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What if shoe were on the other foot?

It is time for a practical lesson on tribalism over patriotism in U.S. politics today.

Imagine this scenario: Hillary Clinton is president. It’s learned that she has deep ties to Putin. Every U.S. intelligence agency reveals a vast Russian effort to help her win the election, yet, she does nothing to stop Russian interference in U.S. elections. She puts utterly unqualified billionaires in Cabinet posts, many of whom loath the department they lead. Many of them have suspicious ties to the Kremlin, but swore under oath of no such thing, in spite of evidence to the contrary. In spite of four members of her staff being indicted on federal charges — two of whom have pleaded guilty, the Democrats attack the FBI investigators, the FBI and the federal courts who have the temerity to question her behavior.

She puts her daughter Chelsea in a position of influence in the West Wing. And Chelsea’s husband is her chief adviser and in charge of Middle East peace, liaison to China, Mexico, and Iraq. Hillary refuses to release any tax returns, in spite of tradition and some obvious conflicts of interest.

Hillary blocks access to the visitor logs in the White House. Every other weekend she flies to her privately owned hotel and golf course where she is accompanied by an entourage of Secret Service at public expense while receiving income from people who want to get next to her for some special treatment by staying in her luxury hotel.

AND, in an interview, she names the wrong country she bombed while bragging about the chocolate cake she was eating at the time of the bombing. And then she threatens nuclear holocaust on another country without justifiable cause. Additionally, when a neo-Nazi protest results in rioting and loss of life, she points out that many of the neo-Nazis were good people. She supports a pedophile running for a U.S. Senate seat from Alabama, a man who was kicked out of the Alabama Supreme Court twice for not following the Constitution and pardons a sheriff that cost his county $43 million in civil suits for prisoner abuse.

The point is that the outrage, the outcries, the screaming by Republicans would be heard around the world and impeachment proceedings would already be underway. “Fox and Friends” would be having a cow and Breitbart? I hear the screeching from Montana. —David R. James, Eureka

Abortion isn’t right for image of Whitefish

Those who come to visit or live in Whitefish are looking for something. They seek out the outdoor splendor and fun that our town has to offer — from endless outdoor activity to the quaint small-town warmth and safety that our community conveys.

People are relieved to escape the commercialized world of stress, schedules, anger and politics suffocating them in the places from which they have come. They are eager to enjoy the simplicity and adventure of our town. Over the years, our community has worked to protect our way of life and promote the beauty of Whitefish for everyone. We have guided building design, limited commercial chain stores, derailed white-supremacy groups and carefully considered sign aesthetics.

However, recently something came to Whitefish which will sadly change it forever. Right under our noses, without community discussion or involvement, an abortion clinic was approved in the heart of our town. But why? Who wants to introduce harsh political unrest and deep moral controversy into our town? Who wants division among people, picketing, harassment and the dissension that it brings? Is this the end of the innocence of Whitefish? And for what? So that those of you who have recently discovered Whitefish and who carry a political agenda wish to change it for your liking?

For those who applaud the opening of an abortion clinic, I ask, have you stopped to remember why you left the place from which you came? Shouldn’t we leave Whitefish untouched for all of us to enjoy no matter what our political and moral beliefs. Or is your selfish opinion the only one that counts? Are we not just introducing what you have worked to escape? Please stand with me and make your voice heard to end the abortion clinic in Whitefish forever. —Lynn Atwood, Whitefish

Trump leading us wrong way

“Make America great again,” President Trump has urged. I share this desire, but it’s time to rethink what this means.

He expects that to be great, we will mine and burn coal, pump and burn oil. Natural resources contributed to America’s emergence as a superpower during and following the world wars of the 20th century. Today coal has given way to gas, increasingly supplemented by solar and wind energy.

America also became great through the design and manufacture of the comforts of modern life. We have led the world in the rise of technology, through innovation of our countrymen and of immigrants who joined us along the way.

The president’s 2019 budget proposed to “gut” funding of climate science study, and cut funding to the EPA. He vows to keep out most immigrants and has pulled us out of the Paris Accords.

To be a leader means to be out in front, solving problems, providing a vision. I don’t see that happening under our president’s direction. To gut and cut, to mine and drill is to maintain old ways and obsolete power structures. We are being led into challenging new times by tired old ideas that have had their day.

FVCC recently offered a series of lectures on the future of technology, and what it means for us as human beings. Exploring these frontiers offers what we need to bring forth relevant employment and new leaders.

If we are to lead, we must know what is happening in the natural and technological worlds, as well as the financial world. Gutting and cutting, and closing our doors to the world, represents America trying to lead from behind. Other countries are moving forward. Now is the time to push our administration, our Congress and our private sector to real 21st century leadership. —Eva Maxwell, Kalispell

Please, U.S. is not a democracy

I would like to point out to your opinion readers and writers alike that using the word “democracy” when referencing the USA is inaccurate. It’s a common mistake I see repeated in much of the commentary I am exposed to daily, including some very credible sources that should know better.

This country is NOT a democracy in the purest sense of the word! In fact, the founders were skeptical of democracies, expressing legitimate concerns about mob rule and the tyranny of the majority. To be more accurate, the framers adopted a republican form of government guided by a Constitution where all citizens, including minorities of any type, enjoy the same rights endowed to us by our Creator; not granted to us by the government or, for that matter, by the will of the people.

The government’s primary role is to protect rights that existed prior to the establishment of government. To suggest that we are a democracy is to suggest that our God-given rights are secure as long as the majority says they are. A republic is every citizen’s bulwark against this propensity. Interestingly, the average American doesn’t even know that the word democracy doesn’t even occur in the U.S. Constitution, whereas the word republic does. The endurance of liberty depends on our understanding of the distinction between a democracy and a republic, and I think it’s time that we all commit to using the proper terminology. —Thomas E. Oppel, Bigfork