Here’s a look at what is important to us in this ever changing world.

3 Reasons that Montana GOP Missed the Mark by Backing Rosendale for Reelection
Image Courtesy of Flatheadmemo.com and James Conner February 17 the MT GOP Twitter account endorsed Matt Rosendale as their candidate for Montana’s US House District 2 seat. The endorsement came almost a month before the deadline to announce candidacy and indicates that the Montana GOP is happy with how Rosendale has represented Montana in Congress.…
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Lead Testing Underway at Ennis Schools
Lead testing is underway at Ennis Schools according to superintendent Casey Klasna. The endeavor is a big one with over 100 faucets to test and a staff shortage and the final stages of Covid-19 protocols hampering the effort. The testing is part of a new Montana Department of Equality program to help ensure that Montana’s…
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Ennis School District Misses Deadline for DEQ Lead Testing in Water Fixtures
Image Courtesy of Parentology.com The Montana Department of Environmental Quality lists Ennis Schools as having missed the December 31, 2021 deadline to submit water samples for lead testing. Click here to see the DEQ Lead Sampling Page Lead was eliminated from service in many pipes around the country in 1970 and the school was built…
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A Top Two Primary System is a Bad Idea for Montana -Special Guest Column
A special contribution by Montana State Senator Steve Fitzpatrick If you are like me, it is difficult to think of a reason why we would want to make Montana more like California. Nonetheless, this election cycle, there are several ballot initiatives being proposed to adopt California policies here in Montana. One such proposal by former…
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Game On: Here are the First 3 School District Policies I am Opting out of When the Frontier Institute Gets Their Way
Image Courtesy of Idahonews.com Recently I was targeted by a sponsored ad by the Frontier Institute asking me to sign a petition supporting a parents right to “opt-out” of school district policies and take control of my child’s education. Here are a few thoughts that I put together with regards to exercising my rights as…
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Rosendale Issues Statement Justifying No Vote on House Resolution Supporting the Ukraine and We Respond
Image courtesy of bbc.com Montana voted against supporting the people of the Ukraine when Matt Rosendale cast the states only vote in the US House of Representatives against a resolution supporting the people of Ukraine as they face full scale invasion by Russia. The resolution passed 426-3. Here is the statement that we received when…
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“The United States has No Legal or Moral Obligation to come to the aid of either side in this foreign conflict.” -Representative Matt Rosendale (R MT)
Montana’s only member of the US House of Representatives, Matt Rosendale, has introduced legislation that will ban any aide for the Ukraine until the Southern Border of the United States is “secured” according to govtrackinsider.com From GovTrackInsider.com: “The Secure America’s Borders First Act would ban the use of federal dollars to assist Ukraine until the U.S.-Mexico border…
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The Bugle has Landed
This issue features Montana Values according to Grandpa Shaw. Plus the first chapter of two fiction projects, sports, outdoors, cannabis and more… Download it here to enjoy later
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What Would You Do If Trump Aligned with Russia to Overthrow Biden and Reclaim the Stolen Election?
Former President Donald Trump praised the genius of Vladimir Putin’s handling of the invasion of Ukraine just hours before a full scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began. Trump blamed Putin’s tactics on a stolen election in the United States and went on to point out a slurry of additional deficiencies of the Biden administration. What…
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Republican State Senator Calling for Local Housing Reforms
We need more housingBy: Sen. Greg Hertz, R-Polson Montana has been discovered. We were the second-fastest-growing state in the country last year. Our rapidly increasing population presents many challenges and opportunities, and it’s also driving a lot of unease among many of us who’ve lived here for a long time. Whether you love it or…
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McConnell Chooses Soundbite Over Substance Commenting on Safe Banking for Cannabis Companies
The Safe and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking act passed the House of Representatives for the sixth time last week and will go to the Senate as part of The America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology, and Economic Strength Act of 2022 (America COMPETES Act.) The SAFE Banking Act will allow access for legally operating cannabis…
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3 Reasons to Boycott the China Olympics and 2 Easy & Effective Ways to Do It
The Olympics are a symbol of World Unity developed to create a level playing field so that the best athletes in the World can represent their country in competition. Even a cursory look at China’s recent human rights record shows that their national policy is not in line with the spirit of the games. If…
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Cannabis Lover’s Cup Coming to Missoula February 23rd
Less than two months after adult use marijuana sales became legal in Montana will get it’s first ever Cannabis Lover’s Cup hosted by Montana Cannabis Weekly. The award ceremony will be held February 23rd at Draught Works Brewery in Missoula. Dispensaries were allowed to enter one strain each in the event to be entered into…
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Why You Should Jump Off the Fence and Vote Yes on the Ennis School Bond, Even if You Don’t Have Kids
It’s not often smart to pay for something that you aren’t going to use. It’s easy to see that approach to voting on something like a school bond. If you don’t have kids or grandkids in the school system, why would you want to raise your taxes to pay for other people’s children? Here are…
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How Do We Live in a Country Where We are Still Banning Books?
On May 10, 1933 the Nazi party hosted the most notorious book burning in history. It’s estimated that more than 25,000 books across Germany were burned in a single day. The images that came from the event brought outrage and protest in America along with a shift in strategy by those who wish to control…
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Wolf Scientist Doug Smith’s Views on Wolves, Wolf Research and Wolf Management
Much has been made about the number of Yellowstone wolves killed during the 2021-2022 Wolf hunting season. If you’re not into the kill them all or save them all philosophies, Doug Smith is your guy. This interview is older, but extensive with regards to wolf recovery, wolf behavior and Wolf management. Smith is a PHD…
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Catch Bugle Publisher Mati Bishop on NPR Discussing Rural Reaction to the Capitol Invasion
Montana Bugle Publisher Mati Bishop was interviewed by Nate Hegyi of Wyoming public radio about reactions from rural communities in the American West to the invasion of the US Capitol on January 6. Read or listen to the piece here https://www.boisestatepublicradio.org/post/rural-westerners-are-saddened-not-surprised-insurrection-us-capitol?fbclid=IwAR2AqnHkVYd4j43OWxUc9KpTk3_XZBZQJ_h8gcEB3Xi4zVwZVPMtc6K5M7o#stream/0
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Creating Facts for Every Belief
Look at history and you see countless examples of facts changing with human understanding. If this was not true, we still would believe the Earth was flat and in the center of the Universe. We have evidence now that those things are not true. The facts have changed. Or have they? There are still people…
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The American Bill of Responsibilities
Our founding fathers laid a groundbreaking path forward for us as a nation that values freedom and liberty when they created the bill of rights. The first 10 amendments to the Constitution only create half the foundation needed for us to manage the wealthiest populace in the history of the World. With rights come responsibilities. …
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2020, and the strange intersection of faith and politics
This is a special contribution to the Montana Bugle from Travis Mewhirter. Check out his website travismewhirter.com for more. I had one of the more bizarre interactions I’ve had in quite some time the other day. Not that this is unusual. It’s 2020, after all. Bizarre is the norm, especially when it comes to social…
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It’s Time to Stop Winning
America is a nation divided. It’s not a division of black and white, it’s a division of red and blue that is stretching the fabric of our society towards it breaking point. The two-party political system has devolved to an us and them slugfest with each party working non-stop to land a blow against their…
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America Can Never Be Fair
Fair can never be an American value because fairness is in the eye of the beholder. Any situation can be construed to be fair or unfair depending on the viewpoint presented. That is why it is such an effective strawman argument on social media and in political discourse. Whether it is concerning the appointment of…
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