Letters to the Editor
Thanks the Leader
Dear Editor,
Thank you for your support for our fundraiser “Apple Festival.” It was wonderful to have Michelle and Vince.
Cristina Metz
Quantify the water
Editor,
How about an article entitled, “Federal government and state of Montana finally release the quantification for the Flathead Indian Reservation’s Federal Reserved Water Right?” Wouldn’t that be a novel article?
Why are we constantly bombarded with the negotiation and ‘quantification’ of the non-reservation water rights? Quantify this federally reserved lands water rights for the land that is still federally reserved. That’s what the Winters Decision of 1908 was all about and that is how narrowly this Montana State General Stream Adjudication was, and should have been, focused upon for this last Federal Reserve.
When do you figure this outrageously out-of-control train ‘jumped the track’ and went screaming through everyone’s bedroom? When will the populace of Montana truly wake up and see this State and Federal unconstitutional taking for what it is - theft. When will the rest of the 310 million people within the external borders of the United States of America see all of this pandering here in Lake County for what it is: Precedent setting theft that will soon migrate to every state in the union.
When do you think someone will actually understand that this local, “sovereign” Indian tribal government has no rights or claims to any land, air or water outside the “external boundaries” of this federally established and controlled reservation?
Remember, the Hellgate treaty says the three tribes, “ceded, relinquished and conveyed” all their land to the US government. Period. There is no “subsistence land.” There is no “aboriginal land.” There is only the reservation; a reservation that was granted for the “use and occupancy” of said tribes; a reservation that was eventually opened for homesteading to encourage the expansion of farming and ranching.
Quantify the Federal Reserved Water Rights and let the rest go to the State Water Court for adjudication, as prescribed by State Law. Simple. We don’t need to meet at the KwaTukNuk to entertain any terms or conditions the ‘tribal government’ wants to play with, just quantify the federal reserved water rights and let’s move forward.
Michael Gale
Ronan
MVCA thanks supporters
Dear Editor,
The Mission Valley Christian Academy held two events last week and wish to thank the following individuals for helping us improve the safety of our school.
Polson Police Chief Wade Nash and Salish/Kootenai Tribal Officer Craige Couture shared a workshop with our staff on dealing with a dangerous person entering our school. Although most people would rather not think about this kind of a situation, this workshop gave us several ideas on how to improve the security for our students and staff.
Wade and Craige agreed to come and visit MVCA on a regular basis and connect with our students as well. We are very blessed to have such quality law officers that are willing to invest their time and energy into our schools.
The Polson Fire Department presented a demonstration to our lower school students on Thursday in honor of fire prevention week. Julie Sisler and Taylor were very engaging and did a great job informing the students of the importance of fire safety. We are so appreciative of their efforts to bring the fire truck and equipment to inspire and teach our students about their capabilities.
All of these individuals serve and protect our communities and deserve our deep gratitude and appreciation. MVCA is committed to developing lifelong servant leaders and these people are great role models for our students.
Thanks again for helping our school develop higher standards for security and fire prevention. We are a better community because of quality people like you!
Yours,
Chris Bumgarner
Director – MVCA
I’ll take the Fifth
Dear Editor:
The Fifth Rule, from Rules for Radicals: “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon. It is almost impossible to counterattack ridicule.”
If you can’t beat’em, join’em. The Right, as well, should be reading ol’ Saul Alinsky, as well they have been fine targets by the Left, as applied with the Fifth. And so to learn from the Masters, might I follow suit?
This is Part I – restricted to 300 words, though maybe not so for other contributors. Please see Part II to follow.
We have seen within the WIPC (Water Interim Policy Committee), that stellar quasi-legislative Shakespearean drama, of sometimes unsavory characters, the greasing of the PIG – being well past the lipstick. And the PIG would be … (drum roll) … the CSKT Compact.
One definition of the PIG would be “one that consumes too much”, and such does that shoe truly fit. Seven tribes get over One Billion Dollars ($lOBD) a year. See Monetary Contributions of Reservations to the State of Montana, Bureau of Business and Economics Research, University of Montana, Eleanor YellowRobe.
[http://www.tribalnations.mt.gov/Portals/34/docs/YellowRobeMonetaryContributionReportOfMTReservations.pdf
Of that $lO billion, over a third goes to the CSKT Tribal Elite, or $69,244 ($69K) per capita, yet not per-head as glossed over by the … Tribal Elite. By comparison, Missoula and Lake counties struggle with $1K per head, which also grace all tribal members. The tribal membership, should be asking where is their $69K? And the other six tribes of Montana should be asking what end of the financial stick are they left holding when the next most favored tribe gets $23K per head?
Now, who is the PIG? And do we have another definition, as consuming too much?
Christopher Chavasse
Ronan
The Wizard of Oz
Dear Editor
As James Steele, Chairman of the Montana Democrat Indian Council, noted at the recent Democrat Nominating Convention, Montana is not the Land of the Wizard of Oz. However, Steve Daines and Ryan Zinke appear to think that we live in the Land of Oz. Daines, and until recently, Zinke, have been reluctant to participate in debates prior to the distribution of absentee ballots. This tactic prevented many Montanans from seeing “behind the curtain” to try and understand the candidates’ stance on issues important to working class Montanans. Is this indicative of how cooperative they would be in Congress? As we all know, lack of cooperation has resulted in this Congress failing to do its job. Many of our elected representatives would rather sabotage the process than give the other party the possibility of getting any credit for passing needed legislation. In this campaign, our two Republican candidates for Congress have not shown the leadership, nor the consideration, for Montana voters that we deserve in Washington. Why would a sitting Congressman refuse to debate his opponent, Amanda Curtis, a 34 year old teacher from Butte, who has only been campaigning since mid-August, prior to the release of absentee ballots? It is not because he needs to raise more money; I think it is because he does not want to have to answer the hard questions that Montanans need answered. So much for the individual freedom of being informed. On another aspect of our Republican candidates’ refusing to participate in additional debates, it has been very interesting that, to my knowledge, no Republican voters have been willing to openly suggest that their candidates, especially Steve Daines, should debate Amanda Curtis prior to the October 20th debate. Wizard Steve Daines, what is behind your curtain?
Craig McClure
Polson
Military and money
Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s prophetic words in a 1961 speech at Michigan State University:
“This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence - econo0mic, political, even spiritual - is felt in every city, every state house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved, so is the very structure of our society. In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.”
Well, in the ensuing 53 years we have most certainly not guarded against acquiring unwarranted influence with our military might and weaponry. Greed, lust for power, fear and anger, a punishment mentality; ignorance of the so-called enemy, and lying to the American public by our leaders has all led to where we are today with the growth of international terrorist movements and the untenable position of convincing the world that military might and sophisticated weaponry will solve most any problem.
When a world of human beings falls into the mind-set of thinking that true strength is in retaliation with ‘weapons of war’ rather than empowering diplomacy and ‘persistence toward peace’, we have the disastrous rise of misplaced power persisting, a misplace power of which Dwight Eisenhower so wisely warned 53 years ago.
Obviously, there are many seeming logical and sensible arguments against what I have just written. And most all of these arguments simply prove, once again, the whole thesis of this letter which points to the mind-set we humans have fallen into.
This all makes for interesting debate and is clearly relevant to the spiritual aspect of which Gen. Eisenhower spoke that evening at MSU in 1961.
Bob McClellan
Polson
Supports Manley
Dear Editor,
Although I am not a member of the legal profession, I am writing to support Mr. James Manley in his election bid to retain his position as District Court Judge for the 20th Judicial District Court. I have known Jim both personally and professionally for 35 years. Jim is not only an incredibly astute attorney, but also the most honorable hard-working person I know. In addition, he has been a very credible incumbent since the retirement of Honorable Judge C.B. McNeil over the past year.
I am confident that Jim Manley is the best candidate to serve the 20th Judicial District Court. I unconditionally support Mr. Manley for this position.
Allen W. Buhr
Ronan