Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
Sorted by date Results 226 - 250 of 577
KEEPING IT TOGETHER If Americans really want something to worry about, let’s worry about keeping our country together. A politically divided nation is easy prey to its enemies and a weak partner to its allies. Many of us think we know what path the nation and its citizens should follow. But if the philosophy is to prevent the other side from enacting their vision of America by making it impossible to get things done politically, then each side loses, and we are in deep trouble. It is far better to make a deal that gives us all something i...
It is entirely impossible to overstate the dangerous outcome of Biden’s Afghanistan debacle. We will experience fallout from his idiotic/cowardly decision making for decades. Because of the minute-to-minute changes taking place in Afghanistan, it’s impossible to discuss it in detail. What we know now might be completely different in an hour. Let’s look at Biden’s pathetic job performance from a broader perspective. Early this year, I wrote a column listing 21 predictions about what I thought we...
Last month, the Thompson Falls Chamber of Commerce (for which I am the secretary) and Job Service Thompson Falls sponsored a job fair at Thompson Falls High School. We advertised in The Ledger and on social media. At the time, there were more than 100 job openings listed at our local Job Service. We had 20 employers and organizations sign up to attend the job fair. Others we spoke with couldn't attend the job fair, but expressed a need for employees. The job fair was held on a Thursday in mid-afternoon, hours that others who hosted job fairs in...
Now that kids are getting ready to head back to school is as good a time as any for a little reminder to treat people with kindness. You don't know what someone is going through, what their background is or what training they've had. It takes a while to get to know someone and figure out why they think or act or speak the way they do. Treating each other with compassion and respect is not human nature anymore. Being combative and seeing things as one way or the other with no compromise seems to be the new norm. After more than a year of a...
“We have met the enemy and they are us." — Pogo Possum I am reminded more and more of my belief that the single attribute that sets humans apart from other creatures is that we are the only species capable of causing our own extinction. The ways we are currently dealing with COVID and global warming may validate that belief sooner than later. It was once commonplace to distinguish humans from other species by saying humans were rational thinkers. After observing the irrationality of human thinki...
If you don’t understand something, it’s hard to tell if it’s right or wrong. There has been a lot of stress and tension over the management of the Thorne Creek fire. I’ve been to the public meetings and heard the concerns. I can see the fire creeping across the mountain in my backyard. I’ve watched it burn close to friends’ properties and them not able to do anything about it. People are concerned with the techniques used to manage the fire. It’s burning a lot of land. Tens of thousands of acres now. It’s heartbreaking to see our beautiful a...
I once had a neighbor who belonged to, or at least sympathized with, a small group of people who resented being told what to do - especially by the government. To this end he and his friends refused to buy automobile liability insurance, primarily because laws passed by the state legislature required it, and they didn’t like being pushed around. Whether or not they couldn’t afford it, I don’t know, but their argument was, besides not wanting to be told what to do, that they were “resp...
This wildfire season has no signs of slowing down anytime soon. We've heard of a lot of people wanting to help the firefighters who are here with the U.S. Forest Service working on the Thorne Creek fire, which is part of the West Lolo Complex. We love that everyone is coming together and wants to help. When a wildfire occurs, as we've seen, there is a whole camp of resources set up. This year it is in Plains. They bring in food tents and showers and medical and sleeping tents. It's basically a portable neighborhood. This preparation comes with...
I just returned from a three-day visit to hell (aka California) for a work reunion, and COVID was the biggest topic of discussion, just ahead of the rampant crime problem. I was in Los Angeles County where they had just reinstated the mask mandate for everyone, even those who have been vaccinated. That mandate has caused tremendous confusion and resistance. The media will tell you that the resistance to the vaccine is a partisan issue. The prevailing media theory is that conservatives are...
A few weeks ago I was cleaning out my car and pulled a handful of masks out of the consul. I kept one in there, but figured the rest I could pack away in case we ever need them again. I figured that would probably be the next time I fly. Then last week I dropped something off at a medical clinic and needed a mask to enter. Good thing I had that one in my car. While the county still is seeing some new COVID-19 cases, there's another reason for us to keep those masks handy. Montana is nicknamed Big Sky Country, and we are used to looking up and...
Why do so many Americans get their medical advice from politicians? They don’t take their cars to politicians to fix, they don’t take a sick cat to a politician, and I will guarantee you that politicians know as much about sick cats or broken-down cars as they do about medicine. I will also tell you that the last person I would trust for medical advice is a politician, but they now seem to be the biggest players in the vaccination follies, many of them directly implying that they know more abo...
A friend recently reminded me about the Olympics coming up. He had been watching the Olympic Trials on television and was in awe of these athletes. They have trained their whole lives for these brief moments in Tokyo starting July 23. That dedication and commitment to their sports and to having that chance to compete for Team USA is unmatched by many athletes. It's not something many of us can compare anything to, for that matter. We'll all gather around our televisions and streaming devices later this summer to catch a glimpse at the...
Early this year, I made some predictions regarding what I expected under a Biden presidency. I just reviewed that article and found it interesting how many of those predictions have already come true. I thought mine was going to be a four-year forecast. I was wrong. The Biden administration has exceeded my low expectations. I set the bar at ground level, and they’ve managed to burrow under it. Let’s review just a few of the most recent examples. A curious reader can confirm the following wit...
We are all pretty much sick of politics, I think. At least I am, but I have been for quite some time, since Y2K, in fact. The shenanigans of those who govern us, from county commissioners to Senators, are as entertaining as they are disturbing. Altruism is not a common trait in the halls of government, while self-service and acrimony are. There is good news, though. Q-Anon is fading. Their prophecies have proven false and their proselytizing for belief in the “deep state” is waning quickly. It’s hard to hold up an idea that has shown itself unb...
That old saying "turn that frown upside down" has been on my mind a lot lately. There are many ways to say it, including seeing the glass half full or half empty. We make hundreds of choices. We choose to get up every day. We choose to go to work or stay home. We choose what television programs or news to watch. We choose to be positive and smile, or we choose to be negative and complain about the world around us. I've always been one of those people who believes the best in others and thinks that the world is generally a good place. Being...
When I sat down tonight in front of the keyboard, I had no idea what I was going to write about. I’m sick of politics. Biden and Harris are screwing things up at such a record pace, that it’s hard to stay current. Besides, there’s really no point in overstating the obvious. I wanted to focus on something else this time. I’ve been collecting quotes for years, so I decided to check there to see if I might find some inspiration. There has never really been any criteria for the quotes I collect...
In last week’s Question of the Week, we asked what type of activities people would like to see in the area. Several said live music. A variety of musical talent has been visiting The Rex recently. On Thursday, Tylor and the Train Robbers, a band from Boise, played at The Rex Theater. Though it wasn’t a packed house, the band members played their hearts out and made each of those 70 people feel like it was a sold-out show. Their energy and storytelling was amazing. They had people dancing up front and got a standing ovation. When it was ove...
“That few in public affairs act from a mere view of the good of their country, whatever they may pretend; and though their actings (sic) bring real good to their country, yet men primarily considered that their own and their country’s interests were united and so did not act from a principle of benevolence. “That fewer still, in public affairs, act with a view to the good of all mankind.” That was written in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin, and as you can see, not much has changed. Nor had much ch...
Last weekend, we had a lot to celebrate in Sanders County. The remaining graduates received their diplomas. The weather was sunny and warm. Most people had a long weekend to enjoy with their families camping, traveling and gathering. There were also celebrations of freedom throughout the county. Memorial Day isn't just about the start of summer and the countdown to the last days of school and the long weekend. Community members gathered at local cemeteries to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in serving our country. Along with...
I got a call from my buddy the other day that had me cracking up and provided the topic for this week. Before I explain why I laughed so much, I have to provide a little background. My friend Cody is a no-nonsense, straight forward, plain spoken kind of guy. What you see is what you get and that’s one of the many things I admire about him. You’re never left wondering where Cody stands on an issue, or, where you stand with him. When I first started this column, Cody bought me a bumper sti...
This week, the first Sanders County seniors will become graduates of the Class of 2021. When we create our graduation supplement each year, it's amazing to read the future plans for each of the students. Though they are all members of small communities in northwest Montana, they all have different aspirations. When I was graduating, I said I wanted to major in journalism and computer science. I followed through on the journalism. As I look back, I'm not sure where the computer science piece came from. Maybe it was my love of MacGyver. For...
In 2014, I opened a Facebook account. I was taking a job overseas, where I thought communication would be a problem. Although I’m kind of a “technophobe,” my grandkids were in their early teens and I wanted to stay in touch. It seemed like a good idea at the time. At first, I really liked Facebook. I was able to keep up with the grandkids and really appreciated all the photos sent to me. However, as time passed, I saw what I believed to be a sinister side of the technology. I finally stopped using Facebook when I saw so many of the conversation...
Fairness is not a partisan issue. Fairness is the goal of the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act currently being considered in the United States Congress. The bill has bipartisan support in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. H.R. 1735 / S.673 is critically important to protecting the future of high-quality, local journalism in Montana and across our nation. Support is growing for the legislation, yet much more needs to be done before it can become law. This bill would make negotiations for fair compensation possible...
Last week I read the transcript of a New York Times podcast with longtime Republican pollster Frank Luntz. It gave me hope, not because Luntz was changing his politics, but because he was worried for the future of our country because of the divisiveness and bitterness between political factions which he, in part, has helped to fashion. That’s the good news. The bad news is that he doesn’t see a way out of it. Luntz has been very good at what he does, which is not just conducting polls on who...
A good rule of thumb in journalism is having three sources in an article. When our reporters go out to do interviews and get details for an article, I encourage them to talk to other people involved in the subject. We've all heard the saying there are two sides to every story. But how often do we actually open our ears, hearts and minds to the "other side?" Take national news networks, for example. If someone says they watch Fox News, and if another says they watch CNN, it's probably pretty easy to determine how those two people feel about...
