Thanks to terrorists like Unabomber Ted Kaczynski and extremist groups like the Montana Freemen, our state has a persistent - if unfair - reputation as one of the last best places for close-minded isolationists.
Last week's decision by Choteau schools Superintendent Kevin St. John to cancel a speech by Nobel laureate Steve Running sure didn't help. The cancellation has attracted national attention - and not the good kind. People all over the country are now wondering what kind of ignorant hicks would roll up the welcome mat on an internationally esteemed scientist. A scientist who would have encouraged their kids to pursue science.
And as we're all aware, not everyone is a fan of Gore. Not everyone believes in global warming, either. Apparently, some people are so concerned Running might brainwash our children into thinking otherwise that they pressured Choteau school board members into pressuring their superintendent. Never mind that Running wasn't planning to talk about climate change at all, but was instead going to talk about the importance of science in education.
It's beyond us why school board members didn't advise any concerned individuals to have a frank discussion with their children at home if they felt they'd been exposed to dangerous information.
In fact, if school board members felt the concerns were legitimate, they might even have invited another speaker to offer a different perspective on another night. Yes, another esteemed Nobel laureate qualified to talk about how global warming is a myth. We'd wish them good luck with that.
Instead, they opted to send their youth the message that scientists aren't welcome.
Running did deliver a speech in Choteau that day, and it was a familiar one to anyone who's heard him speak in recent months. It's about climate change, mostly, but it's also about people's irrational reactions to bad news.
We find that ironic, as well as the fact that St. John canceled Running's second speech to avoid controversy. Far worse than the pressure Choteau escaped by bowing to its most close-minded community members is the national attention that's now embarrassing the entire school district.
We can only hope that, next time, they give their speaker a chance to speak before they tell him he's not welcome.
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