Elf magic

Once again it was my privilege to participate in the annual Bigfork Elves D-Day Operation. I was particularly pleased to note the great number of first time participants. I think it's this kind of volunteer activity that continues to speak to the unique character of our village.

I would like to express my appreciation to Doug Averill and all of his assistants for their diligence. I found things to be well organized, and well executed. I know that this project requires many hours of attention to details. I would be remiss if I didn't make special note of the dedication shown by Ray Schletz, "the chief bulb turner," who spends many months refurbishing all of the light strings in order that they be ready for each new season.

I applaud the work of the 2004 elves. You can all give yourselves a good pat on the back when you drive down through town during the Christmas season and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Edd Blackler

Bigfork

Politics stink

Now that the elections are over, I feel compelled to put these words to paper on behalf of my wife, my family and the many supporters of Denise's recent campaign.

This past election cycle has brought a bad smell to the valley and made a mockery of the voting system.

A small group of individuals attacked my wife in the media trying to associate her with a vile group of white supremacists, a lie with absolutely no merit.

Denise did work a temporary part time job in an insurance office for a man alleged (by Ken Toole of the Human Rights Network) to be a racist. She heard about the job from Christian friends and worked to pay tuition for our daughters at the Christian school. I never met the man and Denise did not often see him as he traveled for his work.

This group, "Republicans for the Flathead," is headed up by John Hinchey and includes two other losers from the primary, Alan Sieler and Paul Holland. They, along with a handful of supporters and supposed Republicans, ran a series of attack ads including ads published with no time to respond.

These vicious ads held very little truth and plenty of finger pointing. This bad smell lingers on at Norm's News where these supposed Republicans met. This group will have that bad smell follow them in their public and private lives for years to come.

It appears that Joe Brenneman agrees with this group. He is quoted in the Missoulian (10-29-04) questioning Denise's association with a white supremacist. I suppose that if she had worked for a wife beater that he would have her guilty of that crime also. Mr. Brenneman will bring that bad smell with him to the commissioner's office as he jumped on the bandwagon.

I guess that these people fail to notice her last name, which is the same as mine, dragging my family down as they spew their filth.

Therefore it is my duty, honor, and privilege as the last surviving male of my branch of the family to defend our good name. My family has fought hard against this type of tyranny for centuries. My bloodline goes back to the Revolutionary War and my mother is a proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. My ancestors include the Daniel Boone family among others who fought against this type of persecution throughout all the wars.

During World War II my dad served proudly in the South Pacific and several of my uncles fought in Europe and the South Pacific. One of my uncles went down with the Oklahoma in Pearl Harbor.

Lest we forget, that we can hold on to our ideas and be free from persecution. We believe in a two-party system as my wife was born into a strong democrat family who also served this country proudly and I come from a strong republican/democrat family. One of my uncles served as Under Secretary of Agriculture appointed by FDR.

As Hinchey and "Republicans for the Flathead" put it, my wife is a zealot and extremist. As for myself, I am not a perfect man, only forgiven because in my younger years I drank, gambled, and fought religiously. Who we are and what we are is God fearing Americans who believe that Jesus Christ came on our behalf and yours that we might be saved. This is the same God that this country was founded on.

Hinchey and "Republicans for the Flathead" said that my wife is "ill-equipped" to be county commissioner; do they say this because she is a woman? I don't know, you tell me.

I'm a quiet man and not much of a talker, but I have a heart and a mind. You don't have to agree with my wife's views but do agree with her thoughts that truth, honesty, and integrity can hold political office someday in this commissioner's seat.

So the next time you try to ruin a candidate's name be sure to look deeply into their heart and look behind them at the long line of supporters, past and present.

These types of lies and finger pointing cannot be tolerated in any walk of life. For in this country we have the freedom to worship and the opportunity to succeed or fail. But more importantly we have the opportunity to start over and move on.

And so, while Denise may have lost the election, it is the citizens of Flathead County who have really lost. Instead of electing a woman of integrity, they instead chose to believe the vicious lies of a few and elect a "moderate." Only time will tell how truly "moderate" our new commissioner really is.

I close this letter with a well-known motto "Don't tread on me."

Steve Cofer

Kalispell