Tea party vision for Montana raising concerns

[CID1990]

I'd say the list of bills being introduced in Montana by the tea party reps is just about perfect.

Throw in a law making it illegal for women to drive and illegal for Mexicans to vote and I'd say they would be batting .1000.

[Chizzang]

That Anderson Cooper clip should be mandatory viewing for all Republicans who think the Tea Party isn't completely full of sh!t...

[MrTitleist]

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_i ... 1514687670" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Some of the stuff proposed by the state legislature.. knuckle dragging rednecks..

[hank scorpio]

HELENA — A tea party group is asking people to bring their guns to a rally on the steps of the Montana Capitol.

Lewis & Clark Conservative Tea Party organizers say Friday's rally is meant to recognize and protect the right to keep and bear arms.

Executive Director Tim Ravndal says in a statement that another purpose of the rally is to promote legislation that calls for the nullification of federal laws.

The Montana Legislature is considering several gun-rights bills and measures that aim to let the state disregard some federal laws.

Ravndal is encouraging people to bring weapons to the rally, but says they must be unloaded.


http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-a ... 002e0.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[TwinTownBisonFan]

HELENA — A tea party group is asking people to bring their guns to a rally on the steps of the Montana Capitol.

Lewis & Clark Conservative Tea Party organizers say Friday's rally is meant to recognize and protect the right to keep and bear arms.

Executive Director Tim Ravndal says in a statement that another purpose of the rally is to promote legislation that calls for the nullification of federal laws.

The Montana Legislature is considering several gun-rights bills and measures that aim to let the state disregard some federal laws.

Ravndal is encouraging people to bring weapons to the rally, but says they must be unloaded.


http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-a ... 002e0.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

will Senator Calhoun rise from the dead to join them?

yeesh... I'll volunteer to serve with zombie Gen. Sherman when we "re-assert federal authority"

[hank scorpio]

HELENA — Tea party supporters toting guns gathered on the steps of the Montana Capitol Friday, but the rally was something of a misfire, bringing out far fewer people than in previous years.

The Lewis & Clark's Conservative Tea Party group received permission to bring unloaded and secured weapons onto Capitol grounds to support allowing guns in off-limits areas. Weapons are usually prohibited on Capitol grounds. People opposing the rally say guns in public areas are a threat of violence and have no place around the Capitol.

Friday's three-hour gathering was sparsely attended compared to a similar rally last year. Less than a dozen people carried arms, and media members and curious state employees appeared to outnumber attendees.

The organizer and conductor of the rally, Tim Ravndal, said the rally is about protecting Second Amendment rights by making legislators see and hear how important gun rights are.

A bevy of gun-rights bills are advancing through the Legislature this session, including one to allow guns into prohibited places such as bars and government buildings and another to allow concealed carry in cities without a permit.

Ravndal also said the rally was trying to draw attention to a range of issues protecting freedoms.

Conservative lawmakers streamed out to the rally lectern throughout the day to speak in support of a variety of tea party backed initiatives, such as federal nullification and eminent domain measures.

The Montana Human Rights Network condemned the rally, saying in a statement that guns around the Capitol do not provide a safe environment for democracy.

State workers at their own Capitol rally outnumbered the tea party supporters. The state workers noisily protested in the Capitol rotunda a pending bill to reduce state employee pay to 2005 levels.

The bill's hearing in the House was canceled for the day.

[Grizalltheway]

So how was it, Alpha?

[Grizalltheway]

Damn, in hindsight, I should have shown up to this thing with a Super Soaker.

[JohnStOnge]

Somebody once posted a quote on this board...from James Madison I believe...in which the person quoted said that the Constitution should be interpreted according to the plain meaning of the words and that if there was ever still a problem with deciding what it means the final determination should be made by the State Legislatures as that is who ratified the document. Something like that. I've been trying to re-locate that quote for some time as I was really struck by how far we've strayed from that (i.e., we allow that the Supreme Court is the final word).

Is anybody familiar with the quote I'm talking about and can you post and reference it?