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It’s time to end this edition of ‘The Great Game’
Oh the wailing and gnashing of teeth as the U.S. leaves Afghanistan, bringing its longest-running war to an ignominious close. Then again, there’s a reason they call Afghanistan “the place where empires go to die” — and we have just been added to the long list of would-be occupiers and rulers who have dragged themselves out […]
Bump stocks are not a priority for Montanans
If you’re like most Montanans, you probably don’t know or care about whether or not you can legally purchase a bump stock. In fact, you may have never heard of these devices that replace the normal stock in a semi-automatic rifle to allow it to operate much like a fully-automatic machine gun. Yet, for some […]
We’re all all-full: The limits of our growing population
When Europeans first landed on the North American continent, it was “ripe for the picking,” lush with forests, rivers, wildlife, fish and land as far as the eye could see. As for those already inhabiting those lands and waters, well, they were considered “savages,” and their removal by whatever means necessary was a foregone conclusion. […]
We can’t log our way out of global warming
Late last week President Biden met with Western governors to discuss the wildfires that continue to scorch their states. Montana’s Republican governor, Greg Gianforte, said he plans to tell Biden we need to log more of our forests — only of course he’ll use the latest timber industry gobbledygook of “active forest management” instead of speaking plainly and […]
Too little too late (and way too bad)
The clear signs were there months and months ago. A low-snow winter, an early, too hot and too dry spring with almost no runoff. By the time “summer” got here, Montana was already in crisis mode as river levels plunged, water temperatures rose to lethal levels for coldwater fish, and the state roasted in triple […]
Government can take care of the citizens while corporations take care of themselves
Although Montana’s Democratic Party appears to be dang near invisible, President Joe Biden and the Democrat majorities in Congress are definitely on the move. The good news is what they’re doing brings tremendous benefits to our people and planet, not to the mega-corporations Republicans in the White House and Congress have slavishly served for the […]
Letting corporate polluters off the hook is a losing game for Montana
It’s no secret that Montana has suffered long-term human health and environmental damages from a variety of industries including mining, smelting, manufacturing and processing. We have the largest Superfund site in the nation — the Upper Clark Fork Complex — which is nothing to brag about. From killing hundreds of Montanans with asbestosis in Libby’s W.R. Grace […]
Montana’s Senators are Mobil-Exxon puppets
Montana is a very long ways from the Senate chambers in Washington, D.C. Yet, like every other state, we send two senators to represent us in what used to be called “the greatest deliberative body on earth.” We are continually flooded with self-congratulatory press releases promising they’re “fighting for Montana.” But a sad reality was […]
Montana is melting and its politicians refuse to do anything about it
It’s almost impossible to believe, but while Montanans are melting in record-high, triple-digit temperatures in June, mining and burning more coal as well as drilling and burning more oil and gas continues to be recklessly promoted by our politicians who are apparently blind to the severe drought, blistering temperatures, and insect infestations as the climate-destroying […]
Bad drought and dead trout tragedy foreseeable and avoidable
Well, here we are. The brown trout are disappearing from Montana’s fabled streams and rivers and all of Montana’s coldwater fisheries may soon follow. Unfortunately, it takes a crisis before our politicians and agencies decide to do what’s necessary instead of what’s politically expedient. So now our streams will be shut down, fish will die, […]