Letters to the editor
America’s birthday
On the Fourth of July in Big Arm, over 130 folks held up an enormous flag to celebrate America’s birthday and to pay tribute to all of our service men and women both past and present.
Right at noon, and just as the last chorus of the National Anthem was sung, two Montana National Air Guard F-15Cs swooped down over the historic school, shaking the ground as they went, and captivating everyone’s hearts... What a moment of immense pride and joy!
Thank you so much to those who serve in Montana’s Air National Guard especially the 120th Fighter Wing in Great Falls and to all who serve in the HHC Combat Support Battalion out of Kalispell.
After the enormous flag was reverently folded, everyone went into the newly built community pavilion behind the Historic School to share in a picnic of hot dogs and homemade cookies. A lovely way to honor Independence Day, thank you to everyone who participated.
Big Arm’s next event is a Family Fun Day on Saturday, July 14 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. We will have a delicious beef barbecue, kids games, wild and wacky Water Wars, live music and more... come join us! For more information call 849-6628.
Alison Meslin
Big Arm
Murder at the Howard Johnson’s
Murder in the real world is not synonymous with humor. In theater, murder, rather the contemplation of murder, can be hilariously comical. The play “Murder at the Howard Johnson’s is exactly that... a comedy of errors that had my husband and me chuckling and outright laughing for over an hour.
Those of us who live in the Mission Valley and have attended many Port Polson Players productions know that their plays are always top quality. “Murder at the Howard Johnson’s” carries on that commitment to excellence. Well rehearsed lines, perfect timing, voice modulation, gestures and facial expressions that often convey more than words, add up to a performance that is professional in every sense. Additionally, sets of every play I have attended, this one included, help the audience feel the time and place of the story. “Murder at the Howard Johnson’s” is another stellar performance by veteran performers Karen and Neal Lewing and Todd Mowbray.
Yes, summer is finally here, there are places to go and things to do. I encourage you to put “Attend Murder at the Howard Johnson’s” on your “To Do” list. The show closes July 15. This is a “not to miss” production.
Frances Abbey
Ronan
Shameless bigotry
A recent letter under the title “Homosexuality” deserves comment. The writer first makes an inane political issue out of a human one. He is clueless about what it means to be gay but is proficient in the art of Bible babble to justify his shameless bigotry. If this is what being Christian is about, leave me out.
The writer throws the word “sinner” around like so much confetti that it has become an empty threat — evaporating immediately after use. My nephew is gay and is no more a sinner than the rest of us.
The writer’s use of archaic scripture is typical. And much of scripture is timeless as it speaks to the spiritual well-being of a culture — how to live one’s life.
But for scripture to be used as rationale for intolerance, hate and discrimination is unconscionable. Such persistent acts result from a religious worldview that has yet to enter the modern era. Bigotry in the name of religion is still bigotry.
It is only a matter of time before gay marriage will be acceptable as social justice demands. The anti-gay marriage amendments, or the “defense of marriage” act, will likely fail to pass constitutional muster.
But you wonder how many homophobes out there will have the courage to set aside their bigotry, join the modern world, and accept the many natural variations of human sexuality produced every generation. In any case, they will find themselves on the backside of history if they don’t.
William Bennington
Polson
Firecracker success
Polson Running’s 4th Annual 1776 Firecracker Fun Run was a great success thanks to everyone in the community who participated! Wearing their red, white and blue and running shoes or flip flops, over 70 runners came to run, walk or ride.
The weather was perfect and everyone, young and old seemed to have a great time! The one-kilometer course started at St. Joseph Medical Center and followed the parade route to Main and 3rd. Captain America (a.k.a. Michael Smith), Super Girl (a.k.a. Katelyn Smith) and Super Man (a.k.a. Dawthon Stene) were among the All-American heroes who ran their hearts out! Jimmy Bjorge was first across the line and lots and lots followed in his fast footsteps! Ed, Melinda and Daniel Leas were the first family to cross the finish line and received free ice cream cones from The Cove.
Instead of a race fee, each participant was asked to donate a non-perishable item to the food pantry. We have very generous members of this community as there was over 100 pounds of food donated plus a generous monetary donation.
We really appreciated the visitors to Polson who came out. The James Family Reunion were among several families there. And we always want to thank everyone in the community who comes out and consistently make these events so successful and so much fun, including the crowd who cheered everyone on!
We didn’t keep track of individual times but participants could watch their time on the race clock at the finish line. A special thanks to St. Joseph Medical Center for purchasing the race clock!
Thank you again for all your enthusiasm for these events! What a way to start the parade!
Tyana Smith
Polson Running