Opinion

Editor, Imagine this: feeling deep, soul-filling joy amongst mostly strangers, two evenings in a row. That’s what happened to me. Curious? Friday night, Mission Valley Live presented a concert highlighting Robin Layne and the Rhythm Makers. It was a knee-bouncing, energy-filled evening of incredible talent, bathing us in the happy sounds of music from West Africa, the Caribbean, and Mexico. It was uplifting to realize that everyone in the audience was undoubtedly experiencing a degree of pure joy. On Saturday evening, the Western Montana Musicians’ Cooperative held a long concert/jam session at Ronan’s Red Poppy. All the bands were great; Mojo Rising was spectacul...

Editor, I am not vermin. I am not a thug. I am not radical. Yet in his Veteran’s Day speech that is literally what Donald Trump called me and other voters who oppose him. I am your constituent and I expect you to stand up for me and other Montanans who don’t support treating anyone like ver...

For much of my life, I’ve been the inviter. I enjoyed planning and inviting people to those plans. But in the last few years I haven’t invited much of anyone anywhere. I didn’t have the heart for it. I lacked momentum and (to be honest) felt broken so I took on a rather new role. I fo...

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Remember those words? What if they’re right, what if all people are created equal and have...

The most important global issue of the day is that of the middle east conflict. The barbaric evil of Hamas was in full display Oct. 7. The reports are undeniable; “The IDF told CNN that women, children, toddlers and elderly were brutally butchered in an ISIS way of action.” (CNN, Oct. 13) LA Time...

The most important global issue of the day is that of the middle east conflict. The barbaric evil of Hamas was in full display Oct. 7. The reports are undeniable; “The IDF told CNN that women, children, toddlers and elderly were brutally butchered in an ISIS way of action.” (CNN, Oct. 13) LA Time...

We’re now less than a year out from one of the biggest elections in Montana history. Next November, our ballots will be stacked with candidates for president, U.S. Senate, two congressional seats, governor, attorney general, secretary of state, superintendent of public instruction, state auditor, and t...

If you have seen the television show, “Jury Duty,” on Amazon Prime that came out last year, you will know that the show follows members of a jury who are tasked to decide a workplace dispute. The lawsuit and trial are fake. Everyone involved in the trial is an actor other than one member of the j...

Editor, Our nation’s system of government stands on the cusp of change. We either choose Trump’s authoritative/dictatorial style of government or retain our democratic system of government. The Trump tirades have captured the imagination and support, home and abroad, of significant numbers of ...

Flathead Lake is one of the most beautiful places on earth; however, this summer’s low lake levels severely impacted residents, irrigators, fishermen, recreators, marinas, land and dock owners, and many other businesses directly or indirectly.  The economic impact is huge. So, what happened, an...