Police Are Terrorizing Communities?

ECB Staff on April 21, 2021

In the immediate wake of the Derek Chauvin verdict #AbolishThe Police was trending in the top 10 on Twitter.

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Defund the police and return those resources to Black communities as reparations?

That is a totally absurd notion that we’d wager the vast majority of minority communities and individuals wholeheartedly reject.

“…as long as cops exist they’ll continue to terrorize our communities.”???

“Now let’s do the other 999 cops that killed someone last year.”???

It appears that the goal for these Twitter mobsters isn’t ‘justice’ or even accountability. It’s anarchy and mob rule.

Impeach And Remove Maxine Waters. Now.

ECB Staff on April 19, 2021

With the Derek Chauvin murder trial winding down today, tensions have reached a simmer in Minneapolis.

One might think, or at least hope, that our national political leaders — particularly the party of “unity” — would, in good faith, act to tamp down their rhetoric, not inflame it.

But that’s just not Maxine Waters’ (D – CA) style.

Kerosene Maxine is at it again, urging unrest if Chauvin is not convicted:

“We’ve got to stay on the street and we’ve got to get more active, we’ve got to get more confrontational. We’ve got to make sure that they know that we mean business.”

What does she mean by “more confrontational”?

This isn’t the first time Waters has advocated for the outright harassment of people who disagree with her.

Waters is a dangerous ghoul, and there ought to be no place for her calls for violence and rioting. While inconvenient for her, due process matters. All political violence is wrong.

Waters should be impeached and removed from office.

Now.

Does Jasmine Taylor Get To Decide Whether Or Not You’re A Racist?

ECB Staff on April 14, 2021

Continuing our series on the revealing social media posts of local and state candidates/politicians, today we feature Democrat Jasmine Taylor.

Taylor lost to GOP incumbent Lola Galloway in Cascade County’s HD 22 in 2020. She also came in dead last out of a field of 6 candidates, losing in the 2019 Great Falls City Commission race.

Apparently, she is still running for the seat she failed to win last year because her Facebook profile is Jasmine Taylor for HD22.

Here are a couple of screenshots from that Facebook page which were sent to E-City Beat this week.

So, if you ‘argue’ with Jasmine Taylor about whether or not ALL lives matter, you’re a racist.

All law enforcement, which includes Great Falls law enforcement, is ‘entombed in racism and white supremacy’?

If you call for calm and peaceful protests rather than violence, arson and looting, well then you’re a racist. Jasmine Taylor says so.

And if you complain about property damage, like your life dreams as represented in the business or home you built, being burnt to the ground by ‘protesters’ then of course Jasmine Taylor declares you a racist.

No wonder Ms. Taylor lost so badly both times she ran for public office. No doubt she will lose again if this is how she rolls.

Benefis Makes Employee COVID-19 Vaccinations Mandatory

ECB Staff on April 7, 2021

E-City Beat has received numerous messages and documents from Great Falls Benefis Health Systems employees and others concerning mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for all employees as a condition of continued employment.

Here is a screenshot of the ‘Heads-Up’ email sent from Benefis CEO John Goodnow to all Benefis employees.

Here is a comment from a Benefis employee who asks to remain anonymous, understandably so.

“Multiple employees at Benefis outraged by the vaccine mandate. Employees are being bribed with money and higher ups are using scare tactics to make employees comply. Nearly 35% of the employees have not been vaccinated and are scared to be terminated due to not wanting to get the vaccine.”

One employee said, “I do not want to get the vaccine but since it will now be mandatory i will have to get it because I can not afford to lose my job.”

Take a look at a page from the Benefis newsletter stating that the vaccine will be a requirement for employment at BHS.

And here is another comment in an email E-City Beat received yesterday:

“They are Mandating a vaccine that has not been approved from the FDA besides for emergency use. We do not know the long term effects of the vaccine because it has only been out for a few months. They do not know how long the vaccine will last and how many booster shots you may need.

There is so much still unknown about these vaccines but they are in a rush to make all employees get vaccinated.

Benefis says to refer to the CDC for the latest facts. On the CDC website it states ” Getting vaccinated is a personal choice” so why are Benefis employees in jeopardy of losing their jobs if they refuse to get the vaccine? 

As an employee you can be deferred for medical and religious reasons but not strictly for the reason of not wanting to get it due to it being an experimental vaccine and not knowing the long term side effects.  Also it is not promised that if you put in a deferral for medical or religious reasons that it will get approved.”

Stay tuned to E-City Beat this week for more on what’s going on with the Benefis Health Systems vaccine mandate.

Great Falls Dem Melissa Smith Agrees ICE And Filibuster Are ‘White Supremacy’

ECB Staff on March 29, 2021

In our continuing series of articles concerning state public officials’ and political candidate social media pages, we’re highlighting Democrat Melissa Smith, who lost to GOP incumbent Fred Anderson in Cascade County’s HD 20 in 2020.

Here, in someone else’s poke at Governor Gianforte, Smith equates a vague reference to a ‘gun’ as an example of a ‘cult of toxic individualism raging’ across the land.

And here is Smith’s take on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement service and the use of the Senate filibuster – ‘yes yes yes yes’ they’re examples of ‘white supremacy’.

Never mind that Smith’s own party, the Democrats, used the filibuster in the U.S. Senate over 300 times last year alone. Does that mean that Kamala Harris is a ‘white supremacist’?

Interestingly, Smith is still using the @Melissa4HD20 Twitter handle. We take that as a fairly obvious sign that she intends to be back on the ballot next year.

We also see this as the obvious reason that every single Democrat on the ballot in Great Falls lost last year.

Local Dem Bessette Sports ‘Hail Satan’ Shirt, Vows Return To Legislature In ’23

ECB Staff on March 25, 2021

As we continue our series on the revealing social media posts of local and state candidates/politicians we return to Democrat Barabara Bessette, a former Great Falls Representative incumbent who lost to GOP newcomer Steven Galloway in Cascade County’s HD 24 in 2020.

After we posted our piece earlier in the week about Bessette’s nasty, extremely partisan social media accounts a reader sent us this photo taken from her Facebook page:

After receiving the photo and checking her accounts we discovered that this picture has apparently now been removed. There’s probably a lot of social media scrubbing going on right about now.

The rainbow unicorn Hail Satan shirt is no doubt considered to be ‘cute’ by some.

However, an upside down cross, two pentagrams and a hearty ‘Hail Satan’ is offensive and sacrilegious to a great many people who don’t consider it cute or funny at all.

Since she is confidently assuring us that she’ll be back in the legislature in 2023, we wonder how the voters who live in Great Falls’ HD24 feel about the symbolism of Bessette’s choice of attire here.

Here’s another of Bessette’s Facebook predictions:

It will be interesting to see whether Bessette will wear the ‘Hail Satan’ shirt while knocking on doors in HD24 during the campaign next year.

Failed Great Falls Dem Bessette Shows Nasty True Colors

ECB Staff on March 22, 2021

This is the second in our series of articles with screenshots from local and state public officials’ and political candidate social media pages.

Last time we featured the not-so-nice 2020 Montana gubernatorial candidate Mike Cooney.

Today we’re highlighting Democrat Barabara Bessette, a former Great Falls Representative incumbent who lost to GOP newcomer Steven Galloway in Cascade County’s HD 24 in 2020.

Here’s what Ms. Bessette thinks about the will of Montana voters in the 2020 election:

And here’s another example of Bessette’s lack of civility and grace in the wake of her own defeat and rejection by Great Falls voters last November in the GOP Montana election tsunami, arrogantly mocking and belittling a young man and pointing out his racial profile in this ugly display of sour grapes:

We noticed Bessette’s Twitter tag is @bessette4mt. For Montana? Really?

E-City Beat will continue to make sure as many voters as possible get to know the true colors of candidates, like Bessette, who portray themselves one way during campaign season and a different way when they think voters aren’t paying as much attention.

Post Election Cooney Not As Nice Or ‘Moderate’ As Pre Election Cooney

ECB Staff on March 5, 2021

Recently we have been getting emails from readers with screenshots from local and state public officials’ and political candidate social media pages.

And there are some very, very interesting examples which we will be highlighting in the coming weeks.

So let’s start with former Montana Lt. Governor and 2020 Democrat gubernatorial candidate Mike Cooney.

Many readers will recall the Cooney campaign ads portraying him as a really nice, good old Montana guy who, gosh darn it, just wanted to be a middle-of-the-road, common sense kind of governor.

Here’s an example dated October 5, 2020 from his CooneyforMT Twitter page, in a video lip-syncing to Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Dreams’, apparently hoping to get some air play by pitching Ocean Spray:

But since losing to Greg Gianforte by 12 points in the November election, a red tsunami, Cooney’s true colors are showing.

Here he is just a couple of days ago calling Senator Daines a Qanon nut and a ‘traitor’. By the way, Daines beat Cooney’s old boss Bullock for the Senate by 10 points.

Here’s another from his Mike Cooney (@LtGovMikeCooney) / Twitter page (does someone need to remind Mike that he is no longer Lt. Governor?) referring to Trump, who won Montana in a 16 point landslide, as a ‘criminal/delusional dictator wannabe’.

We could go on. On his various Twitter pages Cooney slams his former opponent, Gianforte. He lashes out at Representative Rosendale in viciousness and hatred repeatedly. His bitterness and bile is unleashed relentlessly against GOP state legislators, Trump voters, and pretty much anyone and everyone who is not one of his or Bullock’s sycophants.

Of course all of this is post election.

Because Mike Cooney is a phony and a very sore loser.

How appropriate and good for Montana that Cooney has been far more successful at exposing himself as a partisan hack and mean-spirited loser than he was at running for governor.

Montana Minimum Wage Increase?

ECB Staff on February 22, 2021

Editors note: Below is an email forwarded to E-City Beat from Great Falls State Representative Lola Galloway.

Dear State Representative Galloway,

As Montana continues to discuss the state’s minimum wage I wanted to call your attention to The Heartland Institute’s newest Research & Commentary examining the economic implications associated with Senate Bill 187.

Heartland’s state government relations coordinator Samantha Fillmore writes:

·         Minimum wage hikes rarely meet the expectations of the policymakers who advocate for them. For example, they do not raise the living standards in any appreciable way for individuals and families, yet illogical wage increases have the propensity to shutter small businesses for good. 

A recent study by the Congressional Budget Office, titled “The Effects on Employment and Family Income of Increasing the Federal Minimum Wage,” examines how increasing the federal minimum wage to $10, $12, or $15 per hour by 2025 would adversely affect employment and family outcomes, especially among teenagers and those at the bottom rungs of the income ladder.

·         According to the study, a $15 per hour minimum wage would boost the wages of 17 million workers. However, it would also push 1.3 million workers out of a job. In almost every scenario, minimum wage hikes result in some workers seeing their wages rise, while many more lose gainful employment.

·         Given the struggles of small businesses over the past year, a minimum wage hike in 2021 could not be more ill-timed. In an analysis based on self-recorded closures in their database, Yelp estimates that 60 percent of U.S. businesses that temporarily closed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic have shut down permanently.

·         It is unwise for Montana lawmakers to push minimum wage hikes, which as a function of themselves result in businesses closing and increased unemployment, especially when unemployment has skyrocketed due to the ongoing pandemic. According to a brief published by the Congressional Research Service, during the pandemic, the unemployment rate has reached catastrophic levels, unseen in decades..

·         Even more worrisome, the U.S. labor participation rate has fallen precipitously since the onset of the pandemic.

More specific to Montana, almost every major industry had less employed in 2020 due to COVID-19 contraction, with specific emphasis on food, retail, and small businesses, according to the Bureau of Business and Economic Research.

·         Although attempts to bolster a minimum standard of living and protecting low-skilled workers in a pandemic-world are laudable, the overall economic effects of proposed minimum wage hikes would do more harm than good in a time when every state cannot afford additional economic hardship.

I would love to assist you in any way that I can. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me at sfillmore@heartland.org or at 312/377-4000.

Best Regards,
Samantha Fillmore
Government Relations Coordinator
The Heartland Institute

How Long Before Biden’s Climate Change Agenda Damages Great Falls?

ECB Staff on February 10, 2021

The following excerpts are from an article in the Montana Petroleum Report newsletter entitled “BIDEN TORPEDOES KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE”, written by Alan Olson, Executive Director of the Montana Petroleum Association. You can read the entire article here.

“President Biden’s recent executive order to rescind the permits for TC Energy’s Keystone XL, including a section of the pipeline that has already been constructed, will cause serious economic consequences not only for Montana but also for the United States.”

“While some leaders in government believe they can create jobs, it is the private sector that is the job creator. Private investment in infrastructure such as the Keystone XL pipeline puts people to work in good paying jobs, provides a much-needed service, and creates wealth domestically without increasing the national debt.”

“We are deeply concerned that the Biden administration would play politics with this very important project. At a time when Americans are struggling to find work, especially the good paying jobs that this project would provide, we cannot understand why the Biden administration would turn down private investment in critical infrastructure.”

We agree. And we would ask the following:

How long before Biden’s climate change agenda begins to inflict jobs and local tax revenue casualties right here in Great Falls? Think Loenbro and Calumet Montana Refining. How long?