Sergeant Murnin, our SRO, is selling Camp Postcard raffle tickets. The sale of these raffle tickets will help send four local children to this great camp. Camp Postcard provides a value-based program, targeted at fifth and sixth grade youth through direct involvement and mentoring with a variety of law enforcement and criminal justice professionals. Camp POSTCARD (Peace Officers Striving To Create And Reinforce Dreams) is a free week-long camp designed to benefit the most deserving fifth and sixth graders.

For many of these youth, this represents his/her first camp experience and is a dream come true. This popular and successful program has proven to be an important opportunity to build strong relationships and valuable life skills that serve them, their families, and their communities.

Camp POSTCARD establishes positive bonds between the youth, law enforcement and criminal justice professionals building a relationship to help reduce crime and the use of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs. The experience provides a safe environment that stresses appropriate role models, ideals and values. Campers are allowed and expected to share their thoughts, feelings and ideas and learn the importance of self-respect and respect for others, teamwork, self-control and dignity.

Throughout the week, a variety of planned activities help youth build self-esteem, leadership and decision-making skills. This includes a number of specialized team-building activities and events. Youth also take part in outdoor activities such as rock climbing, police demonstrations, archery, concerts, crafts, riflery and guest speakers. Through this safe and positive environment, memories are created that last a lifetime.

Local law enforcement officers, school resource officers, school personnel and community members identify youth who would benefit from the camp experience. An important goal is to help empower youth to take more control of and responsibility for their own decisions, actions and, ultimately, their future. The program also increases awareness for schools, parents and communities about the issues that are important to youth.

The raffle tickets are $20.00 each. Only 650 tickets will be sold and the drawing will be held on April 27, 2016. Prizes include a Browning A-Bolt 30-06, Franchi 12 gauge shotgun, Glock 43 9mm handgun, Nail-Issimo spa package and a Echo Carbon 9', 5WT, 4 piece fly rod kit. You can purchase tickets at our dispatch center located at 1010 Main behind the courthouse. There are only 20 tickets left!

In light of recent events in town, MCPD seems tone-deaf. Raffling firearms for youth work? Really? You can do better.

[Edited by Richard Bonine, Jr. (4/8/2016 10:45:43 AM)]

Okay, so let me get this straight (because I am having a very difficult time wrapping my head around the sheer obtuseness of this post):

The MCPD is raffling off firearms to help fund the "building of positive bonds" with youth. By "positive bonds," I take it that we're not talking about the tissue that connects a person's head to his shoulders, correct? Are you kidding me? Are you f**king kidding me???

Back when I worked at the Star, I had a major problem with Blue Rock Distributing supporting the Bill Newhouse Baseball Tournament, because I thought the association of alcohol sales and teenagers wasn't a great idea (especially when beer cozies were given to players as prizes during the tournament's Fun Day). The powers that be didn't share my misgivings, because sacred cows don't actually make great steaks, but it still didn't sit well with me.

But this ...

With all due respect, not only the association of youth and firearms a highly-questionable idea at any point in time, but given the fact that a 13-year-old in Miles City just killed himself with a shotgun, the complete lack of awareness exhibited by the MCPD in this is nothing short of stupefying.

Seriously, what is wrong with you?

"Hey Miles City! Want to do something great to support kids? Buy a ticket for a chance to buy a gun that your child might use to kill him-or-herself! Your friends at the Miles City Police Department know what matters to you, and that's firearms! Hey, we love guns, too! That's why we became cops in the first place! We have our priorities, and we know you do too! So buy a ticket or twenty! Everybody wins!"

What. The. F**k???

[Edited by Brian A. Reed (4/8/2016 11:51:09 AM)]

Now here is a perfect example of how no good deed ever goes unpunished...

In an effort to give back to the Community, the MCPD is offering a chance to win some tools that can be used to feed a family and one that could be used to protect a family from the next vermin like Scott Price that comes along.

And they get attacked for it.

Not that I would ever suspect you gentlemen of trying to exploit a tragedy to promote some kind of agenda, but well...Yes.

Instead of trashing the MCPD sponsorship of a youth program, consider this...

Yes, the recent event was tragic in that something in that young persons life was so dark, they felt their only solution was to reach for a shotgun. What can you two(or anybody) do to assist the Community in an effort to try and prevent that from ever happening again?

Maybe you could get a clue from the MCPD?

Let me get this straight, Oddjob. It's indicative some sort of an "agenda" for me to take issue with something so tone-deaf as a firearms raffle "for the kids?" And I'm "exploiting a tragedy" by having the temerity to mention how ham-handed and tone-deaf this comes across at THIS point in time? I's ask you if you are also "exploiting a tragedy" by evoking Scott Price's name, but I fear that might fall on equally deaf ears. I realize that you gain some sort of perverse pleasure out of being a contrarian, but let's assume for a moment that we can have a rational conversation.

You do realize that there are other things in the world that can be raffled to benefit at-risk youth besides firearms, correct? Can I assume that you're also aware that these non-gun items might not convey the same sense of callousness that guns do? If that's beyond your spectrum of conceptualization, then you'll have to forgive me if I have a difficult time believing that you possess the empathy needed to actually care about children or anyone but yourself.

But to answer your question of what I do to help kids - of which I have three, the oldest of which is only one year younger than the late Mr. Jerrel - well ...

I don't treat firearms as something sacrosanct, the be-all, end-all solution to any problem one faces, so there's that. I don't leave firearms laying around unsecured. I don't ignore warning signs or dismiss any red flags my kids might exhibit through their behavior, words, or actions. And I sure as hell don't let my kids think for a moment that I value firearms - my precious, beloved, almighty, god-I-wish-these-pieces-of-metal-and-wood-had-genitals-so-I-could-better-express-my-true-feelings-about-them goddamn firearms - over their lives or anyone else's, for that matter.

My children, your children, anyone's children - are more important to me than all the guns in the world, and if you want to label me as having some sort of agenda for having that priority, then I'll wear it as a badge of honor. I've coached, I've substitute taught, I've been a shoulder to cry on and an advocate for children, whether they were my own or not.

If I need lessons on how to look like I'm caring without actually giving a f**k, I'll look to the MCPD. If I need tips on how to be an anonymous self-serving troll without a whit of responsibility, I'll turn to you.

Holy christ on a crutch, you're something else.

Worth noting: If the MCPD helps increase the number of firearms in the community through (seemingly) innocuous methods such as fundraising raffles, it stands to reason that they'll eventually reap the benefit for having done so by insuring that they'll more cases to respond to. More OT, baby! Talk about an "investment in the community."

Slick work there, MCPD. Kudos.

(If I need lessons on how to look like I'm caring without actually giving a f**k,)

If you really are the caring person you claim to be, you really shouldn't be using the language that you post on here or anywhere else. As far as spouting off about tragedies in Miles City, or anywhere else as far as that goes, you need to stop and think about other people before you let your mouth overload you're ass. Especially while alot of people are still grieving. Just say'in.

Brian, you lost me by implying that MCPD sees more firearms in the community as a form of job security. You know as well as anyone that the cops can easily find themselves staring down the wrong side of those firearms.

The message says there are only 20 out of 650 total raffle tickets left. It seems likely the raffle started long before this recent event involving a youth committing suicide with a firearm.

The firearm prizes aren't being awarded to children.

Camp POSTCARD activities do include riflery and archery (Volunteers of America: Camp POSTCARD). The Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts in my area also have camps that include riflery and archery but it's hardly fair to suggest the goal is to teach youth to use firearms to commit suicide. It's an excellent opportunity to start teaching about firearms safety.

Jim, if you're more offended by my choice of language than you are at the thought of teenage suicide and the corresponding tone-deafness that has been exhibited here, then your priorities are considerably askew. Words convey emotions. A few of the emotions I have sought to convey are disgust, anger, and incredulity. Considering that a large contingent of the population requires a dictionary to understand the word, "incredulity," I went with language that could be understood. You dig?

But thank you for keeping us focused on the important things, though. Your contribution to the discussion has been duly noted. In my experience, taking the ninny path doesn't really accomplish anything. Let me know when an f-bomb (edited, no less) kills someone. If and when you find that one has, allow me to respond with gun death statistics. Sound fair?

David - I am not claiming or even implying that guns are being raffled to children. What I am saying is that there is a problem with gun culture in the world in which we live. Adding MOAR GUNS! to the equation doesn't do anything to help that. Treating firearms as though they are the ultimate prize, the ultimate answer to any problem, the "be-all, end-all" to which I referred earlier, doesn't do anything but add potential kindling. Suffice it to say, I find anything that associates guns with young people - especially given the current climate - in decidedly poor taste.

(Besides, if there are only 20 tickets left out of 650, is it really worth it to advertise this in the fashion in which it was presented? The risk/reward margin there seems thin, to say the least.)

[Edited by Brian A. Reed (4/10/2016 12:20:25 PM)]