Comment Archives
Re: “Still waiting”
This senseless Murder who shot two Native Americans who gave him and his buddy a ride ,killed both because "he wanted to see what it felt like to kill someone". He should not be let out or given any consideration at all. He has had the benefit of long term acess to law libraries, has his bedding changed, three meals a day, daily exercise, parole hearings, and medical care to name a few. These costs are supported by our tax dollars at as I once heard from California's Govenator at a cost of $35,000 a year. That is not Montana's cost but if it is anywhere near it's too much and he is breathing my air. 30 years times $35,00 equals around 1 Million dollars of our "Big Sky" air. He has had his share and his plenty of legal chances !! Cast the vote Govenor, and put this to rest !!
Re: “Forgotten treasure”
Butte's population peak, in 1917, was about 100,000, not 300,000.
Re: “Frodie”
Petals of a Rose - on itunes now!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPzAbLfWeMw
Re: “Pissed Jeans”
The opening question took the prize for the most inane words committed to this paper, until the "What's good here" sidebar. No, dude, maybe I'm not rawk enough for your high-minded lowbrow sensibilities but I don't remember, because your cute little profound experience with 'white drugs' is yours alone.
Maybe white drugs and early mornings of hand rolling your exquisite pretzel bread aren't a good mix.
Re: “Best Desserts”
just went to mustard seed. still the best
Re: “Black mark”
Has anybody ever accused a politician of being smart?
Re: “etc”
"choosing to surreptitiously nick loyal readers"
That says it all. Thanks for the heads-up, Indy.
Re: “Open water”
Great article, Alex! For the record the other boats did pretty well fishing that day, too, including a 12" cutthroat right at the Clark Fork-Blackfoot confluence and several bigger trout brought in on streamers. Wonderful day all around.
Re: “Flash in the Pan”
I've heard--on many occasions--that people who have viewed the documentary "Earthlings" have changed their diets and their lives literally overnight (watch it here http://earthlings.com/ ). Paul McCartney said, "If slaughterhouses had glass walls, we'd all be vegetarian."
But they don't have glass walls--because the corporate exploiters know for a fact that consumers wouldn't, couldn't, won't tolerate seeing the hideous conditions and cruelty sentient animals are forced to endure in the nation's factory farms. Ag-gag laws suppress undercover whistleblowers and protect the unconscionable but business-as-usual animal cruelty built into the meat and dairy industries.
As you say, Ari, "evidently the hunger for meat overpowers any remorse the meat eaters might feel." Generations of consumers have been thoroughly conditioned (brainwashed?) by grossly-subsidized "cheap" meat, by clever marketing blitzes (I'm lovin' it), by hidden suffering behind no trespassing signs, by dead animal carcass enmeshed with religion and tradition (think Easter ham, Christmas roast, Thanksgiving turkey, 4th of July hotdog, Santa's glass of milk).
In short, The Animal has been removed from The Product, and we no longer see the cow, chicken, or pig in the Whopper, the bucket, or the McRib. To top it off, beloved icons like the Peanuts Gang shill for dairy cruelty ( http://www.othernationsjustice.org/?p=5972 ) and the Olympic rings put the stamp of approval on McNugget broiler misery ( http://www.chickenindustry.com/ ).
Interested readers can access powerful undercover videos and a page full of excellent resources at Other Nations' Factory farming/CAFOs page http://www.othernationsjustice.org/?page_i…
Re: “2014”
At least he didn't say he wants to spend more time with his family. I doubt they like him either.
Re: “Flathead Lake Brewery”
Great food great atmosphere love the Tappas
Re: “Your future, a little early”
this is soo ttrue and out of the 'norm'.!
Re: “Finding Kishenehn”
Whoa, Waylon, did you seriously just write a bitter and misguided, 13-point critique of my story? Normally I would ignore your strange rant, but since you’ve accused me of lying and directly attacked my credibility as a writer, I must respond.
I appreciate that you’re passionate about wilderness—and the concepts that wild places aren’t inherently scary and that humans belong in them as much as any other animals—but you’ve overcorrected. You’re so caught up in defending wilderness and portraying it as a benign place that you’ve lost your objectivity.
Yes, wild places are beautiful, peaceful, and soul-fortifying. But they’re also violent, harsh, and uncaring. Welcome to nature. It doesn’t care about your feelings. And if you’ve never felt fear in wilderness—especially when you’re alone, after dark—then you’ve probably never been alone after dark in the wilderness. I have. Lots. And hope to be a lot more.
Many of your points are stylistic critiques, and you’re certainly entitled to your opinions, but I’m unclear who appointed you the Wilderness Writing Police. Your uncreative standards would make for leaden storytelling. I tell the truth, make no mistake, but if you want literalism I suggest you read scientific journals or newspaper reportage.
Addressing a few of your 13 points…
1. It was easy to tell the tracks were from a carnivore, Waylon. A lion or a wolf to be specific. Though they were well covered, they’d been made during the storm and the entire foot of snow was not on top of them. More importantly, you could tell from the size of the entry holes that it was a larger animal. The individual tracks led away almost in a straight line—the telltale sign of a carnivore—so I knew it wasn’t an ungulate, which have more offset, widely-spaced tracks (from side to side, that is). There are other ways to tell the difference from their track pattern, entry holes, etc. If you knew about tracking you would know this. If you didn’t know about tracking, why would you attack someone over something you clearly don’t understand?
As for “oversized,” calm down man. It’s called storytelling.
3. So you’ve shot pepper spray in below-freezing temperatures? That’s useful information. That’s the kind of comment I would welcome for this story, especially if it were presented in a constructive, helpful manner. It’s the manufacturer, by the way, that suggests it doesn’t work below freezing.
5. That quote about fear being an essential part of the wilderness experience came from an excellent article in Wild Earth magazine (RIP), published by the Wildlands Project, a wilderness- and habitat-restoration advocacy group started by Dave Foreman, among other luminaries. Wild Earth, to which I long subscribed, was the preeminent journal of wilderness thinking and “re-wilding” for many years. The article was about grizzly bears and how their presence in wild areas teaches us humility and reverence. It was written by a highly respected wilderness writer. I’d be happy to send you a copy. I’m easy to track down online.
And if you think I’m calling the woods an “evil place” then I have no idea what story you’re reading.
6. Look at the quote you cited, Waylon. I said I’d be off the human grid “for this hike.” Meaning the hike I took on that day, until I reached Ben (who, yes, had a radio at the cabin). Seriously man, why are you foaming at the mouth over this? I’m not trying hide anything.
As for you assertion that “this ranger station is hardly a thirty-minute walk from the North Fork Road,” that would only be true if you forded the North Fork of the Flathead River, and then only if you sprinted. The actual trail is four-plus miles with two creek crossings. If you can do that in thirty minutes, good for you. It takes most people a lot longer.
7. I have many maps of the Park. Some show the Kishenehn trails and cabin, some don’t. The ones they give out to every visitor at the entry stations don’t. That’s what I was referencing.
8. Your asking me to tell you what wilderness means to me? Did you not read my article? Also, your confusing capital “W” Wilderness, as in federally designated Wilderness, with wilderness, as in wild places. You will find very few people who don’t think the Kishenehn area is wilderness.
11. Yes, the wolf whose tracks we saw near the meadow could have smelled us, rather than seeing or hearing us. It’s also possible it had been there an hour before us. But the tracks were quite recent and we surmised it had sensed us in one way or another. Could we have been wrong? Sure. Have writers like Abbey, Lopez, and Dillard taken much greater liberties in their own works? Count on it.
12. You really think I don’t know that bears are omnivores Waylon? I’ve explored some of the wildest areas on five continents, worked on wildlife studies in Glacier and nearby wildlands, observed bears in the wild countless times, and have more natural history field guides and wilderness books than Barnes and Noble, but thanks for the remedial lesson on bears. Also, there are wolves, lions, lynx, wolverines, and plenty of other carnivores here, all of which I’ve tracked many times over the years.
In the future, I suggest you do a little better job being a rational, reasonable person and getting your facts straight before typing biblical-length screeds attacking someone’s integrity. Step back from the desensitizing glare of the internet and think about how we best communicate with each other in a civilized society. Until then, I’ll see you in the wilds.
Re: “Starbucks discounts cost Polson Safeway staffers their jobs”
I am a retired 40 year employee of Safeway. On your first day of employment you sign off on company policy, which specifically states employees will receive no discount on any purchases not offered to the public. Managers are allowed small discretion in this area for some rare events. All close dated edible products are usually donated to your food bank or other charity's . Ironically employee theft is one of the largest costs to retailers. It is difficult for those of us who have had to conserve to get by witness such waste, but in the end it is not our business. Small allowances always grow, and once a policy is broken, it is no longer a policy. It is more difficult to maintain policy in a small town where most employees are also friends , hence want to help each other.
Re: “All you can eat”
Masala is working on becoming an Indian restaurant here in Missoula, we are currently seeking a location.
Re: “All you can eat”
For the love of God, can we please get an Indian restaurant in Missoula!
Re: “Bitterroot”
Sounds like "government at the people" (not by the people) and "money talks".
Re: “Cast from the past”
I never knew that bamboo rods could "tremble." How appropriate then, that Sweetgrass and the Boo Boys donated a $2,400 custom-made walking stick/fly rod combo to the Spokane Tremble Clefs, a therapeutic support group that helps folks with Parkinson's (PD) improve the quality of their voices through vocal exercises and singing.
April was Parkinson's Awareness month and the Tremble Clefs raffled that beautifully crafted masterpiece and raised about $4,600 to help the group continue to improve the quality of life of those affected with PD.
A great big THANK YOU to Sweetgrass and the Boo Boys--you guys are great!
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Re: “Rachel Maddow calls out white "nationalist" nonprofit in Flathead”
the Southern Poverty Law Center also named christians, veterans as potential terrorists
this article does nothing to document madlows claims that NPI is a white supremacist group are they being attacked and labeled as a hate group simply because they do not support the dems version on immigration reform?
wake up if you have ever lived on the border you would know what's going on, this country is actively being infiltrated by the mexican drug cartels and MS 13 gangs granting amnesty to 22 million criminals will not help the situation and calling it something other than pandering for the hispanic vote to maintain power after doing such a great job the last few years is a lie