The vice-Chair of the state Republican Party, Sen. Jennifer Fielder promoted the gathering of an extreme anti-government group appeared as a keynote speaker at the group’s event. But when a reporter showed up, “she quickly distanced herself from [Defend Rural America leader Kirk] MacKenzie when asked about his extreme rhetoric and ideas,” which included that “neo-environmentalists” are “domestic terrorists.” Fielder said that the group ideas weren’t what she thought they would be.
So now she knows, and there’s no longer a way to claim ignorance.
But Sen. Fielder must not be too upset about the group’s views. She’s invited yet another Defend Rural America speaker, Doyel Shamley, to present information to a legislative hearing this Wed, Jan 8. You can see that he appears under Fielder’s portion of the Environmental Quality Council agenda.
Shamley provided training and workshops for Defend Rural America’s secessionist county organizing drive in California. He ran one of the Defend Rural America’s pilot projects, featured in this DFA white paper.
Shamley appears on the MT EQC agenda, billed as a “natural resource consultant.” But Doyel Shamely is so much more.
Shamely is the host of a somewhat creepy conspiracy theory program which posits that politicians, lawmakers, members of the royal family, the illuminati and others have created a “New World Order” through which they attempt to control the thoughts and beliefs of everyday people–of course, there is connection to UFO’s and aliens visiting planet Earth.
His audio book, New World Order: The Battle for Your Mind and the Truth to the UFOs, is available for $10.95 at Amazon.com, but for some reason has no customer reviews.
Is there a New World Order? Are they trying to control every part of our lives? Are we treated like sheep?…Are they politicians, company directors, religious leaders, royalty, lawmakers, or all of the above and more? How old is their rule? And what secret organization do they belong to?
Perhaps more importantly, are UFOs actually visiting our planet? Have they been here for thousands of years? All this and more is constantly investigated by thousands of people around the globe and nobody more than the Hour of Our Time Show*[hosted by Shamely]…Are they trying to control our minds? Are they lying about the Alien Threat? You decide.
Indeed Fielder has decided that Montana’s lawmakers need to hear from this consultant–apparently no other natural resources speaker would do.
Yes, the truth sometimes has a way of coming out, but that hasn’t stopped Fielder from tried hide from and disassociate herself from the extremist views of these “expert consultants” she consorts with.
For example, Sen. Dick Barrett (D-Missoula) provided her with an email with information about the watershed consultant hired by TEA partiers to block a tribal water rights agreement negotiated by the state of Montana and the CSKT. Kate Vandemoer (yes, this is the Usurpathoner) has a birther blog with some pretty extreme, marginal views–and some writings that reflect the soundness of her judgement. But Fielder got angry and insisted that the contents of Vandemoer’s “personal” blog (whatever that might mean) were not relevant. But in the same breath, she claimed that she had never read the blog. I encourage you to read this informative chain of emails below the fold.
The most cursory review of Vandemoer’s very public blog (Dr Kate’s View) shows that Vandemoer uses it not only to promote her multitudinous and bizarre birther conspiracy theories, she also uses it to share her views on water and watershed politics.
In a post entitled “Watershed Politics” Vandemoer writes the following. (Apologies for the long passage but they illustrate this “expert’s” state of mind.)
the landscape of our America was shaped by our Constitution, the very blood and water of our country…Upon this hallowed ground–nothing more than a chessboard to some– a dark rain has fallen for decades…it is falling and now drenching. I remember being in the wilderness for weeks on horseback, wondering what the black ‘goo’ was on the vegetation and the rocks…This foreign rain, and the raging torrents it produces, are attempting to capture that stream and dream known as America. It is trying to erode our landscape, our system, in order to capture liberty and train it into a controlled system of slavery, where the course of everyone’s life is determined by a single train of thought–communism, new world orderism. The NWO has intentionally created these devastating torrents to undermine sovereignty, liberty, and freedom…indeed I have felt that the very foundation of our country is threatened…and with increasing force.
Does the NWO think it is God, such that it can flood the world with poison rain and torrential rivers to destroy all of creation, and refashion it to its liking (and control)?
She uses the blog to share her belief that climate change is a diversionary tactic to keep the public from looking into a list of conspiracy theories: such as “weather modification by geoengineering“–Vandemoer believes the government is creating natural disasters so that it may “take over our lives.” There’s also HAARP (a secret weapon conspiracy nuts think is used for weather modification. And don’t forget “chemtrails, and microwave pulses.”
So even if Fielder doesn’t scramble to distance herself from the conspiracies, or Vandemoer’s belief that, “the Rothschilds (translated ‘Red Shield), Rockefellers, and many other monied JKhazar Jews, who together form a cabal acting like a synagogue of Satan that is in full gear enforcing its agenda on America, including Agenda 21.” Even if Sen. Fielder does not believe that these views call “Dr. Kate’s” judgement into question, Vandemoer’s views on water as a water consultant should give any sane person pause.
For tomorrow’s legislative meeting. Fielder has yet invited another extremist to town. She’s asked Ken Ivory to the legislative committee tomorrow. Ivory is the Utah legislator who carried a bill requiring the Federal government to cede much of its land in Utah to the state.
This guy Ivory has already appeared in Ravalli County. Actually, he’s been touring around pushing this idea to other states at ALEC conferences too–legislative language is conveniently available now in ALEC boilerplate. Montanans will remember this idea as one of the infamous nutjob bills of the 2011 legislature, sponsored by Derek Skees.
Unfortunately for Ivory (and ALEC), Utah’s Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel had to go and point out a pile of pesky case law with regard to public lands going back to the 1870s that gives the bill “a high probability of being declared unconstitutional.” And the Salt Lake Tribune has called Ivory’s effort “tilting at windmills.” Arizona rejected it. The bill was vetoed by TEA Party Governor Jan Brewer. In Montana, the bill didn’t even make it out of committee.
But the GOP loves to throw these kinds of pointless proposals out there, in spite of the fact that it is a complete waste of public resources to do so. It’s political grandstanding to rally the extreme-right conservative TEA Party base and to feed their antigovernment conspiracy narrative.
Tomorrow, we’re the one’s paying for it.
Email exchange between Sen. Dick Barrett, Sen. Jennifer Fielder, and Sen. Verdell Jackson and several others on a group list:
On Wed, Jul 24, 2013 at 12:58 PM, Dick Barrett <rnewbar@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear Senator Jackson:
I read your recent email with interest and frankly, with some alarm. I offer the following two comments:
1. The document which you describe as an “alternative compact” is no such thing. As you should be aware, a compact is “an agreement, understanding or covenant between two or more parties” (Webster’s Third International Dictionary). The document which you (and I believe Reps. Regier and O’Neil) have put forward is not such an agreement. It was drafted without negotiation with the Tribes, it will never be accepted by the Tribes, and it cannot be unilaterally imposed on them. As such, it would be utterly futile to bring this “alternative compact” before the legislature. To give it any consideration at all is, frankly, a waste of time.
2. Your description of Dr. Catherine Vandemoer, who drafted the documents you are distributing, suggests that she is an expert in issues pertinent to the compact. That may be true, but it is also important to recognize that she is a political activist with what I believe are extreme and marginal views. I believe these views reflect on the soundness of her judgments, but that is something which you and others might want to decide for yourselves by referring to her blog at http://drkatesview.wordpress.
com/.
Dick Barrett
***
On Jul 27, 2013 1:39 PM, “Jennifer Fielder” <sen.jfielder@legmt.gov> wrote:
Senator Barrett,
Thank you for acknowledging Dr. Catherine Vandermoer’s expertise in issues pertinent to the CSKT water compact. I have reviewed her resume, listened to her presentation of the alternative compact, and read her critical analysis of the CSKT compact (both documents are attached FYI).
I very much agree Dr. Vandermoer offers highly credible expertise in this matter and I am grateful Senator Jackson, Dr. Vandermoer, Rep Regier, and other legislators and citizens have taken the time to study the compact and bring these immensely critical issues to the attention of policy makers.
It is my understanding the “alternative compact” was put forth to offer solutions after members of the Commission asked opponents of the compact “what their solution is”.
Now, after having had time to actually study the compact, I am greatly relieved the majority of our colleagues did not make the grave mistake of ratifying this permanent contract as it was presented during the 2013 session. The only responsible thing to do with a decision of this magnitude is to give it the thorough analysis and very careful consideration warranted. Hopefully the major issues raised will be earnestly resolved by the Compact Commission so that we may arrive at a workable agreement for the benefit of all Montanans.
The concise analysis in Dr. Vandermoer’s “critical review” and “alternative compact” (both attached) has been very helpful to me in understanding the major points of contention that caused the compact to fail. I encourage all legislators to review these brief attachments and compare excerpts to the failed compact.
Attempts to discount a person of Dr. Vandermoer’s expertise simply because her personal political views differ from that of your own seems to be a bit off topic. Finally, if a blog is to be referenced, those wishing to stick to the issue at hand should be referred to the relevant blog concerning Dr. Vandermoer’s work which actually addresses the water compact at: http://
westernmtwaterrights.
wordpress.com/water-rights-
library/
Of course your opinion is your own, but I find it in very poor judgement that members and/or staff of the Compact Commission used an official state web site to highlight a citizen’s personal opinion blog on an unrelated topic, seemingly to to discredit her comments about the compact. This and other actions of the current Compact Commission have raised serious questions as to the integrity of this group and it’s entire work product.
Jennifer
Senator Jennifer Fielder
Montana State Senate – District 7
email: sen.jfielder@legmt.gov
mailing address: P.O. Box 2558, Thompson Falls, MT 59873
***
On Sat, Jul 27, 2013 at 4:16 PM, Dick Barrett <rnewbar@gmail.com> wrote:
Sen. Fielder:
To address your final point first: I am unaware of any commission members or staff making use of an official state website to highlight a citizen’s personal opinion blog. I received Sen. Jackson’s email at my personal email address as, I assume, a member of the Senate. I responded as such using my personal email. If you have something else in mind, by all means make it known. And until you can do so, please refrain from remarks questioning the commission’s integrity.
I am sorry to disappoint you, but in saying that Sen. Jackson may be right in suggesting that Dr. Vandemoer is an expert in matters pertinent to the compact, I was not endorsing her expertise nor her analysis, which I think is seriously flawed. I’m glad you found it helpful; I did not.
The commission has asked interested parties to share their questions and concerns about the compact, so that they can be addressed in a report to WPIC. It did not ask for the drafting of an alternative compact. As I tried to make clear before, any altered or new compact language, if there is to any, which is not likely, must be negotiated with the Tribes.
As I said in my previous email, I believe Dr. Vandermoer’s political views are extreme and reflect badly on her judgement. But I acknowledged that not everyone would see it that way and invited them to refer to her blog themselves. You are apparently more comfortable with her views and judgement than I am. So be it. I think our colleagues in the Senate should, in the interests of full disclosure, at least be told that Dr. Vandemoer is a political activist and not just a neutral technical expert. What they make of that information is up to them.
Dick Barrett
***
Jennifer Fielder wrote:
Sen Dick Barrett,
I only question the integrity of the Compact Commission after observing significant breeches of trust, some of which are documented on the official public record. The fact that certain Commission staff and members, including yourself, have been broadcasting a link to a completely unrelated citizen’s personal blog in an apparent effort to discount her expertise on water related issues is yet another indication of questionable conduct by commission staff and members.
Instead of referring to issues related to the compact, you have responded twice now by pointing to this irrelevant personal blog of a citizen. First by attempting to cast doubt on Dr, Vandemoer’s professional expertise, then by jumping to the conclusion I must be “comfortable” with the content of her personal blog — which FYI — I have not even read.
Your actions indicate you are either ignoring, or deliberately attempting to divert attention away from, substantive issues — i.e. the portions of the treaty, federal law, court decisions, water quantification, and new definitions that Concerned Citizens for Western Montana, with the assistance of Dr. Vandermoer, have highlighted in their official comments to the Commission (again, attached FYI).
Although you may have used your personal email account to promulgate Dr. Vandermoer’s personal blog, the Commission staff did not. In fact, I first learned about about the existence of the blog called Dr Kate’s View when a link to it appeared in the footnote of an official Compact Commission document on the state web site after she submitted technical comments about the compact. The next and only other time I heard about this citizens’ personal blog was from you, a Compact Commission member. Both times, language was used to cast doubt on her professional expertise due to her personal political views. What a coincidence.
If, by any chance, you could bring yourself to read CCWM’s analysis of the compact without prejudice, to actually hear and try to understand the concerns of citizens in the affected area, perhaps you could aid the commission in developing an acceptable compact. How refreshing that would be.
Again, I attach theses fairly concise and relevant documents for your thoughtful consideration, as well as that of any colleagues who wish to pinpoint areas of great concern regarding the CSKT compact.
Thank you,
Jennifer
Senator Jennifer Fielder
Montana State Senate – District 7
email: sen.jfielder@legmt.gov
mailing address: P.O. Box 2558, Thompson Falls, MT 59873