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•Don’t mess with Electoral College

Likely nobody is surprised by recent attacks on the Electoral College by East Coast media and local folks who lost the election.

The “cover story” is always the same — “equal voting power” — which would of course be precisely the argument to dismantle the U.S. Senate, which gives Montana the same two votes on major issues as California and New York. One senses that their real motivation is far less flattering.

Our system of government has endured nearly two and a half centuries for many reasons, not the least of which is our protection of minorities from the tyranny of the majority, and precisely why the proposition of direct popular vote for the presidency was specifically rejected by our Founders. As longtime NPR political commentator Cokie Roberts pointed out last week, popular vote elections would be run on both coasts and in the media. Disenfranchised folks in the Midwest, Hispanics with only 11 percent of the national vote, blacks with only 12 percent of the national vote, Montanans with even less — why spend time and attention on their problems? Cokie was happy that the recently described 1969 attempt at abolition — actually also driven by her father, Hale Boggs, Senate majority whip — failed.

Over the years, we all lose some close elections. Amazingly, life goes on, even when we predictably pretend the opposition “lacks a mandate.” Perhaps it would be wise to let emotions and wounds from the recent election heal and let the national picture play out a few years before offering up angst-driven, over-heated doomsday speculations. —Andy Palchak, Kalispell

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•Bring on the lawsuits, letters!

Well, thank heaven the Kootenai National Forest has until next fall to evaluate, select and cut down the People’s Tree for next year’s Christmas festivities at the White House. That will allow plenty of time for the Sierra Club to file a lawsuit over how cutting that tree will negatively impact the white pine bark beetle (or some other insect). It will give Friends of the Wild Swan ample time to file a protest as to how the road that will obviously need to be built to get to the tree will impact the watershed and various little forest critters.

If the Forest Service can complete an environmental impact statement early on, there will be time to file a. variety of frivolous protests. And our dear friend, Bill Baum, can now begin writing his 15 or so letters to the editor on how the cutting of that one tree will decimate the grizzly bear habitat and the remaining five bears in the Cabinet Wilderness. —Mark Schwager, Kalispell

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•A vote for Love

I was glad to read the proclamation from the mayor of Whitefish supporting the presence and mission of Love Lives Here of the Flathead Valley. Organizations like this one point the way to our nation’s future while also doing the hard work of making it happen. A house divided cannot stand, and we cannot simply reject or marginalize our way to a healthy, thriving society. Jewish, black, Muslim, LGBTQ and, yes, “regular” white people are all equal citizens. We each have a stake in our community, and no one is leaving, so we must find our way forward together. Love Lives Here has a plan for doing just that. —Clif Ng, Fairfield, California

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•Hate has no place in Montana

I’ve read the letters to the editor about white nationalists flooding individuals and businesses in Whitefish with hate messages and death threats, and the written responses are disturbing. It seems that some people want to spend more time being upset about a real-estate deal than the hate crimes that followed.

We may never know exactly what transpired between Sherry Spencer and a Realtor in Whitefish, but one thing is clear. If Spencer had a problem, she had the option to report the Realtor to her office and several other authorities. Instead, she started a media campaign based on rumors.

In my opinion, no one was harassing Sherry Spencer’s business. No protests were ever planned. Those accusations are complete hearsay, and now we have the FBI investigating the actions of Richard Spencer’s supporters.

The Bible says, “By their fruits you shall know them.” Sherry and Richard Spencer’s supporters committed hate crimes toward people based on their religion and ethnicity, and now they are planning an armed hate march through Whitefish in January. Love Lives Here supporters, by contrast, organized efforts to send encouraging notes and gift baskets to the victims of the attack.

Hate has no place in our great state of Montana, and I am thrilled to see Gov. Steve Bullock, Sen. Steve Daines, Sen. Jon Tester and Congressman Ryan Zinke focusing on the real problem here: standing against the hate crimes happening in Whitefish and throughout the state. —Cherilyn DeVries, Kalispell

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•A rare success

Thank you to the editor for your timely, insightful, well-written “2 Cents” column of Sunday, Dec. 18. I must admit, I usually don’t get past your first sentence in the column (although I do give it a try), but the Dec. 18 column was excellent.

Also would like to compliment Andy Viano on a very well done article about Jen Asebrook in the Dec. 19 issue. It was thoughtfully done, had great flow of information, a great journalistic piece. Keep up the great work! —Rayne Beach, Whitefish

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•Live and let live

To Colin Johnson of Kalispell, thank you for your letter rgarding the situation in Whitefish. Your sentiments are shared by many including me. I would like to add that the saying “ Live and let live” is very appropriate to the situation going on in Whitefish.

If crimes are not being committed, then leave people alone; otherwise let law enforcement handle it. This is America after all. We need to be turning our attention to the drug epidemic, child abuse, pollution, poverty, homelessness and the list goes on. There are plenty of issues right here and now that need to be addressed.

As for “political correctness,” here is an incident I want to share. On a recent trip to the grocery store, I was surprised to learn that we can no longer say “Bless you” when we sneeze. I sneezed (not on anyone and I assure you I covered my nose and mouth) and a young man with his little daughter came up to me and said “ Excuse you” followed by him saying “my daughter says it is not OK for us to say “Bless you” anymore because it may offend someone, so she came up with “Excuse you.” I was dumbfounded to say the least, but I replied that it must be the politically correct thing to do, but I will continue to say “ Bless you” and chuckled. I don’t believe saying “Bless you” is wrong. “ Excuse you” is fine, too, but a little too blaming for me. Who decided we can’t say “Bless you” anymore? —Kathy Wright, Whitefish, MT

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•Founders right about elections

Bob Brown wrote a letter to the editor in the Christmas Sunday paper. He suggested it may be time to “get rid of” the Electoral College. The paper says he is a Republican, but in my opinion, this is not true: He is a Democrat and has all ways been a Democrat. He was a RINO (Republican in name only), and men like this give the Republican Party a bad name. He also teaches and in my opinion brainwashes all the young people in his classes going to that college.

Why would Donald Trump waste his time going to the small states when all he had to do is hit the big cities. The Electoral College proved it was a great idea, put in by our Founding Fathers, I think they are smarter then Bob Brown. —Fred Hammel, Kalispell