Letters to the editor June 22

I’ve always been grateful to live where I do, but never so much as when I see what’s happening in other cities. Unlike many of those places and people, I’m grateful that I live in a community where we honor our veterans and appreciate the hardworking men and women of the police, sheriff and fire departments who strive to keep us safe every day. I’m thankful that I live in a place where I can worship in safety, take pride in displaying the flag, sing the national anthem and pledge allegiance without fear of reprisal. I’m grateful that our community supports local businesses and encourages the very best from our students, teachers and schools.

How fortunate I am and we are to live in a community that values common sense and productive communication; a place where we can come together peacefully, recognize our diversity, and acknowledge that violence and anarchy never solve anything.

In this time of unrest and uncertainty in our country, let’s all step back, take a deep breath, and thank God that we live where we do.

To quote Dorothy, “There’s no place like home!”

—Nancy Ross, Kalispell

I work at Kalispell Regional Medical Center in the sterile processing department within surgical services. I was hoping to give a shout it of some sort to our sterile processing team. We have been sterilizing unused covid swabs to be distributed to the state of Montana to be used for covid testing — on top of everything else we do. We have been doing approximately 800 swabs per day that’s about 4,000 per week!

—Katy Faulk, Kalispell

No folks, President Trump and all of his selling of MAGA merchandise can’t make America great!

What does make America great is all the men, women and children that are stepping up to serve in some capacity to this country, past and present (military, health care folks, policemen and women, firemen and women, etc.) The key word here is service. All of these folks are giving, not taking, and that folks is the difference. That is what makes America great. The people (like in “We the people”).

—Linda Edwards, Kalispell

It’s clear that our state government isn’t firing on all cylinders. Our government keeps growing bigger and bigger, and yet the services they provide get worse and worse. The bureaucracy is out of control. And now the Democrats have nominated a man for governor, who is the champion of the bureaucrats. Mike Cooney has been in Helena for over 40 years, and under his leadership this trend would only continue.

Greg Gianforte is the clear choice in this race. Greg knows how to run a large organization successfully. A large part of that is accountability. One of the first tasks he’s pledged to do is a top to bottom review of all the agencies, to figure out who and what is working, and who and what is not.

If we want to have any meaningful change, we have to have new leadership in these agencies. Cooney will protect his buddies that he’s been working with in Helena for decades. Greg is prepared to make the right decisions for the people of Montana, unlike Cooney who will protect bureaucrats who haven’t been serving Montanans, while living off of tax-payer dollars.

—Wylie Galt, Martinsdale

I moved to Whitefish just before the Covid-19 outbreak and have been grateful to be in a place that has been so safe thus far.

We went to phase 2 on June 1 and Montana is beginning to see an uptick in new cases.

The CDC has recommended wearing masks in public areas yet having been to Super 1 several times of late, no one is wearing masks and very few people are observing social distancing measures. I’m curious how the City Council views this as a good start to “responsible tourism”?

—Paul Robert, Whitefish

After reading the police blotter this morning and the semi-snarky report about a man with his dog asking the police for rides, I am compelled to give the story a little more context.

I volunteered several times a week for about six weeks at the emergency shelter for the unhoused in our community during the outbreak of Covid-19. There I met an older gentleman and his beloved dog. This man’s face would light up with friendship and openness when I would arrive. “Hey, there, kiddo; come on over and sit with me awhile,” he would say. And so I would. He loves his dog more than is own life. One day he sat there with tears rolling down his face as he expressed the hope that he would outlive his dog. He never wanted her to want for anything. He told me about his 30 years working in the oil fields. He sat in rapt attention when I related to him the details of my third child’s birth; his face lined with compassion for how close I came to losing my baby. We tried as hard as we could to help him find stable housing, but his addiction is fierce and won’t leave him be. It has been heartbreaking to watch.

Is this the same man? Probably. I don’t know. But I do know we can, and should, find more compassion for the struggling and tormented members of our community. They are beautiful and worthy of care.

—Valeri Walden McGarvey, Kalispell