Letters to the editor May 9

A century later

“Remember the Maine!” Does anyone? The Maine was a battleship harbored in Havana in 1898 that unexpectedly exploded, possibly by radicals. Immediately, with the help of William Randolph Hearst, a newspaper publisher who invented that famous slogan advocating retaliation, we declared war and conquered Cuba, and then the Philippines. When asked why we decided to invade the Philippines, 5,000 miles away, President McKinley was dumbfounded. So, he declared “...to Christianize it.”, even though Filipinos had been worshipping Christ for several hundred years.

I was taught in high school that this was a case of “yellow journalism” by the Media. I was attending Cardinal Spellman High School at the time, not some Marxist indoctrination camp.

Thankfully, a century later, we can safely say we no longer suffer this type of manipulation. We don’t have a media inciting hatred for countries like Russia, or our elected leaders. We don’t have to worry about politicians like McKinley claiming noble ideals for conquest, domination and theft. And, lastly, we don’t have to worry about being sucked into another war by elements that profit at everybody else’s expense.

—Mike Donohue, Kalispell

Welcome to stinktown

I’m having deja’ vu or is it vu jade’’? A little humor to precede a very serious matter.

The Whitefish sewage treatment plant stinks to high heaven. Did we not solve this problem just two summers ago? How can this be that this beautiful town with its mountain views and clean air can smell so wretched. What boggles the mind is the fact that there are multiple new developments and condos in the process of building that haven’t even burdened the plant yet. What then?

The thousands of tourists haven’t shown up yet. What then?

This is not good at all for homeowners, especially not good for the tourist season, and equally as bad for folks trying to sell their homes. Something must be done. It’s not even hot yet. I cannot imagine the stench when the heat turns up. Please, Whitefish, do something soon and something permanent.

—Catherine Owens, Whitefish

School shootings

“1 dead 8 hurt school shooting.” Despite the headlines in Wednesday’s paper, local gun-rights organizations remain confident that all this shooting and killing will stop — all by itself for no reason.

—Ed Dramer, Kalispell

Imperial presidency

I’d like to give a much shorter and accurate “summary” of the Mueller report than Attorney General Barr gave us: “Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I’m f---ed.”

This tells us all we need to know and Barr needs to face Congress and explain himself. Any other American would be facing a trial for obstruction of justice. Why not this person? Did I miss the part of the Constitution that says the President is exempted from following the same law as the rest of us?

What will Republicans say when president Biden tries pulling the same stunt and invites Iran or China to help out in the election? They are creating the imperial presidency right now, and I don’t know about you, but I for one do not want a queen Warren running my country, or a king Buttigege any more than I do a king Trump.

It is time for patriots to protect and defend the Constitution. Please put patriotism ahead of party patrimony. It is past time to impeach! Call your congress-critters and demand action.

If you don’t have a seat at the table, it usually means you are in the menu.

—Bob Petersen, Evergreen

Sanctity of human life

We have polluted our land by shedding of innocent blood through abortion and terrible violence against unborn babies. We have become guilty of the blood of 60,000,000 innocent babies crying for justice. If we do not turn from this detestable practice, our days of decency as a nation will continue to crumble. We need to remove leaders who condone and whitewash such evil deeds.

We need to pray to God that our president, lawmakers and judges recognize their duty to establish and enforce policies that will protect from harm the most vulnerable among us. We need to pray for every public official who stands against abortion and regarding the sanctity of human life and to save the lives of millions of innocent babies.

We need to instill this is not a Republican or Democratic problem. It is what is in a person’s heart. To kill is not the answer.

—Kay Snipes, Columbia Falls

Where the buffalo roam

Our government officials continue to prioritize private interests over public opinion. Keeping bison out of Montana is a spineless idea that only benefits private ranchers.

Officials claim that bison can transmit brucellosis - a disease that can cause cattle to abort fetuses - although there has never been any documented evidence of a transmission in the wild. We should allow bison to freely roam throughout Montana because it would increase visitor spending, reduce tax dollar expenditure, and enhance the ecosystem.

Limiting bison to a small area of Yellowstone National Park is not only unnatural and unfair, but ultimately stifles economic growth. The public’s desire to see this animal unrestricted and sovereign again should not be overshadowed by influence of special interests.

—Natalie Crane, Bozeman