Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
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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...
As the 65th MT Legislative Session opened for business last week, the usual calls for budget cuts were exceedingly shrill. What made matters worse this year was the loss of revenue due to the demise of the coal and oil and gas industries in Montana. We knew this day of reckoning was coming, so now the budget knives are being sharpened and the fun has begun. I have a suggestion. In the last legislative session the Governor proposed (and the legislature dutifully passed) $10 million to assist sage grouse populations. This was in addition to the...
It seems that this year much of Montana is experiencing a tough winter, but it’s actually not. We are just getting back to winter after last year’s weird spell. Temperature readings haven’t gone wild – yet. No reporting stations have recorded 50 below or colder, and the coldest known low during January’s first week was 46 below Fahrenheit. Twenty to 30 below was more prevalent in the past. Stories abound about conditions changing quickly and in a pronounced way. Montana holds the national record for cold with a 70-degrees-below-zero reading n...
Well it happened. Inauguration day came and went. I was well aware of the fact after briefly checking my Facebook account. It was “lit up,” as the saying goes, by friends on both sides of the political aisle. I vowed to stay clear and avoid any “news” and was fairly successful at my attempt. For all matters, it seemed a grandiose day for the celebrants and a morose one for protesters. Thank God it passed peacefully. Congratulations and my condolences for everyone, depending on your outlook. Then Saturday brought us even more fodder for the new...
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...
"RECYCLE PAPER TOWELS AND NAPKINS," this headline caught my eye one day when I decided to browse the internet. You readers with any age on you, no doubt would have the same reaction as I. Remember when everything was reusable to some extent, and of course caused many of us to save everything for that future need? But recycling paper was basically done with catalogs and that wasn’t the true meaning of recycling. Now, back to paper towels napkins, and Kleenex. A garment or any absorbent fabric was always recycled, removing buttons, zippers, e...
It’s been said that time flies. It surely does. When a couple gets married, they really don’t think about the years ahead. They usually hope to have children. When their children are born, they don’t really understand how fast that time can go. If you talk about when their children will graduate, parents will most likely comment, "That is years away." It may be, but it goes more quickly than a person realizes. I’ve often said a child is born one day and graduates from high school the next day. Each day melts into the next. Too often we miss ou...
Therein lies the rub. Who is fighting whom in the Middle East? We already know some of it is Muslim against Christians. Been going on for centuries. Nothing new. Then there’s the different sects of Muslims fighting each other. Then we have the Northern Irelanders fighting the Irelanders. The Germans were fighting Europe and Asia. Syria fighting Lebanon, Iran fighting Iraq, all seven of the “stan” countries fighting each other. Somalians fighting each other. Some folks think we were fighting North Korea in the Korean “Conflict.” Those same folk...
Note: The following text is Congressman Zinke’s full opening statement for the Senate confirmation hearing on Jan. 18. As a son of a plumber and a kid who grew up in a small timber and railroad town next to Glacier National Park in Montana, I am humbled to be the President-elect’s designee for Secretary of the Interior. I am also humbled because of the great responsibility the position holds to be the steward of majestic public lands, the champion of our great Indian nations, and the manager and voice of our diverse wildlife. Upfront, I am an...
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...
Shortly before Christmas, men and women across Montana were notified that the road construction projects they were depending on to put presents under the tree this year would be canceled. The jobs they were depending on to provide for their families in 2017 would be lost. The construction of critical state highway projects would be delayed or defunded altogether. Our highway fund is facing an unprecedented budget shortfall, and unfortunately it’s just one small part of the budget crisis that Governor Steve Bullock handed the 65th Legislature on...
Will our children, grandchildren or others ever get to see a circus? That thought came to mind when I heard the news that the days of the Ringling Brothers/Barnum & Bailey circuses will be no more after 2017. Those of us who live, and earn a living with livestock and other animals can understand this. Federal regs and PETA have hampered many livestock businesses, BUT THE CIRCUS. How many of you can remember the first time you saw an elephant and might have even gotten to ride one? How about a giraffe, and more exciting were the lion trainer...
It was night and I had been sleeping soundly. Suddenly my heart is beating wildly and my thinking that cold hand so close to my throat. Irrational terror, plain unadulterated TERROR, struck me. I never ever had the possibility of sudden violent death in my bedroom! --- and I’m having to experience this episode alone! “Oh, dear God, I beg of you! --- Assist me, I plead with you. You alone can save me from whatever this man had conjured up to violently shorten my precious life. I greatly desire to improve/rectify the essential facets of liv...
Do you remember when everything old was referred to as “Antique?” This term covered most anything that might be older than you were. As with most things in our lives, terminology has also changed and the terms older people use do not necessarily mean the same thing to the younger generation. When we refer to antiques, we need to be aware that they might be “retro” or “vintage” or just “old.” Now, I kinda have a clue as to what the difference is, but I decided to Google it, just to be sure. So for any of you that cares, antiques generally refer...
Last week, our family, with the exception of one daughter and her sons, went out for supper to celebrate our oldest son and his wife’s birthdays. Everyone was having a good time visiting. When the waitress began bringing the pizzas that had been ordered, our 10-year-old grandson said to me, “We can’t start eating yet, Grandma. We have to pray first.” So we waited for the rest of our order, then bowed our heads and joined our grandson as he started a prayer. Sometimes it takes the wisdom of a child to remind adults of what they know they sh...
The United State Supreme Court was established in 1789 by Article III of the Constitution. Originally there were 6 justices. In the 19th century, Congress adjusted this number down to five, up to seven, and then ten. In 1869, it was set at nine. In 1937, President Roosevelt tried to “pack” the court with pro New Deal members, and asked the number of justices be raised all the way to 15. This effort was defeated. Since Justice Scalia’s death there have been two deadlocked cases, but both have been important. The first, United States v. Texas...
The word autonomous used to be attached mostly to governments. According to my Funk and Wagnalls it means “ acting independently or having the ability to do so.” “Robotics” comes to mind as well. Something that doesn’t need continual watching or manipulating to function in the manner it was designed to function. You’ve seen the robotic vacuum cleaner advertised on TV I’m sure. That would be a good description of autonomous and robotics. I wonder if an airplane on auto-pilot would be considered autonomous. Imagine a highway where trucks are be...
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...
Have you had the honor of being tagged as the family member that has everything? If you have I know that you can justify it easily. Do you remember when your kids came home needing a school project done by the next morning? That presents a problem even today, but yesterday you couldn’t go to the internet for information, or run uptown for whatever you might need, especially if you got informed of this after 5:00 p.m. BUT if you were lucky, you did know someone that might have what you needed. Books, everyone kept books and magazines because a t...
Well, 2016 has been hailed by some as the worst year, ever. While that’s plainly nearsighted (remember the Bubonic Plague? A third of Europe succumbed to that black death), it’s been tough for a lot of us. Three fabulous idols, Prince, David Bowie, and George Michael passed away, along with Leonard Cohen and Alan Rickman. Fifty people were shot and killed in an Orlando nightclub. Nice, France happened. Berlin. Aleppo. A beautiful collection of thirty-three young artists died in a warehouse fire in Oakland, Calif. About half the people in our...
Welcome to a new year and a new legislative session. With our eyes toward Montana’s future, we are hopeful that the next 90 days will bring badly needed changes. We must put our state back on a path toward economic stability that creates greater opportunities for all Montanans. This November, the people of Montana sent a strong message to Helena: we are ready for a change in the way our state is run. And with a legislative session ahead that will be largely focused on the budget this will be critical for all Montanans. In our time serving Monta...
When a cat or dog leans their head back for you to pet their throat and upper chest, they are offering you their trust. They are trusting you not to hurt them. And if they roll over and offer you their belly to rub, that is total and complete trust. A young child trusts that their parents will provide their needs -- food, a place to live, clothes to wear. They know if they are sick their parents will see to it they have the medical treatment needed to make them well. They learn their parents want only the best for them and will always help...
Montana has made progress in recent years, but we need to continue to work hard this legislative session to shore up our economy and create good paying jobs across our state. We know that in 2017, we’ll face some serious challenges. Weak oil and gas prices led to a drop in revenue, so money is tight. And unpredictability in the federal government threatens to reverse much of the progress we’ve made. At the same time, we are facing increasing needs for infrastructure improvements across the state. Montana Democrats have a plan to rebuild our cru...
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...
Every New Year, you make a list of things you will do to stay healthy so you can feel your best. But, did you realize that feeling your best includes seeing your best too? January is Glaucoma Awareness Month – the perfect time to spread the word about the disease. So, this year, add learning about glaucoma to your list! Your eyes will thank you for it. 1. Glaucoma can cause vision loss and blindness, which can’t be reversed. Glaucoma causes fluid to build up in your eye, causing pressure that can damage the optic nerve, which transfers vis...
