Letters to the editor, April 22

Holocaust reminder

Once again, we are being asked to remember the victims of the Holocaust.

In 1945, as a result of gunshot wounds received in Germany, my husband was declared as being l00 percent disabled. He was the epitome of the men whom Tom Brokaw called "The Greatest Generation." These were the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives to free the world from the maniac named Adolph Hitler. He was one of the cruelest tyrants that ever lived. He targeted a specific race.

We must not forget the deadly scars left by the Nazi death camps where more than six million men, women and children were murdered during World War II.

Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, praised the Nazi theory of racial superiority. She targeted the Negroes and other racial minorities whom she labeled as inferior. She believed that the human race would be improved if certain people were not allowed to reproduce.

When she established her first clinic in Brooklyn, she set the stage for the "War on the Unborn." It has engulfed all of our American Society. Since the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, over 51 million babies have been killed by surgical abortions in America; over 2000 in one year in Montana alone. These are not just numbers compiled by the Bureau of Statistics. They are gifts from God.

To comprehend the humanity of the unborn, you need only to visit the dumpsters behind any abortion clinic. There you will see tiny victims with their arms and legs ripped away from their bodies. Their brains sucked out of their heads. All ready to be hauled off with the rest of the garbage. Today's "War on the Unborn" is more insidious than all other crimes committed against humanity...the Holocaust and slavery combined.

This "War on the Unborn" is America's Holocaust.

Without life, there can be no Liberty; no Pursuit of Happiness. I urge you to join your fellow Americans as we begin to put an end to this "War on the Unborn".

Rita Senkler,

Charlo

Tea Party movement

Fear is a very powerful emotion. Anger is one of the resulting behavioral patterns coming from the emotion of fear. We are seeing this all over America today; the "Tea Party" movement being one example. People are simply fed up and angry with how things are going in their lives. They are angry that our federal government is too involved in our lives and when involved is not doing the right things anyway. We see slogans and signs: "Keep government out of my life!!"

Now, if I replace one word in that slogan, and substitute "greed" for "government," I am beginning to get to the heart of the problem, to the basis for the anger which is a result of the deep-rooted fear I feel for any number of reasons.

So, the slogan now is: "Keep greed out of my life!!" Now I have replaced "government" (an entity) with "greed" (a behavioral pattern) and this is quite a different and more accurate way of looking at what's stressing me out. And suddenly the focus of my anger shifts, because I have identified that it is a way of thinking and a behavior pattern that is really bothering me and not an entity.

And "Keep greed out of my life" now shifts my attention onto my own life, right where I am, and how greed might just figure into the equation of my problems. And if "greed", is actually one of the forms of "fear", which it is, than what can I do about it, I ask.

So, the whole subject of how to let go of fear can now become a very attractive and personal subject, indeed. And it all starts with the ‘big three', me, myself and I, being willing to identify my fears and learning how to let go of fear.

Is it possible that just by me changing my mind that I might change my life? That I might not only see everything around me differently but also be an ‘agent for change' simply through my interactions with others? And that by looking at and changing myself, over which I do have control, that I can give up blaming others or some governmental entity over which I have no control? What a relief!!

Sound intriguing? Well, I do know it works. And what's the alternative? Think about it.

Bob McClellan

Polson resident

Fire department facts

This letter is in response to recent statements to the press made by Alison Meslin that the Polson city firefighters may not be the best "ones to control the Rural District resources." Although I am unclear what she thinks is being controlled, I feel it is important to clarify some misstatements. Here are the facts: There are no Polson City Firefighters. There is no Polson City Fire company. There are only members of the Polson Fire Department. All Polson Fire Department members are also Polson Rural District Firefighters. The membership is comprised, by a large majority, of volunteers who live or work in the rural district. We do not draw distinction between "city" and "rural" members, as we are all firefighters working together on the same department, with the same goals in mind. When a call for help comes in from anywhere in the rural or city area, we ALL respond. I have been responding to calls in all areas of the Polson Rural Fire District for 6 years. There are volunteers with over 20 years of experience responding to rural calls. These firefighters are now being labeled "city firefighters" so they can be separated politically and their contributions discounted.

As a member of the Polson Fire Department, I am personally insulted by Ms. Meslin's allegation that 1) I am only a "city" firefighter and 2) that I do not have Rural District priorities in mind. Why would she assume that I would not have the Rural District interests in mind when I am the one that actually provides the service? Ms. Meslin makes the statement that "volunteerism is down" yet continues to refuse to acknowledge that the majority of volunteer firefighters currently serving the Polson Rural Fire District, those that respond out of Polson Station #1, are, and always have been, rural firefighters. It is these kinds of attitudes expressed by members of the Board that have actually served to discourage people from wanting to become involved.

As firefighters, our primary interest is the ability to continue to provide quality fire and rescue response to all of the areas we protect. Please vote for Beth Hoel and Steve Stanley on May 4th and bring about positive change for the Polson Rural Fire Board.

Lt. Jodi O'Sullivan

FF/EMT

Fire board elections

As the only two members of the Polson Rural Fire Board to be elected by the rural residents, we are concerned about recent statements that have been circulated regarding the upcoming Fire Board election. Among other things, it has been suggested to voters that if Steve Stanley and Beth Hoel are elected, the Big Arm Station will be closed. Not only is this blatantly false, it is an example of the scare tactics that we all see permeating the political landscape.

To set the facts straight, in 2006, there were no volunteers to respond to the Big Arm Station. Accordingly, the Board, at that time, told the community that without volunteers, the station could not function and would need to be closed. In turn, members of the community came forward, became trained, and re-established the Big Arm Fire Company. This has been and continues to be a valuable asset for the entire rural community with three engines currently housed at the Big Arm Station. There has not been even so much as a suggestion by the Board that this station should be closed, nor will there be. To suggest otherwise is just plain false.

Similarly, contrary to what is being circulated in the community, the Board has not considered moving either the tender or the engine that is in Big Arm.

We hope that you, as voters, set aside the fear mongering and cast your vote on May 4th based upon the legitimate issues that confront us all.

Fred Nelson and Jack Clapp, Polson Rural Fire Board

Trustees