" Larry...
Thanks for lending some reality to the discussions. I am sure it is appreciated by many. "

" Folks, I've covered this issue for more than two years now, and I'm providing these links here to show everyone all of the angles of this story we've covered. These are older articles, developed when the city's task force and the public were considering the various options. Hope you guys find the information useful and interesting. Keep reading.

http://www.helenair.com/articles/2007/02/11/helena_top/00deer.txt

http://www.helenair.com/articles/2007/03/31/helena_top/a01033107_01.txt

http://www.helenair.com/articles/2007/03/30/helena/000deer.txt

http://www.helenair.com/articles/2007/02/13/helena/a01021307_01.txt

http://www.helenair.com/articles/2007/02/28/helena/a01022807_01.txt

http://www.helenair.com/articles/2007/02/15/helena/a09021507_00.txt

http://www.helenair.com/articles/2007/02/12/helena_top/a01021207_01.txt "

" My comment to Jerry - I'm sorry you lumped [arguing] the Constitution in with this deer stuff and other less meaningful issues. The Constitution of the United States and each States individual Constitution is the very basis of our society. To not understand them is the biggest mistake one could ever make. You know that old saying [ignorance of the law is no excuse]. The Constitutions are the law. When our legislators and courts do not follow them they are breaking the very [contract] that created their jobs. As for [arguing] what they say and mean...there is no argument. The words are what they are, they mean what they say. Virtually all words have a deffinition. For legal use you can refer to such sources as a Blacks Law Dictionary, which is much more defined than something like Websters, and it is what is used by the courts. Another point in law is that the words [keep] the meaning that they had when the law was written. Why? Because we all know from history that words change in their contemporary useage from year to year, day to day. This is exactly how the Supreme Court was able to come to their decision that the 2nd Amendment is an individual right and not simply a right belonging to some member of a Militia. Abraham Lincoln told us to read the Constitution and understand it. Teach it in schools [which isn't done any longer] and preach it from the pulpits. He was a staunch believer in the notion that a well educated public is much better than idiots who don't care what the Constitution means. Read it. Learn it, Live it. "

" I have seen more people who are for the deer being killed telling people to move - both sides have been equally rude. But hey let's blame the "Save the Deer" folks for it anyway. "

" I think some of you have missed the point of this letter. Let's not name call. This does nothing to get to a happy medium. We'll never all agree completely so let's try to work together on compromising. This cannot happen without 1st respecting each other's right to their own opinion without the bashing. "

" wasn't a citizen task force formed on this very issue a few years ago? didn't they ask for input from residents and experts before making recommendations? many of the other possibilities are extremely expensive (birth control) or can't be done due to disease (move deer out).

culling part of the herd and leaving some is a COMPROMISE! "

" ... Is there really a street called "none such" ???? I don't live on the mountain, but I do live in town. I found it very odd that when all the trapping was done none of it I say NONE of it was done anywhere near my neighborhood. Which tells me the problem mostly lies in the areas surrounded by the mountain or should I say those who live on the mountains. We see maybe two or three deer a week. Maybe, so when people who live on Mount Helena or the new subdivision which is referred to as "snob hill" (I don't know its real name) complain about the deer it leaves me to think that they should maybe move if they don't like the deer. "

" Oh pardon me, mr/ms "...let's show people like MtBecky a thing or two"!...There ARE other ways of dealing with the growing population of our deer without killing them!!!

Other cities have used the sprayvac vaccine, which renders the female deer sterile and lasts for 6 years. In doing so, this would gradually lessen the population. Within just a year the population would be noticeably smaller and would continue to grow smaller until they were managed humanely. But noooo, we are called bleeding hearts while all the rest who are nothing but whiners yell, kill them all and continue to pass around untrue stories to scare as many people as they can.

I KNOW we can't just let them continue to grow but I KNOW there are more humane ways to deal with them! The money is allocated for them...I would rather see our tax dollars going to dealing with them humanely, then terrorizing them and then killing them. "

" I think the only way to show people like MtBecky why we need to cull the herd is to let the population continue to grow for a couple of years.

It is nice to see some deer in town. I happen to see at least 7 every morning on my 2 mile trip to work, which is too much in my opinion. And no, I do not live in an expensive house on the mountain. "

" Well I am sorry to see that everyone that has a flower eaten out of their yard is screaming, "Kill all the deer!"
Rather than appreciating the fact that we live in a state where it is actually possible to see wildlife around us, they want them totally eliminated. Yes, in my opinion, they should move or quit their belly aching about something that many people who don't have the opportunity, would love to see! "

" Amen! And maybe we could cull a little of the name calling and vitriol for every battle (big and small) out there - it's become a "for" or "against" world with no middle ground. Whether its deer in the city, politics, morals, abortion, zoning, or whatever...there seems much that goes beyond expressing your opinion or polite disagreement... and heads straight into anger, bias and just plain nastiness. Here's to a more civil and respectful 2009. "

" well put Jerry! "