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Thanks to school officials and police for working to keep us safe

Love Lives Here sends our encouragement to all of the Flathead Valley school officials and police forces plus the FBI agents who are working together to respond to threats made against our schools this week.

We remember how overwhelming and frightening it was to deal with horrible online threats and stand in the unknown several months ago when white supremacists tried to terrorize Whitefish residents. We are deeply grateful for the support that the targets of the attacks received from the police, the schools and the FBI, and we want to return that kindness.

Thank you for your leadership and ongoing efforts to keep students in the entire valley safe. —Will Randall, Kalispell, chair (joined by Rev. Mary Wellemeyer, Will Hiatt, Jamie Souder, Jared Pettinato)

The Divided States of America

I became politically independent once I learned that politicians get elected to get re-elected, vote party lines, and get rich. I vote for the person, not the party. So why is our nation divided? Let’s look.

Your candidate did not get elected, so you break store windows, vandalize buildings, burn cars in the streets, attack and injure policemen who are trying to protect everyone, block ambulances and fire trucks from reaching the people that need help, parade in the streets and block anything the present administration is trying to accomplish and resort to civil disobedience like Third World countries. Wouldn’t an educated, common-sense person just work to elect a better candidate in four years? This divides us.

An organization called Onward to Action has over 34,000 paid and unpaid volunteers to take to the streets and try to block anything the current president tries to accomplish. This divides us.

Minority groups have our congressmen trying to decide which bathroom we can use. This divides us.

Other groups have identified things like the Confederacy and statues as symbols of slavery. If they read history, it was never about slavery; it was the mechanized North vs. the agricultural South and the issue was states’ rights. The North had slaves at the same time. What is next? Tear down the pyramids because they were built with slave labor? Ban Keebler’s advertisements because the word cracker is offensive to white people?

When any group gets a permit to march — as much as we may disagree with them — and anyone against it comes out to fight them, it is wrong. Just stay away, let them march to the end of the street and leave. This divides us.

Universities that are supposed to be the center of learning and thinking ban speakers that some don’t agree with. This mainly stops thinking and seeing the other point of view. Too many universities and colleges are teaching students what to think, instead of how to think. This divides us.

We need to concentrate on the big issues that will make America better, and hope for the return of common sense to again make us the UNITED States of America. I pray this will happen to save our country. —Gary Carver, Kalispell

Why do natural disasters get attention much quicker than manmade ones?

Yes the Texas flooding has been terrible! I am sure all your readers agree. I do have to pose this question though: Why does Mother Nature get immediate attention while equally damaging situations in the U.S. do not?

More people are killed by illegally entered people than the hurricane. More taxpayer money is spent on illegally entered people than the hurricane. Military veterans wait 8-10 years for benefits from PTSD with no funding. Social Security was drained and never repaid.

Seems it is time to elect public officials in all offices who can act in the voters’ and taxpayers’ best interests to get out of the red and into the black BEFORE we continue giving BORROWED money to other countries that do not appreciate our help. The days of butt-kissing are over if we want to save and rebuild our country for our grandchildren! God bless America. Now get to work to do your part to help everyone that truly has earned it! —Ron Albrecht, Kalispell

What if climate change deniers are wrong?

Regarding the recent heated exchanges on climate change, I think the wrong question is being asked. It should NOT be, “Who is right?”; rather, it should be, “What if you are wrong?” If the climate change deniers are wrong and we make little or no efforts to minimize its effects, the world faces the maximum risk — oceans will continue to rise, weather extremes will become common place, and famine and diaspora will become common. If the climate change advocates are wrong but we make the efforts they advocated, the world will face minimum risk and will benefit from cleaner air and water and better energy technology. —Lana Batts, Lakeside

Voters need to take action, too

Here’s a novel concept. If you believe we need tax reform, maybe you should take five minutes out of your day and email, call or write your congressman and senators and tell them if they don’t come together and work something out, that benefits everyone, you will take that into consideration next time they are up for election. Just saying, it’s our country, they’re our employees and they are not doing their job. We can make a difference. —Jay Thompson, Bigfork

Permits for hucks & morels?

Due to the lack of foods in the forests for bears and other animals, I believe that going forward there should be permits issued for huckleberry picking and mushroom picking.

People should pay a permit for berries of 50-100 plus they should be fined $1,000 for using “rakes.” Rakes destroy the crops, plus idiots that don’t know what they are doing pull out the roots on mushrooms.

This money could be used for wildlife management to preserve the habitat of our wildlife. No wonder so many bears are searching for food. Local citizens should be able to report people using rakes or ask to see their permits. No one from out of Montana should be allowed to pick morels. No more trophy hunting. —Becky Berger, Kalispell

Americans have clear choice and responsibility

America is presented with a most critical opportunity right now. And this is not just my opinion, but the thoughts of many I see hear and read. And this is not a time for endless comparisons with the past. This is a time for serious attention with the present.

We are being dramatically presented with two sides of the coin, our political “coin of the realm,” so to speak. One side represents lies, finger-pointing, anger, greed and fear. The other side represents all the values that sparked the birth of our nation — values of honesty, integrity, legislation by the will of the people, and honoring our Constitution and the rule of law.

In the extended palms of our executive, legislative, and judicial branches of our government, all three are holding, in living color and bright reflections staring up at them, the side of greed, fear and anger. Will each turn over the coin to see the other side? Which side carries the power of national choice right now? Is the will, power and actions of the majority of Americans able to permeate and productively protect the very values that sparked the birth of our nation?

Time will tell. But it seems to me that advocating strongly for clear answers to these and other such questions is essential. In my view, we need movements within our communities, states, and regions in America representing the side of the coin which clearly represents the positive values upon which our nation was created. —Bob McClellan, Polson