Letters
Computer virus bugged Cruisers' ad
Editor,
An error was made in the production of an advertisement placed last week in the Lake County Leader. Some low-down computer virus shifted text, making it impossible to read about the challenge to Montana car clubs to go for our Club Participation Award.
To clarify, the Dukes of Spokane and the Puyallup Car Club from Washington State, were honking their horns, so we used the occasion to have some fun enticing local clubs to jump in and compete. We apologize for readers' inconvenience, and stand responsible for the slip-up.
This year the Valley Cruisers Car Club is making a serious investment in our future, hoping as result to help increase the prosperity of our region. For record: We don't want to be the biggest, only the best in the State of Montana. As we mature as a Mission Valley organization, the Cruisers understand our responsibilities and obligations to the communities we serve.
Our plans call for a productive weekend of fun and purpose, using every opportunity to promote goodwill. Thank you for your continued support.
Cruisen' by the Bay is evolving as a well attended, popular show and for this we are grateful. However, what is more important is that we have built — in process of learning — strong positive communication links with the City of Polson, Mission Valley merchants and worthy non-profit community service organizations.
We especially take notice of our valued media sponsors, the Lake County Leader and Anderson Broadcasting.
Our goals:
1. Have a fantastic Friday night, shaking booties with the Bop-a-Dips, and, hopefully, a spectacular fireworks show on the lake;
2. Fill Main Street, Polson, with outstanding show cars;
3. Introduce a carnival as an internal fund raiser;
4. Support the aims of Art in the Park and Relay for Life — both will run concurrently;
5. Kick back club profits to civic and non-profit service organizations.
Happy trails. See you in August.
Cadillac Jack Bishop,
President Valley Cruisers
AFA has
unleashed a 'tiger'
Editor,
The Annual Funding Agreement (AFA) recently negotiated between Paul Hoffman (Department of Interior) and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, and then signed by a reluctant Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks official has unleashed a tiger that may prove to be a "weapon of mass destruction."
The AFA, if allowed to become law, will affect every refuge, national park, or other federal facility now under the management of the Interior nationwide.
The National Bison Range was created by Congress in 1908 to preserve the bison and other wildlife for the benefit of all citizens.
The Bison Range maintenance crews have long played a large part in propelling the refuge to the highly successful level it has enjoyed for nearly 100 years. The maintenance personnel deserve better than to be cast away to a government whose membership is based on race and closed to the general public.
The morale of the Bison Range maintenance crew is at an all-time low.
Long-time employees who are buying homes and have family find it difficult to either accept transfer or work for a government that is foreign to them and to know that their jobs were being compromised while they were on duty doing their work.
If Paul Hoffman had a sibling working as a federal maintenance employee whose job was placed in jeopardy just to satisfy tribal ambition, he might better understand the mischief and damage he has caused. What a way for federal officials to say thanks for a job well done!
The Indian Self Determination and Education Act needs to be seriously amended or repealed for this is the vehicle that both sides draw on as support for the AFA. Congress must act now to correct the mistake it has created in the past.
If Congress fails, or cannot muster the fortitude, to live by their oath of office "to defend the Constitution …" then perhaps a visit to the U.S. Supreme Court may be the last and/or final option.
Del Palmer
Charlo
Retiring police
officers served well
Editor,
On Thursday, Jan. 6, Polson City Hall employees, Mayor and Councilmen, plus dozens of Lake County Criminal Justice and Emergency service people bid farewell to two of Polson's finest.
Lynn Earl retired with 20 years of service in the public sector and Tina Schlaile with 13 plus years of service.
They will be missed. Thirty-three years of combined law enforcement is not replaceable.
Both served Polson residents and visitors with dedication and professionalism.
The gathering was at the Cove Restaurant in Polson. Ken, Kevin and Ryan plus their staff were the perfect hosts.
A salute to all of them for a job well done.
In closing, I salute Tony Porrazzo, the City of Polson's Water and Sewer Superintendent for his letter in the Dec. 30 issue of the Lake County Leader. It takes a big person to open up and pour forth his feelings of gratitude, but then again — that's Tony.
Doug Chase
Polson Chief of Police
Leave food scraps
for abandoned cats?
Editor,
To the people of Ronan, Pablo, Mission, Charlo:
Please throw all your extra scraps out at night. We have a lot of furry friends going hungry. You will see the scraps all gone. But the cats will not bother you (in most cases).
Remember most of these cats have been abandoned by people.
Please feed them.
Marlys Hoeldt and friends for animals
Ronan
(Editor's note: We're all in favor of helping animals, but this could also attract other wild animals. Perhaps volunteering with the Mission Valley Animal Shelter might be a good idea).
Local Red Cross helped find relatives
Editor,
My daughter, Jodie Gouge, had been visiting for several from Hawaii but had plans to return to her home on Jan. 2. Her husband Victor planned to spend the holidays in Thailand visiting their 14-year-old son Matthew and Victor's daughter, Lisa.
After the tsunami hit, we had no idea if they were safe or not. We did not have enough information to find out if they were. It had been anticipated that they might be going to the mountains, but the beach area — where so many tourists lost their lives — was perhaps in the plan also.
The Sheriff's office gave us Cindy Willis' name as the contact person to call for the local Red Cross. She immediately gave us a feeling of confidence that there was someone out there who could help us. It is the with deepest gratitude that we say thank you to Cindy Willis and all the other volunteers for the time spent doing this for our community. I do not know what we would have done without that support — complete panic, I am sure.
As it turned out, we were able to call around and about until we found a relative in Boise who had received an email from Victor's parents who teach in Thailand.
But to say that we were ill prepared was the truth. We did not have complete information such as phone numbers, itineraries, correct addresses and a chain of contact in event of such a disaster, But who would have thought? Well, we learned from this experience.
Also, we learned that we need to be more informed about our local Red Cross and support them in their efforts to keep us safe.
If you would like to make a donation to the American Red Cross, you may do so at P.O. Box 7, Polson, MT 59860; or you may drop your check at Cindy Willis' office, 105 First St. E., Polson. If you want it to go for tsunami victim relief, just mark that on the memo line.
Thanks to all who called and prayed for us.
Joann Sagmiller
Polson
ACT is helping quake and tsunami victims
Editor,
ACT, a global alliance of churches and agencies works to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide. Right now, ACT is coordinating efforts in south and southeast Asia to respond to the needs of survivors of the tidal waves …
Because ACT has been present in the region for years, they now can make use of the local partnerships they've already formed to quickly and effectively distribute essential food items, water and medicines to survivors.
ACT is responding to immediate needs with blankets, clothing, cooking equipment, candles and matches and emergency shelter tarpaulins. They are giving out rice, spices and salt to those who have cooking facilities. Water tankers supply clean drinking water. Teams of relief workers are working around the clock to remove bodies and animal carcasses.
Cyclone shelters ACT built during the '90s have provided shelter to thousands of people who fled the tidal waves. In Sri Lanka, truckloads of supplies have already gone to two of the worst hit areas … People displaced by the deluge are being transported to safe areas.
In India, ACT deployed 12 teams to assist and assess needs of people in coastal areas. Four strategic operational points are being set up … to assist some 50,000 families.
In the longer term, 5,000 families will be assisted by ACT with house reconstruction programs, while 15 large cyclone/flood shelters will be put up. Large stretches of lands will have to be reclaimed and there will be a massive need for food-for-work programs to re-establish people' livelihoods.
ACT has one of the lowest overheads of any relief organization in the world. When money is given through churches participating in ACT, over 97 percent of the donates to go directly aid people in need.
Locally, Heritage of Faith Christian Church, 101 Seventh Ave. W., Polson, is collecting monetary donations for ACT. If you would like to help, make checks to "Heritage of Faith Christian Church" (memo: tidal wave disaster) and we will make sure the money is sent quickly to give aid to those in need.
John Payne, Pastor
Heritage of Faith Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Polson
Share the Spirit had a busy year
Editor,
Share the Spirit had a very busy year in 2004. Volunteers worked well over 1,000 hours in 16 days, sorting and wrapping gifts, toys and food for 352 families. Wow, what an accomplishment! Those hours don't include the huge amount of time that the Marines and Toys for Tots donated to us.
Included in those 352 families were 862 children with a total of just of 1,200 people. The majority of the families we help are the working poor, struggling to meeting winter fuel bills among other things, as well as providing a Christmas for their children.
Donations of toys from Toys for Tots gave us over 2,000 toys to distribute. Cash donations for Share the Spirit were down considerably this year.
Applications can be submitted throughout November and early December. Many families' names were submitted by school counselors, principals, or neighbors and friends who recognized a need in the community. The heart of Share the Spirit is the database that screens duplicates. This year, many families' names were turned in by several well intentioned neighbors, friends and school personnel. Our database is a tremendous help when a donor gives a pair of boots or a coat or some special toy. We can search and find which child wears that size or who has specifically asked for a special toy.
Thank you, Lake County, for all you do to help the less fortunate families in the county to have a merry Christmas.
Tony Krebsbach Young
STS Coordinator
Polson
Schweitzer made wrong FWP choice
Editor,
It should raise red flags for hunters, gun owners, sportsmen, farmers and ranchers that Governor Schweitzer has selected former Democrat state senator Steve Doherty as the new chairman for the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Commission.
Doherty voted against a 1999 bill that required hunters to ask permission before hunting on private land.
He was awarded a "D" grade from the Montana Shooting Sports Association when he ran for office in 1998.
This man that has been appointed to chair the FWP Commission has a very poor gun rights record and is beholden to Montana's strongest environmental group, the Montana Conservation Voters (who gave him a 93 percent grade).
His interests are not in agreement with the interest of sportsmen, ranchers and farmers.
David W. Rowell
Garrison
Objectivity was lacking in recount
Editor,
Despite the furor over the results of the Jore/Windham race, I believe the outcome is ultimately irrelevant when considering the abject failure of all involved to govern responsibly.
It cannot be denied that the Windham team mishandled the situation. It was a mistake to bypass a portion of the process by moving to an immediate Supreme Court lawsuit. As well, in asking that the Court explicitly declare Windham the winner, the Democrat's team only fomented a dangerous misfocus, in which all participants seemed more intent on deciding the election, rather than examining the issue at hand: namely, whether or not the ballots in question were valid.
By attempting not only to determine who had won the race, but going so far as to divine which political ideology Lake County voters were supporting, Windham, Jore, and Judge Kim Christopher introduced a deplorable subjectivity to the matter.
The only concern of those involved ought to have been the technical admissibility of the ballots under examination. Once that question was decided, the results of the election would have handled themselves, and would have been dictated by the ultimate power: the Electorate. Instead, partisan goal-mongering became the word of the day for both camps, and reflected poorly on all who were part of the proceedings.
If Mr. Jore had believed his constituents were misrepresented, it was his duty to pursue a further review of all cast ballots. Instead he, and his supporters, seem content to thrust blame on Windham and the Democratic Party, hiding behind righteous declarations of fraud and impropriety in a display no less shameful than that undertaken by their liberal counterparts in the infamous 2000 presidential election.
The catastrophe is that such partisan childishness robs any attempt to analyze the process and its failings of credibility. There can be no doubt that all participants were interested only in seeing their side victorious.
In the conclusion, Montanans have been left betrayed by a political leadership seemingly unwilling to provide reasoned, objective management of the issues facing us.
Stephen Ashley
St. Ignatius
MV Honor Guard appreciates support
Editor,
The Mission Valley Honor Guard gives a special thank you to Tim Orr for coordinating the Support the Mission Valley Honor Guard donation drive. We also thank 92.3 Power Radio for their announcements in supporting the Mission Valley Honor Guard and the Tribal Council of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes for their continued support of the Honor Guard yearly. Thank you to all who have donated and supported the Honor Guard throughout the year. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.
Leo Tellier
Mission Valley Honor Guard
St. Ignatius