Letters to the editor

Tree sponsors

We had the pleasure of decorating a tree for the Festival of Trees this past weekend. What an enjoyable experience.

We would like to thank the sponsor of the tree Wells Fargo Bank. The donations we received helped to win the Merit Award and would like to thank the wonderful donors; Gates of the Mountains, Inc., Chester Pearce & the Wise River Club, Murphy Fox, Kim's Marina, Pepsi Cola of Helena & Ken Carlson, Montana Fly Goods -- Joan and Garry Stocker, General Mercantile, Barnes Jewelry, Benny's Bistro, Montana Book Co., Gold Bar, Capital Collision Center, Capital Sports & Western Wear, Century 21 -- Heritage Realty Inc., B & B Quality Market, Sunshine & Associates Inc., One Way Marina and Carroll College Honors Program.

Without your kind donations, we could not have had the enjoyable experience we had.

Thanks, finally to you, the Helena Community, to help make this such a successful event. The generosity in this town is always overwhelming.

JoAnn Maffit, Marti Pearce and Janet Sheehy

1601 N. Benton

Hunters vs. hunger

The big game general season for 2006 in Montana is over. For many of us, it was a highly successful year; not only in the amount of game taken, but the ability to spend hours outdoors, enjoying the beautiful mountains and plains! It has been even more successful for the poverty stricken, the aged, the homeless. The contributions of deer and elk to the various food banks and especially to Helena Food Share will go a long way towards assuaging hunger among our less fortunate citizens. The animals brought in to the various processing firms with the notation attached "for Hunters against Hunger" outnumbered previous years by a factor of five or more. That so many hunters would take the time to hunt, kill and bring in their deer and elk from the field --with no expectation of award or remuneration --says more about the sheer class of Montana sportsmen than anything else.

I would especially thank the state agencies who provided support for our program as well as a good many animals taken under the various landowner wildlife damage programs.

For all the needy who WILL be able to serve meat on their table this holiday season, I can only say 'thanks!'

Mike Hankins

'Hunters against Hunger'

PO Box 455

Great bridge work

On behalf of the people who cross the bridge at least twice per day, I want to thank the three county commissioners and their staff for the efficient manner in which they recently completed the bridge replacement on Landmark Drive. I especially want to thank Eric Griffin and his crew for getting the bridge replaced on time in a quick manner. It was easy to work with the county staff, and they completed the work faster than anyone anticipated. It makes me glad that I voted for the road mill levy.

Jeffrey Tiberi

1222 Landmark Drive

President, Millsite Homeowners Association

Jore says principles are all

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." -- 10th Amendment of U.S. Constitution

Since education is not listed in the enumerated powers in Art. I Sec. 8 of the federal Constitution, it falls under the Tenth Amendment, which is cited above, and is left to the States. As such, it is the Montana Constitution that is applicable to questions of education in the State. Article X of that document establishes the public school system. Section 8 of Article X clearly establishes that "the supervision and control of schools in each school district shall be vested in a board of trustees to be elected as provided by law."

Federal funding and programs, such as No Child Left Behind, assume schools are accountable to the Federal Department of Education. This is in conflict with the Montana Constitution and since no constitutional authority is granted to the federal government regarding education, it is a usurpation on the part of the federal government.

Fidelity to the U.S. and Montana Constitutions require that public school accountability be to the voters (parents and taxpayers) of local districts with an elected Board of Trustees rather than to unelected education bureaucrats in Washington D.C. Not only is this the Constitutional position, it is the logical one.

On Jan. 3, I will take an oath to uphold both the Montana and U.S. Constititutions. I will not violate that oath for the sake of political expediency or pragmatism.

Rick Jore

HD 12 Representative

30488 Mt. Harding Lane

Ronan

Not gay bashing

In a recent loony left editorial by Tom Teepen, dutifully reprinted by the IR, he begins by refering to "gay-bashing churches."

In the mind of the homosexual community and their supporters any disagreement with their agenda is gay bashing.

They ignore that 92 percent of homosexuals are avowed atheists, along with the majority of the "left." Catholic/Christian churches teach that life should be respected whether that life is of a murderer, prostitute or homosexual.

What these people can't seem to understand is that respect for life does not equate to respect for "lifestyle." If homosexuals want to have anal and oral sex with each other that is their choice. It is their choice, it is not genetic.

While Teepen et al zero in on Christian churches, they forget or don't know that the Shinto, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish and Muslim religions all teach that homosexual sex acts are wrong/sinful. None respect the lifestyle. We do fear the menace of secular humanism because it has not done any society any good and has been the major factor in the demise of several great societies.

No good religion has ever brought the downfall of a nation.

Bill Wise

10 Wallace Road, Clancy