Fight! Fight!

Well it appears the state has a budget now.  I'll leave it to the wonks to dissect that at their leisure.  What really got me all fired up happened last night at the end of the session.  It seems Bozeman's own Roger Koopman decided once again to proclaim that Democrats have forgotten (don't believe) in Freedom.  Yes, that Roger Koopman.  The one who wanted death certificates filed for abortions (but strangely enough neglected miscarriages), the one who wanted certain candidates for office to have to take tests on Montana and the Constitution before they could serve (Oh the irony there!), the very one who wanted a vote of censure against the Montana Supreme court (what a crybaby).  Yep, that would be Roger Koopman.

So, last night when Koopman went all Braveheart, and made the pronouncement that supporters of the state budget had forgotten freedom (FREEDOM!), John Parker of Great Falls decided he'd had enough of Koopman's shit, and called him out on it.

"I believe that's out of order,'' protested House Democrat Floor Leader John Parker of Great Falls. "We're not going to stand here and be told that we don't believe in freedom on the last day of the Legislature. We've had it fed to us too many times. Let's talk about the budget, but no one's belief in liberty is going to be questioned today.''

Rep. Walt McNutt, R-Sidney, who was serving as presiding officer of the House, told Koopman, who only the day before had referred to lawmakers as "lice on the body politic,'' to keep his comments to the bill.

I've wasted more than a few moments wondering just exactly what the body politic is, in our free society (FREEDOM!), if our duly elected representatives are the lice upon it.  I'll keep pondering that, but let's get back to the exciting finish of the next round.

After the session, Parker got all up in Koopman's face, and the two had to be separated by other lawmakers.

Exactly what happened is unclear. Koopman said he wasn't angry and encouraged Parker to calm down.

"He was very upset. He just came at me a verbal torrent of angry words,'' Koopman said.

Poor Roger, never understanding why he is so maligned, attacked and misunderstood.  Yup, this is the guy who wrote into the Bozeman Chronicle bemoaning the angry reactions from his fellow Bozemanites because of his harmless attempt to grant living status to some zygotes.  People would call him up, and be all mad like.  What had he ever done, the poor poor man?  And now he must face such anger from someone that he just blatantly insulted?  What is the world coming to?

Few things in my world are more pathetic than passive aggressive egoists, and Koopman really kind of takes the cake in that department.  As always, though, I think he's the product of a much larger paranoia (cowardice).  It's been a consistent and pathetic mantra of idiots like Koopman for 3 years now that anybody who disagrees with them are traitors, freedom haters, against America.  If some dumbass bloggers, or that pathetic walking turd Jonah Goldberg, or Coulter or Hannity want to spew that kind of fear-filled mental diarrhea, then fine.  It gives them the excuse to play Dennis and scream "Help, I'm being repressed!" when someone says "Um, that's mean, unfounded, anti-democratic and just not right".  He not only insults half of his colleagues, but every person who exercised their American rights and freedoms (FREEDOM!) to put those colleagues in the legislature.  Koopman can hide in the back of his closet and quiver in fear at the corruption of our Republic on his own time.  On my time, he's in Helena to do a job.  And insulting me isn't part of that job.

It was reported on the radio this morning that Koopman told Parker that he was being "overly sensitive".  You're rather lucky that that wasn't me, Roger.  I'm "sensitive" enough about my state, my country, my freedoms and my money (that you're wasting) that I'd have probably decked your passive aggressive ass.  And you would've damned well deserved it, too.  The radio reported Parker's response as telling Koopman that he is a "disgrace to the legislature".

That's kinda' stating the obvious now,  isn't it?

Comments

[Lamnidae]

Nice work Wulfgar. I've had the privilege to spend a few days around Rep. John Parker and I have absolutely no doubts that he was offended. I've known very few civil servants who are as dedicated to the people that they serve than Mr. Parker.

[Mike]

This is the best legislative blog post I have read in the last 90 days. Parker deserves a bottle of single-malt. How he chooses to use the bottle, once empty, is none of my concern :-)
Thanks Wulfgar!

Mike

[Dave Budge]

Now I don't know diddly about these two guys but I'll stick to my non-partisan guns warning all never to underestimate the stupidity of elected officials. You make my case quite well. Not quite as well as Kooperman however.

And as I agree with you on the greater thesis here I have to take exception to one little matter. I share your disdain for Hannity and Coulter, but at least Jonah has,besides an education in political philosophy, a sense of humor even if he writes with smug condescension. That, however, is common to many prattling pundits of both the left and right.

[bonkrood]

Whenever a post can echo my thoughts exactly, but in a much better way that makes me bellow with laughter... Well, that's perfection. This whole thing just tickled me. (your post, not the situation it describes--that had another affect) P.S. What radio station do you listen to?

[Wulfgar]

KMMS here in Bozeman.

[grannyinsanity]

That man is so ridiculous I always imagine him as one of those overplumes Dr. Seuss birds. You know the ones who are so overly vain that they can't fly.

Thanks Wulfgar.

[grannyinsanity]

overplumed. Preview is good, granny bad.

[batty]

A bit late in the comments - but any rant that references Dennis the Repressed gets high marks in my book!