Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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Dear Editor, A government of, by, and for the people only works when the people put forth enough effort to select people that have the skills, ability, and desire to operate a government of, by, and for the people. We, the people, have not done a real good job of doing this in recent years. Ask yourself how many people in the elected office you would hire to run your business, sort cows, or even go to the store for you. However, the fact that your perfect candidate is not on the ballot does not relieve you of your duty to vote for the best...
Dear Editor, Wake up, women! For over 100 years you have fought for equality. Recently, with the stroke of a pen, the Democratic Party, led by Joe Biden, has erased that equality by allowing biological males, “not men,” to compete in women’s sports. They are trying to destroy your family by encouraging you to kill your children. They are stripping you of your right, and duty, to educate and regulate your children. You can stop this madness. Remove them from office this November. Chris Wagner Cardwell, Montana...
Picture yourself settled in your favorite living room chair watching one of the longest races at the Olympics. You have caught some of the athletes warming up. Now, they are in the blocks. They seem to stop breathing as the starter calls out, “Runner’s on your mark…Get set...” BANG, he starts them. Do you realize our conversations with others can start off with a bang or a thud? If we start with a demand, a negative assertion, or assertions, what can we expect? Probably failure. We can do better. The Bible teaches us to be filled with grace....
ARIES Mar 21/Apr 20 It may be tempting to throw your weight around and assert power in a situation, Aries. But this may backfire in the long run. Try to be a team player. TAURUS Apr 21/May 21 Taurus, someone close to you may be driving you crazy, and you’re tempted to let them know. However, go with the flow instead and enjoy this calmer approach. GEMINI May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, an important decision must be made in the days ahead. Take a calm approach and do your best to keep your emotions out of this discussion. CANCER Jun 22/Jul 22 Once you inv...
Georgia, I have a question, Are birth control pills tax deductible? Planning Ahead Dear Planning, Only if they don’t work. With love, Georgia Georgia, I have a question, I am a twenty-three-year-old liberated woman who has been on the pill for two years. It’s getting expensive and I think my boyfriend should share half the cost. The problem is, I don’t know him well enough to discuss money with him. What should I do? Don't Know Him Dear Know Him, don’t know the man you’re sleeping with well enough to discuss money with him, you certainly...
Dear Editor, You may paint a pig’s lips with lipstick, polish and paint its toes pink; or even give it a girly name such as Kamala, Nancy, or Monica; but it does not change the fact that it is still a pig. Such is the same with the practice of elective abortions. One may call it Women’s Reproductive Healthcare, or a woman’s right, but it cannot erase the fact that it is a calculated decision to kill a baby. For 50 years liars have worked to convince the masses that this is good, but evil cannot hide from the truth. Hillary tells us, “we m...
Dear Editor, In today’s toxic political climate I believe we need someone positive in Washington DC. Gary Buchanan is running as an Independent for the eastern district house seat for the U.S. House of Representatives. Jefferson County is in the eastern Congressional district. A close friend of mine convinced me to volunteer for the Buchanan campaign. My friend worked for Gary in 1994 when Gary was asked by Governor Marc Racicot to re-organize Montana State Government. My friend has known Gary and his family for about 30 years and is heavily i...
Dear Editor, I’ve served alongside Mary Hensleigh for two years as Sanders County Director in the newly formed Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, the newest and largest transportation district in the state. Mary is Jefferson County’s appointed Director and serves with 18 other Directors—one from each County along the route. The Authority is organized under Montana State statute. Director Hensleigh has been a fundamental author of financial policy, budget rules, and methodologies. Conversely, Director Hensleigh has a positive and credible influen...
Dear Editor, I read with interest and sadness the Letter to the Editor (LTE) in the September 28th issue of the Whitehall Ledger from John Driscoll of Helena. It started off so well. He wrote about how all political parties and most media are about convenience to their agenda, whichever side their loyalties lie with. Obviously true. He refers to them as ‘grasstops’ politics, as opposed to ‘grassroots’ politics. Then he went on to label about every type of Montanan there is, thankfully omitting race, ethnicity, and sexual preference. The onl...
Dear Editor, Once again, the State of Montana is pushing more costs down to the local and county levels. The County Treasurer’s offices across the state have always had a partnership with the Department of Justice, Motor Vehicle Division to provide the service of licensing and renewing motorized vehicles for the residents of our counties. The counties have always provided the building, staff, and utilities as their share of the costs of the service. The Department of Justice has always provided the needed supplies such as paper, toner, t...
MacGyver was more impressive in the 80s because no one had smartphones and google. All his expertise was real. Giving up is viewed as weak or lazy; however, knowing when to give up is an incredibly useful skill to have. Bruce Wayne probably owns hospitals because of his wealth, so as Batman he’s probably beating the crap out of criminals so they get sent there and make him money. Being tired from staying up too late and being tired from getting up too early are two different feelings. In The Lion King, Scar is made to be a bad guy, but in r...
Georgia, I have a question, I’ve always been fascinated by the Superheroes we grew up watching on the Saturday morning cartoons. Many of these, we now know as adults, were just make-believe, being just, you know, cartoons, but when movies like Superman came out later on, we KNEW that he, at least, was real, even though he was actually an alien, which explains his powers. Batman, although he was a Superhero, didn’t really have any powers; he just had some amazing toys! Then, we learned that Spiderman and The Flash were real too, even though the...
Those who know me know my affinity for Halloween. Thank you, Terry Chadwick and Darla Hill for these little cuties! They brighten up the Ledger Office with sweet spookiness!...
In this life we encounter various relational road blocks, one specifically I would like to address is offense. Such a hazard can be detrimental to our relationships that we cherish or even possible new relationships on the horizon, so we must guard our heart and our words from the negative responses associated with offense. I might be able to offer some wisdom from a Biblical perspective. I’m absolutely convinced that we often fail to operate in grace towards others, “Grace requires patience.” In fact, there is little peace without patie...
Fortunately, not everyone knows the pain of child loss. Unfortunately, I know that pain. My fiancé Marcus and I held our daughter, Maesyn Conley Cahoon, for her last breaths, on her 115th day of life, but only about 10 days after her due date. From her birth at 25 weeks gestational age, Maesyn's life was a miracle, with one exception: she had Fetal Inflammatory Response Syndrome. It was a parting gift from my unexpected and severe pregnancy complications, which became life-threatening two weeks...
As the owner of the Whitehall Ledger, each week I have to make decisions on what is published. As a member of the media, I strive to be non-biased in my reporting and to never show my own personal opinions unless in my editorial. Several times I’ve been questioned about why I chose to print an opinion piece that was divisive or leaned one way or another. I’ve been called a “raging liberal” as well as a “right-wing conservative.” One extreme to the other, it seems. Why do I choose to print articles such as that on page 11? Do I agree with...
The average adult probably has hundreds of thousands of lyrics memorized but they won’t realize they have it memorized until the song starts playing, even decades later. A morning coffee habit is as much about waking your colon as it’s about waking your brain. People celebrate those that quit drinking but demonize those that refuse to start. The Sun doesn’t know shadows exist. Maybe the reason we can’t taste or smell water is that we’re already more than half water and we’re desensitized to it. It’s kind of strange that we evolved along...
Dear Editor, Okay, this is me jumping on the proverbial bandwagon. Most, if not everyone, in town knows that I drive an electric vehicle. It’s not quite the same issue as a Tesla or a Prius but still, the principle still applies. There are definitely advantages to traveling in an electric vehicle. For me, maybe one of the most obvious is its operation, which is nearly silent and therefore, more or less stealthy. As an amateur photographer, I really appreciate being able to move about the countryside, although with somewhat limited range, w...
Dear Editor, I would like to encourage you and our fellow eastern Montanans to vote this Fall from our hearts. Republican, Independent, Green, Libertarian, Social Democrat, Trumpster, and Democrat are shorthand labels more serving the convenience of political and media consultants. Let’s agree that “grasstops” politics have replaced “grassroots.” Yet we all still have our friends and families. We’re grand-mothers and grand-fathers, or their children and children’s children, native-born or Montanans by fate or choice, veterans or the families...
Georgia, I have a question, I need advice! My fiance and I are having lots of issues right now. We can’t stop fighting and I don’t know what to do. I quit my job because wedding planning is taking up so much time and now my fiance is refusing to get a second job. He doesn’t understand that I don’t have time to get ready for work, drive to work, be somewhere else all day, and drive home - I need to be HOME to plan this wedding! I asked him to get a second job and he won’t - he says he already works 60+ hours a week and that I need to get a job...
Gimmicks abound all around us, allowing a few people to claim to know everything. One can search the Internet regarding almost any HOW TO, and it will produce a list of apps desiring your next click. The Internet has changed the world of advertising in the USA. You have to be careful, however. Some results are schemes. That is part of our broken world, a world full of broken people. Tragedy is found around many corners; a person sadly takes their own life, someone dies or is seriously injured in a vehicle accident, and another receives the...
ARIES Mar 21/Apr 20 Don’t push yourself too far this week, Aries. That is a surefire way to be overcome by stress and deplete your energy, which you need to get things done. Pace yourself. TAURUS Apr 21/May 21 Hold your tongue and try not to get into any heated arguments with people either at work or in your social circles, Taurus. Avoid controversial subjects. GEMINI May 22/Jun 21 There’s a strong pull toward wanting to play as well as getting work done, Gemini. Is there a way to delegate some work so you can focus on recreation? Figure thi...
There’s no way that guy with the fistful of money at the underground street fight remembers the odds everyone took AND who they bet on. Humanity will never reach a point where automation takes care of all our basic needs while capitalism exists because it won’t be profitable to do so. The most average person in the world is a 30-years-old, Chinese, male, who is 5 foot 9 inches tall and weighs 136 pounds. Gaining weight is a piece of cake. Cartoon characters never wear watches unless they are looking at their wrists. The fact that Cheech and...
Dear Georgia, I have a question. I’m a single mom going to college and living with my sister. A couple of weeks ago, I asked my neighbor, a very nice guy, if he could watch my kids for two hours while I went to class because my sister was not home. He agreed. If he babysits and doesn’t accept pay, can I sue him for child support because he took on a fatherly role? I’m sure I can convince a court that he accepted a fatherly role, which is how who owes child support is determined in my home state. I really need this money. What do you think...
Most people aspire toward greatness. Even the most passionless person aspires in some area or hobby to do it well. Boys and girls, men and women dream of achieving accolades in sports, acting, a career, etc. “The sky is the limit” goes the saying, yesterday but today, too. My goal is to grow in Christ-like qualities. What about you? Virtues of Christ are admired universally by others. We surely relish when another person extends us mercy, maybe, especially if we don’t deserve it. Of course, patience is welcome when we are on the recei...
