Letters to the editor Feb. 20

Constitution under fire

At a recent meeting dubbed “Constitution Under Fire,” Mae Nan Ellingson – the youngest delegate to the 1972 Montana Constitutional Convention and Chair of Friends of the Montana Constitution, talked about Montana’s remarkable Constitution. There were 140 attendees, standing room only. Mae Nan received a standing ovation after her presentation.

Upon starting the question period, my question was: “As to the Constitution being under fire, what are the current threats to the Constitution, either from the Legislature, from any particular bills, or beyond that?”

She replied that in general, she was worried about bills that pertain to the Judiciary and challenge the separation of powers. Also worrisome to her are legislators who, despite taking an oath to uphold the Constitution, either don’t know much about it or even work to subvert it.

Consider SB154, introduced by Sen. Keith Regier of Kalispell, which seeks to remove abortion as a matter of a right to privacy.

My questions are these: With all due respect Sen. Regier, isn’t the interpretation of the Montana Constitution the job of the Montana Supreme Court? For that matter, isn’t changing the Montana Constitution done by amendment or by convening a Constitutional Convention?

We, the people of Montana, deserve the freedom of a right to privacy.

— Tony Davis, Missoula

Healthy forests

Thanks Sen. Steve Daines for your recent efforts to promote healthy forests through re-introducing the Roots and Stems Act. This bill is a step in the right direction. We welcome the bipartisan efforts Daines makes on behalf of healthy forests and our brave firefighters. This bipartisan work is an example of what can be accomplished when people put aside their differences and come together to tackle pressing issues.

In Montana, we’re lucky to have some of the most beautiful and diverse forests in the world. A vital part of our natural heritage, it’s imperative to protect and preserve them for future generations. Forests also help address climate disruption. As a nature-based solution, forests absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in their biomass and in the soil. This helps reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which in turn helps to mitigate the effects of climate change.

We need more leaders like Daines who are willing to work across the aisle to find solutions to the complex challenges we face. It’s really refreshing to see bipartisan policy that puts healthy forests first.

— Laurel Makayla Eastman, Bigfork