Columns

I was flying home after facilitating my Difficult Conversations workshop at Idaho State University. It was the first leg of my return journey, a puddle-jump on a small turbo-prop from Pocatello to Seattle. It was a short flight, but long enough to teach me something. During the boarding process, I had switched seats with a fellow traveler. I’d reserved an aisle seat, 14A, but the person who reserved 14B, the window seat, asked if we could switch places. I didn’t want to, but I could see she’d find the aisle more comfortable, so I agreed. Twenty minutes into the flight, I started to regret my act of kindness. I was feeling cramped, and frustrated that I couldn’t...

Paparazzi - love them or hate them, they have become a fixture of our modern world. The word “Paparazzi” evokes images of pushy hordes of photographers crowding celebrities, all angling to get the best shot. While it might feel like this is a normal part of celebrity culture, it hasn’t alwa...

Lately, I’ve been learning a lot about plants. I’m late to the party, I know. A few thousand years late, really. I’ve always appreciated plants for their beauty and nutrition, but that was always where my attention stopped, despite the vast wealth of plant knowledge available from centuries...

I remember a book from early childhood written by Charles Schulz. It was titled, “Happiness Is” and it caused quite a stir amongst the preschool crowd (and beyond). For good reason. Its message was simple, meaningful, ageless, and timeless. So timeless, in fact, that its simple idea remains me...

One of us is a Republican legislator representing rural Gallatin County. The other is a Democratic legislator representing the city of Missoula. Despite our political differences, we are committed to taking action to end the crisis at the Montana State Psychiatric Hospital at Warm Springs. The State Hospital...

Driving through Polson, I am reminded of all the times in high school when I was told how devastating the drug issue was in our town. Naturally, I used to think these drugs were the cause of the ubiquitous poverty within our community. However, I cannot help but think this causal relationship is reversed. ...

As I sit here writing this, there’s a bit of dirt still under my fingernails. The spring bug has bit me, and I decided it was time to start my planting for this year.  With my luck, it’ll be snowing as you read this.  To be honest, the spring bug has been under my skin for months ...

The internet-undeniably the backbone of our modern world – it influences our banking, communication, shopping, and entertainment. In the last decades, we, as consumers, are increasingly reliant on the internet. The majority of us receive this service through some sort of cable or tower-based wireless s...

Capping Montana’s double digit property tax increases on homeowners would seem a no-brainer issue for legislative candidates. Not so. The focus of Republicans and Democrats alike is on protecting the cash flow to government and placating moneyed special interests. The bi-partisan Revenue Interim Commit...

 I wanted a kayak. It was a simple request I repeated repeatedly. I talked about how we would go kayaking this summer on the lake. We’d have a blast making family memories while building our triceps and getting a tan. I communicated as clearly as I could, in English, which is the language they spe...