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Life
Montana
SUNDAY,JUNE17,2012
Section C1
THEDAILYINTERLAKE
Patrick Cote photos/Daily Inter Lake
INSTRUCTOR AND SHERIFF’S Sgt. Brad Stahlberg, left, points out how to properly hold a handgun for best recoil management to Richard Hull during range day
of the Sheriff’s Citizens’ Academy. Students learned about the importance of gun safety and got the chance to shoot a variety of handguns, rifles and a shotgun.
In their shoes:
Class offers citizens crash
course in law enforcement
By JESSE DAVIS
The Daily Inter Lake
A program invented during the 1970s in England
before spreading to the United States in 1985 is now
putting Flathead County residents in the shoes of
those who have sworn to serve and protect them.
Citizens’ police academy programs aim to give
ordinary people an insider’s look at how law enforcement officers do their job, from traffic duty to homicide investigations. The Sheriff’s Citizens’ Academy
run by the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office — first
launched under Sheriff Jim Dupont and resurrected
last year by Sheriff Chuck Curry — is no exception.
Not only does the 10-week course give participants background knowledge provided by that
insider’s look, but also the opportunity to try
their hand at some of the more exciting aspects of
police work — driving fast and shooting guns.
Of the two classes that are fully hands-on, the
first is at the wheel of a retired police cruiser
on an obstacle course. That portion of the most
recent academy was held at Glacier Park International Airport.
Participants were first given tips on straightline braking and shuffle steering — steering using
only the bottom portion of the steering wheel
without crossing their hands from one side to the
other. Then they had to maneuver through two
sets of cones.
In the first set, they drove serpentine through a
straight line of cones before turning around and
going through a slalom. The second set required
driving in reverse, both serpentine and through
turns.
Drivers were told to go as fast as they wanted in
both courses, an encouragement that led to white
knuckles for some and huge grins for all.
One of the last classes in the course is a day at the
office’s shooting range, also on the airport grounds.
In addition to learning a small handful of the latest
law enforcement firearms techniques, participants
had the opportunity to try a variety of weapons,
from .22-caliber to .45-caliber and 9 millimeter handguns, a pair of assault rifles and a shotgun.
ANOTHER HIGH POINT of the course comes
early, when SWAT team leader Brian Heino walks
the class through the tools and tactics used by the
team, followed by a live demonstration. The action
doesn’t stop with the end of the course either, as
participants are encouraged to sign up to do ridealongs with deputies.
But while the high-action classes may be the
most popular, equally important is the information gleaned through the course. Participants learn
about budgetary issues, investigation procedure,
patrol objectives and the relationship between law
enforcement and the county attorney’s office.
Some of the information is expected, while some
is eye-opening — such as the fact that only two
animal control officers are on duty each day but
respond to more than 500 calls each month; that
the sheriff’s office spends roughly $60,000 annually on cellphones, cellphone service and wireless
cards; or that city police have jurisdiction five
miles outside incorporated city limits.
But Curry said the course isn’t just about educating citizens.
ABOVE, students
navigate a traffic
cone course set
up on the tarmac
at Glacier Park
International Airport
during the Sheriff’s
Citizens’ Academy
evasive vehicle
operations course.
AT LEFT, Joseph
Ruffolo inspects the
holes he put into a
target using a shotgun during Sheriff’s
Citizens’ Academy
range day.
“The purpose of the citizens’ academy is twofold,” he said. “It’s not just so citizens can learn
more about the sheriff’s office but also so the
sheriff’s office can get better input from the community.
“We’ve run two classes now in the last year,
and I think it’s been really successful, certainly in
the feedback aspect.”
In conjunction with the rebirth of the course
and to aid in its creation, Curry created a community resource deputy position, currently held by
Travis Bruyer. Bruyer is tasked with coordinating
the office’s outreach efforts and serving as administrator of its website.
Through his role, Bruyer — along with help
from Patrol Commander Calvin Beringer — led
the academy, although each section of the course
was taught by a different person.
“I think I’ve probably got the best job,” Bruyer
said. “I enjoy teaching certain parts of the class,
but being kind of the lead in it is a neat experience, because I’m the one that gets the phone
calls, gets a lot of the questions.”
Bruyer is already receiving emails almost
every day from the most recent program, which
wrapped up at the end of May. He said he also
still gets emails and calls from people who participated in the trial version of the program, held last
year.
Those connections, he said, are part of what
makes the program so fulfilling and so successful.
“You walk away from it knowing 20 more people a little bit more intimately,” Bruyer said. “I
have 20 more friends in this community, 20 more
people I can bounce ideas off of, people I have
trust with. I think that’s what’s great about it.”
He was also encouraged by the fact that he did
not have to seek out teachers for the different
classes.
“Most of our instructors volunteered,” Bruyer
said. “They actually came to myself and Commander Beringer. I didn’t have to go out and
solicit help.”
ALTHOUGH THERE ARE not yet any specific
plans for changes to the course, Curry said its
content is the subject of regular discussions.
“We’re looking at any changes that will make it
better, more interesting. We’re constantly evaluating that,” he said. “Obviously in this short of a
time frame, we can’t cover every division in the
office.”
Bruyer said the course material is set at this
point and that they know it is moving in the right
direction.
“At first we didn’t know what things we wanted
to expose to the public, but now with this [most
recent] group, I think everything is set,” he said.
See CLASS on Page C5
The Daily inTer lake
n Page C2
Sunday, June 17, 2012
COMMUNITY
Soroptimists host
High Heel-a-Thon
Event kicks off
Rally in the
Rockies parade
The Kalispell Soroptimists will host a High
Heel-a-Thon relay race
down Main Street in
Kalispell at 9:45 a.m.
July 21. The race will
kick off the Glacier Rally
in the Rockies Parade.
Teams of four, including both women and
men, all clad in high
heels (2-inch minimum
heel required; no cowboy
boots allowed) will walk
as fast as they can (no
running allowed) eight
blocks of Main Street in
relay race fashion, two
blocks per team member,
passing the baton at each
interval to the next racer
on their team.
Teams are encouraged to create a theme
or dress in costume for
the event, in the hopes of
winning the Best Team
Spirit award and trophy.
Trophies will also be
awarded to the first-,
second- and third-place
teams and to the team
that raises the most
money.
Each team must collect
pledges to raise $200 ($50
per team member) to register for the race.
Individuals who would
like to participate but do
not have a team may collect pledges (minimum
of $50) and register individually. They will then
be placed on a team.
Registration deadline
is July 11.
Any pledge donations
raised in excess of the
team or individual minimum may be brought the
day of the event.
Each participant will
receive an arm band
good for free entrance
into Arts in the Park for
that day, sponsored by
the Hockaday Museum
of Art.
Local businesses are
encouraged to support the event through
a corporate sponsorship. There are three
levels: $500 (stiletto),
$300 (pump), and $100
(wedge). Each business
sponsor will have their
logo included in event
marketing materials
and on the finish line
banner. Deadline for corporate sponsorships to
have their logo included
is July 1.
Downloadable registration materials may be
found online at www.
kalispellchamber.com/
programs-events. Click
on “Community Events”
and navigate to the event
date, then click on the
link.
Registration materials
may also be picked up at
Ceres Bakery or Flowers by Hansen on Main
Street in Kalispell.
Mail registrations and
make checks payable to
SI-Kalispell, P.O. Box
1604, Kalispell, MT 59903
or email sikalispell@
soroptimist.net.
The Kalispell Soroptimist Club is part of
Soroptimist International, which supports
community-based projects benefiting women
and raising awareness
about human trafficking
and domestic violence,
as well as health and
education. For further
information, email president Diane Yarus at the
address listed above, or
call at 751-2175.
Roundup
Bring canines
to Doggie Dash
The two will demonstrate how to use grape
varietal kits and fruits,
flowers and berries; the
equipment required; and
The Flathead Spay and
provide catalogs for kits,
Neuter Task Force presas well as their own recients Doggie Dash Day
pes.
Saturday, June 23, at the
Discount cards for
Hugh Rogers Wag Park in equipment and supplies,
Whitefish.
offered by Withey’s in
Bring your canine
Kalispell, will be available
companions for a day of
at the event.
racing and contests such
The presentation is free
as Best Dressed Dog and
and open to the public;
Doggie Look-alike. There
no pre-registration is
will also be a Small Dogrequired. Donations are
gie Dash for petite pups.
accepted.
Contestants will vie for
Coffee and tea are proprizes and the right to be vided. Desserts, beer and
named Grand Champion
wine are available for
of Flathead County.
purchase.
Sign in is from 10 to
For additional informa11:30 a.m. Racing begins
tion, contact Edd Blackler
at noon.
at 837-5196, or Catherine
Food and drink will be
Haug at 827-4577 or cat@
available for purchase.
essentialstuff.org.
Bring lawn chairs for
seating.
All proceeds go to the
Flathead Spay and Neuter
Task Force, which provides low-income pet owners with services to have
their pets altered. The clinic is the only permanent
The Swan Lake Chamspay/neuter facility in
ber and Community Club
Montana and has provided will host a pancake breakmore than 24,000 surgeries fast from 8 a.m. to noon
over the past 10 years.
Saturday, June 23, in the
For more information, Swan Lake Club House.
call Terry at 892-1100 or
The menu will also
Renee at 756-2121.
include ham, sausage,
orange juice and coffee
for $5. The cost for children under age of 10 is $4,
Swan Lake club
hosts pancake
breakfast June 23
Learn art of
winemaking at
ESP meeting
Don Beans and Leslie
Budewitz will talk about
the art of affordable
winemaking at home at
the next meeting of the
Essential Stuff Project
(ESP) group, at 7 p.m.
Wednesday, June 20, at
Clementine’s, 265 Bridge
St. in Bigfork.
1 Day STRESS FREE
BATH Remodeling
and breakfast is free for
children under age 3.
There will also be a
used book sale, with all
proceeds going to the
Swan Lake Library.
Proceeds from the
breakfast will help fund
improvements to the Community Club. The Club
House is located on Montana 83 just south of mile
marker 71.
Attic Treasures sale June
25, continuing through
July 12. Volunteers will
be available from 10 a.m.
to 2 p.m. Monday through
Friday at the Lakeside
Elementary gym (westside entry) to accept used
items such as lake memorabilia, furniture, garden
tools, furniture, linens,
dishes and glassware,
electronics, boats, cars —
almost anything with the
exception of Christmas
lights, clothing, fabric,
mattresses or bed pillows.
All donated items are
tax-deductible.
The 23rd annual LakePickup, if necessary,
side Community Fair is
can be arranged by conslated for July 14.
tacting Linda at 857-3362
Each year, volunteers
or Linda at 250-8641.
organize a full day of famApplications for the
ily-friendly events that
fair’s 5K run can be
raise money for nonprofpicked up at the Lakeside
its that serve West Shore branch of Flathead Bank.
residents.
Those interested in
The group will begin
entries for the fair parade
collecting usable items
may contact Jere at 844for the silent auction and 3848 or Ron at 844-3425.
Donations
sought for fair
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The Daily inTer lake
Sunday, June 17, 2012
n Page C3
WEDDINGS & ENGAGEMENTS
ChristophersonPijahn
Yager-DeShazer
Greg and Nancy Yager of
Kalispell announce the engagement
of their daughter, Andrea Lynn
Yager, to Clete Alan DeShazer,
son of Jay and Suzy DeShazer of
Eureka.
The bride-elect will graduate in
2013 from Montana State University with a Bachelor of Arts and
Education degree.
Her fiance graduated this spring
from Montana State University
with a degree in biological sciences
— fish and wildlife management.
The wedding will take place Aug.
11 at the Church of Creston.
Jacobson-Cook
Brad and Patti Neal of Columbia Falls, Curt and Jennie Jacobson of Kalispell, and Roger and
Cheryl Cook of Billings announce
the engagement of their children,
Roberta Marie “Bobbi” Jacobson
and Jonathan Jacob “Jay” Cook.
The bride-elect graduated from
Columbia Falls High School in
2004, and the University of Montana in 2008. She works at Rocky
Mountain Bank.
Her fiance graduated from Billings Senior High School in 1996. He
works for Frontier Builders.
The wedding will take place Sept.
8 at Glacier Meadows.
Female prisoners participate in Relay
The women at Montana Women’s
Prison are participating in the Yellowstone County Relay for Life or the
American Cancer Society. A number
of Flathead Valley residents, including
Justine Winter of Kalispell, are participating in this year’s event.
Last year, 90 women inmates (roughly
have the prison population) walked laps
totaling 714 miles around the track.
Since the prison’s relay was started
in 2008, fundraising efforts have
expanded considerably. Inmates sell
T-shirts and giant pinwheels that line
the track on the day of the event to hon-
or loved ones who have battled cancer.
They have participated in an arts and
crafts show, and the Resident Advisory
Council has sponsored a barbecue to
raise additional funds.
This year, inmates are also selling
purple wrist bands that say “Celebrate Life” and balloons that will be
released at the Relay for Life event
June 30. This year’s fundraising goal
is $4,000.
To contribute to the effort, send donations to Montana Women’s Prison, Attn.
Relay for Life, 701 S. 27th St., Billings,
MT 59101.
Community briefs
Library looking
for yearbooks
Broadway-themed entertainment, hors d’oeuvres,
a no-host bar and a raffle
of numerous items donated
by area merchants.
The Flathead County
Tickets are $25 each and
Library System has a closeshould be purchased in
to-complete collection of
advance, but no later than
Flathead High School yearJune 29. They are availbooks that are available
able at Nancy O’s Interiors
for anyone to browse at the
on Montana 35 in Bigfork,
main library in Kalispell.
Eva Gates Homemade
Thanks to earlier donaPreserves in the village
tions from individuals and
of Bigfork, from any PEO
the Museum at Central
member, or by calling
School, many gaps have
Alda Pierce at 837-1151 or
been filled, but a number
Betsy Platt at 837-1431.
of years are still missing.
A limited number of
The decades with the most
tickets may be available
gaps include the 1940s,
the day of the event.
1950s, 1970s and 1990s.
All proceeds from this
For more information
event will support educaor to donate, contact Tony
tion opportunities for
Edmundson at the main
women.
library at 758-5823.
Allan Christopherson of Nikiski, Alaska, formerly of Kalispell, announces the
engagement of his daughter, Thi Christopherson, to Phil Pijahn, son of Greg
Pijahn of Norwood-Young America,
Minn., and the late Judy Pijahn.
The bride-elect is also the daughter of
the late Matiny Choudry. She is a graduate of Mount Edgecumbe High School
in Sitka, Alaska, and has a bachelor’s
degree in criminal justice with a minor
in journalism from the University of
Alaska-Fairbanks. She is an office manager and bookkeeper for a metal fabrication company in the oil industry.
Her fiance is a graduate of Central High School in Norwood-Young America, and has a diploma in nondestructive testing from Ridgewater College. He
is a tank and vessel inspector for an oil company.
The wedding will take place June 23 at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis.
The couple will reside in Kenai, Alaska.
Stahlberg-Loberg
Rand and Cheryl Stahlberg of
Kalispell and Thomas and Kim Loberg
of Butte announce the engagement of
their children, Jacey Ane Stahlberg and
John William Loberg.
The bride-elect graduated form Flathead High School in 2006, and Carroll
College in 2010 with a Bachelor of
Arts degree in biology with a chemistry minor. She is currently a medical
student at the University of Colorado
School of Medicine.
Her fiance graduated from Butte High
School in 2004 and Carroll College in
2008 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in
biology with a chemistry minor. He is
also a graduate of Oregon Health and
Science University with a Doctor of
Dental Medicine degree.
The wedding will take place July 28 in Kalispell.
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Save
Full-day event
Concert and
to help pay
dinner to
benefit woman medical bills
A fundraiser for Carolyn
Jellar is being held Saturday, June 23, at the Outlaw
Inn in Kalispell.
A full slate of activities
for all ages is scheduled
from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Proceeds will cover medical expenses not covered
by Medicare incurred after
Jellar became ill while out
of the country on vacation.
A kids’ carnival kicks
off the day from 10 a.m. to
2 p.m. There will also be
a bake sale and espresso
available, live and silent
auctions and door prizes.
From 4 to 6 p.m., adults
can enjoy cocktails and
appetizers with live music
by the O’Connells during
the silent auction.
Vista Linda is catering
dinner at 6 p.m. Tickets
are $5. Following dinner,
the live auction begins,
featuring a wide variety
of goods, including a Sako
222 rifle, a bamboo fly rod,
a Village Greens season
golf pass and two Rolling
Stones authentic world
tour fleece jackets.
There will also be plenty
of 50/50 games and raffle
tickets ($5 each or five for
$20) for a two-week trip
to Costa Rica, including
airfare and accommodations; an Alaska six-night
The Bigfork Chapter of
PEO (Philanthropic Educa- fishing trip for four; a half
tional Organization) Sister- of pork, cut and wrapped;
and more.
hood will host its annual
Donations may also be
fundraiser event from 5 to
8 p.m. June 30, at the Flat- made out to Carolyn Jellar
and mailed to P.O. Box 142,
head Lake Lodge.
Lakeside MT 59922.
Titled “An Evening Off
For more information,
Broadway — Way Off!” the
call Kari, 249-7385.
evening will feature live
A spaghetti dinner and
Luke Dowler concert for
Michelle Schuman is from
4 to 6 p.m. Friday, June
22, at the Trinity Lutheran
School gym, 495 Fifth Ave.
W.N. in Kalispell.
A $10 minimum donation
is suggested.
The benefit also includes
a silent auction. All proceeds from the event will
go toward medical bills.
Schuman is being treated
for ulcerative colitis and
has had her entire large
intestine removed due to
complications. She and her
family do not have health
insurance, and she is currently unable to work due
to her condition. She will
need another surgery in
about six weeks.
An account in her
name has also been
established. To donate,
make your check out to
either Michelle or Karen
Schuman, Mountain
West Bank, 444 W. Idaho,
Kalispell, MT 59901.
Women’s group
hosts event with
Broadway theme
More engagements on page C5
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The Daily inTer lake
n Page C4
Sunday, June 17, 2012
MONTANA LIFE
Reader explains the difference
between a ‘father’ and a ‘dad’
Dear Annie: Last year, you
printed a column on Father’s Day
about what makes a dad. There is
a huge difference between what
makes a “father” and what makes
a “dad.”
A father is someone who
believes that by donating his
sperm for your creation, he has
done his duty in life. A dad is
someone who gets up every day
and does whatever he can to put
a roof over your head, clothes on
your back and food on your table.
He might have to dig ditches,
flip hamburgers, deliver pizzas,
work in a factory — or all of the
above. He might not own a suit
and tie. He teaches the value of
hard work not because he’s looking for help mowing the lawn, but
because he knows idleness leads
to trouble.
He realizes his job is to make
his children productive citizens,
and to do that, he can’t always be
his child’s friend.
When I graduated from high
school, I realized I had a dad I
respected and with whom I could
talk about anything. He taught
me to remember right from
wrong, no matter where I was or
what I was doing. He set the bar
and let me go out into the world
to make my own way.
To me, there is no greater man
than a dad. — S.
Dear S.: Thank you for providing a wonderful Father’s Day
testimonial. Our
best wishes to all the
dads who are such
excellent role models
for their children.
Here’s an essay
that appeared in this
space several years
nnie s ago, and we are happy to print it again:
Ailbox
A great man died
today.
He wasn’t a world leader or a
famous doctor or a war hero or a
sports figure. He was no business
tycoon, and you would never see
his name in the financial pages.
But he was one of the greatest
men who ever lived.
He was my father.
I guess you might say he was
a person who was never interested in getting credit or receiving honors. He did corny things
like pay his bills on time, go to
church on Sunday and serve as
an officer in the PTA. He helped
his kids with their homework
and drove his wife to do the
grocery shopping on Thursday
nights. He got a great kick out of
hauling his teenagers and their
friends around to and from football games.
Dad enjoyed simple pastimes
like picnics in the park and pitching horseshoes. Opera wasn’t
exactly his thing. He liked country music, mowing the grass and
running with the dog. He didn’t
A
M
’
Sunday horoscope
By BERNICE BEDE OSOL
There are strong indications that you could
become deeply involved
in several unique
endeavors in the year
ahead. Handled well,
these new undertakings could provide you
with much excitement,
popularity and plenty of
profit.
GEMINI (May 21-June
20) — It’s one of those
days when involvements
with friends will go quite
well, giving you a good
sense of all being well
with the world. You might
even get a chance to rectify a past misunderstanding.
CANCER (June 21-July
22) — If you decide to go
after some kind of significant objective, pull out
all the stops. Don’t hold
back waiting for the right
moment — it’s now.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
— Sometimes it isn’t too
smart to use intermediaries to do your bidding,
but if a friend offers to
contact someone you’ve
had difficulty reaching,
gladly accept the favor.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept.
22) — Some wonderful
opportunities are likely
to pop up in areas that
were previously fallow.
It behooves you to study
how best to exploit these
newfound windfalls.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct.
23) — A couple of positive arrangements that
appeared to have no
direct relationship to one
another in reality are
already linked together.
Apply yourself and events
will show you how things
work.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov.
22) — If you are asked
to handle something for
another, do so as conscientiously as if it were
your own undertaking.
Displaying a good attitude will serve both you
and the other person
well.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov.
23-Dec. 21) — Your quick
mind will provide you
with advantages over
those who are competing
against you. Don’t hesitate to make snap decisions or stop on a dime
when your brain tells you
to do so.
CAPRICORN (Dec.
22-Jan. 19) — Because
you’re likely to be determined to finish whatever it is that you start,
chances are it will turn
out to be quite a productive day. You’ll take on
only what you can complete.
AQUARIUS (Jan.
20-Feb. 19) — Don’t hesitate to talk shop when
conversing with friends.
There’s a strong likelihood that something of
substance could develop
through a social involvement.
PISCES (Feb. 20-March
20) — Give plenty of free
rein to your imagination,
because it’s quite possible
that you could conceive
something rather ingenious that would make a
lot of money for you down
the line.
ARIES (March 21-April
19) — Conditions are
starting to look hopeful
once again pertaining
to something that has
caused you much concern
lately. Instead of dwelling
on all the mishaps that
could occur, stay positive.
TAURUS (April 20-May
20) — It’s a waste of time
to procrastinate if you
have something meaningful to offer. Plus, you
don’t know how much
longer Lady Luck will
stay in your corner.
2012 United Feature Syndicate, Inc.
Puzzle solution
own a tuxedo, and I’m sure he
never tasted smoked salmon or
caviar.
Tonight is my first night without him. I don’t know what to do
with myself, so I am writing to
you. I am sorry now for the times
I didn’t show him the proper
respect.
But I am grateful for a lot of
other things. I am thankful that
God let me have my father for 15
years. And I am happy that I was
able to let him know how much I
loved him.
That wonderful man died with
a smile on his face and fulfillment
in his heart. He knew that he was
a great success as a husband and
a father, a brother, a son and a
friend. I wonder how many millionaires can say that. — His
Daughter
Dear Annie: This is for “Bob,”
whose stepchildren call him by
his first name. It’s not the title.
It’s how you are treated.
I married my second husband
when my daughter was in seventh
grade. She called him “my Todders” (his name was Todd).
Todders was the one she asked
to take her to the father-daughter
dance, the one she called when
she got a flat tire, the one whose
advice she sought.
If they love, respect and value
you, you are their dad, no matter
what they call you. — Florida
Bridge results
Flathead Valley Duplicate
Bridge
June 1
n North/South
1. Janet Weiss – Tie Parker
2. Penni Woodland – Annie
Alex
3. Deborah Triolo – Don Doan
n East/West
1. Alden Boreson – Gary Stephens
2. Jerry Dunst – Hart Leppard
3. Peter Tracy – Sherry Tracy
June 4
1. Anne Gentry – Andy Koch
2. Janet Weiss – Mary Ann
Chestnut
3. Jim Swab – Leslie Coates
4. Fred Stewart – Helen
Hensleigh
June 6
n North/South
1. Linda Petersen – Carole
Koch
2. Julie Cassetta – Karla
Ramsey
3. Janet Weiss – Don Doan
n East/West
1. Mick Miller – Linda Miller
2. Dorothy Galbraith – Kittie
Neifert
3. Joy Wildebour – Steve
Zajanc
June 8
n North/South
1. Marion Kibbe – Caryl Miller
2. Don Doan – Helen
Hensleigh
3. Deborah Triolo – Fran
Ollendike
n East/West
1. Peter Tracy – Sherry Tracy
2. Linda Miller – Mick Miller
3. Bob Sadler – Barbara Pellett
Easybridge
June 13
1. Steve Robbins – Jane Eby
2. Guy Lam – Joanne Lebow
3. Tie: Elias Cross – Sue
Abbrescia; Barbara Jacobson –
Lynne Hillebroe
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PUBLIC NOTICE
4 Are you a Flathead Electric Cooperative heat customer?
4 Do you have inefficient single pane wood or aluminum
windows, or double pane metal windows?
4 You may qualify for a $6.00 per square foot rebate from F.E.C.
for replacing those old inefficient windows.
4 Valley Glass is a F.E.C. approved provider. Stop by any of our
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M E D I C A L
C E N T E R
How can I keep my famIly safe from
sports InjurIes tHIs summer?
Taking part in sports and recreation activities is an important part of a
healthy, physically active lifestyle for families. But injuries can, and do,
occur. Thankfully, there are steps that families can take to help make
sure everyone stays safe on the field, the court, or wherever they play or participate in
sports and recreation activities.
stretch. Make sure you stretch your body prior to any outdoor or sports activity.
Warm up your muscles prior to stretching with some jogging in place or jumping
jacks. Proper stretching helps lengthen the muscles, which increases range of motion,
decreases stiffness, and helps prevent injury.
know your limits. Gradually increase your activity level and set incremental goals.
Be cautious when starting a new activity. If pain or swelling occurs, immediately stop
the activity and rest for a few days. If it persists, see a physician.
use the right gear. Always use the right protective gear to match the activity, such
as helmets, wrist guards, knee or elbow pads. Make sure that the equipment used fits
properly, is worn correctly and is in good condition.
practice, practice, practice. Learn the skills needed for the activity, and practice
proper form. This can prevent injuries during baseball, softball, and many other
activities. Cross-training is better than focusing on a single sport, especially for kids
who are focusing on playing a single sport year-round. Change it up and take time off.
Hydrate. Make sure to drink plenty of fluid every 20-30 minutes, especially
when it’s hot.
Karen Perser, M.D., Orthopedic Surgeon
“More than 3.7 million people are treated in the emergency department each
year for sports and recreation-related injuries. Education and proper safety
techniques may help decrease risk of injury.”
For more information about sports medicine or orthopedic injuries, contact Northwest
Orthopedics & Sports Medicine at 752-6784.
Learn more by logging on to
www.krmc.org
facebook.com/NorthwestHealthcare
Solutionto puzzle that appears
on Page C5
NORTHWEST HEALTHCARE
Sunday, June 17, 2012
The Daily inTer lake
n Page C5
MONTANA LIFE
Alsbury- Kammerzell
Chelsea Ann Alsbury and Drew Mario
Kammerzell of Kalispell announce their
engagement.
The bride-elect is the daughter of Greg
and Lori Alsbury of Kalispell. She graduated from Glacier High School in 2009
and is currently enrolled at Montana
State University, pursuing a degree in
elementary education.
Her fiance is the son of Michael and
Pauline Kammerzell of Kalispell. He
graduated from Flathead High School in
2009 and is currently serving with the
United States Navy.
The wedding is planned for July 14.
Classes could expand to 50 students
CLASS/From C1
“We know that we want
to have them driving cars.
We know we want to take
them to the range, to tour
the 911 Center, tour the corrections side of the house.”
Bruyer did, however,
have some ideas on how
he would like to expand
the program or reach out
to different parts of the
community. For example,
he said he would like to
run a four-week version
of the program during the
summer for a younger
audience.
“And there are all kinds
of citizens’ academies
throughout the country,”
he said. “There are academies specific to the patrol
side of things, academies
on just the drug culture
side of things. There are
different ways that this
thing could branch off.”
Patrick Cote/Daily Inter Lake
SHERIFF’S SGT. Nic Salois demonstrates shuffle
steering during the Sheriff’s Citizens’ Academy evasive vehicle operations course.
and the most recent class
was chosen from between
40 and 50 applicants. Both
Curry and Bruyer said
there is a possibility class
sizes could expand in the
future.
The next program is
FOR NOW, it is just
planned for early this fall.
a matter of meeting the
Applicants for the proalready high demand for
gram must be at least 18
the course. The academy
years old, live or work in
has been limited to rough- Flathead County and have
ly 20 students per class,
no criminal record. All
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and then selecting the
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The Daily inTer lake
n Page C6
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Drop off registration form at either store!
35th Annual
Whitefish Lake Run
Volunteers Needed!
June 30th • Whitefish, Montana
PLEASE CALL LAUREN AT
758-7400 TO HELP
Brooks continues to push the envelope with innovative design!
Women’s Cascadia 7
Tackle the roughest terrain with this rugged trail
shoe. Asymmetrical upper anatomically wraps foot
with a ballistic rock shield and toe protector for
dicey terrain. Four-point pivot posts act like a
suspension system for your foot.
$109.99
Men’s Pure Connect
Named ‘Best Debut” in Runner World’s winter
2012 Shoe Guide, saying, “Brooks Pure Connect strikes a
balance between barefoot-inspired minimalism and
cushioning-required training.
Brooks’ most
popular shoe!
Radically lightweight and flexible. Maximizes breathability
and imparts sense of connection to the ground.
Men’s & Women’s
“Adrenaline GTS 11”
Running Shoe
$89.99
Custom cushioning
improves stability, reduces strain
on knees and ankles. Innovative
midsole minimizes foot stress &
fatigue. Dynamic arch saddle.
Crash pad encompasses more
strides, improves transition from
heel to midfoot.
5K
10K
$109.99
Race
Run/Healthwalk
MT USATF
Championship
Race
MT USATF
Championship
Register online at www.active.com
Chip Timing
SPONSORED BY:
Men’s & Women’s
“Pure Grit”
Running Shoe
$15 Children 12 and under
Registration opens at both Sportsman
& Ski Haus locations. Monday through
Sunday during regular store hours.
Final Registration day. Registration only at
Whitefish store until 6 pm.
Late Entry Today - $30 (includes late fee)
No entry on race day
Race Day! 8:00 am starting time for both
5K and 10K.
Course Information
10K runners will be bused to the start.
Buses leave at 6:45 AM to ensure enough time for an 8
am start. There will be no parking at the start of the 10K.
All 10K racers must take the bus to the starting line.
The 10K course will begin roughly 6 miles up East
Lake Shore Drive and run into Whitefish, finishing at
the City Beach.
The 5K course will begin near the City Beach and will
be a loop course, which has been designed for quicker
finishing times.
All Runners will receive
Awards
2012 Whitefish Lake Run Registration Form
35th Annual Whitefish Lake Run
$20 13 and over
Entry Fees
May 1st
June 28
• AuniquelydesignedshortsleeveWhitefishLake
Run T-shirt. Size and availability will be on a first
come/first served basis.
• Agreatopportunitytoenjoytheoutdoorsandto
enhance your fitness.
• AccurateTiming,QuickResults.
June 29
Chip Timing We will be using a chip timing service
provided by Competitive Timing Service. This will help
to provide quick and accurate results.
With this new service, we must have all entrants into
our race system by Friday, June 29th. It is this factor
that has led us to change entry procedures. We thank
you for your understanding for this need for early entry.
June 30
Registration Information
Masters (40 & over) winners will receive a specially
designed award. Overall Masters male and female
2-5 will receive special Whitefish Lake Run Awards.
Masters (40 & over) are eligible for overall and masters
awards but top Masters Open winners (1-5) are not
eligible for age group awards.
Male and female 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in each division
will receive age group awards.
Prize Drawing
Overall 1st place male and female winners will receive
a specially designed award. Overall male and female
places 2-5 will receive special Whitefish Lake Run
Awards. Overall winners (1-5) are not eligible for age
group awards.
Mail-in entries must be received by June 28th to avoid a
late fee. Online registration is available. Registration by
mail may be completed by sending an entry form along
with check or money order (non-refundable) payable to:
Sportsman & Ski Haus,
6475 Hwy 93 South, Whitefish, MT 59937
T-shirt and race instructions can be picked up on Friday,
June 29th at the Sportsman & Ski Haus in Whitefish from
4:00-6:00pm, or on race day between 6:00 and 7:30 am
at the Whitefish City Beach. Races start at 8:00 am. There
will be no race day registration.
For more information and a view of the course
maps visit www.sportsmanskihaus.com
or register online at www.active.com
$109.99
Win one of several pairs of Brooks running shoes to be
given away at the awards ceremony following the race.
Tried & true support with
customized cushioning. Women’s
also available in wide. Men’s
available in extra wide.
Age Group Divisions
Men’s & WOMEN’S
“Addiction 10”
Must be present at awards ceremony to win
$99.99
Male and female 8 & Under, 9-12, 13-15, 16-18, 19-25,
26-32, 33-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80 and over
Adjustable mid-foot saddle.
Ideal for runners who demand a
close fit with just the right support
for mild pronation.
A donation will be given to area local Cross Country
teams, who will be helping with the race as course
helpers. Their spirit of helping with the race is greatly
appreciated, as are those of our race volunteers that
make this race possible.
Men’s
“Ravenna 3”
Running Shoe
Race Distances: (8:00 am starting times)
10K(6.2miles)•5K(3.1miles)
$99.99
Designated as the Montana State Road Race 5K & 10K
Championships by USATF. To be eligible for USATF awards
you must be a MTUSATF member for the 2012 year.
One-piece outsole splays
out to provide more balanced
laydown. Ultralight mesh and
conforming foam upper hug the
foot. Sleek grip lug pattern and
wide base protect feet.
For Official Use
Sportsman & Ski Haus - 6475 Hwy 93 South - Whitefish, MT 59937
NoRaceDayEntry!!
$20.00($30onJune29th)-13andover•$15.00-12andunder
Please Print Clearly - Complete this form - One Entrant Per Form
Distance: I am entering the
□ 5K
□ 10K
MT USATF # ________
Age on June 30, 2012_________
Last Name ____________________________________________________ MI ________First Name __________________________________
Mailing Address ______________________________________________ City _____________________________ State/Province _________
Zip / Postal Code ___________Phone __________________________ E-mail _____________________________ Date of Birth ___________
(for race confirmation and results)
Kalispell • 755-6484
Hutton Ranch Plaza
Whitefish • 862-3111
Mountain Mall
Divisions: □ Male
□ 8 & Under
□ 9-12
□ 33-39
□ 40-49
□ Female
□ 13-15
□ 50-59
T-shirt Sizes
□ 16-18
□ 60-69
□ 19-25
□ 70-79
□ 26-32
□ 80 & Over
□ Youth
□M □L
□S
□ Unisex Adult
□ M □ L □ XL
Waiver: In consideration of the foregoing, I for myself, my executors, administration and assigns, do hereby release and discharge any rights and claims for damages incurred before, during and after the race, against USA
Track & Field and Montana USA Track & Field, The City of Whitefish, the officials and sponsors of the Whitefish Lake Run, individuals, volunteers, their representatives and successors from all claims or liabilities of any kind arising
out of my participation even though said liability may arise out of negligence or carelessness on the part of the persons named in the waiver. I attest and verify that I am physically fit and have sufficiently trained for this event. I
also grant permission for all of the foregoing to use any publicity, my name and/or pictures of my participating in this event with no obligation or liability to me. Parent of legal guardian must sign if athlete is under 18. NO ENTRY
WITHOUT VALID SIGNATURE.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Signature / Date
Signature of Parent / Guardian if Participant is under 18 years / Date
Montana
Perspectives
SUNDAY,JUNE17,2012
Editor’s
2 cents
Frank Miele
Do political parties
matter — or not?
I get confused about partisanship. Apparently sometimes its good and sometimes
it’s bad. I may be wrong, but I think it is
good when the Democrats are the party in
power, and bad when the Democrats don’t
have enough votes to do what they want.
Or maybe it is not Democrats — maybe
it is liberals. Because whenever I write
a column about how politicians ought to
stand up for their principles, a lot of liberal
Republicans write to complain about how
politicians actually ought to “go along to
get along.”
This is where I get confused. I don’t
mind admitting it. There is nothing wrong
with being confused by a conundrum — in
fact, that is usually the desired effect.
So just humor me while I puzzle this out.
Let’s start with “liberal Republicans.”
What’s up with that? Isn’t that an oxymoron? Or worse, delusional? At the very
least, if you are a liberal AND a Republican, you are probably even more confused
than I am.
And where are the “conservative Democrats”? The last two prominent ones I
remember were Sen. Zell Miller of Georgia
and Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut
and both of them essentially got purged
from their party because they were too...
you guessed it, conservative.
But maybe that’s too strong a description. In fact, Miller got it right when he
said (quoting another ex-Democrat Ronald
Reagan) that he “didn’t leave the Democratic Party; the Democratic Party left
[him].”
That actually makes sense, doesn’t it?
As a political party makes a transition
through time, it will attract new members
and lose old members because of the natural process of attraction of like-minded
people. The Democrats seem to understand
that, and make sure that people like Miller
and Lieberman self-eliminate from the
party because they just aren’t comfortable
there.
It just happened again last month, when
former Rep. Artur Davis (a co-chairman for
Barack Obama’s 2008 election campaign)
announced that he was regretfully leaving
the Democratic Party because “this is not
Bill Clinton’s Democratic Party” any more.
Well, this isn’t Nelson Rockefeller’s
Republican Party any more either; it isn’t
Richard Nixon’s Republican Party; and it
isn’t even the Republican Party of George
Bush (take your pick) any more.
So why are Republicans supposed to
have this “big tent” philosophy that welcomes moderates and liberals into the
party even though their views are diametrically opposed to the pronounced philosophy of smaller government, lower taxes
and common-sense solutions that protect
individual rights?
The only reason I can think of is that it
helps the Republicans to maintain power.
If they fudge what they really believe in,
or don’t really believe in anything very
strongly, then they can be the party of
whatever they want whenever they want.
Maybe that explains the presidencies of the
last two Republicans (Bush and Bush), who
said they were conservatives, but governed
like liberals. But maybe it also explains
why more and more people are disgusted
with Republicans for looking like they
don’t have any core principles.
So if Republicans want to lose elections, I
would recommend that they try to confuse
as many people as possible about what
they believe in. This will drive away their
natural constituency of core voters, and
will also allow their opponents to paint
them as opportunistic knaves who will do
anything to get elected.
Meanwhile, the Democrats just keep
doing what they do — approving more
entitlements, more handouts and more government — and then blaming the Republicans for trying to hurt poor people.
Liberals who go along with this Democratic agenda are just doing what makes
sense — acknowledging the philosophy
of bigger government that they honestly
believe will make all our lives better.
Republicans, on the other hand, who
go along with this Democratic agenda are
either, yep, delusional, or else intentionally trying to destroy their own party from
within.
That’s not confusing, but it is scary.
n Frank Miele is managing editor of the Daily Inter Lake. If you don’t like his opinion, stop
by the office and he will gladly refund your two
cents. E-mail responses may be sent to edit@
dailyinterlake.com
Inside
Opinion/C8
Letters/C8
Op-ed Page/C9
Page C7
THEDAILYINTERLAKE
My life with Dad
A tribute to one local father for all the things he did as a parent
RALPH ERTZ
SR. and his
son, Ralph Ertz
Jr., show off a
bull trout they
brought home
from a fishing
expedition on the
Flathead River
sometime in
the late 1960s.
This picture was
taken at the back
of the old Fernwell Apartments,
which Ertz
owned from 1967
to 1970.
BY RALPH ERTZ JR.
Just in case you ever wondered how you did as a parent, here’s my life, through
my eyes.
By the time I was 4, I
could swim in the creek,
catch minnows in the pond,
climb the apple tree, and
ride a pony named Dolly.
My Dad
taught me
Guest how.
By the
Opinion time I was 5,
I could chop
wood out
in the old
shed where the big spiders
lived, hunt birds with a BB
gun (Mom cut notches in
the barrel with an old file
to record my success), and
grease my own flat-top.
My Dad taught me how.
By the time I was 6, I
could reach under a rock,
find a hellgrammite and bait
my own hook. I could ride
a bike, shoot a slingshot,
build a campfire and skip a
rock on Flathead Lake.
My Dad taught me how.
When I was 7, I also rode
a snow machine around the
yard by myself (unintentionally, of course), rode a calf
(for .06 seconds, at least),
and could climb the tallest
pine tree in the neighborhood. I also drove in an
open-door Jeep through the
floodwaters of Evergreen.
After we moved to town, I
learned to skin a muskrat
in the dark confines of the
Fernwell crawlspace, hunt
grasshoppers down by the
railroad tracks and catch
sunfish in the ponds at
Woodland Park.
My Dad taught me how.
By the time I was 8, I
could build a plastic model
airplane, skin a beaver
(without too many holes),
and play baseball. I could
also do more chin-ups than
any other kid in the neighborhood, ride the train to
Whitefish and spot a deer
a mile away (for a quarter,
and after I got my glasses).
My Dad taught me how.
By the time I reached 9,
I had shot a grouse with
a .410, hunted rabbits and
gophers with a .22, and
bagged a squirrel with a
Photo courtesy of
Ralph Ertz Sr.
About father and son
This Father’s Day tribute
was written by Anchorage,
Alaska, attorney Ralph Ertz
Jr. to his father, Ralph Ertz
Sr., to make sure that Dad
knew everything he had
done as a parent. The elder
Ertz moved to Kalispell
in 1953, when he was a
freshman at Flathead High
School. He stayed here and
raised his family in Kalispell
until 1970, when they
moved to Alaska. Ralph Jr.
was 8 or 9 at the time and
remained in Alaska. Ralph
Sr. also raised two daughters, Tammie and Lonita.
He returned to the Flathead
in 2003 and lives south of
Kalispell.
BB gun in the woods across
from the old Lion’s Campground. I could swim like
a fish, do a “jackknife” off
the diving board at the deep
end and swim the length of
the pool at Hungry Horse,
underwater. I could also
build a balsa wood model
airplane, clean a shotgun,
skin a mink (finally!) and
set a leg trap without getting my fingers caught (usually).
Yeah, you guessed it: My
Dad taught me how.
Before I reached 10, I had
driven the ALCAN Highway in midwinter, seen a
huge black wolf standing
in the middle of the road,
experienced an Alaskan
spring breakup, commercially fished on a converted
sailboat in Bristol Bay and
hoisted a 50-pound king
salmon into the freezer.
My Dad took me there.
When I was 11, I had
already pole fished in the
Copper River, climbed Flattop Mountain, ridden in a
Piper Super Cub and eaten
moose meat. I had searched
the Naknek River banks
for old tires for the boat,
hitched rides to the municipal payphone at midnight
and learned how to enjoy
coffee and canned salmon
at mug-up. I could change
a spark plug, pound cotton into a boat seam and
operate a hydraulic roller.
I could read a depth finder,
spot a seal, use a CB radio
and cling to the roof of a
bouncing boat on a stormy,
foggy night, while holding a spotlight in one hand
and warming myself on the
exhaust with the other.
My Dad took me there and
taught me how to do it.
When I was 12, I spent
a night in the middle of
February in an old station
wagon up by Delta Junction,
eating cold MREs from Marvin Cook and wearing someone’s old whitey-tightey long
johns as “winter camo.”
My Dad helped me shoot a
caribou.
When I was 13, I helped
build two houses and shot
myself in the hand with a
nail gun. Dad pulled out the
nail with pliers. I wrestled
in the winter, hiked in the
summer and learned how to
ride an old motorcycle that
Drac bought. I learned how
to change a flat tire, use a
Vise-Grip and shoot ducks
on the mudflats.
Yeah, Dad taught me that.
When I lost to Doug Hotes
in the city championships,
Dad was there.
When I woke up in the
boat with my hand in water,
Dad was there.
When we had to bail the
boat with buckets and tin
cans, Dad was there.
When Drac threw the king
overboard, Dad was mad
and let him know about it.
Dad was always there.
While I was in high
school, I shot a caribou with
my bow. Dad took me.
I’ve flown through and
over the Alaskan Wrangell
Mountains and dropped
hunting gear out the open
door of an airplane. I’ve
walked on glaciers a thousand years old, crossed
swollen mountain streams
where falling in meant
likely death and loaded my
sisters’ backpack with rocks
just for the fun of it.
Dad took me.
I’ve crossed the Cook
Inlet and watched brown
bears play on the beach in
Pile Bay while we waited
for the tide to rise to cross
See DAD on Page C10
The Obama solution is on the way...
By BILL GREER
By now it should be clear
to everyone that President
Obama is fed up with high
gas prices.
his outGuest Why,
rage is even
Opinion more terrible
than that of
the public he
serves. After all, Obama’s
future may well depend on
how the economy does during
the next few months, and it
is clearly the oil companies
that are conspiring to bring
him down. So he has conferred with the keen business
and economic minds who
surround him, identified the
root causes of the problem,
and come up with a brilliant,
cohesive program to right
this intolerable situation.
Our president’s first step
will be to increase the oil
companies’ costs. What
insight! Why did we not see
this before? Increase their
taxes! If you increase a business’s costs, it will be forced
to lower its prices. Come to
think of it, this might be a
good way to lower food prices as well. If grocery stores
were forced to pay, say, 20
percent of their revenue
to the government, Obama
MANAGING EDITOR: 758-4447, fax 758-4481
would have a whole lot more
money to spend on GSA
parties; and grocery stores
would surely lower their
prices.
Then another piece of penetrating insight was revealed:
Free markets don’t work!
Wow! Adam Smith had it
all wrong. But remember,
Clinton pointed out that it
depends on what the definition of the word “is” is. In
this case, the critical word
must be “work.” The Obama
administration has consistently defined the word
“work” as, “Succeeds in taking money from those who
have earned it so the government can give it to those who
have not.” Do free markets
reward the least efficient participants at the expense of the
most productive? No! Therefore, they don’t “work.” QED.
Now comes the most compelling insight of all; it’s
speculators who are messing everything up! After
all, “speculator” is an ugly
word — almost as ugly as
the words TV shows are now
allowed to spew at our kids
every evening. Why, can you
imagine a teacher asking
her fourth-grade students
to report on what their parents do for a living and little
Johnny has to publicly admit
that his father is a “specula-
tor?” The shame! The guilt!
Then Johnny tries to point
out that speculators add
depth and resiliency to free
markets — that when the
price of a commodity sinks
lower than economically
sensible, they buy, thereby
bringing the price up, and
that if prices get too high
they sell, pushing them down.
And they move in to buy
when nobody else is buying,
thereby providing liquidity.
So they stabilize markets. But
we are far too smart to fall for
that! President Obama says
they are villains so villains
they must be.
We could go on and on.
Obama solves the problem
by subsidizing oil’s competitors. He shrewdly takes
money from the rich (many
of whom are oil companies
and their executives) and
combines it with money borrowed from China and uses
it to subsidize solar companies that go bankrupt and
wind farms that kill birds
so oil companies won’t be so
successful at providing efficient, economical energy. He,
with a single stroke of a pen,
demands scientific and engineering breakthroughs that
will allow cars to operate
for six months on a single
thimbleful of gas. By 2013! Or
else! And if that doesn’t work
E-MAIL: [email protected]
he will take his case to an
upstart group of people who
weren’t even elected.
We all know he can do it.
After all, he solved the problem of selfish banks wanting
to deny home ownership to
those who couldn’t afford it.
If this attitude ever surfaces
again, Obama will no doubt
call upon the Secret Service to give them lessons in
morality. And force bankers
to watch government videos
on fiscal responsibility.
Yes, solutions are on the
way. If we will just give him
four more years he will solve
everything. He will stifle
production until we produce
nothing. He will import more
and more until we import
everything. He will make the
poor rich and the rich poor.
He will raise and extend
benefits for the unemployed
until nobody seeks employment (therefore, they will no
longer be counted as “unemployed”). He will even take
over the student loan industry so he can decide who
should and who should not
be eligible to get loans for
college and who will and will
not have to pay them back.
(Oh wait, he has already
done that.) He will ...
Just wait and see.
Greer is a resident of Rollins.
INTERNET: www.dailyinterlake.com
The Daily inTer lake
n Page C8
EDITORIAL BOARD
o Rick Weaver, publisher
o Frank Miele, managing editor
o Scott Crandell, asst. managing editor
o Lynnette Hintze, features editor
o Jim Mann, senior reporter
o Community members:
Mona Charles, Wendy Ostrom-Price,
Don Loranger, Alexander Bokor
OPINION
Tax rebate or campaign reboot?
Politicians giveth, and they taketh
away, and sometimes you have to
watch their hands to know whether
they are taking away even when they
say they are giving you something.
The latest case in point is the $100
million property tax rebate that
Democratic candidate Steve Bullock
says he will deliver to Montana if he
is elected governor.
Bullock, the state’s attorney general, said at a Helena press conference
that, “This job-creating rebate is a
responsible approach that will return
money to Montana taxpayers and
help small businesses create jobs, all
without creating Washington, D.C.style budget deficits.”
Well, we are in favor of creating
jobs, too, which makes us wonder
how the $400 per homeowner rebate
is going to accomplish that. Bullock
Inter Lake editorial
blithely said, “If you’re an average
Montana family and receive a $400
check, you’re going to take the kids
out to dinner, put a down payment
on a snowmobile, maybe buy some
fencing.”
All of those are possible, but none
of them are likely to create jobs, and
in our estimation it is more likely
that the average Montana family will
spend its extra $400 paying down a
credit card or just paying the monthly bills — maybe buy some $3.80 a
gallon gas.
It also occurs to us that if the state
is collecting more money than it
needs from property taxes, maybe
they should just lower the property
taxes.
Bullock’s Republican opponent, for-
mer Rep. Rick Hill, called the rebate
a “one-time gimmick,” but actually it
is at least a two-time gimmick.
After all, Bullock comes right out
and admits that his rebate program
is based on the 2007 rebate that Gov.
Brian Schweitzer convinced the Legislature to enact back then. Well, we
homeowners got our $400 rebate, and
sure enough we cashed the check,
but we don’t remember any new jobs
starting up as a result, though we
do remember the governor being reelected.
As we noted in 2009, the 2007
rebate “was a nice gesture, but it
wasn’t a solution” to Montana’s property tax woes. “It was just a way to
buy time.”
Maybe we should have added that
it was a pretty good way to buy votes
as well.
Letters to the
editor
Physician plays
too loosely with
vaccine facts
Nurses I know tell me that
Dr. Anne Bukacek cares
deeply for her patients, and
is very good to them. I have
no reason to doubt that.
But Dr. Bukacek herself
gives me reason to wonder
whether she cares for facts
as deeply as she should. In
her recent op-ed on pertussis (whooping cough), she
alleges that “...based on Flathead City-Council Health
Department health statistics
updated May 15, the pertussis vaccine doesn’t work.
About 84 percent of those
documented cases of pertussis were patients fully vaccinated against it.”
That’s faulty logic. The
efficacy of the vaccine cannot be inferred from the
fact that 84 percent of the
documented cases of pertussis were fully vaccinated
against it. The actual number of vaccinated people
who got the cough must be
compared to the number of
vaccinated who would be
expected to get the cough
in order to arrive at an
estimate of the vaccine’s
effectiveness. Dr. Bukacek’s
argument is backwards.
The Center for Disease
Control reports that the pertussis vaccine’s effectiveness
is 88.7 percent for children 4
to 10, and 98.1 percent who
had received their fifth dose
within the last year. Perfect?
No. But no vaccine is perfect
and perfect is not the standard: significantly better
than nothing is, and 88.7 to
98.1 percent is much better
than nothing. According to
the CDC, unvaccinated children are eight times more
likely to catch the cough
than vaccinated children.
Concludes the CDC, “...
vaccines are the best way to
prevent whooping cough. In
addition, people who do catch
whooping cough after being
vaccinated are much less
likely to be hospitalized or
die from the disease. Because
of the vaccines, the US no
longer sees 200,000 cases of
whooping cough each year.”
I don’t doubt Dr.
Bukacek’s sincerity. But I
do challenge her logic and
facts. And on this issue, I
place my trust in the CDC.
—James Conner, Kalispell
Tax foe’s hold
on Congress is
chilling
Most of us do not like it
when one person controls
things, controls our actions,
blocks us, and holds power
over our heads. But an
interesting psychological
phenomenon takes place
even in such rather blatant
abuses of our freedom to
make our own choices.
Case in point: Grover
Norquist’s hold over the
Republican members of Congress. His power and reach
are awesome. His ability to
control the party politics is
unchallenged. Here is the
“psychological phenom-
enon” I mentioned: Even
though the facts known to individual Republican members of
Congress do not square with
Norquist’s beliefs and agenda,
because these members of Congress believe so firmly in their
party, they allow themselves to
be ruled, controlled and bullied
by one man.
There is a psychological
term for this — “cognitive dissonance” — and it is the psychological experience of having to hold inconsistent ideas
in one’s head. Now the most
interesting thing about all this
is that people choose, over and
over again, political loyalty
over facts, even when they will
be hurt by it.
Amazing, right? But it is a
fact. And I bring this up as an
example of just one more of
the many effects and problems
within our present political
system operating out of fear
and greed.
The only answer to a mindset of fear and greed is a
change of mind. No legislation,
rules, laws or judicial decisions will change individual
mind-sets. It is an inside job.
So, what is the bottom line
as I see it? Until each of us is
willing to look at ourselves
and our mind-sets honestly
and with clarity, are willing to
make mind-changes as needed
and then act accordingly in
our daily lives and relationships, we will continue as a
nation to flounder within the
fear and greed mentality.
The opposite of fear is love.
The opposite of greed is generosity. The picture seems
clear to me. —Bob McClellan,
Polson
afford to hire an outfitter. This
act creates another 100-plus
square miles of wilderness
which Montana does not need.
However it may help Sen. Baucus pay back the more radical
environmentalist groups who
are a large part of the Baucus
campaign donators.
In a recent letter to the editor it was claimed that wilderness creates 34,000 jobs. I am
skeptical of that figure but
even if it is true they are, for
the most part, low-paying and
seasonal employment.
Our federal lands should be
managed the majority of the
people, not a few special interest groups.
The most positive thing
about the Heritage Act was
that it kept Sen. Baucus occupied for a while instead of
sitting in Washington, D.C.,
concocting another scheme to
ram down the throats of his
constituents.
Please contact Rep. Denny
Rehberg and ask him to block
Max Baucus’ Rocky Mountain
Front Heritage Act in the
House.
Save Montana for Montanans! —Floyd E. Grigg, Columbia Falls
tively uninformed, Mr. Rhodes
reported that “large jet tankers appeared leaving what I
believe was a trail of metallic
oxides”. Although it is always
perilous to make long-distance
diagnoses, I will, without hesitation, pronounce Mr. Rhodes
to be afflicted with one or both
disorders endemic to Tea Partiers/modern day Republicans:
1) believing one’s own propaganda or 2) confusing one’s
personal beliefs with reality.
But those clear-thinking
readers who could not care
less about Mr. Rhodes’ delusions may want to pursue the
non-issue at “Contrails” in
Wikipedia, anyway. —Franklin E. Schroeter, Somers
U.S. workers keep
losing ground
No doubt conservatives are
jumping with joy over the
failure of Wisconsin governor
Walkers recall. They must be
especially delighted that the
recall effort was primarily
sponsored by labor unions
and represented a continuing
decline and influence of labor
unions.
Unfortunately it also illustrates a continuing decline
in the standard of living for
working men and women in
I realize that the letters inour country. According to the
box of the managing editor
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
often overflows in an election
since 1970 the cost of living has
year and communications of
increased 200 per cent while
great pith and moment such
workers’ wages increased a
as this one need to be delayed
miserly 7 percent effectively
a bit, but depriving us of Doug representing an adjusted
Rhodes’ April Fool letter consevere reduction in purchascerning “Chemtrails” until
ing power. American workers
June 8 was unusual perhaps
are now the most productive
cruel even for Mr Miele.
but the lowest paid in all of the
That it has come to this:
worlds industrial nations.
Here we are, knee deep in the
You can now bet the ranch
feculence of a political camthat corporate powers will
While the Rocky Mountain
paign, and rather than continu- substantially increase efforts to
Front is a very beautiful area,
ing with the daily denunciation eliminate the minimum wage
the reasons for Max Baucus’
of the occult 21st century phiand establish right to work
Rocky Mountain Front Herilosophy of Obama socialism,
laws in all states similar to
tage Act are not so wonderful.
an ideology a scant nanometer those in the poverty stricken
The motivation for Sen.
to the left of the universally
states of the south. Sadly it’s
Baucus wanting the Heritage
acclaimed Republican dogma
become obvious that the main
Act is not to the benefit of
of Marxist capitalism, from
objective of corporations who
the majority of Montanans. It
whence has sprung most of
value money and commodiappears to be a play to perpetu- the inventory of Walmart, Best ties over the dignity of human
ate grazing rights for a few
Buy, and other mom and pops, labor is to create a class of
ranches, including the Baucus Mr. Rhodes has chronicled his subservient uneducated serfs
family ranch, and to give a few own private hallucination of
who will toil away for a pitoutfitters more room in the
“metallic oxides” drifting down tance and increase the wealth
Bob Marshall and Scapegoat
from the Chicken Little strato- of the mega rich. Hopefully
Wilderness.
sphere to blanket the earth and somewhere down the line our
The majority of the people
cause as yet undefined “danger- working men and women
will not be able to use this area ous effects.”
will decide to not take it anyunless they own horses or can
In his shout-out to the putamore. —Bill Breen, Kalispell
Block efforts for
more wilderness
Clearing the air
about contrails
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Vaccinations
are crucial tool
for public health
By P. DAVID MYEROWITZ
Unfortunately, Dr. Bucacek’s recent
Opinion letter (The Daily Inter Lake,
June 14) railing against vaccination
does a great disservice to the people
of Flathead County and the outstanding efforts of the staff
the Flathead CityGuest of
County Health DepartOpinion ment to contain the
recent outbreak of
59 cases of pertussis
(whooping cough).
As a staunch supporter of vaccination, I must respond to her baseless
claims both about pertussis and influenza vaccination.
The pertussis portion of the combined vaccine (TDaP — tetanus,
diphtheria, pertussis) is 59-89 percent
effective. Her statement that the
vaccine doesn’t work is unfounded.
What has been recently identified is
that by seventh grade the immunity
to pertussis from childhood immunization has waned so that a booster
is now required at that time. How
many adults still have immunity is
unknown, but I suspect that it may be
low. Rather than get a tetanus booster when suffering a dirty cut or every
five to 10 years, adults now receive a
TDaP and eventually adult immunity
will catch up.
Dr. Bucacek’s further comments
about the inadvisability of vaccination against flu is also disturbing. Of
course there are perhaps 1,000 different strains of influenza (somewhat
less than “gazillions”) in circulation
during any one year and the vaccine
only contains the top three or so
strains identified during the previous year. So the effectiveness (60
percent in 2010-2011) varies from year
to year. They are not perfect... no
vaccine is. But in one long-term-care
facility in Flathead County last year
where most of the residents but less
than 30 percent of the staff were vaccinated, three of the residents died of
flu-related illness. Could these deaths
have been prevented? Perhaps. If my
mother or father was a resident, I
would certainly want the staff caring
for him or her vaccinated against the
flu to gain that incremental chance
for protection.
There were an estimated 8,000 to
14,000 deaths in 2009 from flu-related
illness (people usually die of a complication of the flu, such as, pneumonia rather than flu itself). Since flu
is not a reportable illness, it is likely
that this number is low. One thousand of these deaths were in children
between zero and 17 years of age.
The concept of herd immunity,
where the vaccination of a significant
portion of the population provides a
measure of protection for those not
yet immunized (those under 4 months
of age) or those who are especially
vulnerable is most definitely valid.
For Dr. Bucacek to scoff at this important concept that has eradicated deadly and debilitating diseases such as
polio is difficult for me to understand.
Very few treatments in medicine are
perfect. To imply that healthy living
replaces immunization does a disservice to the community and supports
those who use unfounded complications of vaccination, such as autism,
as an excuse for placing their children
and the community at risk.
Immunization for many diseases
protects the most vulnerable in our
society — the young, the elderly and
the debilitated. For these folks, diseases such as Pertussis and flu are
especially dangerous. In California in
2010 there were nearly 10,000 cases of
pertussis and 10 INFANT DEATHS.
For someone who defends the rights
of every fetus, it is indeed surprising
that Dr. Bucacek, a physician, would
disregard the safety of the most vulnerable in our society and voice such
misguided, inaccurate and dangerous
an opinion.
Myerowitz, of Columbia Falls, is a
retired physician and a member of the
Flathead City-County Health Board.
Write to us
TheDailyInterLakepublishesoriginallettersof300wordsorlessunless
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orinbadtaste.Longerletterswillbe
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The Daily inTer lake
Sunday, June 17, 2012
n Page C9
OP-ED PAGE
We Are The Dealer To Beat
Montana shouldn’t have
When Buying Your New
Vehicle!
to pay for EPA’s mistakes
Additionally, EPA’s coal cury emissions have fallen
plant closings may also
by almost 50 percent in the
threaten the reliability of
past five years, not risen,
the electric power grid. In and most of the emissions
Take a good, long look
the middle of a torrid sum- reductions promised in
at your latest electricity
this rule have already
bill, because there’s a very mer or brutal winter, can
we truly afford brownouts been achieved by other
good chance it could be
or electricity rationing? A rules already in place.
skyrocketing in the near
recent study by the federal
As for the global envifuture.
agency
that
manages
elecronmental
benefits, they’re
The culprit is a new
tricity supply warned that virtually nil. The U.S. conEPA regulation called the
EPA’s rule raises serious
tributes only 1 percent of
Utility Maximum Achievdoubts
about
reliability
of
global mercury emissions;
able Control Technology
the power grid.
Asian countries contribute
(UMACT) rule. On paper
EPA
has
dismissed
these
53 percent. The problem is
it’s supposed to control
concerns over costs and
that EPA doesn’t regulate
mercury and a host of
supply
as
overstated.
But
China and India.
other emissions from coalMontanans shouldn’t
based power plants. In real- in the wake of issuing its
utility rule and another
pay for EPA’s mistakes.
ity it sets a standard that
Fortunately, some in Conmany plants can’t possibly rule targeting power
plants, power companies
gress agree. Congress will
meet by the 2015 deadline,
announced
expected
plant
be taking votes on efforts
forcing them to shut down
to stop EPA from imposand forcing your electricity closings that, altogether,
supply
more
than
five
ing its mistaken rules on
bills to go up.
times
the
amount
of
elecstates like ours that rely
Why would EPA impose
tricity EPA estimated
on coal-based power.
this economically hazwould
be
lost.
Montana is “Big Sky”
ardous rule? Because it
So if the UMACT rule
country. We know a thing
never bothered to examtakes effect, many jobs,
or two about fresh air
ine its cost in the first
low utility bills and grid
here, so we aren’t saying
place. EPA guessed its
reliability may very well
“no” to environmental
utility rule would cost
be
things
of
the
past.
improvement. But we are
“only” $11 billion annuSurprisingly for a regusaying “no” to an EPA
ally; private experts put
lation
designed
to
reduce
rule that delivers little
the cost at almost double
mercury emissions, the
improvement at great cost.
that amount, projecting
utility
rule
actually
proelectricity prices to rise
Ed Walker, a Billings
between 12 and 24 percent vides virtually no related
Republican, represents
and cost more than 1.4 mil- benefits. As EPA itself
admits, power plant merSD29.
lion lost jobs. Incredibly,
a regulation the White
House admits is the most
expensive in history was
rolled out of Washington
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Insulation: Fiberglass - High RValue,
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Coal is not a new subject
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Drywall & Accessories, Roofing &
coal for 4,790 jobs and a
Accessories, Styrofoam Boards &
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million. Coal provides
63 percent of Montana’s
• WE DELIVER AND STOCK
electricity, powering
OUR MATERIALS
the equivalent of 305,000
homes and 23,000 businesses. That puts Montana No. • INDEPENDENTLY AUDITED
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affordability, according to
22 West Reserve Dr.
the Energy Information
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The Daily inTer lake
n Page C10
Sunday, June 17, 2012
MONTANA PERSPECTIVES
Life with this Dad has been a wonderful ride
DAD/From C7
the mountains on a road
so narrow the billy goats
wore seat belts. I’ve traveled the length of Lake
Iliamna in Alaska and
down the richest salmonproducing river in the
world. I’ve flown over
more moose and caribou,
more black and brown
bears and more salmon
than most people can
imagine. Dad took me
with him.
I’ve skinned a moose,
cut frozen flesh from a
caribou for dog food in
the middle of winter and
had my bed sheets freeze
to the wall. I’ve watched
Dad fix a broken block
on a Chrysler car with a
metal plate, some screws
and a patch of leather.
I’ve taken apart a 460
Ford engine and put it
back together again in the
back of a boat. I made an
electromagnet out of some
wire and a quarter-inch
drive extension to recover
a bolt from the bottom of
an oil pan. Dad taught me
how.
I’ve swum under a boat
in freezing water to free
snagged nets and run over
those same nets going 50
mph in a crazy-fast jet
boat. Those things happen
when you let Dad drive.
I’ve spent 45 minutes
with Drac trying to get
a bank teller to give us
change in Federal Reserve
Notes instead of just dollars. I’ve run a trapline
by Talkeetna from snow
machines when it was 40
degrees below zero and
spent the night in a pup
tent — with Dad.
I’ve hopped on an old
Can-Am motorcycle and
sped off in the darkness to
fill old oil cans with gas
and dirt to light the runway with mini-torches of
wavering light — for Dad.
I’ve bow hunted deer in
Utah on my way to college — with Dad.
Dad, you’ve expressed
remorse because you
didn’t write much when I
was in school. That’s OK.
I didn’t have much time
to read then, anyway,
cause I was pretty busy in
college. I was able to go to
school because you paid
me well for my summer
fishing job.
I bought a Porsche 911
to ride around in because
you loaned me 10 or 12
grand to buy it. I drove
that Porsche to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving,
to Florida for spring
break and to Colorado for
Christmas.
You took me skiing at
Breckenridge, and Wolf
Creek Pass, and Monarch, and Keystone. Then
I drove the Porsche to
Alaska.
You took my buddy
Brent and I hunting in
your airplane — no cost,
no fee, no trouble.
You and Max also flew
to Canada to bring me
parts when my Porsche
broke down on the way
back to college. After that,
you took Lonita and I
javelina hunting in Arizona.
You always had my
back. You always came to
my rescue.
Then I graduated college.
You didn’t help much
after I graduated college
and went to law school.
Well, except for letting
me fish every summer
so I could afford to go to
law school, and letting
me take your Scout from
California to Arizona so
I would have a car that
first year, and visiting
me in Tucson a couple
of times and taking me
to the steakhouse where
they cut your tie off, and
letting me live at home
the summer of 1988 while
I was doing my internship, and letting me bring
my Bar study materials
on the fishing boat after I
graduated so I could study
for the Bar Exam, and on
and on...
Oh, did I forget to mention that you let me use
your $50,000 airplane as a
trainer? Or the fact that I
wrecked it, and you and
Frank fixed it, for just the
cost of the parts because
I had a new baby and a
nervous wife?
Have I ever thanked
you for helping me move
up and down the ALCAN
Highway several times?
Or letting me fish the
old Think Or Thwim on
my own right out of high
school? Or arranging to
fix the car I damaged
when my first Volkswagen wheel came off while
I was towing it home and
I didn’t have insurance?
Yeah, probably not.
I regret not making
sure you knew how wonderful the ride has been.
Did you ever wonder
why I drug your old
newspaper clipping box
all around the country
with me — to college, to
law school, to Alaska,
Montana and all points in
between?
I needed to keep a
little part of you with me
wherever I went.
DAD: If you ever wonder, I have had an incredible childhood and life.
You have provided me the
opportunity to do things,
go places and experience
a world that most people
only dream about. Whatever skills, knowledge or
abilities I have, I learned
from you. Whatever success I have achieved,
much of the credit goes to
you. None of my friends
have had experiences like
those you provided to me.
Most people would feel
lucky to have lived a fraction of my life.
Thank you.
I love you.
Your son, Ralph Ertz,
Jr.
See MLS #312849
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