Last Best News (https://montana-mint.com/lastbestnews/category/opinion/page/27/)
In one of the best scenes in the 1932 Marx Brothers movie “Horse Feathers,” Harpo Marx plays a dog catcher accosted by a cop for blocking traffic while stopping for lunch. The cop pulls out a notepad and begins writing Harpo a ticket. (more…) Continue Reading →
We’ve all heard the stereotypes about Millennials. “Lazy.” “Entitled.” “Job Hoppers.” “Needy.” “Hard to Manage.” Just Google “millennials in the workforce” and you’ll find an endless list of not-so-glowing generalizations. But before we make sweeping statements about an entire generation that grew up in the digital age, I’d like to offer another view. (more…) Continue Reading →
“When I started telling people in Amherst that I was Native American, their most common response was ‘Wow, that’s really cool!’”
This was one of the more striking statements made by Caleb Williams, who was the speaker at the most recent Native American Race Relations and Healing Lecture Series. And the striking thing about it was the expression on his face when he said it. It was clearly not the reaction he is accustomed to getting when he talks about his heritage. (more…) Continue Reading →
Americans are among the most mobile people on the planet, so my wife and I spent the Fourth of July weekend in the most patriotic way possible: We helped somebody move. According to various sources, average Americans move about 12 times in the course of their lives. I’m way above average. By my fingers-and-toes count, I’ve lived in 25 different places, if you count Army barracks and the nine months I lived mostly out of a Volkswagen van. (more…) Continue Reading →
Early in the morning on July 2, 2011, I walked down the gravel road on our farm to let the goats out to graze for the day. I found the Yellowstone River flowing through our hay fields and summer pasture and, along with the water, an oily rainbow sheen and large clumps of crude oil sticking to trees, cattails and brush. It was in our sloughs, our pond and Blue Creek. (more…) Continue Reading →
RED LODGE — At Domestic and Sexual Violence Services, we follow national news stories that deal with issues we see close to home. Lately, we’ve been following the media blitz about the Stanford rape case. If you haven’t heard, at the beginning of June, Brock Turner, a Stanford student, was convicted by a jury of three counts of felony sexual assault. Sadly, Judge Aaron Persky gave Turner an extremely light sentence of six months in jail with a high likelihood that he would be out in three months. After this farce of justice, the victim went public with an eloquently written letter to the court and the rapist. (more…) Continue Reading →
Last week I was feeling dispirited about the propaganda flowing into Montana by way of TV ads attacking the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This week, I feel an acorn of hope. No, I still don’t know who has been buying those ads, other than the nonhuman face of Protect America’s Consumers. And the ads are still running in abundance, hour after hour, on cable news channels in a few targeted states, including Montana. (more…) Continue Reading →
The recent vote in the United Kingdom to leave the European Union has sent economic shock waves around the world. UK Prime Minister David Cameron did not have to hold a referendum on Britain’s staying in the EU, but he thought people would vote to stay and thus give public approval to the partnership. (more…) Continue Reading →
On the coming 4th of July, our hearts will swell with pride as the Stars and Stripes lead our local Independence Day parades. That flag reflects an American reality of which we are all rightfully proud. Despite its imperfections, we live in a great country, with a remarkable democratic governmental structure that is the envy of the world—the bedrock of our national identity. We are a government of, by and for the people. We are a nation of laws, not of men and their whims and fancies. Continue Reading →
Someone once said, “You don’t build a business, you build people. And the people build the business.”
In a state like Montana, where we are known around the world for our work ethic and hospitality, building up people and building relationships is the undisputed strength of our businesses. (more…) Continue Reading →
