Bitterroot National ForestMeeting was disrupted with rudeness
Most days, I would say folks in western Montana are about the friendliest people you could ever hope to meet. However, that opinion was sorely tested at a recent Forest Service meeting in Darby.The topic was the Bitterroot National Forest's proposed travel plan held at the Darby Clubhouse. The crowd advocating motorized recreation was clearly trying to intimidate and bully anyone who might disagree with them. They refused to allow the Forest Service to run the meeting as intended, with study of maps and thoughtful feedback.
Instead of democracy in action, the meeting was closer to a mob scene. The Forest Service facilitator was unable to steer the unruly bunch into doing anything constructive.
"F-bombs" fell left and right. Speakers were called names and sworn at by anonymous people in the crowd. At one point, a woman was speaking when a rider clearly made a very threatening, violent remark.
I am no prude and understand that folks get angry with the government. But there is no excuse for what occurred in Darby.
If the responsible ATV and dirt-bike riders think this kind of behavior is good for them, they better think again. It may shut up some critics in the short run, but it will backfire with lost public support for your favorite sports. If riders want respect, they had better learn to show some in return.
The leaders of trail-riding groups say most motorized users are responsible, courteous neighbors who respect the land and a "few bad apples" are giving them a bad name. The Darby meeting seemed evidence that the bad apples are running the show.
Joe Hundley, Darby
EvolutionLife wasn't created out of nothing
I suspect that David Rice of Superior was baiting "believers" with his letter to the editor of Jan. 4. While I would question his motivation for challenging the faith of others, he does make some interesting points. There does seem to be a lot of superstition in the world masquerading as religion. Even those of us who embrace Christianity make a lot of mistakes trying to understand and please the One we believe to be the only true God and Creator. Too many times we rely on our human creeds and "intelligence" for our guide instead of the word our God has given us.Christian principles never oppose what we recognize as good and always oppose what we know to be evil. Even "protecting the planet" was covered by God's telling Adam to work the earth and care for it (Genesis 2:15).
If there was no creation, how did everything get here? I think it would take a great faith to believe that all of a sudden everything just happened out of nothing. Where did it start?
There is another correction that I would suggest to Rice's letter. We know that we are all going to die but the Christian does not plan to "be done away with," but looks forward to a rich life in eternity. Is there a better "straw" outside of Christ?
Leonard L. Lewis, Plains
Iraq warPulling out would devastate region
Many communities in Montana and other parts of the U.S. have voted by a two-to-one margin to end the U.S. military involvement in Iraq. Let us suppose we pulled our troops out of Iraq tomorrow.Iraq would likely suffer civil war. The various factions would be supported by similar groups from Iraq's surrounding countries. Iran would likely attack and would also step up its nuclear arms program. If and when Iran has a nuclear weapon, one of its primary targets would be Israel, because they already have the missile capability. All this means the Iraqi civilian death toll would increase from dozens a day or a week, to tens of thousands. Look for war to eventually spread throughout the Middle East.
What happens to the U.S. and Europe if Middle East oil production were shut off? Look for fuel prices to rise to $10 or more a gallon in the U.S. This would likely send our economy into a recession.
There could be considerable increase in terrorists trying to enter the U.S. through our unclosed border with the aid of Mexico. After all, Mexico encourages people to enter our country. At times in recent history, the Mexican government has distributed printed material to anyone living in Mexico on how to illegally enter America and how to proceed when you successfully cross the American border. Mexicans working in America send over $16 billion per year back to Mexico.
Whether you agree with the above comments, the fact is the Middle East is the epicenter of the world's most populist religion and one of the largest developed oil producers. Destabilization of the Middle East will be catastrophic to most of the world's civilizations.
Gary Green, Noxon
CI-100Proposal would violate privacy
Rep. Rick Jore, unsatisfied with the bipartisan defeat of his bill in the Legislature, has now proposed Constitutional Initiative 100, which states that "life begins at conception."We all have beliefs and passions, which sometimes disguise the consequences of our actions.
The consequences of amending the Constitution in this way are dangerous to the health and lives of Montana women. Not only would women have to answer for miscarriages - picture yourself grieving the loss of your baby and an investigator insinuating that you did something to "cause" the miscarriage - women could have to answer for every single pregnancy they have.
This is a loss of privacy for our families and doctors, who often must make very difficult decisions regarding pregnancy.
History has proven when one right is taken away it becomes easier to take others. With our right to make private medical decisions taken, who is to say that other fundamental freedoms will not follow?
Freedom of religion is a beautiful concept strong in our country's foundations. What keeps that freedom so pure is separation of church and state. We are a secular government, and this initiative shows a blatant disregard for that.
This proposal will not only affect abortion and pregnancies in general, it could interfere with stem-cell research, birth control, in-vitro fertilization and our constitutionally guaranteed right to privacy.
I urge people to read more about CI-100 and to not sign the petition for it.
Kathrena Rivera, Missoula
Women have right to choose
The women's movement began in 1848 and with the 160th anniversary of women's rights upon us, I have begun to wonder: when did we stop trusting women? More specifically, when did we stop trusting the women of Montana?I am deeply concerned about living in a state that would consider a ballot initiative criminalizing women for making heartfelt, thought-out decisions regarding their personal health. The Constitution Party of Montana, a fringe group responsible for such a ballot initiative, seems to feel that women need government intervention to make decisions affecting their personal lives. Last time I checked, I was perfectly capable of making decisions regarding my own body, and the choice should be mine to make. The completely radical Constitution Party is proposing an amendment to the state Constitution such that embryos have a paramount right to life and all other rights within the Montana Constitution. This would mean a mother's choice and her health would come second to the rights of an embryo. This also means that the Constitution Party does not trust the women of Montana to make decisions, and it is a direct insult to women and families everywhere. I trust the women of Montana, with the advice of their doctors, to make informed and appropriate decisions about their lives and health. Government has no place in personal decisions, particularly those surrounding family.
In the coming months, the Constitution Party will need to gather about 45,000 signatures across the state of Montana. I'll be standing together with the people of Montana by not signing my name to a document that devalues women and families, as well as strips them of rights they have fought for decades to obtain. I hope you'll do the same.
Tannis Hargrove, Missoula
Plum CreekHousing developments raise fire dangers
Like tornados in the Midwest and hurricanes in the Southeast, wildfire is a natural event that is a fact of life in Montana. Preparing for fire and using best practices to reduce the risk of wildfire is everyone's responsibility. That's why I am alarmed by Plum Creek's ongoing real estate developments, which epitomize poor planning and irresponsible action.As the Missoulian recently reported (Dec. 30), Plum Creek is busy turning timberlands into trophy homes without much thought to the costs. Their real estate investment trust structure means they don't pay any income tax in Montana.
Building homes in the woods makes wildland fires more likely, more expensive and more dangerous for our firefighters. Seems to me if we truly care about fire costs and safety, we should demand action from the county, from the state, from the feds and the Forest Service to stop the conversion of timberlands to trophy homes. That's a "common sense" approach to wildland fire protection.
Romy LeClaire, Missoula
|
 |
 |
Add your comment now! Write your comment in the form below.
(Email address is for verification only. If you'd like to email a story, look for the link above)