A light-hearted look at dark times

Wow! Half of the legislative session is over, and I haven’t made one comment. I guess it is time to come off my sabbatical and get back into the fray... but... where to begin?

How about with Leonard Haines’ recent letter entitled “Can’t Miele find anything good to say about Obama?” I have to agree and to add that I personally want to nominate President Barack Obama for the honor of “Sporting Goods Promoter of the New Millennium.” No one has done more to drive up the interest in, demand for, manufacture of, and sales of firearms and ammunition than Barack Obama, and I think we need to publically acknowledge his contribution. 

Well done, Mr. President! Well done! Keep up the good work! Does anyone want to donate towards a plaque of some kind? Maybe a medal? How about a post card or a postage stamp? No. Oh well, me neither.

Let’s look at what our state Legislature has been working on. Can anyone fault the members of the state government for their attempt to do something about the high suicide rate in Montana? Teens, young adults, veterans, all are of great concern to our government in Helena and must be protected. All that is except senior citizens. In their case, the government wants to make it easier for them to die from suicide, under the positive sounding title of Death with Dignity. Just for the record, in my case, no thank you.

Another interesting point of how our state government is looking out for its senior citizens concerns the increase in hunting and fishing license fees. Note, the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department wants to let youngsters hunt for free their first year and at a reduced rate for several more, but they want the rate on the seniors, those trying to live on fixed incomes, to be increased. If those rates are not increased, then the department will have to curtail the programs most enjoyed by the public.

Sounds an awful lot like the “shut down” imposed by President Obama during the sequestration. All those folks forced onto unemployment, parks closed, monuments shuttered, and all the fault of those damn Republicans. Of course everyone got rehired with back pay. The only ones who lost out were those who had scrimped and saved for a vacation.

Let’s look at the idea of the land transfer. How many of you remember back to 1992 when Bill Clinton scrawled his signature and closed part of the national forests to logging and other outdoor pursuits? Remember the days of low property taxes, plenty of money to fund our schools because the woods were paying their way. Since then there has been a flurry road closures and road destruction.

I guess no one at the USDA ever read their own book about the power and devastation brought about by the fires of 1910. One point that stands out in that book was that the firefighters could not access the fires in a timely manner. There were no roads. The crews had to walk in. If you want to read the personal accounts about these fires, go to the local Forest Service office and request a copy of the book, “When The Mountains Roared: Stories of the 1910 Fires.” It is free and very telling.

Another excuse used to justify the closure is the Endangered Species Act. We have to protect the grizzly bear. Well the grizzly is back. They are wandering down the river bottoms and into populated areas. Sooner or later, there will be a tragedy.

One final excuse offered by federal-control folks is that no one is being kept out of any area. Users can still “walk in” to the closed areas. I beg to differ. A number of Montana citizens are unable to just walk in due to age-related problems and, in some cases, disabilities. Perhaps it is time for a lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service due to reduced or denial of access under the Americans with Disabilities Act?

Funk is a resident of Kalispell.