Sorted by date Results 751 - 775 of 1188
SEELEY LAKE - I attended the meeting of the Seeley Lake Sewer District last week and I learned a few things. 1. The water quality in Seeley Lake is excellent; among the best in Montana. The lake is not being polluted by individual septic systems in the community. In fact the groundwater in the surrounding area does not enter the lake. Neither does it mix with other surface water. So, the whole argument that we have to have a sewer system because we are polluting the lake is a scam. 2. The problem pointed out by the Health Department is high nit...
What does the U.S. Forest Service, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corp of Engineers all have in common? They are all involved in job protection regardless of the cost to the U.S. taxpayer. We all know about the Forest Service and their “We fight fires, we don’t put them out” policy. They certainly don’t manage the forest properly by thinning trees and underbrush to avoid the costly fires. The EPA and Army Corp of Engineers seems to have the same policy of always responding after the fact. The EPA doesn’t seem to care abou...
Patriotism, flag burning, anthem kneeling – emotional topics throughout history. Ironically, our country was founded by patriots who burned flags. And they endeavored to establish a new kind of country that protected cherished values like freedom of speech in an age when that was not protected so well by any other nation-state. As George Washington stated, “If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” Flag burning, like kneeling during the anthem, is a symbolic act of political resis...
I have been given written permission and even encouraged by Mr. Marshall to stand up for my rights and freedom of speech, so I will again. I am thankful that honoring the flag and anthem have been American traditions handed down for generations. I am thankful for all the men and women who have fought for, suffered grievous wounds of body and soul and many died for the United States of America. They suffered for me. I am unworthy, but oh, so thankful. How painful it must be for those heroes to see the flag burning and the kneeling for the...
SEELEY LAKE - I’m writing about the Big Larch Campground. I was called out to the boat ramp two years ago and the Forest Service people asked my advice on how to fix the boat ramp at the dock. I said it would probably cost about $2,000 to fix it per my advice. I called to see if it was fixed before the Kids’ Fishing Tournament and was told they had to study it. It went from $2,000 to $40,000 and it’s still not fixed. If you look at it today it’s tore up more than it ever was before. I also found out they couldn’t find any loggers to do the wo... Full story
I want to respond to Mike Marshall’s letter in last week’s Pathfinder. Mike disagreed with some people’s dissatisfaction with other people’s method of protesting. I think Mike is very wrong. There are acceptable ways of protesting and there SHOULD be unacceptable ways. Nations have even attempted to make rules of fighting wars. In that light there should be rules of protesting. When a person burns our flag, or stomps our flag into the ground, to me that means he/she hates everything about this country and there is nothing good, redeema...
I want to reciprocate the feelings of gratitude to Lee Bridges for running a primary campaign that focused on the issues rather than personal animosities. Playing to divisive rhetoric for short-term political points hurts all of us in the long-term. As Bridges noted in a recent Letter to the Editor, this was an ideal that she and I both agreed to before we ever started campaigning. I want to thank her for being true to her words. What Montana needs now more than ever is civility and the ability to build bridges towards common ground. Lee...
I am always disappointed to see someone who thinks expressing our freedom of speech is un-American. I’ll have to disagree. You may not like what someone has to express or the way they express it, but just like you, they have every right to express it. In fact, telling someone to go find another country if you don’t like what’s going on is the most selfish and unpatriotic thing you can say to someone. We need more people to stand up and be counted, even if we don’t like the way they express themselves. If our country is doing something we see...
I am writing in response to Mr. Mike Marshall’s letter to the editor in the Pathfinder Thursday, June 21, 2018. We who are citizens of the United States of America do have wonderful freedoms, thanks to our founding fathers, and the men and women who fought for, and the many who gave their lives for our freedoms. Some left their limbs on the battlefields and some came home with broken hearts and troubled minds so you and I can enjoy our freedom. People do have the right to burn the flag and kneel for the anthem. I have rights too. I have the r...
Senator Steve Daines of Montana, I am sad to say, just announced that he introduced a constitutional amendment in the U.S. Senate to outlaw burning the flag. Here is my message to Senator Daines regarding this misguided effort: “You don’t truly understand our bill of rights, do you Senator? You are too willing to compromise our rights (and your rights), so you truly do not deserve them and certainly do not deserve our respect for your flagrant inability to appreciate our rights. I stand for the pledge of allegiance and for our national ant...
Dear people of the great state of Montana – The past February, my third-grade students wrote letters to small town newspapers around our country. The letters asked people in each state to send items of interest that the students might include in their final State Fair project. My students were thrilled as packages started arriving from all over the country! They received books, newspapers, postcards, maps and many unique items from wonderful and generous people of the United States of A...
Children are the most precious gift; to the parents, to the future of a nation and the future of humankind. Without children there is no future. Yes, parents are responsible for their children and in bringing them up for the future of the nation and humankind. But a civilized society does not use children as a means to admonish, correct or punish the parents for acts which the parents may have knowingly or unknowingly committed. There are supposedly cases where people are crossing the border with children who are not their own and may not even...
GOP Senate candidate Matt Rosendale is not the person he claims to be and is not particularly well informed or interested in protecting Montanans. He is not right for Montana. He has never been a rancher, despite using the title. In 2002 he bought a ranch, but Montana’s Revenue Department reports that neither he, his wife, nor his ranch has registered ownership of any cattle since January 2003. He also admitted, in a 2017 radio interview, that he leases out the entire ranch, and although one lessee runs cows there, that does not make him a r...
In a state like Montana where hard work is valued and our word is our bond, you would think that Matt Rosendale would make an effort to follow through on his commitment to attend the first debate of the election. Instead, Rosendale decided to take a vacation to DC to schmooze with lobbyists and donors, and then backed out of the debate. Maybe someone could get away with that in Maryland—but Rosendale’s behavior won’t cut it for Montanans. As soon as Rosendale became the Republican nominee for this Senate race, Jon Tester invited Rosen...
Hi, friends and neighbors! I’d like to thank everyone in Seeley Lake and surrounding areas for your support and votes in the Democratic Primary, June 5th! I look forward to continuing what I’ve been doing, which is attending meetings, events, meeting one-on-one with folks and listening to your concerns for our rural District. I knocked on more than 2,000 doors in the primary and enjoyed the conversations we had, including with Republicans and Independents. Your thoughts and ideas are important to me. Regardless of your party, whether you...
The gratitude and admiration I have for this community’s support in the recent primary election is difficult to convey in language. Despite the fact that I was not the nominee for the general election, I’m overwhelmed by your turnout at the polls. The resilience of this community has clearly been evident in the unprecedented wildfire season last summer, a long winter and subsequent spring floods. Your determination to face all of these challenges with dignity, humility and a spirit of unrelenting optimism is a wellspring of inspiration for man...
To our dirt road friends and neighbors of the Glacier Creek, Styler and Remicks area, Your considerate driving makes the air around the area cleaner. If particulate in the air were compared with other parts of the valley, ours would be cleaner. Not just because of the dust abatement participants but because so many of you drive slower during dust season. More than a dozen local residents walk, jog, bike and horseback ride these neighborhoods throughout the year, especially the dusty months. Thanks for driving slowly on dirt roads in the...
I am writing this letter to give my strong support for Duane “Cecil” Schlabach as our representative for HD 92. I’ve known Duane for 18 years, and in the process watched him travel his “Montana road” - first as a wilderness packer/guide, followed by a stint as a rodeo bronc rider, then as a carpenter, as a university student pursuing higher education and for the last several years as a teacher at Seeley Lake Elementary. Over the years he has earned and continually increased my respect for his motivation, drive, work ethic and strong core valu...
I don’t remember when I’ve been so excited about an election -- maybe 2008? A major reason is that I have had the amazing opportunity to work on my friend’s campaign. Lee Bridges is running for House District 92 -- it’s a unique district stretching from East Missoula, east to Clinton, north to Seeley, then Condon. Lee has lived in the district for decades and is very involved in the community. She is a union sheet metal worker, very hard-working, scary smart, quick to understand, creative, a natural consensus seeker. I have spent hours with he...
As a lifelong resident of East Missoula (HD92), I believe we need a strong and independent voice for the working class dogs, the tough blue collar folks who make up the majority of District 92. Lee Bridges is that voice and she’s getting my vote. Lee has been a neighbor and friend for over 34 years. You won’t find a better representative than her. She’s a union sheet metal worker and mechanic, an entrepreneur who restores and rides Harleys, a skilled tradesman and union supporter, a volunteer firefighter, an East Missoula Community Counc...
Dear Seeley Lake Residents: I just had the most amazing visit to your elementary school. As I walked in, I felt like I was in the most amazing learning environment. There was a bench by the opening door made from snowboards and the wood trim on all the indoor doorways, windows and shelves were made from recycled pine beetle wood. I saw a table made from an old wooden bleacher and met some of the most enthusiastic educators. While visiting with the educators I learned about an outdoor program you had for your students and learned how this was...
I find it interesting and intriguing that Mr. Keith Virga found the need to write a letter to the Editor in the May 10th Pathfinder. His support of Freshman Representative Hopkins is his right, as is mine to support and promote Mr. Derek (DJ) Smith, a strong conservative Republican. It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to look at an idea without agreeing with it. (Aristotle) I am on the ballot and filed my C-1 in December of 2016. If I did not think then that I was better qualified than Mr. Hopkins, why file? I have followed the...
SEELEY LAKE - Shout out to the Seeley-Swan Community. I’m thinking Saturday night’s art auction, talent show and scholarship fundraiser was a success. The talent in this community is astonishing. Regulars such as Trace and Mark wowed the folks as always...and Pete on the banjer and his wife Rachel on guitar did the same. Two high school students did their own original poetry and Steve Fraker did original Cowboy verse. A group of hand bellers hushed the crowd with quiet melodic bell music. How’d they do that? And more good stuff too numerous to...
I live in East Missoula and was very intrigued when I read one of Lee Bridges’ (HD92) intro cards. So I called her and she actually came over to my house and we talked for over an hour. I find her incredibly thoughtful, understanding and insightful - I have since volunteered for her campaign, and am impressed with her commitment to hard work and her ethical practices. I hope you will join me in voting for Lee Bridges for HD92!!...
With proud enthusiasm, I support Cecil Schlabach for HD92 in the upcoming primary election on June 5. I have known Cecil for the past seven years as both a teaching associate and a friend. We both teach junior high at SLE. Cecil works tirelessly to promote well-educated students through his teaching of History, Civics and Communication Arts, along with coordinating the educational trip to Washington D.C. Embracing higher education, Cecil just completed a Masters in Educational Leadership. Cecil is hardworking, dedicated and honest as the day...
