Columns

Montanans oppose Black Butte mine on the Smith River

Published on Tue, 11/21/2017 - 1:40pm

Montanans oppose Black Butte mine on the Smith River 

Must We 'Believe' Juanita Broaddrick? No.

Published on Mon, 11/20/2017 - 2:51pm

Whenever charges of sexual misconduct shoot through the air, an arrow or three hit Bill Clinton. That's inevitable, given his history of philandering capped by the notorious Oval Office tryst with Monica Lewinsky.

What was not inevitable, but surprising, is the crush of liberals swallowing whole a fishy story that Clinton raped a woman.

In a New York Times column titled "I Believe Juanita," Michelle Goldberg writes, "We should look clearly at the credible evidence that Juanita Broaddrick told the truth when she accused Clinton of raping her."

The country belongs to the people

Published on Tue, 11/14/2017 - 3:15pm

I can still remember the excitement of crowding into the family van to make the drive from Billings to Yellowstone. Passing through the gate at Gardiner, our eyes were glued to the windows searching for grizzlies or moose. We stepped carefully around hot pots holding our noses. We counted buffalo, gleefully eating our ham and cheese sandwiches from home. We watched Old Faithful erupt right on cue. Exhausted, we fell asleep to the gentle rocking of the Beartooth pass clutching our special gift shop purchases -— mine was a pack of baby animal postcards. 

There’s wild game, then there’s game behind a fence

Published on Wed, 11/08/2017 - 8:36am
Earlier this month I was fortunate enough to kill a nice blacktail buck. I had been hunting off and on through deer season, and I saw lots of does every time I went out. With a little patience I knew I would finally cross paths with a good buck and have a chance to punch my tag. I was feeling good about my chances after the weather in Oregon’s Coast Range turned wet and cold in October, so I headed out to public land near the town of Cave Junction.
 

What an American Hero Looks Like

Published on Tue, 11/07/2017 - 3:20pm

This week, a discharged Air Force officer with a criminal record of domestic abuse, including cracking the skull of his infant stepson, stepped into a church in rural Texas and murdered 26 people, at least a dozen of them children. Americans broke out into their usual arguments over gun control and whether "thoughts and prayers" are helpful; we argued over politicizing tragedy and legislating away rights.

To Be a Great President, You First Have to Like Politics

Published on Mon, 11/06/2017 - 3:06pm

On the consensus list of the most significant American presidents following George Washington, there is a common trait. Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Teddy Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson and Harry Truman -- each of these great leaders was first a very good politician who actually enjoyed politics.

Since when do you have to be stylish on the trail?

Published on Wed, 11/01/2017 - 8:24am

Net nuzhdy — “There is no need.” That’s what two former Russian soldiers said when I asked if they needed to borrow socks to wear with their old boots instead of the rags I saw wrapped around their feet.

 

College Football Haves, Have-Nots and Dropouts

Published on Tue, 10/31/2017 - 4:50pm

The University of Alabama's football coach ruffled surprisingly few feathers up north when he dismissively contrasted the game played by the University of Rhode Island with his school's.

"When they play games -- you know, I think up there when Rhode Island plays whoever they play -- they have a picnic after the game," Nick Saban, coach for the legendary Crimson Tide, said. "That doesn't happen around here. We got 100,000 people. We got an SEC championship game. We're trying to get into the playoffs. But we all have the same rules."

An American President and the World

Published on Mon, 10/30/2017 - 7:34am

The release by the Trump administration of thousands of pages of classified documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy brought to mind two anecdotes about the 35th president and his legacy.

Trump Economy Fails to Wow Many Investors

Published on Thu, 10/26/2017 - 4:21pm

A rich guy I know really, really dislikes Donald Trump. A member of the 1 percent, Jack (not his real name) thinks the president has sullied the country's reputation and put democracy in danger. But I had to ask him this: "Aren't you at least happy with the stock market?" He's done quite well on that score, as have many investors.

"Yes," he said, "happy in the short term, but as a long-term investor, neither happy nor optimistic."