Letters to the editor Oct. 30
No kings in Polebridge
Open letter to Will Hammerquust:
I’d like to bring your attention to the errors in your recent letter to the editor (Protest elsewhere, Oct. 28). And I would like you to issue a correction and formal apology. The only clarification you actually got right was that the rally was held in public right of way (and did not impede traffic).
Our state Rep. Debo Powers called one week in advance and left a message to notify the Polebridge Mercantile of the rally and left her phone number. All of the guidelines set forth by the “No Kings” national organization were followed and a peaceful protest was held, just like they were all over the world in front of iconic buildings.
It was the residents of Polebridge speaking up and using their First Amendment rights where they live, and they do not need to go down the road to the big city to implore these rights. I think you missed the point of the rally — we don’t want any kings in Polebridge — so please get off your throne and let the community speak when and where they please (as long as they follow the order of law). To set the record straight, you do not own Polebridge. You own a business that you invite “paying members of the community” to buy your coffee and blueberry bearclaws, but the citizens own the public lands and nature that surround you. And we won’t be going down the road anytime soon.
I am asking for a formal apology to Debo Powers along with a correction to the Daily Inter Lake. You can find her number on your voicemail.
— Lisa Jones, Polebridge
Reopen the government
I was disappointed to see Rep. Ryan Zinke at the Range Riders’ Trunk or Treat event this past Sunday. He should be in Washington, D.C., working with his colleagues to reopen the government.
As a single mother of four who works three jobs and still cannot make ends meet, the loss of SNAP will be hard. Here is a list of household items that I cannot buy with SNAP.
• laundry and dishwashing detergent
• garbage bags
• cleaning supplies
• non-prescription medication
• school fees
• shampoo and conditioner
• toothpaste and toothbrushes
• socks and underwear
• batteries and lightbulbs
• winter gear (often thrifted)
As a chaplain, I have seen many patients in the hospital served regardless of their ability to pay. There are already enough bureaucratic barriers to receiving Medicaid, SNAP and other sources of help. The undocumented cannot receive these forms of aid.
Health care, food and shelter should not be part of the capitalist engine driving the GOP. They are fundamental human rights, not privileges. Our senators and representatives have privileges, granted to them by their skin color, gender, inheritance and the people of Montana. Please remember that not everyone has those privileges.
Speaker Mike Johnson needs to get Congress back into session, and both parties need to be willing to serve the people, not the millionaires and billionaires who do not pay livable wages to their employees.
Members of Congress should remember the Hippocratic Oath.
“I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person’s family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick.
I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.”
— Caitlin Mallery, Kalispell
Fisher for Ward 4
I am writing this letter of support for the reelection of Jed Fisher to the Kalispell City Council for Ward 4. In Jed’s long and diverse career with Flathead County he was the director of the Parks and Recreation Department, Building Maintenance Department, Kalispell/Somers Mosquito District, as well as the Flathead County Noxious Weed District Coordinator. The numerous responsibilities of these departments required Jed to be able to work effectively with county employees and citizens in developing solutions to a wide range of issues.
His willingness and ability to listen to contrasting and conflicting points of view guided him in successfully reorganizing departmental and employee responsibilities with the goal of a more effective and cost-efficient government. After retiring from Flathead County, Jed chose to continue his role in public service by running for Kalispell City Council.
In his first four-year term in Ward 4, Jed continued his willingness to listen to citizen input on issues and use his previous government experience to guide his decision making on complicated City Council issues. I ask the voters of Ward 4 to continue their working relationship with Jed by reelecting him for another term and keep working together toward a successful future for Kalispell.
— Bob Tuman, Kalispell