Letters to the editor Oct. 4

Border crisis

While teaching at a college in another state I attended a symposium. The subject matter was people who try to game the system in order to get as many public benefits as they can. One participant spoke up and shared this nugget of wisdom, “ What makes folks think that this country is just one big teet and the whole world deserves a free suck?”

Sorry folks but this country has a plethora of it’s own issues that need attention. Legal, vetted, orderly immigration ... fine. Watching God only knows who, illegally and defiantly break our laws and disrespect our sovereign borders is infuriating.

The occupant of the White House makes no effort to enforce our laws and in fact participates in the breaking thereof. He has repeatedly abdicated his sworn duty to uphold the laws of this nation and defend our Constitution. He and his handlers have zero respect for the taxpayers of this nation as he is willing to see this country brought to it’s knees under the weight of “future Democrat voters” invading our sacred country and getting on the public dole ASAP.

And Mr. Biden, save us your sanctimonious, condescending, snarky threats directed toward the unvaccinated, as you wave hundreds of thousands across our border.Many with active Covid and other dangerous infectious diseases and no Covid proof of vaccination needed for them, right? Then what do you do? Drop these folks off all over the country, frequently in the dead of night, exposing American’s to yet more preventable disease and financial chaos for those communities.

If we had a different political make up in the Congress you would surely have articles of impeachment brought against you. And deservedly so ... unlike our previous president.

— Jill Williams, Kalispell

GOP rejecting democracy

Notice how wingers, frothing at the mouth, never fret about the strict constitutional definition of treason when hurling the epithet at their political opponents.

Nope. These days, it seems fair-minded Democrats (and the courts) are the only ones expected to worry over such nuances and niceties. Not only are fascistic Republicans, i.e., dead-end Trumpees, rejecting democracy itself with the “Big Lie,” obviously they don’t give a damn about the law and the Constitution either unless it can be wielded like a cudgel, appropriately or not.

So let’s get real: The main reason America’s actual traitors (by now, almost the entire Republican party) are going after General Milley is to flip the narrative and deflect the charge of “treason” against themselves.

Why? Because the Capitol insurrection on the first Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 (a day of infamy) will be the determinate factor in the election on the second Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022 — if the Democrats keep it on the front burner, as they should and must to save democracy.

Forget strict definitions — who exactly is betraying their own country, its principles, and their fellow citizens: a party that lies about a fair-and-square election and that harbors insurrectionists and terrorists within its ranks; or, a general who intervened, legally or not, to prevent a madman from ending the world in a nuclear holocaust?

If you have to think too long and hard on that one, it probably means you’re a redneck ... so to speak.

— Ryan Lawlor, Kalispell

New energy economy

The recent guest opinion from Senator Duane Ankney of Colstrip was interesting. If I was a worker in Montana’s coal industry I would be very grateful for the effort he puts into saving coal jobs. But protecting workers is a separate problem from protecting the coal industry.

For the long term, Montana’s leaders need to set us up for the new energy economy. The best way to do that is a revenue neutral carbon tax. It starts low and rises predictably, with the proceeds returned to the people as a carbon cash back. Montana’s leaders must be part of the negotiations because we need to carve out a little of the carbon tax to help our fossil fuel workers find new positions.

Get ready for a lot of innovation in how we make energy right here in Montana. Sure, we will have wind and solar but we also need baseload power that works when we need it. Nuclear? Perhaps. But also pumped hydroelectric, batteries, underground compressed air, geothermal, solar thermal with molten salt, and things we have not yet thought of. All here in Montana. Best way out is through. Call Senator Tester and Senator Daines and ask.

—Laura Reynolds, Kalispell