Sep 18, 2010 -- 6:10PM, solfeggio wrote:

It's not just Montana.  A moment of Googling produced this:

gayrights.change.org/blog/view/the_texas...

The Texas GOP wants to punish straight people who support gay rights!!!

But, getting back to Montana, it seems that it has the worst record where drunken drivers are concerned:

www.forbes.com/2008/11/20/driving-drunk-...

As well, the Montana tea party president found the murder of Matthew Shepard amusing:

discardedlies.com/entry/?56024_montana-t...-

Oh, and they've got the worst record for putting mentally ill people in jail instead of hospitals:

books.google.co.nz/books?id=kR_t_xV5RJIC...

This state seems like a real piece of work.

Hey, watch it now, that's my home state you're talking about.

Seriously, Solf, most people in Montana don't care what side of the bread you put your butter on, so to speak.

There is a large undercurrent of resentment against too much federal "control" -- but that's seen throughout the West -- where people tend to favor a do-it-yourself approach to things. Again, most Montanans don't give a flying rat's hind-end who other people might have sex with. But, wildlife and land-managment issues -- such as the decision in the mid-1990s to re-introduce wolves? LOL... talk about a sh*t storm of negative public opinon!

As for the chief tea-party member saying what he said on Facebook. Well, there's idiots everywhere. I really don't think most people in Montana would find anything even remotely funny about Shepard's murder.

And the other things? Well, drunk driving enforcement doesn't lag in Montana, but the punishment for it seems to. Many multiple offenders seem to be able to keep their license and driving privledges. But from what I can tell, the Montana public is getting really fed up with that.

Sticking mentally ill people in jail probably has to do with what is called an involentary holding -- when a person is determined to be a danger to themselves or others -- and is taken into temporary protective custody. Every state has such statues.

What I think is not being mentioned here is that in tiny backwater towns in Montana, there might not be a certified mental hospital right at hand. Sure, there's one in Billings, for example. But, Montana is several times larger than some European countries, so a six-hour trip to the nearest mental hospital might not really be an option. Especially in the middle of winter, when it's 15 degrees below zero and snowing like hell. So, sometimes, the only other option is to put the person in the county jail.

Sex laws in general are stupid, out-dated, unfair and unenforcable.

As with anything, everybody isn't going to agree with the choices being made, but everybody should support freedom of choice.

As far as I'm concerned, so long as it doesn't involve forcing somebody against their will, molesting children or abusing animals, people should be legally free to do what they want and with who they want to do it with.

Sep 19, 2010 -- 2:26AM, mytmouse57 wrote:

Hey, watch it now, that's my home state you're talking about.

Seriously, Solf, most people in Montana don't care what side of the bread you put your butter on, so to speak.

There is a large undercurrent of resentment against too much federal "control" -- but that's seen throughout the West -- where people tend to favor a do-it-yourself approach to things. Again, most Montanans don't give a flying rat's hind-end who other people might have sex with. But, wildlife and land-managment issues -- such as the decision in the mid-1990s to re-introduce wolves? LOL... talk about a sh*t storm of negative public opinon!

As for the chief tea-party member saying what he said on Facebook. Well, there's idiots everywhere. I really don't think most people in Montana would find anything even remotely funny about Shepard's murder.

And the other things? Well, drunk driving enforcement doesn't lag in Montana, but the punishment for it seems to. Many multiple offenders seem to be able to keep their license and driving privledges. But from what I can tell, the Montana public is getting really fed up with that.

Sticking mentally ill people in jail probably has to do with what is called an involentary holding -- when a person is determined to be a danger to themselves or others -- and is taken into temporary protective custody. Every state has such statues.

What I think is not being mentioned here is that in tiny backwater towns in Montana, there might not be a certified mental hospital right at hand. Sure, there's one in Billings, for example. But, Montana is several times larger than some European countries, so a six-hour trip to the nearest mental hospital might not really be an option. Especially in the middle of winter, when it's 15 degrees below zero and snowing like hell. So, sometimes, the only other option is to put the person in the county jail.

Agreed. We have our share of whackos like anywhere, but Montana is still the only place I want to live and raise a family. Both my county and the neighboring county where my family lives voted for Obama and tend toward the liberal side, so I really don't worry about this sort of a crazy fringe proposal ever actually going through... it just makes it easier for us liberals to get people elected, when the opposition is so far off the map. Not to mention we have the very best in gun laws and a refreshing lack of sales tax.

I'm living in another state for a year for school, and I miss home like nobody's business. 

~Stalker