I know, who cares about Montana? Two Senators and one congressman, and all you know about us is that both senators have buzz cuts, and our wild ex-governor used a branding iron for a memorable VETO show. What you don't know is that it is absolutely freaking GORGEOUS here, and if a few big city liberals who want to bail out for even part of the year would move here, they could make a BIG difference in this state's politics. And that can affect NATIONAL politics. Where else could you switch a state legislature with a small few thousand votes, and get fresh Big Sky air, blue ribbon trout streams, and breathtaking beauty as a bonus? Frankly, we need some help out here, so I'm making a plea. Follow me below the billowing Charlie Russell sunset cloud and find out how a move to "get away from it all" can help save the whole damned country.
My friends will probably give me a dunking in the river for doing this, but I am, for the first time in my life, going to encourage YOU to take a look at Montana. We like our privacy out here, so usually it's only tourist bureaus, realtors, and militia recruiters who let others in on our secret, that Montana is AWESOME. And we have quite a progressive history. Not always perfect, but we've done a lot of self-correcting through the years, resulting in some pretty darn good environmental, political, and social laws.
The back-to-the-land movement of the 60s and 70s had a big influence on the environmental laws, and the 1972 Constitutional Convention produced one of the cooler state constitutions I know of, including the right to a decent education and a clean environment. Those old hippies made our tiny towns more than they ever could have hoped, as they were educated and bold. They stood up for their kids and teachers in the schools, they participated in the public involvement phase of environmental projects and government decisions, and they learned you could both resist the militia influence and square dance with them in the community hall.
But the great kids those ol' hippies raised - most of them moved away. They learned to fight for what matters, but they also learned to live their own dreams, and few stay to live the same dream their parental units had, here in the sticks. That's OK, but it seems that there just isn't any "take this job and shove it" movement filling back in behind them here. But guess who is?
Those pesky militia and their comrades in arms, the Red Tide. A bizarre mix of religious nuts, gun freaks, retiring big city cops, and anti-government fake-fact tyrants who want to remake Montana into their own image. We've been somewhat neighborly with them as individuals all these years in our communities because we could still carry on a good life, while making it clear we wanted no part of their hateful preaching.
But now we're in danger of dying out, and with no one to fill in behind us, their relatively low numbers take on more significance in elections. With the Koch Brothers groups pulling their puppet strings, these poorly informed, or often mentally challenged or even mentally ill folks get themselves to thinking they've really got something on us Librul INTELECK-CHEWLLS, and they're gonna show us a what's what. And to be honest, they're really starting to get on my nerves. They are louder, better funded, and better organized than we are.
It seems all the Democratic resources are concentrated on blue areas. I'm not saying let them fall to the wolves, but couldn't you share a little? We could really use some help out here, as BoiseBlue pointed out in his Kos piece, "Let's talk about red states, shall we?
Take a look at Montana - or Idaho for that matter. We promise unmatched beauty, combined with the potential to make a real difference politically, at the local, state, and national level. And take a dunk in the river with me! It's clean and cold, perfect for this hot time of year!