The high cost of forgetfulness

Dear Editor:

The U.S. and Montana Constitutions divide government into three (3), distinct and equal branches: (Executive, Legislative, and Judicial), each given specific responsibilities designed to provide oversight between the branches designed to guarantee a system of checks and balances.

The Supreme Court is endowed with three specific responsibilities/powers:

• Interpret the meaning of laws.

• Applying/enforcing laws.

• Deciding if laws violate the Constitution.

Recent Montana Supreme Court rulings have stopped Republican lawmakers from blatantly violating the U.S. and State Constitutions, stopped the incumbent Secretary of State, Christi Jacobsen, from illegally removing names from a ballot initiative petition to protect women’s rights to choose and acting to suppress voters prior to the last election. District and Supreme Court’s rulings have recently come down against Republican lawmakers including Governor Gianforte. 

Rather than producing competent and sensible legislation, compliant with the Constitution, Republican lawmakers, instead, are using their super majority to usurp the entire Judicial Branch because they got their feelings hurt from the courts actually performing the responsibilities they have been charged to do. At least two Republicans, Sen. Tom McGillvray and Sen. Steve Fitzpatrick, have written to local newspapers (“Montana needs new government claims court,” March 21, 2025 Anaconda Leader) in an effort to gaslight readers by insinuating the judges and justices are corrupt or politically motivated. This is a subversive tactic used by fascist authoritarians to destroy the rule of law, making it easier to deconstruct Democracy and replace it with dictatorship. Without judicial oversight, the very foundation of the Constitution and subsequently Democracy crumbles and falls. The ruble of such chaos results in anarchy and suffering. We are already experiencing the rise of authoritarianism in our great country and the social decline is rapidly reaching catastrophic proportions. If anyone reading this thinks the pain will only affect the ‘libs’…think again. The world has witnessed this erosion before when Adolph Hitler and the Nazi party destroyed the democratic government of Germany then proceeded to ravage Europe and euthanizing over five-million Jewish citizens.

To forget the tragic lessons of this dark history is to condemn us all to the hell of servitude and suffering. Philosopher George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” (The Life of Reason, 1905.)

Doug Christ

Deer Lodge