I see that Michael Moore has decided that we need rid of the second amendment, and has proposed a 28th amendment to replace it:

XXVIII AMENDMENT

SECTION 1.

The inalienable right of a free people to be kept safe from gun violence and the fear thereof must not be infringed and shall be protected by the Congress and the States. This Amendment thus repeals and replaces the Second Amendment.

SECTION 2.

Congress shall create a mandatory system of firearm registration and licensing for the following limited purposes: (a) licensed hunters of game; (b) licensed ranges for the sport of target shooting; and (c) for the few who can demonstrate a special need for personal protection.

All who seek a firearm will undergo a strict vetting process with a thorough background check, including the written and confidential approval of family members, spouses and ex-spouses and/or partners and ex-partners, co-workers and neighbors. A mental health check will also be required. There will be a waiting period of one month to complete the full background check.

SECTION 3.

Those who meet all the requirements for the restricted gun owners groups and successfully pass the background check must take a firearms safety class and pass a written test on an annual basis.

SECTION 4.

The minimum age for the restricted groups who can own a firearm is 25 years old. Renewal and review of the firearms license will occur on an annual basis.

SECTION 5.

Congress will stipulate and continually update the limited list of approved firearms for civilian use, including weapons in the future that are not yet invented. The following firearms are heretofore banned:

• All automatic and semi-automatic weapons and all devices which can enable a single-shot gun to fire automatically or semi-automatically;

• Any weapon that can hold more than six bullets or rounds at a time or any magazine that holds more than six bullets;

• All guns made of plastic or any homemade equipment and machinery or a 3D printer that can make a gun or weapon that can take a human life.

SECTION 6.

Congress shall regulate all ammunition, capacity of ammunition, the storage of guns, gun locks, gun sights, body armor and the sale and distribution of such items. No weapons of any kind whose sole intention is the premeditated elimination of human life are considered legal. Congress may create future restrictions as this amendment specifically does not grant any American the “right” to own any weapon.

SECTION 7.

Police who are trained and vetted to use firearms shall be subject to comprehensive and continuous monitoring and shall be dismissed if found to exhibit any racist or violent behavior.

SECTION 8.

Persons already owning any of the above banned firearms, and who do not fall into the legal groups of restricted firearms owners, will have one month from the ratification of this Amendment to turn in their firearms for destruction by local law enforcement. These local authorities may organize a gun buy-back program to assist in this effort.

I am not certain about Moore’s legal training and abilities – but he is obviously not particularly familiar with firearms: banning “ all devices which can enable a single-shot gun to fire automatically or semi-automatically” seems more than a little bizarre.  I mean, I guess I could build or design a single-shot that ejected automatically . . . a blow-back 22 without a magazine or tube comes to mind . . . but why?

Moore also seems to have missed some of the challenges in getting an amendment passed: starting the process requires either a 2/3 vote of both houses of Congress or 2/3 of state legislatures calling a convention.  Then it has to be passed by either legislatures or special conventions called in 3/4 of the states.

I took Problems of American Democracy in high school – and those requirements haven’t changed.  Three quarters of 50 states means that 38 individual states have to pass an amendment.  Or the converse – only 13 states need to hold out to keep an amendment from becoming law.  In the process of proposing an amendment, California is 20 times more powerful than Montana in the house of representatives, equal in the senate, and equal in the state legislatures or conventions.  I could point out that Moore’s “inalienable right of a free people to be kept safe from gun violence and the fear thereof must not be infringed” translates to being safe from fear – and that’s something that can’t be guaranteed.  Still, it is enough to understand the process of amending the constitution leaves Moore’s amendment with two chances of passing: slim and none.  If he had studied PAD at LCHS 56 years ago, he would know that.

Preheat oven 350°

1lb package elbow macaroni
1-2 cans tuna (can use chicken)
1 pkg Frozen peas
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Milk
Salt & pepper
Shredded cheese

Cook pasta in salted water till tender -don’t over cook.

In a large bowl mix the tuna, soup, peas (defrosted in microwave), milk (I use the can to measure 1 can full), about a cup of cheese, salt & pepper. Stir.

Drain pasta do not rinse add to soup mixture combine and put in greased casserole dish top with more cheese and cover bake for 45 minutes.

Well, on July 7, I received another reply from Paula Buff on my Freedom of Information Act request.  It included part of a spreadsheet on the write-in votes, and these words:

Here is the info you requested.

Candidate information can be found on the COPP website.”

Since the spreadsheet didn’t include all the information I requested, I replied:

Greetings Paula

Thanks for including the COPP website – when I include websites, I normally attempt to have them interactive, so the recipient doesn’t have to google to figure out what the abbreviation means, but that’s merely a courtesy to which I am accustomed.  I spent a bit of time on the site, and found it interesting that complaints are registered there, but didn’t find the answers to my FOIA question that are not present in your most recent response.  I’ll go into greater detail and emphasis to help make it easier to answer.

“Please send me the names and numbers of all write-in votes on Lincoln County ballots, by party and position, as well as the date those write-in votes were counted,  and the name or names of anyone who has filed as a write-in candidate, from the recent primary election last June, at your earliest opportunity. (emphasis added)”  I have added color to stress the data that is still missing from your reply.

You have provided names, numbers and positions.  I can determine the date they were counted from the spreadsheet.  You did not include “the name or names of anyone who has filed as a write-in candidate.” 

According to MCA 13-10-211, that particular filing had to be done with you:

13-10-211. Declaration of intent for write-in candidates. (1) Except as provided in subsection (7), a person seeking to become a write-in candidate for an office in any election shall file a declaration of intent. Except for a candidate under 13-38-201(4) or a candidate covered under 7-1-205, a candidate may not file for more than one public office. The declaration of intent must be filed with the secretary of state or election administrator, depending on where a declaration of nomination for the desired office is required to be filed under 13-10-201, or with the school district clerk for a school district office. When a county election administrator is conducting the election for a school district, the school district clerk or school district office that receives the declaration of intent shall notify the county election administrator of the filing. Except as provided in 13-1-403, 13-1-503, 20-3-305(3)(b), and subsection (2) of this section, the declaration must be filed no later than 5 p.m. on the 10th day before the earliest date established under 13-13-205 on which a ballot must be available and must contain: . . .

If you had no such filings, a simple statement to that effect will answer my request adequately.

The second item was the political party for all write-in votes.  Since this was a primary election, and there were both Republican and Democrat ballots, it seems that part of the counting process would include which party’s ballots were being counted.  It need not be a complicated answer – the reply may be as simple as

County Administrator             D.C. Orr                      5R       2D
Amanda Eckhart         6R

and so on through the write-in candidates.  The two I list are merely conjecture and examples.

As with the filings, if the count does not include the party on which ballot the write-ins occurred, the simple phrase “We did not record that information as we counted ballots.” will provide the data I need.

Hopefully, your next response will provide the data I need.

Mike McCurry”

I have no reply on Monday Evening, when we set the Ear up – so it will be next week before we can share the data on which party ballot the write-in ballots showed up.  I will admit, it seems a bit odd to have a primary election where the election administrator records write-in votes but doesn’t share the party. 

Whitefish isn’t the only municipality with a resort tax- Columbia Falls is similar, but with a few key differences.

In Whitefish, clothing is a luxury item. In Columbia Falls, this is only true of some clothing, specifically: “logo wear, recreational clothing, gear and accessories that have been screen printed, embroidered, or otherwise imprinted with designs depicting or containing words such as Montana, Columbia Falls, Flathead County/Valley, Glacier Park or any combination thereof”

In Whitefish, batteries are a luxury. In Columbia Falls, they are a luxury too- unless you buy them from a chain store. So, a local business in Columbia Falls must charge you 3% than a chain store for the same item. That said- if you’re shopping chain stores, instead of local small businesses, picking Columbia Falls over Whitefish is a good choice financially.

Or, you could go to Kalispell, where they won’t charge you an extra 3% on your consignment store clothes, yard sale bicycle, and ready-made sandwich.

Here’s the list of places in the state with that 3% resort tax.

I think I am probably the oldest of the folks I knew at high school when it comes to learning how to turn logs into boards.  As I think back, I think there were a lot of them working sawmills before high school graduation – for me it’s a post-retirement gig.

I’ve been cautioned that it’s hard work.  Actually, I have a bit of an acquaintance with hard work – but that was the time when I qualified as a “druppy” – an acronym for “dropped out young upwardly mobile professional.”  When you get off track as a “yuppy”, it takes some effort to get back on . . . and you do get a bit of experience with low pay and hard work.  Now, past 70, there is effort, but unlike my friends 50 years ago, I can take a break when I feel like it.  

Since it’s a small mill, I work every role from sawyer to green chain . . . but I don’t have a chain.  I just have slabs that need to be carried away.  I have yet to cut out a cull slab – while some look a bit challenged, my finest slabs will be great for fence braces.  Fortunately the boards that are dimensionally challenged have their own place – turning the non-load bearing walls in the old service station into load bearing walls that support the rafters and the roof.  

I guess I’m the millwright too – if something goes wrong, I have to figure it out.  Carrying slabs away doesn’t require much thought.  Figuring out why one of the safety switches has decided to shut the engine down does.  It’s not enough to just override safety switches – that’s like the old solution of adding a penny to the fusebox.  I have to figure out what the problem actually is.

There is a lot of waste in turning a log into boards – I figured that setting up space for 2 or 3 cords of firewood would be a good idea.  I’m wondering if I won’t need space for 7 or 8 cords.  I’ll be using the chainsaw to take trees down and to take out the blow down . . . something that makes the woods less pleasant to walk through (Lieutenant Mullen noticed it about 170 years ago when he traveled the Fortine Creek area).  It’s easier (and safer) just to pick the short logs up with the tractor bucket and carry them to the mill, so I only have the role of sawyer and don’t use a skidder.

Still, the bending has me finding my old pair of suspenders – stashed (except for occasional weekends working the shelter belt) as unneeded for an academic career.