The 9/11 terrorist attack on the Trade Towers and Pentagon resulted in the death of 2,996 civilians and about $11 billion in property damage. Our nation’s response, however, (the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq) has resulted in 6,700 of our soldiers killed, 50,000 maimed and the expenditure of about $1 trillion. In addition, this attack […]

A July 31 column (“Water Wrongs”) in the Flathead Beacon by Dave Skinner captures key historical observations about the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, but he evidently failed to read the Proposed Compact. He merely repeats inaccurate information he heard others bantering about as fact. Below is a brief breakdown explaining how some of these […]

After reading articles and letters on the lake trout and mysis shrimp introduction I have to comment on the pike and their devastating effect on trout. When mysis shrimp was introduced I was doing lots of volunteer work for Fish and Game. Most all my work was for bull trout done in Cole Creek but […]

For a number of weeks I have witnessed the President of the United States encourage racial discord between blacks and whites because a man was declared innocent by a jury who viewed the evidence and found him not guilty in Florida. I was reminded of all the Blackfeet members who have written him or those […]

I attended the July 23 meeting of the Flathead County Solid Waste Board. I was pleased about its decision to extend the timeline for Bigfork’s effort to preserve and improve its solid waste collection site. As Bigfork Chairman Paul Mutascio summarized so well, the local committee has worked long and hard to assess the problems […]

Our native bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout were doing just fine until the lake trout population exploded in Flathead Lake due to the misguided introduction of Mysis shrimp. Large runs of adfluvial cutts and bulls would head up river every spring to spawn. Several years later the young return to the lake to grow […]

Benjamin Franklin said, “Anyone who trades liberty for security deserves neither liberty nor security.” I find these words most apropos today. Our society as a whole has become so risk adverse every calamity requires an insurance policy or legislation to ensure “ it can’t happen again.” In an effort to make our workplace safe, we’ve […]

Republican Congressman Steve Daines has introduced HR 2259, a North Fork Watershed Protection Act, and he deserves much credit for doing so. Democratic Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester had earlier introduced virtually identical legislation (Senate Bill 255). It passed out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on June 18 of this year. […]

Lake Koocanusa is a large lake over 70 miles long, stretching from near Libby past Eureka to the north into Canada. It is a beautiful lake with much promise, but currently it seems to be a failed fishery forgotten by the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. There are primarily three type fish in Koocanusa. There’s […]

Over 50 years ago I heard that our great country was divided by “Us” versus “Them.” At that time Us was 90 percent and Them was 10 percent. About 20 years ago it shifted to where Us was 95 percent and Them was 5 percent. In the past year or two it has become Us […]

Congressman Steve Daines, I would like to thank you for your support of the North Fork Watershed Protection Act. As a Flathead Valley resident, I am encouraged by your bipartisan support of a bill that protects wildlife and our outdoor oriented way of life. This shows me that you are committed to acting in the […]

There’s nothing better than summer in Montana. Sweet Flathead cherries, fresh bread baked with Montana wheat, huckleberries and bison burgers on the grill. In Montana, we share our bounty. The main reason Montanans lock their doors in the summer? So their neighbors won’t drop off another bushel of zucchini or rhubarb. But for the one […]

Every single American has had the National Security Agency interfere with their emails. One young man exposes this technological spying activity and Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner rails “Treason!” How do you secretly oversee private correspondence then shout “treason” at someone who is exposing it? History is replete with puppets like Boehner. He […]

When I examine the first five years of the Obama presidency, I see huge government outlays for food stamps; unemployment compensation; subsidies for crony corporations; bailouts for multinational banks; the creation of even more bureaucracies; a continued outpouring of foreign aid; and, finally, the introduction of his signature accomplishment: Obamacare. This final extravagance will make […]

We’ve seen a lot of handwringing over coal trains lately. But frankly, railroads are an essential part of Montana’s growth, more now than probably since the first tracks were laid in the state more than 100 years ago. Whether coal trains, grain trains, lumber trains, or oil trains – it’s all good for Montana. It’s […]