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My, how the cycle of political realities changes colors. During the Cold War red was the color ascribed primarily to the Soviet Union in particular, to its allies in general, and dimmed down to “pink” for any person, or entity, deemed sympathetic to any of the above. Today, states that vote primarily Republican are known as “Red States.”

Today, we have a president who can’t seem to say enough good things about the Russian despot Vladimir Putin, but has no problem insulting the leader of our longtime ally Australia.

Today, we have an administration that chose for national security adviser a man who was receiving over a half a million dollars from a foreign country (Turkey) without having declared himself a foreign agent as is required.

Today, our own intelligence agencies say that Russia did attempt to interfere in our presidential election. Yet the Republican chairs of their respective intelligence committees (House and Senate), along with the U.S. attorney general (a supporter of Trump during the campaign) were not willing to agree with the public outcry asking for an independent prosecutor to investigate the extent to which the Russians carried this out, and with whom they may have collaborated. Guess they aren’t concerned that the public they are pledged to serve prefers that the investigation have no suspicion of bias.

Makes one wonder if the GOP has somehow morphed itself into a crimson-coated “Genuflecting Order of Putinites.” —Alan Solum, Somers

Giving a voice to the unborn

I am yours. I belong to you. I was given to you. I want you, mommy. I want you, daddy. Please, hold me in your arms. Keep me warm; care for me and love me. So that I may live; so that I can grow strong in you; so that I can get to know the person who made me; so that I can have the same chance to live that you and daddy had. So that I can enjoy puppies and kitty cats, and be kind to them and get to love them; so that I can enjoy the beauty of big animals, our mountains … and forests … and the sky and stars; so that I can experience brothers and sisters, family relatives who care for me and who I can love. So that I can put my arms around your neck and hold on.

Please mommy, please daddy, oh please care for me and protect me and help me to grow up and be good. And mommy, daddy, if you don’t want me, please give me to another family that will protect and love me and will help me to be and become what I was made for.

Please listen to me, hear my thoughts, hear my heartbeat, hear my one desire to be loved and cared for. Feel me tapping on your tummy. Mommy, don’t destroy me. Please give me a chance to be what I already am. Mommy and daddy, I love you. —Mark Haag, Columbia Falls

Whatever happened to the Republican Party?

Throughout history, Republicans led some extremely progressive movements. I mean some serious “liberal” ones. Abe Lincoln united the country, freed the slaves. Republicans voted the Civil Rights Act in 1964 with 80 percent House of Representatives and 82 percent in the Senate. Today that is considered a “liberal” movement.

The progressive wing of the GOP supported the women’s suffrage movement. Teddy Roosevelt, a great Republican, founded the progressive movement and assisted in leading the charge to establish the 19th Amendment.

Today we equate “progressive” with being liberal when in fact, progressives are people who believe that the greatest obstacles to individual freedom and liberty are discrimination and poverty. I think conservatives and liberals believe everyone has the right to equal opportunity to reach their full human potential. Progressives believe that prosperity is the outcome to healthy democratic society that balances the values of individualism and community. That’s what being progressive is. If you hear that someone is in the “resistance” they are probably progressive, at least they are today. It means we resist what does not resonate with our core American beliefs and values as stated in the United States Constitution.

Progression happens when people have had enough. It’s not the politicians or the ultra wealthy. It’s just us, you and me who seek what is fair and American. Montanans may get into cyber matches online and disagree on news threads, but when it come to public lands, education, or what is the “right thing to do,” we find commonality. At the end of the day it won’t be about politics, who’s right and who is wrong, it will be about what is best for our families and our neighbors, and being Montanans, we always work together for that. —Cristina Friar, Bigfork

Border wall can be afforded ...

How will the U.S. pay for the border wall?

There is a $1 trillion dollar trade imbalance between Mexico and the United States. Most of the goods are going one way, into the U.S., in the last 10 years. Just put a small tariff on goods coming into this country.

Stop protecting other countries’ borders. If they want American troops in their country, make them pay.

Stop funding the United Nations — this would easily pay for the wall.

Get rid of the Department of Education, which employs 4,400 people, with a budget $68 billion. The Energy Department also has a huge budget. By eliminating these departments, we could easily pay for the wall plus other projects.

Open the forest to logging, the BLM to mining and oil wells. This would easily pay for the wall.

There are many ways to pay for this wall.

This country has a deficit of $20 trillion. One city just built a new football stadium at a cost of $1 billion, but with $1 trillion, we could build 1,000 stadiums, or other big projects. Like President Trump says, the 20-year war in the Middle East has cost the taxpayers $5 trillion or $6 trillion. With that money, we could have totally rebuilt this country three times. —Fred Hammel, Kalispell

Keep the lid on campaign money

Why would Rep. Tom Richmond, R-Billings, sponsor a bill to increase contributions to a political campaign?

What voter would support this increase?

Why do we have so much money wasted on campaign spending that could have been donated to worthy causes?

Gov. Bullock did the right thing to veto this bill. —Orrin Webber III, Kalispell

Whose face is red now?

My, how the cycle of political realities changes colors. During the Cold War red was the color ascribed primarily to the Soviet Union in particular, to its allies in general, and dimmed down to “pink” for any person, or entity, deemed sympathetic to any of the above. Today, states that vote primarily Republican are known as “Red States.”

Today, we have a president who can’t seem to say enough good things about the Russian despot Vladimir Putin, but has no problem insulting the leader of our longtime ally Australia.

Today, we have an administration that chose for national security adviser a man who was receiving over a half a million dollars from a foreign country (Turkey) without having declared himself a foreign agent as is required.

Today, our own intelligence agencies say that Russia did attempt to interfere in our presidential election. Yet the Republican chairs of their respective intelligence committees (House and Senate), along with the U.S. attorney general (a supporter of Trump during the campaign) were not willing to agree with the public outcry asking for an independent prosecutor to investigate the extent to which the Russians carried this out, and with whom they may have collaborated. Guess they aren’t concerned that the public they are pledged to serve prefers that the investigation have no suspicion of bias.

Makes one wonder if the GOP has somehow morphed itself into a crimson-coated “Genuflecting Order of Putinites.” —Alan Solum, Somers

Giving a voice to the unborn

I am yours. I belong to you. I was given to you. I want you, mommy. I want you, daddy. Please, hold me in your arms. Keep me warm; care for me and love me. So that I may live; so that I can grow strong in you; so that I can get to know the person who made me; so that I can have the same chance to live that you and daddy had. So that I can enjoy puppies and kitty cats, and be kind to them and get to love them; so that I can enjoy the beauty of big animals, our mountains … and forests … and the sky and stars; so that I can experience brothers and sisters, family relatives who care for me and who I can love. So that I can put my arms around your neck and hold on.

Please mommy, please daddy, oh please care for me and protect me and help me to grow up and be good. And mommy, daddy, if you don’t want me, please give me to another family that will protect and love me and will help me to be and become what I was made for.

Please listen to me, hear my thoughts, hear my heartbeat, hear my one desire to be loved and cared for. Feel me tapping on your tummy. Mommy, don’t destroy me. Please give me a chance to be what I already am. Mommy and daddy, I love you. —Mark Haag, Columbia Falls

Whatever happened to the Republican Party?

Throughout history, Republicans led some extremely progressive movements. I mean some serious “liberal” ones. Abe Lincoln united the country, freed the slaves. Republicans voted the Civil Rights Act in 1964 with 80 percent House of Representatives and 82 percent in the Senate. Today that is considered a “liberal” movement.

The progressive wing of the GOP supported the women’s suffrage movement. Teddy Roosevelt, a great Republican, founded the progressive movement and assisted in leading the charge to establish the 19th Amendment.

Today we equate “progressive” with being liberal when in fact, progressives are people who believe that the greatest obstacles to individual freedom and liberty are discrimination and poverty. I think conservatives and liberals believe everyone has the right to equal opportunity to reach their full human potential. Progressives believe that prosperity is the outcome to healthy democratic society that balances the values of individualism and community. That’s what being progressive is. If you hear that someone is in the “resistance” they are probably progressive, at least they are today. It means we resist what does not resonate with our core American beliefs and values as stated in the United States Constitution.

Progression happens when people have had enough. It’s not the politicians or the ultra wealthy. It’s just us, you and me who seek what is fair and American. Montanans may get into cyber matches online and disagree on news threads, but when it come to public lands, education, or what is the “right thing to do,” we find commonality. At the end of the day it won’t be about politics, who’s right and who is wrong, it will be about what is best for our families and our neighbors, and being Montanans, we always work together for that. —Cristina Friar, Bigfork

Border wall can be afforded ...

How will the U.S. pay for the border wall?

There is a $1 trillion dollar trade imbalance between Mexico and the United States. Most of the goods are going one way, into the U.S., in the last 10 years. Just put a small tariff on goods coming into this country.

Stop protecting other countries’ borders. If they want American troops in their country, make them pay.

Stop funding the United Nations — this would easily pay for the wall.

Get rid of the Department of Education, which employs 4,400 people, with a budget $68 billion. The Energy Department also has a huge budget. By eliminating these departments, we could easily pay for the wall plus other projects.

Open the forest to logging, the BLM to mining and oil wells. This would easily pay for the wall.

There are many ways to pay for this wall.

This country has a deficit of $20 trillion. One city just built a new football stadium at a cost of $1 billion, but with $1 trillion, we could build 1,000 stadiums, or other big projects. Like President Trump says, the 20-year war in the Middle East has cost the taxpayers $5 trillion or $6 trillion. With that money, we could have totally rebuilt this country three times. —Fred Hammel, Kalispell

Keep the lid on campaign money

Why would Rep. Tom Richmond, R-Billings, sponsor a bill to increase contributions to a political campaign?

What voter would support this increase?

Why do we have so much money wasted on campaign spending that could have been donated to worthy causes?

Gov. Bullock did the right thing to veto this bill. —Orrin Webber III, Kalispell