Letters to the editor July 2

The chiefs of the fire departments of Flathead County would like to acknowledge our “Partners in Blue” during what has to be some of the most challenging of times in law enforcement. We recognize the toll that current circumstances take, not only on your department, but also on each and every individual serving. While the missions of fire and law may vary in many ways, they also align in many ways, too. We are all here to serve the public and keep them safe, all while taking care of ourselves, making sure we all go home.

We know that none of us can accomplish what we do alone, it takes a team and we are proud to be on your team, and to have you on ours. We may wear different uniforms and use different tools in our respective roles, but when the day is done it is really about saying we did well and we treated all with respect.

In a local fire station is a sign above a door that says “Return With Honor.” These words apply to all in emergency response. The first part is “return” — we all need to go home at the end of the day. The second part is “honor” — one definition says: “strong moral character or strength, and adherence to ethical principles.” This is what we believe we all stand for.

As fire responders in the Flathead, we want you to know “we have your back”, just as you have always had ours. This is always important but never so much so as now.

—Evergreen Fire Chief Craig Williams, on behalf of fire chiefs in Flathead County.

Please give this some serious thought:

If everyone, right now, doesn’t start wearing a mask whenever you are in a public setting and, if we don’t get this monster of a virus under control immediately, you will be homeschooling your children for this upcoming school year!

As of June 25, our state is right back where we were three months ago with the number of new covid-19 cases. And our rate of new infections is increasing.

Come on, people — be smart. Wear a mask.

— Mark Paulson, Kalispell

The Inter Lake article (June 14) regarding the Wheeler Cabin was a surprise to say the least. I was astonished that the Glacier Conservancy, a respected fund-raising charity, would be proudly advocating for a state grant funded by Montana taxpayers to “renovate” the historic Wheeler Cabin ... $500,000 worth!

Is the Conservancy’s board really that ignorant of the expected tax shortfall in Montana due to the covid collapse? Do they not remember the across-the-board cuts that occurred after Governor Bullock’s re-election and subsequent $250 million budget shortfall? Those cuts came out of education, medical and social services, and law enforcement, just to name a few. New cuts are almost inevitable in spite of the governor’s rosy election-year assurances [again].

Should public funds ever be used to rebuild an old cabin in a park where poor management decisions have burned up the historic Sperry Chalet ($13 million) and two dozen other structures, including damage to that same Wheeler Cabin? Perhaps the Conservancy should ask Montanans, or even their contributors, if a $500,000 “repair” of the Wheeler Cabin is a good use of their money at this time (or ever)? And, the never named individuals who control such slush funds at the state level should say no to such an ill-timed request!

—Dan Diamond, Columbia Falls

Regarding the annual grievances around fireworks as so many vacationers seem to think the holiday lasts for weeks, might I suggest amending the law to ban just the loud explosions, except for the actual Fourth of July? Pretty lights and colors don’t wake working neighbors or terrorize their pets.

—Rachel Rubin, Kalispell

Common sense concludes that the only type of people who seek to defund police or tear down 10 Commandment monuments (or other truly honorable statues) are those who seek to do something illegal, not (as is falsely claimed) those who truly seek justice — the real kind that MLK fought and died for.

The fruit of a tree reveals its root; in this case – lawlessness, rebellion, and anarchy. It is clear that they wish for nothing to stand in the way of their immoral and perverted choices. In reality, the very moral code that advocates for justice for Floyd, Arbery, Taylor and others — “Thou Shalt Not Kill” — is being undermined. Unlike the early Revolutionists, they have no clear vision of building an alternative system that is just and fair. Their tactics reveal a cowardly attempt to force change without coming through the “Door of the Sheep” — honoring the authority that is currently established. These claim one thing, but (in reality) are seeking to overthrow or otherwise subvert a system that by-and-large protects the innocent and prosecutes the guilty, based upon moral codes that have their root in something much deeper – conscience.

Even perverted human laws and twisted Supreme Court decisions cannot erase humanity’s hard-wired sense of right and wrong, no matter how hard some try to suppress this truth. And lawlessness (immorality) always fruits one thing – death. We were, in contrast, created and intelligently designed to live gloriously, loving of all people, good, and free. The inescapable moral code, along with conscience, are eternally set in place merely to show us truly how far we’ve all fallen from glory – from what we were intentioned to be. And the only way back to this glory is to find grace and mercy in order to become an entirely new people – to be born again - by trusting the only One who can put goodness back inside of us – Jesus of Nazareth.

—Brian Friess, Kalispell