Modern political campaigns have given rise to a new breed of politician: the performance artist. This type of candidate is known less for their ideas or qualifications and more for their attention-grabbing antics. Whether it be through bombastic statements or through policy proposals with no basis in reality, this type of candidate is far more concerned with performance over policy.

Many years ago, I had the good fortune to travel to Japan. There weren’t any of those language apps you see advertised now but I and the other members of the group I accompanied did manage to learn a few basic Japanese words and phrases. And I’m proud to say that all these years later, I can still count to ten and say hello, goodbye, thank you and octopus. Really.

Dominion Energy is proposing to build a natural gas regulator station at 209 Center St. in Evanston, within a residential neighborhood. Why would a huge corporation like Dominion Energy choose to place a potential hazard smack dab in the middle of family residences, where children play, if there are more suitable vacant commercial lots, particularly along Highway 150? Does the cost of the site have anything to do with their decision to intrude upon a residential neighborhood?

The Union Presbyterian Church would like to thank those who attended the open house for the stained glass window restoration project. We are so grateful for the generous donations received at the time. The windows have been removed with an anticipated completion date between six and eight weeks.

Cowboy Days will soon be here. I was concerned at our recent fair about the goat roping event. It should not be happening. I’m very familiar with this being done in fun with burros, and I’ve seen the pain caused by rope burns. Neither species has the leathery skin to endure this happening time and time again. It’s inhumane — just like the Evanston Animal Shelter’s gas chamber, which is still in use even after many public complaints.

I got my feelings hurt…by an internet robot. It’s my own fault. I’ve heard so much about ChatGPT, the language processing bot, and I had a deadline coming up. So I decided to let artificial intelligence write my column for me. You might think that’s cheating, but I thought it would be fun. I thought it would be easy. I thought I could get away with it.

Nobody knows. That’s what lawmakers and experts said over and over again earlier this month when asked if a proposed voucher system that would use public funds to educate kids in private and religious schools violates the Wyoming Constitution. It’s an illogical question because the Wyoming Constitution specifically prohibits such uses. So why are we even talking about this? The plan’s blatant unconstitutionality is all we really need to know.

Veterans, your property taxes are coming up in September. This is a reminder to take care of your exemptions or you may pay more taxes.

The 3rd Annual Bridger Valley SWOT OHV Poker Run will be taking place on Saturday, Aug. 19. The poker run is a joint event sponsored by the Town of Mountain View, American Legion Fort Bridger Post 36 and Southwest Wyoming Off-road Trails (SWOT).

The summer after I graduated high school, my best friend gave me a book entitled “14,000 Things to be Happy About.” It’s a list of random things, most of them small and everyday, to … duh, be happy about. I developed a habit in the following months of picking it up, flipping it open, and marking all the things that made me happy. In the many years since, virtually every entry has been marked. I find myself thinking about that book this summer, when I am frequently reminded of all the things in the world there are to be unhappy about, yet, somehow, I’m generally happy. I therefore present a list of 14 things to be happy about — because 14,000 is just too many for this column.

There are lots of rumors out there that the Evanston Cowboy Days PRCA rodeo is not happening this year because of the construction. The Cowboy Days Committee wants to let everyone know that these rumors are not true.

When a hate group appears in a community, it usually sparks a local debate about the best way to confront it. Lander faced this question last month when white nationalists tried, and failed, to disrupt a drag show celebrating LGBTQ Pride Month. Photos of the anemic protest taken by Wind River Pride showed about 15 men standing on a bridge, hiding their faces, unfurling hateful banners and shouting offensive slogans. Fortunately, these cowardly bullies scurried off in less than 30 minutes without physical violence.

I want to thank Hayden Godfrey for his excellent reporting in the Uinta County Herald. I really liked your recent column, “A final word.” People always complain about the reporter if they don’t like a story. If they read a story they do like, they think the reporter is great, even if the story was poorly written.

John Kerry, President Joe Biden’s climate envoy, was in China eager to revive joint U.S.-China efforts to tackle climate change. Chalk this up as another episode in the Biden administration’s fumbling foreign policy to placate the Chinese Communist Party. China is playing Biden officials for suckers.

Monologues

ear Editor: July 16 marked one year since our nation transitioned to 988, the easy-to-remember, nationwide mental health crisis helpline. This number connects callers with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Congress designated 988 in 2020 and as a part of the federal government’s commitment to addressing the mental health crisis in America, unprecedented federal resources have been invested to scale up crisis centers in support of 988.

Editor: It’s been 247 years — happy birthday, America! America’s path has not been one without question — yet we have much to be thankful for. Our Founding Fathers, through spiritual guidance, came together to give us a document called the Constitution, and later the Bill of Rights, to give diversity of decisions to our various states. Our Founding Fathers and their families suffered many injustices in their endeavors to give America a constitution that gave us the freedoms we have today.

Letter to the editor from Cloey Wall

Letter to the editor from Patricia Bluemel

Editor: As we move forward with the favorable ruling from the Supreme Court, I would like to thank those constituents who backed the plaintiffs and supported the importance of the rule of law. As Americans, we should follow statutes and laws that have been a part of our history for years. We shouldn’t try to usurp what is clearly a part of those laws in the green books or do an “end around” to try to further personal pursuits.