MontanaBuzz

THE BUZZ

Wasn't that a disaster? No, we're not talking about the winter storm that walloped Montana this week, but Dave Gallik's short-lived term as Montana's political practices commissioner. Just what was he thinking, anyway?

Gallik stepped down from the post Tuesday after a terrific investigative report by Great Falls Tribune reporter John S. Adams laid out the case that Gallik was fudging state time sheets and logging state pay for hours he'd actually been spending on his private law practice. Gallik denied the charges, which were made all the more powerful because they came from his staff of four at the political practices office and were backed by official records.

Gallik claimed that Gov. Brian Schweitzer gave him the go-ahead to work at his law practice at the same time he was doing the state ethics job, which paid him $57,689 a year. But his staff accused him of "stealing from the taxpayers" and "committing ethics violations" by claiming to work on state business when he was actually working on his own law business.

The Helena Independent Record said Gallik's departure represents an opportunity for the governor, in appointing a replacement, to bring necessary reforms and a new era of nonpartisanship to the office.

What the IR didn't note was that Gallik's appointment last May was Schweitzer's attempt to poke GOP lawmakers in the eye for not confirming his first choice for the job, Jennifer Hensley. Hensley served in the post for several months but Republicans resisted her confirmation, saying she'd been too much of a Democratic activist to keep the job permanently. By turning to Gallik, Schweitzer picked someone with even more of a reputation as a partisan. Gallik, too, faced confirmation hearings, but not until the 2013 Legislature met because Schweitzer appointed him after the 2011 session adjourned.

One of the ironies is that, during her short tenure, Hensley impressed many observers with the volume of work she did and her effort to be nonpartisan.

While she did have a partisan background, she may have ended up being a good commissioner. The staff gave her high marks -- in contrast to Gallik.

In hindsight, it appears Republican legislators made a bad choice in rejecting her. Schweitzer, in turn, blundered by using Gallik to get revenge against the GOP.

If you're going to pick a fight, you might not want to do it with the good folks of Turner, Montana. That's what ReubenFB discovered at the popular Sports Nation Divided web site when he wrote a piece describing Turner as the "Saddest Town in America."

How did he deduct that Turner was sad? He based his premise on a map that showed the Hi-Line community is the country's farthest town from any major league baseball team. And Reuben, a big baseball fan, figured that anyone that far from major league teams must be major league depressed.

He went on to snark that Turner had only 14 high school students, and that its web site was funded by a non-profit inexplicably called the Big Flat Community Grain Bin, which was set up to "offset declining populations and funds within our community and school." He ended by saying: "Turner is actually more depressing than I thought it would be when I started writing this."

That triggered a flurry of outraged responses from residents of Turner, who extolled the virtues of the region and did their best to set Reuben straight. Indeed, Reuben responded by apologizing for his "rather cheap shot." He admitted that being 647 miles from the nearest major league baseball team doesn't make Turner the "saddest town in America."

During Monday's debate among the GOP presidential contenders, front-runner Mitt Romney let on that he'd been moose hunting.... err, make that, elk hunting, with friends in Montana.

He talked about his Montana excursion after being asked if he'd done any hunting since 2008, when he was mocked for saying he'd gone hunting for "small varmints."

In responding to the reporter's question, Romney initially replied that he'd gone moose hunting in Montana, and then quickly corrected himself to say he'd been elk hunting. Another reporter later said via Twitter: "Waiting for the DNC to put out a piece: Elk or moose? Which one was it, governor?"

To which former Obama aide replied: "Stuck on the horns of a dilemma!" It was left up to others more familiar with big-game animals to point out that moose have antlers, not horns.

If you've been reading Montana's newspapers, you've probably been convinced that the Montana Supreme Court had no choice but to uphold the state's Corrupt Practices Act, which prevents corporations from contributing money directly to candidates or political causes. The state's papers have been almost unanimous in their praise of the court.

"The Montana Supreme Court’s decision makes sense," The Billings Gazette wrote. "..The court majority draws reasonable and practical distinctions between the Montana law and the (U.S. Supreme Court's) Citizens United decision on federal law."

But the Montana ruling is being appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, and what you don't know from reading the newspapers is that it faces an uphill battle there. The higher court might not even hear arguments or take briefs, but could just summarily overturn the Montana court's ruling, predicts Trevor Burns of the Cato Insitute. "Montana will not be a First Amendment-free zone for long. -- if it even agrees to hear the case," Burns said.

And it isn't just conservative legal experts who predict that the Montana court's call will be dead on arrival. Ian Millhiser of the liberal group ThinkProgress is sympathetic to the sentiment behind the court's decision, but said just as he condemns conservatives when they defy court decisions they disagree with, he's got to point out how "Montana’s justices act no less illegitimately when they fail to follow a binding Supreme Court precedent."

UPDATE: The Great Falls Tribune carries a column by Doug Lair, a Big Timber sheep rancher, that makes the argument against the Montana Supreme Court's ruling. It is the first piece Buzz has seen in Montana papers that provides a look at that side of this important issue, and readers can judge for themselves what they think of it. On one point, at least, Lair is most likely right: The U.S. Supreme Court is very likely to overturn Montana's court.

Montana critics of the Citizens United ruling probably would be better off focusing on what they can do to force a better financial accounting from those who spend and receive money in this corner of the political world.

An aurora lights up the sky over Bozeman on May 15, 2005. Joe Shaw, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of the Optical Technology Center at Montana State University, has created the Montana Aurora Detector Network, which will alert Montanans to the presence of the northern lights in the Montana skies. (Bozeman Chronicle)

Emails show Republican effort to get ally as ethics chief

Political hot potato: Who's in charge of Gallik probe?

MSU prof creates network to send northern lights alerts

Sen. Essman drops out of GOP race for governor

2 admit trafficking in eagle feathers

Yellowstone Park wants to return 67 cabins to public use

Man who threatened federal workers gets probation

Butte man denies knife assault on Montana Tech student

Sen. Shockley officially enters Attorney General race

Schweitzer to headline Virginia Democratic fundraiser

Montana lawmakers protest proposed defense cuts

Judge pledges ruling soon in Schweitzer veto case

State prison getting translation service due to lawsuit

4 apply for state's political practice job

Offspring of last Plains bison returned to Phillips County
(registration required)

Shepherd man accused of firing gun, swinging sword

Hamilton couple sues over 100s of golf balls hitting house

Tester amasses almost $4 million for Senate contest

Feds: New forest planning rules will stress science

Glendive principal on leave after confrontation with student

Wind gusts of 120 mph wallop Showdown Ski Area

Strong winds push school bus off highway near Browning

Kalispell man arrested after boy, 2, found sitting in road

FBI: No tie between Arnold case, oil field worker's death

Billings family sues school system over daughter's suicide

Yellowstone bison management battle continues to rage

MSU to raze 'Monopoly' houses as part of $9.1M project

Former Bigfork sculptor making Goldwater statue for DC

Kalispell students suspended after drinking at school

Cat trapped in Great Falls will have leg amputated

Event honors Nutter, others who died in '64 plane crash

Photographer documents oil, gas development in Rockies

Canadian gets 7 years for gun-smuggling plan

Body of oil field worker found on Hi-Line ID'd as FL man

Tiny woman, 85, fends off moose attack on husband

State Fish, Wildlife & Parks workers get hefty pay raises

Northern Lights could soon put on a show over Montana

Man charged with stealing 1,800 lbs of copper wire, pipe

MSU-Northern awarded $648K grant for biodiesel project

Study: MT drops to No. 8 for tax climate for business

$160K grant will help state get votes of absent soldiers

Tester, Baucus seek change to restrict campaign spending

Snowmobiler, 27, killed in mountains east of Helena

Charges dropped for men trying to make hashish oil

Study: Bozeman roundabout reduces wait time, accidents

Baucus playing key role in payroll tax negotiations

Bozeman police snatch dog from burning home

National group flunks Montana for teacher policies

State asking for bids for beds for 120 prison inmates

Davidsons donate $600K for Rotary summer lodge for kids

Man accused of lifting copper hit theft charge

BUSINESS / ECONOMY

Stillwater Mine cited for 27 violations after miner's death

Lee Enterprises' CEO picked to head AP

SkyWest to serve Butte airport under EAS program

Libby firm wants to expand rock quarry

Livingston's PrintingForLess expands with acquistion

Great Falls Clinic names new CEO from Idaho

Allegiant adding flights to Oakland from Montana

Troy mine owner reports rise in production, net cash flow

SPORTS / OUTDOORS

Grizzlies stock up on defensive backs

Lady Cats roll over Portland State, 70-50

Grizzlies smash Eastern Washington, 74-60

Lady Griz fall to Eastern Washington, 67-57

Bobcats edge Portland State, 70-65

A hunter follows the prey to try to find the predator: A wolf

As reservoir ice thickens, so does interest in fishing

Stockton family games prepared Shawn for Griz career

Regents OK installation of lights at WA-Grizzly Stadium

OPINION

MT's economic outlook isn't bright, but we remain hopeful

Hatred of wolves has gone to extremes

Eye-popping salary for U-System commish bad move

State needs better system of tracking worker hours

Fish, Wildlife & Parks must take extra hard look at budget

Don't get too excited about oil boom in central MT, just yet

Appalling that Butte city judge hid DUI tickets from paper

Don't let deadline decision stop Keystone XL pipeline

Obama bows to greens at expense of jobs on Keystone

FEATURES

MT's worst massacre: 'Tell Baker to strike them hard'

2 African American newspapers published in MT digitized

Woman hit in head by frozen coyote still hears about it

Master couponer shares secrets of saving $100s a month

Body Language: Saying things by changing how you look

Huh? Gilman 1 of only 3 'real' cities in Lewis & Clark Co

Photographer left impressive record of life in GTF in 1920s

CALENDAR

Broncos QB Tebow to speak at Billings fundraiser March 5

Tebow will speak the next day at GTF Christian school

Country legend George Jones to perform at UM March 6

Tebow adds Butte Habitat for Humanity event to MT trip

Tim Tebow to make Missoula stopover March 7

Tim Tebow visits Kalispell Christian school March 7

Bozeman's Blake Shelton concert rescheduled for March

Comedian Brian Regan performs in Great Falls March 31

B.B. King performing in Butte and Billings in May

Uncle Kracker will headline Helena fair July 25

Dragon boat races slated for Flathead Lake next fall

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