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To the graduating class of 2018

You have accomplished a lot in the last four years. Now you have gotten the chance to walk across the stage in your unique cap and gown, receive your diploma, the congratulatory handshake and a heartfelt admonition to go out into the world and make a difference.

Flash back ...

We had also been through four years of high school. There we stood in our unique caps and gowns, ready to walk across the stage to receive our diplomas ... a handshake ... and congratulations. But the principal comes on stage and announces, “In view of the news from overseas this morning, we will dispense with today’s ceremony. You can pick up your diplomas in the office tomorrow.”

Congratulations from the Class of June 6, 1944. —Donna R. Hall, Kalispell

(EDITOR’S NOTE: To any recent graduates or others who don’t know the significance of June 4, 1944, we encourage you to Google the date, and give thanks.)

D’Souza turns out to be patriot

After reading some of the letters denigrating Mr. D’Souza, our interest was piqued. We luckily did get tickets to “An Evening With Dinesh D’Souza” in Bigfork, and then got to decide for ourselves what he was about instead of believing those nasty letters.

Wow, Mr. D’Souza is a real American patriot, and being a dreamer himself, it is obvious that he truly loves our USA and continues to fight for it. Mr. D’Souza’s talk was more factual history than political. The event was a friendly, well-organized, sell-out crowd and we were fortunate enough to be a part of it.

It is a shame that so many of our very own citizens seem to hate America and all that this great country stands for. —Jo Egerter, Bigfork

Council letting developers call the shots?

I’m confused.

Maybe your readers can help me out here.

You have to pass two tests in order to get a driver’s licence. You have to pass tests to graduate from high school. You have to pass tests to graduate from college. These days many people have to pass drug tests in order to get get and/keep their jobs ...

My question is, how can a big out-of-state developer come in and build 324 apartments that will tower over the surrounding neighborhood without passing tests? Traffic? Geological study? Flood plains?

The Kalispell City Council OK’d it back in March without seeing test results.

In reply to Councilman Guiffrida’s condesending and ignorant quote about our “views” in your paper, why don’t the developers invest in undeveloped lots that won’t upset a whole neighborhood of residents? Most of them homeowners.

Yes I like my view, but that is at the bottom of the lists of complaints. Yes, we tried to buy property to build on before we bought our home on Hawthorn West. It sounded great until we found out how much it would cost to run utilities to it. Developers have the big bucks not us.

Still confused here. Any help? Would welcome any replies. Thank you. —Rosie Higham, Kalispell

Democrats much easier on Trump than GOP on Obama

The writer Gore Vidal once called America the “United States of Amnesia.” Thomas Hunter, in his letter to the editor of Feb.11 (“The Russian Plan ...”) appears to suffer from political amnesia, when he complains that the Democrats are “Opposing Trump at every turn, no matter what the effect on the American people.”

Apparently he has already forgotten the GOP’s relentless obstructionism aimed at Barack Obama throughout his presidency. But there is a key difference here: whereas Democrats are opposing Trump’s policies, the Republicans viciously attacked Obama precisely because he was Obama.

Shortly before his inauguration, top GOP leaders held a secret meeting where they plotted how to make Obama a “failed president, a one-term president.” The right-wing radio talk show host, Rush Limbaugh, broadcast that his top priority was to make Obama a failure. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said the same. This was before Obama had even taken office! Does this sound like a patriotic opposition party with the American peoples’ best interests at heart? Wishing for a failed president is essentially asking for the country to do poorly as well.

The GOP made good on their obstructionist goals: our economic recovery from the 2008-09 financial crisis would have been much faster had the GOP not slashed Obama’s stimulus plan; Romneycare was a successful health-care plan in Massachusetts, and popular with the GOP, until it went nationwide and was called Obamacare.

And what Caucasian president has been subjected to the humiliation of having to prove, over and over, that he was born in the U.S? This was racism, pure and simple.

One final insult was Sen. McConnell’s refusal to even hold a hearing, let alone a vote, on Merrick Garland, whom Obama had nominated to the Supreme Court with nine full months left in his presidency. Ignoring the spirit of our Constitution like this is very damaging to our democracy.

Contrast this with Hillary Clinton’s concession speech, referring to Trump: “We owe him an open mind and a chance to lead.” —George McLean, Kalispell

Lake County better off without density map

Thank you, Lake County commissioners, for standing firm on behalf of landowners in Lake County by repealing the Density Map and Regulations.

Lake County lost decades of financial resources from the Kerr Dam, lost the low-cost block of power, lost the promised tribal funds directed to Lake County government and Lake County school districts, and lost control of waters and electric power. The economic squeeze exerted by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes is fully advancing upon Lake County at high speed.

Flexible land-use planning is the commissioners’ last available tool for a sustainable economic future. Providing consideration to the tribes when such consideration is not mutual is sheer folly and continued surrender.

Commissioners have a duty to all residents. You have absolutely no duty to the tribal government, and urgently need to cease any timidity or fear of shaming or name-calling when you serve the best interest of your elected office.

If you do otherwise, you’ll be the third county in Montana to soon cease to exist. Since 2006 Big Horn County officials are all enrolled Crow tribal members and control all decision-making in Big Horn County. Non-tribal residents in Big Horn County have lost their representative voice.

The Blackfeet Tribe’s aggression has brought ruin to Glacier County. The tribe now controls the disincorporated town of Browning. All Glacier County commissioners are enrolled Blackfeet tribal members making decisions in the best interest of the Blackfeet tribe, mismanaging Glacier County funds, running up Glacier County debt, and ratcheting up taxes on the remaining taxable folks in Cut Bank. Glacier and Big Horn counties are essentially lost to a representative government. Lake County faces the same peril.

The Conderated Salish and Kootenai Tribes resent the economy of the Flathead Reservation provided by ongoing success of non-Indian governments, businesses, towns and people. Living in yesterday land will stunt everyone’s tomorrow. —Elaine Willman, Ronan

Commissioners not really the best to talk about traffic impacts

I find it laughable that the county commissioners are chiming in with their expert opinion on the bypass speed limit.

Are they qualified traffic engineers? Where were they when Hutton Ranch Plaza was approved and now Reserve Drive is bumper to bumper from U.S. 93 to LaSalle at times? —Jim Parker, Kalispell