Letters to the editor July 4 | Daily Inter Lake – Daily Inter Lake
Make America Whole Again
Which issues are most important? Extremism, white supremacy, racism? Culture wars, conspiracy theories, disinformation? Gun control, slaughter of children, power of NRA? Inflation, Ukraine, supply chain? Womens rights? Education, book bans, CRT? Climate change, extreme weather, the environment? Flag-waving jingoism, the Capitol assault? Gas prices, recession worries? Religious intrusion into government?
Overwhelming?
Yes, but more important than all is the extreme polarization in this country. Fighting each other is tearing the fabric of democracy apart. As Pogo said, I have met the enemy and he is us.
How do we heal the deep divide? I suggest: Place country over party. Vary your news sources. Think critically. Be curious. Reaffirm our nations values. Choose dignity and respect. Vote for people with a strong moral compass. Hold politicians accountable. Write civil letters. Be open-minded. Get to know your neighbors. Listen deeply. Create dialogue, not drama. Welcome others in. Remove mean bumper stickers and expletive laden slogans. Travel if you can. Practice love, not hate.
Idealistic? Yes. But our founding fathers based our republic on idealism. My bumper sticker will read: Make America Whole Again.
Nancy Teggeman, Polson
With sadness I see that the protections for true ethical action that were embodied in Roe V. Wade have been removed. This is a superficial victory: who does not love babies and want children to be born and thrive? It seems marvelous and life-giving. Yes!
But the deeper reality is that immediately the search for exceptions will begin. It has already begun. Unambiguous and simple situations are not the bulk of the cases that have now been changed. Each time a woman turns to this medical remedy, an ethical question is at the heart of the request. Ethical questions require knowledge of ethical principles: autonomy, beneficence, and so on.
By nature each ethical question is unique. In those states that will now implement a categorical ban on abortions, one of the ethical remedies has been removed. That decision has been taken from the individual ethical actor, the woman and her family. Ending the pregnancy has been turned into a crime.
And that is going to cause crimes (lying, impoverishment, physical injury to women, loss of livelihood, stigmatization) instead of giving the best ethical path forward in each unique case.
How did this deeply nuanced decision turn into a political cause?
We have all lost something with this decision.
Janet OFlynn, Kalispell
Stop abortion at the source. Vasectomies are reversible. Make every young man have one. When he is deemed financially and emotionally fit to be a father it will be reversed.
Whats that? Did the idea of regulating a mans body make you uncomfortable? The government should not regulate a womans body either. It should be her inalienable right to control what happens to her body and only her right. It should not be up to politicians, religious zealots, or people in black robes who sit on the Supreme Court, and those who lied to get there.
Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black famously stated The First Amendment has erected a wall between church and state, and that That wall must be kept high and impregnable. That wall has now been shattered.
A monumental freedom has been ripped from every American woman. A freedom that should belong to all women to control their reproductive rights. Many of the same people who espouse freedom of religion, of gun rights and less government are celebrating the removal of a womans most significant liberty, a liberty that will affect her life for years to come. This ruling is the height of hypocrisy and injustice to every woman in America.
Barbara Palmer, Kalispell
A week ago the Inter Lake published a story about the increasing homelessness in the Flathead and possible solutions.
It was a good and useful article, but with an omission. Since its estimated nationally that approximately 40% of the homeless have serious untreated mental illness its logical to assume that a portion of the Flathead Valleys homeless have untreated mental illness and also lack insight. Some of these will end up in jail for various infractions and add to an already overburdened detention system. Ask the sheriff.
Montana is only one of five states that still has imminent dangerousness as a criterion for involuntary treatment. The other 45 states have changed to seriously disabled or similar designations, as well as laws to ensure follow-up treatment and conditional release from a crisis center or hospital. Time for our legislators to step up to the plate.
Mitzi Anderson, Whitefish
Read this article:
Letters to the editor July 4 | Daily Inter Lake - Daily Inter Lake
- Co-Learning Intersectionality and Social Justice during Culture Wars - E-International Relations - June 12th, 2025 [June 12th, 2025]
- How the word womyn dragged the National Spelling Bee into the US culture wars - The Guardian - May 28th, 2025 [May 28th, 2025]
- EDITORIAL | Student Speech: Schools that wade into culture wars should expect pushback - Texarkana Gazette - May 28th, 2025 [May 28th, 2025]
- Jerry Falwell and the Chistian Culture Wars - CounterPunch.org - May 28th, 2025 [May 28th, 2025]
- Kudlow: President Trump Is Gradually Winning The Culture Wars - Real Clear Politics - May 24th, 2025 [May 24th, 2025]
- Larry Kudlow: Trump is gradually winning the culture wars, but much more must be done - Fox Business - May 24th, 2025 [May 24th, 2025]
- Here come the culture wars: can Queenslands LNP resist wading into the ideological mire? - The Guardian - May 24th, 2025 [May 24th, 2025]
- Trump Is Gradually Winning the Culture Wars but Much More Must Be Done - The New York Sun - May 24th, 2025 [May 24th, 2025]
- From Barbiecore to the Culture Wars: Alex Clarks Podcast Pivot Exposes the Right-Wing Media Machine - CEO Today - May 24th, 2025 [May 24th, 2025]
- John Rustad: It's time for B.C. NDP to end culture wars and wedge politics - Vancouver Sun - May 24th, 2025 [May 24th, 2025]
- Gary Lineker, the culture wars and why his BBC exit became a sad inevitability - The Athletic - The New York Times - May 24th, 2025 [May 24th, 2025]
- Why culture wars and anti-wokeness is really nothing new - NZ Herald - May 15th, 2025 [May 15th, 2025]
- In the way it addresses culture wars, Labor is acting more like a truly liberal party - ABC Religion & Ethics - Australian Broadcasting... - May 15th, 2025 [May 15th, 2025]
- Religious freedom laws: Albanese has shied from culture wars. This one waits for him when parliament resumes - The Sydney Morning Herald - May 15th, 2025 [May 15th, 2025]
- Trumps firing of Hayden brings culture wars to the Library of Congress - Baltimore Sun - May 15th, 2025 [May 15th, 2025]
- Culture comes first in cybersecurity. That puts cybersecurity on the front line in the culture wars - theregister.com - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- While His Admin Delights In The Culture Wars, Trump Tiptoes Around Abortion. At Least For Now. - Talking Points Memo - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- Australians have soundly rejected Trump-style culture wars. Now Albanese must act with courage and vision - The Guardian - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- Culture wars, political polarization and deepening inequality: the roots of Trumpism - The Conversation - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- THE OCEANSIDER: An Aside About the School Board Elections Culture Wars Trickle Down to Tillamook - Tillamook County Pioneer - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- OPINION: Book bans draw libraries into damaging culture wars that undermine their purpose - The Hechinger Report - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- PG Tips enters the tea culture wars with NCA - More About Advertising - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- Debate over partisanship, culture wars in Mansfield ISD at center of school board race - Fort Worth Report - May 3rd, 2025 [May 3rd, 2025]
- Oklahoma Watch: The Supreme Court had classroom culture wars on top of mind in oral arguments - Duncan Banner - May 3rd, 2025 [May 3rd, 2025]
- The Supreme Court Had Classroom Culture Wars on Top of Mind in Oral Arguments - notus.org - May 3rd, 2025 [May 3rd, 2025]
- Culture wars and costings: election special podcast with Michelle Grattan and Amanda Dunn - The Conversation - May 3rd, 2025 [May 3rd, 2025]
- Online pile-ons and culture wars: how did we get here? - The Sydney Morning Herald - May 3rd, 2025 [May 3rd, 2025]
- Opinion | Can the Catholic Church Quit the Culture Wars? - The New York Times - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- Morning Mail: Dutton switches to culture wars in last debate; Canada heartbroken after car ramming; Liverpool win league - The Guardian - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- How your showerhead and fridge got roped into the culture wars - Grist.org - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- Libraries have been in the crosshairs of culture wars throughout history - Houston Public Media - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- Symbol of Injustice and the culture wars: Volleyball trans athlete and her teammates are caught in the middle - Genetic Literacy Project - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- Fundamentalists in the Public Square: Evolution, Alcohol, and Culture Wars after the Scopes Trial - The Gospel Coalition - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- Culture Wars talk New Single Typical Ways, And New Upcoming Album - Soundsphere magazine - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- Can culture wars win elections? - Australian Broadcasting Corporation - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- Peter Dutton flicks switch to culture wars as cost of living proves tough egg to crack - The Guardian - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- VIDEO: Costings and culture wars as last week begins - Australian Broadcasting Corporation - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- Justices Consider the Culture Wars During LGTBQ Storybook Hearing - Law.com - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- Laura Tingle's Election: polls and culture wars in the final week - Australian Broadcasting Corporation - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- Capitol Update: Rep. Brandon Woodard says GOP put culture wars over real solutions this session - Johnson County Post - April 21st, 2025 [April 21st, 2025]
- How Emerging Adults Have Historically Responded To Culture Wars - Forbes - April 21st, 2025 [April 21st, 2025]
- Campfire and culture wars: the history of the American summer camp - MSN - April 21st, 2025 [April 21st, 2025]
- The charts that show youngsters are rejecting the Lefts culture wars - The Telegraph - April 3rd, 2025 [April 3rd, 2025]
- Beyond the culture wars: How mysticism can get us beyond polarisation - Catholic Outlook - April 3rd, 2025 [April 3rd, 2025]
- Work and money worry young people more than culture wars or climate, UK poll finds - The Guardian - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Ag Secretary Uses Purse Strings to Press Culture Wars in States - DTN Progressive Farmer - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Lionel Shriver: Trump has ended US culture wars but UK is lagging - The Times - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- No 10 happy to dip its toe into culture wars in row with Sentencing Council - The Guardian - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Canada ditches divisive culture wars for focused hyper-nationalism thanks to Donald Trump - Daily Maverick - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Disneys New Snow White Film Fights Culture Wars and Wins - Bloomberg - March 22nd, 2025 [March 22nd, 2025]
- Culture wars reach the classroom: What is the best way to teach children about gender and identity? - The Irish Times - March 22nd, 2025 [March 22nd, 2025]
- 'I thought we were done with the culture wars': Democrats push back on measure clarifying what makes school books 'harmful to minors' - Creative... - March 22nd, 2025 [March 22nd, 2025]
- Letter: Culture wars drove me away from the GOP - Bangor Daily News - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]
- Beth Ann Rosica: Pennsylvania culture wars to be waged in the courtroom - Broad + Liberty - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]
- I have a pathological need to be right: Ash Sarkar on culture wars, controversy and Corbyns lost legacy - The Guardian - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Alex Gibney to Exec Produce Doc About College Culture Wars and Freedom of Speech (EXCLUSIVE) - Variety - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Embrace of authoritarianism in US fueled by culture wars more than economy, study finds - The University of Kansas - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Memo to Hollywood: Theres No Running or Hiding From the Culture Wars - TheWrap - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Culture wars reach warfighters as area military bases ordered to scrub online content - Fredericksburg Free Press - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- The WA election campaign has been about big promises, but culture wars are inescapable in contemporary politics - The Conversation Indonesia - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- How the Right Hijacked the Working Class for Culture Wars - Social Europe - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Culture wars: Trumps takeover of arts is straight from the dictator playbook - The Guardian - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- A correspondence from the Culture Wars - Carter County Times - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Hands on Wisconsin: School children are pawns in the culture wars - The Daily News - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Is a Trump backlash on its way? Well, eggs are as expensive as ever and you cant eat the culture wars - The Guardian - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- How Donald Trump and his MAGA inner circle plan to win the culture wars - New York Post - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- Gaming Is Becoming More Diverse, Opening a New Front in the Culture Wars - New Lines Magazine - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- The Creed vs. the culture wars: Hunkered down in the Catholic demilitarized zone - America: The Jesuit Review - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- The Guardian view on class politics: it has faded as culture wars have risen | Editorial - The Guardian - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- US spending suggests that Irish culture wars are indeed imported by the Left - Gript - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- How Donald Trump and his MAGA inner circle plan to win the culture wars - NewsBreak - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- Port: Not every issue has to be a part of the culture wars - INFORUM - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- Jaguar May Prove to Be the Latest Casualty in Culture Wars - autoevolution - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- Is language the key to resolving the WFH v back-to-the-office culture wars? | Emma Beddington - The Guardian - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- Sundance: Tame Stories Reflect an Indie World Battered by Economics, Culture Wars - TheWrap - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- Trump Pulls the Military Back Into Political and Culture Wars - The Seattle Times - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- Trump Pulls the Military Back Into the Political and Culture Wars - The New York Times - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- March for Life in San Francisco Sparks Clashes and Culture Wars - SFist - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- The worlds most embarrassing inauguration was led by the Culture Wars President - The Independent - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- 'Culture wars' are costing school districts billions of dollars annually - Audacy - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]