Oil exploration boom changes the town of Sidney, up in the corner of Montana.
Full story here: http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/oil-boom-and-teacher-s-kidnapping-change-town-of-sidney/article_1f7c0f20-6493-11e1-a988-0019bb2963f4.html
Showing posts with label Montana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Montana. Show all posts
Friday, March 2, 2012
Another black eye for Montana
Appellate Court Will Review Cebull Email
Originally printed at http://www.kulr8.com/news/local/Appellate-Court-Will-Review-Cebull-Email-141128193.html
By Sarah Gravlee
March 1, 2012
BILLINGS - An appellate court will conduct a judicial misconduct review of Montana's chief federal judge. This after Judge Richard Cebull forwarded an email to friends containing a racist joke involving bestiality and President Barack Obama's mother.
Cebull is sending a formal apology to President Obama and Cebull himself is asking the Ninth Circuit to review the matter. One local man who has spent more than two decades battling intolerance said Cebull's email made him lose faith in the bench.
"Nothing short of a resignation is going to fix this," said Eran Thompson, the chair of Not in our Town, a world-wide organization started in Billings in 1992 when white supremacy groups targeted minorities.
"Our work is to stop hate," Thompson said. "To stand up and say, 'not in our town.'"
Thompson addresses racial issues in the community on a regular basis, but said the email sent by a federal judge hit close to his heart.
"On a personal level for me, I have a white mother and African-American father, and my initial reaction was anger when I saw this judge had written such a horrible email," Thompson said.
The email Cebull forwarded to six addresses ended up in the hands of a reporter at the Great Falls Tribune. They report the email, sent February 20th, included a remark that Cebull admits as being racist. The Tribune quotes the judge saying his motive was political, not racial. For some, that's not good enough.
"It's dehumanizing, first of all. Comparing the likes of skin other than white to being some kind an animal," Thompson said. The news broke around the anniversary of his mother's death.
"I flash to my mother's eyes. The sadness that would have been in her eyes to see something like this," Thompson said.
He is not the only one asking Cebull to resign. The Montana Human Rights Network has an online petition where anyone can join a list of people asking the judge to resign.
"We really feel like this email violates public trust that we put into people who serve in those positions," said Executive Director Travis McAdams.
Common Cause, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded in 1970, also filed an official complaint with the Ninth Circuit Court. President of that organization Bob Edgar said, "The judge is a federal judge appointed for life. He's to uphold the highest standards of the judicial code of ethics, and he's failed."
Cebull has reportedly apologized for sending the email, but for someone who has been fighting racism in this community for over 20 years an apology is not enough.
"People of color, women who were the target of this insensitive and ugly email will never be able to step into a court room or have any decisions made by him where we won't feel there is a sense of fairness lost," Thompson said.
Several attempts to reach Judge Cebull were unsuccessful Thursday. The Ninth Circuit Court issued a statement Thursday afternoon saying in part, "Judge Cebull has publicly acknowledged that he has acted inappropriately. The judicial council is expected to act expeditiously in investigating and resolving this matter."
The circuit could do anything from dismissing the complaint to recommending Congress impeach Cebull.
Originally printed at http://www.kulr8.com/news/local/Appellate-Court-Will-Review-Cebull-Email-141128193.html
By Sarah Gravlee
March 1, 2012
BILLINGS - An appellate court will conduct a judicial misconduct review of Montana's chief federal judge. This after Judge Richard Cebull forwarded an email to friends containing a racist joke involving bestiality and President Barack Obama's mother.
Cebull is sending a formal apology to President Obama and Cebull himself is asking the Ninth Circuit to review the matter. One local man who has spent more than two decades battling intolerance said Cebull's email made him lose faith in the bench.
"Nothing short of a resignation is going to fix this," said Eran Thompson, the chair of Not in our Town, a world-wide organization started in Billings in 1992 when white supremacy groups targeted minorities.
"Our work is to stop hate," Thompson said. "To stand up and say, 'not in our town.'"
Thompson addresses racial issues in the community on a regular basis, but said the email sent by a federal judge hit close to his heart.
"On a personal level for me, I have a white mother and African-American father, and my initial reaction was anger when I saw this judge had written such a horrible email," Thompson said.
The email Cebull forwarded to six addresses ended up in the hands of a reporter at the Great Falls Tribune. They report the email, sent February 20th, included a remark that Cebull admits as being racist. The Tribune quotes the judge saying his motive was political, not racial. For some, that's not good enough.
"It's dehumanizing, first of all. Comparing the likes of skin other than white to being some kind an animal," Thompson said. The news broke around the anniversary of his mother's death.
"I flash to my mother's eyes. The sadness that would have been in her eyes to see something like this," Thompson said.
He is not the only one asking Cebull to resign. The Montana Human Rights Network has an online petition where anyone can join a list of people asking the judge to resign.
"We really feel like this email violates public trust that we put into people who serve in those positions," said Executive Director Travis McAdams.
Common Cause, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded in 1970, also filed an official complaint with the Ninth Circuit Court. President of that organization Bob Edgar said, "The judge is a federal judge appointed for life. He's to uphold the highest standards of the judicial code of ethics, and he's failed."
Cebull has reportedly apologized for sending the email, but for someone who has been fighting racism in this community for over 20 years an apology is not enough.
"People of color, women who were the target of this insensitive and ugly email will never be able to step into a court room or have any decisions made by him where we won't feel there is a sense of fairness lost," Thompson said.
Several attempts to reach Judge Cebull were unsuccessful Thursday. The Ninth Circuit Court issued a statement Thursday afternoon saying in part, "Judge Cebull has publicly acknowledged that he has acted inappropriately. The judicial council is expected to act expeditiously in investigating and resolving this matter."
The circuit could do anything from dismissing the complaint to recommending Congress impeach Cebull.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Bears don't hibernate
Via video uplink, students learn about bears' winter behavior
By JAMIE KELLY
Bears don't hibernate.
No, no they don't.
They hunker down and they get cozy and they live off their fat for winters at a time, but guess what?
"What they do is called ‘denning,' " said educator Alli Depuy to about 80 kindergartners at Rattlesnake Elementary on Wednesday morning, upsetting - just a bit - the supposed common knowledge held by even adults.
Depuy, an education outreach specialist with East Missoula's Alter Enterprises, appeared almost by magic on a giant screen in a kindergarten classroom via a remote uplink.
From a small studio with a green-screen background, Depuy showed the sea of little kids - they could see her, and her them - the winter sleeping habits of a bruin nestled into his den. Video footage of the bear stretching and sniffing out a rodent encroaching in his den and - gasp! - actually leaving the den pointed to only one conclusion, she told the children.
"Bears do not hibernate," she said. "They slow their bodies down, but they wake up. And they move around, and they even leave their den during the wintertime. So bears aren't really hibernators."
The event was coordinated by the Missoula County Public Schools district and Ryan Alter, owner of the company, which develops and builds high-tech devices for field biologists, including a patented remote bear trap, and records wildlife footage through dozens of field cameras.
The educational wing of the company links students from across North America with Depuy, who delivers classroom lessons from Alter Enterprises' tiny, green-screen-painted studio.
Wednesday's presentation was the first within MCPS, but won't be the last as the district pursues "21st century" education - real life meeting real students in the classroom.
The uplink was a teaching moment not just for the kindergartners, most of whom have been reading about bear "hibernation" from their children's book "Bear Snores On." But it was also a learning moment for the teachers, who themselves discovered that bears do not, in fact, hibernate.
"I learned something new today, too," said kindergarten teacher Emily Endris, after the hourlong presentation.
Using video footage from remote wildlife cameras, including some installed in makeshift bear dens, Depuy showed a skunk making its way into the den as the black bear slept, only to be scared off by the bear's awakening.
The bear also pawed at straw placed in its den, trying to uncover a wayward rodent looking for respite from the winter.
All of it means that bears do not always "snore on," despite what the kindergartners' book says. Sometimes they wake up, stretch for a while, or even leave the den looking for some easy food.
Ryan Alter and his company work with wildlife biologists, government agencies and schools, providing wildlife observation and classroom lessons - from kindergarten to college - for schools across the country.
"This is the culmination of a lot of research and development, and a lot of data collecting," said Alter. "We then put it together for education, kind of packaging it."
The company also has an energy and conservation component, and may also soon connect with schools for art education, as Depuy's background is in art.
Endris, the teacher, was happy that her students got a dose of reality to go along with the story they've been reading about bear "hibernation."
"I think the kids really got into it," she said. "We've been reading this story, so it was fun to see the real animals, along with the fictional story we've been reading."
By JAMIE KELLY
Bears don't hibernate.
No, no they don't.
They hunker down and they get cozy and they live off their fat for winters at a time, but guess what?
"What they do is called ‘denning,' " said educator Alli Depuy to about 80 kindergartners at Rattlesnake Elementary on Wednesday morning, upsetting - just a bit - the supposed common knowledge held by even adults.
Depuy, an education outreach specialist with East Missoula's Alter Enterprises, appeared almost by magic on a giant screen in a kindergarten classroom via a remote uplink.
From a small studio with a green-screen background, Depuy showed the sea of little kids - they could see her, and her them - the winter sleeping habits of a bruin nestled into his den. Video footage of the bear stretching and sniffing out a rodent encroaching in his den and - gasp! - actually leaving the den pointed to only one conclusion, she told the children.
"Bears do not hibernate," she said. "They slow their bodies down, but they wake up. And they move around, and they even leave their den during the wintertime. So bears aren't really hibernators."
The event was coordinated by the Missoula County Public Schools district and Ryan Alter, owner of the company, which develops and builds high-tech devices for field biologists, including a patented remote bear trap, and records wildlife footage through dozens of field cameras.
The educational wing of the company links students from across North America with Depuy, who delivers classroom lessons from Alter Enterprises' tiny, green-screen-painted studio.
Wednesday's presentation was the first within MCPS, but won't be the last as the district pursues "21st century" education - real life meeting real students in the classroom.
The uplink was a teaching moment not just for the kindergartners, most of whom have been reading about bear "hibernation" from their children's book "Bear Snores On." But it was also a learning moment for the teachers, who themselves discovered that bears do not, in fact, hibernate.
"I learned something new today, too," said kindergarten teacher Emily Endris, after the hourlong presentation.
Using video footage from remote wildlife cameras, including some installed in makeshift bear dens, Depuy showed a skunk making its way into the den as the black bear slept, only to be scared off by the bear's awakening.
The bear also pawed at straw placed in its den, trying to uncover a wayward rodent looking for respite from the winter.
All of it means that bears do not always "snore on," despite what the kindergartners' book says. Sometimes they wake up, stretch for a while, or even leave the den looking for some easy food.
Ryan Alter and his company work with wildlife biologists, government agencies and schools, providing wildlife observation and classroom lessons - from kindergarten to college - for schools across the country.
"This is the culmination of a lot of research and development, and a lot of data collecting," said Alter. "We then put it together for education, kind of packaging it."
The company also has an energy and conservation component, and may also soon connect with schools for art education, as Depuy's background is in art.
Endris, the teacher, was happy that her students got a dose of reality to go along with the story they've been reading about bear "hibernation."
"I think the kids really got into it," she said. "We've been reading this story, so it was fun to see the real animals, along with the fictional story we've been reading."
Monday, November 14, 2011
I want to be the third hunter
Hunters attacked by grizzly in Madison County
BOZEMAN- Two men were injured when a grizzly bear attacked them while they were hunting over the weekend in Madison County.
Three men were hunting in a wooded area of the north fork of the Bear Creek near Cameron in the Madison Range on Saturday when they surprised a sow grizzly and two cubs according to Madison County Undersheriff Roger Thompson.
The sow grabbed one of the men but dropped him when his hunting partner yelled. The sow then went to the second man, picked him up and dropped him, then she and the two cubs ran off Thompson reports.
Officials tried to get an Air Idaho airlift into the area, but there were no open places to do so in the heavily wooded area. The men had built a fire and rescuers were able to locate them from the air.
At around 6:30 p.m. Madison County Search and Rescue, Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the U.S. Forest Service entered the area. It took rescuers about 3 ½ hours to get there, Thompson said.
One of the victims, a 16-year-old male from Helmville, suffered a bite to the leg and was unable to walk out. The second victim, a 41-year-old man from Manhattan, suffered a bite to the shoulder. A third man who was with them was not injured. Horses were used to get the injured men out of the area. They were taken to an Ennis hospital.
Thompson did not know if the men had bear spray. He also said there have not been any other reports of bear attacks in this area, but added it was a remote area with not a lot of access.
We have placed a call to Fish, Wildlife and Parks seeking information regarding the future of the bears. We will bring you more information as it becomes available.
BOZEMAN- Two men were injured when a grizzly bear attacked them while they were hunting over the weekend in Madison County.
Three men were hunting in a wooded area of the north fork of the Bear Creek near Cameron in the Madison Range on Saturday when they surprised a sow grizzly and two cubs according to Madison County Undersheriff Roger Thompson.
The sow grabbed one of the men but dropped him when his hunting partner yelled. The sow then went to the second man, picked him up and dropped him, then she and the two cubs ran off Thompson reports.
Officials tried to get an Air Idaho airlift into the area, but there were no open places to do so in the heavily wooded area. The men had built a fire and rescuers were able to locate them from the air.
At around 6:30 p.m. Madison County Search and Rescue, Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the U.S. Forest Service entered the area. It took rescuers about 3 ½ hours to get there, Thompson said.
One of the victims, a 16-year-old male from Helmville, suffered a bite to the leg and was unable to walk out. The second victim, a 41-year-old man from Manhattan, suffered a bite to the shoulder. A third man who was with them was not injured. Horses were used to get the injured men out of the area. They were taken to an Ennis hospital.
Thompson did not know if the men had bear spray. He also said there have not been any other reports of bear attacks in this area, but added it was a remote area with not a lot of access.
We have placed a call to Fish, Wildlife and Parks seeking information regarding the future of the bears. We will bring you more information as it becomes available.
Declaration of Missoula (Occupy Missoula)
Declaration of Missoula
October 27, 2011 the Occupy Missoula General Assembly, by consensus of approximately 45 members approved this draft of the declaration. A reminder that this is yet an alive and evolving document meant to reflect current goals of our community and these well change. We invite further comments, ideas, suggestions and concerns. Amendments can be made. The declaration is included in this post, however for ease of sharing with each other, please leave comments at Occupy Missoula forums. And THANK YOU OCCUPY MISSOULA!
Declaration of Missoula, Draft #8, October 23, 2011
We stand just inside the threshold of a new global paradigm. Top-down decision making by the few over the interests of the many has failed us. Many of us are one accident or illness away from bankruptcy, one pink slip away from homelessness. Isolated within our narrow areas of concern, we have been ignored. Now, joined together, we have forced open a door that politicians, the economic elite, and the corporate media had hoped was securely shut, and we find ourselves, along with hundreds of other communities, on the world stage.
We, the members of Occupy Missoula, are outraged by the injustices perpetrated against all life on this planet by private and giant multinational corporate forces which now exert disproportionate influence over the societies of the world. We believe that concentration of wealth and political power in the hands of a small minority at the top has corrupted our processes of civil, democratic governance: permitting imperialism and war through the misuse of the contributions of taxpayers; wasting and degrading our natural resources for private gain; forcing private costs onto the public at large in the form of pollution and threats to public health; and the manipulation of the justice system to benefit corporate interest with constitutional protections originally intended only for natural persons. One need not look outside Montana for examples of these injustices; the Anaconda Copper Company’s reign over the state still echoes in the recent loss of the Montana Corrupt Practices Act, which defended our state against private economic control over its political representatives. Now, the local water supply is in jeopardy with the proposed sale of Missoula’s water utility to the elite multinational investment firm, the Carlyle Group.
Until now we all have been part of developing the system the way it is. We all let this happen. Today, we are united by our realization that we can no longer silently allow ourselves to be the passive subjects of a political and corporate media system that consistently ignores, trivializes, and misrepresents the reality of our concerns, our histories, and diverse cultures. Only by occupation of the streets and public places can our voices be heard.
We believe that a fair society requires a framework for informed and meaningful participation by all people; and that democracy derives its legitimacy from treating all persons, indiscriminately with social, political, and economic fairness. The people of Occupy Missoula have divergent goals and opinions, but are nonetheless discovering a common bond of respect and responsibility for our collective future. We have chosen a horizontal, consensus-driven model to provide that the opportunity and power to effect change will be evenly distributed amongst all.
Many among the economic elite are using their control over politics and the media in the hope that we will dissolve into our constituent parts and melt back into the woodwork. But we will not compromise our futures. We are fortified by our desire and resolve to work together. Unlike owners of huge corporations, we need not be bound by unsustainable greed. A different world is possible. The outcomes we seek will extend to the limits of our compassion, our integrity will determine each step.
People across the world are realizing that they are no longer served by their political systems, and so must occupy the streets and public places. Our political representatives do not represent us; we must represent ourselves. We will be the authors of our own future.
The general assembly of Occupy Missoula, having declared its purpose, stands in solidarity with Occupy movements around the globe.
———-
All other statements reflect the views and opinions of individuals, unless arrived at through the consensus process at our General Assembly meetings.
Occupy Missoula is in Solidarity with Occupy Wall Street:
The Declaration of the Occupation of New York City
As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies.
As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power.
We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known.
They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage.
They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give Executives exorbitant bonuses.
They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in the workplace based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation.
They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.
They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless animals, and actively hide these practices.
They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions.
They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a human right.
They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers’ healthcare and pay.
They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people, with none of the culpability or responsibility
They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance.
They have sold our privacy as a commodity.
They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press. They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products endangering lives in pursuit of profit.
They determine economic policy, despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce.
They have donated large sums of money to politicians, who are responsible for regulating them.
They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil.
They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people•s lives or provide relief in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantial profit
They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit.
They purposefully keep people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media.
They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt.
They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad. They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas.
They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts. *
~To the people of the world,-
We, the New York City General Assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power.
Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public space; create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone.
To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal.
Join us to make your voices heard!
*These grievances are not all inclusive
October 27, 2011 the Occupy Missoula General Assembly, by consensus of approximately 45 members approved this draft of the declaration. A reminder that this is yet an alive and evolving document meant to reflect current goals of our community and these well change. We invite further comments, ideas, suggestions and concerns. Amendments can be made. The declaration is included in this post, however for ease of sharing with each other, please leave comments at Occupy Missoula forums. And THANK YOU OCCUPY MISSOULA!
Declaration of Missoula, Draft #8, October 23, 2011
We stand just inside the threshold of a new global paradigm. Top-down decision making by the few over the interests of the many has failed us. Many of us are one accident or illness away from bankruptcy, one pink slip away from homelessness. Isolated within our narrow areas of concern, we have been ignored. Now, joined together, we have forced open a door that politicians, the economic elite, and the corporate media had hoped was securely shut, and we find ourselves, along with hundreds of other communities, on the world stage.
We, the members of Occupy Missoula, are outraged by the injustices perpetrated against all life on this planet by private and giant multinational corporate forces which now exert disproportionate influence over the societies of the world. We believe that concentration of wealth and political power in the hands of a small minority at the top has corrupted our processes of civil, democratic governance: permitting imperialism and war through the misuse of the contributions of taxpayers; wasting and degrading our natural resources for private gain; forcing private costs onto the public at large in the form of pollution and threats to public health; and the manipulation of the justice system to benefit corporate interest with constitutional protections originally intended only for natural persons. One need not look outside Montana for examples of these injustices; the Anaconda Copper Company’s reign over the state still echoes in the recent loss of the Montana Corrupt Practices Act, which defended our state against private economic control over its political representatives. Now, the local water supply is in jeopardy with the proposed sale of Missoula’s water utility to the elite multinational investment firm, the Carlyle Group.
Until now we all have been part of developing the system the way it is. We all let this happen. Today, we are united by our realization that we can no longer silently allow ourselves to be the passive subjects of a political and corporate media system that consistently ignores, trivializes, and misrepresents the reality of our concerns, our histories, and diverse cultures. Only by occupation of the streets and public places can our voices be heard.
We believe that a fair society requires a framework for informed and meaningful participation by all people; and that democracy derives its legitimacy from treating all persons, indiscriminately with social, political, and economic fairness. The people of Occupy Missoula have divergent goals and opinions, but are nonetheless discovering a common bond of respect and responsibility for our collective future. We have chosen a horizontal, consensus-driven model to provide that the opportunity and power to effect change will be evenly distributed amongst all.
Many among the economic elite are using their control over politics and the media in the hope that we will dissolve into our constituent parts and melt back into the woodwork. But we will not compromise our futures. We are fortified by our desire and resolve to work together. Unlike owners of huge corporations, we need not be bound by unsustainable greed. A different world is possible. The outcomes we seek will extend to the limits of our compassion, our integrity will determine each step.
People across the world are realizing that they are no longer served by their political systems, and so must occupy the streets and public places. Our political representatives do not represent us; we must represent ourselves. We will be the authors of our own future.
The general assembly of Occupy Missoula, having declared its purpose, stands in solidarity with Occupy movements around the globe.
———-
All other statements reflect the views and opinions of individuals, unless arrived at through the consensus process at our General Assembly meetings.
Occupy Missoula is in Solidarity with Occupy Wall Street:
The Declaration of the Occupation of New York City
As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies.
As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power.
We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known.
They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage.
They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give Executives exorbitant bonuses.
They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in the workplace based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation.
They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.
They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless animals, and actively hide these practices.
They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions.
They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a human right.
They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers’ healthcare and pay.
They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people, with none of the culpability or responsibility
They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance.
They have sold our privacy as a commodity.
They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press. They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products endangering lives in pursuit of profit.
They determine economic policy, despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce.
They have donated large sums of money to politicians, who are responsible for regulating them.
They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil.
They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people•s lives or provide relief in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantial profit
They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit.
They purposefully keep people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media.
They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt.
They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad. They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas.
They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts. *
~To the people of the world,-
We, the New York City General Assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power.
Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public space; create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone.
To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal.
Join us to make your voices heard!
*These grievances are not all inclusive
Friday, October 7, 2011
Occupy Missoula call to action and a statement of objectives by Occupy Wall St.
Occupy Missoula!
In Solidarity with Occupy Wall Street.
Saturday, October 8, 2011, 10:00am, Caras Park (By the Fishes Sculpture and the Clark Fork Market)
Occupy Missoula is a nonviolent movement for accountability in the United States government.
We gather in solidarity with the ongoing protest in New York City, Occupy Wall Street, and the growing number of cities whose people will no longer sit back watching corporate and special interests run their government. We are citizens of the United States, and this country is ours. We will take it back.
It is no longer enough to vote and to participate in the political system because our political system has been altered drastically from its intended and proper function. Currently, we are allowed to pick from a few candidates whose campaigns are funded more and more by large organizations, corporations, and special interests. The success of their campaigns depends largely on how the corporate mass media presents them. When our elected officials enter office they then pander to the small groups responsible for their election. Even good men and women cannot make real improvements that benefit the American people.
We are one city in a growing national movement of people who no longer feel that their government works in their best interest.
Please Join Us Saturday.
For More Information: http://OccupyMissoula.wordpress.com
==
Statement of Solidarity from Occupy Wall Street, Released October 5, 2011:
“As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies. As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members. That our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors. That a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people, and the Earth, and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power.
We come to you at a time when corporations — which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality — run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here as is our right to let these facts be known.
They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage.
They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give executives exorbitant bonuses.
They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in workplaces based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation.
They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.
They have profited off the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless animals, and actively hide these practices.
They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions.
They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is, itself, a human right.
They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut worker’s health care and pay.
They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people with none of the culpability or responsibility.
They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams, but look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance.
They have sold our privacy as a commodity.
They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press.
They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products, endangering lives in pursuit of profit.
They determine economic policy despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce.
They have donated large sums of money to politicians, who are responsible for regulating them.
They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil.
They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives, or provide relief in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantial profit.
They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit.
They purposefully kept people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media.
They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners, even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt.
They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad.
They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas.
They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts.
To the people of the world,
We, the New York City general assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power.
Exercise your right to peaceably assemble, occupy public space, create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone.
To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal.
Join us and make your voices heard.”
– The statement issued from Zuccotti Park by the general assembly at Occupy Wall Street, 10-5-2011
In Solidarity with Occupy Wall Street.
Saturday, October 8, 2011, 10:00am, Caras Park (By the Fishes Sculpture and the Clark Fork Market)
Occupy Missoula is a nonviolent movement for accountability in the United States government.
We gather in solidarity with the ongoing protest in New York City, Occupy Wall Street, and the growing number of cities whose people will no longer sit back watching corporate and special interests run their government. We are citizens of the United States, and this country is ours. We will take it back.
It is no longer enough to vote and to participate in the political system because our political system has been altered drastically from its intended and proper function. Currently, we are allowed to pick from a few candidates whose campaigns are funded more and more by large organizations, corporations, and special interests. The success of their campaigns depends largely on how the corporate mass media presents them. When our elected officials enter office they then pander to the small groups responsible for their election. Even good men and women cannot make real improvements that benefit the American people.
We are one city in a growing national movement of people who no longer feel that their government works in their best interest.
Please Join Us Saturday.
For More Information: http://OccupyMissoula.wordpress.com
==
Statement of Solidarity from Occupy Wall Street, Released October 5, 2011:
“As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies. As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members. That our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors. That a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people, and the Earth, and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power.
We come to you at a time when corporations — which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality — run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here as is our right to let these facts be known.
They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage.
They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give executives exorbitant bonuses.
They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in workplaces based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation.
They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.
They have profited off the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless animals, and actively hide these practices.
They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions.
They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is, itself, a human right.
They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut worker’s health care and pay.
They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people with none of the culpability or responsibility.
They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams, but look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance.
They have sold our privacy as a commodity.
They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press.
They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products, endangering lives in pursuit of profit.
They determine economic policy despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce.
They have donated large sums of money to politicians, who are responsible for regulating them.
They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil.
They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives, or provide relief in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantial profit.
They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit.
They purposefully kept people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media.
They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners, even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt.
They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad.
They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas.
They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts.
To the people of the world,
We, the New York City general assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power.
Exercise your right to peaceably assemble, occupy public space, create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone.
To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal.
Join us and make your voices heard.”
– The statement issued from Zuccotti Park by the general assembly at Occupy Wall Street, 10-5-2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Initial planning meeting for Occupy Missoula leads to planned General Assembly
Everyone who gathered Tuesday evening at the University of Montana Free Speech Zone had a different background, but all claimed to share one thing — being a member of the poorest 99 percent of U.S. society.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Medical marijuana revisions will be on the 2012 ballot; backers shift focus to getting out the vote
A petition to put the power back to the people has passed and voters will now have their say on Montana's current medical marijuana law that the Legislature passed earlier this year.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
New megaloads to trundle through Missoula after dark
Megaload of mill equipment en route to Missoula
By KIM BRIGGEMAN of the Missoulian
The first of six giant loads of evaporator equipment bound for a Weyerhauser forest products mill in Grande Prairie, Alberta, is scheduled to inch its way into Montana on U.S. Highway 12 late Thursday night.
The initial megaload, transported by Nickel Brothers of Everett, Wash., is roughly 24 wide, 25 feet high and 182 feet long, according to the moving company's website, nickelbros.com.
It reportedly arrived at a turnout on the Idaho side of Lolo Pass on Sunday. The load will travel only at night after 10 p.m. in six stages through Montana to the Port of Sweetgrass. Its route through western Montana will be along Highway 12 to Lolo, through Missoula on Highway 93 and Reserve Street to Interstate 90, and up the Blackfoot River corridor on Highway 200 to Rogers Pass.
Nickel Brothers has already delivered seven narrower loads to Canada along the same route. The one coming is the first of this width to cross Lolo Pass since a test validation module owned by Imperial Oil/ExxonMobil arrived in the state on May 4. It remains parked at Lolo Hot Springs while a legal battle rages over the Canadian company's use of the same route the Nickel Brothers loads are following.
The Weyerhauser evaporators are being transported from the Port of Wilma in Washington, just downstream from the Port of Lewiston, Idaho. The equipment is for a high-efficiency evaporator plant designed to reduce greenhouse gases and generate electricity from steam.
By KIM BRIGGEMAN of the Missoulian
The first of six giant loads of evaporator equipment bound for a Weyerhauser forest products mill in Grande Prairie, Alberta, is scheduled to inch its way into Montana on U.S. Highway 12 late Thursday night.
The initial megaload, transported by Nickel Brothers of Everett, Wash., is roughly 24 wide, 25 feet high and 182 feet long, according to the moving company's website, nickelbros.com.
It reportedly arrived at a turnout on the Idaho side of Lolo Pass on Sunday. The load will travel only at night after 10 p.m. in six stages through Montana to the Port of Sweetgrass. Its route through western Montana will be along Highway 12 to Lolo, through Missoula on Highway 93 and Reserve Street to Interstate 90, and up the Blackfoot River corridor on Highway 200 to Rogers Pass.
Nickel Brothers has already delivered seven narrower loads to Canada along the same route. The one coming is the first of this width to cross Lolo Pass since a test validation module owned by Imperial Oil/ExxonMobil arrived in the state on May 4. It remains parked at Lolo Hot Springs while a legal battle rages over the Canadian company's use of the same route the Nickel Brothers loads are following.
The Weyerhauser evaporators are being transported from the Port of Wilma in Washington, just downstream from the Port of Lewiston, Idaho. The equipment is for a high-efficiency evaporator plant designed to reduce greenhouse gases and generate electricity from steam.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Black bear captured in a backyard in central Missoula
A small female black bear's ride on the gravy train came to a quick end Thursday morning when she was captured and relocated after foraging in town for a day, then taking refuge in the backyard of a Plymouth Avenue home.
For more of the story and some great pictures, see
http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_70db6d1c-da36-11e0-9e88-001cc4c03286.html
For more of the story and some great pictures, see
http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_70db6d1c-da36-11e0-9e88-001cc4c03286.html
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Geyser man survives two rattlesnake bites
Jim Croff of Geyser has been a rancher his entire life, and whether he is running machinery, out on horseback, or rounding up cattle, it's not uncommon for him to see rattlesnakes going about their business. But on the evening of July 5th, Jim got a little too close to not one but two rattlesnakes.
For the full story, see http://www.kpax.com/news/geyser-man-survives-two-rattlesnake-bites/
For the full story, see http://www.kpax.com/news/geyser-man-survives-two-rattlesnake-bites/
Monday, September 5, 2011
Montana FoodCorps has quietly pioneered healthy eating for cities and schools
Members of Montana's FoodCorps, who've been quietly operating in cities and towns across the state for five years now - and whose model has been adopted on the national level, with the launching this summer of FoodCorps in 10 states with 50 new workers.
The idea behind FoodCorps is not only to bring locally produced foods into schools, but also to combat obesity and improve nutrition among kids, by showing them firsthand how healthy food is produced and serving it to them at school.
The idea behind FoodCorps is not only to bring locally produced foods into schools, but also to combat obesity and improve nutrition among kids, by showing them firsthand how healthy food is produced and serving it to them at school.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
MCPS lunches -- not what we used to eat at school
Last year, Missoula County Public Schools district served up a million meals, according to the supervisor of food and nutrition services Stacey Rossmiller. "We're kind of like the golden arches," she joked Tuesday.
Not really though, given the sort of thought the district began putting into improving school nutrition five years ago, as they attempted to educate children as much on reading and arithmetic as on the merits of making healthy food choices. Full story at:
http://missoulian.com/entertainment/dining/article_ac4f9ab8-cfea-11e0-910f-001cc4c03286.html
Not really though, given the sort of thought the district began putting into improving school nutrition five years ago, as they attempted to educate children as much on reading and arithmetic as on the merits of making healthy food choices. Full story at:
http://missoulian.com/entertainment/dining/article_ac4f9ab8-cfea-11e0-910f-001cc4c03286.html
In wake of fatal Yellowstone grizzly attacks, Bozeman couple shares survival story
Thank God for the bear spray.
Without it, Kevin and Julie Boyer probably wouldn't be alive. Instead, they'd have likely shared the fates of two other hikers who were attacked and killed by grizzly bears this summer inside Yellowstone National Park. Full story at:
http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/article_2944b5b4-d5c5-11e0-9c08-001cc4c03286.html
Without it, Kevin and Julie Boyer probably wouldn't be alive. Instead, they'd have likely shared the fates of two other hikers who were attacked and killed by grizzly bears this summer inside Yellowstone National Park. Full story at:
http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/article_2944b5b4-d5c5-11e0-9c08-001cc4c03286.html
Monday, August 29, 2011
Michigan hiker killed by grizzly in Yellowstone
Michigan man, 59, killed by grizzly in Yellowstone
BY MATTHEW BROWN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
A grizzly bear killed a Michigan man whose body was found by hikers last week in Yellowstone National Park, officials said today.
The victim was identified today as John Wallace of Chassell, Mich.
Wallace's body was discovered along a trail about five miles from the nearest trailhead. Results of an autopsy concluded that he died as a result of traumatic injuries from a bear attack.
It is the second time a visitor to the park has been killed by a bear this year.
Authorities say Wallace likely died Wednesday or Thursday.
He was traveling alone and had pitched a tent in a campground on Wednesday, park officials said. Yellowstone Superintendent Dan Wenk has previously said that the hiker was found with a snack bar in his closed backpack, but that it appears the grizzly did not try to get at the food.
"We know of no witnesses to the event at all," Wenk said today. "As far as we know he was in good health and out enjoying the park."
Two trails and a section of the Hayden Valley west of Yellowstone's Grand Loop Road have been closed to hikers. Park officials asked hikers elsewhere in the park to stay on the trails, to hike in groups of three or more and carry bear spray.
Wallace's death comes after a female bear attacked and killed a 57-year-old California man in July on the popular Wapiti Lake Trail, several miles away from where the Michigan man was discovered Friday.
The female bear was not killed because officials said the sow was only defending its cubs and had not threatened humans before.
Rangers found grizzly tracks and scat, or bear droppings, near Wallace's body.
The Mary Mountain Trail is closed from March to June because park managers list it as "high-density grizzly bear habitat."
Park employees have been searching for the bear around the Mary Mountain Trail northeast of Old Faithful. That's the area where hikers discovered Wallace's body on Friday.
Traps have been set to try to capture the bear. Wenk said it would be killed if it can be linked to Wallace's death through DNA analysis.
BY MATTHEW BROWN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
A grizzly bear killed a Michigan man whose body was found by hikers last week in Yellowstone National Park, officials said today.
The victim was identified today as John Wallace of Chassell, Mich.
Wallace's body was discovered along a trail about five miles from the nearest trailhead. Results of an autopsy concluded that he died as a result of traumatic injuries from a bear attack.
It is the second time a visitor to the park has been killed by a bear this year.
Authorities say Wallace likely died Wednesday or Thursday.
He was traveling alone and had pitched a tent in a campground on Wednesday, park officials said. Yellowstone Superintendent Dan Wenk has previously said that the hiker was found with a snack bar in his closed backpack, but that it appears the grizzly did not try to get at the food.
"We know of no witnesses to the event at all," Wenk said today. "As far as we know he was in good health and out enjoying the park."
Two trails and a section of the Hayden Valley west of Yellowstone's Grand Loop Road have been closed to hikers. Park officials asked hikers elsewhere in the park to stay on the trails, to hike in groups of three or more and carry bear spray.
Wallace's death comes after a female bear attacked and killed a 57-year-old California man in July on the popular Wapiti Lake Trail, several miles away from where the Michigan man was discovered Friday.
The female bear was not killed because officials said the sow was only defending its cubs and had not threatened humans before.
Rangers found grizzly tracks and scat, or bear droppings, near Wallace's body.
The Mary Mountain Trail is closed from March to June because park managers list it as "high-density grizzly bear habitat."
Park employees have been searching for the bear around the Mary Mountain Trail northeast of Old Faithful. That's the area where hikers discovered Wallace's body on Friday.
Traps have been set to try to capture the bear. Wenk said it would be killed if it can be linked to Wallace's death through DNA analysis.
Friday, August 26, 2011
West Riverside wildfire settles down
West Riverside fire moves higher; weather helps firefighters
BLACKFOOT RIVER CANYON - Most of the West Riverside fire has moved into the high slopes around Woody Mountain, and so have the firefighters.
The 2,100-acre wildfire burning five miles east of Missoula made little movement on Thursday, thanks in part to a noon thunderstorm that raced north over Evaro Hill but barely ruffled the fire zone.
BLACKFOOT RIVER CANYON - Most of the West Riverside fire has moved into the high slopes around Woody Mountain, and so have the firefighters.
The 2,100-acre wildfire burning five miles east of Missoula made little movement on Thursday, thanks in part to a noon thunderstorm that raced north over Evaro Hill but barely ruffled the fire zone.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Montana Transportation Department says it will fight judge's megaload ruling
The ruling threw another wrinkle into Imperial/Exxon's plans to begin mining the tar sands in the Kearl Lake area of northeastern Alberta by late 2012.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Bear snatches a backpack from hikers near town
Black bear snatches hiker's backpack at Rattlesnake trailhead
By LINDSEY GALIPEAU | (2) Comments
A sub-adult black bear took a hiker’s backpack at the main Rattlesnake trailhead Wednesday morning.
By LINDSEY GALIPEAU | (2) Comments
A sub-adult black bear took a hiker’s backpack at the main Rattlesnake trailhead Wednesday morning.
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