Montana Tea Party protesters stage a demonstration in front of the state capitol in Helena, Montana, in a photo from March 2010. [Source: Bozeman Daily Chronicle]The Montana state legislature, now controlled by Republicans who claim affiliation with the Tea Party, introduces bills that would mandate the following:
Legalize hunting with hand-thrown spears (Senate Bill 112).
Create a fully-armed militia in every Montana town (House Bill 278).
Allow legislators to carry weapons in the Capitol (Senate Bill 279).
Create an 11-person panel that has the authority to nullify all federal laws (House Bill 382).
Allow guns in schools (House Bill 558).
Eliminate the educational requirements for persons seeking the job of state superintendent of schools (HB 154).
Lift the state-mandated nuclear ban for the purpose of building a nuclear reactor in the Flathead Valley (House Bill 326).
Withdraw the United States of America from the United Nations (Senate Joint Resolution 2).
Eliminate all state incentives for developing wind power (House Bill 244).
Omit President Barack Obama’s name from the 2012 state ballot because his father was born outside of America (House Bill 205).
Mandate compulsory marriage counseling for people seeking a divorce (House Bill 438).
Give local sheriffs authority over the federal government in terror investigations (Senate Bill 114).
Legalize hunting with silencers (House Bill 174).
Lift the prohibition on carrying concealed weapons in bars, churches, and banks (House Bill 384).
Eliminate the law that requires landlords to install carbon monoxide detectors (House Bill 354).
Require the federal government to prove in court that the national parks were lawfully aquired (House Bill 506).
Officially designate the “Code of the West” as the “Code of Montana” (Senate Bill 216).
Declare that “global warming is beneficial to the welfare and business climate of Montana,” and humans are not responsible for the phenonemon (House Bill 549). (Montana Cowgirl Blog 2/17/2011)