LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Water Rights Litigation Gap
Water Rights Litigation Gap
On Oct. 29-30, the Montana Legislature’s Water Policy Interim Committee (WPIC) held its final meeting on the Flathead Water Compact as proposed in 2013. Over a period of two years WPIC commissioned and published a number of studies of the proposed compact and held five public meetings. Based on its work, the members of WPIC submitted eleven recommendations to the Compact Commission (see WPIC web site).
Whether one disagrees or agrees with the results, I believe the committee members, expert witnesses and government staff should be commended for their dedication and hard work.
As I listened to public comments, many by lawyers, it became clearer to me that there is a huge gap in the preparatory work for the 2015 legislative session and indeed for the public at large. The public and legislators have access to WPIC’s work, voluminous Compact documents, and a flood of commentaries from Compact supporters and opponents.
But comparable background is lacking on what might happen if the Compact is not approved and the water right claims of land owners and the CSKT end up in Montana’s Water Court. There’s a lot of speculation but also many questions. What processes and procedures would be involved in Water Court litigation? How would the State respond? Federal government – Federal court roles? Irrigator and well owner litigation costs and who pays? Litigation impact on bank lending decisions and property transfers? Impact of litigation on the work of the Montana legislature (at a minimum the legislature will need to fund a state response)?
WPIC would perform a major public service if it arranged for a day or two of public hearings in early December that would include presentations by experts who know the Water Court and presentations by the Office of the Attorney General and US government.
The possibility of litigation is not mere threat. A vote against the Compact during the 2015 legislature will in effect be a vote for litigation because the CSKT must by law submit its claims to the Water Court by July 2015 if the Compact is not approved.
Dick Erb
Moiese
Thanks, Bob
The Wednesday Mission Bay Quilt Group “A Stitch In Time” would like to thank Bob Burke, Manager at Murdoch’s, and all of his staff for their generosity and community spirit on Saturday Nov. 15. When we approached Bob about selling raffle tickets to get a Bullit proof vest for our new Polson Canine Officer “Brody” we received an immediate “sure”. We went in to find a table set up for us, stools, and the best vantage point in the store. Bob himself opened his wallet and got our ‘donations’ jar off to a great start. Murdoch’s is not only a great shopping experience, but a great “neighbor” as well.
Kudos to you Bob and Staff.
Cheryl Stenmoe
Polson
Poor sports
coverage
Dear Editor and staff,
As a lifelong resident of Polson and the Mission Valley, I find the current local paper very disappointing. One of my biggest gripes is the complete and total lack of fair coverage for all of our sports programs. You constantly play favorites towards one sport or another. I read your latest paper and the story about the seniors of the volleyball team. I have nothing against the story as ALL seniors in every sport should be recognized, which therein lies the problem.
You chose to make this a front-page story on the sports section. Yet our daughter who is 3 time all conference and 3 time all-state in Golf (part of 3 team state championships and 3 year letter) not to mention 4 years of Basketball (3 letters) and 3 years of Tennis. (3 letters) You hardly reported anything about our Golf teams other than a tiny article in the back of the sports sections despite people giving information and pictures for you to publish.
You may chalk this up to jealousy or whatever, but that’s not the point that I am trying to make here. Yes I as a parent believe that our daughter deserves recognition but she is not the only one. The point is if you are going to put one or just a few up on a pedestal you better be prepared to put all of them on that pedestal, which you obviously don’t do. This doesn’t just apply to Polson seniors but to all of our local schools seniors who work just as hard to compete and strive for success.
There used to be a time where our local paper was highly regarded in our community, not any more. I’ve talked to countless people that don’t subscribe to your paper anymore because of the sub-standard reporting and lack of total coverage. I believe it falls upon you as the editor to make sure you are putting out a quality paper each week. Do I have a personal beef with you?
No, I just think you/we can do much better. Please don’t give me the “we just don’t have the money or time to cover everything” lament.
It wasn’t that long ago that this very paper was doing a fantastic job of covering a wide variety of stories throughout the valley.
It is all chalked up to laziness, lack of caring, not going out and finding the stories or waiting for someone to bring the story to you and playing to favorite people who may have yours, and your staff’s, ears.
In closing, like I said before, if you can’t give all the seniors, from all sports, recognition, please don’t do any.
Sincerely,
Alan Anderson
Polson
Tribal unemployment rates
Editor,
The article on page A7 in last week’s paper [Nov. 6], “Unemployment down in MT”, stated that the September rate was 4.6 percent across the state. We all know that’s a massaged number that does not include those who have dropped off the unemployment roles or just quit looking for work; but it’s good to have a number just the same. Gives us a target value, or starting point, for discussion.
What seems to be glaringly missing is the unemployment statistics for the seven Federal Indian Reservations in Montana. You know, those sovereign islands anchored within our state borders. Don’t they count? Aren’t we to be concerned about the success of their peoples and culture as well?
Remember, these seven unique islands are people too; real people with real needs and concerns.
While we recognize they are treated differently by our federal government, existing primarily on federal grants, federal subsidies, preferential federal contracts under a sovereign, congressionally approved constitution, the tribal members are people who also need to be allowed to achieve self respect, self identity and the pursuit of happiness that comes through employment opportunity and hard work; the backbone of any people.
Three years ago, the Flathead Reservation unemployment numbers were in the 40+ percent range and the Blackfeet were in the 60+ percent bracket. How much improvement has there been during the interval? Appears to be nothing in the papers to proudly announce their current situation or achievements.
It seems to me that with all the government-to-government federal support, they should be sporting a near zero percent unemployment rate. The Flathead reservation tribal council prides itself in being the Poster Child for Federal policies and programs, including being the very first tribe to be recognized “sovereign” under the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act (in Aug 1935).
To create employment for 5,000 people (much less if we deduct those under employment age…) should be no difficult task with the funds and support available to them by the Feds and the State.
So, where are their numbers? Help us to believe in their mission of pride in tribal heritage by showing us how successful they’ve been in their sovereign governance and wisdom.
Michael Gale
Ronan
First
Thanksgiving?
No doubt about it, there is any number of opinions about where and when the first Thanksgiving Day happened in the United States of America. Some believe it took place near El Paso, Texas, around 1598, others suggest America’s first Thanksgiving happened at one of the Virginia colonies; most of us grew up reading in our grade school readers that the first Thanksgiving took place at Plymouth, Mass., in 1621, when our Pilgrim ancestors celebrated by sharing a feast with other families and with their new native Indian friends. Prayers were offered expressing gratitude to God for his protection, provision and presence in establishing their livelihood in ‘the new world’.
I participated in my first Thanksgiving in 1933, with a warm bottle of milk, a dry cloth diaper and a cozy blanket. Obviously, I don’t remember anything about my first Thanksgiving; however, I have reason to believe that my parents continued to follow a family tradition of gathering together for a delicious dinner of turkey and trimmings very similar to what many folks in the mission valley will do in just a few days. My parents always made our gathering and dinner an opportunity to express thanksgiving to God, fun and laughter as well as their enjoyment of a very tasty turkey with similar trimmings, including pumpkin pie with real whipped cream or mincemeat pie which included ingredients of venison and green tomatoes from the garden. Oh Yah!
This year, we’ll have nearly a dozen family members around our dinner table to enjoy the feast that Joyce and the other ladies have prepared. We’ll take time to read a scripture, offer a prayer of gratitude for the love and forgiveness God has extended to us in Jesus Christ, we’ll recall special events and happenings since we last gathered for Thanksgiving. We will give thanks.
Harvey A. Town
Polson
The world’s cop?
Food for thought: This was printed in our Sunday bulletin as one of our readings, and seems to me worth sharing in this letter.
“Syria has sinned against its people - a crime. But just who, tell me who, gave us the job of cop for the world? We lost the moral high ground years ago if we ever had it. To begin with, we killed the natives, tortured our slaves, dropped the A-bomb. Do we remember Vietnam? Napalm, Agent Orange? We went into Iraq for an oilman’s dream. Casting the first stone so many times is not wise. Darfur, Rwanda, Kosovo; atrocities abound. What now? Why now? Children will die. Bombs kill. What makes us think we can always go it alone?
Self-righteous angels we are not. The truth is no one is innocent. Bless us all. Bless us all.” Reverend Theresa Novak, UU Church, Ogden, Utah.
And another thought. This from Roots Action: “Early indications are that neither the new Republican Congress nor the Democratic minority (nor President Obama) will be pushing for national legislation on the model of what voters just passed on ballot initiatives across the country: raising the minimum wage, banning fracking, funding schools, taxing millionaires and billionaires, providing paid sick leave, and imposing background checks on gun purchases.”
On the contrary, it is expected that Congress and the administration will be messing around for a couple years on stuff that is definitely not the main reasons the 40% who voted, voted in the great majority for Republicans and the hope that changes would come that really matter to us.
Well, let’s keep track and see how this goes.
We might as well busy ourselves in keeping track and speaking out because certainly just sitting complacently and expecting our elected leaders to do what we voted them into office to do is probably not in the cards.
Bob McClellan
Polson
Thanks for
Happy 90th
Thank you so much to everyone who attended our 90 year Celebration for the Valley View Women’s club and 75 years for the Valley View Clubhouse. Everyone danced the night away to the music of KC & The Valley Cats, wonderful music. Thank you Nicole Tavenner from the Valley Journal for reporting on our celebration. Thank you to the women’s club for helping set up, snacks, cleanup. Thank you for all the support, keep an eye on our facebook page for the clubhouse for any upcoming events.
Kelly Bailey
Valley View Women’s Club
Organ harvest
Thank you, Lake County Leader, for your work through the years to help us become more aware of events and concerns in our state, nation and our world.
I also want to thank Congressman Daines who was among the first of a total of 230 Representatives who have co-sponsored H. Res. 281 “expressing concern over persistent and credible reports of systematic, state-sanctioned organ harvesting from non-consenting prisoners of conscience in the People’s Republic of China, including from large numbers of Falun Gong practitioners imprisoned for their religious beliefs, as well as Christians, Tibetans and Uighurs. “
At a congressional hearing last September, evidence was given that Chinese medical doctors are conducting forced organ harvesting from living people for profit. Their organs are sold to transplant patients, including those from the U.S. Our hope is that H. Res. 281 can come to a vote in this congressional session in the House of Representatives.
Falun Gong is a traditional Chinese self-improvement practice. Its core principles are Truth, Compassion and Tolerance. Initially credited by Beijing officials for its health benefits, Falun Gong is practiced by more than 100 million people in more than 70 countries.
However, due to the Chinese Communist Party’s long-standing intolerance of independent civil society groups, Beijing has been engaged in an intensive, nationwide persecution to eradicate Falun Gong since 1999.
Montanans can offer the gift of their good conscience by signing an online petition that could save lives in China. StopOrganHarvesting.org
Katherine Combes
Kalispell