Opinion

Editor, Human extinction should be a “hot topic” for our world today. Right now, especially with the extremely good example our Middle East crisis is showing us, our world is watching the extreme devastation and killing capabilities of weapons of mass destruction. Add to this the threats of nuclear weapons of war use in the Russian conflict with Ukraine and it clearly demonstrates the need for making peaceful resolutions for these “human extinction” capabilities. Our nation needs to get its act together and be, as well as create, the powerfully formed and functioning democracy. Our nation and our world needs this now. Bob McClellan Missoula

Of all of the work we have accomplished at the Department of the Interior under the Biden-Harris administration, one of the most significant has been the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative. In October at the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona, I listened as President Joe Biden issued a historic...

Editor, It’s clear that the US needs a better immigration system. That said, let’s see if I have this right. The incoming administration wants to deport most immigrants. But that’s not exactly it. They want to deport some of them, ones who work in jobs that Americans won’t work, su...

I’ve written much on grief. In writing class they tell you to write what you know, but this isn’t why I’ve written about the subject. I’ve felt compelled. Driven to do so, in an attempt to share my hard-fought knowledge and maybe, perhaps, help others to understand a non-understandabl...

An effort to honor a young man from Libby who heroically died on the battlefield in Vietnam prompted the creation of one of the first bills coming before the 69th Legislative Session in Helena. SB59 is poised to unite various political personalities behind a tribute to all Vietnam veterans, but particular...

I believe in Santa Claus. When you critically examine the whole narrative, what’s not to believe? Logic is logic and should dictate our beliefs, or lack thereof.  Let’s start with the big guy’s attire. We’re asked to accept the legitimacy of an elderly gentleman in a furry red...

“It’s beginning to cost a lot like Christmas,” were the lyrics to a cheeky Instagram reel that was recently sent in a back and forth thread between a friend and I. Funny as it was, I’ve long felt that the most wonderful time of the year is cheapened by frantic consumerism. We’re...

Catastrophic cuts are in the offing for Medicaid, the nation’s largest single source of health coverage, serving primarily low-income Americans. But catastrophe isn’t inevitable.  For some time, Republican lawmakers and allies in conservative think tanks have formulated plans to shrink Me...

Here’s a rhetorical question for Montanans: would you rather state government spend public money on things like billboards in Chicago to attract more tourists, or use that money to lower your property taxes?  I know exactly how my constituents in the Flathead Valley would answer that question a...

Old things are often valued.  An old house is called mid-century modern. Old cheese is aged. Old furniture is antique. Old dishes are Depression glass. Old cars are classic. And we all know wine only gets better with age.  But old people? They are just old (Or seniors, at best.) So w...