Opinion

The idea that America is a Christian Nation is a modern myth. The founding documents do not mention Christ or scripture. While the word “God” appears in the opening of the Declaration of Independence, it refers to “Nature’s God,” the god of Deism.  The phrase “IN GOD WE TRUST” was not seen on our currency until 1864. And the words “under God” were wedged into the pledge of allegiance in 1954, nearly 200 years after the Declaration of Independence, our Constitution and the Federalist Papers were written. These insertions, these afterthoughts, would not have been endorsed by the Founders.  Our nation is grounded in belief, ...

Editor, As small as Ronan is I never thought a neighbor would steal. I’m 80 years old, on very low social security. My dear childhood friend lives in Ronan, on 4th Avenue SW. She too is alone and elderly. On the 6th of this month, post office left a package on her porch never to be seen again. It wa...

Editor, How am I to view the many ‘stones’ in my pathway?  Here is one answer that has become special with me.  See what you think. The following was written by my grandmother, whom we kids called Grandma Tish.  She was a Divine Science minister and teacher in Chicago in the ...

Editor, A word of sympathy to all of our friends in Lake County who had a sad loss of a loved one this past year. I do hope the holidays can bring a smile as you remember the wonderful, fun times with your loved one. “It’s been a tough year.” From a friend, Ethel McCready Missou...

  Editor, NWE and the MT PSC must do better. The Public Service Commission and Northwestern Energy (NWE) have made news, again, and yet again, for something done to—and not for—Montana. In 2014, NWE acquired the Hegben Dam from Pennsylvania Power and Light and with that purchase cam...

Editor, After reading your article about “Vaccine mandate injunction” I want to comment. This is not a comment about getting vaccinated, vaccination is a personal choice, but how it could affect our hospitals. If the federal government stops CMS payments to hospitals, we will lose both f...

Editor, Our Montana legislature has made voting more difficult for many groups - including Native Americans and other rural voters, people with disabilities, younger and student voters, people with inflexible work schedules, and those who discover a problem with their registration at the last minute. This...

The winds of change are moving through the ponderosas. The faces and skylines of our towns are fluctuating, growing in ways many Montanans have not seen. The secret has gotten out, and it seems more and more people are flocking to the Last Best Place. What does this mean, though, for the Montana experience? ...

I was an early proponent of online shopping. I lived in a rural community without much access to retail, so it was a natural fit. I even experimented with grocery purchases when it was a new and novel thing. I wrote about the crazy packaging practices of my delivery orders back in 2017. Yes, I was that cutti...

A portion of the Local Journalism Sustainability Act (LJSA) was included in the recent Build Back Better bill that was passed in the House. The LJSA, which has bipartisan support in the House, provides needed support for local journalists across the U.S. and is now being considered in the Senate. While th...