News you can use
News you can use
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The owners of the Vikings must face the paternalism and audacity of "White Privilege" that the mascot, Ragnar, projects. In this age of raising awareness and promoting diversity how can the Vikings in good conscious retain Ragnar as their mascot, nay our mascot?! Ragnar was part of a marauding band of conquerors who used force rather than conflict resolution to settle differences with others. War is not the answer, need I say more? His flimsy helmet with its horns made from a slain animal could not have protected him and his...
Our sidewalks are not being cleared of snow to universal approval. Havre’s current ordinance calls for homeowners to clear the sidewalks on their property within 24 hours. Why are the property owners being asked to maintain a public walkway? Are they asked to clear the streets in front of their houses and businesses as well? The answer is, obviously, “No.” This expectation of the citizens to take responsibility for shoveling sidewalks is downright dangerous because it lessens our dependence on government services. Furth...
Whereas, the historical nature of man's existence on this earth has been one of servitude to a monarch, despot or benevolent government; and Whereas, collectivist thinking dictates that only by following an amalgamation of government agencies and programs can a vibrant future be attained via public private partnerships: and Rick Dow Whereas, the philosophy of Karl Marx which has given citizens of the United Soviet Socialists Republic, Cuba and North Korea (to name only a few) the individual freedoms that we as Americans have...
The role of the press in our country is quite unique. They are called to be the most inquisitive amongst us. Their importance and power is specifically enumerated in the First Amendment to our U.S. Constitution: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press … ." In the words of Socrates (470 BC - 399 BC) the press should be counted on to "follow the story wherever it leads." Rick Dow I would like to thank t...
The United States has a long tradition of keeping church and state separate. The U.S. Declaration of Independence was based on Virginia's Declaration of Rights, which was written by George Mason. When it became clear that the Bill of Rights would not be in the U.S. Constitution, Mason refused to sign it. He wanted to make sure that our country did not have an established religion. Fortunately for all Americans the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, was ratified just three short years after the...
When traveling north down tree-lined 3rd Avenue in Havre, Montana you will pass by many well-kept historic and contemporary houses. Beautiful wood, brick and stone churches are found nearby on parallel streets to the right. The Hill County Courthouse, also on the right, marks the end of the residential area and the beginning of the city business district in earnest. The vacant United States Post Office and courthouse building circa 1930 occupies roughly a quarter of a city block on the left. A newer USPS building can be...
When traveling north down tree-lined 3rd Avenue in Havre, Montana you will pass by many well-kept historic and contemporary houses. Beautiful wood, brick and stone churches are found nearby on parallel streets to the right. The Hill County Courthouse, also on the right, marks the end of the residential area and the beginning of the city business district in earnest. The vacant United States Post Office and courthouse building circa 1930 occupies roughly a quarter of a city block on the left. A newer USPS building can be found...
Regarding the Nov. 25, Havre Daily News story headlined "Baucus asks businesses how to boost border trade:" Rick Dow Senator Baucus is chair of the Senate Finance Committee, which has sole jurisdiction on international trade and border protections. Numerous studies, testimonies and questionnaires over the past decade have confirmed that making Wild Horse a 24-hour commercial port would have a positive economic impact on our local economy. Throughout the history of our country, increasing international trade rather than...
Editor: Thanks to the Havre Daily News for publishing my guest column on Tuesday April 26. In the sixth paragraph a key sentence was not completely printed. The sentence should have read: Just as Montana and Idaho received an exemption from the Endangered Species Act, over one thousand entities have received waivers or exemptions from Obamacare. Thanks to the Havre Daily News for providing a forum where a diverse selection of opinions can be be presented. Rick Dow Havre...
Threats have no place in public discourse Editor: What do we have in common? Well, we both call Havre, Mont., home. Aside from that geographical fact, it would be very difficult to find much of anything for which we agree. Steelers vs. Packers nope. Taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood, we couldn't be further apart. Whether or not the 2000 presidential election was decided fairly, definitely not. Some very disturbing news from Helena this week did, however, make the two of us realize that we have one unwavering principle...
"There is a certain stoic quality to the people of the Hi-Line, definitely rugged self-reliant individualism up here. A lot of traits in the character of the people up here that used to exist in America. That, perhaps, no longer exist, a culture of no complaints; it's old-school up here no doubt" — Michael Cole Set Photographer in an advertisement for the recently shot movie, 'Winter in the Blood.' — September 2011 Rick Dow "And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each suc...
Monuments, medical marijuana, Obamacare and Roe v. Wade Rick Dow What do all of these hot button issues have in common? The answer quite simply is they represent the battle between state rights and federal rights. A strong but limited federal government, which focuses only on its written enumerated constitutional powers, is how our system was set up. Support of a federal law over a state law is asserting the "supremacy clause" Article VI Section 2 of the U. S. Constitution. Conversely, each individual state has the right and...
Editor: Regarding Zach White's article, "GOP points to violations in Kaul's council race funding, " in the Sept. 15 Havre Daily News: The state of Montana candidate forms mentioned in this story were incorrectly referred to as campaign finance documents. The correct name of the document is "Form C-1-A Statement of Candidate. " Filing this document is mandatory for county and municipal candidates. The C-1-A requires the candidate's name, address and, if applicable, the name of the bank at which you intend to have the campaign...
The 1977 movie "Smokey and the Bandit" is truly an American classic. The plot was simple enough. A couple of Georgia politicians needed 400 cases of their favorite beer for a shindig, the catch being that Coors was only available west of the Mississippi at the time. The politicians, known as the Enos brothers, offered to pay a hefty price if the beer could be fetched from Texarkana, Texas, and delivered to Atlanta, Ga., within 28 hours. Rick Dow A glorious, gas-guzzling Pontiac Trans Am V-8 ran interference and distraction...
Editor: 'The Food Safety Modernization Act' (SB 510) was passed by the U. S. Senate on Dec. 2. The most recent problem with this bill, which originated in the Senate, is that it raises revenue through various fees. According to the U. S. Constitution Section 7, the first sentence states: "All bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; " therefore, a constitutional challenge will likely prevent it from becoming law. This exposes a structural shortcoming by all of those involved. This error...
Rick Dow — guest columnist The day after Thanksgiving is for leftovers and laziness. It is a weekday, but yet it feels like a weekend day; a day with a different tempo, a day to be enjoyed in a kick back kind of way. It is a day where time alternately stands still and flies by all at the same time. It is a day where, before I knew it, it was time for a quick gander at the Havre Daily News. Pat Williams' guest column caught my attention. Not long into it, I realized that I would need some cheese from the fridge to fully e...
Other than delivering the Boston Globe door to door each morning before junior high school, the first clock-punching job that I ever had was that of a dishwasher. In 1980 $3.10 per hour was amazing money compared to delivering papers. The work was smelly and strenuous but hey, did I mention the astronomical pay rate? If the number of dinners served were favorable to the owner/chef, he would make me any item from the menu right before we closed the kitchen and finished the cleanup process. It was a great gig. During college,...
There was standing room only at the Havre City Council meeting last night. As soon as the United Nations pledge of allegiance to the earth was recited, the gathering was called to order. Tempers flared as the council members approved construction plans for a bordello in the town limits. Representatives of the radical group, The New Moral Majority, a throwback to the 1980s hate group the Moral Majority, asked the council if they would want to see their own family and friends work in such a place. The State Political Officer,...
If you run the phrase "high horse" through any online search engine you will get a fairly consistent definition: a haughty attitude or temper; a contemptuous manner. These are not flattering words. No sane person would want to be the recipient of another person belittling them with, "Get off your high horse and deal with the facts!" Few among us would want to be accused of such ignorance and arrogance. The second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence starts: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are cr...
Wednesday, July 14, is the French holiday known as Bastille Day. Wait, please do not put the paper down while muttering "Who gives a rat's derriere about some French holiday?!" Bastille is derived from the word bastide which means fortress. In the years preceding July 14,1789, the French king imprisoned anyone he suspe c t ed of unde rmining hi s supreme reign. Those who were rounded up by clandestine authority were not told what crime they had committed or given a trial to defend themselves. Although the Bastille did not...
The program "Jeopardy" became famous for many reasons. The primary novelty of this show was the way in which the trivia game was played. Alec Trebek would always remind the contestants to "Make sure your answer is in the form of a question!" The title of this column is written in the same spirit. Ray Bolger was born in Boston on Jan. 10, 1904. Ray was a standup comedian who also had some amazing dance moves. He played Vaudeville and Broadway before moving to Hollywood in 1936. It was in a 1939 film that he became part of...
Mountebank is defined as follows: 1. A person who sells quack medicines, as from a platform in public places, attracting and influencing an audience by tricks, storytelling, etc. 2. Any charlatan or quack. Synonyms 1. Pitchman. 2. Phony, pretender, fraud. You might encounter a mountebank on a late night TV infomercial explaining how you can lose weight without dieting by taking this nutrition supplement, which is sweeping the entire European continent. If you call the toll-free number and mention the secret password "chump"...
On July 27, Sen. Max Baucus announced that he was introducing an amendment to our United States Constitution to regulate corporate political contributions. We should all be very proud and appreciative that our Senator does not try and circumvent the Constitution when he sees a problem. Praise for and a question for Sen. Baucus Rick Dow, [email protected] Sen. Baucus is setting a great example by working within the established procedures when he feels that change is warranted. In an age where hyper-partisanship,...
While growing up, I did not know much about the Catholic school system. During high school I remember, however, noticing that my friends who attended Catholic schools K-8 consistently did better in academics. This observation seemed doomed for a remote corner of my brain, never to be recalled again. Some of us accept quite easily the idea that we evolved from a lightening strike to a puddle of single cells a long, long time ago. Trying to answer the question "Where did we come from?" is a challenge that each of us grapples...
