Wednesday January 5, 2011

Opinion & Editorial

by David Cluff, Superintendent, Lone Rock School

I would like to invite the Lone Rock community to participate in a Lone Rock Town Meeting on Thursday, January 13, 2011 in the Lone Rock gym at 7 p.m. The purpose of the town meeting is to have the community tell the Lone Rock School Board of Trustees, administration and staff where your school should be going over the next 25 years.

Lone Rock School is a Montana treasure. It is the oldest continuously run school district in Montana having been chartered before Montana even gained statehood. Generation after generation of Lone Rock locals have directed its course. The results have been nothing less than spectacular. Lone Rock students have become Lone Rock parents and as such the guardians of the school. This has happened for over 125 years because you, our citizens, friends and taxpayers, have provided pragmatic community wisdom to help us successfully move forward.

You will be proud to see, when you come to the town meeting, that Lone Rock School still instills the same values in its students that you remember and provides the same excellent education that you benefited from as a kid. At the same time, times of change are upon us and fiscal shortages require that we must work smarter, better and together. If we do so, Lone Rock School will continue to be a symbol of excellent education for another 125 years and a source of pride for us all.

So, please come join us on January 13th. Bring your neighbors and please bring your unique perspectives. Democracy thrives when neighbors work together for commonly valued goals. Last summer I worked with our community to save our historical swimming pool. What a refreshing experience that was to find a cause that all of us could agree on and to work closely together to make it happen. The same is true with Lone Rock School. Here is a school that is a vital community asset that we want to insure does not get swept up in the winds of change. Let’s come together and chart Lone Rock’s path and together preserve the small school education and values that are so much a part of us all.

I hope to see you and all of your friends and neighbors at our community meeting. At the same time we hope to hear the hopes and dreams that each of you has for one of our community centerpieces, Lone Rock School.

Time to end ‘witch hunt’ of gays

Dear Editor,

I am writing in response to the Dec. 22 letter by Gary Carlson, retired Marine, who criticized repeal of the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy and invited other veterans of the Valley to join him in expressing their own views. In my opinion, it is time that the 'witch hunt' for gays be declared over. I personally thank both our Montana senators for their vote to repeal the policy.

I served in the U.S. Air Force for 33 years, enlisting at the end of the Korean conflict in 1955, receiving my commission as an officer in 1965, and retiring in 1987. I served my career in Combat Arms in the Strategic, Tactical, Pacific and other Air Commands and supervised hundreds of base defenders at one of the largest bases in Vietnam from 1969 to 1971.

While commanding several squadrons and as a Deputy Group Commander, I had the sad and unjust obligation to discharge a number of patriotic, qualified and high-performing gay servicemen and women. In order to uphold my oath and enforce military policy, discharging them was my professional duty. But knowing that I played a role in dishonoring them for reasons that had nothing to do with performance of duty or commitment to country (but everything to do with codified discrimination) is one of the deepest personal regrets of my military career.

Gay men and women have served our forces honorably dating back to the Revolutionary War. Banning their service didn't happen until chartered in the Articles of War in the early 1900's but with little enforcement until President Johnson was discovered to have a gay full Colonel serving as his aide. Embarrassed and reportedly outraged, he emphasized enforcement of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, subsequently requiring military commanders like me to harshly enforce it.

Similar outrage accompanied women serving combat roles and previously minorities serving at all. Then, like now, the hand-wringing was based on unfounded prejudices. President Harry Truman's edict against racial bias and segregation in the armed forces took years to actually take hold, and persisted until those who made racial slurs were summarily discharged. I suspect the same will be true with the new policy, not an overnight transformation, but a steady and mostly uneventful "new normal" when Commanders who fail to modernize their view find their promotions affected or service curtailed.

The recent survey of active duty servicemen and women confirms my views are not the exception. The prevailing rank and file wisdom is "We need all the talent and commitment we can get. Be glad for the service of the man or woman beside you no matter their creed, color or sexual orientation."

I say none of this to dishonor or offend the Marine author who wrote. I thank him for his service, and although I disagree with his opinion on this issue, I will defend his right to hold and express it. All veterans – gay ones, too – have fought and sacrificed to defend that right.

Les Smith, Lt. Col. (Ret.), USAF
Stevensville

Support for Death with Dignity/Right to Die

Dear Editor,

The Montana Supreme Court has said that my end-of-life choices are between me and my doctor. My wife and I strongly support this decision and the proposed legislation allowing us to be able to talk to our doctor about all our choices: treatment options, comfort care and aid in dying. It is also our opinion that this utmost of personal decisions is not the business of government to deny and I/we will exercise this very important right – if necessary – regardless of the political consequences. On a very personal note: both of my parents suffered from terminal diseases and their inability to dictate their final days was very sad and cruel. Anyone who has shared this experience of having one’s parents suffer needlessly and against their desires will understand what I’m saying and why I’m saying it.

Peter Rosten & Susan Latimer
Darby

Thanks from Operation Christmas Child

Dear Editor,

As the books close on another decade, we find that it is filled with memories no other generation can lay claim to. One memory many of us can definitely recall is the outpouring of love that occurred this year through Samaritan's Purse's Operation Christmas Child Shoe Box ministry.

The numbers are still being tallied but it appears more than 5.5 million shoe boxes from the United States and another 3.3 million from other participating countries are being distributed to children in 110 countries.

Over 3,200 of these shoe boxes came from you good citizens of Missoula, Ravalli, Mineral, Granite counties, Salmon and Lemhi, Idaho, which make up the newly established Western Montana team.

It may seem strange to some that I say thank you now, a little more than a month since collection week back in November. I do not want this thank you to get lost amid all the Christmas and holiday hype.

Many thanks go out to the small army of volunteers who dedicate their time, money, energy and most importantly their love in getting the word out to friends, neighbors, co-workers and strangers in encouraging them to fill a simple shoe box with gifts for children around the world.

Operation Christmas Child uses shoe boxes to encourage, give hope and share the gospel of Jesus Christ with children around the world. While we have many children in need in the U.S. it may surprise you that the children are most often the excited ones to want to give a love and toy filled shoe box.

The children who attended the Canyon View vacation bible school in Hamilton, this summer, are an excellent example as they brought over 300 gifts to put in shoe boxes.

Oddly enough 300 plus is the number of shoe boxes filled at the Ravalli County Fair, mostly by children. Children understand the need to share, especially the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Thank you to all the churches, organizations, businesses and individuals who donated items, reader board space, counter space, collected shoe boxes and provided storage and transportation of the shoe boxes.

To single out one area or group of people is difficult to do as no matter the numbers of boxes that came from all over each shoe box is one more gospel opportunity for a child somewhere in the world.

After all that is the purpose of Operation Christmas Child.

Many people were involved and, on behalf of the children, I humbly thank you citizens of Missoula, Ravalli, Mineral, Granite counties, Salmon and Lemhi, Idaho.

As we enter a new year, as well as a new decade - if you are wondering how you may get involved or be more involved with Operation Christmas Child shoe box ministry, please contact me at 406-360-4253 or shoeboxgreg@gmail.com

Working Together! We are in God's Hands!

Greg Reinhardt, Area Coordinator (Volunteer)
Western Montana Team
Operation Christmas Child

Say no to all land use restrictions

Dear Editor,

The Ravalli County Commissioners have managed to present the citizens of Ravalli County another Holiday Greetings of land use restrictions in the form of the new 2010 updated Subdivision Regulations as "mandated" by the State of Montana. In just over a month from the two-year deadline of the "Growth Policy" defeat by the citizens of Ravalli County in November 2008 it appears that land use restrictions are back on course.

It has always angered me that a small group of elected officials can with a single vote burden an entire county with restrictions that takes years of time and wealth of its citizens to repeal in order to regain their inalienable and un-alienable rights to utilize their property in any manner that does not infringe upon these same inalienable rights of others, if at all. After listening to most of the vocal opponents at the December 23 rd meeting at which this gift was "sanctified" it may be a much longer road for those of us, who believe that the use of property is the business of those who have honestly worked to acquire it and that there should be no restrictions from any source. It is the responsibility of every private owner to utilize his/her property in a manner that does no physical harm to a neighbor's property or health.

Except for a handful of opponents, it appeared that the main arguments against approving these new restrictions were either it would be better to wait to let the newly elected Republicans review it before passage or that there were sections that were too egregious to be left in the regulations.

Wake up people. The entire document is egregious. Nearly every page with the exception of the pages of definitions has the word "shall" or its meaning on it. This is a pile of paper of land use restrictions that infringe on every citizen's property rights and contains a future of unintended consequences that will cost and haunt present and future private land owners.

Even though new commissioners have been elected with a chance of repealing the present form of the 2010 Subdivision Regulations, my fear is that any replacement for these "state mandated" subdivision regulations will be just "different." Our present and future Montana State legislators have never indicated that private property rights are inalienable and not to be regulated by those in authority; and until all of our representatives live up to their oath of office to defend our life, liberty, and property it will be up to us to do the defending. Is this a call to arms? I hope not.

David A. Merrick
Corvallis

Tribute to JoAnne Johnson

Dear Editor,

JoAnne Johnson as Ravalli County Treasurer, is one who dedicated herself to truth, and integrity. JoAnne was born and raised in Corvallis. She loves Montana, and it's people no wonder then, that she dedicated herself to serving the folks of Ravalli County with her whole being.

When in office as County Treasurer, JoAnne Johnson created Ravalli County Investment Committee for the purpose of creating revenue for the County by investing the county /tax payers money thus providing a profit for the people of the County, until the time it would be needed for other purposes.

Joanne set up the system which allows for taxes to be paid "On line", again always working for the people of Ravalli County.

JoAnne was deeply concerned if one of her employees, treated a person in a rude or unkind manner. She taught her employees to be respectful and attentive to the needs of the people.

Good works for both Ravalli County and all of Montana.

JoAnne Johnson was voted by the Montana County Treasurers as their representative on both the Legislature Committee, and The State of Montana Vehicle committee. She was elected as President of The Montana Association of County Treasurers, by members of this Association, in prior years she served as their Secretary and Vice President.

The Montana County Treasurers repeatedly asked her to serve still more, as she always found ways which would help all of them to serve their counties in a better, and more efficient way. Chosen by her peers, who knew her value. She also had County Treasurer certification from the Montana State University. Intelligent, honest, and with great expertise, with kindness and respect she served all of us.

Thank you for your humble service. God bless you, JoAnne.

Earla Johnson
Hamilton

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