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UNCOMMON GROUND MIKE JOPEK AUTUMN DUTIES
GUEST COLUMN RYAN ZINKE
THE IRAN DEAL IS A BAD DEAL
AFTER A GROWING SEASON peppered with extreme heat and little rain followed by a week of hazardously smoky air from regional for- est fires, September ushers in a fitting end to summer.
Gratefully the weather conditions improved, yet most wildfires still burn as thousands of brave firefighters are keep- ing us safer. The fall rains are welcome. On the farm, much produce turned more vibrant even this late in the season.
In many ways I am relieved that the hop cones are harvested from the vines. It’s another sign to the end of a prolonged season. Kids again are attending public schools and many tourists have largely abandoned their quest for vacation.
Like many locals, I view fall as one of the greatest seasons. The days can be filled with the warmth of autumn sun and the nights are frosty cold. The geese and waterfowl began descending on the pub- lic lake behind the farm, congregating for the long trip to warmer weather.
In a visual sign of fall, snow tempo- rarily capped Big Mountain. That’s wel- come news to anyone like me who likes to ski, recreate outdoors, or appreciates the economic benefit of winter tourism. Yet before winter’s snow arrives, fall allows a breather for locals who still need to attend to those chores.
The fall also signals the traditional beginning of election season. All three cities in the Flathead are electing lead- ers to move their communities forward. Next month, Whitefish will mail ballots to some 4,000 city dwellers. That’s good news for anyone who thinks that larger voter turnouts matter.
Historically places like Columbia Falls and Kalispell have been plagued with extremely low voter turnout. Hundreds or even a handful of votes can separate a winning candidate from the runner-up, while the number of people casting bal- lots has remained drearily low.
When I served, I was puzzled by low voter participation. I thought it odd that
so many people choose to not vote. Today I understand more as I wonder what on earth are some policymakers thinking? But there is a fundamentally huge differ- ence between local elected officials and those serving in Helena or D.C.
That has everything to do with who engages in public testimony. In Hel- ena, it’s the corporate lobbyists and cit- izen activists who pave the route to the podium. In Columbia Falls, Kalispell or Whitefish it’s people like your neighbors who offer needed perspectives on the direction of our communities.
In Whitefish, leaders like Richard Hildner and Frank Sweeney have done a great job of listening to people. Hild- ner and Sweeney are doing their part in a complex city-state relationship to keep local property taxes lower, while steer- ing the community engagement to be friendly. That trust in community mat- ters to anyone who is living in their home.
Whitefish is a small resort community of thousands of voters and hundreds of thousands of visitors. It sets up a dichot- omy between those who live and work in our community or have children in local schools, and visitors who drive the busi- nesses that sustain our way of life. It’s a balance we can maintain as long as lead- ers recognize that many simply live here because they love our town or the great outdoors, and desire peace in community.
On the farm we have many fall chores; yet voting is a duty. Fall municipal elec- tions offer a means to a community that reflects the values on why people live in town.
From most everything that I have seen, heard, and witnessed the Flathead needs more hardworking leaders like Hildner and Sweeney to keep us on the right economic and community track.
Voters have big decisions to make which solidify the path forward. Democ- racy is, after all, the reason for our free- dom. Hopefully you’ll vote.
THE IRANIAN NUCLEAR DEAL IS perhaps the greatest national security mistake of our time and represents a clear and present danger to America and our allies. The idea of legit- imizing the nuclear capabilities of Iran – the leading sponsor of global terrorism who is directly responsible for the kill- ing of thousands of Americans – is reck- less. The United States does not need this deal; Iran needs this deal.
Iran is holding Americans hostage. Any deal crafted with Iran should have been built on the cornerstone that we would get our people back. And earlier this year, Iran’s supreme leader, Aya- tollah Khamenei, rallied crowds with chants of “Death to America,” and called for the annihilation of Israel. His words are not political rhetoric; they are reality.
As a former Navy SEAL Commander, I remember the troops killed by Iranian explosives. I know first-hand the Iranian nuclear agreement is bad; here’s why:
1) It fails to provide adequate inspec- tion and verification measures, allowing Iran to “self-inspect.”
2) It funnels billions of dollars to Iran, and by admission of national secu- rity advisor Susan Rice, will be used to finance terrorism.
3) It fails to dismantle Iran’s nuclear facilities.
4) It removes the sanctions on weap- ons to allow Iran to procure Interconti- nental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs).
President Barack Obama and his supporters of appeasement insist this is a diplomatic “win” and that we face a “take the deal or go to war” proposi- tion. This claim is patently false and fear mongering. I am the last guy who wants to go to war. No one, especially those who have fought, want to go to war. The truth is, the deal is bad. Do you think Russia would have announced they are selling long-range missiles to Iran if this deal didn’t exist?
The deal is bad on verification. Although Secretary of State John Kerry insists monitoring is fool proof, experts like former CIA Director General Hayden disagree. This deal assumes Iran is a trustworthy negotiator. We were told the deal would include “anytime and anywhere” inspections, however
it is now up to 24 days, but only if Iran agrees. We now also know that Iran will be allowed to self-inspect certain sites. This is foolish, but not fool proof.
The deal also fails to dismantle Iran’s nuclear capability, leaving all known nuclear facilities intact, and it bolsters their long-range capabilities. While the administration refused to include American hostages in the deal, they managed to remove sanctions on con- ventional weapons and ICBMs. Of the dangers facing our troops around the globe, our military’s top General stated that under no circumstances should we give Iran advanced missile systems.
During my recent visit to Israel, I spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Reuven Rivlin and Major General Amos Yadlin, formerly with the Israeli Defense Force. Their assess- ment is in just 13 years, the deal would give Iran as many as 100 ICBMs capable of destroying every city in America.
Lastly, the deal is bad in that it rad- ically departs from decades of prudent U.S. foreign policy directed at reduc- ing, rather than increasing, nuclear stockpiles and the number of coun- tries who possess them. The Strate- gic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), South Africa, and Ukraine are success- ful examples of reducing the risk of nuclear warfare. This deal will create a legal pathway for Iran to possess nuclear weapons, which will trigger a nuclear arms race in a region ripe with instabil- ity. Saudi Arabia has already pledged to acquire nuclear weaponry.
The right course is to reject this bad deal and hold Iran accountable for its fla- grant violations and actions. There are a number of actions the United States can take that do not include war and prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Sanctions work. Enhancing relation- ships with our allies works. We and our allies have options, and Congress will review every single one of them.
Negotiation must be executed through strength with a credible use of force and not through weakness and disengagement. Unfortunately, this deal was conceived in appeasement and those who vote for it care more about the legacy of Obama than they do the secu- rity of United States and our allies.
“VOTERS HAVE BIG DECISIONS TO MAKE WHICH SOLIDIFY THE PATH FORWARD. DEMOCRACY IS, AFTER ALL, THE REASON FOR OUR FREEDOM.”
Mike (Uncommon Ground) Jopek and Dave (Closing Range) Skinner often fall on opposite sides of the fence when it comes to political and outdoor issues. Their columns alternate each week in the Flathead Beacon.
“NEGOTIATION MUST BE EXECUTED THROUGH STRENGTH WITH A CREDIBLE USE OF FORCE AND NOT THROUGH WEAKNESS AND DISENGAGEMENT.”
Ryan Zinke is a U.S. congressman from Whitefish.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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