Letters to the editor Nov. 4

Pay it forward

Every year trick or treaters fill the streets of America. Goblins, ghosts, zombies, witches, Annas and Elsas, firemen, and fairies go door to door to fill their bags with sugar and treats.

There’s a growing trend of “Trick-or-Treat Street” in our area, perhaps across the globe. Homeowners go all out to transform their front porches into haunted homes. These neighborhoods have become a spectacle; go-getters will travel miles from their own neighborhood to walk the scariest, most decorated streets in America.

Along with this comes a responsibility to homeowners, they must provide the treats. I have several friends that reside among Trick-or-Treat Streets. They give almost 2,000 pieces of candy each Oct. 31. You can imagine, on top of the time and resources they have put into their scary decor, they now have to spend potentially hundreds of dollars on candy.

I propose a “Pay It Forward Halloween.” As a family that has lived in the country, we are guilty of trudging miles to witness the true spirit of Halloween. My two little ones come home with months’ supply of cavity-causing treats and grandeur memories. When my friend informed me how much candy she purchased for this entertaining gorge, I felt an obligation to help. The following year I brought two bags of candy to her home during our outing. She was thrilled!

Perhaps all of us that travel to Trick-or-Treat Streets can consider this act of kindness. Perhaps local chambers or neighborhood leaders could organize a candy drop and then distribute the donated candy to the hard-hit neighborhoods prior to the arrival of our goblins, ghosts, zombies, witches, Annas and Elsas, firemen, and fairies. Many homeowners love to treat their guests, but it doesn’t hurt to help each other out.

— Deidre Corson, Whitefish

Alternative approach

As a casual observer of the redistricting process, it occurs to me that there is an alternative approach, which avoids the whole process of trying to construct “competitive” districts by gerrymandering geographical areas based on prejudged voting patterns. Try running better candidates with better ideas that appeal to a majority of the district voters.

— Andrew Fisher, Missoula

Don’t be fooled

Recently, Governor Gianforte has been touting the availability of monoclonal antibody treatment, thinking the citizenry of Montana would be fooled into believing that he is actually providing leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic.

While monoclonal antibody treatment is one spoke in the wheel of treatments for patients already infected with Covid, (albeit under FDA emergency approval only), it is a limited, reactive approach. It is a bandaid on a gushing wound.

Proactive public health mitigation measures, such as testing, vaccination, including mandates where needed, and masking, with requirements when needed, are necessary to slow this runaway freight train of Covid cases. Consistent messaging about masking and vaccinating for the collective protection of the community is imperative.

Other state governors are doing just that. The proof is in the statistics. Montana recently ranked first for new covid cases per 100,000 people. This distinction means Gianforte is getting in F in Covid management 101. Cases nationwide are dropping, but not here. Because he chose to listen to uneducated Republican lawmakers instead of health care personnel, Gianforte signed HB 702 in the name of freedom and liberty.

Governor, how much freedom and liberty are Covid patients on ventilators feeling? Or those already buried? How much freedom and liberty are the overwhelmed health care workers in every corner of the state feeling? Or children forced into remote learning again due to Covid outbreaks in masking “optional” schools?

Montanans deserve leadership who believes in proactive public health measures. Gianforte is not fooling anyone (or the virus) with his ineffective and reactive approach.

— Robin Johnson, Bozeman

Liberal ideals

I am aware of the negative, even hostile, attitude of some people around here to Democrats and liberals. I just want to point out that for the most part our founding fathers were liberals.

America came into being in time called the enlightenment. It was progressive time of liberal ideals like democracy, egalitarianism science, logic and reason which held sway. And the founding fathers were men of their time. Most were Freemasons, who were strong supporters of the enlightenment. It’s hard to read about one without reading about the other. Some were deists notably Thomas Jefferson. Deists don’t believe in the divinity of Christ, so technically they were not Christians these were not Conservatives. Given this was about 250 years ago, they were radically liberal.

Who was against the revolution besides King George? Conservatives were. Conservatives tend to be cautious, status quo traditionalist. So it is only natural they would be against the revolution. They were not only against the revolution philosophically. Some became spies, and many took up arms against Washington and the continental army.

Given that history, conservatives should be contrite, and if they won’t follow the lead of the founding fathers, they should be respectful of those who do.

— George Wind Singer, Bigfork