Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Sorted by date Results 1704 - 1728 of 2351
That last little rain we had made me think about digging out my overshoes, and then I remembered, my overshoes are pretty much like everyone else’s today, either irrigation boots or Muck boots. Do you remember when we all wore rubber overshoes? As I remember, the most popular women’s overshoes were those lovely, zip up the front, fur topped ones. They could be found in a variety of colors also. The young kids pretty much wore pull-on overshoes. Some of the little boys and, of course, teenage boys and men may have had buckle overshoes. This app...
Early this morning, as I was scrolling through Facebook, I noticed a friend had tagged another friend with photo of a billboard. The message on that billboard read, “The X belongs in Texas. Christ belongs in Christmas.” I innocently commented that I hoped my friends realized that “X” stands for Christ, and to look it up. The immediate response was, “ I hope you realize I feel it’s wrong to still not use Christ in Christmas. It’s laziness.” I was prompted by this to do a little research about the use of “X”. It turns out it was first used hund...
Miss World Canada Anastasia Lin returned home to cheers and camera flashes after spending a week in Hong Kong, where she garnered international attention of major media for her attempt, ultimately unsuccessful, to attend the Miss World Finals in Sanya, China. Miss Lin, China born and a Canadian citizen likely surprised the security personnel in China when she went public with their threats against her father in China to silence her human rights advocacy. They wouldn’t have expected international headlines when they intimidated him into pressuri...
Before Thanksgiving we had a hearing in the House Natural Resources Committee about the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). When talking with my colleagues from all over the country about LWCF, I ask them to imagine America without iconic national parks like Rocky Mountain, Grand Canyon, Acadia and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks. All of those parks were created by the LWCF. Since Americans first set eyes on the natural beauty of our country, it has been one of our shared values that those lands must be cherished and that...
I love living and working in rural Montana. The open spaces, the feeling of community, and the strong agricultural heritage and values are just three of the many reasons that make me happy to call my rural community, home. And during this weeks’ Rural Health Week, I’m especially proud to add another reason to that list: affordable health insurance options that give rural families like mine piece of mind, thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Quality health care is critical to the health of rural children and families and the strength of our com...
As your managing editor, I’m hesitant to wade into the arguments between Virgil Vaupel and several female contributors to the Courier in this week’s edition, if for no other reason than the obvious fact that none of the writers involved need the assistance. I will simply say for the record that none of the sentiments on today’s page are coordinated. I make it a policy to keep submitted columns and letters private until publication when sensitive, even among staff, and did not specifically request any special contributions to the discu...
Virgil Vaupel claims the EEOC discriminates against white men. And in fact, there have been cases in which the EEOC has ruled in favor of white men who were discriminated against. If Virgil had chosen to cite credible examples of this happening, he may have introduced a compelling argument. Instead, Virgil listed many ways in which women and people of color have proven their abilities by being hired into positions of power, including as magazine editors and as athletes. None of the examples he listed gave any credibility to his claim that the...
I was heartened last week to see two others expressing the same sentiments I expressed over the refugee situation. It gave me hope for America. And then there was another shooting at a Planned Parenthood Clinic. I’m going to go out on a limb and assume it was based on religious objections to abortion. Christian fundamentalists are as extreme in their views and methods as ISIS. They employ terroristic tactics on those with whom they don’t agree. Now, I know that Planned Parenthood offers some abortions, but those are really a small per...
In response to Mary Honrud’s Part III of Are They Willing from the November 11, 2015 Courier. Safe, legal, and rare. This is what was promised to the American people that abortions would be upon legalization. Of the three, legal is the only one to be a fact. Safe. This depends on your definition of safe, which I guess is totally subjective. (It’s confusing living in a time when words are fluid and not definable.) In 2010, only 10 women died from complications. Omelettes … eggs. 421 women from 1973 to 2010. Omelettes eggs. Worldwide, 47,00...
Everyone is entitled to express opinion, but not every opinion deserves to be printed in the Glasgow Courier. Not Virgil Vaupel’s rant based on unsubstantiated information. Not as a paid columnist. In Mr. Vaupel’s column, “Reverse Equal Opportunity” (Nov. 25, 2015), he said “American manufacturing … no longer hires on merit. They hire on skin color, sex and race.” Mr. Vaupel also believes that the decline of America began with the feminist movement. These are big statements to make. Are these just his personal perceptions based on whatever i...
I mistakenly read Virgil Vaupel’s “column” in last week’s paper. At first, I only read about a third of it. I stopped reading because, to put it mildly, it made me angry. I seldom read Virgil’s writings because: 1. He makes little sense to me; 2. I don’t like his bigoted statements; 3. He irritates me; and 4. I think he deliberately writes things to get a rise out of people. I admit, I eventually finished reading his column, and this time, he succeeded in getting a rise out of me. There are multiple things that struck a nerve. Let’s just...
Let’s see now … Is that person you sit beside at a high school basketball game a local business owner? Are you friends with that person? If you answered those questions with a yes then answer this one. Are you doing some of your shopping on the internet? Do you make the 250 mile trip to Billings, the 285 mile trip to Great Falls or the 140 mile trek to Williston to buy stuff you could get in Glasgow but don’t because the items may be a little higher in price locally? If you make the trips and buy stuff in Billings, Great Falls, Williston or Ha...
We are a nation of immigrants who despise immigrants. Syrians and Middle East refugees are just the most recent of the indigestible bits in the melting pot that we are so fond of claiming as our great distinction among nations. And Hispanics, like the poor, we will always have with us and will probably disparage them for another few decades in addition to the disparagement of the past 150 years, give or take. In 1939, a ship bearing 900 Jewish refugees from Hitler’s genocide was turned away from American shores. We excluded Asian peoples f...
When I wrote my first opinion piece for the Courier, I said we weren’t a Christian nation, as the Constitution may have been based on Biblical values, but it was not based on the life of Jesus Christ. Most of our Founding Fathers were Deists, meaning they did believe in God, but they did not believe in Jesus. They specifically did not want an established national religion, adamantly wanting every citizen to be able to believe and worship as they chose, and to not be punished for their choice of religion (or even no religion). I received some f...
Collateral damage: n. Unintended damage, injuries, or deaths caused by an action, especially unintended civilian casualties caused by a military operation. In a place that has been ravaged by civil war for four and a half years, the fleeing refugees are collateral damage. Syria’s troubles existed long before the Arab Spring in 2011, however. Iran’s closest ally has been involved in trouble in the Middle East as far back as my memory goes. I am by no means an expert in Middle East issues or relations, but even I can see that those fleeing, inn...
As Thanksgiving approaches, people are listing what they are grateful for. I, along with millions of other people in our nation, have much to be thankful for. But I am also thankful for things I don’t have. It isn’t necessary for me to be in a wheelchair because of my hip replacement surgery. I don’t have to travel miles for the simplest of medical care. And I can choose my doctor. When I want to travel to another town or state I don’t have to get permission from anyone to do so. And I don’t have to justify my reason for traveling. Although...
In her lame attempt to discredit me on my view on equal opportunity in hiring in America, Tess Fahlgren has missed the mark by a mile. I’m saying equal opportunity is an oxymoron. How can something be equal when it favors a certain population? In the past it was heavily in favor of the white male, I agree to that, but it has become reverse discrimination in recent years due to the EEOC. American manufacturing (what little there is of it) no longer hires on merit. They hire on skin color, sex and race. Could that be one of the reasons manufactur...
I'm not sure what Virgil Vaupel intended to communicate in his last article, in which he revisits Equal Opportunity. I came away with an understanding of what he meant to say, but just in case (because I'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt) I'd like to revisit his “revisit.” The article seems to be his attempt to criticize the establishment of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which was established due to the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The EEOC investigates discrimination complaints based on an individual's race, color, nat...
I was going to write more on the abortion issue, to cover more questions and concerns raised by Mr. Chris Pippin, but then Paris happened. I started to hear disturbing reactions to the acts committed by those extremists: comments along the lines of "kill them," "bomb them back to rubble" (déjà vu from the 9-11 events), "close our borders to all refugees," even, God forbid, "a cleansing is needed." Let's please not give in to knee jerk reactions. Let's not lump all Muslims into the same basket, nor be suspicious of everyone who wears a turban or...
This past week an incident happened that reminded me of another time when the same thing occurred. I was staying at my nephew's in Billings because of medical appointments I had. The last day I was there, I ordered two pizzas delivered to his residence for our lunch. When the woman arrived with the pizzas, I gave my nephew's son $40 to pay for the food. He stepped outside the door to accept and pay for them. Coming back inside, he told me, "That girl who delivered the pizzas said she couldn't figure out how much change you had coming because...
For the last three weeks I have read the opinion of Mary Honrud. I found her comments interesting, but I am confused by her point of the three-part series. If I understood Mary correctly, she advocates the abortion of any unwanted child, during pregnancy. Should we stop there? Peter Sager, who teaches Ethics at an Ivy League University, claims it is morally ethical to abort a baby after the fact, for up to four years, if the baby shows signs of physical or mental disabilities. Could we not also extend the four-year time limit to any child who...
In answer to an article Mary put in The Glasgow Courier Oct. 28, “Are They Willing,” the questions were asked, “How many unwanted children are being born each year? How many of those unwanted children are abused and/or killed? In the article part II, Nov. 4, you say that the National Children's Alliance tells you that in 2013 an estimated 1,520 children in the United States died of abuse or neglect. Well, guess what? Way over 1,000 babies are murdered A DAY in this county by abortionists because people like you believe them to be throw...
In addition to Medicare I have a very generous employer’s retiree healthcare insurance policy which covers virtually any condition or procedure I can imagine needing. Of course, to enjoy this generous plan I also pay a generous premium, so, this being only time of year you can change health plans, as several recent mailings from insurers who want my business tell me, I thought I would look into saving myself some money and began to shop around. Now I wish I hadn’t even bothered. I had assumed I could understand the difference between hea...
It has been a privilege to watch the progress as the Northeast Montana Veterans Memorial takes shape in Fort Peck. This summer, with the help of some heavy equipment, we cleared and leveled ground, gave way to the 38-foot high main monument, 10 walls of honor, pathways, and bases for sculptures. The dedication on 29 May 2016 (the Sunday before Memorial Day), will fulfill five years of planning and work by scores of Northeast Montana volunteers. On that day next May, nearly 900 black granite tile...
Montana has a strong military tradition unparalleled by almost any other state in the nation. Nearly 1-in-10 of us hears the call to serve in the armed forces, and in the sovereign nations the warrior spirit is even stronger. Last month, I visited Wolf Point and spent time with the family of Michael Bell, a young man from the Fort Peck Tribes who was also a Navy SEAL. Surrounded by friends, family and officials from tribes as far away as North Dakota, I helped honor Michael with a memorial service and Naval ceremony. I knew Michael as his...
