Letters to the editor

Seeds of fascism

The corrupt collaboration between big corporations and big government is the seedbed from which 20th century fascism grew in Europe. Until and unless governmental and corporate decision makers are held accountable by those for whom they work, i..e. the voting taxpayers and shareholders, power will speak only to power, and the general public will be increasingly misled, misinformed and, at the end of the day, enslaved. When rich, powerful men have the power to excuse and collaborate in criminal behavior with other rich, powerful men, corruption is the only result. As shareholders - including investors in 401K's and other investment funds - and as voters, we have a voice. We must speak up, and say no, no, and again no to unbridled plutocratic power. The wealth and the power are our common property: we need to hold our employees responsible for legal and ethical stewardship of our property. No retroactive immunity for telecoms. Or any other corporate or governmental lawbreaker.

Tom Dooling

800 1/2 Flowerree

Killing deer

Our city is now going to start killing deer. The crack in the door is a small one, just 50 deer will be killed during a period to end May 2008.

As a Helena citizen, I am already groaning as I contemplate the tax payer cost of this program.

As citizen of the state of Montana and a hunter and fisher paying fees to the Deptartment of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, I am pretty certain that in the years ahead I will be contributing to a program that I think is just plain wrong.

But what makes me really sad is that the deer can't speak for themselves. I have heard it said that how we treat our pets tells a lot about our society. I think that how we treat our urban deer herd speaks volumes about who we are as a city.

I don't think we can be "the last best place" and kill our deer. Now we are just another Dayton or Pittsburgh. Is it really time to take this step?

Greg Morgus

555 E. 6th Ave.

Congress's duty

The issue of this adminsitration's continual strategy to lead the U.S. into another apparantly unjustified attack and subsequent war upon Iran again emphasizes the need for Congress to stand up and do what it believes is right for the Amercivan people. This is its job; it is there to balance the power in our nation so that the executive branch does not exceed its constitutional, moral and ethical limits. Our country is not a dictatorship -- not yet. We all know that as politicians, you have responsibilities to your party and to your supporters, but your first and foremost responsibilities are to the values that our nation was founded upon, to the wishes of the American people and to insure that America continues to be a guide to the world of how we may all live: Free and with honor, dignity and intelligence. I think that today the largest threat to our country and what it stands for comes not from without but from an arrogant, narrow-minded, misled administration. Congress must act now and must continue to do its sworn duty.

Norb Lauer

4974 Prospector Gulch

Puzzle layout

I'd like to comment on the new layout of the puzzle. It is awkward to have the clues below the puzzle. It flows much better to read with the clues first. You can then drop down the page to the puzzle. The way it is now, your hand covers the clues when it is worked.

I hope you will consider my comments and change the puzzle to the way it was before.

Lynda Marino

821 Idlewilde

Editor's note: Since this letter was written, the clues have been moved back.

Lyme disease

Under the Constitution, no one is exempt for violating the law, including government officers. Telcom violations from the presidency on down should not be exempted from their illegalities. A Briton, Elena Cook, a pseudonym she uses because of death threats, had her phone and computer lines compromised by the U.S. military. Her doctor had her put into a mental hospital there. Her crime: putting "lyme is a biowarfare issue" on the Web. England denied Lyme, but had to admit that they were experimenting with it at Porton Downs. An island off the coast of Scotland was vacated for 50 years for anthrax experiments. I have Lyme, and I have had friends die from Lyme. Our government needs an overhauling toward the moral side. And if the person who sent me a letter unsigned for my last comments does it again, he doesn't deserve to be an American.

H. Gordon Hilden

100 S. Warren St.

What's in a name?

Should a person be permitted to vote who refuses to vote for a candidate because the candidate's middle name, given to him by his parents at birth, is Hussein? Some folks think "Huckabee" is funny. Some think "Adolf" is shameful. There are even those who think a person named "Abe" should never be president.

Paul W. Turley

6558 Big Rock Road

Nix consolidation

Our Congress with enough support from us will restrain the FCC and czar Kevin Martin and his cohorts who are trying to rush through a media consolidation. Was this not attempted back a few years and overturned because of public pressure? Please contact Congress members and demand that S.2332 be passed ASAP. Call Sen. Tester at 202-224-2651, and Sen. Baucus at 800-332-6106.

Mrs. Patricia Herrick

188 Herrick Lane

Gold Creek