LETTER: Independence from meat industry needed
Whatever happened to the good old days when our worst worries on the Fourth of July were traffic jams and wayward fireworks?
A well-warranted worry, according to the Department of Agriculture’s Meat & Poultry Hotline, is food poisoning by nasty E. coli and salmonella bugs hiding in hot dogs and hamburgers at millions of backyard barbecues. The hotline’s advice is to grill them longer and hotter. Of course, they avoid mentioning that the high-temperature grilling that kills the bugs also happens to form cancer-causing compounds.
Fortunately, some forward-thinking U.S. food manufacturers have solved these issues for us by creating an amazing assortment of healthy and delicious veggie burgers and soy dogs. No nasty pathogens or cancer-causing compounds in these tasty plant-based foods. They don’t even carry cholesterol, saturated fats, antibiotics or pesticides. And they are conveniently waiting for us at almost any supermarket.
This Fourth of July offers a great opportunity to declare our independence from the meat industry and to share wholesome veggie burgers and soy dogs with our family and friends. —Kobe Berkell, Kalispell
In praise of greatest local running stars
Flathead’s Jake Perrin certainly must be congratulated for being one of the greatest distance runners, winning both the 1,600 meters and 3,200 meters and holding the all-class record, as of now, in both races.
As a former cross-country coach in Eureka, I have followed the sport closely and have tremendous respect for the distance coaching staff at Flathead High.
Shannon Butler, running for Eureka, must also be considered as one of the best distance runners to come out of Montana. Shannon holds the all-class three-mile cross country record since 1985, even though the race has been run in the state on different courses. No athlete has posted a faster three-mile time. Shannon was never defeated in the three-mile in Montana. He was also named Gatorade Athlete of the Year.
Shannon went on to run for Montana State and won 12 Big Sky championships and was never defeated in the Big Sky, winning the mile, the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters during his Bobcat running career.
Shannon later went on to win both collegiate NCAA 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter races. Shannon was voted into the Montana State Hall of Fame.
I feel both these great distance runners should share being The Two Greatest Male Distance Runners to ever come out of the state at this time.
Jake Perrin, congratulations on your great accomplishment as a distance runner. The best of luck to your future running for Gonzaga.—David McFadyean, Eureka
When logging, mining left, so did good jobs
The United States has got the finest Forest Service in the world — best trained in the science of timber management, soil and water disease, insects etc. These are dedicated people.
Ask any logger or miner who worked in the woods over seven years ago. Obama shut it all down — something about clearing the air.
The folks in almost half of Western Montana were in some way tied to the logging and mining industry — then the loss of jobs. After that went the savings for retirement to subsist.
All along, Obama was continually campaigning to raise money for the party. Now those groups contributing, such as the environmental clubs, expect their due, such as guiding the Forest Service on what not to do. After all, someone has to look after that endangered leaping snail and, of course, that yellow bird that sings only on Sundays.
Now the party is taken care of and richer, but the rest of people’s government such as the Forest Service … well, the boss of our country got us $19 trillion in the hole. Something about Bush made him do it.
Never fear. The Forest Service people are going forth with strong hearts and funds are gathering in by the selling of permits to suck mushrooms and berries, also for cutting firewood, corral and tepee poles.
One only has to look at better days.
Vote Trump.
—Paul Fossler, Coram