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, Well, it finally happened... I knew it would happen sooner or later; I'm more than willing to accept full responsibility for my lawless actions. I was pulled over the other evening while traveling into town. I've been traveling around town like this in my golf cart named "Sunshine" for a bit over 5 years now, without so much as a "BOO" from the cops, or anyone else for that matter, so why now? I understand, as I have from the beginning, that technically, it is illegal to travel on...
Dear Editor, I want to give a huge shout-out and a fervent thank you to the men and women of PULSE/JVEMS and the doctors and nurses of the St. James ER and Hospital! This past week has been a whirlwind for me. What started as a touch of something on Sunday (it turned out to be Influenza A) escalated by Tuesday into something I'd never even heard of before. By Tuesday evening, I couldn't even get out of bed without falling on my face. Apparently, I'd also contracted Rhabdomyolysis! Long story...
Dear Editor, I want to talk about the proverbial elephant in the room. The most recent debacle in our quaint little burg of Whitehall proves how much this "elephant" needs to be confronted and maybe even run out of town. Don't worry; I won't point fingers or name names, as I'm sure I don't need to. The problem, as I see it, is that every individual, not just in this town but in the world at large, has their own particular (peculiar?) version of "the Box." Depending on the individual's sensibilit...
Dear Editor, New Year, New You (generally speaking, of course!) We may ask each other or even ourselves, What does that MEAN? Some might answer sticking better with my resolutions, while to others, it might have a deeper, more spiritual meaning. Of course, depending on one’s resolution, the latter might be covered under the first example. The point is, this phrase usually means something different, often QUITE different, to everyone. Whatever our resolution, it usually involves being a better person than we showed last year. It could mean t...
Dear Editor, I don't know Donald Trump personally, so I can't say whether I love or hate him. I am definitely NOT a Trumper, for what it's worth. Did I approve of his first stint as President? Does it really matter? Do I believe, as some have implied, that he is America's Messiah? It depends on what one means by Messiah or how they think he will save America. What would that salvation look like? What makes America great? Will we ever see peace in the Middle East? For that matter, what WOULD peac...
Dear Editor, About the recent hub-bub about CI-128, I honestly do not care one whit if it passes or not! I know some readers are up in arms concerning certain parts of the text, particularly parental consent. Having just read the entirety of the text, I can't help but think that this, as well as other objectionable language, seems to have been inferred. However, I do not wish to get into a political discussion or argument here but to explain my stance on abortion. The why and when, in my view,...
Dear Editor, Yes, I'm harping on the shop local thing again! Before I get too far though, I must admit that I DO shop at Walmart once a month. The reason? The local grocery store does not accept my Humana Healthy Benefits card and Walmart does. This is not the ONLY reason, though it IS the MAIN reason. One thing many may not consider concerning the slightly higher prices local merchants charge is their own overhead. For instance, the asking price for whatever given item may be somewhat lower,...
Dear Editor, I don't mean to be a Negative Nelly or even too much of an alarmist; however, the proverbial $h!t is hitting the fan in many ways! A predicted stock market crash... the attempted assassination of what some see as the best hope for a floundering nation ... the cost of living skyrocketing across the board ... preppers all over preparing, maybe even hoping, for the worst. With all the military action around the world, not JUST in the Middle East, it seems World War III is looming on...
Dear Editor, I am doubly indebted to the people of Whitehall! Many may remember a time, about ten or so years ago, when one of the town's restaurateurs started a bucket campaign to purchase a new bike for me after my old one wore out. I purchased a used Surrey bike, a four-wheeled contraption, that I pedaled all over Whitehall and much of the immediate area south of town. This bike got me around for the next six or seven years. After that was pretty well worn out, again, with the help of a good...
Dear Editor, Are we truly in the End Times? With the shape of politics these days, the economy, and well, you know...PEOPLE, sometimes, one might be hard-pressed to disagree with the bible believers who insist that "the End is nigh!" Bringing it home, so to speak, one might hear rumors floating around, with all the changes happening to our little town, that Whitehall is becoming a ghost town! As you know, the proof is in the pudding! Personal perception, however, is another matter. Some people...
This is not my favorite topic, but I figured it 'tis the season, so here goes. Of course, I'm referring to election or political season. I do NOT like politics! I do my best not to get involved; I rarely vote, except for local elections occasionally. Speaking of local elections/politics, although I STILL would rather not get involved, I DO plan to vote this time. The biggest complaint I've been hearing lately from those who live in town (I do not) is the increased water rates while still...
Dear Editor, Although one might note that this letter is somewhat in response to the FWP article in the most recent Whitehall Ledger (3/20/24), it is a long time coming and overdue! The most accepted definition of "license" is "a permit from an authority to own or use something, do a particular thing, or carry on a trade (especially in alcoholic beverages)." However, the legal definition is a bit starker and more honest: "permission granted by a qualified authority permitting a licensee to do so...
Dear Editor, I'm going to try to kill two birds with one stone! Neither of my subjects, Voting & AI, are necessarily about anything currently happening in Whitehall, though voting is probably on the minds of many. AI, on the other hand, is a mixed bag. This letter is somewhat in response to the article by Keith Hammond of the Boulder Monitor, published in the January 31, 2024 edition of the Ledger. Whatever one's opinion about voting, it must be represented that, it hits closer to home than...
Dear Editor, The cost of living is increasing! We see this almost everywhere, but probably more noticeably as Winter threatens. I don't keep a real close eye on it myself (probably because I drive an EV), but apparently, the price of gasoline has recently fallen, so hopefully, that's a good sign! Speaking of Winter, though, many families get hit with a double whammy around this time of year; not only has the cost of living increased across the board, with its increased heating costs, but many fi...
Dear Editor, A wise man once asked the eternal question, "Why can't we all just get along?" Well, as you know, we're all different, so that might be one way to explain it. How many people do we know, however intimately, who are as different as night and day, yet somehow, they manage to get along, seemingly even, against all odds? If only we could all learn to tap into the source of that happiness, that joy! Life is all about choice! The reason some people just can't seem to play well with the...
Dear Editor, This letter is not in response to anyone. It IS, however, a bit of a diatribe! The main subject of this letter may engender a negative response among certain people in this town; but then, sometimes the pot just NEEDS to be stirred! Not to be too negative though, it would seem that, for the last few thousand years, since the beginning of time, human beings have committed many atrocities in the name of their favored deity, or "God." Basically, what it comes down to is, that if you...
Dear Editor, I wasn't planning to go see The Sound of Freedom; in fact, I was planning not to, but a friend asked me to watch it with her, so I decided to give it a whirl. I wasn't too disappointed; in fact, I was almost pleasantly surprised given the subject matter. The Sound of Freedom was heart wrenchingly honest about the deplorable issue of child sex trafficking; deplorable doesn't really even begin to describe the horrors of it! As uncomfortable as the subject matter is, it is there,...
Dear Editor, We can't blame it all on Gen X. Although much could be directed toward the generation in question, this is a generalization; it's not quite fair to say all people from this particular era are at fault. It's also not quite true that Gen X, or ANY particular generation, can claim sole responsibility for the mess which we are witnessing in this day and age. The mess: the irresponsibility which seems to be almost proudly or maybe just brazenly exhibited lately. Not only is there a...
Dear Editor, I am a bit cautious about writing such a letter, on what could be a very touchy issue, but the growing lack of public restrooms in Whitehall is a bit distressing! One really can't blame our local business owners, with the blatant disregard that many people these days seem to exhibit for other people's property. Many businesses in town have closed off what used to be public restrooms to all but paying customers. Again, this is not so much a reflection on any particular business here...
Dear Editor, Most of your readers probably remember the 80s TV show Who's the Boss? That's the subject of this short rant. I vaguely remember writing something to this effect previously, though it's been some time, but "Who IS the boss?" The overwhelming majority of our public servants, those who are elected to represent (NOT rule) us seem to have forgotten that all-important principle. Oh, sure, many or most will publicly acknowledge they are appointed to serve the best interests of the...
Dear Editor, Turn and face the strange... Some of your readers may recognize these words from the refrain of David Bowie's Changes. I begin in this manner because of the changes coming to our small town, both in the near and not-so-near future. Two fairly recent changes we should all be aware of by now were front-page news this past Wednesday. First and saddest is Settings by All Things Montana closing its doors by month's end. If they haven't already, I highly encourage anyone reading this to...
OWEN DAVID SHANK St. Patty's Day 2023 dawned bright and clear. For a change, the ever-present wind was fairly calm as well. This was also the day my dad, Owen David Shank (who went by David) decided to finally leave this present life. Some would say that he graduated to the heavenly realms. Along with my mother, his wife of almost 60 years, Dad had recently moved to Winter Garden, Florida, roughly six months ago. One of my sisters and her husband converted one end of their house into a kind of...
Dear Editor, Over the past week, more or less, I’ve been doing a bit of thinking on the subject of this generation’s reliance on technology and the detrimental effect it had. I originally wrote, “technology is killing us,” though I DID acknowledge later that it’s actually stress that’s the real killer! This is true enough, but when it comes down to it, we really must admit, we’re doing it to ourselves! Over the past century or so, technology has made great leaps most seemingly, or purportedly, for the better. In fact, many of the leaps made we...
Dear Editor, As you and your readers know by now, I despise politics, especially as they stand in this day and age where the almighty dollar seems to have taken precedence over our precious right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The latest furor concerning the proposed convention of states, in particular, the push for setting stricter term limits has gotten me thinking (I know, DANGEROUS). We’ve heard arguments, both in support of and against the proposal. As far as the arguments against setting (tightening?) term limits, they m...
Dear Editor, I am by no means a lawless person, but neither am I one of those who say "there outta be a law." In the interest of peace and positivity, I'm not going to point fingers here, or name names; in essence, no religion or person, in particular, will be called onto the carpet! It should be noted, however, that not just in this town, but around the country, if one practices any religion but the prevailing religion of any given region/area (if indeed there is one), then that person, or...
