Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
Sorted by date Results 1151 - 1175 of 1510
Dear Editor, I’ve decided that I alone should be on the road. I believe that I know how fast to drive at any given time and in every given circumstance. So, every vehicle that I pass is going too slow and every vehicle which passes me is going too fast. I find myself hard pressed behind the wheel, and seemingly oppressed by others with whom I am required to share the road. Self-interest, circumstantial preference and a bit too much self-certainty combine to narrow my vehicular operating standards to this level of driving bias. These are not o...
Editor: The approach taken in last week’s letter to the editor section was fascinating. One minute the author stroked Mr. Blackstone with compliments like “smacks of common sense” and “from what I can gather, Mr. Blackstone is a fine man” then attacking him with lines like “sugar high” for anyone politically passionate and outspoken about their beliefs that apparently run contradictory to this “author’s” and proclaiming Mr. Blackstone’s opinions are “……..deeply damaging to the important process of finding common ground…” without any facts or ex...
Memorial Day weekend is a particularly tough one for my older brother and sister. Their dad is still listed as Missing In Action (MIA) from the Korean War. I should explain that my older brother and sister are “technically” my half brother and sister. However, we don’t do the math that way! They’re my brother and sister…period. Here’s the condensed version of the story. My mom was married to my brother and sister’s dad when she was 19 years old. Her husband, James Homer Elliott, had joined th...
Editor: So very glad to read that the Barking Dog Ordinance (Sanders County Ledger, May 30, 2019) has passed giving teeth to Sheriff Rummel’s department to address this issue. Perhaps he and his department would do well to borrow some teeth from these barking dogs in an attempt to stem the overwhelming drug problems faced here, one of the main causes of so many other crimes perpetrated on the citizens of Sanders County. Yes, Sheriff Rummel, METH, and other drugs, is a real problem here, one that might be somewhat curtailed should a proactive a...
I have lived in Sanders County for over 40 years, worked for the Sanders County Ledger as a photojournalist most of that time, attending most of each town’s events and worked in community develop at the Courthouse for several years. I have been elected and served as the Northern Lights electric co-op for more than 30 years working at their office in Sandpoint. As a result, especially because I do the Question of the Week every week. I have pretty much met mostly everybody. Last week, I went to get a hair cut at the mall at Sandpoint. What I d...
At the meeting regarding the county's new nuisance barking dog ordinance last week, residents provided feedback on how the county shares information. Many of those in attendance rely on Facebook for information. Montana law requires county and city governments to post information, including public meetings, public hearings and election information, in newspapers. When it involves an ordinance, the information must be published for two weeks prior to the meeting. The publication requirement is by state law. The county commissioners post agendas...
There is concern among many conservatives about the “liberal bias” of the “mainstream media” which refers to the more widely circulated print and electronic media. If you substituted the word “establishment” for “mainstream” you would be on solid ground. Both words have a slightly negative tone that implies that the media does not represent everyday people; that they are elitist in nature, and indeed, the mainstream media is often referred to as “the liberal mainstream media” by its cri...
To the Editor, I expect there will now be a lot of passionate letters for and against Mr. Blackstone’s column. To me this highlights the downside of featuring intensely partisan opinions in our local paper. I like to think of Sanders County as a very friendly place, where we tend to know and help our neighbors. We work together on many community events and projects. It seems we frequently impress newcomers with our open and helpful nature. This tendency is a welcome contrast to the partisan bickering and conflict that is taking hold in our coun...
This weekend, Sanders County schools will start sending off their seniors into the real world as graduation ceremonies take place. We hope all the Class of 2019 realizes what a great accomplishment this is. Hopefully you've paid attention to your teachers and parents who have pestered you to go to school, study hard, be involved and get your diploma. We have never taught, but we can imagine how tough it is to be a teacher. It's like being a parent, hoping that you are doing the right thing to make sure these little humans grow up to be awesome...
Dear Editor, In reference to Blaine Blackstone’s Column “Leadership is a Privilege,” I have a copy of the book Extreme Ownership that Blaine refers to. It was required reading by my employer for the application it offers to businesses to attain more efficient operation. I have read it, initially under protest, simply because it was REQUIRED. However, I’m glad now that I did read it. It was very enlightening, all be it graphic. It was a good read and quite applicable. It reflects the real world in which those who protect our rights and freedom...
I have never met Blaine Blackstone, but I appreciate his articles in The Sanders County Ledger. I know many conservatives that have not subscribed to the Ledger in the past because of the newspaper’s past liberal slant. It makes good “business sense” for the Ledger to now present articles, such as those from Mr. Blackstone, that offer a conservative viewpoint to the readers of the county. Recent election results show that Sanders County votes “conservative” or “non-liberal.” In the 2018 general election, 63% of the Sanders County voters voted...
I had a completely different topic in mind for this week, but when there were calls to silence me I felt obligated to respond. Thanks to the readers who wrote in support of this column. What is it about the truth or an opposing opinion that makes some people so incredibly angry? A couple of readers recently expressed their outrage at my column and went so far as to say I should stop writing. Both readers said that my column was divisive. One said that my column included inflammatory bullying...
This week our question of the week is "At what age should a child have a smartphone?" In rural Montana, we still have people with flip phones or, in rare cases, who have never had a cellphone. It's nice to be able to keep in touch with your kids when they are away at a friend's house or coming home from sports trips. A quick text or phone call to check in is helpful. There's a fine balance, however, between keeping in touch and too much screen time. The documentary Screenagers was recently shown in Thompson Falls and Plains, detailing the risks...
I had the opportunity (as did you) to attend the May 9 Sanders County Commissioner meeting on ordinance No. 2019-01: an ordinance to control barking dogs within Sanders County and to establish procedures for enforcement. Our commissioners amazed me with the patience and willingness to give everyone an opportunity to talk. What could have been a half-hour meeting took one-and-a-half hours! This is why I would not want to be a commissioner: 1. After the third or fourth person stated the same issue they had with the proposed ordinance (which was...
I was wondering when the coordinated attacks on the Blaine Blackstone column would occur and now, I see that they have started. Just like the beginning of Conservative censorship on Facebook and Twitter, or the algorithm on Google which tends to ignore conservative ideas, the “hard left” even here in Sanders County can not stand a differing viewpoint from that of their own. They call it “divisive rhetoric.” Although what could possibly be more divisive than the entire “Resist Movement” which has as its goal the removal of a duly elected pre...
I suppose I shouldn’t be any more surprised than most taxpaying Americans to discover that I paid more in income taxes in 2018 than the behemoth retailer Amazon.com; but then I didn’t have a net profit of $11.2 billion, either. Nor did I get anything close to Amazon’s $128 million tax refund for 2018. This is the second consecutive year that Amazon has not paid federal income taxes. In 2017 it paid no taxes on an income of $5.6 billion. All this from the April 11, 2019, Fortune magazine which...
Wow, Mr. Blackstone really has the ladies fired up. One of them even using your first name (Annie) in a personal appeal to dump him. Pretty sure I’m a member of a silent majority in Sanders County (I checked the results of the last election) and these ladies do not speak or think for me. I’ve been a Ledger subscriber for well over 30 years (Doc Eggensperger days) and Mr. Blackstone’s opinion column is the most interesting and thought-provoking thing to appear in this newspaper in that time. Do I agree with Mr. Blackstone 100% of the time?...
Editor: The possibility of a “nuisance dog barking” ordinance has understandably raised the ire of rural Sanders County citizens on both sides of the issue. Those who live within earshot of dogs that bark for prolonged intervals day and night are rightfully upset with the resulting lack of sleep and disturbance of the peace. Those who stand up against overreaching government regulation fear the ordinance will trample on their personal rights. It’s a tough situation with no easy answer. The proposed ordinance is not aimed at your average, every...
We've written before about how great our communities are at supporting each other. Fundraisers, donations for food banks or those who have been affected by sickness. Fundraising websites such as GoFundMe are gaining popularity, but we're also seeing more national headlines about those sites being used by scammers. In New Jersey, a couple helped raise more than $400,000 which they were going to give to a homeless veteran. It turned out to be a scam. Most of the money was refunded, but it still makes us hesitant to donate to an online source....
May 6-10 is National Teacher Appreciation Week and all teachers in Sanders County certainly deserve many thanks. The ranking of beginning pay for teachers in the fifty states and the District of Columbia has Montana teachers ranked 51st……dead last. That makes it exceedingly hard for our rural schools to recruit new teachers. It also shows why so many teachers trained at Montana colleges and universities go the large city systems in our state or leave Montana for a job. It would be nice if parents and school board members this week would exp...
Dear Editor, I read with interest your recent editorial expressing your goals to combine small-town journalism with a forum for differing local opinions. Both are respectable and laudable goals to be sure. It got me thinking about the general role and objectives of a small-town paper in this world of instant, bombarding technology where tweet-bites have us turning our heads and raising our eyebrows, where the tone of national news has become droning tirades. It is generally refreshing that this local paper is a counter-point; it is our...
Editor, Another “dog whistle” opinion piece by Blaine Blackstone is enough. The latest Street Smart assault, dated April 25, 2019, is a paraphrased rant, sounding like a Fox News infomercial. Blackstone wrote a glossed over misrepresentation of what Mueller actually reported, while not mentioning the constraints of the ‘special counsel’ guidelines. According to a Washington Post/ABC News poll, over half the population (55%) want to get to the bottom of the un-redacted Mueller Report and not rely on Attorney General Barr’s totally misleadin...
Some friends wanted me to continue writing about the Mueller investigation, it’s outcome, and the impact of Attorney General Barr’s recent testimony. Quite frankly though, I’m bored with the whole thing. In my opinion it’s over. The Democrats in D.C. will keep it on life support because it’s really all they have to work with (especially in light of the April jobs report!). Now it’s just painful to watch. Especially when I heard Senator “Stolen Valor” Blumenthal comment that Barr lacked integrit...
Last week, I had the opportunity to visit with high school journalists from across the country to talk about journalism. It's inspiring to meet a new generation of journalists excited about reporting the truth and relaying the incredible stories of those around us. Each week, we present you with local news that helps you stay informed about your community and hopefully introduces you to new people and places. As journalists, we are on a quest for knowledge and love learning the unique stories of Sanders County residents. We support local...
In the early 1990s I was at a county fair when an elderly fellow — a WW II veteran and a Democrat — rushed up to me and said, “Jim, come here, you’ve got to see this!” and he hurried me to a military style tent full of anti-government literature and pictures. He took me up to a photograph, pointed to it, and said, “Read it!” The handwritten caption said, “Soviet Bulgarian tanks on Democratic Senator Max Baucus’ ranch.” I could tell that they were tanks being transported on railroad flatcars,...
