Words in a letter to the editor cannot express my gratitude to the community of Stevensville. The passage of the Stevensville Elementary Bond is visionary as our facility needs will be fulfilled for the next generation. It is exciting to realize that the campus will undergo a dramatic update and many student safety issues such as fire escapes and handicap accessibility will be addressed. Other benefits such as energy efficiency, optimal learning environment and an electrical system that will handle the technology needs will all have a direct affect on the education of all our children. A new facility, coupled with our quality education will help our community grow. Research supports that businesses and people who are looking to relocate investigate the local schools before moving.

With that being said, please know that the Stevensville School Board understands the sacrifice made by all with the passage of this bond. It is now their duty to be good stewards of these funds and construct a quality facility that will meet the needs of our district for years to come. As the Board begins this process I encourage you to get involved and keep informed. It is my duty to ensure information is available to our patrons and will do so through the school’s website, the local newspapers and Board meetings. Also, never hesitate to contact me at the school and I will be glad to answer any of your questions or provide further information.

The successful bond does much more than provide updated facilities; it is a step in the direction of a true community school. A community school is one that builds relationships within the community to maximize all resources to ensure a quality education for each individual child. The school alone cannot prepare each child, it takes parents and community members to join together to ensure each child receives a well rounded education.

It is a privilege to educate the children of Stevensville and is a responsibility that we do not take lightly. With the community along our side, our students, your children, will accomplish great things.

Again, thank you for your support.

Letters to the Editor

Republicans need to unite on common goals

Dear Editor,

It is apparent that some who claim to be experts on the Constitution need to go back to their First Grade Primers (when the Constitution was taught in schools). They quote the Constitution on several matters but seem to miss the whole purpose of the Constitution. As most of us know the Constitution was written solely to regulate government. It was not intended to regulate families, churches, corporations or political parties, etc., period.

Our country, and therefore our county, is divided into precincts or other similar divisions. Each of those precincts are represented by an elected "precinct man" and "precinct woman" in Montana. These precinct people comprise the local "Central Committees." This is true of the Democrats and Republicans and any other party. The sole purpose of these Central Committees is to support and elect people of that party to office.

Historically, wise men/women wanted to have balanced political involvement from men and women and so they set up a system that allows one man and one woman to represent each precinct or voting district. For example, if a man has been elected as precinct committeeman for a certain precinct but there is no woman precinct person then the only person who can be appointed by the Central Committee to fill that vacant seat is a woman.

The Central Committees generally are set up on the same basis to allow men and women to be equally involved in the leadership of the political process. Therefore, if the Chair resigns and the Chair was a man and that leaves the Vice Chair a woman, then the only person eligible for appointment has to be a man so that there is always one sex a chair and the opposite sex a vice chair. That is done to make sure both sexes are equally represented at the precinct level and the Central Committee level. That is historic. This is set at the County Convention held every two years. If the person is a woman who is elected Chair then only a man can be Vice Chair, for example.

Yes, all of us missed the point that since we had a woman Vice Chair the only person eligible to be appointed (because of a resignation) by the committee was a man. Even those who are yelling and screaming some kind of conspiracy missed that point which was corrected at the election a month later.

The claim of those Libertarians that this amounts to "sexual discrimination" are similar to a claim by some that the Boy Scouts should accept girls. Remember, the Constitution was written to regulate governments.

During the last three years people have gotten involved that relish stirring the pot with false accusations and name calling. Many take their cues from Alex Jones who likes to mix innuendos, falsehoods, lies and suppositions with a little bit of truth to "prove" his particular issue or smear is true.

I have been involved in the Republican Central Committee for almost two decades now at some level or another and before this latest group got involved I can say the Central Committee ran quite well. There always has been and always will be a struggle between those who want the party to be more conservative or on the other hand more liberal. That same struggle is ongoing in the Democrat Party as well.

As you can see, those who claim to stand for smaller government are threatening to bring the American Civil Liberties Union in which is a group that champions many of the Libertarian views some of these new precinct committee men and women have. The ACLU fights to do away with laws against child pornography, drugs, prostitution, same sex marriage and a host of other evils.

Would they threaten to bring the ACLU into a church situation or a disagreement with their spouse or child? Would they threaten to bring the ACLU into a corporate situation where they felt the wrong sex was elected president?

Some of the people participating in the Central Committee meetings and demanding the right to participate in the meetings feel that if a person disagrees with them on just one principle then they are "evil" and they believe that compromise is always evil when in fact if our Founders did not believe in compromise we would still be under British rule. Our Founders, from the north, even compromised one of their core principles, slavery, because they saw the value of the Constitution and knew that if they did not compromise we would not be blessed with that important and historic document. The first Constitution ever to regulate government rather than people.

Certainly, those attending the meetings should have an opportunity to give constructive input, which they always have been given and will be given in the future. But the committee has business to run in a certain time frame and no one "has a constitutional right" to speak at the meetings no more than they have a "constitutional right" to speak at all their church meetings.

Those involved in this way have seen fit to take their issues to the media which reveals their true intent and that intent is NOT to have unity which many of us see is absolutely necessary to bring our nation back to its roots. To claim that someone who disagrees with one of their beliefs is not a Republican and is therefore "evil" is not unity. One who is serious about winning any battle has to recognize the importance of respect and working together on common goals even though we don’t totally agree on every point of the Constitution or the platform.

Many of us are looking forward to the old time when, even though there was diversity in the Republican Central Committee, there was unity in purpose and we elected good men and women to represent the values of our area even if we had some disagreements with some elected officials.

Senator Barkus would have been wise to not be intoxicated (alleged) which would have created a safer boat ride. If some of the people complaining about the Republican Central Committee would not be so intoxicated with their own egos and pride, which ends up rocking the boat, it would be easier for the Committee to live up to its purpose and elect and keep Conservatives in office.

By the way, this is NOT a "republican" form of government. This is a republic, a form of democracy.

Dallas D. Erickson
Stevensville

Decision-making rationale explained

Dear Editor,

As a commissioner, I take managing taxpayer money seriously. It is important that I thoroughly understand projects and budgets before I approve spending. I am not afraid to ask questions to get information or clarification. Recently, I was criticized for refusing to make what I felt was a hasty decision, and for delaying votes until the commission gathered more information. I’d like to address those criticisms.

Most votes are on the routine business of running the county and pass unanimously. But, this year we worked on major issues that will affect our valley for decades. Deciding my vote on these matters requires careful deliberation, listening to citizens on all sides of the issue, and collecting all the pieces of information available.

With five commissioners, it takes three of us voting the same way to make a decision. When the other commissioners divide 2 to 2 it is up to me to break the tie. In these situations, I refuse to be rushed into a decision. Since I respect all of their voices, it is important to determine what is causing the disagreement before I cast what would be the deciding vote. Often it is because we don’t all have the same information. When all the information is shared, the best direction is often obvious. The vote then becomes unanimous and without rancor.

In rare cases there is insistence that we hold a vote. If I don’t have enough information, I abstain. If the others are split, there is no majority and another vote is taken at a future date, giving me time to collect the information I need to make a well-informed decision.

Like everyone else, I have preconceived notions about some issues. But I’m not a commissioner simply in order to get what I want. I take seriously my responsibility to represent the people in this valley. Consequently, I regularly ask questions that challenge my own viewpoints. If the answers point out flaws in my approach and do not offend my conscience, I am willing to modify my decision.

The most important thing I have to give is my attention. Experts come before us with conflicting information. Public hearings give voice to both sides of an argument. It takes time and effort to sort the facts from fiction. Many “big” issues are emotional as well. I feel it’s important to dig beneath the emotion to find the concern that is igniting that emotion. Sometimes it is very relevant, sometimes it’s not, but we can’t find out without being willing to look for the answers. Quick “gut” decisions, made when we don’t have adequate information or don’t want to disappoint friends and supporters, could be incorrect and ultimately unfair to the county as a whole.

Generally, I can gather the information I need within a few weeks. In the case of the airport, I articulated my position in a February 2009 letter to the editor. In the months since I have continued to listen for new information. I have not heard anything to change my belief that we should move the runway north and to the east about 240 feet while keeping it at the current 4200-foot length. This adequately addresses safety and growth issues and does not require closing the airport during the busy summer season. This option was the new alternative added to the environmental assessment required by the FAA and, as we recently learned from our engineers, it’s the most cost effective option as well.

Sometimes we all get frustrated at how slowly government seems to move. However, the big, complicated decisions with long-term consequences take time. As your representative I feel it is my duty to ensure that the decisions I make will hold up to scrutiny in the future.

Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or concerns at 375-6510 or kdriscoll@ravallicounty.mt.gov.

Kathleen Driscoll
County Commissioner

Confession of bias against President

Dear Editor,

I understand that so far everything I have written about Barack Obama has been negative. That leaves me open to charges that I am biased against the president. That charge is true. There is not one thing that Barack Obama has said, done or is likely to do that I am not completely opposed to. Why? This man appeared suddenly on the national political scene. Questions about his background have not been answered and there is an obvious effort on his part to conceal information that should be available to the people.

Find any person in Congress, or any Governor whose academic background has been such a closely guarded secret. SAT scores of George W. Bush, Al Gore and John Kerry were made available to the public. Democrats and the media gleefully reported that Bush’s grades did not place him near the top of the class at Yale. There was less enthusiasm exhibited when it was revealed that Gore’s and Kerry’s grades put them nowhere near the top of the class either. Why are Obama’s grades so difficult to obtain?

Many people had never heard of him before he began running for the presidency. He became a United States Senator in 2004. It is 2009 and he has been president for almost one year. Unlike others who became president, Obama has no experience that would qualify him for doing the job. During his campaign adoring members of the media compared Obama to J.F.K. He is nothing like President Kennedy. In fact he is about as far from J.F.K. as you can get.

J.F.K. was elected to Congress in 1947. He became a United States Senator in 1953. Kennedy described himself as a “fighting conservative.” Kennedy was also very much opposed to F.D.R.’s “New Deal.” Obama and Roosevelt can both be described as Progressives.

The overwhelming majority of American presidents had hands on experience at governing. Republicans focused on Obama’s lack of qualifying experience. He was elected anyway. The people were ready for change. They were not ready for what Obama delivered. I just saw an on the street interview of Americans in some city. Leno used to do these interviews periodically. Every time I’ve seen one it has turned my stomach. The level of political ignorance of the American people is astonishing. Those interviewed in the latest of these sad affairs had no idea who the Vice-president of the United States is. None of them knew who Nancy Pelosi is. They did know a lot about movie stars.

I know that I am far more focused on politics than lots of other people. Sometimes I wish that I was not. Those politically brain-dead interviewees were laughing and only slightly embarrassed by their ignorance. It is not amusing that they voted. Every one of them said they had voted for Obama.

This president does not have an American world view. Barack Obama spent his early years in Indonesia, a third world, predominantly Muslim country. In many third world countries hatred of America is the norm. The despots who rule them tell them that they are poor because of America and that America is responsible for all of the poverty in the world.

President Barack Obama has circled the globe apologizing for America, bowing and scraping in front of totalitarian thugs and seemingly working hard to destroy America’s economic future. He has broken one campaign promise after another. There is not time or space available here to list them. He has insulted our friends in the world and groveled in front of our enemies.

The most recent example of his incompetent and alien political perception is the outrageous speech he made during yet another press conference at a Tribal Nations Conference. The event was held to honor Dr. Joe Medicine Crow, who had won the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The president jovially proclaimed that he wanted to give a “shout out” to Dr. Medicine Crow and others who helped arrange the event.

He finally mentioned the slaughter of Americans by the jihadist murderer at Fort Hood, Texas. Instinctively he downplayed the fact that this was a terrorist act. There won’t be a better example of how inept, insensitive and unqualified Barack Obama is as President. His alien view of America and of the world accounts for everything he has done since his election. The question is how much more damage he can inflict on the country before he leaves the White House.

The behavior of the Republican Party under George W. Bush was inexcusable, but the GOP is still the only hope this country has to survive as a great nation. If Barack Obama achieves his goal of transforming America he will have repaid America for being the prosperous and free nation he has always resented.

Gene Williams
Hamilton

Is the sky really falling?

Dear Editor,

Big government is the “Chicken Little” of the 21st Century, with its doomsday pronouncements going way back to DDT in the 1950’s and continuing on to salmonella in eggs, asbestos, and the Millennium Bug, passive smoking, bird flu, and now Al Gore’s masterpiece of misinformation, “global warming.” How can this be? Only because junk science powers the scare industry, thanks to unscrupulous scientists who misread and manipulate the evidence. Stealth allies are the print and electronic media, and lobbyists of every ilk. Consequently the knee-jerk politicians and bureaucrats then create new forests of regulations. Who gets stuck with the bill? Us taxpayers!

Wait a minute – there’s more. How about the AIDS crisis of the 1980’s, Mad Cow Disease, SIDS, ad nauseam? Could there be a clue to this in Rahm Emanuel’s recent pronouncement: “Never let a serious crisis go to waste.”

Some of us have a sneaking suspicion that the present administration still follows this practice. Here’s the theory: if you have the peons worried about these non-events, they won’t have time or effort to check up on the hanky-panky going on in the D.C. Beltway. Hmmmm….

I would like to quote two cogent authors that throw light on this dark subject:

“Falsehood has an infinity of combinations, but truth has only one mode of being.” --Jean Jacques Rousseau

“Let’s pray that the human race never escapes Earth to spread its iniquity elsewhere.” --C.S. Lewis

Bruce King
Hamilton

Support for health care legislation

Dear Editor,

What's the best way to stay healthy? Prevent health problems. And how do you do that? You go to the doctor. But many of us are intimidated about doing that. Just getting the appointment, going in and speaking up can be a challenge. It's even worse if you can't pay for the checkup. Reading the stories in last Sunday's paper really bothered me. Here are people with serious diseases--multiple sclerosis, Hodgkin's lymphoma--that require regular medical checkups to ensure that problems don't get worse. But such care is unaffordable for them. Just think about all the people out there with diabetes, heart disease and other problems who don't see the doctor because they lack insurance. How many of them will get sicker, develop more serious problems and cost the health system even more as a result? What does that do to all our health care costs? Please, Sen. Baucus and Sen. Tester, do everything possible to make basic medical care affordable to Montanans.

Candace Jerke
Florence

Concerned about health care

Dear Editor,

To Denny Rehberg: I am extremely concerned about health care. If a person dies every 12 minutes due to a lack of health insurance in this country, isn’t it time you get behind health care reform? It is not a political issue, but a moral issue. Most Montanans feel that we can’t afford to NOT reform health care. The insurance companies have had many years to improve health care – they have failed completely. Isn’t it time we have some kind of public option and try to catch up to the rest of the world? Please, don’t say we can’t afford it. Most of us in the real world don’t buy that line. We may not be able to contribute as much to your campaign as the insurance companies, but we do have the power to vote!

Stan Ginther
Stevensville

Support clean energy legislation

Dear Editor,

I have worked hard to be able to finally retire and enjoy my love of nature, fly fishing, and horseback riding and to be near my daughter and granddaughter in the great state of Montana. But fluctuating oil prices and climbing heating bills, forests turning red from Pine Beetles and trout stressed by hotter than normal summer months threaten that way of life.

The passage of the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act out of the senate committee earlier this month was very encouraging and is just the kind of legislation we need to begin to solve climate change and move our country toward energy independence. Senator Baucus was the only "no" vote on the above committee, but he has promised to continue to work on "climate change legislation that can get 60 votes." I encourage him and Senator Tester to make it the best possible bill, not just for our generation, but for our children's and grandchildren's sake. Continued climate warming will only do further harm to our forests and our trout populations if the legislation is too weak. Let's strive for a bill that matches what the science dictates.

Susan Duff
Hamilton

Is MHRN an unconstitutional U.N. front group?

Dear Editor,

My first encounter with the Montana Human Rights Network was at the Ravalli County fair. Their name led me to believe that we would hit it off instantly. I have worked very hard to protect the rights of the people utilizing the U.S. Constitution and the Constitution of the State of Montana. Instantly I asked if they were providing Constitutions to educate everyone on their God given rights that are declared by the Constitution. He assured me that they had one. After much fumbling around the gentleman decided to ask me if I cared to sign up for the organization. This was troubling to me because I thought, where does he think that rights come from? After much discussion he openly admitted that he hadn’t read either the State or the U.S. Constitution.

How can you proclaim human rights if you aren’t utilizing the documents that establish our rights as Americans? The answer lies on their website: mhrn.org. They are utilizing a document called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Here is a brief taste of some messages in this document.

“Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in cooperation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

“Education… shall further the activities of the United Nations.”

“These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.”

When all Americans take public office they take an oath to uphold the Constitution. MHRN might be working against the U.S. since they are obviously pledging their allegiance to the United Nations. There is an old saying that if you are a lawyer and the facts are on your side, argue the facts. If the law is on your side, argue the law. If neither the facts nor the law are on your side, attack their character. Attacking character is apparently the only tactic available for this organization. What they fail to tell you is that Celebrating Conservatism has openly stood against racism and religious bigotry. In fact, one of our main speakers proclaimed from the stage that your religious beliefs or non-beliefs should have no relevance in banding together to fight for our God given rights as proclaimed in the Constitution.

It is very interesting their website proclaims that they are established to “counter the religious right.” This is religious bigotry. They should be ashamed. I am not an advocate for their document, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but it should be noted that this is one of the rights that they proclaim “nor to attacks upon his honor and reputation.” My question is, have they even read their own documents that are the foundation of their belief system? It appears that hypocrisy runs rampant in their organization.

Here is another statement from their website supporting unconstitutional health care and spreading the wealth.

“All people, regardless of citizenship or national origin, have a right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of themselves and their families.” These are clearly Marxist attitudes.

When I put forward the petition to take away the authority to steal our property rights through zoning, I in good faith gave speeches even to organizations who were clearly anti-property rights activists.

If you are truly an honest, factual and truthful organization, I challenge you to send a representative to the next Celebrating Conservatism for a debate. I extend the offer to give an hour presentation to any group you may be affiliated with on the Federal Reserve banking system. I have nothing to hide and the facts speak for themselves. I believe you owe the citizens of Montana who met on Constitution day an apology. That was surely a peaceful demonstration of our right to bear arms. Please quit working against our country, the right to bear arms is a fundamental right.

It should be noted that your organization is the one threatening militant overthrow with this statement “one compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression.”

For the record I am not anti-government nor am I for rule by the United Nations. I am for a constitutional government limited to preserving the rights of the people.

Daniel Cox
Darby

Connections suspect

Dear Editor,

We hope Dr. Carter Beck, the Missoula neurosurgeon who was invited to speak against current health care reform bills by the local group “Celebrating Conservatism”, didn’t realize the company he was associating himself with. As most Bitterrooters know by now, “Celebrating Conservatism” is a “teabag” offshoot that invited notorious anti-Semites like Red Beckman and long-time militia activists such as Richard Mack to the Bitterroot as well as Dr. Beck.

Whether or not his following in the footsteps of such hard-Right illuminaries was simply naïve, or intentional, what’s more troubling about his visit is who the Coalition to Protect Patients’ Rights (CPPR) is, for which he serves as the Montana chair.

CPPR is managed by the corporate lobbying firm DCI Group, who cut its political teeth working with Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds to help form fake "grassroots smokers' rights” groups to defeat smoking bans. Since then they have:

• Worked for the Health Benefits Coalition, a trade association of for-profit HMOs who were trying to “thwart congressional action on the patients’ bill of rights.” (American Prospect)

• Been retained by the pharmaceutical industry to whip up public opposition against House legislation that would permit the reimportation of FDA-approved drugs from Canada and elsewhere. (Washington Monthly, December/2003).

• Worked with Republicans to form various “grassroots” front-groups to amplify former President Bush’s call to privatize Social Security. (Center for Media and Democracy, 3/18/05)

• Created spoof videos mocking global warming.

• Been implicated in organizing the Swift Boat Veterans campaign. [CommonDreams, 8/31/04)

In addition to all this, DCI Group has lobbied or continues to lobby for Dow Jones Industrial, Exxon/Mobil, and the murderous Burmese military junta. (Wall Street Journal, 8/3/06; Exxon Secrets, accessed 7/28/09)

“Corporations seldom win alone,” DCI Group’s website says. “Whatever the issue, whatever the target—elected officials, regulators or public opinion—you need reliable third party allies to advocate your cause. We can help you recruit credible coalition partners and engage them for maximum impact. It’s what we do best.”

Substitute "Carter Beck" for "third parties" and you have something for Montanans who are worried about ham-fisted freedom-thieves to really worry about when CPPR activists like Dr. Beck come to town. CPPR has in fact – under DCI Group’s wing – been organizing lobbying efforts against health reform and publishing op-eds across the country with misinformation about the public option.

Dr. Beck is also a diplomat of ‘The American Board of Neurological Surgery’ and may well have been unaware of “Celebrating Conservatism’s” recent history. But whether or not Dr. Beck – or any other well-meaning person – inadvertently ties him/herself to organizations that elevate anti-Semitism to the level of “patriotism,” Montana citizens – including high-end doctors – should be more aware of the ties that bind anti-healthcare reform propaganda with more extreme and dangerous philosophies.

Bill LaCroix, Coordinator
Bitterroot Human Rights Alliance

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