Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Sorted by date Results 292 - 316 of 2305
Growing up in the desert sands of Arizona, there was no such thing as a "white Christmas." One particular Dec. 25 within the last decade or so was in the upper 80s or lower 90s. That was a strange and hot day. The only "snow" we ever got was from a wealthy family living down in the valley who imported tons of shaved ice to their property once a year and invited area kids to come and sled and play. Now, I live in opposite land. As I write this, it is a balmy 14 degrees outside, according to the... Full story
With the unrelenting talk about election fraud, I’ve decided now to clear my conscience and disclose that I voted twice for President in 1996. No, it wasn’t an act of voter fraud. As a delegate to the Republican convention that year, I voted to nominate Bob Dole as the Republican candidate. I voted for him again at my polling place in Whitefish in the general election. Colin Powell, who I felt could have been a great and unifying President, was my first choice that year, but I was more than comfortable with Dole. My primary reason for that was... Full story
"There's scientific consensus, US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said in a 2019 livestream on climate change, "that the lives of children are going to be very difficult. And it does lead young people to have a legitimate question: Is it OK to still have children?" Less than three years later, AOC's mad at US Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) for suggesting that perhaps Congress limit itself to one or two, rather than three, federal subsidies (from among a child tax credit, paid leave, or "universal" child care) in its multi-trillion do... Full story
For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, I decided it was high time to see a movie the way they are intended to be seen - in a movie theater. So, on a recent Friday night, I took my son Austin over to Valley Cinemas in downtown Glasgow to watch "Ghostbusters: Afterlife." I will give a review on that movie later in the column. First thing to know if you have never been to the Valley Cinemas before, take cash. They don't except debit or credit cards. Second, there is plenty of elbow r... Full story
China has a plan. It wants to be the dominant technology country by 2035. If you look, it’s clear to see how they’re executing on that plan. They’re massively investing in hardware and software development to catch up to, and eventually overtake, the United States. If they’re successful, we’ll experience serious ramifications for our economy and national security. We’ve been the world technological leader for so long it’s understandable that many Americans take it for granted. What’s amazing is it happened without any state-backed ce... Full story
Every once in a while the public’s attention is drawn to an issue with a name that few people understand and many cannot even pronounce; enter “infrastructure”. Whatever it is, we are now going to spend 1.2 trillion dollars on it in the next few years so perhaps it’s time to think about it. Since “infra” means “below” I think about infrastructure as the foundation on which our society is built. There are two types of infrastructure, commonly called hard and soft. I was taught the difference between them by a mechanic when I was complaining abo... Full story
Tuesday marked the 80th Anniversary of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, a day which will forever "live in infamy." It is hard to believe eight decades have gone by already, and there are fewer and fewer veterans who were around that day to tell the story. In 2016, I interviewed Tom Berg of Port Townsend, Washington over the phone. He was in Hawaii for 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor attack. Berg enlisted in the Navy at the age of 18 in 1940. He said he requested assignment to the USS... Full story
Memorials to Stephen Sondheim didn't have to search far to find parallels between the musical West Side Story and a United States disunited by class and ethnic strife in 2021. Sondheim's lyrics "Everywhere Grime in America, Terrible Time in America" became Jacobin's headline for a sixtieth anniversary retrospective on the film version two weeks before his passing on November 26. Meanwhile, 2021 academic contentions that "white identity is intrinsic to Western ideas about liberty" may as well have borrowed the couplet "Life is all right in... Full story
As we approach Christmas, we have one request to Montana’s federal delegation: please do everything in your power to stop the reckless taxing and spending proposal currently working its way through Congress. The biggest gift Montana could receive from Washington, D.C., this holiday season is a dose of common sense, not more federal taxes and debt. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said it’s his goal to pass President Biden’s $2 trillion tax and spend bill before Christmas. Meanwhile, inflation is getting worse, billions of dollars have... Full story
Just after the mostly peaceful protest at the nation's Capitol Building on Jan. 6, for the first time in my life I felt unsafe in my own country. Not because of the hordes of disgruntled American citizens protesting the presidential election, or their breeching of the federal building, but because many media outlets used it as justification to figuratively attack people just like me. I am a white male conservative, and a protestant. I am also a dad, so that automatically makes me a part of the... Full story
For many years, my family has had farm land under the Glasgow Irrigation District. That is part of the larger Milk River Irrigation System that brings water all across the Hi-line, over 700 miles from the Mountains to the irrigated acres in Blaine, Hill, Phillips and Valley Counties and to many cities and communities for their drinking water. A structure on that system at St. Mary failed some years back. The Bureau of Reclamation has been working to get it properly repaired. I, and I am sure... Full story
Does the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse, who was accused of murdering two men and wounding another at a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, broaden the way for Americans to take the law into their own hands? Can individual Americans, by claiming that they felt their life was in danger become judge, jury, and executioner and not worry unduly about the consequences? This raises a question, if the law is a matter of personal interpretation, who can you trust? Imperfect as it is, the American legal system... Full story
You've seen the headlines. So Have I. For example, a November 23 story in my local paper (the Gainesville, Florida Sun) : "Gainesville man charged with murder for Sunday shooting in dispute over marijuana deal." It wasn't a huge marijuana deal. It was a $180 sale. The seller apparently shot a buyer who tried to drive off without paying. Other common headlines of the "police blotter" variety include people put in handcuffs and hauled off to jail for buying, selling, or possessing a common plant.... Full story
I recently had a conversation about how the political cycle never really pauses anymore. For my generation, this is par for the course. CNN launched not too long before I was born, so the constant news cycle is nothing new. You can tell, however, what drives ratings because the powers that be will beat whatever poor horse it is to death, ignoring other more relevant news. In the early 1990s, it was the OJ Simpson case. My fifth grade class watched the verdict live. Our teacher figured it was something we should witness. Thinking back, it...
As a farmer, I know firsthand that good things take time. Every year, I plant my fields with crops like wheat, barley, peas, and saffron, and in July, August, and September, I harvest those crops and reap what I’ve sown. Writing laws is much the same – and this fall, after a long spring and summer of working with Republicans and Democrats, Montana is set to reap urgently-needed upgrades to our crumbling infrastructure and strong economic growth across our state, thanks to my bipartisan infrastructure bill that was signed into law by the pre...
As Thanksgiving approaches, I usually take a little time to think about who and what I'm thankful for and express my. That seems to be the point, after all. This year, for various reasons, my thoughts and appreciation turn toward journalists, newspapers, and other news media. Sometimes the people and institutions we rely on to keep us informed get a bad rap, and sometimes they deserve it. When the Washington Post and New York Times act more as stenographers for the political class than reporters of the facts, we all lose. When trusted (by...
I’m running to be the next member of Congress from Montana’s eastern district because I’ve devoted my life to this state’s people, land and wildlife. It pains me to see our lone representative in the U.S. House of Representatives, Matt Rosendale, ignore the needs of the people he was elected to represent. He voted against badly needed pandemic relief across Montana and the rest of America, declines to challenge the price-gouging of corporate meatpackers who are driving family ranchers out of business and disregards the interests of workers...
This past Veteran’s Day weekend there was a Copeland Victory Rally held in Washington, D.C. to thank and honor Veterans and all who patriotically serve our country in many different ways. Their Victory TV channel, which is on Dish or Direct TV, brings the daily reports on current news from a Christian and constitutional reporting twice a day. Also, a program called Flashpoint twice a week has a panel consisting of spirit-filled men and women who address much truth from the different five fold ministries given in the book of Ephesians. They d...
It came at me like a ton of bricks. A week ago Sunday morning I was just fine. By early afternoon, the onslaught of fever had begun. I am old enough now to have gone through my fair share of flus and colds, so I decided on that Sunday to sweat it out. Off to bed I went clad in a wool beanie, t-shirt, jacket, pants, socks and two blankets. Even with all that on, I could barely get warm enough. It was a greatly pleasurable experience when I did finally get warm. I could feel the heat radiating throughout my nerves. The next morning, it was back... Full story
On November 9, DC District Court judge Tanya Chutkan refused former US president Donald Trump's request, based on "executive privilege," for a preliminary injunction forbidding the National Archives and Records Administration to release documents to the US House committee grandstanding on ... er, "investigating" ... the January 6 Capitol riot. If Trump's name goes down in history for anything of substance rather than mere flash, it should probably be for his bizarre claim that people who aren't executives anymore retain "executive privilege" ov... Full story
The month-long showdown over taxes is finally nearing its end as the majority of Congressional Democrats face off against a small group of their moderate colleagues in a fight over the future of the party and the country. While most Democrats are advocating for popular policies like prescription drug negotiation, paid leave, and taxing the rich, centrists have continually dug their heels into the ground, derailing negotiations and endangering the party’s success in the coming midterm elections. They’ve adopted the priorities of their wea... Full story
Valley County is blessed with ample news coverage. On the airwaves, KLTZ keeps all things local as residents go about their day to day lives. The B.S. Buzz also offers a hyper-local focus on area news, sometimes picking up stories which could not, for whatever reason, make it into The Courier that week. We do not have a local TV-affiliate, which means the news coverage we get on TV is based in Billings or wherever. I can't say us newspaper and radio journalists mind that too much. One less dog... Full story
Many people who are opposed to mandatory Covid vaccinations hold themselves out to be patriots and call those in favor of mandates traitors. Pretty powerful words and it raises an interesting point as far as American history is concerned, namely, would these patriots of today consider George Washington a patriot or a traitor? Here’s why. In 1777, Washington issued a mandate that his soldiers had to be vaccinated against smallpox, then known as variola. While British troops had built up an immunity to smallpox, the American troops had not. A... Full story
In 1954, Congress passed, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed, a bill transforming Armistice Day — November 11, a post-World-War One celebration of peace — into Veterans Day, a celebration of warriors. Personally, I stick to the original name and the original purpose in my observation of the holiday. Looking at the numbers involved, though, it's little wonder I find myself swimming against that particular tide. In 1860, the US armed forces comprised 27,958 soldiers, sailors and Marines. That figure jumped by six figures each year througho... Full story
In January 2022, federal legislation takes effect limiting surprise medical billing for out-of-network healthcare. Passed with bipartisan support in Congress and signed by President Donald Trump, the No Surprises Act (NSA) is the most sweeping healthcare legislation since the Affordable Care Act in 2010. Surprise billing occurs when a patient has no knowledge or opportunity to choose care from a provider inside of the patient's health plan network. What is the No Surprises Act? Most health plans require or prefer customers to use in-network... Full story
