October 18, 2007
Trapping should be scrapped
There are a lot of factual errors in Joseph Gill’s letter: First of all, Jen Nitz has stated correctly that trappers are not required to check their traps at “any given time interval.” Fish, Wildlife and Parks merely recommends that trappers check their traps every 48 hours. FWP officials will tell you that the word should does not imply required. Also, FWP does not monitor trappers’ activities at all – it’s all a Good ‘Ol’ Boy agreement. This means all animals, even endangered species, linger in body-gripping traps or snares for an unknown period of time. While being trapped, these animals are exposed to extreme temperatures, predation, and most importantly, they suffer. Some animals chew through the limb caught in a leghold-trap, something trappers nonchalantly refer to as “wring off.” Other animals are caught in snares and slowly suffocate; water-set body-gripping traps slowly kill beavers who may struggle for up to 20 minutes before they drown. The most commonly used trap is the leghold trap, which the American Veterinary Medical Association depicts as inhumane.
October 16, 2007
Cost of birth control about to increase at Curry
At the Curry Health Center, the price of the oral contraceptives Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo and Cyclessa will jump from $20 per month to $50 per month, starting this January. Over half of Missoula women who are prescribed birth control at the health center are using Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo. This price increase will primarily affect young adults, who make up the majority of Missoula’s community. Furthermore, it’s no secret that college students are especially financially sensitive. This bill will essentially punish women for being sexually responsible. Additionally, many women take these medications for reasons other than contraception. Birth control is also used to treat patients with anemia, clear up severe acne problems, reduce cramps and regulate menstrual cycles. Regardless of your stance on abortion issues, supporting affordable pregnancy prevention methods, such as birth control, decreases the number of people that would have to decide whether or not to abort their unintended pregnancy.
October 16, 2007
Dialogue over monologue
Ah, yes, the soothing beauty of fall is upon us – after months of smoke-enriched heat—and to many a UM student this means relaxing outdoors and around the Oval in between classes and work. However, this much needed atmosphere of refreshment and breathing was interrupted on Wednesday to make way for the “hellfire and brimstone” message of a group of proselytizing Christian Fundamentalists, whose formal denominational affiliation could not be determined by this author despite repeated questioning.
October 11, 2007
Bury liberals bum-side up
My idea for combating the global catastrophe that is global warming is quite simple. As many people who have researched the problem know, the number-one producers of greenhouse gases are animals. Animal flatulence’s contribution to global warming is going to lead to the destruction of millions of people through famine, flood, and other natural disasters.
October 11, 2007
Wilma, please stay whimsical
“We are going to continue to show movies,” said Rick Wishcamper of Rocky Mountain Development Group” (Missoulian, Sept. 28). Yes but what kind of movies? Hollywood blockbusters or indies and foreign flicks?
Having lost the Crystal Theater and its independent and foreign movies, “last best place” Missoula may now lose what the French call a cinéma d’art et d’essai (a theater showing different movie types). How different? Movies not conceived and produced by the filmic mass-marketing of the Hollywood studios (the majors.)
October 10, 2007
Guest column ignorant of heritage
I was quite appalled by Ms. Nitz’s lack of knowledge about Montana’s trapping laws and heritage in the recent editorial about her views on the trapping float that won the award for best float for a non-profit organization at the UM Homecoming.
It is quite obvious to me that Ms. Nitz didn’t take the time to actually read the regulations that surround trapping in Montana. Unlike what Ms. Nitz had to say “Trappers in Montana aren’t required to check their trap lines in any given time interval...” The exact opposite is true. Trappers ARE required to check their trap lines. As stated in the 2007 Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks Trapping regulations manual, trappers are required to do the following, “Traps should be checked at least once every 48 hours. It is the trappers’ responsibility to check his/her traps regularly. Failure to pick up traps or snares at the end of the trapping season or attending them in a manor that waste animals constitutes a misdemeanor per MCA 87-3-506.” That being said, any ethical trapper who runs his/her trap line checks their traps on a regular basis. Nitz states that “A suffering, terrified animal who isn’t fortunate enough to die quickly is at the mercy of the trapper to show up and bludgeon him or her to end the agony.” Any trapper, who is ethical, responsible and is following Montana state law, WILL quickly and efficiently dispatch any animals that are not killed by the trap or snare. By dispatching the animal they will NOT bludgeon the animal to death because that would be a waste of the meat provided by the animal, which would be against the law.
October 9, 2007
NAFTA road could still become reality
Last month I happily reported in these pages that the Texas Legislature had voted to postpone the building of the infamous NAFTA road for two years. Judging from the response I received, many of your more-informed readers were glad to learn that this monster, planned to slash across our country from Mexico to Canada eight lanes wide, might be stopped.
I was wrong? The governor vetoed that bill. Then the Feds also intervened, threatening a loss of future federal funds. So the legislature wimped out, bowed to economic and political tyranny. The building has begun!
October 9, 2007
Misidentification of bears perpetuates stereotypes
Using only a few words, you have managed to mislead readers regarding local wildlife. I’m talking about the picture on Page 5 in Friday’s edition of the Kaimin. Whoever wrote the caption below the photo pegged these bears as “brown bears.” Well, these are black bears, species Ursus americanus, but they happen to be brown. In fact, black bears can range from blonde to cinnamon to jet-black. “Brown bears” are species Ursus arctos. The distinction lies in anatomical characteristics, behavior and habitat preferences.
October 4, 2007
Trapping float inappropriate
I understand that a float in the celebratory homecoming parade that had the carcasses of tortured animals hanging off of it, for all, including children to view, won the non-profit category. The alumni association picked a float glorifying torture to innocent animals by way of trapping, to win. One irony that stands out even over the above, is that third place went to Falun Dafa, a float representing a practice that has brought better health and inner peace to millions around the world. During this time of war and environmental crisis this is very disturbing.
October 3, 2007
Inequality excuses affirmative action
As one of those “misguided liberals” I would like to point out a few flaws in Daniel Shevlin’s letter to the editor (Sept. 25). In the beginning of his letter, Shevlin argues that people should be judged on their personal accomplishments rather than the color of their skin. In most cases, I agree, but when in comes to scholarships and educational opportunities, I think we all need to look at the facts. In a 2006 USA Today article, they stated 47.3% of white high school graduates enroll in college in comparison to 41.1% of black, and 35.3% of Hispanic graduates. While these numbers are increasing, I can only guess that the lagging numbers for minorities has something to do with the numerous inequalities still found in the US. Minorities statistically are lower income and thus have fewer educational opportunities, and we must realize that because some of us are born white, we already have privilege in this country.
October 2, 2007
Iranian leader deserved U.S. media scrutiny
If I may beg to differ with my colleague Karen Adams (“On the Issue” Sept. 27), American media don’t need to treat Mahmoud Ahmedinejad or anyone else “with diplomatic respect.” The news media in their opinion pages and electronic equivalents are free to express their disrespect or disgust – or their admiration – for him as emphatically as their wordsmiths can muster. It’s not the job of opinion writers to smooth ruffled feathers. For those reporting the news, respect can denote a kid-gloves sort of censorship, especially when you’re talking about political speech. It’s not a factor that journalists take into account in seeking to be fair and accurate in such circumstances.
October 2, 2007
Landline blues in dorms
Imagine that you are returning to live in the dorms for a second year, and when you try to hook up cable television to your 30” flatscreen, you are informed that cable television is now an optional service in the dorms which requires a $35 installation fee on top of the new $25 monthly fee for something that you got for free last year. What is your reaction? Immediately you are faced with a descision: You can try to live for a year without the influences of mass media and quality entertainment, or you can turn a blind eye as the University continues to gouge you for everything they can get. This year, when I asked the cute-looking girl behind the desk at Craig Hall for my phone number, I was informed that land lines had been disabled in the dorms - to save money on Telecommunication Services, dorm phones were changed to an optional service. I was faced with the decision to pay the University $235 or to try and live for a year without having a phone number.
September 27, 2007
Schmautz disregards affirmative action
In response to the Sept. 19 editorial entitled “Awarding Scholarship by Race and Gender Unfair” by Emma Schmautz, Kaimin News Editor:
It saddens us that a person in her position would write such an uneducated and thoughtless editorial. We are also appalled that Ms. Schmautz would twist the words of the great civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in her crusade against affirmative action.
Schmautz states that the University “runs the risk of rewarding a less proficient student over a more capable one” when considering minority status as part of the criteria in the awarding of scholarships. This suggests that minority students who receive scholarships from the University may be less capable then non-minorities.
September 25, 2007
Liberals again in full voice
Another year here at good old UM, and it’s good to see that the indoctrinated automaton liberals are again in full voice. After reading Ryan Morton’s letter to the Editor on Sept. 20, I can see that liberals are receding further and further away from reality as time goes by. Ryan Morton, obviously a misguided liberal, was “shocked” and “disturbed” by the editorial written by Emma Schmautz on Sept. 19 in the Kaimin. How can a person be disturbed when another person demands that people be treated according to their merits and abilities and not according to the color of their skin? Mr. Morton, what exactly is a “privileged gender”? Can you name me one, just ONE, woman who was denied acceptance to UM, or any other school, because she had breasts? Can you? Of course you can’t. But I, on the other hand, can run you a list three pages long of Caucasian males around this country who were denied scholarships simply because of their race AND gender, Mr. Morton. That happens because people like you believe in “affirmative action” which in itself is simply state-sponsored (by liberals) sexism and racism. I wonder what the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. would say now, especially when his greatest belief has been completely ignored or perverted by the contemporary liberal: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Ever hear of that, Mr. Morton? You and your present-day ilk have completely reversed those glorious words to suit your own misplaced (and confusing) obsession with political correctness.
September 25, 2007
Treaties trump Schmautz
In the United States there exists a very old piece of legal paper that governs how everyone in this country co-exists with one another, called the Constitution. Among Indian Tribes there are also very old pieces of paper that govern our relationships with the United States, called treaties.
In each of our treaties our forefathers had enough insight to set aside education for the generations behind them. They gave something very dear in exchange for that bill of rights for us, our land.
September 25, 2007
False impression at Finkelman lecture
Having spent many years studying and writing about the formation of the U.S. Constitution, I fear that some who attended professor Paul Finkelman’s Constitution Week lecture (Sept. 18) may have gotten a false impression about how the American Founders dealt with slavery.
Professor Finkelman listed compromises the Founders made with slavery and claimed the Founders inexcusably wrote a “pro-slavery” Constitution. But the broader context shows quite a different picture.
