The much publicized rape case in Billings is getting press across Montana and now across the country. I spoke with my brother in New Hampshire and he was outraged as well. CNBC has picked up the story and the truth is out. Once again, Montana gets in the spotlight for yet another event that defines […]

After sentencing a former Billings teacher to 30 days in jail for rape last week, Yellowstone District Judge G. Todd Baugh said the 14-year-old victim was “older than her chronological age ” and was “as much in control of the situation” as her perpetrator. The judge apologized. But the backlash was swift and the damage […]

By John Fuller Now that it is clear that Syria’s dictator Assad used chemical weapons upon his own people, the U.S. is faced with a foreign policy nightmare. The use of chemical weapons, outlawed internationally since WWI, is considered an abomination and universally condemned. President Barack Obama has said that the use of such weapons […]

Imagine if tomorrow morning’s headline was this: “Four hundred thousand to get one half-billion dollar boost in income.” The underlying news story announces that hundreds of thousands of people here in three states of the Northern Rockies whose good-earning jobs are behind them will share $500 million each year for the rest of their lives. […]

Next week Congress returns to work after enjoying a European-style five-week summer recess vacation. Members will work for a couple weeks, then recess again for another week. Congress is scheduled to work 125 days in session this year. The U.S. House has voted 50 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act. But defunding Obamacare became […]

When I see a business focused solely on a horizontal or vertical market, it’s hard not to wonder if that focus is what’s really best for them. What do I mean by “vertical” and “horizontal” markets? A vertical market serves a certain type of customer, even if the work performed for them is of broad […]

Have you noticed all of the opinion pieces and so called “news” coming out of the Associated Press calling for Republicans to compromise? Hardly a day goes by that the talking heads don’t belittle conservatives and call them obstructionists or other names. Why? Simply put, the midterm elections are on the near horizon and the […]

“We are not good at anything else anymore … can’t build a decent car or a television set, can’t give a good education to the kids or health care to the old, but we can bomb … any country.” – George Carlin back during the Gulf War A fact: The U.S. has been in some […]

After the financial collapse of 2007, I readily consumed information on how the economy blew up; how half the stock market was wiped out; how new subdivisions were abandoned and left for dead. A lot has changed in six years. A lot hasn’t. Here, it appears we experienced a necessary dose of cautiousness. Elsewhere, not […]

By John Fuller Our national political scene lacks both humor and graciousness. We have intellectual arrogance coming out of the White House and megalomania in the Congress. Not only does our leadership disagree with each other, but they often refer to each other’s ideas and personage in an unnecessarily deleterious manner. The more they badmouth […]

“What would it take for a Republican or self-identified independent to vote for a Democrat in local elections?” This is a question the small, Democratic Party inner circle establishment, mostly from Whitefish, has posed to their membership after this author has pushed the question for many years. Understand this is not your typical political party, […]

With fire season under way, I’ve been thinking about federal forest management. The Flathead National Forest (FNF) has restarted its multiple-aborted forest planning process, with a series of field trips for the interested public. The next trip is Aug. 29 to Spotted Bear, just the beginning of a process that is expected to take five […]

Have you heard that you should “segment” your customers before marketing to them? Ever wondered what that means, much less how you’d do that? Today, we’re going to talk about segmenting in simple terms, but you might be wondering… Why should I segment my customers? Good question. You want to segment your marketing is to […]

It didn’t take Rep. Steve Daines long to adopt the ways of the typical Washington politician. He wears many hats, trying to be everything to everyone. Montana’s timber industry has grown so accustomed to receiving federal welfare checks, tax breaks, special grants and earmarks that the entire Montana delegation gives them just about anything they […]

In a recent article titled “Focusing on the Flathead River” (Aug. 14 Beacon) Glacier National Park’s North Fork District Ranger Scott Emmerich all but admitted that the park wants to keep the North Fork Road as dusty and unpleasant to drive as possible —because it will reduce the number of people who want to access […]