Do I still live in Montana? You bet!

I was in Superior the other day and saw a totally FAH-bu-lous secondhand shop and beauty salon now occupies the building built atop the burned-out ruins of the hotel where Gideon first forgot his Bible a little over 100 years ago.  It replaced the 24 hour gym and "supplement" shop that was there.  Across the street the marquee over the dive bar (as if there is another kind in these parts) no longer advertises the 3 to 7pm happy 'hour' and which nights ladies drink half-price.  Now they have Wii championships.

In places like Missoula, Kalispell, Bozeman, Butte and Billings that sort of stuff is normal, but Superior?

A little before, and since then, several stories made the news that, while maybe not only in Montana, are certainly Rocky Mountain flavored...

Tea Baggers who are trying to unseat Republican incumbents for being RINOs are everywhere.  One such in Montana is Ron Lake trying to unseat Republican state Representative Jeff Welborn in the June 8th primary.  From Mr. Lake's campaign flier:

It is going to take real Republicans committed to conservative values to make things right again, not Republicans who are ‘in bed' with Big Government. 

Maybe I'm old fashioned, but when a person runs as a Republican, when he gets to Helena, I think he should vote as a Republican.

Good, wholesome, American conservative values coming from someone who is a registered violent offender, and whose offenses include breaking into someone's apartment to use their phone to place "long distance phone calls" to "adult entertainment" providers.

Tea Party values: Republicans who are in bed with Big Government are bad; Republicans who are violent criminals addicted to phone sex are good.

On the subject of family values, Missoula has a brand new law (as of today) that prohibits discrimination based on sexual identity.  Yay!  Certain people are uncomfortable with that sort of thing.  Especially priapic anti-porn crusader Tei Nash.  Nash, who is squarely in the "God hates fags" camp, decided to take a gentler approach this time.  He doesn't have a problem with how people are or anything, he just doesn't want pre-op trannies using the ladies room because it will confuse little kids and lead to sexual assault.

No, really.  notmybathroom.com  

I'm surprised Mr. Nash's head didn't literally explode when his daughter came out in front of him and half the county at the overflowing city council meeting about the ordinance. 

At least cowboys are still heroes in Montana.  Especially cowboys who rassle space aliens to prevent a plane from being hijacked.  OK, it was just one cowboy and he helped the flight crew subdue someone who had too much to drink who was ranting about being a being from another planet, but the guy really is a cowboy.

If we have space-alien-rasslin' cowboys, we need Indians who still hunt tasty critters with handcrafted bows.  And teach kids about it in schools.  Not just about how it used to be, but what bow hunting is like now with handcrafted bows.

All that plus Brent and Jackiya!

I don't know what I was worried about, I totally live in Montana!