City needs to treat loose cats as nuisance
Having lived in Missoula for several years, I’ve noticed a shocking double standard regarding domestic pets.
In my neighborhood and others, domestic cats are free to wander. While cat owners would never regard this as a problem, I wonder how they would feel if I let my two dogs have their way in the neighborhood? Of course, Animal Control would be at my door immediately.
This is, of course, something I should address with my neighbors, but Missoula as a whole needs to consider the nuisance imposed by free-range cats within the city limits.
Sean Kiffe, Missoula
Saw today’s mess coming in 2002
So how did we get here?
Rising food and energy costs, declining home values, illegal wiretapping, $10 trillion in debt (the world economy is $50 trillion), endless wars against “punk” adversaries ... it was all predictable.
Following is a letter to the editor I wrote to another major Montana newspaper in November 2002:
“It’s official. We now live in a plutocracy. The Republicans have political control. Their campaign of misinformation/disinformation and opposition demonizing has succeeded. What will the next two years bring?
“First, the Constitution will become a Republican doormat. Conservative judges have already gutted your Fourth Amendment rights and will continue to do so. (What good is your right to bear arms if you lose your rights against search and seizure?)
“Privacy rights will be compromised 'for security reasons.’
“Despite the fact that our Constitution specifically calls for regulation of commerce, Republicans will deregulate everything conceivable. They have to pay back big contributors. Hence, corporate crime will increase, but we won’t know because no one will be policing it. What good are laws with no enforcement? Few corporate criminals will do time. Shameful.
“Separation of church and state? Gone. 'Faith-based’ (whose faith?) initiatives will prevail. Gotta pay back those pseudo-Christian right-wingers for their support.
“Congress’s constitutionally granted duty to declare war has already been tested and ignored by this Republican administration.
“Further, anyone who questions the Republican rush to deregulate environmental laws will be labeled an 'eco-terrorist.’ Anyone who questions Republican go-it-alone foreign policy will be labeled 'unpatriotic.’
“Lastly, the future will be mortgaged by increasing government debt and continued raiding of Social Security funds as a result of even more corporate and top 1 percent tax breaks. This puts more burden on the wage earners (income of $100,000 and less).”
You see ... it was predictable.
Jerry Straka, Whitefish
Leadership sorely lacking
Once again the police were called to remove a member from the Missoula Senior Center.
On July 15, at the monthly board meeting, a lifetime member and an elected member of the board of directors came to the meeting and took his seat at the table. However, due to an argument he had with Randal Wolfe, the director, several weeks ago, he had been given a letter telling him he could no longer come to the center. He felt he had every right to act as an elected board member. So the police were called and they asked the member to leave, and he did.
The leadership and the ability to get along with Senior Center members is sadly lacking. This also showed up at the same meeting. Wolfe had the board meeting shifted to a conference room used for committee meetings of six to eight people. Some 15 or 16 board members had to crowd into the little room. When asked why, he stated he didn’t want any interference from members. When asked if members could observe through open doors, he said no, the doors will be closed. Meetings at the Senior Center must operate under open meeting laws and allow its members to sit in on regular meetings. According to Montana law, violating the open meeting law to a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and/or a fine.
Wolfe is not a member of the Senior Center but rather an employee hired by members to plan activities, supervise those working at the center and keep records. He is supposed to take direction from the officers and the board members who hired him.
Perhaps the current mediation process will bring resolution and the members discharged from the center by the police will be able to return before the next board meeting on August 12. A meeting for all regular members of the Senior Center is being planned on Wednesday, August 13 at 10 a.m.
Dean Robertson, Missoula
Group needs to define racism in ads
To combat racism, one must teach or enlighten someone on what it is.
The YWCA claims to eliminate racism and empower women. Never has the organization defined racism as taking action (to treat someone of race differently), not on their Web site or within an ad.
Their current “anti-racist” ad speaks to a perceived mistake of an employee by asking a Native woman if she was there for “services.” How was this woman treated differently than a caucasian, Hispanic, Asian or African who might also come into the YWCA? The answer is that she was not treated any differently, or denied any services (an action). Mistaking a colleague for a client is not out of the ordinary at service offices.
Heard in both radio and television markets in western Montana, it makes me wince hearing and seeing this abhorrence played out as racism. What manager or director would highlight a mistake of one of their employees in a commercial? The answer: a director who does not belong in charge of marketing. Further, the YWCA wants its audience to believe that “assumptions” are racist, which strain race relations, and a barrier to people of separate races interacting. The YWCA has the right motivation but the wrong communication about racism.
Let’s encourage the YWCA to define racism in its ads, also on its Web site, and find a diverse test audience before launching commercials. Empower everyone to not treat any person differently, especially when it comes to race, gender or otherwise.
If the YWCA continues to advertise situations that don’t contain racism, or have a confusing message, then their board should seek the director’s resignation. If that does not work, residents of western Montana should stop sending money to the YWCA.
Michael Spreadbury, Hamilton
Plastic bags unsightly, unsafe, wasteful
Like many, I don’t use the paper telephone book. If I want to look something up, I go online.
Yet last week our South Hills neighborhood was littered with telephone books packaged in unsightly plastic bags randomly tossed at the bottom of our driveways. I finally picked it up and tossed it in the trash, but many still litter the driveways of homes where the residents are gone for the weekend or longer.
I’m offended for many reasons, not least of which is because a telephone book littering the end of my driveway screams, “Rob this house! Nobody’s home!” Besides, it’s a waste of paper.
I’d like to stop delivery of all the telephone books; it’s harder than you think. There is no incentive for the phone companies to stop delivering phone books. The delivery contract is typically sold to a distribution company, and it is this company that hires individuals to deliver the phone books. These individuals are paid for each book they deliver, so it is in their best interest to deliver as many books as quickly as possible.
Why are telephone books different than any other unsolicited litter that would appear on my lawn? What if I went out and bought several thousand yellow plastic bags, filled them with trash and dropped one in everyone’s driveway? I bet that by the end of the day I’d be in Municipal Court paying a hefty fine.
The marketing world has embraced a concept called “permission-based marketing,” meaning the customer gives either implied or direct “permission” to be interrupted by commercial e-mails, telephone calls or other such intrusions. If we all refuse “permission” to litter our driveways and lawns with this kind of commercial literature, then our community would certainly be a nicer, cleaner place to live.
Tim Newhart, Missoula
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