Letters to the Editor
Jan. 15, 2008
Manager search frustrating
It is strange our elected officials (mayor and city council) have not been able to secure a city manager. Since it is the mayor who negotiates the contract, maybe the problem lies there (no pun intended). They have all kinds of excuses as to why all the candidates back out. The last one, according to our mayor, put off getting back to him for three weeks. I would think after a couple of days he would have moved on to the next candidate. Seems they are in no hurry to get in motion what the people that voted for them asked them to accomplish. What the city needs is a person from our area who has a heart to serve this community and make it prosper, instead of someone from another state who will always leave if something better comes along or they get too cold. They say the charter has certain qualifications the applicant needs to have to be placed in that position and in our area it seems they have chosen only one candidate that ultimately backed out (HMM!). As a community we need to hold our officials accountable. Seems it would be hard to be a mayor and full time business owner. I thought we voted for a full time mayor. With the compensation package they are offering, it would be very easy to fill the position with a concerned local. Thanks for reading.
Allan Marcus, Polson
Priorities need realigning
People have been pondering/defending/disputing whether the U.S. is a “Christian Nation.” Mining documents for supportive statements result in conflicting evidence and is a rather useless quest.
Even if some people in the Bush administration mandated torture, does that make us a “Torture Nation?” Hardly. Similarly, even if some religious words were used by our nation’s historical founders, does that make us a “Christian Nation?” Hardly.
Regardless whether some (not all) of our forefathers had religious leanings, our purpose today should be to go beyond those propositions. What are desirable goals for the next 50, 500, 5,000 years? Can we create a better existence for humans, for animals, and for the perpetuation of our planet for future generations?
Superstition ruled the lives of early man and even today humans still are hooked into irrational thinking. The human mind is easily seduced by wishful thinking. We have an obsessive desire to live forever, wonder if cats go to heaven and have the tendency to put human characteristics into rocks, trees and cornflakes that look like religious figures. Descendents will no doubt look back on this strange and conflicted generation with a few laughs and many sorrowful sighs.
On a worldwide basis, are humans going to go on forever arguing (and killing each other) over which god is best? Please - we have better and more important things to do. Here are some predictions for a desirable future:
1) Critical thinking must become a more accepted and powerful emphasis to counter the faulty and superstitious thinking of the past and present. An anti-intellectual public attitude hurts us. Let’s move on.
2) We must not be a Christian nation. Nor an Islamic nation. Nor any other. Human freedom requires that the individual spirit not be driven by any limiting religious orthodoxy. There must be a strong separation of religion and politics if all the diversity of human living is to thrive.
3) Churches should be treated as the businesses they are and pay taxes. Religious organizations have marketing plans, strive to increase market share, and attempt to get the public to buy their product (life after death). They are business models.
4) Marriages of the future will be more varied than today. Population increase, economic pressures, and housing limitations eventually will encourage people legitimately to band together for love, support and security. Same sex marriage? Of course.
Christianity (or any other religion) does not have a corner on ethics or the direction of mankind. We can do better than that.
Gene Johnson, Polson
God is the Almighty creator
The Psalm-writer said: “As I was musing the fire burned.” That is what I have been doing this morning. I have been thinking: How insulting it is to deny the very existence of the God, who made us and everything else in this world. How embarrassing it will be for the scientists and teachers who insisted on force-feeding our children on the hogwash of macro-evolution, and for the judges who passed the law denying the display of the Ten Commandments in our schools and courts.
Some day they will have to stand and give account to Almighty God who created them!
If we allowed ourselves to follow the facts we would realize that everything in this world is designed.
The next logical conclusion is that God made it all — and us.
G.K. Chesterton said it well: “If it is unthinkable that an unthinkable God created everything out of nothing, then why is it thinkable that an unthinkable nothing created everything out of itself?”
That, to me, sounds like something worthwhile thinking about!
Vern Hicks, Ronan
Oppose freedom of choice laws
Prior to his winning the election, Barrack Obama promised Planned Parenthood that his first priority upon becoming our president would be to sign the Freedom of Choice Act.
This legislation, if it passes, would set America back 35 years and nullifying the gains that have been made on behalf of the unborn babies since the Supreme Court declared the unborn to be nonpersons.
I would like to quote two persons of renown: “How can the dream survive if we murder the children. If the dream of Martin Luther King Jr. is to live, our babies must live.” - Alveda King.
It is vitally important to be a participatory observer, because, as Mahatma Gandi reminds us, and I quote, “The world is not the way it is because of people who do evil, but also because of people who allow them to do evil.”
I pray that those who are reading these words of wisdom will take a few minutes of your time to contact our elected officials to urge them to not only support the defeat of the Freedom of Choice Act, but to support the prolife legislation that will be presented in the legislative session now in progress in Helena. Thank you for reading this. For factual information, feel free to contact me at P.O. Box 234 Charlo, MT 59824.
Rita Senkler, Charlo
Senator has integrity
This is the response I received from our Senator Max Baucus, from a letter I sent telling them they did not deserve a pay raise.
Dear Paul:
Thank you for contacting me about congressional pay raises. I appreciate hearing from folks back home on this issue. Like you, I feel strongly about this - I will not vote for a congressional pay raise. I believe that Congress should concentrate on the needs of the American people, and not their own financial well-being. In 2005, I voted against a congressional pay raise. Rest assured that I have opposed such proposals in the past, and I will oppose any proposed congressional pay raise for. I want you to know this year that I will continue to focus on my common sense priorities for Montana: strengthening Social Security and Medicare, creating jobs for working families, improving education for our children, and helping Montana farmers and ranchers. With best personal regards, I am, Senator Max Baucus.
Paul Kerman, Missoula
Bread Basket thanks
Winter has definitely arrived. Christmas has come and gone. Hope everyone’s holidays were safe and joyous. The Board of the Bread Basket wishes everyone a prosperous new years as we thank our community for their unfailing support in these difficult times. Our families will still be able to receive food during the tough months ahead because of the concern of our neighbors. Thank you, one and all.
Due to your generosity, we were able to meet the matching grant quota of $5,000 for the Town Pump’s “Friends In Need, Friends in Deed” program held late this fall. In addition, our local Town Pump match monies gathered at their facility for a total of $1,213. The “Share the Spirit Baskets” program originated and promoted by our Community Banks’ donation this year has increased substantially from their quite successful first year.
Kerr Anderson Radio gathered food from the community by placing baskets at the local grocery stores. Dr. Ofstad at the Ronan Eye Clinic gathered 616 pounds of food by reducing his patients bills when they brought in food for their appointments. Plum Creek donated 182 pounds of turkeys. The Salish Kootenai College gathered food and money at their annual Christmas party. The 4-H Ninepipe’s Explorers took the time to make up and pack 80 gift jars of pancake mix and hot cocoa mix. The North Crow Women’s Club brought some candy bags for the children. Six-hundred-forty-nine pounds, of mostly fresh fruit, was anonymously donated and greeted appreciated by our clients.
Most people never have an opportunity to see how much our clients appreciate the helping hand and yet, everywhere in our community people remember those in need throughout the year. They use their creativity, time and energy to organize programs, use their financial resources, donate their time to become volunteers and find ways to help their neighbors. There are faithful individuals, clubs, like the Mission Valley Garden Club, businesses, WalMart, organizations, like FFA and the churches, that keep giving. We are so blessed to live in such a caring community where individuals work together to make a better community. Your efforts are inspiring and we are so grateful that you share with the Break Basket.
God Bless you all in the coming year of 2009,
the Board of the Bread Basket, Polson
Authorized piracy still occurs
For 300 years after Columbus discovered America it was a haven for pirates. Privateers and pirate fleets and nations frantically fought for the wealth of the rich South American nations. They greedily killed, enslaved and looted fabulous fortunes of gold, silver and precious stones. The final chapters involved extensive slave trade. Various kings commissioned seafaring men to missions of piracy giving it a show of legality.
Piracy still occurs on a grand scale throughout the world. The communist and fascist systems still enslave the masses and loot their production. Technically it is legal.
We in America have a gang of legalized pirates pretending to look out for our well-being.
However, these buccaneers have dipped into the tax system and spent fortunes on pet projects and run up a many trillion-dollar debt. They have gotten into the Social Security Trust Fund and stolen trillions of dollars from retirement pensions. Now, the captain of pirates is about to drain trillions of dollars from the lives of our descendants.
Piracy has become an epidemic. The pirates in high office ordered the Freddie and Fannie debacle. CEOs in loan companies have cooked the books and bankrupt great reputable firms. Now they are about to divide the spoils among the crew. Many American citizens and businesses are demanding their cut of the loot. Each day reveals more pirates.
Pirates thought nothing of sinking ships, killing people and burning cities. Likewise, these modern robbers care not that the USA will be scuttled and useless when they have bled it dry.
All of it is done legally you know!
Ernest Seablom, Ronan
Share the Spirit thanks
Share the Spirit Holiday Assistance Program just finished our 11th year helping children from needy families with toys, clothes and gifts at Christmas. We are fortunate enough to partner with the Ed Holland and the Marine Toys for Tots program which helps us manage the daunting task of providing for these children. During the 2008 Christmas season we served more than 1,000 children in Lake County.
A huge thanks to these businesses who agreed to be our tree locations: Glacier Bank, Lake County Leader office in Polson, WalMart, Eagle Bank, Lake County Courthouse and St. Joseph Medical Center. In Ronan trees were located at Hanson and Granley True Value Hardware, the Valley Journal, Community Bank of Ronan, the Gift Gallery and Family Pharmacy and St. Luke Hospital, S & K Electronics and in St. Ignatius at Lake County Bank and Rod’s Harvest Foods. St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, United Methodist Church, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Polson and Dayton Presbyterian Churches and Immaculate Conception Catholic Church all gave generously. Thank you so very much to all the people who so generously picked up Share the Spirit tags from our trees filled with children’s Christmas requests, with help from everyone we were able to help make their holiday brighter.
Volunteers make this program a success; they donate hundreds of hours throughout the season when most people would rather spend time with their families. Thanks to Jim Sohm, Marshall Bjork, Buck Young, Keith and Sue Urbach, Nancy and Heather Hines, Nancy and Gary Teggeman, Peggy and Clao Milner, Lora Pearson, Sharon and Wayne Finney, Barbara and Rick LaPiana, and Dar Ekstrom.
For the second year Share the Spirit headquarters were fortunate to have space donated by Fred Innerbichler in the old Tamsco/DRS building, trash hauling by Allied Waste and storage by the South Shore Storage. All of these donations add up to a very successful year for our community in spite of the economic downturn.
Share the Spirit is a 501(c) 3 non-profit group registered with the Internal Revenue Service. Donations can be mailed any time to Share the Spirit at P.O. Box 1341, Polson, MT 59860. Thank you and God Bless!
STS Board of Directors: Toni Young, Valerie Lindstrom, Cheryl Thomas, Mauri and Barbara Morin, Russ Jenkins