The Spirit of 1776 wasn’t just about celebrating our country’s revolution. It was about the nerve it takes to start over. For us in the west, that has to include hard questions. What did it mean to go west? What do we carry forward, what do we need to set down? open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

We the People. Again. The Montana Plan’s theory is untested at the federal level. Nobody knows how the current Supreme Court will rule. But we know the first step to change is to win the vote. And we know the only way to win the vote is to be on the ballot. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

The Montana Plan’s theory is untested at the federal level. Nobody knows how the current Supreme Court will rule. But the only way to win the vote is to be on the ballot. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

The Montana Plan is a direct challenge to the corporate “rights” movement, going back to John Marshall’s 1819 description of corporations as creatures of state law. They have the powers their charters confer. No more, no less. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

The dispute over Crazy Mountain’s water is not over. The question is simple: does the process belong to the public, or can it be bought? We still get a vote on that. If the Boston Boys want to hear from the community, they know where to find us. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

Unchecked money and power, operating in the dark, was behind the deaths of 168 miners. That same culture of secrecy surrounds mines in the Bitterroot and Blackfoot rivers and a data center in Broadview. We have a right to know what is being done. Let’s use it. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

Thank you to the people of MT HD 92 for entrusting me to represent you. And thank you to everyone along the way, all of you who do this work because you believe that what matters most is what we cannot put a price on, and it’s worth fighting to protect. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

In a sixth consecutive drought year, on an over-allocated river system, should management of the water insulate private users from the oversight the system was designed to provide? Show up at the hearing. Let the court know that the community is watching. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

Phil Aalberg said “On a clear day, you can see the Rockies a hundred miles away. I try to communicate that sense of distance and loneliness.” He did. Let’s mark his passing by taking his email tag line to heart: Listen. Listen. Listen. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

“What were four Georgians doing in Helena in the 1860s?” Looking for gold. The Civil War migrated, settling in on people who had lived here for millenia. Montana has been at that intersection of memory and progress since. Place flowers. Ask hard questions. Remember open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

There is a question about what it means for a land-grant university’s power costs to be decided by an eight state corporation that answers to Meta’s server farms in Cheyenne. Black Hills acquisition of NorthWestern does not serve Montana. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

Capital is not finite for institutional shareholders at Vanguard and BlackRock, the largest shareholders of Black Hills and NorthWestern. But it is for captive ratepayers. Questions about the grid, data centers, and who pays for our energy, demand honest engagement. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

If you are in the Great Falls area today, join the discussion at the Great Falls Public Library, May 14, from 6:00–7:00 pm, for an engaging conversation about one of Montana’s greatest achievements: our Constitution open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

While listening to the hearing this week at the Montana Commission on the proposed NorthWestern and Black Hills merger remember, these things are not new. Follow the money open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

In 1874, gold in the Black Hills made treaty promises inconvenient. In 2026, data centers and energy companies are making promises about how they will operate in the Land of the Shining Mountains. We should keep our history in mind when we hear these promises. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

Public education is the single most powerful investment we can make in our communities. Voting yes on our local school levy won’t fix every flaw in how we fund education in this country. But it will keep a teacher in the classroom, and a counselor in the hallway. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

The story Grinnell began telling about the bison is not finished. Like Grinnell, we must be vigilant and insistent. We can put the lessons from the late 1800s to use in today’s world, across many landscapes. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

Attorneys General can act as gap fillers, stepping in to sue corporations over privacy violations, deceptive marketing, or environmental harm. But Montana’s AG has gone the opposite direction open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

The 2026 Forest Service reorganization rejects the lesson of the 1988 fires. The West is entering what may be a historically dangerous fire summer with an intentionally traumatized agency managing 193 million acres of forest and grassland. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

The labor movement in Montana isn’t in the rear view mirror, although dark money campaigns are working hard to make it so. Montana’s workers are focused on keeping our history alive. Let’s support them. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

Our land and our libraries are not backdrops. They are the connective tissue that nurture life, and republics. On this July 4, let’s celebrate the land, and our libraries. And our freedom to be changed by what we experience there. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

Bids to restore Virginia City’s courthouse, the oldest in Montana, are due today. This town’s collection of more than two hundred original structures makes it one of the most intact gold rush townscapes in the West. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

Under the surface of the Last Best Place lies machinery for global annihilation. Radar stations of 1950s were built on a theory that warning buys time, and time might buy survival. That theory assumed two superpowers playing by understood rules. That world is gone. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

Although we don’t know what the comment period will be, or when or if it will happen, we can still continue to engage and submit our comments on this project. Comments can be submitted to West Fork District Ranger Daniel Pliley at [email protected]. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

It’s calving season. Ranchers vaccinate because of the financial risk they face if they don’t. Under Robert Kennedy, the government has cut vaccinations routinely recommended for children. Let’s apply a common sense approach of taking care of public health. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

The RHTP funds infrastructure, not patient care. $1.2 billion over five years does not replace the $4.8 to $6.1 billion in federal Medicaid dollars leaving the state over ten years. When your hospital is on the ropes, consider how you vote. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

In Holland Lake Lodge it is time to rethink the West, and revisit the Pinchot – Muir - Roosevelt debate. Let’s grab it with both hands. We the People must claim the right to make decisions about how our public lands are used, and who benefits from them, and how. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

With gold at record highs, mining the Blackfoot River is happening again. If the River that Runs Through it means more than digging for gold and leaving us with the waste, submit your comments to the DEQ before April 6. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

Montana’s modern homestead exemption is an effort to protect the economic stability of homeowners and long term renters. The deadline for filing for tax relief is March 20. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

We the People are not an inconvenient flock of sheep to be herded into righteous wars. We are the fundamental voice of legitimacy. Presidents must bring their case to the public before the dying starts. Mansfield worked on the War Powers Act to hold us accountable. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

Our data is private and if Montana’s SOS shares it, it cannot be “unshared.” Republicans who fail to respect our constitutional right to privacy will be on the ballot. We can decide, at the ballot box, whether we want this to continue. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

NorthWestern’s tax bonanza shouldn’t mean Bonner and West Riverside residents get a giant travel plaza, with costs socialized to the rest of the county’s taxpayers. The second Missoula County Commissioners’ public hearing is this Thursday, March 12 at 2:00 p.m. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

Daines and Sheehy trying to appoint their successors in Montana. We don't want monarchists who choose their successors. Let them know - ballots drop May 8.

If you don’t like what is happening in Ravalli County with Sheep Creek, vote for the candidates that support what you support: democrats - not the monarchists who are trying to choose their successors. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

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...

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. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

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!

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...

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. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

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. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

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. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

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

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...

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. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

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. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...

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...

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...

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 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 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. open.substack.com/pub/monicatr...