Law enforcement thought outside box

On Tuesday, April 21, an intoxicated man defied a restraining order and confronted his wife and children with a loaded rifle. The police responded in force.

The police training manual has specific rules for a situation like this. It seems to me that those rules, when applied literally, basically seem to direct law enforcement to gain the upper hand at all costs, disregard the suspect's dignity, embarrass him in front of his family and back him into a corner from which he will come out fighting and then can be legally used for a target.

But, in the aforementioned situation, the responding law enforcement team had the courage to think outside the box. Common sense ruled and the situation was defused peacefully.

Kudos and congratulations to the various agencies that responded.

David Basta

Polson

Volunteers necessary in community

Editor,

I am currently a junior at Polson High School and I would like to share my two different SERVE projects to the community. SERVE is Polson High School's service program. I would also like to thank the community for their support of the Polson chapter of National Honor Society. This year, I have been an aide and tutor for the math department every morning this school year. I have also participated in many NHS activities including serving breakfast to students at school, selling raffle tickets supporting College Goal Sunday, and ushering new members at the induction ceremony April 21. Between the two SERVE projects I have currently gathered 157 hours and hope to have at least 180 by the end of the school year.

Service and volunteer work is a necessity in our community. Without volunteerism communities could not work. Students benefited from my community service projects by receiving aid in a challenging subject from someone their own age. Having gone through the same math classes, I understand the questions students are asking and can usually give a different perspective than the one from the teacher on how to do the work. The teachers also benefit by having me make copies or whatever the task is because it gives them more time to interact with students. I personally benefited from this by learning patience while working with students and it really opened my mind to see questions and how to answer them from different angles. I encourage others to volunteer in any way that they can to help others and to achieve great self satisfaction.

Sincerely

Josef Allik

SAFE Harbor needs used cell phones

Lake County community members,

I wanted to let community members know that SAFE Harbor, the shelter for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault serving Lake County, is currently collecting any and all used cell phones and used ink cartridges to raise funds for our non-profit services. We collaborate with Shelter Alliance and Advantage Cartridges, two organizations that recycle used products for non-profits. Please drop off items at TKC Radio Shack in Ronan to help those in need!

If your business is interested in having a local drop box for cell phones and/or ink cartridges, please contact Katie at (406) 676-0800 to have a box delivered and pick-ups scheduled.

Thanks so much!

Katie Stevenson

SAFE Harbor, AmeriCorps VISTA

Ronan

Polson-Missoula rail passenger service?

Editor,

Why not a passenger rail service from Polson to Missoula?

Most of the railbed already exists. The technology required already exists— no lengthy engineering studies would be required.

Advantages? Polson could provide a pleasant bedroom community for people working in Missoula. The demand for goods, services and real estate would increase in the area. The tax base would increase. Maybe we could even get our streets paved.

Retirees would be attracted to the area, providing an economic base for upscale retirement complexes. Existing real estate developments would prosper.

And we in Lake County would be doing our part to conserve energy and reduce pollution. Why not?

Don Thurber

Polson

Prefers Senator Clinton over Obama

Editor,

Before you vote in this upcoming primary election, please do your homework and get informed about the track records of presidential candidates Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton on issues affecting American Indians. Once again, Obama has rekindled hope for American Indians by all the promises and issues he is not familiar with.

I am supporting Senator Hillary Clinton because of the work she does for low-income families. Because of her experience as first lady in the state of Arkansas, she has knowledge and compassion particularly for low income people in rural America.

I am supporting Senator Hillary Clinton as are many other Native American Indians.

Louise Stasso

Arlee

Dems' meeting 'refreshing'

Having just returned from a most inspirational luncheon with the Flathead County Democratic Women at the Outlaw Inn, Kalispell, on Monday April 28th, the feeling I have coming away from that experience represents and reflects much about the very reason I was there. I had been asked to speak to the group about 'circles of trust'; a rare form of community, one that supports rather than supplants the individual quest for integrity and is rooted in two basic beliefs: First, we all have an inner teacher whose guidance is more reliable than anything we can get from a doctrine, ideology, collective belief system, institution, or leader. Second, we all need other people to invite, amplify, and help us discern the inner teacher's voice. 'Circles of trust' is a phrase coined by writer, lecturer, teacher Parker J. Palmer in his book "A Hidden Wholeness" published by Jossey-Bass in 2004.

I gave my little talk. Then I listened for the next couple of hours as not only candidates spoke, but President Mary Reckin and Program Chair JoLynn Yenne guided the program through reports, resolution considerations, and other agenda items.

The over 50 women, and a few men members, too, impressed me with their keen sense of fairness, clear communications, honoring others, being positive in tone, and expressing their love for this area of our great state.

Most of what was said and shared was above and beyond the usual things we hear when those of a political party get together. And this so well represents the 'circles of trust' concept and way of being together which encourages participants to look for and find the inner strength and guidance for meaningful dialogue free of anger, attack, putting down others, hitting below the belt, mean spirited innuendos, and spreading fear.

It was so refreshing, in today's political arena, to be a part of such and uplifting experience. I sincerely thank the Flathead County Democratic Women for inviting me to lunch. The food was delicious, too.

Bob McClellan

Polson

Pondering fuel problem

Editor:

With the price of fuel creeping higher and higher, there are some serious ramifications that keep showing up in my mind. Among the many areas of our lives that are affected by this is the viability of our school system.

As a school bus driver for the Bigfork School District, I started to make some rough calculations, and the result alarmed me. If the cost of fuel climbs from the budgeted $3/gal. to a predicted $5/gal., it would increase the cost to provide transportation for the children of the Bigfork Schools 67%. This represents just one area of the school budget.

I guess the questions that occur to me are: At what price point does providing bus transportation for our school kids become unaffordable? How will that affect our present school system? What if fuel is rationed? What if the buses are eliminated? Will some kids have to drop out? Will families begin home-schooling? Will neighborhoods band together to provide schooling on a smaller scale (the old one-room school model)?

Obviously, this is only one aspect of the fuel problem for us to ponder.

The local Essential Stuff Project (ESP) is hosting an evening event at Clementine's in Bigfork, May 28th, at 7:00 p.m. The purpose of the gathering is to stimulate local involvement, and to share perceptions of the changes that the rising cost of fuel, energy and food will bring to our lives. For more information about the gathering, contact Edd Blackler, [blackler@acrossmontana.net], 837-5196, Catherine Haug, [cmhaug4@earthlink.net], 837-4577 or Edmund Fitzgerald [edmund@montanasky.net], 837-5548.

Edd Blackler

Bigfork