Letters to the editor July 5

A proud American

I have watched with chagrin as the American flag has been commandeered to represent just one political party, and in fact one leader within that party, rather than being the proud symbol of our great nation it was meant to be.

I have been saddened to hear claims that you cannot be a true patriot if you don’t vote for the right candidate.

I am a patriot. That statement is based on the love and devotion I have for the United States of America, not on my political beliefs. It is time for all citizens of any political persuasion to take back the stars and stripes and fly them proudly to demonstrate their patriotism.

On this Fourth of July, I will proudly fly our American flag. Not because I am a Republican and not because I am a supporter of Donald Trump, because I am neither. I will fly our flag because I am a proud American patriot celebrating the anniversary of the birth of our great nation. I hope you will join me.

—Susan N. Hanson, Kalispell

The ‘others’

There have been a number of recent letters bemoaning the changes that have come to our valley. Too many “others,” outsiders, different values, wealthier. Most of these start with the phrase “when I came here.” This means you were once one of “those.”

Others did not take “our” park, our roads or our corner store. The park, Glacier, belongs to the people of the United States. It is tax dollars that have paid for the roads, the park, anything covered by the government. Montana takes back more in government funds then we pay. Our tax base actually names us a welfare state. It is the dollars that tourists spend that helps towns like Bigfork and Whitefish succeed.

When others see the beauty of our state, they fall in love. Just like the rest of us. They move into the communities and, hopefully, become a part of the beautiful fabric of Montana. Instead of moaning, welcome them, show them the spirit of a good Montanan.

You still have access to Glacier on the off hours. Most of us never visited in the height of summer with the crowds, anyway. Keep a smile on to others, offer advice to those searching, and if it really bothers you all that much, I hear Idaho is nice.

—Roseanne (Rocky) Feckete, Bigfork

Woody Weekend thanks

Thank You, Whitefish, for helping to make Whitefish Woody Weekend IX a huge success. It was a great show with 38 beautiful classic boats from all over the Pacific Northwest, California, Utah and Florida, 12 of which were new to Whitefish Woody Weekend. These boats represented 14 different manufacturers and six different chapters of the Antique and Classic Boat Society. Twenty-three of the 38 participants came to the show from outside the Flathead Valley.

On behalf of the all the boat captains, thank you to the over 1,200 dock-walkers who braved the heat to come out and support the event on Saturday. It means a lot to the boat owners to see the tremendous turnout. Nearly 400 people cast a vote for the “People’s Choice Award” on Saturday. It was the closest race ever with a very slim margin separating the top three boats. People’s Choice was awarded to “Finito,” a 1955 Chris Craft Cobra owned by Brett and Jodie Sargent of Veradale, Wash. The Captain’s Choice Award, voted on by the boat owners, went to “Blew By You,” a 1967 Chris Craft Cutlass, owned by Steve Liss of Harrison, Idaho. The Commodore’s Award was given to Murray Danzig of Spokane, Wash., with his 2010 CDA Custom Runabout, “Jefe”.

We would also like to thank those who volunteered their time and docks for card stops on the poker run. It is great to see all the smiling faces so early on a Sunday morning. The poker run best hand was held by the crew of “Sollazarre” a 2000 Hacker Craft Runabout owned by Tom and Nance Suiter of Whitefish. The best poker run time went to “Coeur d’Legacy” owned by Mike and Barb Moen of Coeur d’Alene, ID.

Finally, we would like to thank The Lodge at Whitefish Lake and their wonderful staff for being great hosts of the event. The Lodge treated the boat owners to that great Whitefish hospitality and once again demonstrated their commitment to community events.

Hope to see you all again at next year’s event. We are planning something special for our tenth anniversary show.

—Tim Salt, Whitefish