Letters to the editor
Sports editing
I am a parent of a senior on the Ronan Chiefs’ football team this year (Jack Humphreys), and I just wanted to let you know how greatly we the parents, players, coaches and fans appreciate the great job Brandon Hansen did covering our awesome year.
Brandon made time to make the stories interesting and personal, talking to not only the coaches but the players too. He always put a personal story in, and made it interesting to read with all the nicknames he came up with (Jack “The Ripper” Humphreys and Marcus “The Jet” Hungerford are just two).
He was always positive whether we had won or lost, was always upbeat, and was interested in what the coaches, players and fans had to say.
Personally, I have to say the story he did about Jack playing for my best friend Karen was awesome. It not only brought tears to my eyes but to the eyes of my family and Karen’s family. I have said thank you already to Brandon for this, but wanted you to know that I really appreciated that.
I hope that you understand what a great asset Brandon is to your paper. Now I just have to wait until the spring to see more stories about Jack and the Mission Valley Mariners. Brandon really did make this senior year an awesome year to remember and I have kept all his stories so that we will always remember it.
Thank you and thanks to Brandon.
Laura Munden
Ronan
Shop local
We’ve all heard over and over again that the way out of our current economic downturn is to stimulate the economy. What better way to stimulate our local economy than by shopping locally?
So as we write out our Christmas gift list this year, I hope we consider buying those gifts from our local merchants. It’s our local businessmen who pay annual property taxes, donate to so many local “causes” throughout the year and work hard to make Polson the genuine, friendly small town we all love to call home.
If you are looking for unique gifts with some “bling,” check out our gift stores and jewelry store. Need a practical gift for the handyman in your life? Our hardware stores are well-stocked. Looking for fashionable clothing or footwear? Polson has it. Stop by the Sandpiper Gallery for a gift created by one of our talented local artists. Toys and games for kids are available right here in Polson.
Instead of a gift packed in a box and tied with a bow, get really creative and think of a gift certificate for a service provided by a local business. Who wouldn’t appreciate a gift certificate for a car detailing, or a haircut, a massage, a manicure, the gift of having your snowbound driveway plowed, or a meal at one of our restaurants?
By thinking of all the goods and services we can get right here in Polson, we can save ourselves the time spent driving to those larger communities, not to mention the cost of the gasoline to get there.
Supporting our hometown businesses at Christmas can be the spark that leads to more prosperity for the new year. What better way to express our gratitude for the quality of life we have in beautiful Polson, the gem of Flathead Lake?
Penny Jarecki
Polson
Moose
Who shot my neighbor’s black lab?
His name is Moose. A sweeter, kinder, more loving dog you’ll never meet. Moose’s only idea of mischief was romping with his best buddies around the neighborhood... always happy!
Sadly, because of the arrogance of a “big man” with a gun, the romping is no longer an option. Moose was shot in the hip, shattering the bone. He now has undergone painful surgery and has a very long recovery. This “big man” has not only affected the life of a beautiful, benign animal, but his human family has been put into a financial burden and his confused buddies miss him terribly.
In case this “big man” would consider further target practice, perhaps he should go to the shooting range only a few blocks from his home.
To him I say, “Please think the next time before you make a decision to create such pain on any wonderful furry family member.”
Dogs provide unconditional love which certain people with “big” attitudes will sadly never experience.
What a shame!
Candy Yeater
Polson
Just punishment
I was disturbed to read that the Lake County prosecutors’ office entered into a plea agreement with Dennis Gillingham, a man accused of sex crimes against minors, as reported by Brandon Hansen in the Nov. 24 Leader. In exchange for pleading guilty to sexual assault, an amended charge, Gillingham received a suspended jail sentence and 30 days house arrest. If the defendant had been convicted of the original charge, he likely would have spent the rest of his life in prison.
I understand that this plea agreement keeps Gillingham’s victims from having to relive their abuse in front of a jury, and I commend Lake County law enforcement for their dedication to protecting the innocent. But I do not believe a month of house arrest constitutes a just punishment for a man who, by his own admission, sexually assaulted a child.
As details about Jerry Sandusky’s crimes continue to emerge, one question still dominates conversation: why did witnesses to Sandusky’s crimes not do more? In Lake County, the victim spoke up, as did persons close to the victim. The Sheriff’s office investigated and successfully arrested Gillingham, but by mid-December Gillingham will once again have nearly all the freedoms to which law-abiding citizens are privileged.
What message does this send to criminals, and more importantly, to victims trying to muster the courage to speak up?
Lisa Broadt
Elkton, Md.
Democracy
I often hear people say our nation is a Democracy, but this is inaccurate. You might be surprised to find that the word Democracy never appears in the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence. If we want to understand where our country went awry, perhaps we should start with a simple statement of fact: America is a representative republic, not a democracy.
Democracy is rule by an all-powerful majority. The individual, and any group of individuals composing any minority, have no protection against the unlimited power of the majority.
Democracies self-destruct when the non-productive majority realizes it can vote itself handouts by electing candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury. To maintain power, candidates adopt an ever-increasing tax and spend policy to satisfy the ever-increasing desires of the majority. As taxes increase, the incentive to produce decreases, causing the productive to drop out and join the nonproductive. When there are no longer enough producers to fund legitimate functions of government plus socialist programs, the democracy will collapse, followed by dictatorship.
A Republic has a very different purpose and is an entirely different system of government. Its purpose is to protect an individual’s rights and the liberties of people in general. The genius of the republic was the rule of law, unalienable rights from God and the preeminence of the sovereignty of the individual, with government held at bay by strictly defined and limited powers.
Our Constitution has been weakened through the use of executive orders, unconstitutional legislation, an uninformed electorate, a court system run amuck and a majority of people desiring government handouts.
Many people now believe our rights come from government rather than from God. If you accept the premise government gives you your rights, you must also accept that it can also take them away. Educate yourself or lose the Republic to tyranny.
Terry Backs
St. Ignatius
Have something to say? Send your Letters to the Editor to editor@leaderadvertiser.com.