Last Best News (https://montana-mint.com/lastbestnews/category/opinion/page/3/)
Buildings have a way of disappearing where I live. They rot, burn, atomize and move. I have an aerial photo of the ranch from 1950 or so. On the part of the ranch I call the Fox place there is the cabin that housed Mr. Fox in one end and his horse in the other. (more…) Continue Reading →
When I was in the U.S. Army, I recited an “Oath of Enlistment” when I joined, gained rank, and re-enlisted. In it, I swore to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States.” There are fewer words you say in the military that show the seriousness of what you are about to do. (more…) Continue Reading →
Gross distortions of reality used to be reserved for political season. Now that they are the staff of everyday life, it’s difficult to know when to crank up the fact checking. (more…) Continue Reading →
Editor’s note: The following piece originally went out via email as a letter to the readers of High Country News from HCN Publisher Paul Larmer. It is reprinted here by permission. We think it says some important things about the state of American journalism, and we think High Country News is worthy of your support. (more…) Continue Reading →
The radio ad took a shot at U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer and said to call Jon Tester, the Democratic senator from Montana. (more…) Continue Reading →
Often, when I sit down to write, I have to search for a topic. It’s common for me to write three or more articles and then decide which one I want to run that week. For the record, this is version four. I figure if I’m going to write something I at least ought to be interested in it. I write a lot about politics because I was involved in it for a long time, but today’s politics is not a joyous subject. Continue Reading →
Twenty-two years ago, I took my daughter to see “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” the story of a music teacher in a public high school. He teaches kids of every description in times of trial and triumph, but the big scene is the last one. (more…) Continue Reading →
“Listen, kid, it’s all part of building character. The struggle will make you a better person. Stronger, more appreciative.”
Sound familiar? It’s lovely, isn’t it, that we can call something as pernicious as starvation “character building”? The “back in my day” proposition is feeding the stereotype of the struggling college student who must ingest ungodly amounts of sodium in order to get by, and only marginally at best. Continue Reading →
Imagine a powerful gun lobbyist with an Irish accent and you get some idea of last week’s debate at Rocky Mountain College. (more…) Continue Reading →
Three years ago, my friend Adrian Jawort and I started the Native American Race Relations and Healing Lecture Series, which meets once a month at the Billings Public Library. In the three years since we kicked off this series, we have been striving to achieve two goals. One is to come up with a shorter name, which we have failed to do. (more…) Continue Reading →
