Some Jore bills would be dangerous
Editor,
The Constitution Party, as represented by Rick Jore, is like Orwell’s Ministry of Truth: It acts in direct opposition to what it seems to mean. Instead of honoring and upholding our constitution, Jore is hellbent on destroying everything for which it stands.
Jore introduced two constitutional amendments, HB403 and 404, in a recent assault on freedom. The former would endow zygotes with full-blown humanity, while the latter would limit education for children born to parents who believe ignorance is best for them. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t just hurt their kids but would be disastrous to our nation’s future.
HB403 sounds like Jore cares about babies, but has nothing whatsoever to do with babies. Jore’s motive is to manipulate an emotional issue in order to take women’s freedom. This bill failed on a mainly party-line vote, 46-54, Feb. 12. The close margin demonstrates how important it is to vote against those who would mandate religious beliefs as our laws.
Before birth control women were easily kept in their places: barefoot and pregnant. It is shameful that contraception wasn’t fully legal until 1965 when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the last state law banning it. For most of our history women had no way to prevent limitless children; their minds and bodies worn out by 35. If Jore and his advocates yearn for such good old days they should move to Iran.
HB404, tabled in committee Feb. 22, would eliminate compulsory school attendance for children 7- 16. This bill gives home schools absolute exemption from oversight. If they don’t have to register their kids with the school district, they don’t have to comply with current standards.
The National Center for Education Statistics shows 1.1 million students were home-schooled in 2003, a 29 percent increase from 1999. The National Home Education Research Institute says that 1.7 million to 2.1 million children were home-schooled during the 2002-2003 academic year, 72 percent of which are religiously motivated. Anything challenging biblical world view is not in the curriculum. Evolution is satanic fabrication. God created the world in six days. America was founded as a Christian nation which secular humanists scheme to destroy. Children are discouraged from critical analysis, questioning and independent thought. Christian fundamentalist home-schools are eerily akin to madrassas (Islamic fundamentalist schools). They aim to destroy an open, democratic, pluralistic society and replace it with a theocratic totalitarian state.
You think our constitution guarantees freedom from religious oppression? Well, bills are being proposed all over our nation to impose religion into our laws. Bill by bill, brick by brick, a wall to separate us from our freedom is being built. When words like sanctity, life, marriage, etc. are used in respect to elections, or legislation you witness the obliteration of the line separating church from state. Forget democracy in Iraq, we’re losing it here.
If constitutional amendments like HB403 ever pass, sleazy speculation wouldn’t be a matter of personal privacy, but criminal cases for Sheriff Lucky Larson.
Wanda LaCroix
Arlee
A happy subscriber from Billings
Editor,
I’ve never written to a newspaper before, but I want you to know that as long as Ethan Smith is editor of the Leader, I will continue to send my renewal.
I love his editorials, especially the one which he was an inmate in the jail!
Keep up the good work.
M.J. Normandeau
Billings
Make some noise in my honor
Editor,
If I were alive right now I would be sitting and talking with you, but I’m dead now so that option is gone.
I can tell you dying is no picnic, especially when you are in the process of having fun and then looking at the sky wondering what happened. I wish someone would have got in the way when I was drinking and made me stop. If I would have known the truth maybe I would have ended up alive instead of dead.
There is nothing you can do for me now, but maybe the next time you know someone who is drinking too much or using too much you will talk to them. Not lecture, just talk to them. Try to get them to see where they will end up and see the harm that alcohol and other drugs cause people. Maybe even stop drinking and using yourself.
Nobody told me about the heartache it brings. All I know was the fun part. Maybe if you would have got me put in jail to stop me? Yes, I would have been mad at you, but at least now I would be alive. At least you would be able to look at me and touch me and I would be warm to the touch instead of cold.
I don’t like being dead. It’s not a better place as some people say when people die. A better place would be standing beside the people I loved and who loved me. I can’t do anything now — but you can. You can start getting in the way when people are doing what I was doing. You can make waves. Wouldn‘t you rather make a few waves than continue attending the funerals of your children?
I never thought I would kill myself. I only thought of the next party or the next good time. Nobody ever told me to stop, please stop. It seems that nobody cares about the problem here with alcohol. It seems the people in charge just ignore the problem and pretend it’s not there. The people who could make a difference and help, turn a blind eye when it comes to alcohol and drugs. They say, “Kids will be kids,” which is true, but wouldn’t you rather see your kids grow up and have kids of their own? Wouldn’t you rather be able to hold a live human being rather than the picture of a dead one?
What you have tried in the past isn’t working. What you are doing now is not working either, unless letting people die is the plan. If people paid attention, maybe I would be alive right now instead of buried in the earth. Make some noise in my honor. Force the powers that be to listen to the people instead of other politicians. Maybe I died so others may live. That’s all that’s left for me now.
The Young Dead,
Chuck Ripley, Polson
Ken Scott was also a contributor
Editor,
I felt like I should let you know about another person who has also given gestures of good will to the Lake County Sheriff’s Department and the Reserve unit. His name is Ken Scott. As a lot of people know, Ken is a former deputy and Reserve officer.
I know that when Ken worked for the Reserve unit he refused to be paid for the service. He wanted to remain a volunteer. Ken went as far as buying a patrol car for the Reserve unit and outfitting it with all the electronics needed for use.
I went by his office one day and he was boxing up new uniforms and police gear for the Reserve unit, along with new Motorola portable radios. These were also donations.
I know that Ken spent many hours in his helicopter donating flight time and fuel on search and rescue missions, kegger patrol, and surveillance for drug activities.
I am sure in the midst of all this, thousands of dollars were donated not only to the Sheriff’s Department, but to the Reserve unit as well.
The people of Lake County need to know there are people out there who are trying to help make a difference.
Bernadine (Bernie) Lovell
St. Ignatius
BB/BS says thanks
Editor,
I want to acknowledge all the sponsors who again demonstrated their commitment to the community and to Big Brothers/Big Sisters and its In-School Mentoring Programs in Hot Springs, Ronan, and Pablo.
These sponsors give freely to the organization each year and help to make it a success.
This year, nearly 600 individuals sponsored our bowlers. Although too many to recognize here, they each have our heartfelt thanks.
Due to the generosity of the business and individual sponsors, as well as the dedication of the bowlers to raise pledges and bowl on the day of the Bowl for Kids’ Sake event (which took place on Feb. 25) we have raised over $15,000.
These operational funds go directly to supporting the agency operations and its programs.
Big Brothers/Big Sisters, its directors, and staff say thank you.
We look forward to another successful event next year.
Kevi L. Galarneau, Executive Director
One Book, One Community to start
Editor,
The staff and students at the Ronan Middle School would like to invite community members to join us as we kick-off our fifth annual One Book/One Community activity.
This year we are reading Flash Point by Missoula author Sneed Collard, III. This is the story of a boy who lives in a small Montana town that is being threatened by wildfires. As the fires surround the town it puts pressure on the residents that lead to several flare-ups and pits neighbor against neighbor both in the community as well as the school. Luther makes a new friend, learns about the art of falconry, and discovers things about himself as well as his community in this high adventure story.
Several copies of this book are available for community checkout. The Ronan Public libraries as well as all of School District 30’s libraries have copies. We would also like to invite the community to join us on the evening of Thursday, March 22, at 7 p.m. in the Ronan Event Center for a presentation by the author. He will be speaking about his writings and Flash Point. Our evening will begin with special “fire” music presented by the Ronan Middle School band.
The idea behind One Book is to provide students and community members a common bond to form discussions around. Please pick up a book and join us.
If you have any questions, please call us at 676-3390, exts. 3404 or 3436.
Janey Salomon
Janet Sucha
Ronan
Issues inseparable
Editor,
Recent proceedings in our government indicate Christians have been too tolerant of wrong thinking, and have not been involved enough in keeping our republic on its Christian course. Some Christians ask, “How did this happen?” It is because they were not vigilant.
One excuse that Christians use for not being politically involved is, “I don’t need to because we have elected officials.” You’ll take whatever they dish out because they’re elected. Pitiful and scary.
Too many Christians think they should only devote themselves to spiritual matters and neglect temporal issues. The two are inseparable.
The church exists for the welfare of its members. Whatever affects human welfare, temporal or spiritually, is a concern of the church. Christians have the duty to speak out in all such matters — physical, mental, moral, economic, social and political — and strive to bring about conditions that will promote general, rounded, complete welfare. It cannot be one-sided …
We are affected by things both spiritual and temporal and they become merged. Some Christians may not want to get involved with issues they think don’t personally involve them — property or water rights, who runs national parks, etc. They do not perceive these things to have a moral value, so it is not worthy of involvement.
Although issues like same-sex marriages, militant homosexual and lesbians, and abortion on demand are but a few of the moral issues we face, the same Christians say, “Now these are worthy causes to fight against.” But they don’t do anything because they aren’t conditioned to. They have neglected to be involved with the temporal and are ineffective to speak out against evil.
The homosexual community has influenced our elected officials. The pro-abortion front has entered into a treaty with the U.N., to provide abortion on demand. They are getting curriculum into our schools to teach alternative lifestyles as acceptable. Gay teachers are already in our schools. Is it any wonder why so many concerned parents home school?
America started as a Christian nation with a divinely inspired Constitution and Bill of Rights. We literally were the springboard from which the Gospel of Jesus Christ could go forth to the rest of the world. But when we allow a million babies to be aborted every year and perversion to run amok, our nation will be severely judged.
Christians, reaffirm your stand with Jesus Christ, put on the whole armor of God, and prepare for battle. It is war, and the consequences of losing are eternal — bondage and slavery and living under perverse rulers.
God said the fearful will not inherit the kingdom of God. If you are a timid, cowardly Christian, more afraid of what men think of you than God, you are of no use to the Kingdom. The spiritual line has been drawn. You are either for Him or against Him. Christians must bond together now and get involved.
Jim Pettit, Ronan
Where’s Governor going and why?
Editor,
From a number of sources we have been hearing of the many and far travels of our governor. This letter is to ask the question, and to urge others to do likewise with their own pens, what the purposes, and to what useful end are all the air miles with the state airplane?
Another question: Do we as taxpayers have the right to know our governor’s destinations, or reasons for that travel? Especially if with that state plane those destinations also include personal cronyism out Washington D.C. way?
Remember, we’ve heard also about a web site titled “Schweitzer for president.” Are we at least in part paying our tax dollars for his possible ambitions in some future quest for higher office?
And are we then getting our money’s worth from him for what he is being paid while away from his office in Helena?
Yes, these are more than just a couple questions all right, but some of us think in-depth answers should be forthcoming by Brian.
Furthermore, aren’t some of you other readers in the state of Montana of the opinion that a good idea would be if the governor’s public information officer would email all newspapers interested a weekly day-by-day itinerary of planned meetings and with whom, luncheons with various people and the reasons for same, and air and limo travel to wherever and for what reasons, etc.?
I for one would very much like to hear what you think about the governor’s use of time and his possible agenda.
Will Elliott
Polson