Letters to the editor Jan. 10
Christmas edition
Thank you for an inspiring edition of the Daily Inter Lake on Christmas Eve. What a Christmas gift it was.
I’m sure most of us have heard some of the history and origin of “Silent Night,” but it’s nice to have the details described so very well. My same compliments and appreciation go also to you for the discussion of Clement Moore’s poem, The Night Before Christmas,” which generations have loved and envisioned the visit of Santa Claus and his reindeer.
The article by R. Thomas Funk, “An old-fashioned Christmas,” about the rural family in Montana is very evocative to me and I’m sure, to many other older readers. My own childhood and adolescent years were on the farms and ranches of Illinois and Kentucky, rather than Montana, but were similar in many ways, during the World War II years, and the late 1940s. In spite of the lack then of modern comforts and technologies, the “old-fashioned Christmases” full of love and joy can’t be beat.
Thanks again for these classic reminders and memories.
— Kenneth Moss, Polson
Hippy Hippy Shake
Regarding Mr. Bachmeier, a Democrat state representative from Havre and his desire for a rock ‘n’ roll song for the state of Montana: One more example of how lofty the goals of the Democrat party are.
After all, haven’t we been pounding the Legislature to please, please get us a rock ‘n’ roll song for Montana? If Montanans needed a state song, may I suggest Rob Quist, whose music is known to all Montanans and loved as it reflects the true Montana character and history. So I ask the Legislature to reject the Peter Rabbit song of Hippy Hippy Hop (correction: Shake) and save Montana from the embarrassment Mr. Bachmeier advocates. Elections have consequences.
—Carol Nelson, Bigfork
Southern border wall
A border wall is not the complete panacea to end the border crossings on the southern border, any more than locking your doors when you leave your house. But it does present a barrier to discourage a person from entering your home, just the same as a 33-foot solid barrier down on the southern border would do.
Israel has two border walls, one on the Egyptian side and the other on the Palestinian side. The southern wall which covers Egypt has stopped 99.9 percent of persons trying to come across into Israel, from poverty stricken Africa. The border wall between Israel and Palestine is effective, but not to the degree of the southern Egyptian wall. For Hamas continues to build tunnels to smuggle people and weapons into Israel. But the Israeli army also has a number of sensitive listening devices that detect movement below the soil. It is not 100 percent effective, any more than the walls are, but it does stop a lot of people who are hell-bent to cause trouble.
Our southern border wall would help to eliminate a great deal of drug smuggling into the USA and also cut down on the human sex trafficking and those who just want to sneak into the country.
For some reason, people seem to think that the wall is going to be 1,000 miles of a solid barrier and that is nonsense. It will be erected in places to where large volumes of traffickers are crossing into the USA. In the remote areas that are almost impossible for person to travel, a fence and electronic devices of all sorts will be deployed, including drones. In these areas, there will be fencing and patrols by the Border Patrol and 24-hour electronic surveillance.
At present; it cost us taxpayers $155 billion a year in total welfare cost for illegals in this country, as opposed to $5.1 billion to erect a 33-foot solid wall barrier.
What is troubling to all of this is; other presidents have said they wanted a wall or various types of barriers to stop this illegal flow of people into our country. But it has all been political talk, going all the way back to President Reagan. But now we have a president who is not “all political talk” but really wants to end this madness of illegal aliens being in our country and the political elites on both sides of the isle are upset, along with the special interest people who keep the elites in office.
—Jim Garvey, Kalispell
A gift for all to celebrate
A gift has been presented to all the people of Montana. The gift is a simple solution. A solution that may, should it be the will of our heavenly creator, lift the dark cloud of uncertainty that Montana has endured ever since the partial, one-of-three-party passage, of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes water compact. A gift that captures the true spirit of our American republic. The Peoples Compact is that gift.
It is presented as a direct congressional redress of grievance and a masterful example of a grassroots collaboration that legally exists to circumvent any alleged bad law or bad precedence. The process follows a once forgotten template in which may now become the new norm, for “We The People” are the government, collectively. An 18-page draft of the Peoples Compact is available for your review and is appropriately named the Mending Fences Act of 2019. The individual tribal member, CSKT government and the people of Montana are all considered in this arduous undertaking to create a momentous, simple and lawful protection of Montana existing and more importantly Montana’s future water uses. A gift that we can all celebrate. Please visit, educate yourself and support the redress of grievance process that only “we the people” are provided within the great shores of America.
—Jeanne Dennison, Charlo