Opinion
We Montanans are passionate about wildlife. Doesn’t matter whether you hunt them, photograph them, hike to where you need binoculars just to see them as teeny dots, or just want to know they’re there - our home is special in large part because we share it with cool critters. We’ve heard that polar bears are in trouble because the ice they depend on for hunting seals is disappearing as the climate warms. True, but far away. But it turns out that two species that practically define Montana’s mountains are particularly adapted to cold climates and are starting to suffer from global warming: moose and mountain goats. In the alpine on a hot summer day you may notice...
Walking home one evening, I came to an intersection. A family and a couple were waiting for the light, the family bantering about crossing against the light. “My knees won’t let me go that fast!” the grandma warned. “Ma’am, I’m with you!” the man from the couple c...
Yesterday the TV was playing in the background and I thought I heard Homer Simpson say one of what I thought was the most prolific quotes of all time. “Why can’t all hills go down?” This gave me cause to pause. Homer certainly has a point. Why do hills have to go up? Doesn’t tha...
Uncovering one of Montana’s most underutilized—and misunderstood—citizen rights Did you know that you have a constitutional Right to Know? The Right to Know appears alongside your right to Freedom of Speech, Right to Bear Arms and Right of Suffrage in the Montana Constitution, and i...
Editor, April 2nd brought us another letter from another lakeshore owner who feels the government agency that oversees how our lake’s dam has been mismanaged points out the obvious. Of course someone as self-centered as a governmental agency (federal to boot) is more concerned with adhering to re...
Editor, April 2nd brought us another letter from another lakeshore owner who feels the government agency that oversees how our lake’s dam has been mismanaged points out the obvious. Of course someone as self-centered as a governmental agency (federal to boot) is more concerned with adhering to re...
After last year’s deep winter, this season has come as a shock, and many of us are wondering “Where is the snow?” Skiing injuries have been prevalent, and with the lack of powderhound tourism, small mountains have been struggling. While wetter snows have come to save the spring sea...
Liberty – Equality – Democracy: America and Americans are defined by their dedication to these founding principles--ideas that were fostered by the Enlightenment philosophers of the late 17th - 18th centuries, the Age of Reason, and enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution.&n...
Editor, I just finished watching a documentary that came out a couple of weeks ago – “The Cold Truth.” It was the very best I have seen. Regardless of your stance on global climate change, you need to watch this video. Just do a search using the keywords “The Cold Tr...
During my second tour to Iraq as a U.S. Marine, my unit was tasked to help secure the Syrian border. We had received intel that Iran was sending weapons into Syria to smuggle across the border for use against American troops. At the same time, refugees from all over the country were flooding the border to es...
