Montana
Totalitarian madness is beginning to infect rural Montana • Daily Montanan
Psychic Totalitarian Madness Infects Rural Montana
The line it is drawn, the curse it is cast
The slowest now will later be fast
As the present now will later be past
The order is rapidly fadin’
And the first one now will later be last
‘Cause the times, they are a-changin’. – Bob Dylan
On Jan. 30, the Gallatin County Commission met in Bozeman, and approved an 8,000-square-foot indoor commercial tennis facility over the objections of long-time rural resident-taxpayers.
Our rural quality of life and mule deer winter range were “thrown under the bus” for yuppie colonial settlers who want an indoor commercial tennis facility in a rural, agricultural district — vital mule deer winter range.
In an instant uncertainty and anxiety replaced a decades-long, relatively stable, relationship between the county commission and resident-taxpayers living on the west bench of the Bridger Mountain Range.
I am ashamed of our county government and their bullying tactics, apparently aimed at deregulation, social destabilization and seizure of rural land for the exclusive private benefit of Bozeman’s expanding ruling elite.
“New variant” totalitarianism is pathologized, weaponized and masked to conceal its true political essence. To exist, it must not appear as authoritarian. It simulates beneficence responding to a legitimate “growth crisis” or “homeless crisis,” any “emergency” capable of driving anxious commoners into a frantic state of order-following panic.
Self-righteous “new variants,” for example, our commissioners, constantly remind themselves and each other that they’re the true “defenders of democracy” as they drive us like livestock down the commercial path to colonial conquest.
On Feb. 1, 1996, the Gallatin County Commission approved the Middle Cottonwood Zoning District and Regulation but insisted that our zoning regulation include a section providing for “Conditional Use Permits,” which was defined as follows: “…specific uses, other than those specifically permitted in each District or Zone, which may be appropriate under certain safeguards or conditions.”
The Zoning District was formed to stop the rapid expansion of residential subdivisions. Huge tracts of farmland were being converted into hundreds of “McMansions” on 1-acre lots.
Since 1996, commissioners generally honored and respected the values, intent and purposes of our zoning regulation. The plan was to 1) limit density to preserve wildlife habitat and prevent overcrowding; 2) ensure adequate water quality and quantity; and 3) preserve agricultural lands — all key constituent elements one associates with a quiet, slow-paced rural environment.
Mule deer winter range is explicitly featured and protected with a density limit of 40 acres per parcel of record on Febr. 1, 1994.
One commercial exemption just cancelled out 28 years of trust and mutual respect by seriously undercutting the regulatory mechanisms in place to protect agricultural land, mule deer winter range and the rural atmosphere.
CUPs, unavoidably, cause problems. They appear on the surface like other zoning mechanisms, such as special exemptions and variances. However, CUPs function and operate differently.
Their primary purpose is to provide flexibility. True, flexibility can provide public benefits (schools, churches, etc.), but flexibility also hands great power and discretion to county commissioners to grant or deny undesirable/unwanted land uses. County government has been asleep at the wheel, operating with no wildlife standards, “moving fast and break things” and maximizing tax revenue at the expense of rural resident-taxpayers and wildlife.
Commissioners are signaling their hegemonic goals to the masses by doubling down on discretionary power, which threatens wildlife, rural residents and their land.
Rural residents want recognition, greater respect, and the bad attitude to cease.
Steve Kelly is an artist, gardener and environmental activist who lives in Bozeman, Montana.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at July 8, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from July 8 drawing
12-29-37-43-55, Powerball: 18, Power Play: 4
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from July 8 drawing
17-26-31-32-37, Star Ball: 01, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from July 8 drawing
03-13-16-17, Bonus: 10
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from July 8 drawing
06-27-33-44-69, Powerball: 23
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from July 8 drawing
08-16-17-22-27
Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 8 drawing
16-18-43-48-50, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
HELENA, Mont — Gov. Greg Gianforte is backing a new effort to keep data centers from driving up Montanans’ power bills.
This week, Gianforte announced Montana is signing on to the Ratepayer Protection Pledge — an initiative endorsed by President Trump.
Several major technology companies like Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and XAI first signed the pledge back in March.
The pledge comes as data center development continues to grow — raising questions about how much new energy will be needed and who will pay for it.
NBC Montana spoke with Julia Haggerty, professor of geography and department head of earth sciences at Montana State University, about whether Montana’s power grid is ready for that growth.
“Not without resolution of significant transmission bottlenecks and massive amounts of new generation. So, while our grid is adequately, relatively adequately equipped to serve the needs of our current load base, it’s definitely not equipped to accommodate the new demands without a lot of expansion,” she said.
According to the pledge, data center developers will pay for new power generation, and infrastructure needed to support their operations.
“It does align with ongoing regulatory efforts to ensure that the cost of new generation associated with data centers is borne by the developers of those data centers and not customers,” Haggerty said.
The governor’s office says Gianforte’s support of the pledge is designed to encourage responsible data center investments while protecting Montana ratepayers from long-term costs.
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