Welcome to Another Voice of Conservative Reason
Another Voice, will provide opinion that is more conservative than that usually presented by the main stream media. It will be updated bi-monthly and express a conservative view of events affecting residents of the Bitterroot Valley, the State of Montana, and the nation.
Things taking place in the government in Washington, DC impact every one of us in Montana and in the Bitterroot valley. Another Voice will highlight that connection, and attempt to increase the awareness of people of the ways that we are all impacted by the performance of our representatives.
Why Another Voice?
One of the primary reasons that I have decided to start this newsletter is because of my own experience with the local Montana papers, and especially with the Ravalli Republic. When I came to Hamilton in 2000 I was quickly impressed by the way that citizens in the Bitterroot used the opinion pages of the newspapers to debate various issues.
In Philadelphia readers could send letters to the editors that might occasionally be published. Occasionally being the key word.  There are well in excess of two million people in the City of Philadelphia. There are certainly far more letters submitted to Philadelphia papers than to newspapers here. Readers here have a much better chance of their opinions making it onto the pages of our papers.
The Bitterroot Valley is served by two affiliated daily newspapers, the Missoulian and the Ravalli Republic. The Republic is published Monday through Friday, while the Missoulian is published seven days a week. The Missoulian is published in Missoula MT, a university town with a large liberal population. The Ravalli Republic is published in Hamilton, MT. Hamilton is approximately forty miles South of Missoula in the Bitterroot Valley, and is traditionally more conservative than Missoula.
There is however a segment of the population in the Valley on the far left politically.  I should mention that I do not consider all Democrats or all liberals to be on the far left.  A common belief among conservative residents of the Bitterroot, correctly or not, is that both newspapers are extremely biased and present news that is slanted to favor a liberal political view.  In 2000 many people in Hamilton were absolutely convinced that on the Opinion Pages of the newspapers letters by liberals were routinely published, while conservative letters were often not published. Lee Newspapers own both publications, as well as other papers in the state. They are perceived to be biased in favor of a liberal presentation of news and opinion.  The majority of news, as well as editorial content in the Missoulian is from news agencies that are leftist in political orientation. There is no doubt about that. News items are provided by the Associated Press, McClatchy, Reuters, UPI and others that have demonstrated, especially in recent times, their leftist leanings. This has become increasingly obvious in the coverage of the Iraq War, and the obvious antipathy some reporters and columnists published in Lee newspapers have for the Bush administration. It would be unfair to omit the very balanced editorials that have appeared in the Missoulian recently. Some have been so balanced that conservatives in the Bitterroot were stunned. Conservatives were pleased by these editorials, but overall the paper still leans leftward politically.
In the distant past citizens used to gather in their town hall for meetings. Those meetings allowed people to talk about matters that affected them, and to make decisions about policy. In cities with millions of residents meetings like that are not possible, but in smaller communities they still occur.
Residents in the Bitterroot are fortunate because both meeting and opinion pages are available to them. Attending City Council, or County Commissioner meetings here in Hamilton are much like the town hall meetings of long ago, but several special interest groups attend in numbers that allow them to push their particular agendas. The newspapers do provide an opportunity to present opposing ideas, but there is some question as to whether there is equal representation of opinion presented in the papers.
The Birth of Another Voice
The objective of Another Voice is to provide conservative residents of Montana an alternative source of information. The decision to start this website is based on my   experience with the papers, particularly the Ravalli Republic.
When I began to submit opinions to the Republic, the Editor was a man named Wayne Adair. I had met Wayne several times at meetings, and he began to publish my editorials in Valley Viewpoint. My interaction with Wayne caused me to question my conservative friends, who complained that they could not get their letters or editorials into the Republic.
Since his departure I have been forced to conclude that the best way for me to get my views before readers is to eliminate the whims of editors from the equation. While the current Editor has published my opinion pieces, there have been instances that have caused me great concern. Some of the articles had paragraphs deleted that changed the intended meaning of the piece. There have been other articles I submitted that were simply not published.
If my understanding of the process is correct, all opinions should be published in the order in which they are submitted, if they meet the requirements displayed at the bottom of the opinion page.  Readers are advised that letters should be 400 words or less, while Valley Viewpoint submissions should contain 800 words or less. Every one of the articles I submitted to the paper were 800 words or less. I did notice on several occasions that this rule was ignored in articles of other writers.  It became apparent that the policy of the paper is flexible.   I finally realized that the only power the Ravalli Republic can have over me is the power that I give it.  With Another Voice I am withdrawing that power.
Readers
People have expressed interest in the conservative opinions that will be presented in Another Voice.  I will interview readers on issues, and with permission, their views will be published.  They can be identified, or their comments presented without their names. The decision will be theirs.  Initially, hard copies of the publication will be hand distributed, as well as mailed to potential subscribe  The primary distribution of Another Voice will be via the Internet.   
Elected officials
Current members of the Republican Delegation in the Bitterroot Valley understand how laws are made.  There is a need among voters for more information about how that process works.  Opposition candidates, who frequently do not understand what specific Bills really say, criticize the incumbents publicly.  Ignorance is one aspect of the attacks. Voters need more detailed information about what is in proposed bills.  Incumbents will benefit if there is a vehicle to provide information to newsletter subscribers.  The greater the amount of information voters have, the less challengers will be able to successfully distort the positions of legislators.
Forums presenting incumbents, and candidates attempting to replace them, have revealed an interesting fact.  Democratic candidates frequently exhibit a limited grasp of the legislative process. Having no knowledge of what is in a Bill, they have leveled criticism at legislators, and expressed opposition or support of Bills they do not understand.  They do not understand that an attractive title does not always mean a good bill, and that titles can be intentionally misleading.
Public criticism by political opponents is often confusing to the general public. The average citizen has even less knowledge than these uninformed challengers. This newsletter can increase the understanding of voters, and reduce the effectiveness of the disinformation they are subjected to.  The more accurate information people have about issues, the less opportunity there will be for distortion by opponents.
This publication can inform readers of issues that concern voters in Montana outside of their own districts. Conservative voters fail to network as effectively as those on the political left. That means conservatives, who are usually Republicans, do not support each other as Democrats do. An example of this is the number of people who attend public meetings that focus on issues of concern for all voters.
City Council meetings, Growth Policy meetings, and government planning meetings here in Hamilton are overwhelmingly attended by Democratic Party activists like the Bitterroot Human Rights Alliance, and Friends of the Bitterroot. That results in these activists having a much greater influence on policy decisions that affect all citizens.  Anything that can encourage more active participation in these meetings will strengthen conservative voters, and the Republican Party.

©Gene Williams, Another Voice