Blast from the past
The Blast from the Past page will highlight images, Features, News Shorts or Briefs, and Letters to the Editor from the original LOL Web site archives until we all get pretty sick and tired of them.
“The Maine thing” (July 7, 2005)
Governor Brian Schweitzer kicked off the Montana Department of Commerce’s new tourism campaign on Saturday, June 25.Sporting classic Nor’easter garb, Schweitzer launched a promotion designed to lure tourists away from the stern and rockbound coast of New England to Montana.Governor Schweitzer announced the new state slogan, “Montana: The Other Maine,” at a giant lobster feed for the press.
“Montana declares war on Maine” (August 18, 2005)
A summer of skirmishes over tourism dollars has erupted into a full scale war between Montana and Maine. The War on Tourism has its roots in the Montana Department of Commerce’s “Montana: The Other Maine” campaign, launched in June.
The Montana Legislature, which must approve declarations of war, has taken the position that Maine made the first strike with its inflammatory visitmaine.com Web site. Montana’s newly appointed Secretary of Defense Denny Rehberg stated that “Maine’s claim that it is The Source for things that we hold dear is a kind of fundamentalism that freedom-loving commercial interests everywhere in this state ought to deplore.”
The Maine Office of Tourism web site uses strong language that indicates the state is harboring weapons of mass attraction: “Embark on outdoor adventures like llama trekking, camping, skiing and snowmobiling. Go antiquing in charming villages. Encounter amazing wildlife including . . . the mighty moose. Immerse yourself in Maine’s unique culture at our festivals and fairs.”
Rehberg’s statement went on to say that “Freedom loving people around the state must reach out through every means to support the courageous Montanans who are defending their proud resources and their reputation as a center for outdoor adventures, amazing wildlife, the mighty moose, and unique culture against those who would hijack it for evil ends.”
Peace advocates feel that Montana has long been eager to go to war against a New England state, and that the current plan to invade Bangor, Boothbay, Bar Harbor, Belfast, and other key cities to root out weapons of mass attraction, is merely a ploy to control a state that has been a dominant player in the beautiful scenery cartel. According to the Montanans for Peace, Bison, Trees, Wolves, Piping Plover, Least Tern and Affordable Wading Boots, “We are destroying our own resources here, and given the huge appetite for more wilderness in which to ride ATVs, cut timber, and build subdivisions, we are marching into Maine.”
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