Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Opinion & Editorial

by Bob Frost & Lorraine Crotty, Hamilton

As the former Chairman and Treasurer of the ‘04-06 Hamilton Study Commission, we would like to comment on a couple of articles in your June 17th edition.

Regarding whether or not Hamilton is a legal entity, your article quoted the Study Commission several times, yet we were not contacted by your staff for additional input, our thoughts on this subject, or any comment at all.  

We would, therefore, like to add that while no actual legal records exist proving that Hamilton citizens followed Montana Statutes in their efforts to incorporate back in 1894, we are satisfied that enough time has passed, without a legal challenge, to legitimize Hamilton’s corporate status. Further, in our research to uncover the missing documents, we contacted numerous other Study Commissioners across Montana, only to find that they, too, had the same problem with their cities. It appears that few, if any, municipalities followed the incorporation Statutes back in the late 1800’s. It would seem, then, that the Montana Legislature would be the entity to correct this situation, no doubt through “grand-fathering.” Enough said.

Regarding the zoning of county land abutting city limits, we believe that city residents have the right to know what type of neighbor they will have at the borders. Without a County Growth Policy, Montana law provides the city with the right to ZONE county land up to one mile from the city borders of a city or town of the Third Class. Having county “subdivision regulations” is not enough to override this, as they do not address commercial properties, agriculture, mining, etc. No one wants a pig farm next to their home, or a race track, or a head-banging casino. Right now, “anything goes” in Ravalli County, except for subdivisions. This is not rocket science, folks. The law is a bit ambiguous, but we believe that if the city attorney would request an Attorney General Opinion, it would clarify this issue sensibly. Read it yourself – MCA 76-2-310 & 311.

Zoning and planning, however, are two different entities, covered by distinct and separate sections in the Statutes. The Growth Policy that Hamilton just passed was addressing planning, not zoning. And, there certainly is no plan we know of to ANNEX anyone. The ranchers who were angry over Flat Iron put the kibosh to that. On the other hand, zoning protects everybody, and prevents disputes between neighbors over incompatible land uses. It was not the intention of the city of Hamilton to step on anyone’s toes, or take land illegally. To zone adjacent county land would protect the city’s borders.   

We are also personally aware that the mayor and city council did, indeed, intend to zone one mile out. Frankly, it is their duty to do so, if the law allows, in order to protect the citizens of Hamilton from unwanted or incompatible land uses. Zoning is a long and involved process, and requires input from everyone involved. For the mayor and city council to deny this intention is a serious breach of public trust, and puts the citizens of Hamilton at risk. Again, they should get clarification from either the County Attorney or the Attorney General.

Finally, we wonder if anyone heard the Channel 13 news on Thursday, June 18th. We found it interesting to hear that Missoula County employees will only receive a 2.5% cost-of-living increase this coming year, with no raises for department heads or elected officials. Flathead County employees will only get 2%. Cascade and Sanders Counties will get 3.6% raises. These counties recognize that citizens are struggling with a worsening economy, and that county employees are not exempt.  

Let’s all keep our eyes and ears open to see what salaries Ravalli County and Hamilton employees/officials give themselves for FY 09-10. Let’s all see whether or not our city and county public servants are willing to freeze their salaries during tough economic times, or whether they couldn’t care less about the plight of their constituents. Don’t forget, seniors, you did not get a raise in your Social Security this year. Remember that during the next elections.

My day of homosexual choosing

Dear Editor,

As noted by the recent guest editorial in this paper it has now been officially concluded that there is no such thing as a “gay gene” and that one’s sexual orientation is simply a matter of bad parenting, being seduced by the homosexual agenda, or one’s own choice.  

I always thought that the reason that I was not sexually attracted to other men was because I didn’t have the dreaded gay gene. But now that it has been established that there is no such thing as a gay gene it must be something else. Since I had good parents and don’t believe I was recruited by any of my teachers, aunts, uncles, or clergymen to be a homosexual it seems to narrow it down to just a matter of choice.

So I thought that maybe I’d try being a homosexual for a while just to try it out. Apparently we can just decide at any given time whether to be gay or not. So if for some reason it didn’t resonate with me I could just switch hit back again.

So I decided that I would cruise Main Street and see if I could find someone to join me in my new homosexual lifestyle. On my first day as gay I was seriously disappointed to find that I still was not attracted to men. I do admit that there were a couple of cute guys, especially the one in the red Stanford sweatshirt, but mostly I found them kinda gross with those scratchy whiskers and other manly attributes that, apparently, women like but which just didn’t do it for me. I also wondered just why someone would choose to be gay given that it is a bit more inconvenient than being in the straight mainstream. It seems to me that you gotta want to be a homosexual real bad to overcome all the negativity that some folks put on it. I might run the risk of being beaten up or killed by some homophobes who’d find me disgusting, threatening, and/or an abomination.  

I also realized that there are other problems with being gay – if I enter into a gay marriage I wonder which one of us has to be wrong all the time.  

So my brief experiment of being a homosexual was a disappointment and I’m going to stick with girls. Clearly being a homosexual is way more complicated than just making a choice. Even if scientists have not isolated that gay gene there clearly are other biological factors at work that make it a bit more difficult to unchoose to be gay like one might decide to, say, quit smoking.

Gary Knapp
Stevensville

Save the ‘grandfather’ tree

Dear Editor,

As children we all have favorite trees to climb, to sit in and to build forts in. Mine was an old cherry tree. As adults we climb less but still enjoy the shade of a tree and the interest trees provide to the landscape. A tree lined road makes for a pleasant country drive. Many of us are in awe of old ‘grandfather’ trees that have somehow managed to survive centuries -- far longer than our own grandfathers.

One such tree is up Bowman Road near the old Bowman Mansion. It’s a beautiful ponderosa with a girth of 10 feet, a rare tree on this particular stretch of the road. It’s slated to be cut down this summer. The road department head, Dave Ohnstad, and some commissioners say it’s a hazard. They say cutting this tree is a road improvement.

The fact is, there have been no accidents at this tree. In order to make the nearby ninety-degree turn you must be traveling slowly. There is a 15 mph sign posted in preparation for the turn. If someone actually hit this tree they shouldn’t be driving. As licensed drivers we take a risk getting behind the wheel. Obstacles abound within the road right of way. There are trees, telephone poles, mailboxes and fence posts. It is our personal responsibility to avoid them.

After making this first ninety-degree turn Bowman continues to meander north. It twists and turns. It’s a lovely rural road used mostly by locals. It is not a thoroughfare; it's not a highway. It’s a road that granddads go for Sunday drives on. It’s a road characteristic of Ravalli County. Yes, like many of our roads, the road needs work but removing this historic grandfather tree is not a road improvement. This tree was here long before the road was paved. It was here even before the road was platted.

Chain sawing this tree is a degradation to the road. It will not improve safety. Let’s keep the rural feel to our county and roads. And, let’s let this historic grandfather tree survive another century.

Karen Savory
Hamilton

Setting Mr. Woods straight

Dear Editor,

I understand that the wolf issue is a very emotional topic for some people. Thus, in the sprit of an honest and good debate, I will cut Mr. Woods some slack with his false accusations that I am a liar full of misconceptions (Letters, Bitterroot Star, 5/27/09).

Mr. Woods incorrectly asserts that the final paragraph in my letter to the editor (Star, 5/13/09) was about people being brainwashed to think wolves are warm and friendly creatures. Firstly, it was a statement made by Mr. Rose (Star, 4/15/09) and secondly, my last statement was in reference to our government being "out of control" when it comes to predator control.  

Looking through the eyes of a human being, nature may appear as being cruel (but then again, aren't we part of nature and one that kills for fun?) Anyway, looking at nature through the eyes of a wolf or any other predator it is business as usual: How do I survive today? How do I feed my young? How do I not get injured taking prey? How do I conserve precious energy?

In the world of wolves, conserving energy means survival. Therefore, wolves do prefer killing the weak, young and sick prey animals, and to this end, wolves have developed a keen ability to read an animal's strength and to size up the easiest opportunity to make a kill. Only if impaired animals are not available do wolves resort to killing a healthy animal to try to feed their families and themselves.

While I gather my science-based information from various credible and official sources such as the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) and state wildlife agencies in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, Mr. Woods wants us to believe his anecdotes about observing pregnant animals being killed, and only the fetus being consumed by wolves.

What he is not sharing with us is that the source of these observations most likely comes from a website that is associated with Ron Gillette of Idaho. Mr. Gillette, an outfitter who owns 'Triangle C Lodging' in Idaho, is a self-proclaimed promoter of zero tolerance for wolves.

Are we really asked to believe an individual like Mr. Gillette when he does not even provide any documentation or evidence to support the so-called "facts" on his website? How do we know that the photos and videos are not the results of Photoshop and other forms of manipulation to further Mr. Gillette's and other wolf haters’ agenda?

Finally, "fair chase" is a term that applies to man only as human beings can afford to make moral decisions based on" fairness" and "justice." To expect this form of decision-making process from wolves – a species that is locked in a dynamic predator-prey relationship, and who has to fight for survival in an ever-changing environment – is rather absurd to say the least.

Marc Cooke
Stevensville

Proposed changes could affect volunteer aviation

Dear Editor,

Each month, volunteer pilots from Angel Flight West fly patients needing specialized medical care, including chemotherapy and dialysis, to hospitals throughout Montana. Many of these patients are from rural areas and would otherwise be hard-pressed to receive the care they need.

These flights are part of General Aviation (GA), which includes all flying except the scheduled airlines and the military. Right now GA is being imperiled by misguided plans in Washington, D.C. If these proposals are enacted, the outlook could be grim for patients who use Angel Flight West, as well as for millions of other people throughout the country who depend on General Aviation for services and jobs.

Among the proposals are new costs and regulations. Since Angel Flight West pilots already donate their time and planes and pay for their own fuel, these increased costs could ground them. The impact on patients who live in rural Montana could be devastating, because they would have to drive long distances to receive care.

The new charges and regulations would involve not only medical volunteer organizations. With an estimated 65 percent of General Aviation flights conducted for public service and business, many industries and services would be affected, including agriculture, emergency medical evacuation, law enforcement, aerial fire-fighting, package delivery and the Civil Air Patrol.

In addition, millions of jobs depend on GA, which pumps more than $150 billion into the U.S. economy. Two members of Congress deem GA so essential that they formed a caucus to educate their peers on its value to the American economy and transportation system.

Recently, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the world’s largest pilot organization with more than 415,000 members, launched General Aviation Serves America. The goal of this national grassroots campaign is to educate policymakers, opinion leaders and the public about the vital role GA plays in our local communities and the nation’s economy. Actors Harrison Ford and Morgan Freeman, both avid pilots, are volunteering their services in support of the campaign. (To learn more about the General Aviation Serves America program, please take a few minutes to visit www.gaservesamerica.com.)

The importance of GA and its impact on the citizens of Montana cannot be overstated. For more than 80 years, General Aviation has played a significant role in the lives of millions of Americans across the country. I hope you will join me in our efforts to ensure that it’s around for another 80 years, and well beyond.

Craig Fuller, President
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association

Silent memorial for Neda

Dear Editor,

For those of us here in Montana, and I think there have been many who have read in our papers or witnessed on TV and the Web the unfolding events in Iran, I ask that we pay tribute to the suffering and courage we have seen by those who have defied totalitarianism. A symbol of the brutality of just one of so many authoritarian theocracies was a young Iranian woman named Neda who quickly bled to death after being shot in the heart last Saturday in Tehran. The video of her young life's blood flowing from her mouth and nose onto the Tehran street and her dad crying before her was displayed throughout the world. As a father, I cannot imagine the pain the man felt as his child passed away so suddenly and needlessly before his eyes.

I suggest that we in the Bitterroot Valley, so far from Iran, come together in a silent vigil on Main Street in Stevensville at Noon Saturday, the 27th, one week after the death of Neda. Fifteen minutes of time and perhaps the lighting of candles would symbolize that even we in rural Montana are passionate and grieve for those who suffer and offer their lives for justice.

David Irwin
Victor

©2009 Bitterroot Star
This site was Done By Dooney