The eyes of much of the country, especially party insiders, last week were fixed on the GOP convention, for the rollout of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and on John McCain’s acceptance speech. Yet just a few days earlier in the town next door, thousands booed Republicans as loud as Democrats. Ron Paul supporters gathered […]

As a parent of a Bigfork High School football player, I have become increasingly disillusioned along with other parents, (who wish to remain anonymous fearing their football player will be benched) at the lack of action from the Bigfork School District. Last year, at the beginning of the football season, we (the community, coaches, and […]

On the second day of a Democratic convention that even party loyalists had panned as dull, a sweating Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer took the podium. He yelled, waved his arms and brought a previously unenthused audience to its feet. He slammed the Bush administration’s energy policy while tying it to that of presumptive Republican nominee […]

Our Democratic and Republican national conventions are the grand spectacles of our political tradition. Today they are choreographed by programming professionals. Segments are timed precisely. Media savvy politicians skillfully rally the faithful and stimulate them to action. The unexpected is carefully guarded against. Any “suspense” is planned. Historically, conventions have not been staged events. They […]

In case you missed it, on Aug.12 in Cheyenne, federal Judge Clarence Brimmer issued a permanent injunction against the Clinton Administration’s so-called “roadless rule.” The roadless rule, of course, was the “most significant public lands measures of the last century,” according to the Wilderness Society. Or, the biggest political con job ever … as Judge […]

City budgets across the state are in such dire straits that those in the unenviable position of managing municipal money have joked amongst themselves about which one will go bankrupt first. While not funny “ha! ha!” it is, perhaps, a way to lighten the mood when staring down untenable numbers. Right now, it appears Billings […]

When a Beacon reporter called planners in other Montana counties to get their perspective on conservation easements and a November initiative to preserve land in the Flathead, some were taken aback. They were likely surprised it was approved for the ballot at all, assuming that preserving land is not a priority here and that the […]

It’s no secret the United States is in the midst of an energy crisis. We import almost 70 percent of our oil, costing us $700 billion per year. We use 25 percent of the world’s oil, with only 4 percent of the population. Oil is getting harder to find and more expensive to extract. We […]

Last month, at a Bozeman meeting about changing the legal status of wolves to a species in need of management, only 11 citizens showed and only four said anything. Why did so few bother? The answer came two days later, July 18. Federal judge Donald W. Molloy granted environmentalists a preliminary injunction effectively blocking removal […]

The problem with Kalispell’s proposed parks district is the fact that it’s not really a proposal. The only way the public can stop it is if 50 percent of the property owners in the city protest its creation. The council would have done better not soliciting our input at all. Turnout in anything other than […]

As Sharla and I buckle down for another harvest near Big Sandy, we’re feeling what all Montanans are feeling at home – the pinch of out-of-control energy prices. It’s an issue that I deal with every day as a U.S. Senator and as a family farmer. Our energy problems are the result of poor presidential […]

Here comes fire season, along with plenty of toxic political smoke. In the last couple of weeks, the Idaho Statesman and Los Angeles Times have produced serial articles about the “wildfire problem,” and of course “solutions,” plus various advocates have started churning out their “fire is good and natural” press releases and op-eds. Overall, the […]

The hammer that is the Whitefish sign ordinance is, once again, swinging wildly. This time, no real lives are in danger – just a rosy mural on the side of a local café – a sharp contrast to a previous kerfuffle involving the dubious law. Then, North Valley Hospital officials had to convince the city […]

It’s high season for roiling, billowing and drifting dust on the North Fork Road. A low altitude flight at mid-day reveals a ribbon of dust wafting over the divinely colored waters of the North Fork River. The beauty masks the bull trout habitat being destroyed by the accumulation of barely measurable sediments. Looking east toward […]

The thorny issue of race recently surfaced on a national and local level. From a controversial national magazine cover to local assault accusations, it turns out there is little consensus on how to confront a topic that makes the media and its audience squirm. For this newspaper, the grappling began after we posted on our […]