsters) standing near me yelled into his friend's ear: "that's bluegrass royalty we're looking at up there on stage." Indeed.<p>* * * * * * * <p>Friday: Well, posting has been sporadic, and I imagine that will be the case for some time to come. We are going to be a bit shorthanded at work for the foreseeable future, which has cut into my spare time a great deal. In addition, I've become addicted to my new mandolin, and when faced with the choice between learning to play a new fiddle tune and writing about current events... well, there really isn't much competition, to tell the truth. While I've certainly not shirked on being able to read music, this was one instrument where I decided that I was going to follow the advice that so many traditional musicians give: learn everything by ear. And I pretty much have, amazing myself with the fact that one can learn relatively complex tunes listening to them at regular tempo. Funny how those old-timers sometimes actually know what they are talking about.<p>And <a href="http://www.bigskybiggrass.com/">as the title indicates</a>, I've taken a break from the rat race to come up to Big Sky to ski by day and listen to bluegrass by night. Tonight's opening evening was a showcase of bands from Montana -- a bit of a mixed bag as one would suspect, but a lot of fun. And <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Belgium_Brewing_Company">New Belgium</a> was on hand to showcase some of their specialty offerings -- with your entrance to the show, you also got a commemorative sampler glass and tickets for 10 fills. <p>As I had expected, it was a young and relatively rowdy crowd -- nice to be one of the oldest people at something rather than one of the youngest for a change. The beer was high-octane and so was the music. Think "Infamous Stringdusters" rather than "Blue Highway," if you know what I mean. Lots of dreads, a fair smattering of crazy ski-slope hats, and late into the evening I saw smoke rising from near the stage and knew it wasn't tobacco -- and indeed when it wafted back, it bore the unmistakeable scent of something Cab Calloway might <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D44pyeEvhcQ">write a song about</a>. Probably one of the thousands of 20-somethings here in Montana that are <a href="http://legalmarijuanadispensary.com/dispensaries/montana/montana">dying from cancer</a>, I suppose. <p>While there was another excellent band -- somebody and the Rusty Dusty Nails -- my favorite band of the evening was the <a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/thelilsmokies">Lil' Smokies</a> -- apparently a Missoula-based band with what were easily the best mandolin and banjo players of the night and a dobro player laying down some very respectable rolls and fills. Their mandolin player was channeling <a href="http://www.sambush.com/">Sam Bush</a>, especially from a rhythmic standpoint.<p>[Thanks to Ed Kemmick, who point out that the name of my other favorite band of the evening was Billings-based Ted Ness and the Rusty Nails.]Speaking of Sam Bush, he plays here on Sunday night -- the keynote address of the conference, so to speak, and one of the big reasons I didn't want to miss this. He's on my bluegrass bucket list and all that. Anyway, I left a little early this evening to go pick up our tickets and was waiting on the beloved to come join me before I had my first sampling of what New Belgium had to offer. Turns out she had forgotten to ask me where the party was happening. Just as she was deciding which way to go, along comes Sam Bush, whom she decides to follow at a discreet distance, figuring he would know which way to go. Alas, she quickly figured out he was headed elsewhere and not planning to drop in on the evening's activities, so she did what everyone does these days when in doubt -- she shot me a text message asking where to go.<p>I was carrying my little book where I jot down the lyrics of songs I'm learning and where I keep a list of fiddle tunes I've learned so I can run through them. Armed with it and my trusty pen, I was ready to ask for an autograph in the very unlikely event that I ran into Sam or <a href="http://www.delmccouryband.com/">Del McCoury</a> (the other big name here this weekend) -- so <i>of course</i> it would be the beloved who runs into him in the lobby on the first evening...<p>I'll update this as the weekend progresses.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592841981416728347.post-78855639475919814012013-02-01T02:00:00.000-07:002013-07-24T00:20:52.006-06:00My review of Peace, They Say in Touchstone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpv_yv_yQ4un-cz6BnlAhu_WrB8vYgKpN9V2TuvOxlOX4J2jWF7T0r_VRC_ANLV3GmmCvpn4QINmZ5NwQZSsayZ7wFj7ZYJ7f_qUFOkst97Ux5IuIfal0sh5N47zmBmYeb4Ka6yC5vTVI/s1600/Touchstone" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpv_yv_yQ4un-cz6BnlAhu_WrB8vYgKpN9V2TuvOxlOX4J2jWF7T0r_VRC_ANLV3GmmCvpn4QINmZ5NwQZSsayZ7wFj7ZYJ7f_qUFOkst97Ux5IuIfal0sh5N47zmBmYeb4Ka6yC5vTVI/s320/Touchstone" /></a></div>As I mentioned when I reviewed Jay Nordlinger's fine book <i>Peace, They Say</i> <a href="http://montanaheadlines.blogspot.com/2012/08/from-bookshelf-peace-they-say-by-jay.html">here on <i>Montana Headlines</i></a>, that review was essentially half of the original draft of my review. I pared that draft down for submission to <i>Touchstone</i> magazine, and used the cuttings in the above-mentioned <i>Montana Headlines</i> review.<p>I have written a number of times over the years for <i>Touchstone</i>, a fine serious magazine that deals with the nexus between Christianity and culture from a traditional perspective. It includes a balance of Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant writers and editors, and for those who are interested in both Christianity and modern culture, its pages contain some thoughtful gems. <p>As a side-note, it is a little scary to realize that it has now been more than 20 years since my first piece appeared in its pages.<p>Anyway, my review was just published, and <a href="http://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=26-01-051-b">here is the link</a> -- enjoy!
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592841981416728347.post-6541796574264376932013-01-25T00:30:00.000-07:002013-07-24T00:21:16.389-06:00My recent piece in The American Conservative<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUEdUnTdsRr9oqj-D7_3r-7PtEN04BpfNgZx7Avlt2uhicN4a_feRL2yOuVzaxN_DHAt_tGDUghXY3c7HjaetYDv4KhvWOJ7nkLN6goL2BF00QRFLo7jDf42PNz14JU4LJbpbLvf_BM3g/s1600/The+American+Conservative" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="326" width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUEdUnTdsRr9oqj-D7_3r-7PtEN04BpfNgZx7Avlt2uhicN4a_feRL2yOuVzaxN_DHAt_tGDUghXY3c7HjaetYDv4KhvWOJ7nkLN6goL2BF00QRFLo7jDf42PNz14JU4LJbpbLvf_BM3g/s400/The+American+Conservative" /></a></div>I have mentioned before that <i>The American Conservative</i> is worth reading because it contains elements of an old-fashioned conservatism that one doesn't find anymore in the "mainstream" conservative media outlets. Love it or hate it, it can never be accused of taking any kind of a party line.<p>I hadn't been on its website for awhile over the holidays, and I had lost track of a review that I had submitted to that magazine last fall. It was only when the check arrived in the mail from <i>The American Conservative</i> that I realized it had been published. <p>It is a review of Roger Scruton's latest book, <i>How to Think Seriously About the Planet</i>. <p><a href="http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/green-conservatism/">Here's the link</a> -- enjoy.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592841981416728347.post-15320875633422916512013-01-16T02:00:00.000-07:002013-01-16T02:00:00.472-07:00Back in the saddle for now -- and agreeing with Sen Tester?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWm8-tz-pB8hKesGooPNIGRJOsF4_xvYvidIWCNLTIdhkOR9exEc7_aPLTvhQjleHB89mqOUoopb4yThtWqGF4_rZLXNRZoW7IqmqahzZipbCFi8XgEsC1o074l35qIE3GrFM0vPyxUE/s1600/tester_scowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="390" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWm8-tz-pB8hKesGooPNIGRJOsF4_xvYvidIWCNLTIdhkOR9exEc7_aPLTvhQjleHB89mqOUoopb4yThtWqGF4_rZLXNRZoW7IqmqahzZipbCFi8XgEsC1o074l35qIE3GrFM0vPyxUE/s400/tester_scowl.jpg" /></a></div>
Well, it has been a bit since I've posted. Funny how easily one can get used to not writing something three times a week. It was a full Christmas season, jam-packed with family, church, music, and life. Depression over the state of the nation has faded into irrelevance, and we didn't go over the taxation "fiscal cliff" as I had expected. One takes one's comforts where one can find them. <p>I really haven't been following much regarding the legislature, but I noted that I was somewhat in agreement with Sen. Jon Tester in his <a href="http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/tester-at-legislature-urges-bipartisanship/article_3f0a9b99-dcd1-57c7-b4ab-4c2cadc9b3a0.html">remarks</a> to the Montana legislature. Not about all of that bipartisan stuff -- when Democrats say "bipartisan" they usually mean "go along with what we think." And not about his grandstanding on "Citizen's United" and all that. But this line:<p><i>Don’t focus on division and distraction. </i><p>We have already seen some goofy stuff -- the ever-reliable Jerry O'Neil wanting to be <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/83767.html">paid in gold</a>, for instance. Or how about Sen. Jason Priest's <a href="http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/panel-tables-bills-to-reduce-size-of-legislature/article_3e6eeaa5-bb04-58e9-88b1-1a043ff27141.html">suggestion</a> to shrink the size of the Montana legislature? Neither thing is particularly harmful. It is just the kind of silly stuff that the Montana press loves to write about -- and why not? It makes for great theater.<p>Just once I'd love to see a hard-nosed Republican majority go to work on an exclusively economic, legal, and regulatory agenda made up of common-sense stuff that would be difficult to assail from the left. <p>We have a Democratic U.S. Senator addressing the Montana legislature saying that at the federal level, every spending program needs to be on the table -- i.e. the chopping block. Let's have a Republican legislature put that into play. Put every department and every expensive program on the table here in our state. Do some significant (but not over-the-top) trimming, and quote Sen. Tester at every turn about how everything needs to be "on the table." Let the opposition howl and be the ones to be unreasonable for a change.<p>Leave the controversial and divisive social issues alone for a term. Leave at home, for once, those items that amount to nothing more than picking fights or picking nits regarding battles lost long, long ago. (Yes, I'm talking about you, Rep. O'Neil.) <p>The truth of the matter is that if Republicans take Sen. Tester's admonition to heart and "don't focus on division and distraction," the big winner would be the Montana Republican Party. Surely Sen. Tester knows this -- which means that he is serenely confident that a sizable number of Montana GOP legislators will ignore his advice and proceed to shoot themselves and their party in the foot. I wish I didn't share his confidence... Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592841981416728347.post-91767083023904798852012-12-21T02:00:00.000-07:002012-12-21T02:00:05.618-07:00Blog review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXTtHPQp_oXTgWMU4Dr08BZGjnlKz7PAXpzkJci5Idk-HmaHlxoS641nNW-oRe738SH2pGZNsMHGavJWVTtwDf7252TBruUey0Y5E50hU4KSUXMB_WTrCvQI9VzfhPak4w5ABk8B3fUws/s1600/Blogs" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="189" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXTtHPQp_oXTgWMU4Dr08BZGjnlKz7PAXpzkJci5Idk-HmaHlxoS641nNW-oRe738SH2pGZNsMHGavJWVTtwDf7252TBruUey0Y5E50hU4KSUXMB_WTrCvQI9VzfhPak4w5ABk8B3fUws/s400/Blogs" /></a></div>Back in the early days of <i>Montana Headlines</i>, I posted nearly every day -- sometimes more than once a day. In that atmosphere, I found myself frequently commenting on content found in other blogs -- both lefty and righty. Now that I have been sticking to a regular thrice-weekly posting schedule and maintaining topical consistency for the publication schedule, I rarely have space or opportunity to comment on the interesting blogs that I read.<p>The Montana blog that I visit the most often, hands-down, is <i><a href="http://electriccityweblog.com/">Electric City Weblog</a></i>, and for good reason. The triumvirate of writers -- Gregg Smith, Dave Budge, and Rob Natelson are as good as any around. Each has his area of interest and expertise, making for regular doses of something for everyone. In addition, their blog has made room for guest posters. Most recently, <i>Electric City</i> has given space to the woes of Benefis Hospital in Great Falls. While I haven't read all of those posts, as a health professional, I can guarantee that the public has been treated to inside views of the Great Falls health care scene that it would never get from the official media -- in no small part because of the economic power that large local hospitals have in Montana cities (i.e. they buy lots of advertising).<p>Astute readers will also have noted that <a href="http://www.edkemmick.com/">Ed Kemmick's blog</a> was recently added to the sidebar at the right. Longtime readers will recall that Kemmick's <i>City Lights</i> blog at the <i>Billings Gazette</i> was the key Montana blog as far as <i>Montana Headlines</i> was concerned. In addition, just as <i>Montana Headlines</i> has been a faithful critic of his employer, the <i>Billings Gazette</i>, Kemmick has been a faithful critic of <i>Montana Headlines</i> when I have deserved it (and even occasionally when I haven't.) Kemmick was never an enthusiastic commenter on things like politics in his blogposts and comments, but he did a most credible job of it in spite of such scruples. The advent of his current blog coincided with the appearance of his recent book (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Big-Sky-By/dp/0982782233/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355975503&sr=8-1&keywords=ed+kemmick">just buy it</a> -- you won't be sorry) and has taken an interesting literary bent, with musings on books and literature taking the fore.<p>One blog I have mentioned a few times has been <i><a href="http://www.milliondollarwayblog.com/">Million Dollar Way</a></i>, the mother of all Bakken blogs. It is like drinking from a fire hydrant -- one is in awe at the output, which is so voluminous that one has to spend a fair amount of time just making sure that one has glanced over all of the posts since one last visited.<p>A new rightward Montana blog is <i><a href="http://rockinrightside.com/">Rockin' On the Right Side</a></i>, with an interesting mixture of politics, pop culture, and music videos. A recent sampling includes a recent lineup of Chicago performing "Questions 67 and 68," Peter Gabriel doing "Big Time," BTO with "Takin Care of Business," and one of my favorites -- Huey Lewis. It's worth visiting just to see what classic rock videos are going to be posted.<p>What about the leftie blogs? Have to confess that I rarely look at them the way I used to, and thus have little worth saying about them. <p>There doesn't seem to be the kind of heated interplay between the leftward and rightward blogosphere in Montana -- and indeed, there aren't as many political blogs in Montana -- compared to my most active years of political blogging. Perhaps the world has moved on to other forms of communication, leaving blogs in the dust. Maybe we just aren't bothering to communicate at all. Maybe we're all too busy doing more important things. My vote -- or rather my hopes -- are with the latter.<p>I have the entire family home for the holidays, so my own blogging will be sparse until January.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592841981416728347.post-30053379271599354612012-12-19T20:29:00.000-07:002012-12-19T20:29:41.631-07:00Senator Tester wrong on filibuster rules -- Senator Baucus looks out for rural states?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Kf_xZuaOWgSzmUB_gwnwUZXREroMPM3liQ35rGxEokQRNhcEDvzkMimYveM5gVWX2Z-8qECQuDfws0W_dUKRErll0ReED2V9Y7uMusVUiwrDJaATH6X0l_BmpEJPP4chABgdC6Cx6B8/s1600/baucus+and+tester" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="243" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Kf_xZuaOWgSzmUB_gwnwUZXREroMPM3liQ35rGxEokQRNhcEDvzkMimYveM5gVWX2Z-8qECQuDfws0W_dUKRErll0ReED2V9Y7uMusVUiwrDJaATH6X0l_BmpEJPP4chABgdC6Cx6B8/s400/baucus+and+tester" /></a></div>It is no great secret that our Democratic Senator Max Baucus, for all of his other shortcomings, has a great sensitivity to rural state interests, whereas his junior counterpart, Senator Tester, has a bit of a tin ear in that regard. <p>Senator Tester is wanting to <a href="http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/tester-backing-serious-filibuster-reform-in-u-s-senate-baucus/article_1f70b120-67ee-51e1-ac62-e50831b7e9ab.html">"reform" filibuster rules in the U.S. Senate</a>, but Senator Baucus is dragging his feet, saying that he wants to see how such changes would affect rural states. Sen. Baucus is, of course, being evasive and coy and keeping his options open. After all, he already knows the answer to his question -- weakening the filibuster will weaken the influence of rural state senators.<p>When I was a wee lad, learning about politics from my rancher father -- a Republican, but hardly a fire-breathing conservative, much to my occasional dismay -- I learned that the one thing that gave agricultural interests a fighting chance in the national debate was the U.S. Senate, where states like Montana and South Dakota had exactly the same number of votes as New York and California. As the years went by, I learned that the rules of the Senate only magnified the power of rural state U.S. Senators. Things like "holds," "filibusters," and various and sundry procedural arcana give individual Senators incredible powers to look out for the interests of their states -- and of the nation, for those Senators who are inclined to think about their country.<p>Granted, those powers are negative powers, but that is exactly what the U.S. Senate was designed to be -- a forum for protecting minorities against the majority, a sort of legislative "veto" analogous to the veto power that the President wields with relation to Congress. <p>Senator Tester is undoubtedly bowing to his masters in championing these "reforms." He knows who paid the bills for his last election, and it wasn't Montanans or anyone particularly concerned about Montana. <p>It is useful to recall that when Republicans had comfortable control of the U.S. Senate during Presidency of Bush the younger -- with dreams of a permanent majority similar to the current dreams of Democrats -- there were Republicans who were making noises about doing away with the filibuster rules. Sanity prevailed and Republicans wisely stepped back from that particular abyss. <p>One can only hope that Democrats will remember how fleeting Senate majorities can be and will likewise step back from the abyss that is an unrestrained rule of a simple majority. It is unfortunate that Senator Tester, supposedly the "only farmer in the U.S. Senate," doesn't understand what side he is supposedly on -- the side of Montana. One hopes that Senator Baucus will follow what have to be instincts honed by many terms as a small rural state Senator, holding the line against Senator Tester's folly.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592841981416728347.post-85143860497977878742012-12-17T23:45:00.001-07:002012-12-17T23:46:17.562-07:00Shortages of steel-toed boots in Helena? Yes, it's the Bakken, yet again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXjzyCqgMtapYcs_2or2p05AT31zXAGAhjN-1RACz9r-xGXRdruDt5RXmb8GDCRDP1ojgVxTEGrGdAPsorAENcg0fDVwyOK0dQWnEyTnrrqfT8PBE_4IODRUCXepKKmPzt5aVjWnlJ1RE/s1600/oil+well" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="267" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXjzyCqgMtapYcs_2or2p05AT31zXAGAhjN-1RACz9r-xGXRdruDt5RXmb8GDCRDP1ojgVxTEGrGdAPsorAENcg0fDVwyOK0dQWnEyTnrrqfT8PBE_4IODRUCXepKKmPzt5aVjWnlJ1RE/s400/oil+well" /></a></div>The article is too long and too jam-packed with information to summarize, so just go read <a href="http://missoulian.com/special-section/montana-economy/booming-bakken-oil-flurry-spreads-across-eastern-montana/article_cc2be17a-bba4-53b9-addc-9db8f300d708.html">Jan Falstad's article</a> for Lee Newspapers entitled "Booming Bakken: Oil flurry spreads across Eastern Montana" <p>The usual information about housing shortages spreading ever westward in Montana is of course present, and there is this about traffic on I-94:<p><i>Like wagon trains of yesteryear, the traffic tells the tale of the Bakken oil boom.<p>
Semitrailers haul sand, liquid nitrogen, pipe, tanks and modular homes across Montana to the oil fields and change the prairie night sky.<p>
“When you drive down the interstate from Billings to Miles City or Glendive, all you see is traffic at night. It’s almost like the outskirts of Minneapolis,” said Mike Coryell, head of Miles City Economic Development Council.<p></i>Sigh. Yes, this is all too true. I log about 1000 miles a month pounding across eastern Montana highways, and I can attest that the days when one could put the cruise control on 82, put on some music, go to sleep, and wake up when you arrived at your destination are sadly gone. (Note to the beloved: I'm joking!)<p>On a more serious note, Falstad writes that the legislature has some serious work to do in sharing the wealth with the communities that created it. It's funny how Helena is full of politicians and bureaucrats who probably largely agree with President Obama's philosophy about "spreading the wealth around," particularly when the wealth flows from east to west in our fair state. That needs to change. <p><i>Under current law, the state keeps 50 percent of mineral tax revenues, schools get 20 percent, counties 19 percent and cities and towns, which shoulder most of the impacts, receive one-tenth of 1 percent.</i><p>She also notes that the real impact on Miles City may come if the Otter Creek coal fields start getting developed. I won't hold my breath.<p>But the most enjoyable part of the article was this:<p><i>One Helena mom couldn’t find steel-toed work boots for her son last summer because Bakken workers living in Montana’s capital and commuting to work had bought them all.</i><p>What will be next? Missoula becoming a bedroom community for the Bakken? That could prove interesting...
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592841981416728347.post-20287073207449960682012-12-14T02:00:00.000-07:002012-12-14T02:00:14.353-07:00A conservative case for unions (private sector, that is)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzGxMTxHyoV1aSy4wGHtlg9hscFD18FK9UZoOb59eze79Gi-dsI1jYDSWpe8cpM5bL84Epg_C4pKhjlF0g8dZ1GOS01_LCZcWzH-qIrdivMwf98ZXjnaRauADHGTAhXcsP6FvtPVnWaQ/s1600/labor+unions" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="258" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzGxMTxHyoV1aSy4wGHtlg9hscFD18FK9UZoOb59eze79Gi-dsI1jYDSWpe8cpM5bL84Epg_C4pKhjlF0g8dZ1GOS01_LCZcWzH-qIrdivMwf98ZXjnaRauADHGTAhXcsP6FvtPVnWaQ/s400/labor+unions" /></a></div>Way back when, I expressed an opinion at odds with much of modern Republicanism, <a href="http://montanaheadlines.blogspot.com/2008/06/right-to-work-nonsense-in-gop-platform.html">opposing</a> the Montana GOP's stance in favor of "right to work" laws. The argument isn't a new one, and is based on the idea that if a private company chooses to negotiate a "closed shop" with a union, it should be allowed to do so. <p>It is a private contract between two private entities, and as long as the government is not forcing companies to make such agreements, it is nobody else's business what the two parties agree upon. If a company finds that it is in a relationship that is disadvantageous, then it can choose not to renew the agreement, close up shop and move, or whatever...<p>In a recent <i>Reason</i> article, J.D. Tuccille <a href="http://reason.com/blog/2012/12/12/when-right-to-work-is-wrong-and-un-liber">makes a similar argument</a>, discussing it in the context of recent legislation passed by the Michigan legislature. Granted, given the <a href="http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/121212-636872-steven-crowder-punched-in-violent-union-protest.htm">thuggish behavior</a> of Michigan union bosses during the past week, it is hard to find them to be particularly sympathetic figures. This is especially true given than these same union organizers would, in a heartbeat, doubtless use the same power of the state government to mandate closed union shops that was used to ban them. One wishes that the argument could be on a more elevated level, but there you have it.<p>And of course, public sector unions need not apply for sympathy here at <i>Montana Headlines</i>, since there are a number of missing factors: public entities such as cities and states can't close up shop, move to a more friendly location, declare bankruptcy and dissolve a corporation, or anything similar. Most perniciously, since public sector unions pour large amounts of money into elections for everything from the local school board to the Presidency, there is all too often the unedifying spectacle of having "negotiations" consist of folks on both "sides" of the table be actually the same side. <p>Those paying the bills -- namely, taxpayers -- are thus left without any representation in the negotiations and are regularly fleeced in the course of such "negotiations." Imagine a situation where in every private business or company, the employees got to choose the board of directors and the CEO, and you'd be seeing a private sector version of what we currently have in the public sector. Businesses would be run into the ground right and left, since management wouldn't be accountable to those who owned the company, but rather to the employees. And indeed, cities and states are being run into the ground financially across the country in precisely that manner.<p>Ironically, by passing right to work laws, the very unions that have every moral justification to exist (and which are, at least in theory, motivated not to put employers out of business and thus their members out of jobs) are hamstrung, while in those same states, public sector unions simply gain even more power, since they are the only union game in town to bankroll Democratic candidates.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592841981416728347.post-1007121960247679372012-12-12T02:00:00.000-07:002012-12-12T02:00:10.989-07:00Redistricting the Montana legislature -- surprise... Democrats get much of what they want<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEexVY9MIQojRo8rju1-H-kforze1W_RYF9jLjf4-Kda-ANuo3lKCEZ1-GQ6N_-cTVmm2t7GdFiCar8NeMSf6q-g7l3HntndX0aiXxgGtxF2G1g-ZPI3WicWt83wilLQZDUL-BHR7CJG8/s1600/gerrymander" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="209" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEexVY9MIQojRo8rju1-H-kforze1W_RYF9jLjf4-Kda-ANuo3lKCEZ1-GQ6N_-cTVmm2t7GdFiCar8NeMSf6q-g7l3HntndX0aiXxgGtxF2G1g-ZPI3WicWt83wilLQZDUL-BHR7CJG8/s400/gerrymander" /></a></div>
There are some mixed messages in Mike Dennison's <a href="http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/who-benefits-from-new-legislative-districts-gop-still-looking-tough/article_764bff25-9d9e-558e-8631-479de59c1de8.html">recent article</a> on legislative redistricting. The headline reads that the GOP is "looking hard to beat." Yet that hardly describes the reality as outlined in the article itself. <p>It seems that what happened in the redistricting process is that the rural-urban divide favored by Republicans (and common sense) prevailed, so rural districts will not be diluted by urban precincts that tend to be more Democratic. On the other hand, it appears that districts within the cities themselves were drawn according to the principles of Democratic gerrymandering expert Joe Lamson. Lamson believes that districts should be drawn in such a way that give Democrats the best chance of winning control of the state legislature. At least he's honest about it.<p>What this means is that in a city like Billings, Democratic leaning precincts will be mixed in with Republican leaning precincts to create districts in such a way as to give Democrats the most winnable districts. Whether a legislator (of either party) who narrowly wins such districts can do a good job of representing all of his constituents is quite another question. <p>The Democrats also appeared to have won significant victories in the creation of Senate districts, since Dennison says that Republicans will have "42-47 relatively safe seats in the House, and another six or seven that clearly lean Republican... (while) Democrats can probably count on 32-39 House seats as safe, and another seven that lean Democratic." In the Senate, however, Republicans will have 21 safe seats, while Democrats have 19 or 20 safe seats. Translation: Senate districts have been created by often pairing Democratic House districts with Republican house districts in a way that gives Democrats an edge.<p>Republican member of the redistricting commission Jon Bennion has this to say:<p>
“As the plan stands now, Republicans would certainly lose seats in the House, not because of their ideas or their candidates, but simply because of lines that were drawn based on political data and election results..."<p>While the gerrymandering was not as bold and in-your-face as it was 10 years ago, it appears that Democrats have again made significant gains with the help of the redistricting commission. The losers will again be those Montanans who find themselves thrown into districts where the lines were drawn to give Democrats a shot at winning, rather than according to principles of similar constituent interests.<p>The silver lining? Montana Republicans were dealt about as bad a hand in the last redistricting as possible -- and yet, in all but the 2004 election, they managed, through dint of sheer effort, to win control of one or both legislative bodies. Even the 2004 election was stolen from them by the Montana Supreme Court. It wasn't enough that the Supreme Court handed the redistricting commission to the Democratic Party -- they also had to step in and hand a decisive contested seat to the Democrats by fiat, under the most specious of reasoning.<p>In short, while Republicans have again been dealt an unfair hand in the current redistricting, they will have their destiny in their own hands. If they recruit strong candidates who work hard and smart -- both in campaigning and in serving their constituents in Helena, Republicans should be able to control the legislature more often than not. If Republicans act with (ahem) indiscretion in Helena and run candidates who are looney, lazy, or both, then Democratic governor Steve Bullock may soon have a Democratic legislature with whom he can partner to run the state into the ground...<p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592841981416728347.post-73404142603170901222012-12-10T02:00:00.000-07:002012-12-10T02:00:12.110-07:00New Great Falls projects may pull workers from the Bakken<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj11nSFX88Rt-ZFs-00QZ4GpFAvYFmaSJZzV6EI1aFabCAMP-7668cWTDvmIqjHbRGq3KEeqqbOODSNY0RMSCh2tg61bhwC7yM2j0IOaFDASNfkV_qfKOTf0A0T-1ylaXda21bgYN7ww3o/s1600/oil+sands" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="268" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj11nSFX88Rt-ZFs-00QZ4GpFAvYFmaSJZzV6EI1aFabCAMP-7668cWTDvmIqjHbRGq3KEeqqbOODSNY0RMSCh2tg61bhwC7yM2j0IOaFDASNfkV_qfKOTf0A0T-1ylaXda21bgYN7ww3o/s400/oil+sands" /></a></div>According to a <a href="http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/new-oil-gear-companies-come-to-montana-amid-boom/article_379be559-8e93-512c-8cef-63896f90a05e.html">recent AP article</a>, new projects are coming into the Great Falls area, intending to provide service to the oil sands of southern Canada. <p>The Great Falls area has the benefit of being close to the Canadian border -- <a href="http://montanaheadlines.blogspot.com/2007/08/born-in-usa-montana-no-less.html">as we were reminded</a> a few years ago when a Calgary couple had to come to a Montana town of fewer than 60,000 inhabitants in order to have their quadruplets delivered -- another triumph of the Canadian health service over the inferior American one. Additionally, Great Falls is large enough to provide a labor force, unlike other towns on Montana's northern tier.<p><i>That's potential good news to Montana residents who have relocated to the Bakken oil extraction projects in North Dakota.<p>
They're now inquiring about possibilities to work closer to home, said Sarah Converse, director of Sweetgrass Development, an economic organization for north-central Montana...</i><p>Commuting to the Bakken for work from places like Great Falls and Billings is no cup of tea for workers. The development of service industries closer to home will be a boon -- but of course such service jobs are dependent on continued growth in the oil fields themselves.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592841981416728347.post-19345878590841070922012-12-07T02:00:00.000-07:002012-12-07T16:24:06.571-07:00Dave Brubeck, RIP -- and some musings on odd time signaturesThe world of music was saddened by the loss of Dave Brubeck this week. He is best known for "Take Five," which has the honor of still being highest charting jazz piece ever to hit the pop charts. It is also probably the best known "odd time signature" piece in music -- in part because the time signature (5/4) is alluded to in the title of the song. While there are many vintage clips of Brubeck and his quartet playing this song, this is my favorite:<p><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/o2In5a9LDNg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><p>It is my favorite for a quirky reason -- I absolutely love drummer Paul Morello's casual style in which he makes the most complex rhythms seem like he can play them while hardly moving a muscle. But watch him at 2:48 as he casually adjusts his glasses with one hand without missing a beat. Unbelievable. <p>Jazz is not generally my cup of tea. I really enjoy listening to about one or two songs, and then I am ready to move on to something else. I think it is something that you have to be immersed in at an early age. The old wag about a jazz quartet being an ensemble where 4 guys are each playing a different song at the same time has more than a grain of truth to it. <p>The beloved came across an interesting note about Brubeck's early life. He was apparently raised on a cattle ranch in rural California and planned a career as a cowboy. A country boy -- gotta love it.<p>Another of my favorite odd time-signature pieces of Brubeck is also one of his more famous works, "Blue Rondo a la Turk" (mostly in 9/8) alternating between a 2-2-2-3 and a 3-3-3 construction, before going into a swinging 4/4 interlude:<p><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2htbaJFEAXQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><p>I love quirky time signatures, so how about more modern pieces in those same time signatures? First, one of the smoothest 5/4 pieces around, by someone else who loves to use odd time signatures, made possible by another amazing drummer -- Vinnie Colaiuta. Thanks to the ridiculous Vevo system, I can't give a direct link -- after hitting play, then just keep hitting the "next" icon at the left lower screen until you reach the song "Seven Days" Vinnie has had a storied career, and he has said that his work on this song is in the top 2 or 3 of any song he has recorded:<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pG7_gceIFL4?list=PL8447F3F4AFC5B20C&hl=en_US" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><p>And for something in 9, how about a (quasi) country song -- also by Sting, and also featuring Vinnie Colaiuta on drums. Johnny Cash actually covered this latter song, although he converted it to a 4/4 song to fit his personal style:<p><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ErP93Hkt9xY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><p>When the beloved and I saw Sting perform in San Francisco last year, I was happy that both of these songs were on his set list, as was one of his 7/8 time songs -- "Love is Stronger Than Justice." Best of all, Vinnie Colaiuta was touring with Sting, so I got to see and hear one of the great drummers of our time. <p>Enjoy -- but don't try to dance to any of this stuff, since you might end up with muscle spasms...
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592841981416728347.post-49753853054937997612012-12-05T02:00:00.000-07:002012-12-05T02:00:06.750-07:00Recount in Montana OPI race should go forward<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcUiKLg64SRAWAu_lEHquKBwyTA1pd0H8HwQFUVW3hgvS7Zlt8hGdUsllTMNvL8uUXBZTN3QIvt-e3E2aKrRUDhRymu-ovvS_zSAkj2U4Y5pxPH4UjHFApY7TwQi90TA0uN7jTLowVLS8/s1600/sandy+welch" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="190" width="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcUiKLg64SRAWAu_lEHquKBwyTA1pd0H8HwQFUVW3hgvS7Zlt8hGdUsllTMNvL8uUXBZTN3QIvt-e3E2aKrRUDhRymu-ovvS_zSAkj2U4Y5pxPH4UjHFApY7TwQi90TA0uN7jTLowVLS8/s400/sandy+welch" /></a></div>It is good to see that Sandy Welch has <a href="http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/montana-opi-candidate-asks-court-to-order-recount/article_c4012677-d372-5d97-a077-f80616fb9f0d.html">decided to go for a recount</a>. She has chosen an interesting approach, however:<p><i>Welch could have automatically forced a recount Monday by making a formal request to Secretary of State Linda McCulloch, the state’s chief election officer.<p>
Instead, she chose to take the issue before a judge, who must find probable cause that an erroneous count occurred on Nov. 6, before ordering the recount.<p>
If the judge orders a recount, election officials in each of Montana’s 56 counties will conduct a hand count of all ballots, which are being held at county election offices.</i><p>A recount involving a difference of 2000-odd votes is a long shot. My guess would be that a recount will close the gap, but probably not enough to win, barring a smoking gun somewhere with significant irregularities. Welch's lawyers cite numerous anomalies in their brief -- whether they are numerous enough to change the ultimate result can't be known unless the recount goes forward.<p>There are a number of advantages to seeking a court order for a recount. First, it would bolster the recount politically -- if a judge has ordered it, it has more legitimacy that a mere voluntary request would have. Secondly, there will presumably be some court oversight to how the recount is to proceed, as well as legal recourse in disputes over individual ballot challenges where the Welch campaign disagrees with local election officials on their decisions.<p>From my perspective, I'm glad that Welch is making this challenge, if only on a purely political basis. The OPI race is one that gets less attention than any other statewide land board race. As I have noted before, because of the power of the teachers' unions, Democratic candidates for this office come in with a big advantage. <p>As stated above, this recount is a long shot, but it should draw attention to the fact that this year, Republicans had an outstanding candidate who nearly unseated an incumbent Democrat. Four years from now, when (we hope), Welch borrows from the Tim Fox playbook and runs it back against another opponent (Juneau will be term-limited), not only will she have the wealth of experience that she gained in running this year, she will have even more name recognition. Her fundraising base will expand because attention drawn to the extreme closeness of this race will have proven that she has the ability to win, given adequate resources.<p>And if, in the process of the recount, it so happens that significant anomalies are uncovered in heavily Democratic precincts, that will just be a bonus -- and not just because it might lead to a Welch victory. <p>It never hurts to shine the light in dark corners -- you never know what you will find. And you'll certainly never know if you don't look. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592841981416728347.post-8042036799420449242012-12-03T23:59:00.001-07:002012-12-04T00:56:38.542-07:00Eliminating the Montana oil tax holiday -- a bad idea whose time hasn't come<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_ZuAyD6AgMKIODNgr3W8vd6kN8OqjI4yTVxKXtYRkTlT9bez4o4BEQqXC_s4x-046dsl8WC_sFDb3szZcJVzJY7hLN3XvjsykpMpJIB3MEcHT4vUiaWcZ3Z4-ruLwvMprOZV6uD3a18/s1600/Taxes" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_ZuAyD6AgMKIODNgr3W8vd6kN8OqjI4yTVxKXtYRkTlT9bez4o4BEQqXC_s4x-046dsl8WC_sFDb3szZcJVzJY7hLN3XvjsykpMpJIB3MEcHT4vUiaWcZ3Z4-ruLwvMprOZV6uD3a18/s400/Taxes" /></a></div>As has been discussed in these pages before, one of the things that the state of Montana is doing right when it comes to developing our oil and gas resources is the 18 month "tax holiday" that Montana grants on newly drilled wells. Because of it, our overall tax structure is reasonably competitive. <p>There are other ways to make taxes competitive, such as lowering rates across the board, but the "tax holiday" is a reasonable approach, because it allows oil production companies to more quickly recoup the millions of dollars that have to be spent to drill a well. Given that wells produce for decades, there are plenty of taxes to be collected over the life of a well, so Montana tax collectors get theirs in the long run.<p>In a <a href="http://billingsgazette.com/news/opinion/guest/guest-opinion-let-s-address-oil-boom-impacts-with-oil/article_ef979b10-6fe1-57cc-9756-ba3525382855.html">recent guest editorial</a>, former Democratic state senator Tom Towe (interestingly, the <i>Billings Gazette</i> neglects to mention his party affiliation -- something the editors seem never to fail to do when Republicans write guest pieces) starts out with a very reasonable discussion of problems that oil patch communities face because of stress placed on their infrastructure.<p>We have discussed these problems here, as well, because they are real. Towe correctly notes that it would be relatively simply to direct more oil tax revenues to cities affected by oil development. But he inexplicably switches topics halfway through the editorial and claims that the best way to come up with the money would be to eliminate the "tax holiday." Maybe I'm missing something, but the argument seems like a <i>non sequitur</i>. <p>According to Towe, the state of Montana takes 46% of oil tax revenues for the general fund, while directing 54% of it to local governments -- but not, apparently, to city governments.<p>The 54% figure, incidentally, seems high -- if, as Towe, says, oil revenues were $210 million in 2010, did local governments really receive in excess of $110 million? In any event, if more money is needed to help city governments deal with law enforcement, infrastructure, street building and repair, etc., then it would seem that the logical answer is quite simple, and requires no revamping of tax law or elimination of tax holidays: just leave more of the money in the local communities and have the state grab less of it to spend in Helena. <p>I somehow suspect that if the oil "tax holiday" were to be eliminated and Democrats were in charge, eastern Montana wouldn't get the increased revenue. How do I know this? <a href="http://montanaheadlines.blogspot.com/2007/02/democrats-dont-like-drilling-for-it-but.html">Just a guess</a>. A little of it might trickle down to city governments in Sidney and Glendive, but most of it would get spent on projects in western Montana -- not to mention on hiring more government employees in Helena.<p>With solid Republican majorities in Helena, the idea of lifting the tax holiday isn't going anywhere in the coming legislative session, but it is loose talk like this that makes Montana a less than safe and friendly place to produce oil. In either North Dakota or Wyoming, producers can expect a long-term stable tax environment. In Montana, the situation is never more than 2 years away from radical change for the worse, and that can't make us look attractive.<p>As mentioned at the beginning of this post, there are more ways than one to make taxes competitive. If Democrats were to come up with a revenue-neutral way to lower tax rates while eliminating the 18 month oil and gas tax holiday, they might well be able to work with Republicans to establish a lasting bipartisan oil and gas tax policy. I doubt we will see any such common-sense proposals, but one can always hope.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592841981416728347.post-8704598194979690852012-11-30T02:17:00.000-07:002012-11-30T02:17:41.942-07:00Lester and Earl<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjl-z4kJYq6Cguf4jM7usZuxcsEJzDVEExVCRWjbjDqpsRFHk_ld-UEhyKAKWpXtNKAGYIop00UFdxHog5nihFFNX0CQlkGKbhfs2XwR1HO6HPTnotl8pnKNoBdXJlzr9ahuWqI-MYxn0/s1600/Lester+and+Earl" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="292" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjl-z4kJYq6Cguf4jM7usZuxcsEJzDVEExVCRWjbjDqpsRFHk_ld-UEhyKAKWpXtNKAGYIop00UFdxHog5nihFFNX0CQlkGKbhfs2XwR1HO6HPTnotl8pnKNoBdXJlzr9ahuWqI-MYxn0/s400/Lester+and+Earl" /></a></div>
While my father grew up singing and playing old-timey music on his guitar -- and listening to it on the radio in the 1920s and 30s, by the time I came along in the 1960s he had sadly (I now realize) been overly domesticated, and I didn't get the undiluted exposure to such music that I might have. Still, it percolated through in those G-runs that populated his guitar playing on even the most domesticated gospel songs he sang, not to mention in his vocal style.<p>Like everyone else my age where I grew up, I only listened publicly to rock and roll, although much of my favorite music was dominated by acoustic guitar work and a folk-infused flavor -- Lightfoot, James Taylor, John Denver, to name a few... They really weren't particularly cool to listen to, but in the privacy of my own car or room, who would ever know, as long as I blasted Styx, Rush, and Queen when others were around to hear? I of course got a steady dose of country music throughout my entire time growing up, just by virtue of being alive and living in a rural setting -- one could hardly escape it. But the lushly boring "Nashville Sound" reigned supreme in those days and rebels like Johnny Cash had been reduced to singing embarrassing novelty songs like "One Piece at a Time," so while it is still a substrate of my musical memory, it never grabbed me.<p>In college in the 1980s, like so many my age in those days, I lost much of my interest in the new synthesizer-dominated electronic pop music, and found a revitalized country music scene ready and waiting to welcome a refugee. I turned off Tears for Fears, turned on George Strait, and for the most part didn't look back for the next 25 years. <p>Looking back, I realize how it took a particular confluence of events to make that happen. Country music had been invaded by young artists like Ricky Skaggs, Vince Gill, and Marty Stuart -- all of whom had been incubated in a straight-ahead bluegrass tradition. Texans like George Strait and Clint Black channeled their western swing roots. All of this was part of the "new traditionalism," and it tapped into something primal for me -- something rooted in the vicinity of the musical brainstem I inherited from my father, and something that decades of classical music training never displaced. Meanwhile, those same country artists and others were astute enough to notice that bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, CCR, the old Eagles, the old Doobie Brothers, etc. weren't going to be making it onto MTV anytime soon (for the uninitiated, Music TV once actually had music going 24/7.) Shrewdly (and also because they probably grew up listening to it too), the new generation of country performers gave to us refugees our regular fixes of classic rock -- we were just getting them on country radio stations.<p>My generation also had a lot of us who were growing up, settling down, going to church, and basically being solid citizens -- even while living in a distinctly modern and ambiguous world. The morality of country radio had a certain comfort to it. There was plenty of drinking, cheating, violence, and generally questionable behavior described in its contents, but leavened by an "I know it's wrong to live this way, and Lord I want to change" undercurrent. But mostly, it was the sound. <p>I'm not exactly sure when it started to change -- sometime within the last 5 years, I'd guess. Even with several commercial-free XM country channels and any number of broadcast channels, I increasingly found I couldn't listen to any of the country stations for more than a song or two before I was flipping channels. For many years I had always tended to divide my listening about 50-50 between classical music and country music, but soon I was listening almost exclusively to classical music. Country music had become tedious musically -- just as predictable and soulless as the "Nashville Sound" of my childhood. To make matters worse, the old moral underpinnings were largely gone. There were the same hard-drinking alleycats that populated many old country songs, but the difference was that now they had no shame over their behavior. In fact, they seemed to be pretty damned proud of their new enlightened selves. Welcome to 21st century America, even in flyover land.<p>I had my full set of Alison Krauss and Union Station CDs to listen to over and over again, but somehow I didn't connect the dots until I saw them in person this past summer and started to leapfrog from one recording to another and to listen to the XM bluegrass channel. I guess you have to be ready. Of course, bluegrass was also ready for me.<p>Eventually, all roads lead back to the roots -- and these days if I'm not listening to guys with names like Bill, Ralph, and Jimmy (and of course Lester and Earl), well, I'm probably listening to their acolytes: guys with names like Rice, Douglas, Crowe, and Skaggs (yes, things come full circle) and their renditions of the old standards using modern recording techniques, not to mention contemporary compositions using the stylistic conventions of traditional bluegrass music. I recall a statement by Tony Rice to the effect that he could always spot any bluegrass player who hadn't actually drunk deeply from the old stuff. The implication was that anyone who hadn't was never going to quite cut it in his estimation. <p>Me being me, it isn't enough just to listen. The guitars have come out, and the old walking bass runs that my dad taught me come unbidden like old friends, the pick flicks across the strings and the chord progressions come without having to think about them. <p>There is a bit of sadness, since I wish my dad was around to listen to all of this with me. I'd enjoy doing my part to undomesticate him a bit -- I think he'd enjoy it as much or more than I would.<p>And as I have mentioned a few times, I splurged on a beginner's mandolin that has become my nearly constant companion for the last month or so. I could have just stuck with the guitars, but I wanted a fresh start with an instrument that is rarely used outside bluegrass and other traditional music forms. Besides, I hadn't learned a new instrument since learning to play the Irish tin whistle back in college -- I was due... nothing quite like that feeling of discovery as leaps forward take place. Maybe the mental stimulation will hold off an early onset of Alzheimer's.<p>Speaking of having this music close to the brainstem, how about a few of my favorite clips of youngsters picking and singing? Lester and Earl would approve (of course, they appear in a couple of them.)<p>A youngster who needs no introduction playing with Lester and Earl:<p><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uCYCCuJLIaA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><p>And then there is a young Marty Stuart with Lester:<p><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/o6nmib7UaKA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><p>And while there are several great clips of a young Sierra Hull performing with the greats, there is none better than this (her break comes at about 1:30):<p><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XDZ9PN5K06Q" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> saUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592841981416728347.post-21870316108005749912012-11-28T15:07:00.000-07:002012-11-28T17:21:02.272-07:00Redistricting Montana's legislature<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCKZYnqy7bWx4HJxO89dORbRyEzS-anf3LMnl26Y0Zp6nEgqSuCzM7ClFgsZR59mhe4WFu5P8sXIH8ozle99iULEp-FXhfexGdMEmtj9HDSgiF9LfN1WSKDBZDqvCr8Sjd8Zc_5wbL72g/s1600/gerrymander" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="209" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCKZYnqy7bWx4HJxO89dORbRyEzS-anf3LMnl26Y0Zp6nEgqSuCzM7ClFgsZR59mhe4WFu5P8sXIH8ozle99iULEp-FXhfexGdMEmtj9HDSgiF9LfN1WSKDBZDqvCr8Sjd8Zc_5wbL72g/s400/gerrymander" /></a></div>
It seems that the legislative redistricting wrangling <a href="http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/redistricting-panel-works-on-montana-senate-boundaries/article_38c92f74-30af-5baa-8f7e-f1b2588b7906.html">isn't quite done</a>. The process has been relatively quiet, and as I understand, the heavy lifting (the House districts) has already been completed, with the remaining task being to pair up the 100 House districts to create 50 Senate districts. We've <a href="http://montanaheadlines.blogspot.com/2012/05/montana-legislative-redistricting-same.html">waxed eloquent</a> on this general topic many times before, but why not a little more?<p>As per usual, the general breakdown is this: <p>a. Montana Republicans want districts to follow traditional dividing lines like county boundaries, school district boundaries, and city limits as much as possible and to have districts be relatively homogenous, allowing representatives to be more likely to be truly representative of their districts. <p>b. Montana Democrats want the goal of redistricting to be to give Democrats the best possible chance of gaining a majority. <p>To be fair, Republicans also want to be in the majority, but really, all they need to do to achieve that in a state like Montana is: <p>a. Don't gerrymander the districts. <p>b. Don't act like idiots (either personally or politically) once they get to Helena.<p>Since item "b" is by no means out of the question, Democrats can still gain majorities in the state legislature without gerrymandering the districts like they did 10 years ago with the connivance of the Montana Supreme Court, but I can certainly see why they would prefer not to have to depend on Republican screw-ups to have a shot at controlling a legislative body.<p>Still, that is the reality of life for Republicans in heavily Democratic states, so in my opinion, that's life. Democrats have completely dominated Montana's U.S. Senate elections in the modern era -- should we adopt rules that make it equally likely for a Republican to be elected to the U.S. Senate in Montana? We could call it the "Dan Cox rule." In one election, a Libertarian candidate would run, with his campaign quietly funded by Democrats. In the next election, conservative third-party candidates would be banned, while we would have a Green Party candidate who is quietly funded by Republicans.<p>Alternatively, we could have a law requiring Democratic and Republican U.S. Senate candidates to say and do one equally off-putting thing for anything off-putting that the opposing candidate does. Democrats can take a turn berating forest fire-fighters or suing a local government for a change. Sen. Baucus could be required to take contributions from Jack Abramoff (oh, wait, he already did that -- maybe the law would also have to require the Montana press to run stories about it on a daily basis.) <p>Senator Baucus could be required to pay a "Finance Committee Chairman Tax" whereby he is required to give half of his Wall Street and K-Street donations to his Republican opponent. Republicans running for the U.S. Congressional seat could be required to wear funny hats at every public appearance until a Democrat finally wins again. <p>Or we could just skip elections entirely and just have the opposing parties choose the Senators every other term -- and Libertarians could choose the Senator 5% of the time (doing the math in my head, about once every 110 years?) That sort of thing.<p>Am I being facetious? Of course. But mandating such things makes no less sense than does mandating gerrymandered districts with the sole goal of giving Democrats a better chance of winning majorities in Helena.<p>On philosophical and historical grounds, I think that Republicans have by far the better argument. A classic example of redistricting gone bad is Taylor Brown's old district, which stretches from the outskirts of Miles City through to Billings suburbs. What interests do Carbon County ranchers, Billings suburbanites, and Rosebud County union members have in common? When you design a district like that, you are maximizing the chances for a Democratic win in that part of the state, but you are minimizing the chances that the winner (of either party) is going to be a zealous representative of the interests of as many residents as possible.<p>The whole point to representative government is that the diversity is to be found in the legislative body itself, not within each district. The representatives are, we hope, as representative as possible of their constituents. You don't achieve that by throwing urban voters in with rural ones or by similar redistricting stunts.<p>It is true that even next-door neighbors can have dramatically different political opinions, but they are likely to have more interests in common than are political opposites in different parts of the state.<p>If we were to take Democratic logic to its logical conclusion, why not have non-geographical districts? Voting patterns could be analyzed to try to make the breakdown as close as possible. In order to even things out in a Flathead County district, why not throw in a precinct from around Crow Agency? Or to even things out in Butte, pair a couple precincts from there with a couple from southeastern Montana. Really, if we don't care about whether the eventual representative really represents the district, and only about giving Democrats the best chance of winning a majority, why bother with district boundaries at all?<p>So far, the process has been going far better than ten years ago, when the parents (the Montana Supreme Court) handed the keys to the teenager (Democrat gerrymandering expert-extraordinaire Joe Lamson) and said in effect, "have fun, come home whenever you want, and don't worry about being safe -- in fact, here's some extra money for booze!"<p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592841981416728347.post-76053248717278881372012-11-26T02:00:00.000-07:002012-11-26T02:00:04.895-07:00Reuters on the Montana Bakken<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwN2uoAPPi7w4ivW_QA_vqD2itT-7waT1ACV29YSIqd_Wr-vKFD2Cmo5JnzWkVTzNRjpGmlhVHLomtbun0FwbtLGVKARL6Ik6KNQsyzmdBuq7rlvM_h1exbQ2880UXdvkfmwS4bSggdvU/s1600/oil+well" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="267" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwN2uoAPPi7w4ivW_QA_vqD2itT-7waT1ACV29YSIqd_Wr-vKFD2Cmo5JnzWkVTzNRjpGmlhVHLomtbun0FwbtLGVKARL6Ik6KNQsyzmdBuq7rlvM_h1exbQ2880UXdvkfmwS4bSggdvU/s400/oil+well" /></a></div>
Better late than never, but it is still worth it to mention <a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/11/12/column-kemp-montana-oiloutput-idUKL5E8MCFVA20121112">this column</a> that John Kemp wrote for Reuters about the Montana portion of the Bakken. <p>The article notes what is well-known -- namely that Montana oil production peaked in 2007 and has been dropping. A number of explanations have been offered for this phenomenon, most notably that the North Dakota portion of the Bakken is generally thicker and more productive. Drilling rigs have thus been pulled across the border into North Dakota in the furious spate of drilling that has marked the last decade in that state.<p>The Reuters article points to some recent indications that the trend may be reversing:<p><i>Twenty-two rigs were active in the state at the start of November 2012, up from just eight last year, according to oilfield services company Baker Hughes.</i><p>This year has also seen a record number of drilling permits in Montana. It remains to be seen whether this is a blip or whether it is a portend of more sustained growth in drilling. At least some of that will depend on how the federal government treats oil drilling on public lands in North Dakota, since Montana has a much higher concentation of BLM and other public lands than does its neighbor.<p>The good news is that as oil revenues begin to flow into Montana's public coffers, we will have a Republican dominated legislature. This group will, with any luck, not be tempted to use it to line the pockets of our public-sector unions and to swell the state's payrolls with hundreds of new employees who can never be fired.<p>The most important thing to do with any fresh monies is to plow the bulk of it back into the part of the state that is bearing the brunt of the social and physical stresses that energy development brings. Again, a Republican legislature should help in this regard, since the bulk of Democratic legislators at this point are to be found in parts of the state far from Montana's oil patch.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592841981416728347.post-75907669047193027272012-11-23T23:58:00.001-07:002012-11-26T21:32:04.511-07:00Thanksgiving reflections<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2WvSvFnwpItMGySisGexjdYwvc6gDmH1Yt056wJ_y0twDRlq7_aHHUV-bcKY_lc0irgt-4xWFHrPkgCatuyiRtmwaYXW0bzT7yA_eQawljcuwEp-1OvgokHUCBTwB9lH0rydJJmGxhaQ/s1600/thanksgiving" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2WvSvFnwpItMGySisGexjdYwvc6gDmH1Yt056wJ_y0twDRlq7_aHHUV-bcKY_lc0irgt-4xWFHrPkgCatuyiRtmwaYXW0bzT7yA_eQawljcuwEp-1OvgokHUCBTwB9lH0rydJJmGxhaQ/s400/thanksgiving" /></a></div>So it is late on the Friday after Thanksgiving when I finally sit down to write my Friday "cultural" piece. It has been a rich week. My oldest son arrived from California, accompanied by a lovely young woman whom we had the privilege of hosting for much of the week. <p>The beloved and I consider ourselves to be very blessed -- with three offspring ranging from age 22 to 26, we have had all of them home with us every Thanksgiving and Christmas of our lives, in spite of distances and schedules. Truth to be told, I think they come home as much (or more) to see each other than to see us parents, but that in itself is the greatest blessing of all -- something to be thankful for, since we have raised them to stick together, knowing that they will be there for each other (or not) long after we are gone from this life.<p>The meal was traditional, as always (there would be a revolt on our hands were we ever to try to do otherwise.) All of the kids took part in the preparation, with my youngest doing a phenomenal job with the turkey -- I'm not sure we've ever had a better-prepared bird, with all due respect to the beloved. <p>The house has been filled with music, in different ways at different times. My oldest son and I are pianists, and our very nice instrument that I finally rewarded us with some years back stayed busy with Brahms, Chopin, Bach, and Debussy. As is usually the case, whoever isn't playing tends to drift over to look over the shoulder to read along.<p>His girlfriend is an accomplished violinist and he a talented violist, so they enjoyed fiddling around (pun intended) with my new mandolin (mandolins and violins are tuned the same way.) Strains of Bach, in particular, arose softly from the strings, providing a backdrop and an aura of peace and beauty that enhanced the lively conversation during the evenings. <p>We enjoyed discussing the ongoing orchestral season at their university and the newly built (and apparently spectacular) concert hall there. We will be making it out there at least once during the spring for concerts, as we try to do at least once yearly. It has been a blessing that he has continued to play throughout his graduate studies, even though he is studying an engineering discipline. Most of the time, once kids graduate from high school, their performing days are done, and we want to enjoy them while they last.<p>After their flight left today (yet another thing to be thankful for living here in Billings is having the airport 5 minutes from our house, and yet rarely hearing the sound of a jet), we went out for lunch with my in-laws and the two remaining offspring, then split up to run some errands. My daughter and I ended up at my youngest son's apartment to visit Liam the Girl Cat (the name is a long story) -- our family's jet-setting cat who started as a lowly farm cat out at the South Dakota ranch (we try to keep a supply of cats there at all times to keep the rodents down), was "rescued" by the beloved to bring to Billings only to discover that I have become highly allergic to cats (I'd only interacted with them outdoors at the ranch, where the fresh air rules), then flown out to Tacoma where my daughter was living and working at the time and wanted a companion. Cat and daughter then moved to Seattle, and now the daughter is in the middle of a job-related move out east, so Liam was flown back to Billings where my youngest is taking care of her at his apartment for a few months before we will eventually fly her out east when the daughter is settled in her new abode.<p>Anyway, both my daughter and I were anxious to see our jet-setting feline friend, and spent some pleasant hours visiting her (when Liam deigns to acknowledge our presence (cats!)... until it was time for me to reach for a Claritin, that is.<p>This evening, the youngsters were out and about and I managed to get my dad's Martin (that I inherited after his passing) into the hands of my father-in-law, who grew up in Arkansas and who now lives with my mother-in-law in North Carolina, where they regularly go to a barbeque joint that has live bluegrass music almost every night. Ah, the things we miss out on, living out here on the frontier. We made tentative plans to come to North Carolina sometime in the next year for a bluegrass festival -- maybe the famous "Merlefest" up in Wilkesboro in April. Yet another thing to be thankful for. <p>Once I had the guitar in his hands (just to try it out), I quietly got out my mandolin, and as I had hoped, before long he was getting his playing fingers back after long disuse. Eventually, the mother-in-law and my wife made their way into the room, and we were playing and singing as many of the old songs as we could remember -- as is often the case, remembering only one verse and a chorus. I recalled with some sadness something I had once read by the late Mel Bradford (a personal hero) in which he talked about the importance of remembering the old songs, and that when they are finally forgotten (preservation by historicists doesn't count), something about a culture dies inside. But there was more warmth than sadness, since tonight is a night of remembering -- not one of forgetting. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've only been playing mandolin for a couple of months, but had fortunately learned enough chords and have listened to enough bluegrass to have the feel of the mandolin "chop." A few chord forms were more than enough to be able to play with gusto and enjoyment at this kind of thing, and we had a grand time. The fire was burning brightly in the hearth, and we would laugh as one of us periodically had to break into a melodic "da-de-da" when we couldn't remember some of the words. We surely weren't going to desecrate the atmosphere with any books. <p>Magical moments when harmonies just materialized as out of nowhere, the satisfying feeling of getting a chord progression smoothly the second time through a song... you just don't trade moments like those for anything. I was surprised to reach back to my one-room country school childhood for a few old songs, like "Hole in the Bottom of the Sea," which George (who is in his 70s) and I knew, but the women-folk didn't (as I have said before, I grew up in a world that is gone -- even the memory is nearly gone, and will die with artifacts like me, who lived in a world that was, even then, archaic.)<p>There were plenty of old gospel songs I haven't sung in years (but which never fail to move me), rounds of "Dooley" and "Wildwood Flower" and "Bluebirds are Singing for Me" and "You are my Sunshine" (the latter sentimental to me since it is a crowd favorite at my extended family's gigantic reunions that take place once every 5 years or so.) All things to be thankful for, since while none of us are optimistic about where our country is headed, evenings like this help keep the emphasis where it belongs: what is most important is remembering what we have loved dearly about life here in this country, and not dwelling on the changes that frighten, sober, or sadden us. <p>The beloved has told me that we will need to repeat the musical evening tomorrow night both since it is great fun and since she wants the remaining two kids to experience it -- should be interesting. I expect that more songs will percolate to the surface between now and then -- that's how these things work. <p>And now, with the sun long down, and the rest of the family in bed, I am here in front of the fire in my leather chair that feels just right, with my legs up on a leather Ottoman that is just the right length. I have a fine single-malt at my side, fixed just the way Alan, my Scottish roomate in Germany (I believe I mentioned him in my Natalie MacMaster review) taught me -- neat, with a small splash of mineral water to bring out the subtle qualities of the aroma and taste alike. When I push "publish," I will go back to the <i>Pointing Dog Journal</i> that I purchased at B&N today, and if I finish that, I'll move on to one of my favorite indulgences in atmospheric richness -- <i>Sporting Classics</i> -- truly a magazine that is a work of literary and visual art that makes one want to be out in the field every day, or at least every week. I had just had a reminder of just such a life when out at the ranch earlier this month -- out every day hunting, usually with my trusty pointing dog working her own art, then returning to enjoy good food, good company, a lively fire in the stove, and a good book. <p>Of course, whether such experiences are lived in the field or vicariously lived through a work of art like a fine magazine, one cannot live that life every day, not really. Most of life is full of hard work -- satisfying in its own way, and often a work of art in its own right. But still work.<p>Moments such as I have described above, and indeed the entire experience and the very thought and memory of a warm and loving home, are to be savored each time they happen. Some make the mistake of forgetting the need to live in the moment of love while it is there to be enjoyed. Yet others of us forget that they are, ultimately, foretastes of another and better life yet to come (we hope, pray, and believe.) That knowledge, when we are blessed enough to see it and believe it, is perhaps the thing for which we can be the most thankful of all. Someday, God willing, the petty sorrows and worries of this life will melt away and we will understand the words of that old song we sang tonight:<p><i>Oh, come, angel band<br>Come, and around me stand<br>Come bear me away on your snow-white wings<br>To my immortal home...</i>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592841981416728347.post-71616166084499962912012-11-21T02:00:00.000-07:002012-11-21T02:00:12.979-07:00Steve Daines has it right on spending cuts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqLlDzlyQXITvgrGolfxAI6HPatFWG3qhvI9y6iw_KSyT6mBPTMNgBDVHq4XZKmW-81Gm4LmJLpHL53NpkmCC_t9EzqnTwndiUgr3JJR9xuKQys7FCEl1Hlngb_hOmt6WJeuA4M6SiHek/s1600/steve+daines" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="159" width="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqLlDzlyQXITvgrGolfxAI6HPatFWG3qhvI9y6iw_KSyT6mBPTMNgBDVHq4XZKmW-81Gm4LmJLpHL53NpkmCC_t9EzqnTwndiUgr3JJR9xuKQys7FCEl1Hlngb_hOmt6WJeuA4M6SiHek/s400/steve+daines" /></a></div>Do the hard things first -- good advice for almost any job, but certainly for those who would presume to balance budgets at the federal level.<p>Montana's newly elected Congressman had some thoughts that were reported on in a Lee Newspaper article. They boil down to this: <p><i>“President Obama’s proposal of raising taxes brings in revenue that will be about 8 percent of the deficit, so that leaves us 92 percent to chew on,” he said in an interview. “We need to start the discussion on where we can find ways not only to slow the growth in federal spending, but actually see some decreases.”</i><p>Indeed. And politically, raising taxes on 1-2% of Americans, as President Obama proposes to do, is relatively painless. In the last election, President Obama demonstrated that the very wealthy are at least as likely to vote Democratic as Republican (the states, counties, and Congressional districts with the wealthiest residents actually are more like to vote Democratic -- even when you are promising to take more of their money away from them.) Those who benefit from government spending, on the other hand -- those who work for the government or who receive government payments of some sort -- tend to be very punishing to anyone who presumes to take their goodies away.<p>Ergo, it is always politically easier to raise taxes (especially on the dastardly rich) than to cut spending. So, when 92% of what needs to be accomplished has to come from spending cuts, and those cuts are politically hazardous, it is the spending cuts that need to be given priority.<p>Past political experience has shown that politicians consider reductions in the <i>rate of increase</i> of spending to be spending cuts, when they really aren't cuts at all. Past political experience has shown that any cuts (or decreases in the rate of rise) that actually materialize only occur when politicians are forced to make them. Tax increases, furthermore, are always real, whereas spending cuts often prove to be ephemeral. Much ado was made about "austerity" in Great Britain, where what was promised was a ratio of 3 to 1 -- 3 pounds in spending cuts for every pound in tax increases. Subsequent experience has shown that most of the spending cuts were fake, whereas the tax increases were real. And this is with a "Conservative" government in charge.<p>We can expect the same here in America, where the tax increases that President Obama and the Democrats have been promising us will be very much real. Spending cuts? Without vigilance, they will be no more real than were the spending "cuts" that House Speaker John Boehner extracted from the Democrats in exchange for Republicans voting for an increase in the debt ceiling. (What Boehner obtained as "concessions" were a joke and an insult to any right-thinking American's intelligence.)<p>In light of all of this, Congressman Daines is exactly right to stand with those who refuse to vote for tax increases, and who insist on seeing real spending cuts (and not just reductions in the rate of increase of spending) before considering any moves that increase revenue.<p>If President Obama and the Democrats in Washington were serious about reducing the annual deficit (let alone reducing the national debt), they would long ago have been furiously looking for places to cut spending -- but they aren't and never have been. Trust us, if Republicans in Washington were to allow them to raise taxes without insisting on spending cuts, that is exactly what would happen. <p>Republicans in Washington have often been rightly accused of not being serious about cutting spending. What they have to commend them is that the alternative is so much worse, as we discovered between 2008 and 2010. Many of us rhetorically asked ourselves prior to the 2006 and 2008 elections, "could the Democrats really be any worse than the Republicans when it comes to spending too much?" Alas, we found that the answer to that question is a simple one: "oh yes... and how..."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592841981416728347.post-79987582501813517262012-11-19T20:00:00.000-07:002012-11-19T20:56:48.664-07:00Decker coal mine in Montana laying off workers -- meanwhile, Bakken jobs are projected to boom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOMYnY36sCFzpTOffZ_8xTswkvTrzhfBm8CGF6Ak_5zDE7kFs-ATszCdwGKCEkXBD9jnufT2N_ISp3XhrtoyIT5wCrPXFgOJjfPLY0YVMPHhPiGwqQWKd0yKJf-6nhJOLKd706mIFClNI/s1600/decker+coal+mine" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="267" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOMYnY36sCFzpTOffZ_8xTswkvTrzhfBm8CGF6Ak_5zDE7kFs-ATszCdwGKCEkXBD9jnufT2N_ISp3XhrtoyIT5wCrPXFgOJjfPLY0YVMPHhPiGwqQWKd0yKJf-6nhJOLKd706mIFClNI/s400/decker+coal+mine" /></a></div>While this may not be directly related to the war on coal that the Obama administration has waged, it certainly couldn't have helped: the Decker coal mine in southeastern Montana is <a href="http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/montana-s-decker-coal-mine-to-lay-off-workers/article_d284075b-900f-5b58-9752-ad49fe5bf745.html">laying off 75 workers</a>. <p>The increased regulation laid on coal-burning electricity plants by the EPA have already cost a good number of workers in Billings their jobs at PPL's plant, now <a href="http://montanaheadlines.blogspot.com/2012/10/coal-development-in-montana-and-surface.html">scheduled to be mothballed</a>. And now, another set of workers in a major southeastern Montana coal mine. Many of them live in the Sheridan area, but as everyone knows, folks in Sheridan come to Billings all the time for shopping, medical care, and other services that are found here in the nearest "big city" to Sheridan and surrounds.<p>Meanwhile (hat tip to Bruce Oksol at <i>Million Dollar Way</i>), the Bakken is going to be <a href="http://www.milliondollarwayblog.com/2012/11/bakken-oil-patch-will-need-50000-more.html">producing 50,000 new jobs</a> by 2015. <p><i>Bismarck State College is teaming up with Williston State, Fort Berthold, Sitting Bull and Turtle Mountain Colleges to provide necessary training.<p>
"This is probably one of the biggest and most important partnerships that we`ve had with the state institutions. And it should have happened a long time ago," said Fort Berthold Community College President Russell Mason</i><p>The multiplier effect of energy development (like any economic development) thus shows itself in a positive effect on tribal and other area colleges. <p>Of course, none of this is thanks to the federal government (in spite of the President standing in line to take credit for increased domestic oil production.) Also <a href="http://www.milliondollarwayblog.com/2012/11/factbox-drilling-in-north-dakota.html">thanks to Bruce</a> over at <i>Million Dollar Way</i>: of 187 rigs currently drilling in North Dakota, only 3 or 4 are on federal land. (Unless you count reservation land as federal land -- which you shouldn't, since its use should be determined solely by the tribes involved.) I would point out that there is not a lack of federal land in North Dakota -- the Forest Service has pretty vast tracts of National Grasslands in the western half of the state, and there is some BLM land, too. <p>As Bruce points out there is perhaps some Intelligent Design involved favoring North Dakota, allowing for "sweet spots" of Bakken drilling to be located outside federal land.<p>The <a href="http://www.minotdailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/570857/Few-wells-being-drilled-in-N-D--national-grasslands-compared-to-private--reservation-lands.html?nav=5010">full article</a> is in the <i>Minot Daily News.</i>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592841981416728347.post-53457387133985747132012-11-16T02:00:00.000-07:002012-11-20T00:54:35.816-07:00On to more important things...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfim6f9kaL9w7tu1wPw7mXdNuNzAKCk0Lkbq7bXvg9rWLDTCPgVZuVAandDEqD7ny1ydao4JgTLskmTNa4cEY7exax_TGluyZf-XwZYApU6DHOm5NKGnkn6v8wXmojMIMW7ZT2bmBVL6s/s1600/Dog" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="205" width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfim6f9kaL9w7tu1wPw7mXdNuNzAKCk0Lkbq7bXvg9rWLDTCPgVZuVAandDEqD7ny1ydao4JgTLskmTNa4cEY7exax_TGluyZf-XwZYApU6DHOm5NKGnkn6v8wXmojMIMW7ZT2bmBVL6s/s400/Dog" /></a></div>I wouldn't trade this beautiful piece of land for anything, but one of the downsides of having the ancestral homestead be across the border in South Dakota is that I have to apply as a nonresident for the privilege of hunting deer on my own land, competing with everyone else in the country who wants to come to this corner of the state to hunt (there seem to be more every year.) <p>This year I actually drew a tag, and was thus <i>obligated</i> (yup, absolutely no choice in the matter) to block off an entire week of my schedule in this, the busiest time of my work year. No choice but to come out here to immerse myself in a ritual in which I haven't participated for 30 years. When I put it in writing like that, the only thing that springs to mind is "what was I thinking?" But of course, when one is young, one always thinks that there will be plenty of time for all of that in the future, putting it off one year, and then another, and another... Part of the whole deceptively simple concept of delayed gratification. During the two decades of exile, i.e. education and military service, there was also the small problem of not having the time, the money, or both, to carve out a full week to make the long journey home during a time of uncertain weather and travel conditions, so I will be gentle with myself.<p>And indeed, with the snowstorm that hit this part of the world over the past weekend, the trip was delayed by a couple of days, and I was tempted to despair, but fought it by getting my last guitar adjusted and set up (Art at Hanson's does a beautiful job of such things), then spending hours on Saturday playing Grieg and Bach on the piano, then bluegrass and Celtic music on guitar, finishing off with learning more on my new mandolin. Ran a lot of necessary errands and got caught up on some sleep as well. <p>Leaving the Billings abode in the capable hands and watchful eyes of my college-age son, who couldn't get away from school to join me, the beloved and I hit the road Monday morning. There were a few white-knuckle moments on I-94, but for the most part the roads had been cleared, and we pulled up to the house as a red winter sunset was glowing behind the buttes on the western horizon. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEififz8Lbcd723K4_FVwgGxWA-z6D2Z_L6d09IZfJmLlOlCLbdbgJAcee5hUAHJQ6jBhsp8Pz-6J74Uz_QH8yzFqzCIsNgBPy_L0F-gHbl1GCKwLHr7VbqiPEGOMzSfuGxs8lNXWwn9P2Q/s1600/2011-08-27+19.19.01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEififz8Lbcd723K4_FVwgGxWA-z6D2Z_L6d09IZfJmLlOlCLbdbgJAcee5hUAHJQ6jBhsp8Pz-6J74Uz_QH8yzFqzCIsNgBPy_L0F-gHbl1GCKwLHr7VbqiPEGOMzSfuGxs8lNXWwn9P2Q/s400/2011-08-27+19.19.01.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>Getting the week off to a good start, after dinner I tuned in, courtesy of the wonders of DSL, which have reached even these remote parts, to the first full Boston Celtics game I've been able to watch this year -- a satisfying win over the Chicago Bulls (they don't have Derrick Rose back, but we don't have Avery Bradley, either, so no asterisk by this one.)<p>Tuesday morning comes early but I am up before dawn, with a bewildered Ginny (see puppy photo of the same, above) not able to understand why the good master is donning outdoor gear and readying a firearm while she is being left behind. From the road in the previous evening's dusk, I had seen a group of whitetails (mule deer are scarce in recent years around here) disappear over a ridge heading for CRP we planted last year on the easternmost part of the ranch, so I had decided my hunt would start there. My brother is still trying to fill his tag up near Hettinger, ND where he lives, so I will be hunting alone today. <p>As I drive slowly along a high ridge south of the home place, getting ready to head several miles east to get to my destination -- a rocky outcropping near the far northeastern corner of the ranch from which I will be able to glass the fields below -- I catch a fleeting glimpse of a buck and doe on the horizon to the south, heading toward an area where there is another expanse of freshly planted CRP. I change plans midstream and turn that direction, sending an email by my smartphone to the beloved telling her where I am going. There is at best a 50% chance that it will go through given the spotty coverage out here, but I know I will be parking where she will see the truck if she heads east to look for me later in the day should I become incapacitated from a twisted knee, a heart attack, or simple old age.<p>I pull to a stop before I reach the final rise, and am relieved to turn off NPR news (the only time I listen to National Progressive Radio is when I am driving around in the old farm truck -- no XM radio, and I'm not always in the mood for the local AM stations.) <p>The sky is still overcast in the morning twilight. The expansive view to the south across the broad South Grand River valley takes my breath away, as it has all my life, and the long range of Ponderosa pine-clad rimrocks called the Slim Buttes (the farthest east unit of Custer National Forest) dimly anchor the southwest horizon. <p>Those Slim Buttes were always one of the visual constants of my life growing up here, always seeming to beckon me to come further west where there would be more of the same. I of course eventually did, as soon as I could, with me now living in the shadows of different Ponderosa pine-clad rimrocks.<p>I sling my binoculars (old friends for many years that feel just right) over my neck and my new (to me) .30-06 over my right shoulder. A gun-dealer friend found it for me when I told him I needed a different all-purpose rifle. I had sighted it in on my last trip here, and found it to be a most pleasing firearm to handle. Like musical instruments, guns either just feel right in one's hands or they don't. The .270 I bought when I first moved back to this corner of the world never really did. I grew up shooting my dad's .243 (now in the possession of my brother, who is the real hunter of the family), but had devoured enough <a href="http://www.jack-oconnor.org/">Jack O'Connor</a> tales in <i>Outdoor Life</i> growing up that I just knew I wanted a .270 when I "grew up." There may still be a .270 out there that's right for me, but the one I owned never felt right in my hands. Today, I have the spring in my step that only a rifle and scope that feel just right can give. Growing up, deer hunts had always been a one-shot affair for me, and I have a good feeling about today.<p>Crossing the rise, I see the heads of a couple of does bedded down on the western end of the expanse of thick CRP. I stop and glass them patiently, and one of them looks back at me, unsure if I have spotted her. I angle to the east a little as the light steals up little by little over the horizon to my right. Take a few steps, my feet crunching in the snow. Glass everything around me for a few minutes. Take a few more steps, glass slowly again -- nothing worse than missing something right in front of you. The quiet is beautiful. <p>Finally, bingo -- on the far eastern edge of the CRP I spot a couple of dark dots. I turn my glasses that direction and see that it is a buck and a doe. Then a second buck comes tentatively from the south toward them. I know I need to take a long hike and come up through the draws and coulees in what we call the south pasture. Changing course, I skirt west around the two bedded does, still glassing them to see if a buck is hidden nearby. They finally bolt toward the east -- it's just the two of them. The air is cold, but the sun is starting to burn off the overcast as I hike briskly along the western edge of the CRP and through the gate into the south pasture where I can disappear down a draw where the distant deer can't see me. I can move quickly now. <p>When I get far enough that I want to take another look, I crawl to the top of a ridge onto some rocks where I know I will have a view of the part of the CRP field where I had seen the two bucks. I lie there and glass them for about ten minutes, seeing if they are moving. The two bucks never actually lock horns, but the dominant one (neither is particularly large) keeps the other at bay, and is making overtures to the doe, who plays it coy. I could watch this for hours, but I need to keep moving.<p>I crawl slowly backward until I know I will be out of sight, and hike down the draw. Where it forks, I can see up the draw and spot a couple of does, but no buck. They must be moving. To keep out of sight I will have to hike still further south, cross a low part of the ridgeline into the next draw, and hike back north along it to reach the southern corner of the CRP, which is laid out in a big L shape. <p>This will be more tricky, since the final rise is a gentle one. I drop to hands and knees to crawl forward, still stopping every few feet to glass 360 degrees around me. Coming across from a neighbor's land comes another buck -- not huge, but bigger than the ones I had been glassing. I wait and watch as he makes his way toward a dugout that is in an otherwise dry creek just over onto our land. There is not going to be any way to stalk him, though -- no cover. I crawl forward on my belly a little further, and as I rise to my elbows to glass again, there is now a small fork-horn buck and a doe right at the edge of the CRP field. <p>Decision time. I have a clean shot, but I want to see if the larger buck will start making his way over toward us. Instead, the two deer I am watching see him and bolt in his direction. The three of them rapidly disappear across the southeast pasture, and I see them circling north. I will have to get back to my truck and get to another vantage from which to glass fields near the center of the ranch where they have probably headed, and I start my hike back to the truck. My knee is doing OK, but for how long, I wonder? <p>I am walk in a small, rough corner of native grassland that is enclosed with the CRP fields, glassing as I go, eyeing a group of four does that are roughly in the center of the brushy fields. As I cross a small rocky ridge, I see three deer directly ahead of me -- a doe and two small bucks -- and drop to the ground to look them over with my binoculars. <p>Too late... they have spotted me, and start moving rapidly up to the top of the high ridge above them. As they cross it, though, I see the back of the last one turning east. Decision time again. I decide to try to intercept them and get a better look, crossing the fence and deliberately walking east on a diagonal, figuring they will wheel around to the south. I begin to cross a swelling rise, and just like that, I am staring at a buck and a doe on the other side of a shallow draw. They can see only my head and shoulders at this point. All of us freeze -- I slowly raise my glasses with my left hand while holding my rifle in my right. Small buck -- a 3-pointer by western count, beautiful little animal, though. <p>Decision time again. There is the old question hunters ask themselves: "if it ends up that this is the only clean shot I get all week, will I regret not taking it?" Young bucks make better eating than old bucks, and I've never been a trophy fiend. Ginny will be glad if I make short work of the deer season and take her out after pheasants and partridge every day for the rest of the week, and she needs the field work. My knee is still good, but for how long? It is a clean shot of less than 100 yards -- I detest long-distance sniping. On the other hand, when will I draw a tag again? Should I spend the week patiently hunting a trophy? On the other hand I've spent a lot of time roaming across the ranch this summer and fall, and haven't seen a single trophy buck all year -- not this year (of course.)<p>All of this flies through my mind in perhaps 3-5 seconds as I lower the glasses slowly and raise the rifle gently, wrapping my left arm in the sling for extra stability -- one of those maneuvers that kinesthetic memory brings back unconsciously. Perhaps he will bolt and make the decision for me. <p>It is an off-hand shot, whereas I usually prefer a supine shot, or at least a braced kneeling or sitting position. But my hands are surprisingly unmoving and steady. The crosshairs settle on his front shoulder in case he bolts forward just as I pull the trigger. Slow breath out... gentle squeeze of the right hand. I hear the boom of the rifle as though I were hearing it faintly in a dream-state, and I almost feel the impacting thud of the bullet as it strikes the deer more than I hear it. He drops instantly and doesn't move. The doe flees to the south. A clean stalk, one clean shot, the hunt over by 8 AM. The overcast haze has returned without my noticing it. <p>Some things you don't forget. I sign the tag, cut out the date, and attach it to the back lower leg. I move his head uphill and pull out my Buck knife. I handle him gently and respectfully, just like I remember my dad doing -- not just with deer, but with any animal I ever saw him handle, living or dead. I had already slit his throat and windpipe quickly and let him bleed out -- he hasn't reacted to my approach, but I've heard about guys getting nasty surprises when they start to open the belly cavity only to be rewarded by a merely stunned and very much alive deer kicking them in the shoulders when stimulated by the pain of the incision. Besides, I want to be absolutely sure he is dead before I do what I have to do.<p>I open his hindquarters and place a foot on each leg. I slit open the belly and the steam rises into the air. I think of Han Solo in "The Empire Strikes back" killing the tauntaun and warming Luke Skywalker in its warm belly while he sets up a bivouac to try to survive the freezing night that is falling on the planet Hoth. But only for a split second, and then I'm back, very much on this planet, very much here. I may be in a time long, long ago, though.<p>I work quickly, and all of the internal attachments fall away beneath the sharp blade of my knife. Rule one -- work deliberately and don't cut yourself. Belly contents, lungs, heart... I reach up high to sever the trachea, and end by cutting around the rectum, freeing it up so I can pull it out from above. A better hunter than I would save the heart, liver, and kidneys to eat, but I leave them as a gift for the coyotes, who will enjoy them more than I would.<p>Time now for the couple miles back to the truck. I walk back up the ridge across the corner of the southeast pasture where my hunt ended. I reach the north edge of the CRP, and there are now at least a dozen deer that have gathered in its center. They move away from me and are too distant to see well with the naked eye, but somehow seem to know that I am no longer a danger. I have left my rifle and binoculars at the kill site, so I can't look closely at them. Just as well -- I don't see anything that looks like a monster buck among them, but I'd really rather not know at this point.<p>I reach the truck, drink some water, turn over the engine and turn off NPR. I want to be completely alone and in silence at this point.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_inTfCg826bS8vdFjOTM1hE_tuQFWEFUiwObAQSR99zM4dYIbSwzKLEP0wUSUWXFCpEijDWCl7wywoXo1DDAgjrz6YYwxWtv_x8inneoedh1e0BQJSb6sb4CFLmNDiL1bv3Y9sWHFGVQ/s1600/stone+johnny%252C+distant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_inTfCg826bS8vdFjOTM1hE_tuQFWEFUiwObAQSR99zM4dYIbSwzKLEP0wUSUWXFCpEijDWCl7wywoXo1DDAgjrz6YYwxWtv_x8inneoedh1e0BQJSb6sb4CFLmNDiL1bv3Y9sWHFGVQ/s400/stone+johnny%252C+distant.jpg" /></a></div>
I have to drive through the large central pasture. It has the highest hills and ridges on the place, and I pass the 9-foot tall cairn (or "stone-Johnny") that has stood there for more than a century now, ever since an open-range sheep-herder built it back in the day. I have to circle around to get to the southeast pasture, and finally reach the site. I am able to back down into the draw and up toward the deer. I put on the emergency brake, drop the tailgate. Now for the hard part -- I've never loaded a deer into a truck by myself before. Will I need to go get the beloved for some assistance? No. I lift his head and shoulders onto the tailgate and pin it into place with my right arms, then reach down with my left hand to grab the hind hooves and do an explosive leglift (just like doing a deadlift with barbells), and the deer is in the back.<p>I'm back in the yard of the home place by 9:30, washing the blood out of the bed of the truck and rinsing some blood and stray hairs from the body cavity while the beloved looks on with interest (very new for her.)<p>Any bloodied clothing (gloves, bibs, gaiters) goes into the washing machine and I set it running. I clean my knife at the utility sink, unload the rifle (including the single expended shell that is still in the chamber), and after cleaning myself up, I sit down to devour the freshly baked cornbread that the beloved has just removed from the oven. My knee is starting to hurt, and I knew that my split-second decision to pull the trigger was the right one. It really was a beautiful hunt, the way I like to do it -- all on foot; spot, stalk, trying to think like a deer, all very quiet until there is that single sure shot that ends the killing part of the hunt. <p>After a little rest, a drive to the meat-packing plant in town to process the game and to pick up a few supplies. In the evening, I build a stout fire in the wood-burning stove as the beloved and I sit and read in the living room. Later, I pull out my guitar and play until I am content. We step outside before bed to look at the stars, and Orion is brilliant in the east, Cassiopeia is brilliant at the zenith, and the bright wanderer of the sky tonight is Jupiter. <p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSxTlSoxp1MrTUNiuFLQPLPJkf5aWCLfMXscRqwOJudFuegPLcmmQmofTbFuaNjRVscpBv8388Qvnx5yTPiWRE1S9otfGayxxhoLaBiOL01bS9Tp0X0C-EeB1tgPRXxm8pEq4RKJ23jk/s1600/2011-08-27+19.22.01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSxTlSoxp1MrTUNiuFLQPLPJkf5aWCLfMXscRqwOJudFuegPLcmmQmofTbFuaNjRVscpBv8388Qvnx5yTPiWRE1S9otfGayxxhoLaBiOL01bS9Tp0X0C-EeB1tgPRXxm8pEq4RKJ23jk/s400/2011-08-27+19.22.01.jpg" /></a></div>
Wednesday now belongs to Ginny, a day which is winding to a close as I finish writing this. We hunted a different large CRP field today -- very thick and wild, filled with pheasants that were even wilder, usually exploding into the air long before we could make an approach. I didn't get out until afternoon, so the scent was harder for Ginny to lock onto, but she got several beautiful points. The best ones were, of course, on hens, and Ginny looked at me, wondering why I wasn't shooting -- game laws are not part of their natural instinct. Still, there was a rooster breast for me to saute at dinner, and we had had a glorious day in the field, seeing birds everywhere, even if most were out of range. We've had a couple of short hunts this fall, but nothing like today, where she had a veritable feast of bird-scent for her birdy nose. Ginny is sleeping the happiest sleep she has had in months, having spent a long afternoon doing what she was born to do. Every time I do something (vocationally or avocationally) that I feel I was born to do, I have a tendency to think of her. And every time the weather turns crisp in the fall, she knows it is her time -- looking at me nearly every day with a cocked head that says, "don't you know what time of year it is, dear master?" It grieves me that there are some who own these fine animals (she is a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon) and don't hunt with them. It's like owning a Border Collie in a city where it can never see a sheep. Just wrong.<p>To make the perfect end to the day, after dinner I watched the Celtics win a close one over the Jazz while the beloved read her novel and periodically looked up to comment on a good play (she has become a Celtics convert, sound in judgement as she is.) It was a good day, filled with things of the highest importance, and when, as Ginny and I drove to the place where we planned to hunt, I heard The One speaking unctuously on NPR about the need to raise taxes and about how it was perfectly natural that he knew nothing of a months-long investigation by his FBI of the head of his CIA until the day after his re-election, I felt no anger, no despair, no anxiety. <p>Acceptance is the nicest phase of grief. Or maybe being immersed in important things simply allowed me to transcend for a time the grief I have felt at the recent rude reminder that the America I knew is gone for good. For this moment at least, I am back in the Old America of my childhood, aided by being in the home of my childhood, the house my grandfather built more than a century ago and in which my father was born. I am a mile from the one-room country school in which I was educated for 8 years, and where -- for the first 4 years anyway -- we bowed our heads to pray before eating the lunches our mothers had packed. <p>I look up at the bookshelves above me to see the great classics on one shelf, a set of the writings of the ancient Fathers of the Church on another, a 1950's era encyclopedia on another, a large part of my extensive collection of books on gardening, ranching, farming, and assorted agricultural topics on yet another. Across the room is a large bookshelf with a full collection of <i>National Geographic</i> magazines dating uninterruptedly back to 1960 and sporadically back to the 1930s. Most family members randomly explore their pages on nearly every visit -- it's a tradition. <p>Time first, though, to read a few more pages in Victor Davis Hanson's <i>The Other Greeks: The Family Farm and the Agrarian Roots of Western Civilization</i> -- a book I have been reading at on nearly every visit here for the last half-dozen years. I've almost completed it, but almost don't want to, since it has become a familiar friend. Unfortunately, the ending of the story is not a happy one, since the agrarian ideal of the yeoman farmer eventually disappeared in ancient Greece, just as it is disappearing here. The plant that grew from the roots was a good one, though -- a western civilization that is our heritage. On days like today, I believe that the agrarian roots of our own American civilization will somehow survive and give life of some sort to our country for many years to come, even after the way of life of those who built it is destroyed, and indeed despised by its new masters.<p>In short, on days like today, I have hope. And that's a good place to stop.
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