Page 30 - Flathead Beacon // 5.18.16

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK
TWO FOR THOUGHT SAME TOPIC, DIFFERENT VIEWS FEDERAL OVERREACH?
JUSTIN FRANZ
STORIES ON THE TRAILS
IHAVE HAD THE GREAT FORTUNE OF LIVING IN two of the most beautiful states in the country, Maine and Montana. Because of that, I have a high tolerance for stunning scenic vistas, but the one place that gets me every time is Glacier National Park.
It’s not just the rugged mountaintops and clear waters that wow me. Just as often I am captivated by the stories of the park. Every trail, building and sce- nic pull-o holds an amazing tale of those who have come before us to enjoy the scenic wonders of North- west Montana.
Take the trail to Grinnell Glacier on the east side of the park. It’s through that same rugged landscape between Swiftcurrent Lake and the glacier that the “father” of Glacier Park, George Bird Grinnell, hiked some 130 years ago. Along the way, you’ll pass Elrod Rock, named for naturalist Morton J. Elrod, which once marked the edge of the massive glacier. Today, however, when you pass the boulder, you still have to hike another mile or so to reach Grinnell’s icy mass, a stark reminder of just how much the park’s land- scape has changed over the last 13 decades. Another interesting story about that otherwise unremarkable rock: In 1997, Vice President Al Gore ducked behind it to change out of his sweaty shirt before talking to the media about glacial recession and climate change.
Another location oozing with history is the Lake McDonald Lodge. According to Ray Dju and Chris Morrison’s fantastic book “View with a Room,” tour- ists rst began ocking to this scenic corner of the park in the mid 1890s, when a fellow by the name of George Snyder opened a hotel along the shore. Snyder ran his hotel for a decade until, according to legend, he lost the property in a card game. The new owner, John Lewis, added more cabins to the site and a few years later built brand new accommodations. The Lake McDon- ald Lodge cost $68,000 and was built to compete with the hotels and lodges that Louis Hill’s Great Northern Railway was constructing on the east side of the park. Among the many guests who frequented the lodge was legendary artist Charlie Russell, who was known to drink with guests in the main lobby well into the night.
Further up the road, on the trail to the Granite Park Chalet, you can walk through the leftover scars of the 2003 Robert Fire. When the massive blaze made a run toward The Loop, three-dozen hikers found them- selves stuck at the chalet. That evening, three hikers slipped passed the trail closure sign to try and make it out. When park o cials realized they were three people short they feared the worst and, when the trail cooled that night, they hiked down to see if they could nd the hikers. The hikers were never found, but no one was ever reported missing. Most likely, when the hikers realized the danger of trying to go through the re, they turned around to safety.
When I rst came to the Beacon ve years ago this month, I didn’t know any of these stories. But today, after writing dozens of articles about the park, these little factoids litter my brain and I frequently bring them up when hiking with friends (much to the dis- may of my girlfriend who has probably heard me say “Have I ever told you about the railroad’s role in build- ing this chalet?” more than she’d care to remember). But I never tire of learning more about the wild and wonderful history of Glacier Park; a history as spec- tacular and alluring as the mountaintops and waters that wow us all.
BY TIM BALDWIN
The federal government has issued “guidance” on how public schools are to treat transgender students. President Obama’s administration stated that the federal government would pull funding from states that do not comply with this guidance.
The federal government is overreaching its power and causing unnecessary division in America, not based on law but on ideology. CNN recently noted, “The letter does not carry the force of law but the message was clear: Fall in line or face loss of federal funding.” But like the gay marriage issue, states have a way of separating themselves from the federal gov- ernment’s mandate.
Regarding gay marriage, states have a simple option: get out of the marriage licensing business. This way, no public employee will be forced to issue a license he or she believes is immoral. Similarly, states can reject federal funding and take control of educating their students, which is what the Texas governor threatened to do. As for Congress, if they get ticked enough, they could revamp the Civil Rights Act to leave this issue to the states.
Many Americans are weary of the federal govern- ment intruding into issues that should be left to indi- viduals and states. Journalists have demonstrated that Trump’s success is largely based on this feeling. In this regard, Obama’s transgender position may prove untimely and unhelpful for Clinton this close to election day.
BY JOE CARBONARI
We were not meant to live alone. We are meant
to live with those that we love. It ought to be legal for all, even if it involves unconventional sexuality. The right to form a commitment of partnership to another ought not to be precluded by limiting the gender mix or expression. It is not a public issue.
It becomes a public issue when it involves harm to another. Denial of service is a harm. When ser- vice is denied based on a disapprobation of a class of people, members of that grouping are designated as un tting. That is an assault on their character and psyche. It does not strengthen our families nor our communities. It is counterproductive.
To uphold someone’s right to deny service on a personal distaste basis carries individual rights too far. It becomes a balance of rights. When reli- gion is invoked to tip the scale it ought to be disal- lowed. It is incendiary. Our beliefs di er. All should be respected, but none should be given preference.
At base, it is a matter of decency. We should not demean others and we should remember that we are all fallible, capable of misjudgment and error. Demeaning those that we disagree with allows us to dismiss them, to exclude them from those for whom we care.
Also concerning is the Trump phenomenon. We are lowering our standards and celebrating the nasty. It is not healthy. It will not make America great.
W
she undoubtedly sounded like other callous environ- mentalists they’d heard gleefully applauding policies that nancially devastated their hometowns.
Maybe if Clinton had at least acknowledged that some environmental policies have actually plundered local economies, those West Virginians might have been more willing to cut her some slack.
These are thorny questions. Free trade obviously lowers costs for goods and opens new markets for American companies. Similarly, environmental regu- lation is clearly good for climate change, wolves, water, etc.
But if we don’t acknowledge the nancial harm and job losses that result from these policies, particularly in small and rural communities, how will we ever do better?
Thorny questions rarely have simple answers and we should hope that our political leaders would be willing to acknowledge that most solutions come with a cost. Because, you know what they say, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Substance matters. To me anyway. I don’t get peo- ple who have no problem being intellectually inconsis- tent or worse violate the old Churchill maxim, “You’re entitled to your own opinion but not your own facts.” Maybe it doesn’t matter to everybody, but it sure does to me. I believe that having a depth of knowledge that allows care deeply about the answers to questions.
Diversity also matters. Why? Because it results in better substance.
Diane Smith is the founder and CEO of American Rural.
AMERICAN RURAL DIANE SMITH
SIMPLE ANSWERS TO THORNY QUESTIONS?
E ARE LIVING THROUGH A TIME WHEN much of our supposed “common” knowl-
edge has turned out to be wrong. Not just a little wrong; painfully, badly wrong. Maybe the Inter- net has just made information so much more available that we’re more aware of it. Or maybe the comfort of overly simplistic answers delivered by supposedly super-smart political and business leaders lulled us into believing they might actually be true. But simplis- tic answers to complicated questions ... I’m skeptical.
Take trade. Jared Bernstein, a former economist for Vice President Joe Biden, recently wrote about how Democrats and Republicans alike have consistently claimed that “free trade” is wonderful for all but a rel- atively small group of Americans. Bernstein, however, points to new economic studies regarding the e ect on low-wage workers when a high-wage country expands trade with a low-wage country. These studies found something quite di erent from the common claims. One of the studies found that “all non-college educated workers – about two-thirds of the workforce – were hit by the rise of trade with low-wage countries, losing 5.5 percent of their annual earnings, or about $1,800, in 2011.” In other words, our trade policies cost $150/ month for two-thirds of our workforce? Maybe not so wonderful.
How about environmental regulations? Hillary Clinton got into hot water recently when she said in West Virginia, “(W)e’re going to put a lot of coal min- ers and coal companies out of business, right?” She was speaking about new job opportunities for coal workers, but the damage was done. To the folks in West Virginia
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MAY 18, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM