It was a chilly day, spring of 1998, when the sixth grade class of Kila School took the most fascinating of all field trips, to the county landfill. It stank, it was noisy, it was cold, but each one of those kids remembers that day and when they learned where their trash ends up. It was exciting and educational; motivating and meaningful. We must teach our children the impact each of us has on our valley. It is hard to push responsibility on a 12-year-old, but they get it when they visit the county landfill.

Montana’s hate crime law is on the books to protect Montanans against crimes motivated by “race, creed, religion, color, national origin, or involvement in civil rights or human rights activities.”

People are free to hate. They are free to espouse whatever religious views they wish. But when they kill, threaten or vandalize in order to intimidate people they don’t like, or whose religion they disagree with, that crosses a line.

Here we go again. Religion being blamed for something it had nothing to do with. First Dr. Cahill on TV news blamed “religious terrorist” for destroying her clinic, then Ms. Strong in a letter to the Flathead Beacon, even after it was proven the person who broke in and did the damage was not religious. I especially enjoy the way non-religious people love to quote Bible verses when they clearly don’t have a clue the context of those verses. It’s all about an attempt to control “religious” people by using their Holy Book. Christians do no harm. If anyone claims to be a Christian and does harm, they are a liar.

Montanans’ most fundamental right is at risk: the right to choose who we want to represent us in free and open primary elections. In an unprecedented political maneuver, our highest elected officials selected a candidate for the United States Senate, a decision made for Montanans in Washington, DC. Historically, elected officials have trusted Montana voters […]

Many Montanans don’t know that nonresident students subsidize the cost of our own children going to college. Legislators recognized this and wrote laws allowing the university system to waive nonresident tuition up to 2 percent of the previous year’s full-time enrollment numbers. University officials call this “tuition discounting” and know that more students from out […]

We must end the Democrats’ war on jobs. What war on jobs, you ask? It’s a subtle war, but one with devastating impacts. It involves millions of pages of needless regulations and red tape on our businesses. It involves not letting Native Americans to develop their resources. The Crow Tribe Chairman Darrin Old Coyote has […]

While I feel Congressman Steve Daines’s introduction of the North Fork Watershed Protection Act of 2013 is a great step forward, let’s not frame him as a conservation hero. With his political ambitions, this bill is a no brainer. It would be political suicide if he didn’t. But let’s look at his overall conservation track […]

If you have been following the articles proposing to designate the Whitefish River as non-motorized, you have not been getting the straight story. Recent newspaper articles have more than suggested that the FWP (Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks) supports the non-motorized designation proposed by the city of Whitefish. This is misleading if not completely untrue. […]

After four decades of collaborative effort, protection of the watershed of the North Fork of the Flathead River from mineral or energy development is almost a reality. On June 5, 2013, Congressman Steve Daines introduced the North Fork Watershed Protection Act to our nation’s House of Representatives and made a commitment to “lead the charge” […]

The events leading to the cancellation of this year’s Great Northern Beer Barter were unfortunate. In order to meet all of the conditions set forth by the Whitefish City Council for the beer barter’s special event permit, we were required to sign an indemnification provision. As our insurance company stated, had we signed the provision, […]

After reading the various letters from the editors of our local newspapers it is fairly obvious that the editors have missed the point regarding the appointment of Lt. Governor John Walsh to fill the seat left vacant by Sen. Max Baucus. Yes, of course, Gov. Steve Bullock has the obligation and responsibility to appoint a […]

Although not unanticipated, the news of Gov. Steve Bullock’s appointment of John Walsh to the vacated Senate seat of Max Baucus is a glaring example of the self- serving corruption we suffer here in Montana. It confirms partisan politics means more to our governor, senator and senatorial candidate than genuine concern for Montana and our […]

Petitions are circulating to put Initiative 168 on the November ballot. This “Sunshine in Political Spending Act” is “to bring integrity back to Montana politics through transparency and accountability of political contributions and expenditures…” Do we want to be a nation of, by and for secret PACs, or a land of, by and for the […]

Ryan Zinke should curb his tone if he wants to be known as a person who serves the public instead of his own political ends. Zinke, whose middle name appears to be Formernavyseal, spoke vividly at a recent Republican meeting in Bigfork. Zinke is running to be the GOP candidate for the state’s seat in […]

Falsified science and physics have both become useful tools of political strategists seeking power, control and wealth. Claims of “man-caused” disasters calling for drastic, supposedly corrective measures keeps the citizenry beholden to the government. Research has found that unlimited supplies of hydrocarbon fuels are constantly forming within the earth’s deep, hot biosphere. False claims of […]