by Ken Toole | Jun 25, 2025 | False Flag, Politics, Propaganda, Republicans
Webster’s Dictionary: FALSE FLAG- noun: a hostile or harmful action (such as an attack) that is designed to look like it was perpetrated by someone other than the person or group responsible for it.
It is beyond disappointing to see local Republican Representative Steve Gist blaming the “left” for the recent assassination of Democratic Representative and former Speaker of the House in Minnesota, Melissa Hortman, and her husband in their suburban home. Democratic Senator John Hoffman and his wife were wounded at their home the same evening.
Background On The Assassinated Legislators And Alleged Perpetrator
In the 2023 legislative session, Rep. Hortman helped to pass legislation which expanded abortion rights, legalized recreational marijuana, and made employers in Minnesota offer paid medical and family leave. Sen. Hoffman was a fourth term senator and served as the chair of the Human Services Committee.
Fifty-seven-year-old Vance Boelter was arrested two days after the shootings. When Boelter arrived at the victims’ homes, he was driving a black SUV with flashing police lights. Authorities said he disguised himself as a police officer wearing a tactical vest with a badge, black gloves, and a mask. He allegedly also went to two additional public officials’ homes but did not succeed in shooting them. In his vehicle police found a list of 70 potential targets.
A close friend said that Boelter voted for Trump in the last election and was a strong opponent of abortion rights. In the late 1980s, he enrolled at Christ for the Nations Institute, an unaccredited institution rooted in the Pentecostal tradition. He posted some of his sermons online. In one he said, “There’s people, especially in America, they don’t know what sex they are, they don’t know their sexual orientation, they’re confused. The enemy has gotten so far into their mind and their soul.” Authorities also said he and his wife are “doomsday preppers.”
Politicians and Propagandists Blame The “Left” For the Killings
Shortly after the attack, U.S. Senator Mike Lee of Utah released a post on X saying, “This is what happens when Marxists don’t get their way” along with a picture of Boelter wearing a latex face mask. He issued a second post with a photo of Boetler under the caption, “Nightmare on Waltz Street,” an apparent reference to Minnesota’s Democratic Governor and former candidate for Vice President. Elon Musk also weighed in, posting on X, “The far left is murderously violent.”
Lee subsequently removed the posts. He was roundly condemned around the country and in editorial comments from the Deseret News, Utah’s leading news paper. Elon Musk , of course, could give a shit.
Local Legislator, Gist Joins In, Promoting The False Flag Conspiracy
Montana Republican Representative Steve Gist engaged in his own little false flag operation. Regarding the assassinations in Minnesota, Gist uploaded a post saying, “The Extreme Left is sure pushing their luck, time to go after the head of the snake.” Below that heading, he copied a post from David J Harris Jr., a far-right national propagandist.
The Montana Democratic Party issued the following statement about Gist’s post, “The Montana Democratic Party is aware of Representative Steve Gist’s social media post and unequivocally condemns his violent, incendiary rhetoric.
Violence has no place in our democracy, and the language used in Gist’s post stokes division and contributes to the extremist toxicity that exists online and perpetuates political violence.
We are appalled by the silence from Montana Republican leaders and call on Senator Daines, Senator Tim Sheehy, Governor Gianforte, Senate President Matt Regier, House Speaker Brandon Ler, and MTGOP Chair Don Kaltschmidt to denounce Gist’s actions.”
The Missoulian interviewed Gist about his post. Gist said he was referring to “dark money,” but then went on to say, “It’s political warfare, you know, unfortunately. You don’t ever stop it, and it’s gotta stop.” Hard to imagine how it is going to stop if our politicians engage in the kind of propaganda Gist is circulating.
WTF406.com has written about Gist previously, questioning his eligibility to run for his legislative seat representing the town of Cascade and surrounding area, since his business and campaign were run out of a house he owned in Whitefish where his wife lived. https://wtf406.com/2022/10/where-in-the-world-does-steve-gist-really-live/
by Ken Toole | Jun 20, 2025 | Award, City
Jane Weber has been selected to receive the Paris Gibson Award for her years of service and commitment to bettering Great Falls and the surrounding area. Specifically, this award honors Weber’s work in establishing and administering the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, one of the highlights of any visit to Great Falls. Weber was the first administrator of the Center, serving in that role until retiring in 2010. During her tenure there she implemented interpretive programs for visitors, supervised staff and raised funds to sustain the organization.
After retiring Weber served two terms on the Cascade County Commission. She continued her passion for promoting Cascade County in that position. She was heavily involved in the formation of the Big Sky Country National Heritage Area. In 2022, she was elected to serve in the Montana House of Representatives and became well known for her tireless commitment to Great Falls and work on behalf of the community.
Thanks to The Electric for its reporting on this award. The Electric
by Ken Toole | Jun 15, 2025 | City, Protests, Rallies
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By jcolemanmoore on June 15, 2025
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More than one thousand people turned out on The Central Avenue Bridge here in Great Falls to protest the Trump administration. While The Donald sat in the drizzling rain watching his lackluster birthday parade, people across the country attended huge rallies to confront the policies of his administration. Over twenty protests were held in Montana in larger cities and in smaller towns from Glendive in the east to Eureka in the west.
NO Kings protest in Great Falls, MT June 14, 2025
Drive by of the NO Kings Protest in Great Falls, MT on June 14, 2025
by Ken Toole | Jun 11, 2025 | City, Elections
City elections are usually pretty boring affairs. But this year we have two very different candidates for mayor, and three commission candidates running for two vacant seats. Add the poison pen of Commissioner Rick Tryon, who has something to say . . .about everything . . . and you get the makings of a fairly negative campaign season. Let’s start with the mayor’s race.
Reeves Doubles Down, Issues Anti-Pride Statement
On June 10th, Reeves issued a statement revisiting his decision last year not to issue a city proclamation for Pride Month. The statement was apparently not in response to a request from anyone for a proclamation. He just wanted to remind people that he doesn’t support LGBTQ people being visible in the community. His statement reads, “Since some in the community are asking me again, here are my thoughts…. As mayor, I’ve made it clear that I believe government does not belong in personal relationships. Love who you want to love, no one needs government validation for that. That’s why I’ve chosen again not to issue a Pride proclamation. It’s not because I don’t care, but because I don’t believe it’s the government’s role to affirm personal matters. Apparently, in Reeves’ view, LGBTQ people are okay . . .as long as they stay in the closet. Please see our previous posts https://wtf406.com/2024/06/great-falls-mayor-cory-reeves-refuses-to-issue-pride-proclamation/
https://wtf406.com/2025/06/mayors-denial-of-pride-proclamation-one-year-later/
Reeves Refuses to Debate Taylor In Mayor’s Race
In a Facebook post, Jasmine Taylor challenged Reeves to debate the issues the City of Great Falls is facing. For example, what is Reeves doing about public safety besides taking a small amount of money from voter approved funds from the library? What is he doing about the Calumet Refineries’ repeated appeals of their property taxes which results in higher property taxes for residences? What about looming rate increases for public utilities here in Great Falls? Seems like there is a lot to talk about. To see Taylor’s challenge to Reeves on Facebook, follow this link. https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1XeJ7ooARV/
Not surprisingly, Reeves declined. Taking a page out of the right-wing playbook by refusing to participate in public forums or candidate debates, Reeves explained why he would not debate. He said that he prefers to stand on his record of accomplishments. He did not say what those accomplishments were. He concluded his refusal with a prediction that he will win the mayor’s race with 70 percent of the vote. Arrogant much, Mr. Mayor?
Tryon On City Council Candidate’s Attendance at A Veteran’s Rally
Over at MAGA Central, AKA E-City Beat✔, Tryon posted that city commission candidate Matt Pipinich had held a sign at a Veterans’ rally on June 6th which had the word “fuck” on it.In his usual style, Tryon holds forth about the sign being inappropriate, promoting hate, etc. etc.
We would be remiss if we did not point out that E-City Beat✔ ran a post back in June dealing with the use of the word “fuck” in public settings. WTF406.com had posted this photo taken at the Pelican Point boat launch. In our post, we pointed out that this kind of display (both the word and the sentiment) was not appropriate in a campground with lots of families and kids around. We stand by that opinion. Check out the post at this link. https://wtf406.com/2024/06/nice-afternoon-with-my-grandson/
Our post caught the attention of E-City Beat✔. Phil Faccenda, who writes for that blog occasionally, along with Tryon, compiled a list of all the posts on WTF406.com that had the word fuck in them. In typical E-City Beat✔ style, the post dripped both sarcasm and insult. We don’t make a practice of linking to E-City Beat, but if you really want to read their post, you can find it on their site.
What’s The Real Problem Rick?
So now comes Commissioner Tryon, righteously indignant about a sign at a protest and saying that it is promoting hate. He concludes, “‘F**K ICE and assaulting kids’ eyeballs with the ‘F’ word on our streets is not who we are in Great Falls.” Funny he didn’t have the same reaction to the photo from the Pelican Point campground. Probably because the real point of his indignation is not the sign, but the fact that Pipinich is a candidate for City commission. The last thing Tryon wants to see is Pipinich sitting next to him in city commission meetings.
Jackie (Mike) Brown, who runs The Western Word blog put it this way, “Tryon said one of the people holding the signs was a candidate for the City Commission. The Mayor of Great Falls also chimed in about that candidate. I don’t know if the person was a candidate or not, but if he is, then that was probably the main reason for the post. The tax and spend commissioners and mayor want to keep the band together for a few more years so they can hit us with more 27% rate increases.”
https://thewesternword.com/2025/06/11/the-wednesday-read-300/#more-22569
by Ken Toole | Jun 6, 2025 | City, Corporations
This photo of a potential equipment issue at the Calumet Refinery appeared on the social media platform, Next Door in late May. Local news station KRTV contacted Calumet after hearing about concerns from local citizens. This is what KRTV reported, “A spokesperson for Calumet responded to the concerns, noting that the photo shows a piece of equipment that is simply releasing steam, and that there are many steam release points in the refinery.”
Another person was told that the refinery was replacing insulation in the affected area but there was no release or leaks to be concerned about. We don’t have an engineering department at WTF406.com so we have no idea what’s happening here but the “discoloration” looks as if it was caused by heat and this creates the appearance, if not the reality, of a breach in the metal. Clearly more is going on here than a normal release of steam.
We’re interested in your opinion. Please comment and let us know what you think.
What The Funk 406
