Manifesto/Bio
I've done much more than the average person of my age.
Latest Review
Re: “Student Recital Series”
Kristen is a good clarinet player--I recommend showing up!
Recent Comments
Re: “Imaginary majority”
Believe it or Montanans, but most people live in city now and could give a shit about owning a firearm in the 21st Century. Even when just speculating, to think more than 10% of citizens (which if accounting for every person is ~30,000,000 people) are against a basic background checks -- not rounding up guns as if they were jews and undesirables under Nazi occupation -- is pushing the realm of reason.
To even invoke the Bill of Rights for such a proposal is on the order of saying we shouldn't require a license to operate an private automobile or aircraft. And before anyone starts thinking that is completely different or whatever, stop and spend more than three seconds thinking about it. Those two things didn't even exist for an entire century after the 2nd Amendment was conceived, besides the fact is was decades more before any significant amount of people would even owned them. Being a citizen of a nation requires some sacrifices for the benefits that come being a country in the developed world. If you consider checking to make sure a person isn't a criminal or a mentally unstable person is over the line of gun ownership and not worth the hassle for the societal benefits that come with it, then you really should consider moving to a non-developed country.
Re: “The best defense”
It's sad we live in a country with such fear we think we need guns to protect ourselves.
I think I may move back to Europe (I was stationed there with the U.S. military several years ago) where this fear is rare or doesn't exist at all.
If you really think you need a gun for protection in Montana (even from wildlife), try living and walking through the roughest parts of LA, Chicago or New York unarmed.
And if you're experiencing not greater euphoria from shooting firearms, you really should consider seeking medical evaluation, or at least join the military doing combat arms or some other profession were you fire a gun routinely.
Re: “Kettlehouse”
Kettlehouse is well aware of the Big Sky option and it is by far the dumbest--well, other than staying at 10,000 bbl/year and just giving away 4 oz samples at their taprooms for free. Hell, why don't they give away all their beer for free so everyone -- including the bars and restaurants that lobby to keep these asinine laws on the books -- but the consumer loses.
Re: “Missoula pursues lower airfares”
Forget Delta, how 'bout Southwest!?!
I've lived in Missoula since 2009 and have never flown out of MSO. With fares running what I've experienced flying from Chicago and Nashville to GERMANY, it's never been a cost effective option. I much rather spend $150-200 driving 2,000 miles over two days, than paying $550-650 for 4-8 hours on planes and in airports. One December when I went to visit family in Tennessee, I chose the still cheaper option of driving to Whitefish, taking a train to Chicago, flying Southwest to Nashville and repeating for my return--it saved me around $150.
I feel I won't see affordable long-distance air travel in and out of Missoula or passenger rail on the southern route before I move on to somewhere else.
Re: “Slow lane”
Traffic patrol force?!? HAH! I see more cops in sleepy Southern towns of 500 than I do in Missoula. Spend ANY time east of the Mississippi and you'll know just how little of an active police force there is in Missoula.
The only thing to bitch about is how the US didn't pass a NATIONAL law against cell phone use while driving at least a decade ago. Now we have entire generations that don't know what it's like to drive a vehicle without owning or using a cell phone.
Re: “Recycling”
Yeah, I'm wondering if that Bayern commit was a cheap shot at them for some reason.
And yes, Bayern is reusing the bottles brought back to the brewery--the ultimate form of recycling--and is the only brewery in the US at the moment refilling bottles. Sad considering reusing glass was still being done in multiple industries just a couple of decades ago and it's still pretty commonplace in Europe. Crushing and recycling glass is better than going into a landfill, but it's hardly sustainable if it could simply be cleaned, relabeled and reused.
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