Flathead Valley Commentary: Kalispell, Montana News

The U.S. Constitution requires that all people receive the equal protection of the laws. “Equal Justice Under Law” appears over the main entry to the U.S. Supreme Court in our nation’s capitol. If folks cannot reasonably access their courts, I believe it goes without saying that equal protection of the laws and equal justice under law will remain empty promises.

This is an excerpt from a book that I am writing about how to spend your senior years living every day to its fullest:

I believe that another good way to achieve good health is humor. There have been many documented examples of patients who have laughed themselves well. Here is my experience with a friend named Andrew.

On Jan. 5, 2001, with George W. Bush's moving van parked at the back door of the White House, President Bill Clinton signed his now-infamous Roadless Rule. With a stroke of his pen and without the approval of Congress, Clinton protected almost one-third of our national forests, 58.5 million acres, from road building.

As winter settles into the Flathead and hunting season reaches its midpoint (OK, at least one of them has), almost every business is scanning the street for more customers.

It's particularly the case in markets that serve people's hobby, pastime or even luxury items.

So where do you find these new customers?

There’s a sort of unwritten and unspoken code among chefs that as long as you give credit where credit is due, sharing a recipe is no big deal. Most of us have no problem. Note that I said most.

There are a few exceptions. One restaurant where I was co-executive chef actually made me sign a contract that I would never reveal their “secret” recipes for any dishes on the menu. That was ludicrous because all (not most) of the dishes were fairly well-known and recipes for each abounded in many sources. The owner was especially concerned about what he alleged were family recipes brought over from “the Old Country.”

As prominent Republicans began gathering in Washington, D.C. last week to brainstorm the best way to revitalize their party’s brand – after losing the presidency, at least 19 House seats and six Senate seats – a similar, albeit less high-profile, group gathered at the Red Lion Inn on Kalispell’s Main Street.

For most of history in most of the world, power has only changed hands as the result of violence. In the modern era, still only in a minority of the world, democracy has changed that. Democracy makes real change possible by a peaceful process of elections.

In the record-breaking and historic election that just occurred in the United States, the American people by the free casting of their votes, have peacefully but powerfully changed the leadership of our country. Change is coming in January, and in the months to follow each of us will have to decide if it is indeed the “Change We Need.”

Steve Stunning, of the Ajax Advertising Agency, has spent every day since the Fifth of July working on television spots for the three most important retail merchandising days of the year. All them arrive within 60 days of each other: Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

In the malls behind the costumes and the weird masks are Thanksgiving decorations, in the background Christmas carols are already and in the store windows there are already pre-holiday discount bargains.