Opinion
As a parent, grandparent, and advocate for public education, I am urging you to support Shannon O’Brien for Superintendent of Schools. Shannon is the only candidate who can bring the change we desperately need to support our teachers, parents, and students. Under Elsie Arntzen’s leadership, Montana’s education system has suffered. Our state ranks last in teacher pay, contributing to a severe teacher shortage. Susie Hedalen, Shannon’s opponent, served as Elsie’s deputy and is complicit in this failure. We cannot afford more of the same ineffective leadership. They have not respected our public schools, our teachers, parents, and children. They have made thing...
As hard as I try, in the privacy of my own being, not to get caught up in the scathing absurdities of the moment — e.g., the presidential election, America’ looming fascism, our love of money and war (to name a few) — yikes, here I am, caught up in it all. And all I can do is reach for a...
Editor, Our nation is at a point of desperation. We could be losing our democracy, our personal freedoms, and our country’s values. We are facing the possibility of falling under a dictatorial form of government. As I write this, Donald Trump seems to be the Republican candidate for president who...
My grand daughter likes to watch a certain movie - over and over again. In it, the protagonist belts out a message in song: Let it go. There’s lots to be learned from Elsa. We should all be better at simply letting it go. Letting things go. Letting the past go. Forgive. Forget. Lik...
Editor, Fake News: The “new newspaper” suddenly appearing in our mailboxes is fake news personified. You’ve seen it. “The Montana Independent” is a new monthly “Montana” paper. Umm? It comes from DC, not Montana. And lo and behold a quick search will tell you it i...
When my kids were babies, I took lots of photos – always hoping to get the one perfect shot. This was during the prehistoric, pre-digital age, when cameras required film and film required developing. You couldn’t take a million pictures and preview them on your screen. You had to send them away a...
Editor, Donald Trump has a solid grip on much of the Republican party. There are two (2) groups,. One group is held to him by fear. The other group holds with him by agreement. Here are the reasons for each one: (1) Fear: Many good Republicans fear Trump’s ange...
Our search for meaning is nearly as old as time. I’ve been round and round and round again (and again) with widowhood. To say I overthink it is the understatement of understatements. It seems like something this big and this life-changing should have meaning. Big meaning. I can&...
In a biblical passage lies a parable of two builders: the wise one who constructs his house on a stony foundation, and the foolish one who builds on a foundation of sand. When the storms come, the house built on rock withstands the floodwaters, while the foolish man’s house is forever swept away. In...
What do a retired businessman, Miss Montana Teen USA, Miss Montana USA, a forester, a fifth-generation Native-American Salish woman, and an MSU sophomore all have in common? We live in Montana, vote, and volunteer with the nonpartisan Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL). We’re focused on solving cli...
