Letters to the editor
Democracy will not work?
George Washington, in a letter, wrote; “Democracy will not work without Christianity.”
Hateful acts, violent murder, senseless murder, hunger, homelessness, dishonesty and fraud perpetrated by the rich bankers, public officials, athletes, celebrities and the poor alike! Where is the Christian taking up the stand against evil in this time? He is hiding behind the church doors, or worse yet in his home. Is that part of the Great Commandment?
Are they forbidden to “Go ye therefore and teach....”. “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you”. Teaching what? Teaching them where?
Washington also pushed for schools of education for the purpose of not only scholastic, but for proper behavior. What have we taught our youth? Look at the result. We have a population of self-serving, ungrateful, voters who can be easily manipulated by those we elect to governed. Haven’t we been taught acceptance to new truths and new limits? Haven’t we become more accepting towards terrible speech and behavior at all levels?
Watch what happens to the nations now turning to Democracy. Just watch and live to see us follow their ways. Washington knew the scripture; II Samuel 23:3 “....He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God”.
Jim Sisler
Big Arm
Reason for the season
Every year signs in front of neighborhood churches remind people to put Christ back into Christmas--or proclaim “Jesus is the reason for the season.” True? Not so kemosabe. You, dear reader, are the reason for the
season. It is for you....”for God so loved the world that he sent His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” You, earthling, are a “whosoever.” Someday your spirit (and mine) will slip out of this body and enter eternity. Would you not like to enter an eternity in which you will spend it in perfect peace; perfect joy; perfect health, perfect love? I know you would. And Jesus has provided the way. He said: “ I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father but through me.” The opportunity to establish an eternal relationship with Him is available anytime. Even right now, if you will declare your belief in Him, you have taken your first step toward a perfect eternal life. Merry Christmas.
Joe Forte
Ronan
Trick or Treaty
Has anyone actually read the American-English version of the Hellgate Treaty of 1855 or the official minutes of the week long meeting between Isaac Stevens and the three chiefs of the confederated tribes immediately prior to the signing of the treaty? Has anyone downloaded the tribal version of the treaty (http://www.cskt.org/documents/gov/helgatetreaty.pdf) and read it? Do you figure any part of the treaty is still applicable? It seems to me the fed’s and the tribes have broken or ignored just about every part of it so far. So, why are they now loosely interpreting the part about “the right to fish” with the intent of controlling all the water in western Montana? Smells awfully fishy to me.
It seems that those who believe they are in charge at this point are counting on that fact: an ignorant public waiting to be fleeced with authoritative lies and mistruth’s; what you see and what you don’t.
Can you imagine anyone uttering the words, “we need to interpret this treaty as the Indians would have back in 1855”? We’re talking about supposedly educated people in our judicial system pretending to believe they can reach back to 1855 and think like a Salish or Kootenai Chief. How do they expect anyone, Indian or non-Indian, to have the first clue what the Indians, or even Isaac Stevens, thought or understood back then; 157 years ago. Those same judicial folks feel free to establish prejudicial laws granting assumed and unrealistic rights to a small ethnic group of people who willingly gave away, as in “ceded, relinquished or conveyed”, their aboriginal lands in exchange for a ‘protected homeland’, dependency status and protection from the constant raids of their enemies…the other tribes in the area.
So now, in 2012, a gaggle of lawyers working for the Governor of Montana and another gaggle representing the CSKT, backed by very elusive and shrewd representatives of our Federal government, believe they can steal our country from us ‘too dumb to measure water, apathetic, lazy, ignorant, sleeping children of the European Invaders’, because we apparently don’t understand the terms “Cede, Relinquish or Convey”….
We can negotiate a lie or litigate the truth - your choice. Talk to your local legislator and find out what they know; voice your opinion.
Michael Gale
Ronan
Thank you, city council
I would like to thank the Polson City Council for not renewing the contract of our current city manager.
It is rare in our current political climate to see elected official vote on an issue with no benefit to themselves other than serving the best interests of the community they represent.
Mayor Pat DeVries, Councilmen Mike Lies, Fred Funke and John Campbell live and work in our community. The are the ones who take the heat for making the hard decisions that define the health and function of our community. They have the guts and conviction to put themselves on the hot seat when the vast majority won’t.
As a ten-year member of the Lake County/city planning board, I was witness to a community whose mayor and city council were dominated by the real estate interests that were about to ride a huge boom. I witnessed a planning board whose members would change their votes from meeting to meeting because they were puppets to the real estate interests that manipulated their placement on the board.
As a result of this widespread corruption concerned citizens thought that a city manager form of government, hired by the city council and responsible to them would bring a more effective, ethical function to city government. The city had a city manager who left shortly, then went through a long period of being unable to find a qualified candidate who would accept the position. A previous council finally settled on the current city manager.
As a member of the planning board I was unimpressed with a city manager who was oftenly unprepared. The meetings were set in advance, a lot of people adjusted busy schedules to work these meetings. The city manager’s reasonings that “he had just returned from vacation and was playing catch up” was not impressive.
Like many residents of Polson I have had run ins with Water Dept. staff because the city manager decided that he was responsible for all personnel issues, resolution to these issues rests exclusively with the city manager. I found out quickly that this is no easy task. After 1 1/2 years, I have still been unable to establish a meeting with the city manager. I complained to a friend of mine at a Sunday dinner about my frustration. My friend smiled, dialed the number and reached the city manager at 6:00 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon! My friend thought this was hilarious! I didn’t think it was so funny and contacted all the city council members who voted not to renew the city manager’s contract. I have an insurance business in Polson and have hundreds of clients, some work for the city and some work for the county. The problem of not responding was commonplace for most of these people.
The city council has done us a huge favor. We will all benefit in a more functional, rational, and ethical city government. The new city manager will know that his or her employment is dependent on serving the council that hired him and the community that pays his salary.
Who knows, maybe when we put the “s” back in public service we can remove the barrier in city hall that protects the employees from the public they are paid to “serve.”
Rolf Harmsen
Polson