Opinion

When I was in prison for my nonviolent anti-nuclear actions, one of my disciplines was to write something for publication daily--a letter to the editor, an opinion piece, a book review, or even mediocre poetry. One hundred percent of my writing was in opposition to nuclear weapons. I couldn’t vote while I was incarcerated. But I refused to stop participating in our democracy. If I could convince even two people to care enough to vote who had not been voting even though they were able to, and if they voted for a candidate who was opposed to nuclear weapons, I felt like this was how I was still part of the democracy of my country. Who are the people who cannot vote and who are yet...

Editor, As retired Montana judges, we join to endorse Judge Dan Wilson of Flathead County in his bid for election to the Montana Supreme Court. This year, Montanans will elect two new Justices to our state’s highest court. Chief Justice Mike McGrath and Associate Justice Dirk Sandefer have announced...

As you learn about all the candidates for various offices this year, the most important ones are the ones that most Montanans know the least about. The politicians you need to do the most research on are not the would-be congressmen, governors, or even legislators. It’s the judges.  Although th...

Someone I’ve never met (social media, where else?) came up with a phrase for the new year: “Let’s do more in 2024.” I’ve decided to adopt it for my own, because it’s well-balanced, makes logical sense and has good meaning, purpose and intent. Plus it rhymes; who doesn&r...

Editor, I believe John Steinbeck’s quote is prescient in 2024:  “I think because they trusted themselves and respected themselves as individuals, because  they knew beyond doubt that they were valuable and potentially moral units-because of this they could give God their own coura...

Editor, The grief of losing a loved one is enormous. Losing a child is an unbelievable grief. Losing a child from violence by another child is an unimaginable sorrow. People offer words of comfort, which may or may not help, but at least don’t normally cause grief to be worse. It’s why D...

Editor, Initiative-193 appears to be a do-over of HB 241, a bill that would have required the MT Fish & Wildlife Commission to allow hunting by non-tribal members on fee lands within the exterior boundaries of an Indian reservation. I-193 would grant a benefit to a limited number of landowners, at the...

Editor, Today I was tuned into the Saturday morning MSNBC show “The Weekend.” In one segment they had Wes Moore on. Westley Oman Moore, born 1978, Governor of Maryland since 2023. He’s also an investment banker, author, and former television producer. He was so articulate and wise as ...

When I was in prison for my nonviolent anti-nuclear actions, one of my disciplines was to write something for publication daily--a letter to the editor, an opinion piece, a book review, or even mediocre poetry. One hundred percent of my writing was in opposition to nuclear weapons. I couldn’t vote w...

Born into a Republican family in Louisiana, a state increasingly painted in shades of red, I grew up amidst conservative dialogues with honest values. My childhood was steeped in Republican ideologies, shaping my early political outlook. However, as I matured, my views began to diverge from my family’s...