Last week, I was asked to speak to the American Association of University Women about the meandering path that brought me to Last Best News. What follows is a condensed, and possibly improved, version of those remarks. To begin at the beginning, a long, long time ago, in a place far, far away, I was born. That beginning is more relevant than it may sound, because even before I really knew how to write letters properly, I was already self-publishing little family newsletters, commentaries and magazines, sometimes using little toy printing presses that my brother and I had. (more…) Continue Reading →
Opinion
Recent Posts
Opinion: Young people need to know of changes to MIP law
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Montana’s minor-in-possession laws have changed slightly, but the results won’t change unless young people know about those changes. The new law simply says that if underage people seek emergency medical attention for themselves or another person, law enforcement can’t ticket them for a minor-in-possession. This MIP medical immunity measure was passed by a strong bipartisan majority during the 2015 state Legislature. (more…) Continue Reading →
Filed under: Opinion, MIP, Montana Legislature
Opinion: Power to the people? It will take some work
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“The people,” said a farmer’s wife in a Minnesota country store while
her husband was buying a new post-hole digger,
“The people,” she went on, “will stick around a long time. “The people run the works, only they don’t know it yet — you wait and see.”
— Carl Sandburg in “The People, Yes” (1936) —
The people running things. Powerful thought. But, is it just a nice sentiment or could it be a reality? Is it a genuine possibility, or just rhetorical candy for the masses, distracting them from the harsh reality that money rules the roost in America? Continue Reading →
Filed under: Opinion, Carl Sandburg, Citizens United, Evan Barrett, Great Depression, Supreme Court
David Crisp: 3rd parties face steep climb to higher office
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If you are sick of hearing about Clinton, Cruz, Kasich, Sanders and Trump, take heart. Plenty of other choices are available. In fact, there are 1,686 of them, according to the Federal Election Commission, which has to keep track of everybody who files a FEC Form 2 Statement of Candidacy. The candidates for president range from Jon Ababiy of Blaine, Minn., running for the Peace and Freedom Party, to Gyro Zeppeli of Naples, Fla., running on the Socialist Equality Party ticket. (more…) Continue Reading →
Filed under: Opinion, Dave Barry, Ed Smith, Federal Election Commission, Mike Fellows, Roque De La Fuente, third parties
Montana Viewpoint: Getting the mule’s attention
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There is a story by Charlie Russell about a teamster who was harnessing a four-up of mules to his wagon. The job completed, the teamster walked over to a lumber pile, picked up a short two-by-four and proceeded to give the lead mule a hearty whack on the forehead. A tenderfoot who had been watching the process was astounded. (more…) Continue Reading →
Filed under: Opinion, Charlie Russell, George Will, Rick Scott
David Crisp: Mending government starts here
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Ten years after he was elected to the U.S. Senate, Jon Tester, D-Mont., still continues to farm near his home in Big Sandy. It isn’t about the money. “One of the reasons I still farm is because I go home and can get things done,” Tester said during a telephone town hall last week. In Washington, D.C., not so much. (more…) Continue Reading →
Filed under: Opinion, Affordable Care Act, Citizens United, Jon Tester, U.S. Senate, U.S. Supreme Court
Otter Creek: An important victory for an important place
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By now the demise of the Otter Creek mine is old news. I thought I should write something about it but I didn’t. Talking to a good friend a couple of weeks later, I told him that it felt weird to write, photograph, organize and spend a significant amount of my life and emotional energy on something and then let the end of it pass without a note or retrospective. (more…) Continue Reading →
Filed under: Opinion, Arch Coal, Emigrant Creek, Livingston Enterprise, Otter Creek, Tongue River Railroad, Yellowstone National Park
David Crisp: On abortion, Trump utters unwitting truth
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One good thing about having a colossal blowhard like Donald Trump run for president is that he occasionally blurts out a gaffe, which Michael Kinsley famously defined as “when a politician tells the truth–some obvious truth he isn’t supposed to say.” (more…) Continue Reading →
Filed under: Opinion, Donald Trump, Michael Kinsley, Rafael Cruz, Ted Cruz, Troy Newman
Montana Viewpoint: Who has gained from anti-tax talk?
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It is the American tradition at this time of year to gripe and moan about paying taxes. Indeed, we have been well indoctrinated. The libertarian right, led by the wealthy and the corporate giants, have for years been telling us that our taxes are too high, that we are being taxed to death, and that taxes stifle the economy. (more…) Continue Reading →
Filed under: Opinion, government, Taxes
David Crisp: What matters, what doesn’t, in recent flaps
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In April 1864, months before one of the most contentious elections in American history, the New York World accused President Abraham Lincoln of having urged a friend to sing a comic song as they strolled among the dead and wounded two years earlier at Antietam. The World pounded on the false story for five months, eventually adding the fanciful detail that Democratic opponent George McClellan, the general Lincoln had fired for timidity and a fatal case of the “slows,” had pleaded in vain for Lincoln to show respect to the fallen. (more…) Continue Reading →