Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
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Trump: Military Spending and Infrastructure In this ongoing segment, Glasgow-based columnists Michael Burns and Alec Carmichael have agreed to square off on issues of national and international significance. Less a debate format than an opportunity to feature in-depth discussion, "Side by Side" will feature structured analysis of current events complete with fact-checking, editorial support and, when necessary, informal arbitration. To suggest a topic for our duo, write to [email protected]. Having announced his $54 billion increase in...
Translating Trump: Parsing the President's Comments on the Press Side by Side In this ongoing segment, Glasgow-based columnists Michael Burns and Alec Carmichael have agreed to square off on issues of national and international significance. Less a debate format than an opportunity to feature in-depth discussion, "Side by Side" will feature structured analysis of current events complete with fact-checking, editorial support and, when necessary, informal arbitration. To suggest a topic for our duo, write to [email protected]. In the last few...
Editor's note: This week, we're introducing a new format from Glasgow-based columnists Michael Burns and Alec Carmichael, who have agreed to square off on issues of national and international significance. Less a debate format than an opportunity to feature in-depth discussion, "Side by Side" will feature structured analysis of current events complete with fact-checking, editorial support and, when necessary, informal arbitration. Eat your heart out social media. To suggest a topic for our duo, write to [email protected]. The last eight years...
So other than my usual “I digress” quote, I try to stay away from as many cliches as possible, but today I digress. America is not a land, not a border, and it is certainly not a government. America is a people. A people of multiple ethnic, religious, social, moral and racial backgrounds. We come from the Middle East, Africa, South America, Mexico, Asia, Australia and Europe. We formed a country specifically for the opressed, the scared, the... well lets see if I can find the right words... “huddled masses yearning to be free”. We have in our...
I began writing this column as a way to describe my opinions outright. I wanted to take on my thoughts without being swayed or influenced by external pressures. I have done that. I started writing fairly certain of my own thoughts and ideals, but have come to realize, while grappling with my own misconceptions, that I was failing to see clearly. As a result, I have not necessarily changed my values, but have definitely changed my views. I have altered my perception of civil rights, minimum wage, and the value of protests in trying to ensure I...
It occurred to me while holding a conversation with a friend that many have no idea what populism is, or why Trump is a populist. Populism is most generally defined as a political movement mobilized over the concerns of many against a political establishment seen as out-of-touch. Lenninism, Maoism, Nationalism, Socialism and so on were all populism. When we discuss populism today, we usually assume that an individual is being elected with strong control over a system usually seen as broken or corrupt. The issue with populism is that it usually...
This coming Monday is a federal holiday, and much like most of the others, it seems that the only exciting thing about it is that some government employees get the day off. In reality, and much like many of the other holidays, we are celebrating a man who gave his life for this country. Just like Memorial Day, Veterans’ Day, Presidents’ Day and even Christmas, we are honoring a person who sacrificed dearly to advance the safety, justice and conscience of our country. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is no exception to that rule. And, unf...
Having been born and raised in Montana I found myself parroting the very ideals I thought made my state great. I adored the conservative, evangelical, fiscally responsible and socially restrictive nature of conservatism for no other reason than that is what everyone else said was true. It wasn’t until I travelled and experienced the world that I began to form my own views, taking on the ideal that what business is it of anyone else what people do privately, and why is it that in the richest country in the world we can have billionaires and home...
I am not going to lie. I truly do feel the Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to deny an easement for the DAPL under Lake Oahe in North Dakota was a true win for all Americans. Why do I believe this? First of all, people have the right to peacefully assemble to influence their government. With the knowledge that some are going to be rowdy and unruly as others peacefully protest, I think this was a good example of mass protests handled in a mostly-respectable way, all things considered. At the very least, it didn’t end in a shootout with Sta...
I have largely ignored the Dakota Access Pipeline Protest; unable, thus far, to really form an opinion due to a lack of substantive information. I am an independent-minded person, and a self-professed libertarian who voted for Gary Johnson (protest vote). I believe in industry, but I also believe in equality for all and fair treatment and consideration under the law. That being said, I want to speak about some of the negativity I’ve encountered regarding the protests and protesters. But I digress, so let’s start from the beginning. On Aug. 18,...
Some readers know me intimately enough to guess at my personal political allegiances. Regardless, it should shock no one to learn that I do indeed have strong feelings on the subject of the national election. And yet, the most important thing to me this time around is impressing upon you, our readers, just how critical it is to preserve spaces for civil discourse in the modern political and media landscape. Spaces like this one, in fact. We're not Facebook, folks, and one of the things that distinguishes us from the din and roar of most media...
I am shocked at the hesitation people feel when confronted by the idea of Indigenous Peoples' Day. Ignoring the basic corruptions of the Spanish conquest, Columbus wasn’t an explorer as much as he was a merchant captain attempting to shorten his trip to the Indies for the reasons of profiting from shorter shipping routes. Miscalculating his position and finding the Caribbean did not make him the first European to set foot in the Americas. Lief Ericson holds that distinction. Furthermore, the idea that Columbus discovered America is p...
In watching the debate on Monday night I was dismayed by the spectacle. “Is there really a choice?” I asked myself cynically. I felt as though I was watching a deranged and unabashed clown try to entertain the stiff, stuck up, and literal kid in school. You know the kid who corrects your grammar, and smiles awkwardly when someone points out that they, too, make mistakes. That was the scene at Monday night’s debate. Here was the long-winded, overly prepared, untrustworthy and suspect Hillary Clinton taking on the underprepared, pugnacious and j...
So when I consider the following realities I am overwhelmed by irrational emotions and I tend to overreact but here goes. First, how do we justify paying people wages they can’t live off of? Seriously, how many of you privileged people out there would work 40 hours a week at anything for $8.00 an hour? Trick question… none of you. The second, why do we allow employers to pay so little? If people have jobs and can’t live off their salary, where do they turn? Oh yeah, they turn to Uncle Sam for help. As a result, by allowing employers to not p...
With the current political environment I am certain that, like myself, some of us just want to have a choice in our country’s future that doesn’t involve gritting our teeth or plain just staying home. Although I am sure there is plenty I will say about our political system, what I intend is to make the case for liberty, and to shamelessly promote the Libertarian Party. Because America utilizes an archaic republic voting platform and an electoral college, the individual vote is often viewed as worthless. In Montana for example we take to the...
