Page 28 - Flathead Beacon // 12.14.16

LIKE I WAS SAYING 30 TWO FOR THOUGHT 30 DRAWING BOARD 31 Viewpoints
LETTERS
Appalled by Trump
I am appalled and horri ed that our President-elect is Donald Trump. How could so many of my fellow community members bring themselves to vote for him? Did you have to hold your nose? Did you think that as long as he was against abortion, it was okay for him to call women pigs? Did you think as long as he promised to bring jobs back, it was okay for him to allow support from the KKK? Did you think that Christian fundamentalism is OK, as long as he protects us from terrorism and Muslim fundamentalism? That it was okay for him to grab women’s genitals without their consent? That it was okay for him to incite violence at his rallies, blatantly lie over and over, and mock anyone who disagreed?
Look at what we have already — the appointment of a climate denier, an adviser in the White House with ties to white nationalism, billionaire cronies, and Republicans scurrying to kowtow.
The most dangerous thing that Don- ald Trump has said was during a debate when he used the classic excuse of every bully. As he insinuated that he has not paid any taxes for years, he insinuated we were too stupid to stop him. Well, Mr. Trump, we hear you loud and clear. If you can’t control your own behav- ior, we are not too stupid to learn how to do it for you. I have no intention of “healing divides” with someone unde- serving of respect. All of the talk about “get over it” or “stop whining” is just a way to belittle the beliefs many of us hold and to encourage us to shut up. I personally am everything many of you fear — a liberal progressive, socialist, atheist, for abortion and birth control rights, an environmentalist, a paci st for gun control, for liberty and for jus- tice for all. Don’t forget that there are more of us than there are of you. We are the “popular vote” and we are rolling up our sleeves and getting to work.
M. Jennifer Allen Kalispell
Media Misrepresents Spencer
I am a woman. I am a legal immi- grant. I was born in Russia (the late USSR), grew up in Canada, and moved to White sh, Montana in 2011.
Beyond being madly in love with the awe-inspiring natural environment of the Flathead Valley and Glacier Park, I already have roots in this town. My child was born here. One of her rst words is “deer” in my mother tongue: she waves to them through the window as they come over every afternoon to shame- lessly munch on the neighbor’s garden. My child was delivered at North Valley
Hospital by a highly skilled local doctor. The umbilical cord was wrapped around the neck, and she saved this newborn with quick thinking by performing a C-section. Indeed, I chose this doctor as my OBGYN because she had success- fully operated on me in an emergency surgery shortly after my relocation to the United States. I was in pain. I was terri ed. And she saved me, too! People like this doctor made me believe that White sh is a wonderful community.
Yet all this changed in late 2014, when my family and I rst faced the kind of hate and intimidation that I did not expect from a country that professes val- ues of democracy, freedom, pluralism, and free speech. I was heavily pregnant at that time and feared complications due to incurred stress. Recently, things have escalated further. Our family has received numerous threats of violence, and addresses thought to belong to us were illegally publicized inviting peo- ple with baseball bats to pay us a visit — in fact, a writer for Politico was asked to resign for doing so. Our extended fam- ily, friends, acquaintances, and associ- ates had their business and livelihoods threatened with boycotts or anonymous phone calls to their respective places of employment. Many of these actions occurred under the Orwellian banner of “human rights.”
Having grown up in the Soviet Union, I am particularly sensitive to such witch hunts. They bring up painful ancestral memories. In the 1930s, a number of my family members had perished in the Stalinist system. One of them was my great grandfather, a priest in the Rus- sian Orthodox Church. As a commu- nity leader, he was seen as a threat to the new atheist government. My great grandfather refused to publicly deny the existence of God, and local Commu- nist authorities imprisoned him. Then — according to the information that we received — they shot him right in his jail cell. My grandfather grew up as the son of the “enemy of the people.” Threats and intimidation, which my current extended family continues to experi- ence in White sh, remind me of the way my grandfather was forced to live.
Would you like to know who I am?
I am the wife of Richard Spencer — a thinker and political activist in the alt- right, who promotes positive identity for peoples of European descent around the world. In fact, he supports the assertion of authentic identities for the diverse
peoples of all backgrounds.
I believe my husband has been mis-
represented by the same establishment media that lied to us about Iraq, Libya, Syria, and beyond. But even if he had the most reprehensible views in the world,
it is pluralism and healthy debate that are signs of a civilized society, whereas threats and intimidation indicate a descent into barbarism. Indeed, living in Canada — a country that su ers under sti ing political correctness — it was the liberating feeling of free speech that was one of the most attractive aspects of the United States for me. Was I wrong to think so?
Perhaps I am naive, but I still believe that most residents of White sh, Mon- tana are great, hard-working people, who love freedom, and who lead a bal- anced life amidst stunning natural surroundings, while being respectful to others, even if they disagree with their views. As English writer Evelyn Beatrice Hall once said, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
Nina Spencer White sh
Daines Needs to Send Clear Message on Public Lands
Montana Sen. Steve Daines submit- ted a letter to President-elect Donald Trump on Dec. 9 where he outlined actions that the incoming president should take to grow our national econ- omy. After reviewing Daines’ recom- mendations, it is apparent that he con- tinues to support antiquated modes of thinking that seem poised to help very few Montanans directly. His loyalties instead appear more in-line with corpo- rate interests that seek to exploit state resources with actions that undermine access to and the quality of our outdoor recreation amenities.
Daines paints in broad strokes in support of extractive industries that do not represent the future, but instead a past that will irrevocably continue to negatively impact Montana’s environ- ment, economy, and our national secu- rity. Absent in the senator’s lengthy letter is mention of our outdoor recre- ation economy in Montana. According to the Outdoor Industries of America, the outdoor recreation economy con- tributes to 64,000 direct jobs and $1.5 billion in wages across the state. Where are his calls to protect our future access to public lands as well as our environ- mental quality?
I ask Daines to send a clear message in follow up to President-elect Trump that he supports our public lands and environmental protections. To neglect to do so would clearly reveal the sena- tor’s true character and should make all Montanans question if he will be an e ective representative for this state for the future.
Ryan Krueger White sh
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DECEMBER 14, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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