Opinion

We must address facial recognition tech

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Our rights to not have our property or persons searched or seized without a warrant, to not be harassed by the government without good reason, and to conduct our own peaceful affairs with minimal intrusion are increasingly challenged by new technology. Our smartphones track our every movement, many personal conversations happen through electronic communications, and our health and financial data are increasingly stored on devices and in the cloud.

Federal election takeover bill undermines what Montanans want

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If there’s one thing Montanans are about, it’s common sense. We work hard, play by the rules and don’t like when Washington elites impose laws that go against what works for Montana. That’s why I fought against President Biden and the Democrats’ attempt to pass their partisan bill to enact a federal takeover of elections every step of the way—because what they were trying to do didn’t make sense, and it’s not what Montanans wanted.

Scriptures direct us to recognize Jesus for who he is

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In his writing to the church in Colossae, Paul set forth the fact that Jesus Christ is the Savior of mankind. It is at this point that Paul sets forth ten points of the supremacy of Jesus.

A milepost on the road to justice

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It is 10 AM on January 21, 1991, when Montana State Senator Eleanor Vaughn, D-Libby, calls the joint meeting of House and Senate State Administration Committees to order, and Senator Harry Fritz rises to present, for the third consecutive legislative session, 1987, 1989, and now, 1991, a bill to create a paid state holiday honoring the legacy of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. It has been a national holiday since 1986, and Montana is one of the two remaining states that has yet to create one of its own—Arizona is the other. SB 78, the bill creating the holiday, is supported by Montana Republican Attorney General Marc Racicot (a member of the Libby Loggers 1966 Class A state basketball championship team), will be passed by the Democratically controlled Senate and House, and signed into law by Republican Governor Stan Stevens on February 8, 1991. This was, said Stevens, quoted in the New York Times, “…not only a day honoring Dr. King, but his ideas and the ideas of others who’ve championed civil rights throughout the world.”

In the heat of the night

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Of all the daily chores my father performed on the southern Illinois dairy farm of my youth, the most vital to me each winter morning was his rekindling of the banked fire in the tall, round wood stove that dominated my mother’s kitchen 60 years ago.

A reminder about why medical marijuana cards and firearms don’t mix

An Montana Shooting Sport Assoiciation member recently called me to inquire about medical marijuana cards in Montana and firearms. After my answer, he suggested I distribute the information I’d provided to folks on the MSSA list.

Taxpayers foot bill for legislators’ ‘election fraud’ trip

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Two Montana lawmakers were given taxpayer funds last fall to reimburse their attendance at a threeday “cyber symposium” in South Dakota where the host, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, perpetuated debunked allegations of widespread election fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

Analog still has its very useful place in society

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Definition: “analog” means not involving or relating to the use of computer technology, as a contrast to a digital counterpart. For a clock the word “analog” means showin the time by means of hands rather than displayed digits.

Mr. Smith and the Senate filibuster

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One of the great motion pictures of all time was the 1939 Academy Award blockbuster directed by the legendary Frank Capra called Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. The movie was based on an unpublished manuscript by Lewis R. Foster with the title, “The Gentleman from Montana.” Columbia pictures offered the leading role to Montana actor Gary Cooper who turned it down, so the Mr. Smith character was accepted by the young up-and-coming actor, Jimmy Stewart.

Passenger rail service is important, but overstated in recent guest opinion

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A guest opinion in the Glendive Ranger Review Dec. 19, 2021 by Jason Stuart, Vice Chairman of the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority (BSPRA) and Executive Director of the Dawson County Economic Development Council (DCEDC) stated, referencing efforts to bring back passenger train service through Glendive: “We firmly believe that we can say without hyperbole that this is the most important economic development effort in Glendive/Dawson County in at least the last 50 years, and the DCEDC is leading in that effort. The restoration of passenger rail service will be a major economic boon to our community, providing increased economic activity for our hotels, retail stores, restaurants and tourism sites. It will help create new opportunities for new businesses to open and flourish. It will create new jobs for ticket agents, baggage handlers, depot staff and other support services. It may even present an opportunity to put the now decommissioned locomotive repair shop back in operation. And it will improve the quality of life for our community, providing our residents with another option for travel that is safe, weatherproof, reliable and affordable.”

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