Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
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I wasn’t planning on writing about the Super Bowl. It seems to me that Virgil Vaupel covered the subject pretty well last week, and anyway, the game sort of speaks for itself. However, the entertainments transcended the competition so profoundly that I was moved to take up the pom poms. Messages of inclusion and togetherness infused Lady Gaga’s rendition of the national anthem, and the weird assemblage of Coldplay, Bruno Mars and Beyoncé proved to be much more than the sum of their parts (mainly thanks to Queen Bey). Think about it. This year’s...
Whenever someone tells me that the most beautiful part of Montana is the Western side of the state, I’ve countered with “Well, the West does have lovely mountains, but in the East we have the most gorgeous skies.” Skies that go on for miles and miles; beautiful horizons whose presence engulfs and enfolds. I think about these vast miles, feel them more potently than ever before, while I drive across the Northeast for my work with the Office of Public Instruction. Lately my work takes me to all the communities on the Fort Peck Reservation; back...
Do you want to spend more quality time with your family? Are you sick to death with all those pharmaceutical commercials on TV? Do you scramble for the mute button every time a gorgeous female starts spouting the virtues of a certain bedroom enhancement pill that could cause you to have a four hour medical catastrophe requiring a doctor? Do three or five sportscasters talking at once while yucking’ it up like a bunch of southern hillbillies make your ‘hears’ close shut? If you answered yes to any or all of the above then you have a problem. If...
I’m celebrating. Actually my granddaughter and I are celebrating. She and I will go shopping and she will choose where we have lunch. And she is going to do all the driving. Because we are celebrating her receiving her driver’s license. When she told me she was taking driver’s education last summer, I promised her a day of shopping and having lunch to celebrate her getting her license. So now it’s time to keep that promise. But we are not only celebrating her obtaining her driver’s license. We are celebrating her determination to get that lice...
I appreciate this opportunity to address some apparent confusion regarding American Prairie Reserve’s request to the Bureau of Land Management concerning a potential change-of-use on our Flat Creek BLM allotment. Specifically, we asked that bison be allowed to graze year-round versus part of the year. This request is similar to year-round requests other local livestock producers have been granted. We also asked to remove interior fences on the Flat Creek allotment. There are a number of reasons why we are confident that year-round grazing w...
LTE: My Saturday started as any other, besides the fact my daughter and I had our first practice for a 5th grade girls basketball team. While going through drills, Jon Kolstad stuck his head in the church gym door. I shouted at him to come in and he asked if some high school girls could use the other half of the court to shoot around. I told him that was ok and continued with the practice. We finished conditioning and were having a final team meeting on the base line when Jon and the girls came over. With those 5th grade girls eyes as big as...
A few weeks ago I wrote about the Bundy militia takeover of a government building in Oregon. I pointed out the discrepancies between the way racial justice activists and these men have been treated by the media. Since then, 55-year-old Robert “LaVoy” Finicum has been shot by the FBI and eight others were arrested, including Ammon Bundy. It is always tragic when the FBI kills a citizen. To be clear: I am absolutely not condoning the death of anyone in this situation. Since I began writing this sporadic column, I’ve had a lot of uncom...
As a lifelong sportsman and gun owner, I’m committed to protecting law-abiding Americans’ right to keep and bear arms. And like many Montanans, I know that protecting the Second Amendment isn’t about hunting—it’s about freedom. President Obama started off the new year by unilaterally creating new barriers to purchasing a firearm. His actions are an affront to our Second Amendment rights and a gross abuse of executive power. And like so many times before, President Obama has pursued a “go-it-alone” approach on his gun control agenda. These...
9:00 a.m.: A noise wakes me up. I blearily look around my bedroom and see the noise came from my cat brushing against the wind-chime in the window when she jumped up on the dresser in front of it. Crawling out from under the warm covers I take hold of my walker, and head for the bathroom. My morning routine has begun. As I get a cup of coffee and muffin, I stop for a moment to analyze a pain in one of my legs. Do I have another spot where my cancer has erupted? Or is it just a twinge from starting to move around? 9:30 a.m.: I’ve finished my bre...
For those of you concerned over where I have been the past couple months I must explain. To put it very simply … I was abducted by aliens from the planet Liberal 3. It is a planet 47 billion light years from Earth and is populated almost entirely by females. They keep a few males around for amusement and to ensure controlled re-population. My return to Earth was made possible when they discovered I am at an age where I should just shed my huevos and grow new teeth. I was not appreciated for my charm, good looks and brain nor my ability to ...
Montana and other Western states are blessed with some of the most expansive grasslands on earth, which are optimal for grazing cattle. East and west coast residents do not understand what it takes to care for a ranch; they do not realize the bureaucratic burdens, and they do not care about the costs ranchers pay to stay in compliance. Frankly, they do not understand Montana, but that does not stop them from meddling. Too many unelected Washington bureaucrats who only think Glasgow is a city in Scotland and Malta is a country in the...
Last Wednesday, Jan. 20, I attended Representative Ryan Zinke’s visit at the Malta High School. The subject of the meeting was BLM’s proposed approval of the American Prairie Reserve’s application to run bison yearlong on the former Holzey Ranch in southern Phillips County. There was a big Phillips County crowd plus several Valley County ranchers and a group from Fergus County to voice their concerns. Congressman Zinke was asked to intercede to force BLM to a fairer decision. BLM has issued a proposed decision to allow APR to remove all inter...
Do you remember the days before UPS and FedEx, or even before airplane mail delivery? Online shopping has become the thing, and you can have your parcel delivered to your doorstep in two days! Some of us remember when all mail came by train (no, I am not going back to Pony Express). One of our readers was remembering when their family received walnuts and fruit from relatives in states where those items were for the picking. These arrived by train, and that individual’s family lived close to a train station in a little community. The train w...
Since first falling in love with Montana 40 years ago, I knew that I wanted to make a life here. When we started our high tech company RightNow Technologies here in Montana, we had a lot of people tell us it wouldn’t work. People said, “Greg, you can’t start a global technology business in Montana.” Not only did we ended up creating over a thousand jobs, giving folks in places like Bozeman an average salary nearing $90,000 per year, I was also able to raise all 4 of my kids here. Fast forward to a few months ago. We know that there are Montana...
Common courtesy, like common sense, isn't so very common. There seems to be more rudeness than there used to be. The trash talk that athletes throw at each other in sporting events seems to be invading all aspects of life. People in this country revere their sports heroes, so it's really no surprise to find their actions being emulated, but this behavior is not worth emulating. Facebook is rife with rudeness. There are nasty comments galore, usually from total strangers. It's easy to be rude to someone you don't know. It doesn't seem to matter...
“Did you hear about the new baby the Murphys had?” “No. Is there a problem?” “Yes. The child is retarded. What kind of life will she have?” Two people take seats at a table in a restaurant. As they look to the occupants at the table to their right, one whispers to the other, “Let’s move. I don’t want to sit by a kid who can’t keep his tongue in his mouth.” As a couple who have been looking at a house they are interested in buying are leaving they notice a man across the street pushing a young man in a wheelchair. The occupant of the wheel...
Last week a friend asked me what I would write about if there were to be no repercussions. He said he’d choose politics, and confided he didn’t think very highly of the current crop of presidential hopefuls. I’m in agreement with him on that topic. And of course, he got my mind working on this subject. In the past, the general feeling in this country was that campaigning for political office was distasteful and beneath a person of worth. One should sit and wait to be chosen. In 1821, Representative William Lowndes of South Carolina stated, “The...
As I read what used to be called the funny papers — which was actually the news section of a newspaper, not the comics — I continually wonder how people come up with viewpoints that are based on misinformation that is completely different than the facts warrant. I probably wouldn’t worry so much about it if it didn’t matter so much, but since I like being in a democracy and since voting is so important to that and since whatever passes for information influences voters, I do. I worry even more when I hear politicians complain that people...
Time and time again, when our nation is in need, Montanans answer the call of duty. We are all grateful for our veterans’ service to our nation, but just saying “thank you” is not enough. Vietnam veterans are entering their retirement years and a younger generation of veterans is coping with the unseen wounds of a decade of war. This combined with a strain of resources and a bureaucratic health care process at the VA has caused increased wait times that are unacceptable. I’ve heard from veterans here in Valley County and all across Montana...
“An elective despotism was not the government we fought for; but one in which the powers of government should be so divided and balanced among the several bodies of magistracy as that no one could transcend their legal limits without being effectually checked and restrained by the others.”–James Madison Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams and Thomas Jefferson were wary of the ratification on the Constitution in 1788. They feared it would give too much power to a centralized federal government. Rightly so, our founding fathers had profound distr...
One of the great things about growing up and living in the same community most of your life is the opportunity to “Remember” with others who recall the same memories. I enjoy the opportunity to visit with readers, and have them share with me. Recently one of the Courier readers was commenting on warm footwear of the past, mentioning the sheep (fleece) lined boots and felt boots that were worn. Yes, I also remember seeing that footwear during the winter. Of course these were not the outerwear, but usually worn inside bulky rubber overshoes. Ano...
I totally agree with Howard Pippin’s letter and his words about Virgil Vaupel’s “tell-it-like-it-is” articles in the Courier. Virgil’s great experiences, supported by facts, were a pleasure to read and it is too bad to lose his interesting articles. It seems like it is always easier to criticize than to compliment. Hopefully he will have a change of heart and continue entertaining us. – Andy Strommen Mesa, Arizona...
Last week I wrote a column titled To My Grandchildren. There was more I wanted to add to that column but wasn’t able to, so this week I’m finishing what I wanted to say. Refrain from gossiping. It isn’t good for anyone -- not for the person you are talking about and especially not for you. Many times when not all the facts are known about a person’s situation, people will add their own idea to the story. Don’t be a part of saying things about another person that are not true. Gossip has been known to destroy a person’s life. You don’t want...
The news of the death of rocker David Bowie and the listings of all his accomplishments has me thinking of my mortality and what kind of legacy I’m leaving behind. (David was the same age my big brother is now. I admire the both of them.) I’m afraid my obit notice will be very short: she loved to garden and crochet. However, legacies are for famous people such as presidents and rock stars. I’m not in either category, so it’s not really something over which I need to obsess. I will be content with what I’ve accomplished. I hope my daughters...
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) season is here and nonprofit Student Assistance Foundation encourages all Montanans who want to pursue postsecondary education in the upcoming academic year to complete this form. With the nation-wide concern about student debt, it’s important to emphasize that the FAFSA isn’t all about student loans. Instead, it is about access to a wide range of education funding opportunities. Students and families who complete the FAFSA open doors to about $150 billion in different forms of federal stu...
