Letters to the editor Dec. 9
Respect for Lauman’s compassion and civility
I was saddened to learn of the passing of one time Flathead County Commissioner Dale Lauman. Our friendship dates back to his first campaigning for office at the Red Lion Inn during a Kalispell Chamber of Commerce business luncheon.
Dale and I were of different political ideologies but we were always able to be cordial and civil to one another, and agree to disagree on any political differences, and still developed a liking for each other as people. I am appreciative of that. I honor him for it.
Dale will always be remembered by me for his caring compassion for his fellow man and his civility to all. He was an anomaly in this modern day political hostility people have toward each other.
We did not run in the same social circles, only seeing each other at government meetings and public events on a frequent basis, but always stopped to talk and enjoy each other’s company.
As we aged, and were ravaged by the aging process, our meetings became very infrequent. Nevertheless, those chance encounters are memorable ones for me.
I pay tribute to you old friend. May you rest in peace. I will never forget you.
—Bill Baum, Whitefish
A spiritually bankrupt nation
I have been reading through the Books of the prophets in the Old Testament. I can’t help but ask myself a question. Is our nation today as spiritually bankrupt as Israel was then?
Habakkuk 1:4 and 3:2 says “...the law is slacked, and judgement (justice) doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgement proceedeth....O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years...in wrath remember mercy.”
General MacArthur pointed out two possible paths a nation in decline can follow: “History fails to record a single precedent in which nations subject to moral decay have not passed into political and economic decline. There has been either a spiritual awakening to overcome the moral lapse or a progressive deterioration leading to ultimate national disaster.”
Understanding that revival must start in my own heart, I beg you to join me in prayer for revival. Maybe God in His great mercy will again bless this once great nation.
“If my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land.” -II Chronicles 7:14
—Scott Kerr, Moise
Net neutrality
Net neutrality is a policy issue that has been bouncing between Congress and the FCC for 15 years now. Currently, with Trump Administration reversing the Obama Administration FCC’s regulations and the House of Representatives passing the Obama FCC’s regulations but the Senate Republicans declaring them “dead on arrival,” there are no federal net neutrality protections in place for consumers.
Given the role the internet plays now in our daily lives, that is simply unacceptable. Congress must act to ensure that consumers have access to an open internet and should not fear that their access to websites or applications could be blocked or impaired by their internet service provider. I urge Senator Daines and Senator Tester to get to work on a compromise bill that could be supported by both Democrats, Republicans and Trump. This issue is too important to be held up by partisanship.
—Elizabeth Richardson, Whitefish