Page 24 - Flathead Beacon // 3.26.14

24 | MARCH 26, 2014
OPINION FLATHEADBEACON.COM

LIKE I WAS SAYIN’ Kellyn Brown
TWO THOUGHT
FOR Same Topics,
Opposing Views
Keep Exploring
Double Speak

W
HEN THE SPACE SHUTTLE By Joe Carbonari
By Tim Baldwin
Challenger exploded on Jan. 28, 1986, I irst

learned of the tragedy from a teacher in a build- Generally speaking, it does not serve to Tone of conversation is important to con-
ing named after an astronaut. I was too young to fully grasp advance your cause by bad-mouthing your ad- vey ideas. Tone involves using the right words
what had happened as I sat in the second-grade classroom versary. Better to give him his due, then give and delivery to portray the right message.
at Alan B. Shepard Elementary School in Bourbonnais, him his warning. Clearly and simply with no This is, at times, a hard tool to use because
Ill. But I was familiar with rockets – after all, that was the speciics, with only an end in mind.
bias, motive or ailiation gets in the way. If
school’s mascot.
In the case of Obama and Putin that means the wrong tone is used, the intended audience
Years passed before I began to understand the extent of lining up world leaders, both East and West, will not listen and thus the message sufers.

the tragedy. Seven crewmembers died, including a teacher. to go on record as reminding Putin that while What good then is the message?
Shuttles were grounded for 32 months. NASA was in cri- we must deal with him because of the way he The Apostle Paul had something to say
sis mode. The program inally continued on Sept. 29, 1988, is over-using the threat of death, or its reality, about this too. He said, to spread the gospel,
when Space Shuttle Discovery lifted of into space.
in his neighborhood we will limit the nature “I am made all things to all men, that I might
We are a nation of explorers and we admire those who and extent of our dealings with him and his by all means save some” (1 Cor. 9:22). Admit-
take risks to reach unimaginable heights and depths. So it closest supporters. Good people, good money, tedly, not all will listen even when the tone
was with some trepidation that I watched NASA retire its and good ideas will avoid him, and them, like is correct. But think of how fewer “converts”
space shuttle program in 2011. But the private sector, such the plague. If however, he were to ind areas of you will reach if you use the wrong tone.

as Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has stepped in to ill the void. To be cooperation with us, and to contain his eforts In today’s society, with instant media in-
sure, we’re still exploring.
to reconstruct Russia, we all would be more formation, using correct tone is even harder
This week, Tristan Scott writes about a Whiteish- likely to do business with him and to treat him and requires more skill. Unfortunately, some
based company that has turned to the depths of the sea to with respect.
people too eagerly condemn politicians as
ind the remnants of what propelled mankind toward the Most importantly, he must know that “double speaking” because they use diferent
stars. SL Hydrospheric joined Bezos Expeditions (led by we will ight, but that he will not know the tones for diferent audiences. But they are not
Amazon CEO Jef Bezos) to help recover the engines that why, the when, or the where until we strike. the same thing, and citizens should be mind-

sent men to the moon. For its efort, the team was recent- We must show him the path, and the conse- ful of this.
ly honored with the Citation of Merit from the Explorers quences – he must decide. His choice, unless, Be careful: if you care about spreading
Club, a 110-year-old “international multidisciplinary pro- of course, his people were to become so disen- right ideas, you must use the right tone. Oth-
fessional society dedicated to the advancement of ield re- chanted with him that they were to throw him erwise, I expect you will “by all means save
search and the ideal that it is vital to preserve the instinct out. Time will tell.
no one.”
to explore.”
If we treat our adversaries as if they are
The distinction carries a lot of clout, as renowned as- our friends, we will get more done.
trophysicist Stephen Hawking spoke at the club’s annual
GUESTCOLUMN | BobBrown
dinner last week. Musk, who eventually wants to ofer trips
to Mars, was also honored.
Have the People Elect Senators in Special Elections
On a smaller scale, we’re lucky to live in an area that
still captures the spirit of exploration. Instead of blasting
of into space, or reaching miles below the surface of the With the departure of Sen. Max Baucus from the into electing him to the Senate in 1899. Incredibly,
ocean, we explore a unique landscape, much of it still pro- Senate, Montana’s longest serving statewide elected when an investigation forced Clark’s resignation, he
tected and of the beaten path.
oicial is Ed Smith. Never heard of him? Well, we inagled a gubernatorial appointment to the Senate
Last summer, some friends led me from Hidden Lake have elected him clerk of our Supreme Court ive to ill the vacancy created by his own resignation!

past Floral Park to Sperry Glacier in Glacier National times. Ed served as chief clerk of the Montana House The Clark outrage in Montana was often used as
Park. The hike, for me anyway, was brutal. But the payof of Representatives three legislative sessions and an example of the need for the 17th Amendment.
was worth the pain. Below Sperry, turquoise Glacier melt- was then appointed by the legendary House Speaker The amendment, however, leaves up to the states
ponds contrasted the jagged mountain terrain. Walking Tip O’Neill to be chief bill clerk of the U.S. House of whether Senate vacancies are illed by election or
along the rocks I exclaimed, “It feels like we’re on another Representatives. He has also served as president of appointment by their state’s governors. Whereas,
planet.”
the National Conference of Appellate Court Clerks.
when a vacancy occurs with a member of the U.S.
That is, however, likely the closest I will ever get to His is a remarkable record that speaks for itself. House, the Constitution requires a special election.

“another planet” and it was just a short trip out my front Ed always does a good job. That’s why he is rarely in If we entrust the people to choose their U.S. rep-
door in a place where people travel thousands of miles to the news and always reelected.
resentatives in special elections to ill vacancies, by
see. I often forget how unique an area we live, a place where The exit of Max from Montana, however, has what logic do we prohibit them from doing so when
hunters, anglers, skiers, mountain bikers and hikers all ex- certainly created a lot of news, much of it swirling Senate seats become vacant?
plore for diferent reasons.
around the appointment by Gov. Steve Bullock of his Montana should join the 14 states allowing their
Each year, I compile a list of areas in Northwest Mon- Lt. Gov. John Walsh to ill the Baucus Senate vacan- people the complete power to elect their senators. A
tana that I’d like to visit for the irst time, and each year I cy. Bullock has felt compelled to refute allegations bill to do this sponsored by Democratic Sen. Gary
perhaps check of 25 percent of that list. Yes, those travels that he was pressured into the Walsh appointment Branae of Billings was defeated in the 2011 legisla-

are more modest and far less risky than that of an astro- by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
tive session, and another by Democratic Sen. Dave
naut or deep-sea explorer, but the attraction to see some- Though the details are diferent, the success rate Wanzenried of Missoula died on a tie vote in 2013.
thing new, to learn, and to push personal limits at least of senatorial appointees being retained by Montana Both were supported by Montana’s secretary of
shares the same roots.
voters isn’t good. In fact, it’s zero for two. The irst ap- state. Ironically, most legislative Democrats op-
As an adolescent, I would walk through the woods ad- pointee was defeated back in 1934. The most recent posed the legislation with all but two Montana Sen-
jacent to my family’s campsite carrying sticks like make- was Montana Supreme Court Justice Paul Hatield, ate Democrats voting against Wanzenried’s bill
believe gear and conquering various ictional adversaries. appointed senator by Gov. Tom Judge to ill the va- in 2013. If Montana’s governors had wanted to rid

It got to the point where my dad referred to me as “Kelbo” cancy created by the 1978 death of Senator Lee Met- themselves of the awkward and politically problem-
– a younger, much more innocent, version of Rambo.
calf. Judge was defeated in the next election as was atic senatorial appointment responsibility, either
The name stuck around and so did that itch that so Hatield by then young Congressman Max Baucus.
bill would have passed.
many of us share to seek out new adventures. We applaud Montanans appear to not like having their sen- Maybe a citizen’s initiative is in order. About
those, like SL Hydrospheric, who go further than many of ators appointed for them. If he wins the primary, 24,000 signatures would have to be gathered by
us could ever imagine, and at once map out another explo- Walsh appears to have an uphill battle on his hands June 20 to place a measure giving Montana people
ration in our own backyard.
against Republican Congressman Steve Daines.
the power to ill Senate vacancies on the fall election
Prior to the 17th Amendment in 1913, senators ballot. It would pass.

were appointed by state legislatures. “Copper King” Bob Brown is a former Montana secretary of state
W.A. Clark lagrantly bribed Montana legislators
and state Senate president