Letters to the editor Jan. 25

Cautious driving

In the past day, I have seen three new deer carcasses within 100 yards of each other. They were all hit on Farm to Market Road.

Vehicle-game collisions are nothing new. If you hit a deer, please take the time to move the deer far off the roadway. Bald eagles thrive on the roadkill and are in danger of being struck as they scavenge. Please slow down at known game crossings. Don’t tailgate or illegally pass other vehicles who are trying to be cautious drivers.

We all just want to get where we are headed in one piece.

—Charlene Iannucci, Kalispell

Severing ties with the Chinese Communist Party

It seems that the lies and disinformation from the Chinese Communist Party keeps getting worse. With China concealing information about the coronavirus, the world has been caught unprepared and it is a threat to everyone on the planet. The CCP’s suppression of people who tried to warn the world of its severity is well known. The brutality that China enforces on people who try to tell the truth and make their leaders accountable is also suppressed. People practicing their faith in China, including Christians, Falun Gong practitioners, Uyghurs, and Tibetans, are also suppressed through brainwashing, torture, and killing of innocent people, including the state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting for profit.

The U.S. has suffered from the loss of our manufacturing jobs and our intellectual property through the lying, deceit, and spying of the CCP. Communism is being infiltrated in so many aspects of our culture without our realizing it, and Americans are quickly losing their independence.

If the world cuts its ties with China, it would not survive. It is time we awaken and distance ourselves from the CCP and stand up for human rights and truth.

The conflicts between right/left, liberal/conservative and Republican/Democrat have pitted families and friends against each other. Perhaps it is not red versus blue, but Communist values versus American values. We have long enjoyed our freedoms, while the CCP has strategically indoctrinated the doctrines of communism into our lives. One does not have to dig very deep to find evidence of this.

The coronavirus has brought to light the horrid nature of the CCP. However, the true virus is actually the CCP. They are evil and we need to hold them accountable for their crimes against humanity.

—Katherine Combes, Kalispell

Burning money

Wow! I never thought I’d be saying this...but, I agreed with Mitch McConnell on those covid stimulus checks, especially after having witnessed the New Year’s Eve fireworks display in our neck of the woods.

Never before have we ever seen such an ongoing series of fireworks which lasted from 8:30 p.m. until well past midnight. The blasts were beyond intense, and many that were set off mimicked military type of explosives that actually vibrated windows in the house. It was blatantly obvious the person or persons intentionally setting off these explosives never saw active duty in any branch of the military. They absolutely have no idea or concern how cruel a reminder these intense explosions bring.

The money alone to purchase these types of fireworks had to cost an arm and a leg. And, then, to set so many off. It was like watching money burn while knowing there are people out there who truly need a covid stimulus check ... and those who do not! I wish they had a way to screen all individuals who have their hands out, ready to cash in.

Fireworks are no longer like the kind from years gone by ... nor are the celebrations for New Year’s Eve. Remembering as a kid along with my brother when we’d spy on our parents’ parties — people dancing, laughing and then the midnight countdown. Mom at the piano playing Auld Lang Syne, many singing along, some crying remembering those who had passed — and everyone hugging and kissing.

But never, ever any blasts of fireworks. And we lived on a farm far from town where my dad could have easily created enormous displays of sight and sound. We had our sparklers and an occasional firecracker and that was enough. Money was tough to come by and you most certainly didn’t burn it up.

The covid relief is all well and good for those who truly need it. But, what about those out there who truly do not? Something stinks in Denmark!

—Brenda Anderson, Columbia Falls

Political mindset

I got a kick out the article on the Water Compact. Mr. Tschida has his panties all in a bunch because the president signed, after Democrats and Republicans worked together. OMG. How did that happen?

If my memory serves me, wasn’t it a Republican who carried the water (pun intended) at the state level when the plan was first entertained? Maybe Mr Tcschida should grab Mr. Vincent around the neck since I believe he was the sponsor or at least heavily involved. And there were Republicans and Democrats that went along with it.

And perish the thought, Senator Daines hoodwinked the Tweeter and Chief into signing a massive bill that included the compact. Gianforte supported the bill but somehow avoided Tschida’s wrath. Is that on Daines or is that on the Tweeter for not knowing what he was doing? Boo hoo. Kind of like the last for years, I guess.

In my opinion, Mr Tschida has hit the nail on the head, probably by accident, on exactly what is wrong with the country today. Paraphrasing his statement, if a Democrat agrees with a Republican then something is wrong and the Republican is being taken advantage of. So conversely, if a Republican has a good idea that a Democrat agrees with the Democrat is obviously a traitor to the party. This should probably be known at least at the state level as the Tschida doctrine.

God help our state and our country when the folks we have elected have this mindset, and they exhibit it almost every day. Disgust seems like an apt word.

—Jay Adams, Libby

Attack on unions

The Montana Legislature is now in session and there are multiple bills being introduced that will affect workers in Montana negatively.

The labor movement in the United States and in Montana has protected workers for decades. That is about to end if these bills are passed. There are bills to diminish collective bargaining, extend probationary periods for new employees, remove the prevailing wage requirement for state funded jobs, inhibit the ability of unions to collect dues, and change pensions of public employees.

The ultimate goal appears to be to effectively kill the union protections that workers have enjoyed for years. We have seen a decline in the number of people participating in our democratic process for years now, but if we want to preserve the way of life we have enjoyed it is imperative that we all pay attention to the laws being passed in Helena.

Call or email your local legislators and hold them accountable to the will of the people, and not special interests that are threatened by the protections that union members deserve.

—Julie Hippler, Billings

Capitol calamity

The events of Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol were horrifying and demand mature responses from our leaders, both Republican and Democratic. I know those responses are already being discussed at high levels by leaders and thinkers in both parties. But I believe they also need to be thought through at every level, in every state. As individuals, there are things we can do: question what is being said as fact, refrain from passing on doubtful statements, call out those who do. We can diversify our news sources. The prevalence of untruths, distortions, and exaggeration on social media and elsewhere has done our country great harm, as we all saw on Jan. 6. Words matter, and it is not OK to manipulate definitions or rewrite history to suit our own ideologies.

Going forward, I encourage Montana’s Republican leadership to be balanced, pulling back from their anti-democratic (small “d”) positions that helped fuel the Capitol calamity. Gov. Gianforte, Rep. Rosendale, and Sen. Daines: you are on notice now what can result from embracing the harmful lies of the far right. Despite Sen. Daines’ last minute change of heart, your previous position threatened our Republic and the rule of law, and undermined faith in the hard work of election officials and staff. Many Montanans took notice. My hope is that all of you might devote your time and energy to address the needs of everyday Montanans and their kitchen table issues, like jobs, support for our small businesses struggling to keep their doors open, and the leadership desperately needed to distribute vaccines into arms and bring an end to this vicious pandemic.

Please be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

­­—Lynn Stanley, Chair, Flathead Democratic Party; Kevin Halsey, Vice Chair, Flathead Democratic Party