Support for Manzella

by Rachel Bartlett, Stevensville

This letter is a response to Jeff Darrah’s letter in the March 27 edition of the Bitterroot Star regarding the recent bill HB 372 which was defeated at the Montana Legislature. Darrah seemed to be mystified not only by its defeat but the way it went down. 

According to Darrah, this bill reads that there is an opportunity to harvest wild game and fish. Not only would there be an opportunity but a right also. This bill was supported by Montana Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, the Foundation for Wildlife Management, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Back Country Hunters and Anglers and more than 20 sportsmen and land owner organizations. It also was amended to further strengthen private property rights. Other states also have this same protection in their constitution. Therefore, you can see the power and strength of this bill, and it needed the support of every Montana legislator. 

According to Darrah, Representative Wayne Rusk, HD88, was a very strong supporter of this bill and voted yes, then something happened to make Rusk change his vote to a no.  

To make a long story short, Darrah attended a meeting sponsored by Foot Loose Montana where a Democrat by the name of Bob Carter, Rep. of HD98, admitted to the fact that eight Democrats from Missoula worked with three Republican Representatives in the Bitterroot Valley to change their vote to a no. 

Personally I define Rusk’s policies as that of a RINO. When he won election in 2022, it was evident this was going to happen. 

Many Republican voters unfortunately are ill-informed. Rusk is not a Conservative Republican. He is a RINO (Republican In Name Only). He will vote with the Democrats and forget consistent Republican principles and values. He belongs to the group in our legislature that call themselves the Solutions Caucus. 

This organization is run by LLew Jones, HD18. It is tearing Montana apart and forcing it to become a bastion of liberalism. If this continues to happen, the face of Montana will lose its conservative values. 

Truth is not relative. It is absolute. There is only one truth. Man has the responsibility to find that absolute truth and live by its rules or he shall surely die. Our world is experiencing the greatest upheaval of our time. America has lost its way. The Spirit of 1776 is no longer viable. If the electorate doesn’t wake up soon we will become a part of a dying regime.

As we look to the next election, based on the information we have uncovered, it is imperative we vote for Theresa Manzella for our senator. She is consistently conservative in her approach to good government. Manzella has the heart and compassion for her constituents. She also believes in absolute truth, not just as she sees it, but how our Divine Creator has taught it. She studies and knows the issues and votes not because someone told her the way to vote, but because truth was the driving force in her vote. What more can you ask of a legislator? We are living in desperate times. We can’t afford to make a mistake in the 2024 election.