Bonner: A place to call home This Thursday, March 5, at 2:00 p.m.

Residents of Bonner can’t have traffic, noise, and pollution from a travel plaza on their river front, all based on a promise. False choices do not help communities decide what growth looks like. Show up on March 5 at 2:00 to make your voice heard. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

Jury of The People The Seventh Amendment of the U.S.

AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile successfully used arbitration clauses to block customers from suing over data privacy breaches but now want a jury trial for themselves. Constitutional rights must be enforced to protect We the People, and hold Corporations accountable.
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Running in Montana HD 92 I am running for Montana House of Representatives District 92:

Good government requires making sure the bridges in our neighborhoods are safe, that our schools are funded and our neighbors aren’t priced out of the homes they’ve lived in for decades. That’s why I’m running for Montana HD 92!! Please help out by donating to our campaign! Thank you!

Transfer Portal and the Olympics The Indiana Hoosiers run to the 2026 College Football Playoff national championship, like Montana State’s thrilling 35-34 FCS championship overtime win over Illinois State, were not built on recruitin...

The joy of college sports, being a Griz, or a Hoosier, or a Bobcat, is traded for a rotating cast of players who might be at a rival school next season. That model may work for winning, but leaves the true ideal of sports and what is gained from competition behind. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

Fire Horse in Montana February 17 is the beginning of the Chinese Lunar New Year or Spring Festival.

The Year of the Fire Horse is a time to speak up and speak out and to remember the people who did so much to build America. The oldest Chinese restaurant in America is not on either coast, but in Butte, America.
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Happy Birthday Abe My favorite state has not yet been invented, it will be called Montana, and it will be perfect.

To confront consolidation of wealth and rising costs, we need to dispel the myth of the cowboy and draw from the promise of Lincoln, who preserved the Union, expanded its promise and gave us reason to believe in our better angels.

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Orozco on the Jersey, ____ on the Ballot In Froid, Montana, we are learning the hard way that federal policy does not come with a “Good Neighbor” exemption.

It is politically incoherent to fight for Roberto on Monday and vote for his deportation on Tuesday.

If Roberto belongs here, working on our trucks and coaching our kids, our politics have to match our beliefs. Run for office. Vote for what you believe in.
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Capitol Hill’s Olympic Drought Former Olympians have been shut out from Congress for nearly two decades.

Let's be the people who see the best in each other - more Olympians in congress! www.nationaljournal.com/s/730901/cap...

Armonia: Milan’s Olympic Spirit On February 6 the Opening Ceremonies for the Olympic Winter Games will be held in Milan, with the theme Armonia – harmony.

The most powerful tool we have is our vote. Ensuring that every eligible person can cast a ballot, free from intimidation, confusion, or despair, is how we move “faster, higher, stronger — together” toward a society where every family can live without fear. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

The Montana Plan: Update Many of you commented on the recent post discussing Montana’s efforts to take money out of politics with The Montana Plan.

Getting money out of politics is essential for the health of our democracy. The Montana Plan gives us options, but we need to work for them. Get in touch with with Transparent Election Initiative to find ways to help.
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Buying up the Big Empty In the Big Empty of Big Sky Country, consolidation of land is the physical manifestation of wealth disparity happening all across America.

Consolidation of land is the physical manifestation of wealth disparity across America. Post-civil war restructuring confronted this consolidation, with the West being central to defining physical spaces, civic institutions, and the rule of law.
Lets' do it again.
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The Power of Pretti Alex Pretti was murdered by our government.

For Renee Good and Alex Pretti, for our integrity as Americans, We the People must continue to bear witness.

I’ve signed up to take action with No Kings on Monday, Jan 26, 2026, 8pm - 9pm EST. Are you free to join me? Use this link to sign up: mobilize.us/s/g5ekqY open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

We the People not We the Property The 15th Amendment to the U.S.

Western women had early voting rights, but they were granted by men using women’s voices for their own ends. Women's rights must be protected as durable freedoms, not privileges to be granted and taken away by men depending on the political whim of the day. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

How does this square with reconstruction argument of no federal troops to states? Through line - racism. If states are racist and feds are not - no fed troops. If states aren't racist and feds are - then bring in the feds.

Big Beautiful Bill hits Seeley Lake Partnership Health Clinic began in Missoula County as a small volunteer organization in the basement of the county’s health department in 1993, through a federal grant to become a Federally Qualified ...

Montana will lose between 4.8 and 6.1 billion due to Republicans cuts to Medicaid. That long-term predictable income is not offset by the 233 million that will go to infrastructure. The lights are on, but no patients will receive care in our rural clinics. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

The Big Die-Up and the Big Screen Two years before Montana was granted statehood, in the winter of 1886-1887, the northern plains were buried under a cold so deep it erased all sense of life.

The Big Die-Up teaches us to be in relationship with the land, rather than conquering it. The land can also connect us to each other. Film festivals this month discuss the history of the West and what it means for building a stronger America in today’s world. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

The Power of Good Renee Good was murdered by our government.

The Power of Good

Democracy requires We the People to practice and train our muscles of courage, of showing up, by doing the thing in front of us.

Find the place where you need to be, and do Good in your community.

It is the Power of We the People.

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Tap 'er Light: Mike Mansfield Mike Mansfield, Butte miner, teacher, and longest serving majority leader in the U.S.

The Mansfield Center honors Senator Mike Mansfield by committing resources to civic education and civil discourse. We can support by attending events: U.S. Intervention in Venezuela, Featuring Owen Sirrs, Mansfield Regional Studies Prof, Jan 13 12:00 - 1:00 MST. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

Unmask the Lord of Misrule January 6th is the Feast of the Epiphany.

The essential promise of January 6, Epiphany, Twelfth Night is that the masks come off. People like the Lord of Misrule, insurrectionists like Stewart Rhodes, and those who oppose government of the people, only have power if we allow them to hide who they truly are. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

Tariffs, SNAP, and the Farm Bill SNAP (food assistance) and the Farm Bill (commodity supports, crop insurance, conservation) operate on different parts of the food system but they both stabilize the food economy for households and pr...

In Montana, agriculture is an economic engine and food insecurity is persistent. Tariffs have caused deep harm. Federal aid is a desperate patch for self-inflicted wounds.

Rather than constant triage. Let’s use common sense for sustainable, long-term food programs. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

The Montana Plan takes money out of politics For fifteen years, We the People have been trapped by the 2010 Citizens United v.

Let We the People vote on whether corporations can spend money in elections. And when our voice is heard, other states may decide to follow the Montana Plan as well.
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Big or far? Data centers want both The proverb “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together” highlights the inherent contradiction in the approach data centers are taking to achieve their goals for rapid expans...

We the People can't be the insurer of last resort for data centers. If the AI bubble bursts, or technology becomes more efficient, or a data center relocates, ratepayers should not be left holding the bag for costs to build that infrastructure. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

Know your rights December 15 marks the National Bill of Rights Day. The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution, includes the 6th and 7th amendments, guaranteeing and protecting our right to a jur...

Our Bill of Rights guarantees us the right to hold our government to account, and grants us all a right to be equal before the law. On Bill of Rights Day, let’s celebrate our right to justice. And commit to accountability for everyone, especially our government.
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Steal first, pay (maybe) later: corporations taking our data Montana’s state Constitution explicitly guarantees an individual right to privacy.

Our identities can’t be collateral damage of corporate incompetence or the DOGE’s unknown interests. We need aggressive legislation that imposes fines for negligence, forces corporations to pay for harm, and prevents collecting so much data in the first place. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

Steal first, pay (maybe) later: Crazy Water update The Yellowstone Club spent the summer stealing water to sustain a golf course and luxury development in the Crazy Mountains.

The DNRC must issue its preliminary determination by March 26, 2026 on Crazy Mountain Ranch’s application to change its water use to irrigate a luxury golf course. We the People must engage in the process to ensure our resources aren’t pillaged for private gain. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

Ukraine’s Armed Forces Day On December 8, 1971, Pope Paul VI (Giovanni Battista Montini), head of the Catholic Church from 1963–1978, delivered his Message for the Celebration of the World Day of Peace: “If you want peace, work...

Peace is not about ignoring aggression. It is about holding aggressors accountable.

We can have peace. Let’s start by demanding justice and accountability. Both in Ukraine and here at home. Anything less is not peace. It is capitulation.
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Sheep Creek Mine Today, at 1:30 p.m., a public meeting is being held at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds in Hamilton to rally opposition to the Sheep Creek Mine and support keeping the Bitterroot River from being mined.

If you think we should hit the pause button on mining the Bitterroot River join community groups and county officials today. The Commission is meeting at 1:30 at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds to discuss and possibly adopt a formal letter of opposition to the mine. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

Gratitude for Ellen and Linda Recently, Ellen Leahy told me a story of Linda Stoll.

The work of people like Linda Stoll, and Ellen Leahy, encourage us to carry on in hard work knowing we will get crushed. Share a gratitude for someone whose life touched yours in ways that person may never know. Encourage, and give courage. It is contagious. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

No Montana, we don’t get a new plant and lower rates Figures don’t lie and liars don’t figure.

No Montana, we don’t get a new plant and lower rates. The real story? The all-republican Commission increased our rates to pay for a gas plant that will supply data centers. It should tell it like it is. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

Corner Crossings in Montana Hunting season is in full swing.

Corner Crossings in Montana

Republicans are doing the work of large private landowners and preventing Montanans from the same legal access to public land that our neighbors in Wyoming have.
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