Playground was a labor of love
A couple of weeks ago, the Cougar Kingdom playground went up in record time because of the dedication and efficiency of many volunteers.
I was impressed by the hard work of so many beautiful people. Below is a partial list of those who got the job done; there were dozens more.
Nicole Smart, project coordinator and fundraising
Cheryl Lauridson, public relations
Tara Nystrom, materials
Eric Nystrom, tools and equipment
Shelley Young, youth coordinator
Julie Lackner, food
Julie Espinosa, artwork
Shawn Walker, fundraising
Randi Kopp, child care
And here are the build captains: Bruce Hover, Jon Roske, Eric McBride (also the school principal), Court Perry, Marielle Schmidt, Randy Saltzman, Randy Martel, Jill Franke, Jim Bartmess and Bill Tripp.
These folks and others deserve a lot of credit for their labor of love.
Jay Barber, Clinton
Vote for new emergency center
On Nov. 4, I intend to cast my vote in favor of a new Emergency Operations Center and I hope other county residents will do the same.
Our county leaders have spent the past couple months on an educational campaign to explain the need for, and importance of, this facility. They have gone so far as to organize regular public tours of the 9-1-1 center and the sheriff's office so voters can see for themselves why new facilities are needed.
Today in Missoula County, the men and women who help keep us safe are doing so under less than ideal conditions. Our sheriff's office is cramped and outdated, the 9-1-1 center is no longer large enough to provide the space for the number of dispatchers we need, and we simply don't have a suitable, usable space to handle large emergencies, such as forest fires, which unfortunately have become more frequent and more dangerous.
As taxpayers, we have to weigh all the requests that come to us through the ballot process and decide if we believe the cost to us is worth the benefits. In this case, for me, the answer is easy. Yes. One of the priorities of our county government is to ensure the safety of its residents. To do that successfully, we have to give them the tools they need. Help maintain the great emergency services we have in Missoula County. Cast your ballot FOR the Emergency Operations Center.
John Engen, Missoula
When is Baucus-Kelleher debate?
Greetings from the village idiot. Yep, that's me here in Hot Springs, that town Missoula loves to loathe.
How did I get to be the village idiot? By always asking about those things no one cares about. You know, like why, in such an important election year, for the first time in state's history, there will be no debate by the senatorial candidates? Because Sen. Max Baucus has declared so, and not the people?
Everyone else is debating, right? County commissioners, the governor, Rep. Denny Rehberg, etc. Why not those in the Senate race? I realize the bumper sticker says "Max is my Senator," but isn't he also something else - my employee perhaps? Since when did an employee dictate the terms of his or her rehire?
When Bob Kelleher became Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate and proposed to nationalize the oil companies and nationalize health care, does it really make him, as many have said, a loony or far-left socialist?
When Baucus is the only elected official from Montana to support the nationalizing of the largest insurer and vote for nationalizing most of the banks on Wall Street with money trouble, what does that make him? Why is he afraid to debate an 86-year-old man from Butte?
Would Mike Mansfield have ever shown such disrespect for the people he worked for? Why has not one radio station, television station or newspaper editorial in the state raised this issue with the electorate? Why, because I'm the village idiot, remember, and only idiots like me ask idiotic questions like these.
John Marshall, Hot Springs
Letter writers trying to incite fear
Recent letters that invoke Barack Obama's middle name, "Hussein," are intended singularly to incite racist fears.
Be reminded that it is a common name and Obama is no relation to the supposed enemy "Saddam." Nor has Obama ever been a Muslim, as some would also suggest to invoke unwarranted, racist and hate-filled fears. Such tactics are straight from the Karl Rove/Rush Limbaugh playbook: stir up baseless fears and you'll have the masses eating out of your hands.
Name-calling and fear-mongering have taken us over the bridge to nowhere. It is time to recognize such strategies for what they are: empty and vile, not bearing any relation to reality. It is time for change.
Heather E. Bruce, Missoula
Renters can protect selves from eviction
Being a homeowner foreclosed upon is hard enough, of course, but what if you are a renter and the building or house you live in is foreclosed upon due to the landlord's inability to pay the mortgage?
As a renter, the first you may hear of this is 20 days before the trustee's sale, and then only through a notice posted on the property. Eviction could proceed rapidly from there. You don't need a lawyer to know your rights; many information sources are available. Also, legal services attorneys have developed successful strategies to oppose post-foreclosure evictions through avoiding eviction, requiring repair and maintenance of the rental unit, and seeking money damages for clients.
Eviction of a Section 8 voucher holder can have even more serious financial consequences. Obtaining funds sufficient to cover new security and damage deposits, moving expenses, and even finding Section 8 housing opportunities (and dealing with discrimination) can impose additional hardship. Federal law provides additional protections for Section 8 renters, but don't rely on the new landlord to advise you of those rights.
Also, if the new owner wants to clear the unit of tenants they may offer an up-front payment for your agreement to move out quickly. But "cash for keys" offers may not involve a discussion of tenants' rights under landlord-tenant law. It's up to each tenant to decide whether the cash for keys offer includes enough cash to cover their needs at the time, but to really know what's in the balance, tenants should know their rights under the law.
Legislative action on the federal and state level is also needed to address the inequities of the present foreclosure boom and the degradation of community that follows property abandonment. Support thoughtful legislative action.
Bob Gentry, Missoula
Think about security when buying a car
Fuel economy is not the only thing to consider when owning a vehicle.
On Oct. 2, I was headed home to Lolo at about 8 p.m. when a whitetail buck suddenly stepped in front of me. At 65 mph you don't have a lot of time to think about your alternatives, and the only thing that really went through my mind was the sage advice of 1,000 people before me who have hit a deer with their vehicles - don't swerve.
I braked and began to pull to the right, into the slow lane, but the deer kept coming and I hit him dead on. When it pulled onto the shoulder of the road and stopped, I was shaking. Yes, I was wearing a seat belt and was clutching the steering wheel so hard I could feel my nails digging into the palms of my hand.
I turned on the inside light to assess any damage to myself and found I didn't have a scratch. I was not hurt in any way. I attribute this to the fact that the vehicle I was driving handled flawlessly. I did not lose control, as so often happens in a collision. I was sitting up high enough that the deer did not come over the hood and crash into the windshield; instead, he hit my bumper, grill and quarter panel. This caused some serious damage to my vehicle and the deer, but I was all right.
So when you think about buying a little car for the gas mileage, do no rule out safety. It should be your primary concern. I actually never thought much about it until Oct. 2.
Marlene Petersen, Lolo
Socialist act takes from poor, gives to rich
Thomas Jefferson said, "A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have." I believe the bailout is a good example of this.
Ridiculous lending began with pressure from Congress under the Clinton administration and continued under the Bush administration, with Democrats and Republicans equally at fault.
The bailout wants to takes money from the responsible, hard-working people and hand it to the lenders and the incompetent buyers. Isn't this socialism?
Axel Sorensen, Missoula
Abused animals need our help
The letters about the election are interesting but what about something closer to home?
I know that there are a lot of good people who live in East Missoula, however, it seems to be the place where people who adopt cute kittens dump them when they are either pregnant, or just adult cats.
I know some people who have been caring for these sad little animals with food and veterinary care when they can, and help the young ones find homes when they can be socialized. These cats have been abused by the people who threw them away. There was a story about a foolish woman who grabbed a feral cat and was bitten. The answer was to collect all the cats and put them down. Would she have grabbed a bear or a bobcat? Well, it's the same thing. These cats have had to rely on their instincts to survive after the people that they loved and trusted threw them away.
In Helena, there were three men who killed and tortured seven cats. The police caught them, and they are being punished.
There are people in East Missoula who are killing cats - more than 30 cats in less than 30 days. These cowards are poisoning them with antifreeze. This is not only deadly, it is a slow, painful death.
Someone has to do something to stop this senseless killing and put the ones responsible in jail or prison where they belong. We need someone to care. The only thing that these cats have done is to be born and unwanted by cold, heartless people.
J. Crawford, Missoula
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