Opinion

I read something on grief the other day that struck a chord. The person writing lamented the fact that losing your spouse causes you to lose not only the person dearest to you, but in the aftermath you also lose most of your friends as well. I can personally attest to this. And that is not pointing any fingers in any direction. It is simply a statement of truth, without any anger or ill-will. But it is puzzling. I’ve thought about this a lot. I don’t blame people for leaving me - or me leaving them. I don’t blame myself. I blame grief. But still, why? How? At first – which is a long time actually – I think the pain of a person in deep, deep grief is...

Editor, Human extinction should be a “hot topic” for our world today. Right now, especially with the extremely good example our Middle East crisis is showing us, our world is watching the extreme devastation and killing capabilities of weapons of mass destruction. Add to this the threats of...

Of all of the work we have accomplished at the Department of the Interior under the Biden-Harris administration, one of the most significant has been the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative. In October at the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona, I listened as President Joe Biden issued a historic...

Editor, It’s clear that the US needs a better immigration system. That said, let’s see if I have this right. The incoming administration wants to deport most immigrants. But that’s not exactly it. They want to deport some of them, ones who work in jobs that Americans won’t work, su...

I’ve written much on grief. In writing class they tell you to write what you know, but this isn’t why I’ve written about the subject. I’ve felt compelled. Driven to do so, in an attempt to share my hard-fought knowledge and maybe, perhaps, help others to understand a non-understandabl...

An effort to honor a young man from Libby who heroically died on the battlefield in Vietnam prompted the creation of one of the first bills coming before the 69th Legislative Session in Helena. SB59 is poised to unite various political personalities behind a tribute to all Vietnam veterans, but particular...

I believe in Santa Claus. When you critically examine the whole narrative, what’s not to believe? Logic is logic and should dictate our beliefs, or lack thereof.  Let’s start with the big guy’s attire. We’re asked to accept the legitimacy of an elderly gentleman in a furry red...

“It’s beginning to cost a lot like Christmas,” were the lyrics to a cheeky Instagram reel that was recently sent in a back and forth thread between a friend and I. Funny as it was, I’ve long felt that the most wonderful time of the year is cheapened by frantic consumerism. We’re...

Catastrophic cuts are in the offing for Medicaid, the nation’s largest single source of health coverage, serving primarily low-income Americans. But catastrophe isn’t inevitable.  For some time, Republican lawmakers and allies in conservative think tanks have formulated plans to shrink Me...

Here’s a rhetorical question for Montanans: would you rather state government spend public money on things like billboards in Chicago to attract more tourists, or use that money to lower your property taxes?  I know exactly how my constituents in the Flathead Valley would answer that question a...