I was notified today that the Miles City Unified School District has contacted their attorney regarding my social media posts and correspondence with them regarding the decision to rename the Cowboy Invitational's Outstanding Wrestler award and has been advised not to respond to my inquiries about the subject.

This is, quite frankly, absolutely pathetic. Hilarious, too. But mostly pathetic.

The current district administration would rather consult a lawyer about an issue that is tangential to the current problem than do the simple - and right - thing.

To be perfectly clear, the existing problem is the character of - and example set by - the man CCDHS has decided to rename an award after.

Jack Raymond - even if one can somehow dismiss everything pertaining to his child rape-enabling of Jim Jensen - still did enough terrible things on his own to make the naming of an award in his honor an absolute travesty.

Raymond - in death, as he was in life - remains a horrible example for others to follow.

Make no mistake, the lionization of Raymond is the current issue. After all, Jensen has been dealt with and is exactly where he needs to be. He, at least, has been held accountable for his crimes and will spend the rest of his life in prison.

The district, under the previous administration, admitted fault per the terms of the settlement of the lawsuit brought against them and Jensen.

I am not asking for anything above and beyond the terms of that settlement.

What I am insisting on is that they not rename - or allow to be renamed - an award after an immoral sadist and abuser (who just happens to also be a child rape-enabler). That should seem straightforward enough, no?

But the district's current administration would rather dodge accountability (yet again!), embrace obtuseness, and hide behind attorneys than do the right thing.

It would be so simple to undo a stupid mistake. Instead, they're hiding and doubling down.

Is this really the best you can do, Miles City? You are what you accept. Is this really what you aspire to be?

Ummm....they voted for Trump. This is not a town of brilliant intellectuals, Maurice Hilleman aside. Probably 60 percent of Miles Citians are very nice people but who do not think a lot, and watch too much Fox News.

Gunnar Emilsson wrote:

Ummm....they voted for Trump. This is not a town of brilliant intellectuals, Maurice Hilleman aside. Probably 60 percent of Miles Citians are very nice people but who do not think a lot, and watch too much Fox News.

Response like this, rationalizing and exacerbating tribalism isn't really very helpful. We should all strive to do better.

I admire your optimism, Richard, but I have to ask: Where is the lie in Gunnar's statement?

Giving people an excuse gives them yet another chance to evade responsibility.

I would be inclined to be more optimistic, but look what has happened over the course of all of this.

At what point has anyone chosen to the right thing?

Everything that happened since the lawsuit - you know, the one in which the plaintiffs voted to stop short as to "not hurt the people of Miles City" (and thank you for that, Mr. Miles City. I sure do hope you're happy) - has been one example after another of having the people of Miles City add insult to injury.

If what Mike Etchemendy did in renaming an award after a one of the few people in the world who was smaller than he is was actually a mistake, then why hasn't he done anything to correct that mistake? He is, after all, all about instructing people on how to "be a man." Is integrity somehow not part of that?

The problem is that Etchemendy doesn't believe he made a mistake in lionizing Jack Raymond, and THAT is a huge problem. But even that mistake isn't nearly as big as the school and district administration is making in letting him get away with it.

If the people of Miles City don't want to be criticized for their collective amnesia and abject cowardice or be accused of not being "brilliant intellectuals," the simplest way to do that would be to undo Etchemendy's mistake deliberate act of pissant assholery.

All Gunnar is saying is that far too many of the people of Miles City have shown us who they are, time and time again. Meghan Brown may not be her father, but at least he (eventually) took responsibility for his actions and apologized.

Fred Anderson never did. Still waiting on that, Fred, you child rape-enabler.

Kevin McAuliffe never did. Still waiting on that, Kevin, you child rape-enabler.

Jack Raymond never did. The sadist and child rape-enabler's "revered" brain turned to mush and he died before he was ever compelled to.

Mike Etchemendy - while he wasn't complicit in any of his hero's horrible actions and inactions - continues to follow in his idol's unfortunate footsteps.

When Etchemendy inevitably hurts one of his wrestlers - and there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to believe that he won't - I do hope the good people of Miles City have better luck in holding him accountable, but I certainly won't be holding my breath that they will.

And THAT will be on you, Meghan.

I would like to see your rationale, Richard, on why we should understand why brainwashed idiots suck up and lick the Trump tit. I am admittedly one of the over educated elites that the Trump supporters despise. I knew that Trump was a con man since, oh, around 1987. So why should I suffer incredible stupidity from dumb people?

It is time the few, the brave and the bright, critical thinkers of Miles City stopped suffering fools. You are stronger than I,Gunga Din. I had to flee the scene.