I spent the day in Helena yesterday.
In Helena's Nature Park
It was a fun day, heading out for some BBQ and family fun.
I saw one dumb thing when I was there and I was informed of another two dumb things when I got back.
So far these stories have gone unreported in the Montana press, which is not surprising as the Montana press is incompetent.
I feel these stories make us look dumb.
Why, as citizens of this state – the very people that pay the money to keep things running – why on Earth do we put up with it?
Let’s try to explain.
Terrible Campaign Signage
I went to Helena yesterday for some family time. While in town I saw a truck parked at Mile Marker 43 on the Lyndale Avenue Bridge.
It was put there by Matt Elsaesser, as you can tell from the campaign signs.
It was put there by Matt Elsaesser, as you can tell from the campaign signs.
Matt Elsaesser parked his truck on the bridge over Memorial Day weekend to pander for votes
To me, this is idiotic, stupid, dumb, and perhaps illegal.
I personally do not believe you should be able to do this. I consider it dangerous.
And how do the drivers feel when they have to drive past that, like this red truck was doing when I snapped this photo?
Matt Elsaesser...does he have any sense?
I figure Elsaesser put the truck there after he saw this horse trailer advertising hay bales parked on the opposite side.
Why has this not been towed?
Just because others are doing it, does that mean you should too?
Matt Elsaesser should know better, considering he was a Helena City Commissioner for some time.
I hope this Idaho-native loses, I honestly do.
We don’t need stupid serving in my hometown.
Bullock’s Nepotism
It’s amazing how deep the establishment Democratic Party of Helena is in with the Helena School District.
Or am I the only one thinking it odd that the School Board hired Jack Copps for Interim Superintendant of Schools?
Some of you will know that Copps is Steve Bullock’s step-dad.
Yes, nepotism.
Or am I the only one thinking it odd that the School Board hired Jack Copps for Interim Superintendant of Schools?
Some of you will know that Copps is Steve Bullock’s step-dad.
Yes, nepotism.
Melissa Romano with Jack Copps and Penny Copps
It’s interesting that his wife is Bullock’s mother. It’s also interesting that they gave this job to a man that’s 79-years-old.
Why is he still working?
Is he that desperate for money…or is it just his inclination to serve?
Please – retire and let young and struggling young people get a leg-up on society’s ladder!
But no, for Jack Copps it’s more important that he continue to foist his agenda off onto Helena schools.
George “Jack” Copps started off in the Montana school system in 1960 as a teacher. By 1965 he’d moved up to high school principal in Poplar.
In 1975 Copps was elected to the Montana High School Association (MHSA).
Copps back in the day
Bullock’s mom is Penny Bullock and his dad is Mike Bullock. The former was a school board trustee the latter a teacher and administrator.
At some point Steve’s parents got a divorce, and at some point, Penny married a man named George “Jack” Copps and became Penny Copps.
Now he’s back in Helena. Hope his mind holds out, and his body.
Let’s cut the shit.
I mean, my goodness, they had other younger well-qualified people that could have taken that job, could have learned, could have stayed with us for decades!
Instead we get a geriatric.
My how pathetic it was to hear the board members were falling all over themselves saying what a great pick he was. This guy looks like he's pushing 80! (I think he's 79).
Of course we know politics had nothing to do with this choice.
Politics had nothing to do with Sanjay Talwani’s decision to quit MTN to go work for Monica Lindeen’s office, and it had nothing to do with his decision to then run for the school board.
Nothing at all.
And then he wins and gets on there and is able to vote for Bullock’s step-dad to take the helm.
My, isn’t that convenient?
I guess in the end it’s who you know and not what you know. When both Billings and Helena hire a geriatric to take over the schools, is it any wonder that young, well-qualified, and fresh-with-ideas school administrators leave the state?
My God, man – retire and let a younger person break into the system!
But that wouldn’t allow the good ol’ boys network in Helena to keep flourishing, now would it?
God, it’s stories like this that make me want to vote for Gianforte.
I am so sick of the corruption in this state and in this country, corruption that knows no bounds and shows no sign of letting up.
The whole deal stinks to high heaven.
At least one board member voted no.
The other candidates for the job were Lona Scanlon – who we knew as a real bitch when we attended HHS in the late-90s.
Despite that bitchiness, she put in time at HHS and was the principal for 13 years of another school I went to, Jefferson.
Another candidate was Keith Meyer, someone with 30 years in Helena Public Schools.
My, I bet Meyer is ready to quit, huh? After getting the rug pulled out from under him by Bullock’s nepotism-squad, I don’t blame him.
Finally we had Greg Upham, the current assistant superintendant of Helena’s schools. I bet he was ready to take that job, probably had some new ideas on how to improve kids’ lives as well.
Alas, those folks will have to get back in line. Jack Copps is in town, and the governor is his step-son.
Don’t expect any of this corruption to change. Bullock will likely get a second term and school administrators in Helena will get shit on for another four years.
I’ve profiled Bullock’s corruption, PAC money, and nepotism before in a post called Who is Giving Money to Steve Bullock? (Sept 2015) and the Continued Corruption of Steve Bullock (March 2016) and What is the Central School Mess? (Dec 2014).
Please give them a look.
At some point Steve’s parents got a divorce, and at some point, Penny married a man named George “Jack” Copps and became Penny Copps.
Now he’s back in Helena. Hope his mind holds out, and his body.
Let’s cut the shit.
I mean, my goodness, they had other younger well-qualified people that could have taken that job, could have learned, could have stayed with us for decades!
Instead we get a geriatric.
My how pathetic it was to hear the board members were falling all over themselves saying what a great pick he was. This guy looks like he's pushing 80! (I think he's 79).
Of course we know politics had nothing to do with this choice.
Politics had nothing to do with Sanjay Talwani’s decision to quit MTN to go work for Monica Lindeen’s office, and it had nothing to do with his decision to then run for the school board.
Nothing at all.
And then he wins and gets on there and is able to vote for Bullock’s step-dad to take the helm.
My, isn’t that convenient?
I guess in the end it’s who you know and not what you know. When both Billings and Helena hire a geriatric to take over the schools, is it any wonder that young, well-qualified, and fresh-with-ideas school administrators leave the state?
My God, man – retire and let a younger person break into the system!
But that wouldn’t allow the good ol’ boys network in Helena to keep flourishing, now would it?
God, it’s stories like this that make me want to vote for Gianforte.
I am so sick of the corruption in this state and in this country, corruption that knows no bounds and shows no sign of letting up.
- Do you suppose it was an accident Bullock’s step-dad applied for the job in Helena?
- Do you think it was a coincidence that he landed the job?
- Do you think it was his experience or just maybe who he was married to that was the final determiner?
The whole deal stinks to high heaven.
At least one board member voted no.
The other candidates for the job were Lona Scanlon – who we knew as a real bitch when we attended HHS in the late-90s.
Despite that bitchiness, she put in time at HHS and was the principal for 13 years of another school I went to, Jefferson.
Another candidate was Keith Meyer, someone with 30 years in Helena Public Schools.
My, I bet Meyer is ready to quit, huh? After getting the rug pulled out from under him by Bullock’s nepotism-squad, I don’t blame him.
Finally we had Greg Upham, the current assistant superintendant of Helena’s schools. I bet he was ready to take that job, probably had some new ideas on how to improve kids’ lives as well.
Alas, those folks will have to get back in line. Jack Copps is in town, and the governor is his step-son.
Don’t expect any of this corruption to change. Bullock will likely get a second term and school administrators in Helena will get shit on for another four years.
I’ve profiled Bullock’s corruption, PAC money, and nepotism before in a post called Who is Giving Money to Steve Bullock? (Sept 2015) and the Continued Corruption of Steve Bullock (March 2016) and What is the Central School Mess? (Dec 2014).
Please give them a look.
The Krakauer Story
Jon Krakauer in Missoula
Back in March someone told me to go get the Jordan Johnson settlement agreement from the courthouse.
Jordon Johnson got $250,000 from UM for discriminating against him and destroying documents. The two guys fired for destroying the documents are sources in Krakauer’s book on Missoula’s rape problem.
Mostly I was told to get the settlement agreement as it mentions large-scale deletion of emails by top university staff.
Many of those deleted emails were from Royce Engstrom.
I guess they have a lot of dirt in ‘em, but honestly…why care?
How does the University of Montana affect my life? Yeah, I live in Missoula but my income doesn’t depend on the health of this economy.
I bring my income in from out of state and out of country, as we should.
If UM is having problems, oh well.
Sounds like something they should fix on their own, huh? So…why don’t they?
Well, because the current situation benefits those in charge.
What I’m hearing now from a woman named Kate O’Hehir is that there’s a lot more here.
She tells me that the Devlin suit is just the tip of iceberg.
For instance, the back story to why the Missoulian got rid of Sherry Devlin and why Keila Spzaller was Krakauer's new best friend.
He’s gone now and is not coming back. Word out of Colorado is that he freaked out in his bunker and is waiting to fall on his face when the Montana Supreme Court rules on his case.
Given the financial woes of Lee Enterprises, it lines up perfectly with Krakauer's habit of investing in media companies in exchange for some (or all) editorial content about him.
When he bought By-Liner, paying $750,000 2 days before the Missoula 60 Minutes story, his two good buddies from Outside Magazine were hired as editors.
Only someone with big money can make that happen.
It’s the same thing in Missoula: the financial help had strings, got rid of Devlin, and buried the story. Why else would Devlin sue? Why didn't they offer her a “golden parachute” to retire?
They didn't have that kind of cash and she likely would have said no.
Worse, the Missoula book was one big PR campaign to keep Krakauer in the news while he finished off Bozeman’s Greg Mortenson.
Kate O’Hehir did some research and found the University of Colorado had fewer rapes on campus, but far more off campus.
Krakauer certainly could have written about the issue from his own backyard, but the story she wrote explains his true intentions, explains Krakauer’s vendetta against Greg Mortenson.
Greg Mortenson is of course the co-founder of the CAI (Central Asian Institute), something he started 20 years ago to build schools in the poorest area of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010. That was the year Obama won, but Obama shared $100,000 of the prize money to the CAI.
Mortenson co-authored two books, the first being Three Cups of Tea which was on the New York Times bestseller list for 185 weeks.
It stayed there until the Missoula rape book author Krakauer decided to “take him down” in an outright defamatory book called Three Cups of Deceit where he called Greg a liar, cheat and a thief and badgered 60 Minutes to run a story about it, which they did.
A one-source story, Krakauer cherry-picked data and was given classified board minutes by a disgruntled ex-board member Tom Hornbein. Years ago Mortenson and Krakauer were friends to the degree that one can be a friend to a clear-cut-narcissist like Krakauer.
Long story short, Mortenson was found innocent of the charges with a class action law being dismissed by Judge Sam Hadden as “flimsy at best.”
Krakauer appealed the decision (which was upheld) but unfortunately the other co-writer who was also named in the suit, David Relin, had lost his career by that point. He was bankrupted by legal bills and when Krakauer decided to appeal, Relin took his own life.
It's an American tragedy that O’Hehir has been covering since 2011.
I have a feeling things are just getting started.
Jordon Johnson got $250,000 from UM for discriminating against him and destroying documents. The two guys fired for destroying the documents are sources in Krakauer’s book on Missoula’s rape problem.
Mostly I was told to get the settlement agreement as it mentions large-scale deletion of emails by top university staff.
Many of those deleted emails were from Royce Engstrom.
I guess they have a lot of dirt in ‘em, but honestly…why care?
How does the University of Montana affect my life? Yeah, I live in Missoula but my income doesn’t depend on the health of this economy.
I bring my income in from out of state and out of country, as we should.
If UM is having problems, oh well.
Sounds like something they should fix on their own, huh? So…why don’t they?
Well, because the current situation benefits those in charge.
What I’m hearing now from a woman named Kate O’Hehir is that there’s a lot more here.
She tells me that the Devlin suit is just the tip of iceberg.
For instance, the back story to why the Missoulian got rid of Sherry Devlin and why Keila Spzaller was Krakauer's new best friend.
He’s gone now and is not coming back. Word out of Colorado is that he freaked out in his bunker and is waiting to fall on his face when the Montana Supreme Court rules on his case.
Given the financial woes of Lee Enterprises, it lines up perfectly with Krakauer's habit of investing in media companies in exchange for some (or all) editorial content about him.
When he bought By-Liner, paying $750,000 2 days before the Missoula 60 Minutes story, his two good buddies from Outside Magazine were hired as editors.
Only someone with big money can make that happen.
It’s the same thing in Missoula: the financial help had strings, got rid of Devlin, and buried the story. Why else would Devlin sue? Why didn't they offer her a “golden parachute” to retire?
They didn't have that kind of cash and she likely would have said no.
Worse, the Missoula book was one big PR campaign to keep Krakauer in the news while he finished off Bozeman’s Greg Mortenson.
Kate O’Hehir did some research and found the University of Colorado had fewer rapes on campus, but far more off campus.
Krakauer certainly could have written about the issue from his own backyard, but the story she wrote explains his true intentions, explains Krakauer’s vendetta against Greg Mortenson.
Greg Mortenson is of course the co-founder of the CAI (Central Asian Institute), something he started 20 years ago to build schools in the poorest area of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010. That was the year Obama won, but Obama shared $100,000 of the prize money to the CAI.
Mortenson co-authored two books, the first being Three Cups of Tea which was on the New York Times bestseller list for 185 weeks.
It stayed there until the Missoula rape book author Krakauer decided to “take him down” in an outright defamatory book called Three Cups of Deceit where he called Greg a liar, cheat and a thief and badgered 60 Minutes to run a story about it, which they did.
A one-source story, Krakauer cherry-picked data and was given classified board minutes by a disgruntled ex-board member Tom Hornbein. Years ago Mortenson and Krakauer were friends to the degree that one can be a friend to a clear-cut-narcissist like Krakauer.
Long story short, Mortenson was found innocent of the charges with a class action law being dismissed by Judge Sam Hadden as “flimsy at best.”
Krakauer appealed the decision (which was upheld) but unfortunately the other co-writer who was also named in the suit, David Relin, had lost his career by that point. He was bankrupted by legal bills and when Krakauer decided to appeal, Relin took his own life.
It's an American tragedy that O’Hehir has been covering since 2011.
I have a feeling things are just getting started.
My Continued Support of Trump
One final note:
If you don’t like Trump you might want to stop visiting this site.
I’ll be supporting him 110% all the way until his victory in November.
As I’ve told you many, many times, I’d rather vote for Bernie in November but the corporate Democrats are trying to prevent that.
For them, Bernie is the end of their cushy existence. Just ask that terrible woman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz.
Let’s hope she loses her August 30 primary.
But back to Trump. I’ll tell you straight-up why I support him, as I told this person on Last Best News:
If you don’t like Trump you might want to stop visiting this site.
I’ll be supporting him 110% all the way until his victory in November.
As I’ve told you many, many times, I’d rather vote for Bernie in November but the corporate Democrats are trying to prevent that.
For them, Bernie is the end of their cushy existence. Just ask that terrible woman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz.
Let’s hope she loses her August 30 primary.
But back to Trump. I’ll tell you straight-up why I support him, as I told this person on Last Best News:
I tell Hillary supporters all about my life, they never tell me about theirs.
It’s hard, therefore, to figure out what they see in her, how they think she’ll help them.
And to be frank – how many times do us young and youngish voter have to tell you old folks that we will not be voting for Hillary?
It should not be a surprise that we’ll support Bernie then immediately upon his losing, throw our support behind Trump.
Why is that surprising?
We feel the country is broken. Four more years of the same via Hillary is not the answer.
So we’ll take change anyway we can get it, and if that destroys the country, so be it.
The country is falling apart now. No one cares. If they did, it wouldn’t be falling apart!
People like me had to graduate from college with tens of thousands of dollars in debt.
Old voters did not care about that. They did not fund our educations like theirs had been.
So honestly, fuck them.
This is the fighting amongst each other that I told you about on Friday.
We should be fighting against the 1% but we’ve been brainwashed by the corporations.
Anyways, like I said, you’ll be getting a lot of pro-Trump talk here.
If that bothers you that’s fine. Thanks for visiting and perhaps you’ll stop by again in a few years.
