James Carville on the Oil Spill - Did you Hear "Bushes Fault?"

James Carville is one of President Obamas most staunch supporters.  I wonder how he will spin this tale to make it all "Bushes Fault"?



Unbelievable!  A Democratic Party Big-shot like Carville dares to sppeak out against the "Anointed one"?

Will wonders ever cease?  Are you sure someone can't say this is Bushes fault?

Trethewey - the Gift that just keeps on Giving

The bloggers at the Corrector just love the political ineptness of some of the local Democrat campaign plans. First, Janet Trethewey, wife of Democrat House District 33 candidate Jack Trethewey, calls the ACLU and turns her employer in for “forcing” her to endure a prayer at MSU-Northern’s graduation where she is an instructor. Apparently Democrat Commissioner Candidate Mike Anderson also wants to be included in this fray as Janet Trethewey gave him a glowing endorsement in Friday night’s Havre Daily “News” opinion page. Normally campaign letters to the editor are a good strategy but Mike should have thought this one through a bit more.

Was this strategy something these guys were taught in that Democrat Campaign School they attended? I guess they follow the philosophy of “any news is good for name recognition.”  Wow! is all we can think to say.

The campaign finance reports were due in on Thursday and one of our readers was good enough to send us a copy of House District 33 candidate Jack Trethewey’s report that shows all his campaign finance support to date which is posted below with the exception of $420 which was given him by Union PACS. Of the $1,625 that Jack has collected this reporting period only $215 was contributed by people living in his district and of that $185 was given by relatives and a mere $30 was contributed by a person he works with. It doesn’t appear that Jack has much support amongst his comrades. Jack is running against Phillip DeFelice of Havre in the primary on June 8th.

The Corrector will attempt to get copies of all the candidates’ reports next week to see how Jack’s competitors stand but this doesn’t look good for Jack. And as far as this “endorsement” of Mike Anderson we are in a state of “Shock and Awe” but go ahead and keep up the good work, we love it.

It was said best by one of our conservative bloggers as our lone democrat blogger stood with her head hung in embarrassment; “Janet Trethewey, the Republican’s gift that just keeps on giving”

Click on the chart to enlarge

Are our borders secure from terrorists?

Here are a couple of interesting news clips from WSBTV in Atlanta talking about terrorists that have came over the Mexican border posing as Mexicans. It appears that the American public is being misled about just who is coming over our borders. Are our borders really safe from terrorists?

Vid 1 - http://www.wsbtv.com/video/23438021/index.html

Vid 2 - http://www.wsbtv.com/video/23438712/index.html

Guest Editorial by Ruben McKinney

May 13, 2010
Dear Editor:

I’m sure my friend Bryan Ophus was acting out of friendship not by experience when he wrote the letter condoning the actions of Gina Dahl and Cyndee Peterson.

When you see first hand the way the 2 of them can twist the truth to get the out come they want not necessarily resulting in justice; you will have serous doubts about the justice system all together. The 2 of them epitomize what is wrong with the total system now.

If the people championing the cause of domestic violence had the pride they portray they would be outraged to see a young man obeying all the rules sent off to prison when he was the victim of physical violence. The girl invited him into her car to discuss problems and hit the door locks and beat the tar out of him before he could find the lock. The cops took very good pictures to prove it but Dahl and Peterson had no interest in the truth. Judge Rice put him under one million dollars bond to make sure he couldn’t assist in his defense.

No one charged with sex crimes and drugs has ever gotten as much time has he did. It was so bad the Judge originally would not hear his case because his words were; “I’ve never had a revocation hearing for some one that had no violations”. But he came around to their way of thinking.

When you mark an “X” for Dahl you have sentenced some one to prison weather they are guilty or not.

Feel free to call or e-mail me for the rest of the story. But on Election Day give a young man who is trying as hard as humanly possible to put his life in order and his teen age daughter a chance at life without looking over their shoulders for the Dahl and Peterson’s of the world waiting to exert their miss placed power.

Ruben J. McKinney 265.4917 rubenj@bresnan.net 

Above is what the HDN would not print now. When Peterson was running they totally denied me the opportunity to tell the have voters what she was all about. When I was challenged on the letter I was told I would be sorry for my campaign against Peterson so Petersons last act was to take it out on my son and when that happened she latterly ran out of the court house and jumped in her car and left for Missoula leaving Dahl in charge and of course her house next door to Judge Rice.

ACLU Letter to the University

On May 24th the Montana ACLU legal director Elizabeth Griffing sent a letter to Cathy Smith, Chief Counsel for the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education and to Leslie Taylor, Legal Counsel for Montana State University regarding prayers at the graduation ceremony at MSU-Northern. You can review this letter on the ACLU website as well as the “official” press release here http://www.aclumontana.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=156:denouncing-msu-northern-prayers&catid=3:rightnews

The letter states that Pastor Zerger referenced “Jesus Christ as a personal savior” a number of times during the benediction. Some professors were “particularly troubled because faculty attendance at the Graduation Ceremony is mandatory” They also pointed out that Article X, section 7 of the Montana Constitution provides that “attendance shall not be required at any religious service”

The ACLU went on to request that “a formal apology should be issued by the administration at MSU-Northern which recognizes and appreciates that the State may not sponsor religious exercises, and demonstrates a sensitivity and respect for the beliefs of people of different faiths or for people who are reasonable dissenters in participating in such an exercise.”

Should they apologize and kiss some butt?  OR...... tell them to kiss my butt?

Havre Professors "Forced" to Endure Prayer / Called ACLU

It really gives me that warm fuzzy feeling just knowing that the ACLU is protecting little old me from those naughty preachers that would dare “Proselytize” at a MSU-Northern graduation. The newspaper article in the Great Falls Tribune said that “several” local professors contacted the ACLU after the May graduation ceremonies to complain that they were required to attend the ceremony where evangelical Christians got to pray. Professor Janet Trethewey, wife to House District 33 candidate Jack Tretheway and Havre city council woman, was “shocked”. Professor John Snider hates being “forced” to listen to a prayer at graduation. Good Grief. Are we actually paying these half-wits with our tax dollars?

This story is just so asinine words escape me. Read it yourself on the Tribune @ http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20105260309  or on the Havre Daily “News”@ http://www.havredailynews.com/cms/news/local_headlines/story-180087.html

It’s been a few years since I was in college but what used to “shock” me was the amount of liberal nonsense I was “forced” to listen to that was spouted off by these pinko instructors I was paying with my tuition dollars earned by myself working two jobs. And no, I wasn’t taking political science but rather reading, writing, and arithmetic, not courses where you would expect the professor to be preaching a liberal political opinion. Why is it that spouting liberal slanted political BS to impressionable young minds is ok but it is not ok to hear 5 minutes of some poor preacher’s prayer by our highly refined academia of our local university that claim to be accepting of all views?

It is time the taxpayers take back control.

Radio Talk Show Host Michael Savage's Interview with Jo

I couldn't resist .  Especially since I have now been called one of those right-wing "tea-baggers"  Could it be this is an example of what is really the matter with our country?  Let's hope Jo is an isolated case

Hill County Attorney Candidate Forum

The three Democrat candidates for Hill County Attorney were allowed some audience time last night to tell the voters about what they can offer to the residents of Hill County if they are elected as our County Attorney on June 8th. There are no Republicans in the race so the primary will decide the winner. Incumbent Gina Dahl is facing off against her Deputy County Attorney Lindsey Lorang and private practice attorney Randy Randolph. Each was given a couple minutes to address the audience and then received a few questions from the forum moderator, Havre Daily “News” publisher Martin Cody.

Incumbent County Attorney Gina Dahl has been in her position for 7 years and filled the position upon the resignation of former County Attorney Cyndee Peterson. Dahl’s experience has focused on being a prosecutor she moved to Havre after a stint in the Cascade County Attorney’s office. Dahl claims she is a strong prosecutor that takes her job seriously and does her best to serve the people of Hill County and cited various experiences and special training that she claims makes her the most qualified to retain this position. Dahl also said she has been doing a good job and deserves another term.

Challenger and current Deputy Hill County Attorney Lindsey Lorang also cited her experience but further said she was better qualified because she has both prosecutor and defense experience. She also is very involved in community groups and affairs and thinks this will greatly enhance her role as County Attorney. She also has said throughout her campaign that she hopes to look towards creative sentencing and other options to deal with repeat offenders that aren’t currently being used. She also wants to explore new avenues to prevent crime before repeat offenders are again before the court.

Challenger Randy Randolph is actually the candidate with the most years of experience but they haven’t been in the role of the prosecutor. Randolph has worked in criminal defense and in civil matters. Randolph stated that he is the only one of the three candidates that is actually a Havre native and made a personal choice to come back to Havre when starting his career. Randolph also stressed that he feels comfortable with people from all walks of life that he would be dealing with and he truly cares about people and what he can do to help them.

One of the questions asked about their win-loss records in court. Incumbent Dahl said she has a good record but declined to elaborate with numbers or percentages. She said it was not about the numbers but rather if she was doing what was best for the offender and for the community.

Lorang had a similar response and reiterated Dahl’s position but did say that all of the candidates hands would be tied in many instances because they are in the office to uphold the law, and have to prosecute cases whether they agreed with it or not.

Randolph’s response to the same question was that he had a great record but in allot of instances he judged his “win” by whether or not his client was satisfied with his services. Many cases are settled without going to court and in some case the attorney has to be willing to help his client make compromises that will satisfy all parties and he plans on bringing this skill to the County Attorney’s office.

Randolph said the biggest difference between him and the other two would be that he wants the office to be open to anyone that wants to come to the county attorney for assistance. Currently they are barricaded behind a bullet-proof panel and he doesn’t see them as accessible. He also said that he most likely would be more choosey about the cases he actually brings to trial instead of wasting his time with bad cases.  Why prosecute a case you know you can't win?

When asked about medical marijuana and the abuses of the current system all three candidates stated that their job is to follow the law as it is written so they didn’t see any changes in this department unless the legislature was to change the laws'

The candidates were asked if they would support and promote legislative changes such as a proposed social host ordinance that would make it against the law place for legal age adults to host parties where underage kids would be drinking even if they didn’t purchase the alcohol for them. Lorang and Randolph said their job was to enforce the current laws and not make new ones. Dahl stated that she believed this was one instance that is not entirely covered by current law and needs to be improved and she would be willing to work to get the law strengthened because there is no such thing as a “safe” place for kids to drink.

An audience member specifically asked Incumbent Gina Dahl if she thought it was proper not to excuse herself from the Long Soldier inquest when her husband was employed as a detention supervisor. Dahl stated that there was no conflict of interest as both she and her husband are on the same side and everything was handled properly You can check the Long Soldier story on the GF Tribune here http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201005150500/NEWS01/5150301  No other audience questions were directed to a specific candidate.

We at the Corrector have to wonder why candidates for a position such as County Attorney were not provided the opportunity to actually debate when that is what they actually do in the court room. A weak HDN forum did not do any of these candidates justice as to their abilities.



This race will be decided June 8th so be sure and vote.

Democrat Hill County Commissioner Candidates Speak Out

The Democrat candidates met at a loosely organized haphazard forum last night to give prospective constituents a chance to hear why they think they are the best choice for the office of Hill County Commissioner. The winner in the primary race between incumbent Mike Anderson and challengers Jim Catt and Bert Corcoran will face off in the general election against the Independent candidate Jeff Lavoi. Candidate Bert Corcoran was unable to attend.

The forum was moderated by Havre Daily News Publisher Martin Cody who asked each candidate 4 disappointing and poorly poised questions following the candidates opening statements. While neither candidate told us how they would fulfill the needs of Hill County residents or accomplish any of their alleged campaign goals, both gave the audience the same tired old campaign sound bites such as “We have to work towards creating more jobs, we have to do a better job of improving our roads, we have to look at new alternative sources of funding, yada-yada-yada” It was just regurgitation of the same old same old we hear every election cycle from candidates of both political parties that never offer any well thought out solutions.

When asked what they have accomplished thus far, incumbent Mike Anderson said the number one project he accomplished during his last 6-year term was bringing the free bus service to Havre. His second major accomplishment was the creation of the newly formed Hill County Industrial Park to spur business development. Last but not least Anderson said that he has worked to develop a future Bio-diesel industry for Hill County. He went on to say that the free bus is already running a 20% bio-diesel mix that is produced at the MSU-Northern Research facility.

Did Mike really get the free bus for the Havre and Hill County area? What a surprise that comment was for those of us that thought Opportunity Link was the driving force behind this project. We had apparently mistakenly assumed that some of the bloated stimulus outpouring of cash and grants were used to fund this service instead of the diligence and hard work of Commissioner Anderson. (Sorry Mike) Wasn’t the big Bio-diesel proposal brought to the forefront by private business people that approached the City and County AFTER a private individual donated a piece of land to the City and County with the stipulation that it only be used for a future Industrial Park? Doesn’t anyone else recall that this industrial park was to be a joint venture by the city and county up until the City of Havre filed suit against the county over the swimming pool funding? Then because of this lawsuit, Commissioner Mike and his two anti-city partners on the Hill County Commission vowed to not move forward with the park in any form rather than be subjected to another “partnership” with their arch rivals at city hall. When confronted with this synopsis and rather than see the much needed project fail, the city graciously bowed out. The City of Havre and Hill County both have sources of funds for these types of projects and could have pooled their money to make this a reality, but instead we have been hobbling along at half-speed in spite of the very commissioner that now claims to have started this park single-handedly. Truthfully, Commissioner Mike Anderson has been the impeding force in this project, not the driving force so let’s state the facts correctly Mike.

We might be mistaken here but we seem to also recall that MSU-Northern department head Greg Kegal was the real force behind attracting Bio-diesel investors and has done a remarkable job of making Northern’s bio-diesel research and testing facility one of the premier research centers in the United States.

We charge that what incumbent Mike Anderson has really done was to attend a few meetings with private business people and developers to listen to reports about what THEY were doing and now is all of a sudden attempting to take credit for accomplishments that have fallen upon Hill County in spite of the behind the scenes roadblocks he has thrown up and his lack of effort towards any significant achievements. Mike Anderson ---- Much ado about nothing!

Next, challenger Jim Catt babbled on about how as a Hill County Commissioner he would work to expand our economy. He said he could accomplish this by relying on his campaign slogan “Connecting resources to the needs” What resources? What needs? Catt did say that he felt we needed to look to Rocky Boy to not only improve our relationship, but maybe even team up for some joint projects that could be accomplished because of the reservation’s ability to obtain grants that are not always available to the county. Mr. Catt also went on to say that he wholeheartedly agreed with the mission statement found on Hill County’s website citing something to the effect of “working together towards progress”. http://co.hill.mt.us/  We had to quickly look up the website last night as we seemed to remember the site was very out of date. The website still lists Doug Kaeracher as a commissioner, Cyndee Peterson as Hill County Attorney and still includes a copy of the 2006 Hill County Budget. Citing this ancient website makes me wonder about Mr. Catt’s credibility as a candidate and his abilities to decipher facts. Mr. Catt did say that he had gone over the current county budget line by line and found everything, with the exception of a couple minor points, to be in order and that after his detailed inspection of the budget he saw that the county was in good shape and operating in the black. Must we remind Mr. Catt that by law the county must operate in the black? Wow, what an accomplishment and quite frankly a rather embarrassing endorsement by Mr. Catt of his opponent, incumbent Mike Anderson.

So why should we vote for Catt? Mr. Catt mentioned several times that he stood out because he had vast business experience (at what we have never determined) He said he has already served Hill County tirelessly for over 25 years. (He has been on the county zoning board that meets once per month) When Catt was asked what he would do for county employees he said that he thought they were underpaid, deserved a raise, and maybe we should consider raising taxes to give them an increase in pay. This statement left us puzzled; do the commissioners work for their constituents or for the county employees?

It was clear at the conclusion of the commissioner portion of this forum that the candidate that shone the brightest was the candidate that wasn’t able to attend and that didn’t even utter one word, candidate Bert Corcoran.

Truthfully, the most interesting and sane comment we heard about the commissioner’s race last night was a comment made afterwards by one of the audience members. “Let’s promote an animal free election this year. Vote no to Catts and no to Incumbent Monkeys”



We agree

District 1 Public Service Commissioner Race Candidates - Travis Kavulla / Jerry Black / Don Ryan

The primary election is close at hand and the Corrector is going to highlight some of the primary races that affect our area. First on our list are the candidates for the District 1 Public Service Commissioner race for the seat being vacated by Democrat Greg Jergeson of Chinook.

Democrat Don Ryan of Great Falls is running unopposed and will face off in November with the winner of the Republican primary between Senator Jerry Black of Shelby and Travis Kavulla of Great Falls. KRTV recently posted interviews with both of the Republican candidates which are posted below. For further information about the district and what the PSC is all about check out the Montana PSC website @ http://www.psc.mt.gov/

KRTV interview with PSC Candidate Travis Kavulla from Great Falls



KRTV interview with PSC Candidate Jerry Black from Shelby


The Corrector encourages each voter to make an informed decision when casting their ballots for this very important race in the June 8th primary election. Montana’s energy future depends upon you.

KRTV News has some great coverage of the various candidates on their website. http://www.krtv.com/pages/campaign-2010/ Sadly they don’t cover all of Hill County’s races and you will have to depend up on this opinionated blog and the inept services of the Havre Daily “News” for your candidate information.

UPDATE May /25/2010  -  Left out the following website information for these candidates when I copied pasted onto the blog.  My apologies

For further information on the Republican candidates take a look at Jerry Black’s website @ http://blackforpsc.com/  and Travis Kavulla’s website @ http://kavulla.com/

Democrat Don Ryan has further information @ http://www.donryanforpsc.com/   and on his Face Book page @ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Don-Ryan-for-PSC/384812993956?v=info#!/pages/Don-Ryan-for-PSC/384812993956?v=wall

Tomorrow, Tuesday May 25th there will be a candidate forum held at the Hill County Electric hospitality room beginning at 7 pm. HDN publisher Martin Cody will moderate. The forum will include the Democratic primary candidates for Hill County Commissioner Bert Corcoran, Jim Catt and Mike Anderson as well as the Democratic candidates for Hill County Attorney Gina Dahl, Lindsey Lorang and Randy Randolph

Salvia - A legal Hallucinogen?

Did anyone see this report on KFBB news last week about kids smoking an herb called Salvia? The crushed leaves are smoked to produce a hallucinogenic high which lasts about 5 minutes. Salvia is legal in Montana and KFBB News 5 reported that 3 stores in Great Falls carried the product on their shelves.

Does anyone know if this is being sold and used in Havre?

Here’s a link with a little more information about this herb. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5290545


Here is a much better link describing what Salvia is all about courtesy of DeConstructor;     http://www.salviasociety.org/  

How About a Montana Meth Project for Havre?

Guest Post by Shawnsretroworks

Hey Havre! The Montana Meth Project needs you. Its the Paint The State contest and you could win up to 6500 dollars! 170 thousand dollars state-wide. Heres how it works folks. We need local teens ages 13-18 to find a canvas for an anti-meth message. Kids do not have to do it on their own. You can work in groups. Lets get freinds and family together and keep the message going. Team Leader must be 13-18 years old. Make it for everyone to see! For more info. visit  http://paintthestatemontana.org/index.php    or visit local stores for a registration form. Available this week.

I would really like to see a couple of these projects in town. Maybe schools? Any businesses out there that would donate a space for a public work of art? Lets rally the troops on this. Lets let everyone know that Havre is anti-meth! Any suggestions? Help me out Havre!!

Hill County Commissioners Miraculously Settle Lawsuit in Record Time

Ok we have a couple updates on the lawsuit filed against the city and county on Monday.

First, we have learned that the City was served the papers in the late afternoon on Monday in person. While we maybe can agree that Mayor Tim announcing this to the public at Monday night’s meeting wasn’t necessary we certainly can’t condone the fact that none of the elected council people were even told of this lawsuit. A point in fact is that at least one of them learned of this lawsuit by reading this blog. Why didn’t Mayor Tim inform the council?

Second, Hill County miraculously has come to an agreement with the plaintiffs to get themselves out of this lawsuit on Wednesday. They have agreed to stop cooperating with the city in the annexation process and to cease the annexation process on their end. Isn’t that what Anderson and the rest of the commissioners have wanted from the start? Just think about this logically for a minute about what transpired on Wednesday.

1. We would assume that the County Attorney and the commissioners go to work about 8 am 

2. Someone from the county attorney’s office meets with the commissioners to discuss the suit and what their position will be

3. The plaintiffs attorney is from Great Falls so assume a call was made by the county attorney to Faure Holden Attorneys at Law to discuss the options

4. The attorney from Faure Holden then calls his clients Patrick, Clausen, Newton, and the Holiday Village Mall and informs them of the counties “offer” and they accept

5. County Attorney again meets with the commissioners to inform them of the response which they accept

6. The attorneys for both sides fax agreements and documentation back and for to each other with signatures agreeing to a joint stipulation with the terms

7. The court document outlining the agreement is filed with the district court clerk at 12:15 which is barely 4 hours from the earliest possible time this work could have began if all are being truthful. Apparently we have better attorneys in the County Attorney’s office than I thought if they could get all this done in this short amount of time. It must just be a coincidence

Or, has the county been in collusion with and advising these plaintiffs behind the scenes the whole time? Did they, as we suspect, make sure they were included themselves in the suit to throw stupid questioning taxpayers off their scent?

We are guessing that they have been in on this from the Get-Go

Are Your Shingles Blowing Off?

Fuelburner1969 has asked if we would post this to see if anyone could help them in gathering some information.

"I was wondering if you could post a blog and ask how many people had shingles blow off in the last few storms and try to find out what brand of shingle they had. I myself lost a lot of shingles and the IKO rep that came to Havre told me they had faulty adhesives in 2007-2009 and alot of houses in Havre have their shingle from that period the catch is the IKO company will not cover the loss now. I have seen many class action suits against them and was thinking we might need to do that in Montana."

I have also seen shingles off all over town and I have a few off my house too but I don’t know what brand they were.        Anybody?

An Interesting Campaign Video from Arizona Governor Jan Brewer

City of Havre and Hill County get to go to Court

The Corrector has just learned that yet another lawsuit has been filed in district court against the City of Havre and Hill County. This suit was filed on Monday by several property owners (Dave Clausen, Pat Newton, CP Properties and the Holiday Village Mall) that were recently annexed into the City of Havre. The suit claims that the City of Havre failed to follow the legal steps required by State law regarding annexation, such as public hearings, signed petitions requesting annexation, filing of pertinent documents and thus the annexation in its present form should be ignored.

The complaint against Hill County asks that they stop cooperating with the City to implement the annexation plan as it puts the county in violation of the law by complying with the city’s demands. This complaint sounds strangely like what Commissioner Anderson and the county has been claiming all along. You may recall that the county continually claimed they would lose in excess of $200,000 if this annexation went through and they would have to lay off employees. We wonder if the county is advising the plaintiffs in this action while simultaneously “falling on the sword” so to speak to divert attention from their participation. It would appear on first blush that the county’s fingerprints are all over this action and it is yet another back-handed extension of the current city-county fight.

Also filed with this suit was a request for a restraining order against both the city and county to temporarily stop the annexation process while the suit is heard in court. This move, if accepted by the judge, would technically stop any potential increases in property taxes on the affected properties. With the first taxes coming out soon, didn’t the Assessor’s office already make the change from County to City or what’s been holding that up?

Interestingly to us, this suit was filed at the courthouse on Monday and yet Mayor Tim failed to mention it at Monday night’s council meeting. Nor do any of the council people appear to even be aware that a suit has been filed. Are we being kept in the dark for a reason? We have also been told that Mayor Tim is claiming to be upset as he “has been bending over backwards” to get along with his buddies at the county. Why are we the citizens never made aware of what is going on with our government entities? It would appear to us that the only things the city council ever does is to handle requests like drinking in the park, raising the pool fees by 25 cents, and whether or not to allow a closure of a street for dances. Didn’t we elect them to represent us and to provide some oversight as to how our city government is operated?

Back on annexation, another thought occurred to us as we; if these properties are not annexed, won’t we lose our ability to collect the $80,000 for tourism advertising from the TBID assessment recently approved by the council? Or what about the $20,000 budget that the Chamber of Commerce was told they would get from the bed tax to promote Havre because they now had enough motels within city limits?

This City-County battle is akin to the old Hatfield-McCoy feud except we are so inbred that we no longer know who is who so we just shoot everyone. Our readers better call your city and county officials and ask them why they aren't even aware of what is happening themselves.

The Corrector will be back with further information after we further research the facts. Oh and lest we forget, with so many people talking about this suit around town, where is the Havre Daily News? Isn’t this a major news story? We would think so.

Does Mexico Allow Illegal Immigrants into Their Country?

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has been receiving allot of flack the past few weeks about that state’s new legislation toughening up the laws dealing with illegal immigrants. Mexican president Pelipe Calderon has been hollering his fool head off about “racial discrimination” and has even went as far as saying that cities in Mexico are being over burdened by Mexican citizens moving back home from Arizona. Well DUH – they are your citizens so take care of them.

In a Washington Times story by Jerry Seper this week it was revealed that Mexico has even more stringant laws in place than those that Arizona has enacted. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/may/03/mexicos-illegals-laws-tougher-than-arizonas/  

Under the Mexican law, illegal immigration is a felony, punishable by up to two years in prison. Immigrants who are deported and attempt to re-enter can be imprisoned for 10 years. Visa violators can be sentenced to six-year terms. Mexicans who help illegal immigrants are considered criminals.

The law also says Mexico can deport foreigners who are deemed detrimental to "economic or national interests," violate Mexican law, are not "physically or mentally healthy" or lack the "necessary funds for their sustenance" and for their dependents.  

"This sounds like the kind of law that a rational nation would have to protect itself against illegal immigrants — that would stop and punish the very people who are violating the law," said Rep. Steve King of Iowa, ranking Republican on the House Judiciary subcommittee on immigration, citizenship, refugees, border security and international law. 

"Why would Mr. Calderon have any objections to an Arizona law that is less draconian than his own, one he has pledged to enforce?" Mr. King said.

It has been estimated that there are around 450,000 illegals in Arizona alone and it is understandable that the state had to do something to bring this drain on their services to a halt. Montana has a little over 900,000 residents so that would be like looking around you and every other person you see being here illegally. Considering the skyrocketing crime and the drug gang violence border towns are experiencing we think Arizona is on the right track. The federal government has ignored their pleas for years and they were finally pushed into a corner where something had to be done. Seper went on to report that of the estimated one-million illegals that enter the United States each year over half of them come through Arizona. Why has our federal government been ignoring this problem which has been escalating for decades? Could it be that our representatives from both political parties are more concerned with their own reelection than they are in the economic welfare of our country?

Now 16 Mexican Nationals are suing Arizona Rancher Roger Barnett who they claim violated their civil rights by holding them at gunpoint when he caught them trespassing on his land as they were illegally making their way into the United States through his private property. The immigrants are represented by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/09/16-illegals-sue-arizona-rancher/

Where will this travesty end?

Havre Witch Hunters Gathering Wood for the Fire

The Corrector was going to just ignore Havre’s newest Witch hunt phenomenon but it is getting too widespread to not make some mention of a community gone bezerk. Several of our blogging team met for lunch today to discuss what has been happening around our fair city and in particular the amount of names that have been offered for “sacrifice” around town as the dirty SOB’s that are responsible for this blog. Usually we find great amusement in this guessing game but now numerous individuals are “naming names” so to speak and are calling for the sacrifice of certain individuals on the altar of retribution. We are ok with that as the person penning this blog probably has some torture coming but it is a little disheartening to think that maybe some damage, personally or professionally, may fall on individuals that are possibly innocent. These accusations without fact are nothing short of the same panic that beset the early settlers in the witch hunts whrn everyone was looking over their shoulders watching for the boogey-man.

We find it unbelievable the mass hysteria that this blog can wield in the local “blame your neighbor” attacks. Many individuals about town are getting accused that are not a part of the team that publishes this blog. We have heard of a certain no good reporter that is stymied by editorial policy of the newspaper and loves to kick the groin of the management with cowardly anonymous stories designed to make the paper look bad. That accusation actually hurts our feelings as we do think we do a better job of writing than any of the so called reporters that pitiful paper employs

A few days after the school election certain school officials were laying the “blame” on a person involved with taking Shad Huston out with alleged distortions and half-truths about the school’s lack of management abilities. They said that “voters just don’t understand” and Shad had done one heck of a job and didn’t deserve this humiliating defeat because of the Corrector author. Yes, we complained vigorously about the stupid antics of the school board but to blame one person for causing all this havoc with your precious mill levy election at the hands of one blogger is just pure ignorant. The school board caused their own defeat. The fact that newcomer Magelssen won by a landslide wasn’t due to what one poor old blogger wrote but by the stupid top-secret stance of the board. Before you tie the responsibility to one of Mark’s supporters by naming a writ for his public sacrifice you should be certain of your facts. Interestingly, we have received many comments questioning whether we print facts that lack full research and here these frightened folks go do the same.

Councilman Jerry Vies and a couple employees down at city hall are positively so certain that they have “discovered” who is responsible for this blog that Vies reportedly attacked a local person at the last council meeting with his accusations. What we find most humorous about the old cueball going after someone is the fact that according to our source at city hall the Havre Daily Corrector’s web page is up on at least one or more City computers every time they have happened to wander through city offices. Why isn’t Councilman Vies calling for his good buddies at city hall to get back to work and quit wasting time on the internet during working hours? I think the Corrector will pursue the fact that maybe we have way too many City employees if they have so much free time that they spend half their day reading opinion blogs and e-mailing jokes around to their friends.

The next sacrificial lamb offered is one of those bad people connected with the Democrat County Attorneys race. Several around town have been throwing out a name that is supposedly printing this blog to scorn the local Democrat group that failed to let a Democrat primary come and go without taking sides and attempting to usurp the power of the local party hierarchy. Good grief, are they really so concerned that they would boycott a fellow Democrat because that person wants someone not blessed by the party to win? Are they also willing to sacrifice that community member without basis or fact for the good of the liberal order?

No sense blaming only dissatisfied Democrats as also included in the disclosures in this witch hunt is a conservative that has been accused of instigating another of those “vast right-wing conspiracies” to just mess up the good works at Hill County Courthouse. Just a little tip from me to you; this accused doesn’t even like pork rinds so you better get back to your detective work.

No matter who it is that is getting the blame for this blog what concerns us the most is the amount of comments we receive and hear about how people are going to “punish” one person or another for having actually volunteered their time in a public service position. If you read back through the comments you will even see that people have said they were going to boycott Shad’s pawnshop over school board action. While we were glad to see Shad get beat in the election we also remember that he was on the school board as a community volunteer. Why should a person’s business have to suffer because he showed some civic responsibility and some of us disagreed with his actions? Just vote him out and move on. It is unbelievable the retaliation some people in this community heap on those that try to make a difference. A few years ago a guy with a seat on the council had his fast food place boycotted by city employees unhappy with his work as a member of the labor negotiation committee. How do we expect to entice anyone with some business sense to run for one of these positions if they are going to lose business because of their service? On top of that it appears that now we also are including accusations that name various suspects as dirty SOB blog writers’ to that mix.

Let history guide you. Before you burn that witch that is being accused because they go to some public meetings as an audience member, make sure you have the right person before you light the fire in your panic-induced search for that perceived wrong-doer. At the very least test those accused by strapping them to the dunking chair and give them a few dips in the Jim Hill Fountain to see if they float before you send them to straight to hell.

Now you understand why we choose to remain anonymous

Havre Daily "News" now Using Front Page for Their Opinion Page

It was quite apparent in Thursday night’s edition of the “fair, balanced, and unbiased” Havre Daily “News” that the editorial board and reporter Timmy Leeds have made a backhanded selection as to just who Havre voter’s should support in this year’s Hill County Attorney’s race in his story entitled "Race for Hill County attorney flares up" (to his credit he didn’t call it a Cat Fight at least). http://www.havredailynews.com/cms/news/local_headlines/story-178687.html

Using BS from former Hill County attorney Cindy Peterson as a basis for his information, reporter Timmy wrote a whole long exposé listing all the negative qualities of Lorang and Randolph and reiterated Peterson’s long list of “facts” that pointed to the logical choice of Gina Dahl as being the only qualified choice to this office. One fact Timmy missed was that former county attorney Cindy Peterson is now employed in the federal system as a federal employee who obviously just violated the Hatch Act with her glowing endorsement of Dahl. I wonder if Timmy is going to do an article about that also?

What a story! It is also quite apparent that the Havre Daily “News” is now competing with the blogs for newsworthy opinion pieces where they can spew their opinion laced articles designed to lead their readers to their point of view. Interestingly, that is the same thing we do here on this opinion laced Havre Daily Corrector blog although we never try to lead you to believe even for one millisecond that we are a “fair and balanced” news source and of course we do not charge you one cent for the pleasure of reading our opinions. To run this story in the Newspaper, and worse yet to run it above the fold, is a miscarriage of decent newspaper reporting ethics. Judging by the big money Lorang has been spending on political campaign advertisements in this same pitiful paper I would guess she was feeling a little gut-punched last night.

The real pain I feel after reading that tripe last night was that I had nearly came to the same conclusion as reporter Timmy (that in itself is nearly sickening) and was going to actually vote to retain Gina as she does indeed appear to be the best qualified for this position. However, Lorang has noticeably out-worked her opponents this campaign and Randolph does have the advantage of being an outsider to the current lackluster performances coming out of this county attorney’s office of which both Dahl and Lorang have had an active part.

Now I am at the “what to do- what to do” point again and will be holding my absentee ballot for a few more days as I ponder this new information.  A very special thank you journalistic marvel Timmy Leeds for bringing these “facts” to the forefront for our reader’s comments

Billings Gazette Publishes Medical Marijuana Business Addresses

Like most Montana towns that are wrestling with the medical marijuana debate the City of Billings has placed a moratorium on further expansion of medical marijuana. One thing that is slightly different in Billings is that each current operation had to obtain a business license with their location and patient numbers spelled out. Apparently this is deemed public knowledge as the Billings Gazette has published a Google map showing where all of the licensed operations are located in the city. Take a look at this Google interactive map link and you will see that not only can you see a picture of each business at the specific location but you can also get easy driving directions to find your “medication”
http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/government-and-politics/html_eafd2e64-5d4b-11df-9f72-001cc4c002e0.html

The Billings Gazette also has published in their website a pdf file that lists the name and addresses of all licensed medical marijuana operations
http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/billingsgazette.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/0/a1/b09/0a1b0942-5d88-11df-89c5-001cc4c03286.pdf.pdf?_dc=1273699194
Should the Havre City Council also consider following Billings lead and just license and disclose the operations to the public? Would knowing where the medical marijuana operations are make the people in opposition to these businesses feel better? Or would that just lead to more trouble like the recent fire-bombings that took place in Billings?

Havre's Medical Marijuana Moratorium - A Solution? or just Passing the Buck?

The city council passed the moratorium on medical marijuana businesses last week for a period of 6-months and also allowed an exception that would “grandfather” in existing operations as long as that existing grow operation registered with the city within 10 business days of the passage of the moratorium and agreed to not expand their operation until more long-term rules could be put into place. The existing grow operations were asked to register at city hall as to their current location and the number of patients they currently have. A week has passed and our source at the city said that so far there has been no rush by the growers to comply with this provision. If none of the existing operations comply by the deadline next Friday just what does the city plan on doing to enforce this moratorium requirement? We are guessing that they will enforce this as they enforce every other ordinance they currently have on the books which is to ignore the obvious and do nothing, but then again, we are cynical by nature. The new ordinance carried no new set penalty for non-compliance but the city does have a penalty for standard misdemeanors which can impose a penalty of up to a $500 fine and 6-months in jail and several members of the council have indicated that this is adequate for this problem without making any new laws.

A group of approximately 30-40 people have repeatedly taken the council to task to do something about regulating this new industry that is rapidly growing in our area. Their spokesman, Rip Steckel, said they have collected over 200 signatures from people that have concerns with the industry and how it is regulated, or for a better term, is unregulated. We have also been informed that this group is meeting tonight with Peter Federspiel, an agent with the region 1 Tri-Agency Task Force, to hear his views on the subject. The local Tri-Agency Task Force deals with narcotics within an 11 county region. http://www.mnoa.org/?page=board
If any of our readers belong to this group and would like to send us a report after tonight’s meeting we would be happy to post your story at havredailycorrector@bresnan.net

So now we have a moratorium and a 6-month window to work on a solution, what is the next step? Does the council just plan to wait and see if the State Legislature will actually do something about the vagueness of the oversight regulations and enforcement mechanisms? If that is the case the 6-month moratorium will not be enough as it is nearly 10 months until the legislative session can be completed. The council also suggested the option of looking in to a business license structure for the City of Havre. Currently business licenses are not required for businesses in either commercial or residential areas. There is an ordinance that prohibits businesses from locating in certain areas but again, it is rarely enforced. How would these licenses work? They surely don’t think they can single out a particular type of business such as a marijuana grow center or dispensary which would mean that all Havre businesses would have to have a license and oversight if this was to be fair.

Interestingly I just got back from Great Falls where I took my mother to spend a few days visiting relatives over Mother’s day and I learned that Great Falls requires licensing of businesses. For businesses located in residential areas they require what is called a Home Occupation Certificate from the city. Anyone wanting to have a home office or conduct any kind of home business must first get permission from neighboring residents. They must determine how their business will affect the neighborhood such as traffic, noise, or how the business may or may not visually change the neighborhood. The Great Falls ordinances state that not more than one-third of the total square footage of the home can be used for the business and that if the business has employees they can’t be at the home for over 40 hours per week and they can’t store materials, inventory, or other debris outside the home. With some thought and intelligent debate I would think Havre could come up with something that would be acceptable to everyone using a business license structure.

Presbyterians going green in Chinook, Montana

Trying to go Green? Want to get rid of some junk? (Er, valuable collectables) Here is an interesting idea from our neighbors to the east in the town of Chinook. The Chinook City Council has designated May 22nd as Curb Day at the request of the Presbyterian Church. The idea is that you should put out on the curb any useful item that you no longer need and people can just come along and take whatever they think they can use. Everything set out must be free and available from 9am to 3pm at which time what is left can be taken for donation, placed in the dumpster or stowed away for next year. The Presbyterians did this last year and are planning on making this an annual event. This is a great idea and should save a few things from filling up our landfill

Read about the man that came up with this idea in this week’s Chinook Opinion or on the Yahoo Green blog site http://green.yahoo.com/blog/daily_green_news/65/curb-day-how-to-empty-your-house-of-old-junk-this-saturday.html

Vigilante Justice for a Medical Marijuana Burglar

Will the further expansion of Montana’s medical marijuana businesses increase crime? Back in April 3 men were charged with the Kalispell hammer beating death of a man growing medical marijuana so they could steal his pot. The victim’s wife was later charged with evidence tampering and participation in the crime. http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/three_suspects_plead_not_guilty_to_roles_in_kalispell_beating_death/17554/

Today, the Missoulian reported that 4 men in Hamilton have been charged with the brutal beating of a man that robbed their medical marijuana business. Two additional men have been charged with burglary and receiving stolen property.

We have all heard the pros and cons of the medical marijuana dilemma that is facing Montana’s towns and these types of stories are what bothers the folks that have spoken out against the grow operation here in Havre. The Havre City Council is still wrestling with the topic in their quest to come up with some solutions. The next meeting of the City planning committee is May 13th at 5:15 pm

By PERRY BACKUS Ravalli Republic

Friday, May 7


HAMILTON - None of the men accused of beating Beau Miller last Tuesday with a baseball bat, flashlight and ax handle had ever been on the wrong side of the law.  They were a Boy Scout leader, a disabled veteran, a plumber and a former car title loan officer recently turned medical marijuana dispensary owner.  All four had medical marijuana cards. Three were medical marijuana caregivers.

On Thursday, the four Bitterroot residents learned they would face felony counts of assault and kidnapping in what a prosecutor said appeared to be a case of vigilante justice.  According to an affidavit filed in the case late Thursday afternoon, Miller allegedly broke into the John Stone Foundation, a medical marijuana dispensary store located near the Wye in Stevensville, to steal marijuana and other items.  Miller apparently gave some of those items, including marijuana, to Jesse Shoup of Victor.  Shoup is a disabled veteran who served two years in Iraq.  The owner of the medical marijuana dispensary is a Stevensville man named Tracy A. Moser, 44. Moser had learned that Miller allegedly had broken into his shop, but was unable to find the man.  Moser did find Shoup.  The affidavit said Shoup was afraid of Moser and that he agreed to return the items that were stolen from the shop. Shoup also agreed to pick up Miller and drive him to a location where Moser and the two co-owners of a Hamilton medical marijuana dispensary support business, Growsmart, would be waiting to confront Miller, according to the affidavit.


The co-owners of Growsmart are Kory M. Gassman, 31, of Hamilton, and Jason Erik Weis, 35, of Hamilton.  Gassman owns a heating and air-conditioning business in Hamilton. Weis owns a plumbing business and is a Boy Scout troop leader in Hamilton.  The affidavit said Shoup picked up Miller and drove him to a location on the South Burnt Fork Road, east of Stevensville, where the men were waiting. The men used their vehicles - including a white truck with the logo "Bitterroot Boys Club" displayed on the back - to block Shoup's vehicle.  Miller told officers later that he was beaten by all four of the men with baseball bats and a flashlight. Moser later told a witness that Gassman hit Miller four times with an ax handle, the affidavit said.  At some point, Miller pulled out a pistol that he had concealed on his body and attempted to fire at his attackers. The pistol was wrestled away, although the affidavit said several shots were fired during the struggle.  Miller escaped and ran to a nearby residence.  He was bleeding heavily from his head when the homeowner answered the door. The affidavit said Miller asked the resident of the home to not call the police.  The resident called 9-1-1 while Miller made a call on his cell phone.  The homeowner told sheriff's deputies later that he saw three vehicles drive by his home slowly as if looking for someone. One of the vehicles had the logo "Bitterroot Boys Club" on it.


Miller's injuries included two large lacerations on his head. One wound required 15 staples to suture it shut. 
On Thursday, the staples were very apparent when Miller appeared before Ravalli County Justice Robin Clute on felony charges of burglary and theft. Clute set Miller's bail at $30,000.  The judge set bail for the other four at $200,000 despite repeated pleadings from their attorneys that amount was excessive.  Ravalli County Attorney George Corn asked for the high bail amount, saying the alleged crimes were a "very dangerous situation. This was a case of four on one."  All four men were charged with felony counts of assault with a weapon, aggravated assault and aggravated kidnapping and conspiracy to commit all of the aforementioned felony counts.  In addition, Shoup was charged with felony receipt of stolen property for allegedly accepting marijuana stolen by Miller.  Weis was also charged with felony criminal distribution of dangerous drugs for giving a bag of marijuana to another man whom he knew didn't have a medical marijuana card.

Clute required all the men to relinquish their medical marijuana cards and caregiver registrations until the case is resolved. She also ordered Weis, Gassman and Moser to stay away from their businesses while the case is ongoing, which drew strong protests from their attorneys.

Ravalli Republic editor Perry Backus - http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_36612e7e-5990-11df-b83c-001cc4c002e0.html?mode=story

Couple of questions come to mind as I read this story. One, the four people charged with this beating are all apparently well known people in their community. A Boy Scout leader, a veteran and a couple of local business people. Does the involvement of “upstanding” citizens in this business actually give the use of marijuana legitimacy with our youth as has been charged by some here in our comment section? Do these crimes substantiate the fears of the folks that have claimed allowing this in Havre will increase crime? Or are these isolated instances and just crimes like any other illegal activity that happens daily?

It is also interesting to note that a gun was involved in the Hamilton story and a reader sent us a question as to the legality of these Medical Marijuana people even owning guns and cited this story from California with their question http://www.redding.com/news/2010/feb/20/is-it-legal-for-medical-marijuana-patients-to/  Can anyone with some knowledge of the ATF gun laws give our readers some thoughts on this angle? And if they can’t own a gun to protect their business from intruders will this make them more susceptible to being robbed?

We would like to hear your thoughts

Is waving an American Flag in America on Cinco de Mayo Day Racist?

Cinco de Mayo which is celebrated on May 5th is not Mexico’s Independence Day, which is September 16, but rather celebration of a Mexico army in 1862 stopping a French invasion of Mexico through the town of Puebla. A rag-tag army of 4,500 poorly equipped Mexicans stopped a French army that was very well equipped and numbered around 6,500 soldiers. People living around the region of Puebla have celebrated this holiday for years however it is not widely celebrated throughout the rest of the country. In recent years the celebration has been heavily observed along the United States and Mexican border. You can read the history of this historic battle here; http://www.mexonline.com/cinco-de-mayo.htm

Yesterday 5 students at the Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill California were sent home by the school administration when they refused to turn their T-shirts that depicted the American Flag inside out so as not to offend the students of Mexican heritage.  A similiar instance also made the headlines in Denver Colorado.

So now even wearing a T-shirt depicting your patriotism is racist? Yep, Arizona is on the right track.  Time to take back our country

Mill Levy Slips By

What a kick in the pants for the taxpayers that just had wasted $200,000 of their hard earned cash on our 6-month superintendent. The mill levy passed with a vote of 642 to 629. The only bright spot of the evening was the fact that newcomer Mark Magelssen was the top vote getter in the three way race with 932 and coming in a distant second was incumbent Norman Procter with 711 votes. The former “Top-Secret” board chairman placed an embarrassing third with 455 votes. Cindy Erickson was unopposed for her 1-year term and received the few votes needed to retain her position.

People tallying the votes commented on the unusual number of write-in votes which were unable to be counted. We are surprised by the passage of this mill levy but evidently the “vote for this or else” campaign by the district brought in the needed votes.

All in all we hope that the message sent by this election will bring some positive change to our current school board. Good-bye Shad and congratulations Mark.

The Corrector would like to extend a very special thanks to the 13 much talked about No votes from the complaining coffee clubs around town that didn’t bother to vote and gave us this increase in taxes.

Havre TBID Proposal gets Revived

Back on April 16 we reported that the Havre TBID proposal was dead but now it appears we are back on track with the proposal again coming before the council Monday night.

Thanks to the diligent work of the Havre Chamber and the unified complaining voices of the Havre Corrector readers the Keanneallys, owners of the Town Pump Corporation, have reconsidered their refusal to sign on to the Havre motel TBID proposal. After claiming we were ”backwards thinking hicks” the Town Pump Corp has now decided to “make nice” and are graciously joining the effort to assess motel room nights an additional dollar to be used to advertise and promote Havre. This assessment is expected to generate approximately $80,000 from out of area travelers spending the night in Havre.

Thanks to those that came up to the plate to see this through.

School Election Today --------- VOTE!

Who wants to go out on a windy, miserable day all the way down to the High School to vote? That’s right, those people that will be voting yes to the proposed mill levy that work at the school system and are already there in climate controlled comfort. Don’t forget to do your part in today’s election.

VOTE NO BECAUSE IT IS THE ONLY WAY TO GAIN BACK CONTROL FOR THE KIDS

NO, NO, NO, AND HELL NO!

Dennis McDonald Plays the Clown at His Own Circus

Is Montana ready for a new Congressman? I have been reading Dennis McDonald’s campaign rhetoric for weeks now about how Rehberg has outstayed his welcome in Washington. The McDonald campaign has continually ran ads and shot off press releases to advance his hype that he is another of those “hope and change” guys that can take back Washington for the people.

Here is one of McDonald’s publicity stunts that went terribly awry. Great idea – damn poor execution. The “plan” went something like this; McDonald gathered his staff, grabbed some props for the camera like brooms, mops, buckets, and cleaning supplies and then called for the press to meet him in front of Congressman Rehberg’s office in Missoula for a press release and to, as Dennis McDonald put it, clean up Washington, starting with Rehberg.

When Dennis McDonald decided to try and have a little circus in front of Rehberg’s office to get himself a free campaign ad he perhaps should have kept the plan to himself instead of bragging about his “great idea” and having little inter-staff Hee-Haws and giggles while talking about how great this was going to come off in the press. What ultimately happened was that the College Republicans got wind of the “when and where” and met poor McDonald’s group in front of Rehberg’s office with some questions of their own. See College Republican Chris Shipp in action in this video.

NOTE TO MCDONALD*****  WHEN YOU ARE GOING TO HOLD A CIRCUS,  MAKE SURE YOU DON’T WIND UP BEING THE CLOWN YOURSELF



I just love these Montana College Republicans .........  Hoo-Rah!

We Are not Cheech and Chong

The medical marijuana controversy is not unique to Havre and a rally of MM supporters was held this weekend in the Great Falls Gibson Park. The end of the 90 day moratorium is fast approaching for the Great Falls City Commission. We wonder why if this is a controversial problem everywhere in Montana the problem isn’t met with some state-wide legislation in our upcoming legislative session instead of each city and county wasting tax dollars, time, and effort just spinning their wheels?

Voting NO, NO, and HELL NO at the School Election this Week

This will be a busy week for Havre High School administrators going around giving interviews and talks to various groups to promote the high school mill levy of $44,552 which will be voted upon on May 4th. You can be assured nothing will be said about the $579,000 increase the elementary district received without giving the taxpayer a break or a mill levy decrease.

Those of you that are voting against the mill levy increase be sure and likewise promote the increase’s demise. Time is short but you can still register and vote. If you want to vote absentee just go to the Robins School administration building or wait and vote at the actual polls on Tuesday, May 4th. There has never been a better opportunity to send a message to the present school board that the taxpayers are taking back control of our kid’s future.

The picture of the Highland Park addition shows where the construction project is at as of Monday morning by the out of town crew selected by our local tax spending administrators.



DON’T FORGET TO VOTE!

Monday's City Council

Monday night should prove to be interesting at the ole City Hall. The ordinance regarding the traveling MM sellers’ hits final reading as well as the new improved lesser effort weed ordinance is on first reading. Word is that a huge crowd is expected which usually results in some interesting performances from the council members.  Not seeing anything on the agenda about cats but maybe they are saving that to surprise us. Interim zoning hearing at 6:30. See you there.

Council agenda for May 3, 2010
7:00 pm
Call to Order
Pledge of Allegiance.
Roll Call.
1. Approval of Minutes for April 19
2. Historic Preservation Commission-Preservation awards.
3. Requests:
(1) Handicap parking request.
(2) Grazing request.
(3) Street closure-Lil Shot’s Carnival
(4) Street closure– 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament.
4. Ordinance No. 867-An Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Havre, Montana, Amending Section 5-6-1 and Adding Section 5-6-5 of the Havre City Code to Prohibit the Sale or Distribution of Medical Marijuana Within the City Limits Either by Vehicle or from a Temporary Location (FINAL READING)
5. Ordinance No. 868—AnInterim Zoning Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Havre, Montana, Imposing Restrictions Upon the Location, Opening, Operation and Licensing of Any Establishments That Grow, Sell, or Distribute Medical Marijuana and Directing the Study of New Proposed Ordinances to Regulate Such Establishments.
6. Ordinance No. 869—Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Havre, Montana Amending Rules Governing Noxious and Nuisance Weeds in the City of Havre. (FIRST READING)
7. Resolution No. 3562—A Resolution Revising the Employee Policy Manual Adopted June 18, 2001.
8. Committee Reports
9. Approval of April’s claims and manual warrants.
10. Public Comment-Limited to any public matter within the jurisdiction of the City Council not on this agenda
11. Motion to Adjourn

Finance Committee 5 p.m.
Public Hearing—Interim Zoning Ordinance 6:30 p.m.

CATS AND WEEDS

What important things did the city council deal with this week? Weeds and Cats were the topic at Thursday’s committee meeting but the topic was so exciting that committee person Pam Hillary “forgot” to show up and Cal Long had a work emergency so the cats and weeds discussion was left to members Andrew Brekke and Janet Tretheway and a huge crowd of two or three people. Two people present on a 4 person committee makes a quorum.

First the big weed “problem” It seems that the very same people have to be sent “cut your damn weeds you lazy shit” type notices each and every year. These same people also don’t cut their grass again until they receive yet another notice from the City. The public works department is apparently being overworked because of these notices so they want to just send out one notice and have that be it for the whole year. Don’t cut your weeds and they can send the public works people to do it and place the bill on your doorstep. I nearly got a tear in my eye when I heard about all the bother Peterson and Jenson have been subjected to over the years but do wonder what is wrong with actually doing something for a change when it results in about $3,000 in fines revenue each year added to property taxes plus the revenue from those that actually pay their bill. Come to the council meeting on Monday at 7pm if you have an opinion as the “new improved” weed ordinance will have its first hearing vote. I may just go and “suggest” that the only change that really needs to be made is with Peterson and Jenson’s employment.

A few people have requested that the City Council look into amending the doggie ordinance to include cats. Testimony was presented by a “cat lady” that cats were being abandoned all over town and she desired to see cat abusers get a big fine and maybe a little time at the pillory or something equally as harsh. After hearing some cat “horror” stories councilman Tretheway thought maybe the city could just add cats to the dog ordinance and state that all cats be under control of the owner, I.E. a cat leash law. Tretheway also stated something to the effect that this would be like the dog ordinance; have them on a leash, in control, or locked in your private yard. “If the animal can’t be kept under control, they can’t have it” she stated. I can just see it now, here kitty, kitty; let’s go outside in the yard and do your business but remember don’t go outside the fence. Tretheway went on to say that cats running wild pose health risks like rabies and other nasty plagues on society. What is this woman smoking?

Well at least we can be thankful that Mayor Time has put her in charge of the zoning committee instead of that semi-competent Brekke because we know nothing intelligent will happen now to irritate any new property owners and nothing will be accomplished. It is painfully obvious to everyone attending any council meetings that Ms. Tretheway is in way over her head. But on the bright side, at least Mayor Tim pleased fellow democrats Woody Woodwick, Bob Kaul, and Jimmy Tripleanus by doing their bidding and getting that pesky republican off as chairman. It’s back to all about partisan politics here at City Hall once again.

See you at Monday night’s council meeting. Weeds, Cat leash law and Medical Marijuana on the screen with the committee meeting starting at 6pm. Bring popcorn!


Yep, I can see on U-tube that the leash thingy should work. Don’t forget to take your poop sack with you on your walks so you can be responsible for you cat and cleanup after they do their business


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