Ronan High SchoolUse common decency; change mascots
In regard to the Ronan School Board's handling of the challenge to its Maiden and Chief mascots, Jodi Rave articulates a point that should be the final word in the debate. In her Feb. 5 column, she writes, “The board could have settled this matter based on nothing more than concern for Native students.”Common decency in the form of listening to the concerns of fellow human beings and respecting those concerns should settle this issue before it reaches the courtroom. The Ronan School Board should find new mascots, period. By the same token, common decency would require former slave states to retire the Confederate flag and European newspapers to refrain from printing offensive cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. In these times especially, common decency could go a long way toward reducing strife; the jettisoning of such decency will continue to erode the conscience of supporters of disrespectful symbols and rightly infuriate those people they disrespect. It ain't rocket science.
Seth Quackenbush, Arlee
Lynx Critical habitat designations don't work
For those of you that haven't heard, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is in the process of proposing critical habitat for the Canadian lynx. While the agency freely admits that there are no real conservation benefits, it has proposed 27,000 square miles of critical habitat anyway.Why? FWS was sued in court by the environmental conflict industry. A 9th U.S. Circuit Court opinion is forcing FWS to designate the critical habitat for the lynx.
By the agency's own accounts, critical habitat designations have done nothing but open the door to endless litigation in our court system. The product of this process is crippling their ability to effectively evaluate the science for species recovery, is consuming enormous human and monetary resources, and is imposing huge social and economic costs.
The areas to be designated for the lynx are exclusively on state and private lands. FWS claims that it will have no impact on landowners or land users, yet refers to past negative impacts that critical habitat designations of other species have on the agency had in the past - in the same breath. I'm confused.
What I am not confused about is the history of these critical habitat designations. They are anything but productive for effective species recovery. In fact, critical habitat designations are being used as an effective tool to allow a conflict industry to thrive while forcing science-based recovery plans to fail. Current Endangered Species Act reform discussions in the Senate include getting rid of the critical habitat designation. While the function is a litigator's dream, it is a nightmare for landowners and species.
We should all contact our senators and ask that they support removing this crazy critical habitat money stream from the portfolios of environmental conflict industry attorneys.
Kyle Nelson, Missoula
Mountain lion huntingMoney is behind decision to up quotas
I just had to laugh at what Scott Boulanger has to say (Missoulian, Feb. 2). Our mountain lion harvest quotas are “ridiculously low right now”? That's because the last Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologist for Region 2 said he would just as soon see all the lions killed in the Bitterroot.It wasn't the FWP and outfitters who said, “Whoa.” It was the old time lion hunter who said, “What's going on here?”
Boulanger says Montana's target is 10 per 100 square miles? There are 2,920 square miles in the Bitterroot, that's about 29 cats?
I guess an out-of-state hunter spends more money in one week than us locals do (who live here year-round)?
Sending out all your cronies at 1-2 a.m. looking for tracks? (Got to beat us locals out.) If you don't kill them, someone else will - right?
If the nonresidents were getting 40 percent of our special tags, every hunter in the state would be up in arms. In 2004 there were 6,791 lion tags sold; 313 went to nonresident hunters. Nonresident hunters bought 5 percent of the tags and harvested 40 percent of the cats.
In Region 2 the average age of the lions killed in 2004 was 2.77 years. A female lion won't breed until she is 30 months old. The Montana lion environmental impact statement says if you harvest more than 27 percent of the adult lions the population will decline. The current study in the Garnet Range has it at 10-12 percent.
The comment about buying a cat tag in Idaho is only $31? That's $141.50 for a hunting license, $101.75 nonresident hound handler's permit (only 70). Lion permit $151.75 (reduced price tags are only good for 2 areas). There's only one reason your saying this and that's to get the quota upped so you can book more cat hunters.
Cody Brown, Darby
Abramoff scandalConrad Burns should rethink ads
The political mudslinging has already begun. Understandably this will be an interesting election year with all the Washington scandals. Still, even with everything that has been going on, attacking or defending too early can seem suspicious. It seems ol' Sen. Conrad Burns has already jumped the gun.In a recent attack ad, Burns attacked Democrats for attacking him. He claimed that they had no right to attack him, and that the attacks were baseless. It has already been proved that Burns has taken $150,000 from lobbyist Jack Abramoff. That gives anyone the authority to question his motives.
Speaking of Abramoff, Burns also attacked the Democrats for using money from Abramoff to make those ads. First off, why would Abramoff give them money? Burns has repeatedly voted the way Abramoff wanted, and if he lost the election it would be as if Abramoff burned $150,000. Secondly, comparing the amount of money the Democrats have received from Abramoff to the money the Republicans received would be like comparing a rock to Mount Everest.
The worst part was when Burns said, “I don't know who Abramoff influenced, but he didn't influence me.” Let me tell you something senator: Yes, he did. After receiving a $5,000 donation from Abramoff, Burns changed his mind about a Marianas bill, in favor of Abramoff. He'll say that he just read something new and flip-flopped of his own accord, but that seems a little too easy.
Late last year it was discovered that Burns changed his mind about one of his bills after receiving a donation, when confronted, he claimed that he couldn't remember why he changed his mind. So, either he's corrupt, or senile. Burns, along with many other politicians have been bought off and should not be rewarded with another term.
Taylor Poro, Missoula
Aviation rulesMedia needs to inform flying public
As a commercial pilot and graduate student in journalism I was upset to read the hysterical article in the Feb. 5 Missoulian about the unfortunate plane crash in Alaska. The piece unfairly pushed the idea that “lax aviation rules led to” the death of one of the passengers; according to FAA investigators the breaking of regulations did not directly cause the fatality or, necessarily, the accident itself.However, the FAA rightly revoked the pilot's license - if not this time, his scofflaw attitude would eventually have led to an accident.
The direct cause of the hard landing on the water was poor flying, according to the report, because at about 33 mph he was flying too slowly; consequently the injuries were minor.
All passengers were given life jackets and instructed on their use prior to the flight. One passenger elected not to wear one; without it he couldn't keep himself afloat after swimming in the glacial waters. The pilot also nearly died from exposure for the same reason.
To the pilot, losing his license, an investment of $20,000 to $30,000 is huge and he'll be uninsurable; it's a career-ender.
Whether under Part 91 or as commercial airliners, following the rules is about the survival instinct as we pilots tend to go down with the plane.
A better conclusion to draw from the story: When passengers don't follow safety instructions the results can be tragic. Regulations cannot force some passengers to stow their luggage properly, fasten their seat belts, listen to the safety information before every flight or wear a life vest no matter how many reminders, instructions and cajoling are given.
It is important for news media to get the story straight so the flying public is not unnecessarily alarmed, but is informed so they make the right choices in taking safety precautions seriously.
Glen-Paul Amick, Missoula
War depictionHollywood needs to realize what a ‘hero' is
The freedom we now enjoy has come with a price. Men of resolve have given us a country that we can be thankful for, or take for granted. Hollywood has produced some excellent depictions of the type of men who have paid the price for our freedom. Mel Gibson does an excellent job in a couple movies, such as “Braveheart” and “The Patriot,” in which he portrays William Wallace and Benjamin Martin, respectively. I'm sure that Gibson would be the first to tell you that the true heroes aren't on the big screen, but on the battlefield. The men who are fighting for us are men of purpose, men who put their own safety at risk for the sake of protecting us from those who wish to do us harm. The vast majority of Americans recognize this and are deeply and humbly indebted to these fine men and women in the military.A substantial faction of Hollywood however has differing opinions of who the heroes are. Indeed, some of the crowd that vilifies our military heaps praise and adulation on whom they consider current American heroes. No wonder Hollywood's “Brokeback” ideals march in a different direction than the rest of us.
Mike Ramsey, Missoula
Red CrossNonprofit spends too much on advertising
Did anyone notice that the Red Cross had a Super Bowl ad? It has always bothered me how much they spend on advertising. I simply don't see how they can justify spending $2.5 million to pat themselves on the back when there are so many active needs out there.Pat Memoli, Missoula
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