Letters to the Editor - March 13, 2013

Dear Senators:

I understand you think you are representing Montana. Why were you not standing next to Rand Paul the other night, adding your voices to his?

How are “spy drones” any different from “quartering troops” in my home without my permission? Both can see into my home without permission, and can (in both cases) call in strikes against me for merely existing.

You are a disgrace to Montana because of your silence and absence. I say this with all the respect you are “due”,

Jim Greaves

Thompson Falls MT

Life Member in each of NRA, LEAA, JPFO

U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein (D – CA) in a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting on her Assault Weapons Ban legislation suggested that ALL Veterans and retired Military potentially are mentally ill. These remarks by Senator Feinstein in response to a proposed amendment supported by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) that would exempt military veterans from her gun ban legislation.

She said: “you know, with the advent of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder),… it’s not clear how the seller or transferrer of a firearm covered by this bill would verify that an individual was a member, or a veteran, and that there was no impairment of that individual with respect to having a weapon like this.

She wants to: “find a way that veterans who are incapacitated for one reason or another mentally don’t have access to this kind of weapon.”

This statement has caused alarm among many in the veteran community including vocal and respected veteran’s advocates.

In Fact Veterans and retired Military are well suited to and encouraged to seek employment in police service. Military veterans make good police officers because of the following traits: Sense of service and commitment, Discipline, Integrity, Firearm skills, Responsibility, Ability to work effectively in teams or individually, Experience dealing with difficult situations, Ability to problem solve, and Attention to detail. With her uninformed and unprofessional comments Ms. Feinstein has additionally insulted our Local Police.

Why is Jon Tester silent? Why is Max Baucus silent?

Veterans in Montana number 107,000, the largest per capita population of Veterans in the United States. Why is Montana’s U.S. Congressional Delegation not voicing alarm about this attack on the character and unalienable rights of this honored segment of constituents?

Lark Chadwick, Thompson Falls

Some opponents of the Compact argue that the Tribes will reduce water flows to farms and ranches and thus force owners to sell out to the Tribes. What has been missing from the public debate is recognition that several CSKT programs continue to have a significant positive impact on the operations of the irrigation Project. Without the millions of dollars that these tribal programs have obtained for Project improvements over the past two decades, farmers and ranchers currently would be experiencing lower water deliveries and higher irrigation fees.

Over the past two decades the CSKT Fishery program has monitored the impact of Project water flows on fish and has secured federal funds to build structures, for example fish screens, designed to protect fish from the negative impact of Project water diversions. But much more needs to be done. For example, a US Department of Interior 2008 Biological Assessment concluded that “The environmental baseline for bull trout and critical habitat in the FIIP area is severely degraded ….primarily due to project operations”.

The Project continues to face other major environmental challenges, including the need to reduce the flow of silt and nitrates into the Flathead River. A CSKT project at the south entrance to Moiese Valley is seeking to filter water that flows out of the Charlo and Moiese areas into the Flathead.

The Tribes do not need a water right to dry up agriculture; all they would need to do is halt tribal programs that reduce the negative environmental impact of Project operations. But if the Water Rights Compact is approved the Tribes and Project management will have additional financial resources to more aggressively correct environmental problems that threaten a reduction in irrigation water deliveries to farms and ranches in the future.

Dick Erb

Moiese

Living in a small town has its benefits and drawbacks. In the winter months, especially, it is difficult to find activities for young children. On Tuesday March 5th, 2013, the National Honor Society of Plains High School held a carnival for the Plains community in conjunction with the REACH after school program. What a wonderful activity these students produced! The event was well attended, well organized, and the NHS students were kind and patient with their younger classmates. A testament of the fun had by our local kiddos were the wide eyes of excitement and giggles of delight produced by the face painting, clowns with balloon animals, bean bag toss, or cupcake-walk.

A big thank you to Denise Earhart, the NHS advisor, Alex Hagerman, Ashley Holmes, Mahala Harris, Keely Benson, Laura Bratz, Caleb Connolly, Felicia Earhart, Corle Morefield, Nicole Rehbein, Tia Thompson, Kendra Bertrand, Tanna Cole, Danny Damschen, Hannah Hardcastle, Samantha Kinzie, Russell Kujala, Hailey Phillips, and Courtney Subatch, the students of NHS, and Marla Dykstra and Larri-Jo Ovitt, the REACH program coordinators.

While wintertime activities might be sparse, benefiting from the NHS students’ intellect, enthusiasm, and community service is a definite benefit of our community. Good job to all involved!

Molly Tingley

Plains, MT