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...

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...

We all have our reasons for getting alarmed about the climate crisis. With bare ground at Christmas and no snow on the horizon, my neighbors just got theirs. This Northern Maine valley nestles against the border of Canada – and winter without snow is unfathomable. Snowmobiling is a big deal around h...

Editor, Abortion has become a “hot topic” in our country these days. The Republicans who have been pushing this issue now wish it would go away. But it won’t, apparently. Abortion, also known as “Reproductive Health Care,” has captured the attention of women all over our nati...

There’s no way Republican legislators would rather ring in a new year than with lower taxes, and that’s exactly what we’ve done to kick off 2024.  As of January 1st, Montanans of all income levels are now paying lower income taxes, thanks to legislation that just went into effect. T...

Editor,  Today I made the difficult decision to end my campaign to serve you in the Montana State Senate. It sounds cliche, but I’m doing it to for family reasons. I thought campaigning and serving in the Legislature would be easier now that my kids are out of diapers. But I recently returned f...

I read a quote that resonated with me on multiple levels. Upon checking it out, it originated from someone known as MrsMopar on iFunny and it went something like this: “I admire those with hairstyles. I don’t have a hairstyle, but thankfully I have hair. Most days it has zero caterpillars in i...

It’s hard to imagine, given how invested I feel in a slate of consequential elections that are still almost a year away, that we began 2023 with an equally consequential legislative session.  A 90-ish day gauntlet in the dead of winter, this session saw a historic supermajority for the Republic...

Historic drought conditions and weather extremes have hit the outdoor industry hard in Montana and other states throughout the West. Shorter winters, brought on by a changing climate, are driving these hard-hitting delays in the season. “There’s definitely been a shift in the weather in the la...

“You don’t really appreciate what you’ve got until it’s gone.” These wise words came out of the mouth of my 16-year-old son; surprisingly, he wasn’t referring to a Snicker’s bar. I’ve always known he is an old soul, but this particular insight was unexpected...