Let's start working together

Editor,

What are we going to do about the evil that is enveloping our reservation? Young boys dying of alcohol poisoning and brutal murders of Gerald and Catherine. These are things one sees on TV or hears about in the big cities — not in Western Montana on small reservation communities.

Where do we start? Do we start with the very young to teach them morals, responsibility, respect for life and others? This has been done to an extent through the schools and churches. What good does it do, though, when at home they find violence, alcohol, and drugs in some cases?

So then, should we start with the parents and teach them morals, responsibility and respect for life and others? When there are drugs and alcohol within the homes, that is a lost cause, it seems.

In the old days, the grandparents had a huge role in the raising of the children within our communities. So, maybe we should start the reversal of this evil in our communities with the grandparents. I helped my children raise their children to some extent by taking the grandchildren to church, helped them with their religious education, taught them about their heritage and was a friend to all of them. They knew they could come to "Grandma" with problems. Therefore, we have always been close.

But more must be done besides starting with families. The courts — city, tribal, district courts — must start getting tougher on offenders. Why is it every week in the court news I read where someone is sentenced to, say, 10 years in prison — and all but time served or a minimum time is suspended? I know our prison is overcrowded, but that is like slapping an offender's hand and telling him or her to go out and commit crimes again.

The police forces are doing a good job keeping up with all the offenders in this county, but they can only do so much with the small forces they have. If Homeland Security can ask us all to be on the lookout for suspicious persons and report them to officials, why can't we as citizens of the county keep our eyes and ears open to offenders of drugs, alcohol, child abuse, spouse abuse and anything else that is creating this evil we have here and report it to officials?

Tribal and non-tribal members of all the communities on this reservation, let's start working together to make this a safer and better place for our children and grandchildren to live in harmony with each other. Then maybe we won't have to attend wakes and very sad funerals for our youngest of young people in the future. It is something we should all strive for.

Pat Wenzinger

Polson