Letter: Civilized behavior toward feds is to be expected

As one of the conservation groups that petitioned successfully to have the bull trout listed as a threatened species, we most certainly have had our share of disagreements with the Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife Service. When we have failed to resolve our differences administratively, we have filed civil actions in federal court in order to have a third party resolve them. The key word here is "civil."

When people resort to law-breaking, name-calling and other personal attacks, it is the most obvious sign that they haven't the confidence in themselves to advance their beliefs and agenda in a civil manner. This isn't about whether we agree with particular federal agencies or the particular people who work for them. It is about whether we are going to behave as civilized human beings or as antisocial outlaws playing bully on the block.

KEITH J. HAMMER Chairman of the Swan View Coalition, Kalispell, Mont.

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