IdahoRocks

Howard Dean in Idaho

2011-04-20T11:35:00.000-07:00

Sharon Solomon and Howard Dean

This photo is our past, our present, and our future. It was taken on April 16, 2011, at the North Idaho Democracy Luncheon at the Coeur d'Alene Resort and Casino in Worley, Idaho. I was there. It was exciting, inspirational, and educational. And I had the proud opportunity to hear, and even meet, Gov/Dr. Howard Dean.

In the photo above is Howard Dean, Governor, Doctor, Democratic National Committee Chair, past Democratic candidate for President, and one of the founders of Democracy For America. Dr. Dean represents both out present and our past. He represents our past because he has a history of engagement in Democratic, Progressive, and Populist politics. He also was one of the first politicians to make large scale use of the internet in the 2004 primary run for presidential candidacy. As president of the DNC, he implemented the 50-state strategy which was very beneficial to the Democrats in many states, including Idaho. Dr. Dean also represents our present because he is still a prominent political figure in Democratic circles and because his organization, Democracy For America, has become a primary part of Democratic training and education. He is also a dynamic speaker who doesn't shroud his speech in euphemisms, ambiguity, and hyperbole; instead, he goes straight to the heart of the matter and states the truth.

The other person in the photo is Sharon Solomon. She is our future. She is one of the "younger than thirty" generation who holds the fate of our country and possible even our world in her hands. Currently, Sharon is a student in north Idaho. She jumped at the opportunity to not just attend the luncheon/speaking engagement with Howard Dean, but she also attended the DFA training sessions as well. Sharon is part of the Millennial Generation and she is our future. And Sharon wasn't the only student there listening to Howard Dean. Students came from the University of Idaho, Lewis and Clark State College, North Idaho College, and as far away as the College of Southern Idaho.

Dr. Dean pointed out that polling during the 50-state strategy showed that Sharon's generation is the first multi-cultural generation. Also, it's a generation that is neither liberal nor conservative. Even President Obama, stated Dr. Dean, wants to work with both Republicans and Democrats because "he wants to get things done." He added that we should always listen to young people or we leave them behind. Actually, I think that if we don't listen, they leave us behind.

The anthropologist, Michael Wesch, made very clear in his video A Portal to Media Literacy, that students learn differently today. Technology makes a big difference, from cell phones to laptops, and to all the different ways this technology can be used. Furthermore, social networks like Facebook and even youtube are important aspects of these students' lives. Young people are not just our future, but it's a very different future than that of the baby boomers.

Republicans were not spared by Dr. Dean. He pointed out the obvious, but in a way that made me want to ponder these blatant facts. He said that Republicans don't care about facts and that Democrats allow Republicans to say anything they want. It's about time for Democrats to emphasize that we work for the working class, the middle class, the lower class, and all those who are not in the top 2% of the tax bracket. Dr. Dean pointed out that "we manage money fairly." Indeed, he said, we are fair and we want everyone to have opportunities. He added that as much as Republicans focus on social issues, "ideology doesn't put food on the table."

I am still amazed that Howard Dean came to Idaho. Usually we're the state that nobody wants to visit because we're so unimportant politically and we're also so Republican. That's changing. The number of Democratic votes is rising. Slowly. But as Dr. Dean said, we cannot just look to the next election, we have to look to the fifth election. Democrats from all around the state and even from out of state attended the luncheon. They came from the east and southeast, Lemhi to Twin Falls; from the southwest heading north, Ada to Benewah; and from the north to the south, from Boundary to Kootenai. They even came from Washington and Montana. Idaho, like a number of western states, are all too beautiful with too many good folks, to remain Republican. We share values about health care, education, social security, veterans, and privacy.

And we care as much about the future of our country as the generation who carries that future in their hands.

The Ten Mile Diet Dessert

2010-10-09T19:50:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I had a 300-0 mile diet dinner at my house. Everyone brought pot-luck dishes, made from ingredients grown within 300-0 miles from our county in north Idaho. I felt bad when the first thing my friends said was that thinking about their dish was very stressful. But, as we talked some more, they were all up for the challenge of creating the best dish. The number one problem with cooking locally and sustainably turned out to be salt! How do you make a dish taste really good without salt? Good question. None of us were able to identify a source of local (within 300 miles) salt, unless, of course, we made some from sea water. The second toughest ingredient turned out to be oil. We do live in an agricultural area, and many farmers grow canola, but it just isn't made here. However, thinking about all of this made us aware of what we have, what we could be making, and what we can live without. And we all enjoyed the party!

In spite of the lack of salt, the dishes were creative and delicious: leek and potato soup, adding fresh Cougar Gold cheese for some saltiness; zucchini "pasta" ribbons with a fresh tomato sauce including local garlic, tomatoes, and basil; locally raised Scottish Highland beef meatballs with Priest River cheese; Montana feta; salad from the garden; vegetable casserole; and my apple wine zabaglione with hazelnut meringue cookies.

Yeah, I won with best dessert. I have to confess I searched for salt, but in my pastry-loving heart I knew dessert would be my entry. A friend around the corner gave me some cream from her cow. I whipped most of it but saved some to turn into butter. With the butter I sauteed some apples slices (from my tree), sweetened with some local wildflower honey. This went on the bottom of a teacup. Then I made my "zabaglione" with local egg yolks, the wildflower honey, and some apple wine that my neighbor had made from local apples. I stabilized this with the whipped cream and put it on top of the apple slices. Finally, earlier in the day I had made local hazelnut, meringue cookies (using the local egg whites), sweetened with the honey. The cookies topped off the custard. It was really good. Frankly, I think it was the wildflower honey that put the dessert over the edge. It's so flavorful.

So, I throw down the gauntlet and challenge all readers to try a locally sustainable dinner. It might give you pause to think about what you eat and how far the ingredients must travel before arriving at your table....

I Think I Love This Judge

2010-08-18T06:56:00.000-07:00

Nothing tickles me more than reading about a well-deserved and eloquent delivery of both summary and insult in one sentence. The Fine Books and Collections blog has captured such a moment. Some corporate schemer, involved in a proxy lawsuit against the giant book chain Barnes and Noble, received this verbal swat from a Delaware judge:

"At bottom, Yucaipa is simply positioning an absurd scenario at best fit for a discussion by a Red Bull fueled group of nerdy second year law school corporate law junkies, who find themselves dateless (big surprise) on yet another Saturday night."

Just The Energy Bill

2009-10-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

I received an email this morning which I found enlightening because it made me wonder to what extent either ignorance or greed, or perhaps both, influenced the Department of Energy's Advanced Research Project Agency decision to provide monies for energy research into projects that do nothing to help prevent global climate change. As the Wired.com Google Spreadsheet demonstrates, the biggest slice of the $150+ million money pie went to energy storage and biomass energy technologies. Carbon capture? Isn't that a way to give tons of money to polluting industries? Waste-heat capture? Energy storage? If we didn't produce toxic waste, we wouldn't have to be spending millions of dollars trying to figure out what to do with it.... (download The Story of Stuff for Annie Leonard's pointed and entertaining video about our ability to produce too much stuff!!).

And don't even get me started on biomass....that incredible brainstorm of the waste industry that burns our carbon sequestering resources (wood), contributes to the the biofuel rape of the earth, and promotes cultural ethnocide on a scale that simply takes their breath away.

I mean, even Scientific American has figured out that renewable has to stop after wind, solar, geothermal, and tidal because we don't really need to depend on fossil fuels. We have enough to do the job. It just takes money being delivered into the direction of real care and concern rather than never-ending pockets.

Of course, organizations like Friends of the Earth have had it figured out for some time. Just check out their latest video Just the Energy Bill.

How much of a "Suck it, Santa" meltdown will it take before we stop the corporations and other foolhardy greedmasters from destroying our earth, our cultures, our diversity, our lives....

I Love Rain In July

2009-07-06T20:43:00.000-07:00

And that's exactly what it did today: rain. I awoke around 5am to a real cloudburst with a bit of thunder and lightening to boot. Now that's the way I like to greet the day. Water for my garden (which is way too big and too much work, but Lordy, how I love to reap the rewards), a crisp, moist smell in the air, and thankfulness for the moisture and escape from dry heat. Now all of that makes me happy.

I really didn't do much today.... although my son and mother will be very happy to hear that I did make raspberry jam. With three days off, I really should have done more but hey, it was the 4th of July, and I needed to celebrate with friends. My friends, Diana and Steve, have a small house/cabin (too big for a cabin imo) on the Moyie River. I arrived too late to join the float-down-the-river gang, but still enjoyed the breeze, the shade and some nice, cold beer. As a potluck, I thoroughly enjoyed all the wonderful dishes that everyone brought, especially Fred's Scottish Highland beef burgers and Michael's spicy, hot venison/goose smokies. I also loved all the various salads and desserts. Me, I brought homemade vanilla ice cream. It was all delicious.

It thrilled me to announce, to many who had not heard, the news about Sarah's resignation as governor of Alaska. And like everyone else, I await the "true" reason for her resignation. I just hope to God it doesn't mean she plans on moving back to Idaho and running for governor. Horror of horrors!

Now, several days later, with Sarah's resignation still a topic of speculation, with more rain and thunderstorms and lightening, and with a full week of producing grub for hungry tourists awaiting me, I'm still feeling rather happy. It must me the cool weather and Mother Nature fulfilling my rain wishes. And to top it all off, I'm eating out of my garden: spinach, baby turnips, baby beets, lettuce, peas, omg peas, herbs, peppers, zucchini, and yes, I immediately stuffed into my mouth the first two orange mini tomatoes. Such a glutton! I really should upload some photos one of these days.

I bask in the luxuriousness of it all, knowing that global warming is not a vast left wing conspiracy and that very hot weather lies ahead.....

"Nice People Take Drugs"

2009-06-05T09:17:00.000-07:00

Nice People Take Drugs, is a new, British campaign by Release, "...the national centre of expertise on drugs and drug law...." In consideration of current laws, and specifically the "War on Drugs" as criminal offenses that require punishment, Release calls for a new paradigm, a new way of thinking about current drug problems. Instead of focusing on drug users as "bad" or seeing drug use as "evil," Release calls for a discussion about what is really needed to reduce drug use in society, specifically in Britain but with ramifications around the world.

Release is not the only group that approaches drug problems with a call for a renewed discussion about treatment instead of imprisonment. stopthedrugwar.org is an international organization that "...calls for an end to drug prohibition (e.g. some form of legalization), and its replacement with some sensible framework in which drugs can be regulated and controlled instead." This is neither unreasonable nor surprising given that the criminalization of drug users is not working to reduce drug use. Senator Jim Webb of Virginia introduced the National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009 which addresses the overall problems of incarceration, including reform of U.S. drug policy. For many years, Congressman Ron Paul has addressed the issues of drug policy and drug legalization. The Swiss have long realized that maintenance programs work while criminalization does not. Studies and policies from around the world demonstrate that a new discussion and perhaps a new paradigm is needed in order to address the problem of illegal drugs.

What I find most ironic about this, is, that "scheduled drugs" are routinely prescribed by doctors as well as being promoted by drug companies in magazines, on the web, and on television. I think it's about time that we realize that nice people do, in fact, take drugs. Once we truly grasp that idea, we may be able to actually have a discussion about drugs, addiction, criminalization, and treatment that offers workable solutions for all societies.

Human Rights, North Idaho Style

2009-03-23T19:30:00.000-07:00

On Monday, March 16th, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Human Rights Education Institute and the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations dinner/fundraiser/awards banquet. Four hundred and fifteen people, count them, 4 1 5, attended the dinner. Of course a thousand would have been better, but this is north Idaho, and getting that many people out on a Monday night impressed me.

Thanks to Jeanne Buell, Idaho Democratic Party Vice-Chair, both Laura Bry, Bonner County Democratic Central Committee Chair, and myself, received invitations to sit at Jeanne's table. Of course, friends from around north Idaho also sat at the table and it's always nice to reconnect with others in the north Idaho community.

The Coeur d'Alene Press provided a good overview of the events, including the exciting announcement of the Civil Rights Award to Scott and Mary Lou Reed. Having known Scott for almost twenty years, and Mary Lou for almost as many, it pleased me to no end to see them awarded for the many contributions they consistently make to the people of north Idaho. You guys are the best! We should all try to follow your example.

Nontombi Naomi Tutu gave an inspired, heartfelt, pointedly truthful speech about racism. She said that in order to heal the wounds of racism, we have to recognize that racism in each and every one of us. Pointing out that although people may say we don't see differences, we do, as is so evident when we look at what children say ("out of the mouths of babes and sucklings"). Through their words, we can all see that children see differences, and they see these differences as opportunities to learn, but as adults we try to shush the children in order to be polite or whatever. Nonbombi Tutu suggested that, like children, we should see differences as truth, talk about those differences, and respond to, and appreciate them.

She gave the example of white people saying, "I don't think of you as black," meaning black has a stigma or story for the rest of the community. So when a white woman can finally make that statement, what it really means is that she now trusts and respects the black person. Prejudices exist, and until we know and recognize them, we cannot begin to come together. She gave us, a room full of white people, a glimpse into the causes of racism and asked us to recognize difference as opportunity. I think her point was well taken.

I felt honored to be there, and proud as well, to be a member of a community that seeks to educate about racism, prejudice, and human rights. I am so thankful for all the Human Rights activists, in Idaho in particular, and around the world. It takes all colors to make a rainbow.

When It Rains, It Pours

2009-03-19T12:54:00.000-07:00

Wow, the news is overwhelming. Thank goodness I have to work tonight, meaning I focus on food instead of world events. That will be a relief after this day of troubling news.

Every morning I read The Independent (London) for that out-of-country perspective on today's news. Inevitably, it's the newspaper in which I first hear about all global warming events. Today was no different. But what I learned is very scary. It appears that if the world doesn't do something this century, then the melting of the Antarctic ice may be unstoppable. Not a good way to start the day.

Amy Goodman and countless others have not only been keeping a watchful, indeed astounded, eye on the AIG bailout, but also bringing attention to all those not helped by the bailout. That includes the group I'm in: the 55 yr. - 80+ yr. olds.

Then my husband directed my attention to an article about Idaho's favorite French friend, the nuclear poster child, Areva. Check it out. Areva is begging for a bailout from the French government, i.e., French taxpayers because, amongst other problems, its stock has plunged. They must also pay billions in penalty fees for their Finnish plant. But it doesn't end there. Their reprocessing plant in La Hague is under attack everywhere for discharging massive radiation into the English Channel. Oh, and there's much more, including having nowhere to dump their nuclear waste which is being made worse by the U.S. not opening Yucca Mountain. In terms of business sense alone, Areva's problems are welcome news to me, because anyone with a lick of sense would no longer trust any of Areva's plans for Idaho.

Specifically, this news about Areva may actually benefit north Idaho because Areva is now focusing on building a biomass plant in north Idaho. The same news was recently reported in The Statesman, where it seems some ignorant souls like the idea. So do some folks in Bonners Ferry, obviously oblivious that another proposal for a biomass plant was shelved in 2001, due to public outcry. I guess they like that old adage, "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again." Or perhaps it's just the local mania for more and more timber harvest. Obviously, for the taxpayers' sake, Areva is not a safe company to do business with these days. Unfortunately other biomass companies will be lined up behind Areva to sell their snake oil to all ignorant buyers.

Wow! From the world to the Democrats to north Idaho, the news has been overwhelming. I guess I'd better head off to work and try to impart a little love and happiness into tonight's food because the world, if not just Bonners Ferry, seems to need it. A lot.

Frank Church Banquet 2009

2009-03-17T16:01:00.000-07:00

The weekend of March 6-8 found me once again in Boise for my usual reason: the Idaho Democratic Party Frank Church Banquet and state committee meeting. This visit proved to be an exceptional one for several reasons. First, I joined several other Idaho political bloggers on both Friday and Saturday nights for an exchange of stories, political discussions, great beer, and lots of fun. Not only did I experience Boise nightlife, but Nampa's as well. And I received an educational lesson on beer. Bloggers know what's important....

Secondly, events like the Frank Church Banquet allow me to become re-acquainted with fellow Democrats. It feels really good to be surrounded by other people who share a similar political ideology. Those large groups do not often come together in the netherlands of Idaho and one can begin to feel very alone in the redder parts of this great state.

Finally, I really wanted to hear what the banquet, keynote speaker, Jim Messina, had to say about the Obama White House. Jim is an Idahoan through and through, raised in Boise, a graduate of Boise High School, with family still in the state. And now he is Obama's Deputy Chief of Staff. And he did have something to say about working with Obama and being in the White House. He basically said that he has learned five very important lessons so far. His description of these lessons painted a portrait of a president who is respected, intelligent, and insightful as well as having a good sense of humor, great love for his family, and a belief in not just our country but in its citizens.

While describing these five important lessons, Jim also made us all aware that in many ways he is like his president, including his love of family, his willingness to work hard for our nation, and his own disarming sense of humor. The first lesson he learned is that no one is more important than anyone else. It takes teamwork to accomplish great and small tasks and the people who helped organize the Obama campaign and who now work in the White House are all team players.

Jim also learned that such jobs are never glamorous. His office is small, he receives more emails than he can read, and at all hours of the day (and even night) people want his help and attention. His main job is fixing problems, whatever they may be, which entails both seemingly insurmountable problems to petty and insignificant ones.

Next Jim pointed out that Democrats are passionate. He gave several examples of this, including his own faux pas at the Democratic National Convention which led to his being taken aside by Obama who told him, "Let me make the headlines." But Democrats' passions show up in many forms, and Jim also described the example of approaching an arena at which Obama was to speak and at three miles away people already were lined up along the roadway, just for the chance to wave to Obama.

Jim also made us aware that contrary to some opinions, Democrats are not disorganized. He told several anecdotes about Democratic organization, but the one that stayed with me is that on the Sunday before the election, the Obama team knocked on over one million doors. Now that is true grassroots organization!

Finally, he said that Democrats not only make history, but that their core beliefs are the same as the American people's beliefs. In making history, he described how ironic, but also historic it is that slaves helped finish building the White House that is now occupied by the first African-American president and his family. He also mentioned how Obama has already begun to repair the damage of the Bush administration with the passage of SCHIP and the Lily Ledbetter Act, and with a re-newed focus on alternative energy. He made the point that this administration believes in making health care available to all Americans, in becoming energy independent, in insuring that all children receive a world class education, and in providing tax relief to those who need it most, the poor and the middle class, and not the richest, and not the corporations.

All in all, Jim provided a personable and insightful view into all the next four years could be. Idaho Democrats are proud of Jim and very happy with their new president. This weekend demonstrated to me that Democrats are fair, organized, passionate, and that they believe in providing for the American people. And although their job as Democrats may not be glamorous, Democrats are terrific, rather beautiful people.

What Human Rights Act?

2009-02-26T17:53:00.000-08:00

I cancelled my subscription to the Spokesman-Review when they published what I felt was an extremely racist cartoon portrait of Barack Obama. So imagine my surprise today when I heard about their editorial which slammed the Idaho Legislature for their recent committee denial for a bill that would insert into the Idaho Human Rights Act a measure for the prevention of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

On February 20th, Senator Nicole LaFavour made a motion to the Senate Affairs Committee for the Idaho Human Rights Act to include anti-discrimination provisions for sexual orientation and gender identity. She had, at least, twenty legislative co-sponsors including Chuck Coiner, R-Twin Falls. But to no avail. The committee voted 5-2 against the motion. The "against" votes included Senators Denton Darrington, R-Declo; Monty Pearce, R-New Plymouth; Bob Geddes, R-Soda Springs; and Russ Fulcher, R-Meridian, who have now successfully made the entire state of Idaho a place that is not too great for hate. Indeed, by virtue of their vote, they indirectly endorse hate. Why are these guys even in the Legislature?

The real tragedy of this failed motion lies in a legislature that has too many members who are so blind, so devoid of empathy, so lacking in intellectual thought, and so absolutely unable to act as individuals, that through their own sin of omission they allow others to openly discriminate against LGBTs. When 64% of Idahoans believe that it should be illegal to fire someone because of their sexual orientation, why are those people not represented in our state legislature?

In a candid and poignant interview with Thanh Tan, available at The Mountain Goat Report, Sen. LaFavour mentioned two reasons for this denial of motion that caught my attention. First, she mentioned that although many of her colleagues supported her individually, as a group they all ended up voting together. This kind of behavior was noted and supported by the research of Swedish economist Gunnar Myrdal, back in 1938. At that time, Myrdal came to the United States to study the "American Negro problem"; his research, however, produced an even more profound result. He found that although most Americans say they value "the worth and dignity of the individual, equality, and inalienable rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness" (Understanding Human Differences), in fact, their behavior is consistently in contradiction to these values. I can only guess that's why our Republican legislators like to "fall in line" rather than represent the real values of 64% of their constituents.

Secondly, Sen. LaFavour mentioned that by omission, by not inserting anti-discrimination measures for LGBTs in the Human Rights Act, we allow discrimination. I would add, that by allowing discrimination, we also condone hate.

So five senators have basically invalidated the Idaho Human Rights Act because, in fact, it does not include all humans. All minorities should be outraged. By so quickly and easily denying the rights of one group, it sets a precedent for denying others. They didn't even allow for public discussion, the arrogance of which is not only a disservice to the people they represent but also to those people who will continue to live in fear of such discrimination.

The five senators who voted to turn down this motion are a shame to the great state of Idaho. This state is too great for hate, and too great for spineless, narrow-minded, and short-sighted leadership.

Idaho Ethics

2009-01-27T16:42:00.000-08:00

Today the Idaho Statesman has an editorial about Closing holes in Idaho's ethic laws. Using the example of Popkey's report on a recent case of bribery by a lobbyist for the Idaho Association of Realtors, the editorial suggests that firming up the ethic laws in our state is definitely necessary. The Statesman then mentions how Eagle Republican Rep. Raul Labrador is "working on a bill that would make it a felony offense to offer financial benefits in exchange for a public action." Then the article adds, "The idea deserves bipartisan support, albeit belatedly."

Wow, that was gutsy. And it ignores the fact that the Democrats already had included ethics legislation in their caucus agenda of bills. Indeed, Senator Kate Kelly has been working on ethics reform since 2005! But now the Statesman is interested in ethics because a Republican has come forward? Where has the Statesman been for the past four years? Why are they allowing the Republicans to co-opt an issue that the Democrats have been pursuing for years? And what do they mean to insinuate by the phrase "the idea deserves bipartisan support, albeit belatedly," that it's about time the Republicans began to pay attention to ethics, or is the writer suggesting that the Democrats have been ignoring this problem as well? It's bad enough that the Republicans like to co-opt Democrat issues when it suits them, but why doesn't the Statesman at least provide some fair and accurate reporting?

Another Statesman blunder: they correctly reported that the Republicans rejected their own pay raises, but they FORGOT to mention that the Democrats did the same LAST DECEMBER in a caucus press release. Wow, it seems to me that perhaps the Statesman should have a review session on its own sense of ethics....

Living In Obamaland

2009-01-19T19:23:00.000-08:00

Ah, Inaugural Eve, and all is quiet in this house....although D.C. seems to be rocking. As a Democrat in VERY Republican north Idaho, I just luxuriate in telling my Republican neighbors about how happy I am to be living in Obamaland. I can't help myself: the Republicans here are SOOO irritated, depressed and resigned to the overall world's end doom of this country. I pity them their ignorance and their blinded view. But I find it difficult to arouse any sympathy in myself.

Perhaps it's because at least one local county commissioner has boasted that he and the other incumbent commissioner, who had Democrats challenge them during the election, now have the "lists" of those who contributed to the Democrats' campaigns. I asked the person who told me this if the boast came because they planned revenge and the response was not what I expected, but should have, "Hell ya!" That's how it is up here. In politically divided families, spouses make the decision to not talk about politics at all, which, I must admit, is very foreign to me. However, if I want to make a difference as a Democrat, I guess I'd better try to understand these rigid, unyielding, and blindly biased ideologies. Wow, is that possible???

What really gets me is that Democrats are the supporters of the underdog, the downtrodden, the disenfranchised. So why don't why my Republican neighbors see this? Hmm, maybe I just answered my own question. Maybe they don't see themselves as the underdogs, maybe that's reserved for, and more equated to, people like the disabled, or immigrants, or "other races." And downtrodden? perhaps that's for the homeless, or immigrants, or welfare recipients of another "color." And disenfranchised, well, the Republican party disenfranchises no one who will support their wedge-issue, fundamentalist-in-word-but-not-deed, and anti-environmentalist, pro-union, abolish the right-to-work laws, and keep-moms-at-home ideologies. Wow, we Idaho Democrats certainly have our work cut out for us. I hope that the 50-State-Strategy doesn't end any time soon.....

So, on this pre-Obamaland eve, it is quiet in my house while we ponder how we can make change and what kinds of change an Obama administration might bring. I can promise this: I'll be keeping a close on the the Idaho Legislature and what kinds of frivolities they entertain as serious legislation.....

United We Stand....

2008-12-08T06:12:00.000-08:00

I read an interesting article in the Seattle Times this morning by David Sirota about the progressive victories that have occurred at the grassroots level around our nation. I did not know that 17 states won a Democratic trifecta, taking the governorship, state house and state senate. Wow! That makes me even happier to be living in Obamaland....

But this wasn't just a Democratic victory. In some states, like New York, these victories occurred because of the extensive, grassroots organizing of a new third party: the Working Families Party. This recent (1998) organization began in New York and has worked very hard to ensure that the voice of working families is heard by politicians, and what they want is "good jobs, fair taxes, good schools, reliable public transportation, affordable housing, and universal healthcare." This is known as a "progressive agenda." I guess there must be lots of progressives in the state of Idaho, as well as the rest of the nation, because those seem to the be goals that most Americans want. The Working Families Party secures these goals through electoral fusion.

Electoral Fusion is the process in which more than one party endorses a single candidate. When this happens, both parties are recognized on a ballot, each endorsing the same candidate. It is a process that is legal in only seven states, including Idaho. In effect, it brings together seemingly disparate people, albeit with similar wants and needs, in the effort to elect the candidate who is not just a Republican or Democrat but one who represents what working families want. This has produced numerous successes in New York and the party has branched out into other states, including Connecticut, South Carolina and Oregon.

It seems to me that Idaho has need of a working families party, or at least similar efforts to promote what most Idahoans want, like "good jobs, fair taxes, good schools, reliable public transportation, affordable housing and universal healthcare." Wait, Idaho has such a party, and it's the Idaho Democratic Party. I guess the major task in Idaho is convincing Republicans and Independents to participate in some "working families fusion" and vote for candidates who put people's needs before big business and personal values agendas.

As Patrick Henry stated in his last public speech, "United we stand. Divided we fall."

Someone Stole My Obama Yard Sign Last Night

2008-11-05T17:00:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it?

I was a poll watcher for 6 hrs. beginning at 8am. Then I had to drive 50 min. to Sandpoint to teach an evening class. That ended early so I rushed home to celebrate at my Vice-Chair, Fred's home, arriving just in time for Obama's speech. We all watched with great happiness, clapped our approval, and cried tears of joy. I guess about 40 people were there. Then, I finally headed home around 10:30, only to discover that my Obama/Biden sign had disappeared from my yard.

The missing sign was a portent of the next several hours as I mulled and mulled over the Idaho Secretary of State's election night results, along with the Boundary County Clerk's election results, and then cried my heart out for Idaho candidates. Wow! So many 24-28% losses. I can't believe that our local candidates did so badly. It all seemed so bright. But it soured so much.

As a poll watcher I saw all our local wingnuts arrive at the polls, but not alone. They brought their newly registered spouses, their first-time-voting children, and their friends. I haven't reviewed the statistics, but I think that Sarah did a good job of bringing out the religious right. I still had hope, however, for the votes received from the youth and from new arrivals to our community. Unfortunately those hopes were shattered in the night.

We lost two county commissioner seats in Bonner County. Our local candidates for county commissioner lost to Republican incumbents. Our two representative races were lost to Republicans. The Secretary of State offices, who mistakenly put Lew Langness on the ballot, marked him as a withdrawal rather than excluding him after the primary as they should have. Shawn Keough has certainly taken that to the bank....

So, I would like to put out a call to Blaine County - perhaps some of your Democrats would consider moving to north Idaho??? Our land is cheaper, we have less people, and our local Democratic Central Committee is strong. Any takers? I'm sure that Bonner County, also ID District 1, would love to have you as well. We're not the "Crown Jewel of the North" for nothing.... And hey, I'm a sous-chef at a local restaurant, Papa Byrd's Bistro, and our food has received raves from customers from around the world. So, think about it, that's all I ask....

In the meantime, we're making arrangments for evaluation and planning, I've already volunteered to work for a local possible candidate in the 2010 campaign, Minnick will be in congress, and our Idaho candidates ran some damn good campaigns.

So thank you, everyone, all volunteers, all candidates, and our very own IDP. We have taken steps forward on the successful undertaking of making Idaho blue.

Racism in This Campaign? You betcha!

2008-10-20T21:31:00.000-07:00

It started after the Obama campaign began in Idaho. Our local newspaper, the Bonners Ferry Herald, along with the Idaho Statesman, printed an LTE that called Obama a Muslim who tooks his oath of office by swearing on the Iran (sic) and all sorts of other misinformation, racial slurs, and outright lies. Then, about a month ago, the Spokesman Review, decided to print the Michael Ramirez political cartoon, Lipstick on a Pig, a very racist caricature of Barack Obama. The actual cartoon can still be found at radical right websites, although it was taken off Ramirez's usual website post, Investor's Business Daily, about five hours after it was originally posted.

And now it turns out that one of our only large Obama signs in Bonners Ferry has been defaced by someone who spray-painted a large, black "N" over the "O" in Obama.

Is this an act of hatred and racism? An adolescent prank? A politically motivated activity? Well the Boundary County Democrats are providing a reward for information that will lead to the arrest of this person or persons. Why? Because not only is this a rash and egregious political act, but with its undertones of racism, if not blatant hatred, it is a message that most Idahoans do not want to send. Republicans and Democrats alike have worked very hard to fight the presence of Aryan Nation types, to promote Human Rights, and to make our state too great for hate. Such defacement of a political sign is not good for the election, for the county, for the state or for the nation.

Fair And Balanced...

2008-09-01T09:22:00.000-07:00

I originally saw this on OpenLeft this morning. It's a photo taken by loojie at DC's national airport. It's tagged with the headline "Fair and Balanced." The Republicans seem to have a real knack for tipping the truth scales. The network coverage of this presidential campaign should be interesting, and hopefully not downright irritating. I'm curious about where those T-shirts came from....

Of course the biggest headline these days, running neck in neck with Gustav is that hero of the Christian Right, Senator Stevens, Big Oil, and foreign policy expert, Sarah Palin. I believe that this morning, Governor Palin has won the race with Gustav because of her announcement that her seventeen year old daughter is pregnant, that is without the benefit of marriage. You know, the information that her daughter is pregnant doesn't bother me, although I think that it is irresponsible. Given her parents Christian Right background, I do wonder if her only education on the topic was one of abstinence....a deplorable use of the term education when young adults should be taught about protection as well. This news brings up topics which should be discussed, although I think that the privacy of the daughter should be respected. On the other hand, Palin did accept a Veep position which means as much public exposure as the media can grab. And given how much of a surprise it was and is, I can't imagine that we're going to hear about much of anything else in the next two months.

Sisyphus at 43StateBlues has a great summary of who Sarah Palin is, while Red State Rebels chimes in twice about the chimera. IdaBlue thinks Palin will implode within two weeks, which I certainly hope for but the media has a way with toying with my sense of reason. Of course Morialekafa had his usual bit of fun with this nomination, should you need to find some humor in the selection. And then there are the Idaho extremists, including the Village Idiot and the wingnut.

The presidential race has certainly become interesting, but what will be even more interesting is how fair and balanced the media will actually be.

Go Democrats! Go Obama/Biden!

Oh To Be Part Of The Convention Confusion...

2008-08-27T08:40:00.000-07:00

I just eat up the reports about the Democratic National Convention that are coming from our Idaho bloggers. The confusion, hard work, and long hours are summed up nicely by D2 at 43StateBlues, who describes a typical blogger's day at the Convention. And although she is not at the Convention, RedStateRebel's dedication to posting everything that's happening includes an excitement that reverberates in the blogosphere.

For the typical delegate's day, check out Megan Nagel's descriptions, who puts more activities in a day than I thought possible. From events to interviews to getting those daily credentials to travel time to enthusiasm and to catching up on eluded sleep, Megan describes it all.

Of course, being both blogger and mom, I keep turning to my son, Julian, page and youngest member of the Idaho delegation. He has done well with meeting people from Evan Bayh (they are in the same hotel) to Bill Richardson to John Oliver, and, while on the floor, ran into Howard Wolfson, with whom he briefly joked about his role in Hillary's campaign. Hey D2, maybe you can talk Julian into letting you get those pics out of his camera....

Those are some of the highlight moments in days that begin closer to 4:30 am, and which keep Jessica and Julian very busy from carrying signs to running credentials to making sure everyone is present for roll call to listening to both the mundane and the most exciting speeches. And Julian, like so many of us in Idaho, loved Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer's speech, whose enthusiasm, wit, and passion is so inspirational.

Julian and the other delegates have also been featured in various news articles. Julian was lucky enough to be interviewed by AFP, which was picked up all over the internet. Richard Hill, a delegate from Moscow, was featured on NPR. Jerry Brady reports about the souvenir collecting at the Convention, which is interesting just in terms of what's being offered. Megan Nagel was picked up by the Norwegian Dagbladet, although they had trouble with their geography thinking that she came from Ohio. The National Journal Online couldn't resist asking Keith Roark about Idaho potatoes.... Albert Wilkerson was stopped on day one for his take on Obama. And there has to be more to come!

Go Democrats! Go Obama!

Idaho at the Democratic National Convention

2008-08-26T07:59:00.000-07:00

Wow! Idaho is at the Convention and our Idaho delegates, bloggers, and reporters are doing their best to bring the convention to all of us. With charm, wit, fun and great reporting, 43StateBlues is Idaho's "official" blog at the Convention. Watch the videos and feel like you're there (and you'll also find out why D2 and Serephin have to "share" a floor credential). You can also follow their every movement (well, almost) at Twitter and Flickr.

Of course Red State Rebels is on top of everything in spite of reporting from Idaho. She notes some of the other reports coming from the convention, including Jill Kuraitis from NewWestBoise and Nathaniel Hoffman for the Boise Weekly. I especially liked the excitement that emanates from delegate Megan Nagel's report in Blue Girl From A Red State, and, of course, that informative and interesting blog from one of Idaho's best legislators, Nicole LeFavour and her Notes From The Floor. We even have reports from our very own Jerry Brady who, as a delegate also provides a well-rounded description of Convention events.

With 3 news people for every one delegation member, delegates and anyone with those special lanyards, are being interviewed left and right. As many of you know, my son, Julian Langness, is the youngest member of the Idaho delegation and is there as the page from District 1. He says he has been interviewed by so many different people, he can't remember all of them. But Mom was smart enough to sign up for GoogleAlerts and discovered that Julian and roommate Steve Mercado have already appeared online at New West Politics. I liked the article because I believe that the youth that Obama has drawn into the party are my future, if not yours.

Go Democrats!

Just Another Day....

2008-07-21T17:44:00.000-07:00

Well, another part of our water line burst on Saturday night and we're still without water.... We just had half the water line replaced about a month ago. In between then and now a wind storm knocked down a huge Ponderosa pine which took with it three electric poles on our street so we were without electricity for two days. Now it's the water line again. Doing without water, and power, and water, certainly teaches one a thing or two about their value. I think of all the people in the world who do not have water and electricity and am thankful that I live where I live. I must say though, that it's tempting to try to "get off the grid." Being dependent on so many other people really requires a tremendous amount of patience. And when I think of how our American infrastructure is beginning to crumble because of things like corporate salaries, it just shortens my temper.

I did finally get my internet service back, about two weeks ago. That was a VERY BIG LESSON in patience. I also finally am back on my old, trusty laptop, after accidentally spilling a glass of wine on the spare computer....yeah, just let your imagination run wild.

Bill Sali hasn't disappointed me either this summer: he still persists in being the Idaho Village Idiot in our national congress. Thanks Sali. I can't wait until Minnick demonstrates to Congress that intelligent life does exist in Idaho.

I also can't wait for Larry LaRocco to replace that lying, impostor of family values, Senator Wide Stance Craig. I might have some pity for him if he ever actually sought to upheld the truth, perform honorable deeds, and do something beneficial for the state of Idaho (as opposed to filling the coffers of the Republican party). So, you go, LaRocco! We want Idaho people and Idaho values representing us in Congress.

On another note, I do plan to take up pen, well, keyboard, more often, now that I'm into the groove of working six days a week.... I still love the "cheffing," as a recent visitor, Serephin of 43StateBlues can tell you, because Serephin visited the restaurant where I work. Thanks so much for the visit! One of these days I hope to drink liberally with you in the southeast nether lands of this great state!

In the meantime, the sun is lowering in the sky and I still see no sign of my water returning. Well, tomorrow is just another day....

Good Eats In My Blue Idaho

2008-05-29T17:34:00.000-07:00

Wow, only one post this month.... I must be following in the footsteps of TheMountainGoatReport who has also been noticeably absent from the usual consistent format and vigilance. Sometimes one's life takes new direction and mine certainly has. Aside from a return to teaching part-time at the college level, I've also taken on full-time work as a sous-chef, or as my boss says, everyday we get to "play restaurant." He jokes, but since February the place has grown past four times what it was when they first opened. I am especially lucky, because cooking really good "wow" food is very dear to my heart and my boss treats me as an equal, creatively speaking. So now I'm doing two of my favorite activities in the world: teaching anthropology, and cooking in a really good local restaurant. So, RSR, please put Papa Byrd's Bistro on your list of great places to dine in Bonners Ferry, ID.

And yes, we are good. That's why the restaurant has grown so quickly. Indeed, the Moroccan spiced ribs with couscous and tzatzikis sauce that my boss made last night deserved a very special photo, but alas, I didn't have my camera with me. Of course, I probably wouldn't be able to take many photos because we're always so busy.... I've been able to contribute many desserts including a drop-dead Tres Leches Cake, made with Thai coconut milk. And on the chocolate side, I've contribute both a chocolate mousse cake (not too many calories....) and a decadent chocolate cake served on raspberry coulis with a dollop of whipped cream. Hungry yet?

Well, it may not be politics for this blog, but it's still my blue Idaho, and I just feel great about making the crown jewel of northern Idaho just that much more tempting.

US Ecology Making Millions Accepting Toxic Waste

2008-05-09T11:37:00.001-07:00

Is that glow I see in the southern sky actually southern Idaho? The online Hanford News out of the Tri-Cities area of Washington, recently reported that toxic waste is bringing in big bucks to southern Idaho. It seems that US Ecology's public hazardous waste dump facility knows that toxic waste is a lucrative business venture.

Boise based American Ecology is the parent company of US Ecology. As the article reports, last year American Ecology brought in $165.5 million with a $45.5 million gross profit. As for the contribution to Idaho:

"According to a 2006 economic impact analysis by economist Don Reading, American Ecology's annual economic contribution in Idaho is $51 million in taxes, payroll and direct and indirect spending. The company paid $1.4 million in state taxes in 2005."

Unfortunately we don't yet know how much they're going to be making off the Kuwaiti sand. But as Mountain Goat reports, following the money certainly provides much information about why Idaho is filling up with an abundance of toxic waste.

Given the effects that Hanford had on my neck of the woods, American Ecology doesn't seem like the best business venture for the state of Idaho. I'd hate to think that Idahoans may, in the future, suffer the same economic fate of the buffalo.... As much as I love north Idaho, British Columbia is beginning to look more and more desirable.

Just Another Day...

2008-04-28T19:29:00.001-07:00

Ah, the days pass quickly and blend into each other all too easily... Last Friday the Boundary County Democrats had a great Spaghetti Fundraiser/Auction. Besides our wonderful local Democrats, we hosted our local and District 1 candidates, Steve Elgar, Tom Hollingsworth, Jerry Pavia and John O'Conner. Laura Bry of Bonner County also attended and it makes everyone happy to see at large District 1 members attending each other's county events. We're tight up here in the north country.

Shelley Landry had planned to attend but rumor has it that she swept her girls into the car for a quick trip to visit out-of-town Dad for his birthday. What don't the Republicans get about Democrats' family values??? You show 'em Shelley! And we all hope you had a terrific visit!

Now that the school year is coming to a close, I decided, at the last minute, to add one more hat to my collection. So besides sociologist, anthropologist, rare book seller, and blogger, I just took on a position as sous-chef. Gosh, you'd think I was 18 again, but that thought is quickly dashed when I take a look in the mirror. I think I'll get rid of the mirror.... I'm loving what I'm doing! Even if it does mean that I don't have time to do a lot of blogging these days.

But I'm sure that the primary and the state convention and the old-girl-network versus the vision of youth will motivate me to shoot off my mouth soon.

In the meantime, Go Democrats! And thank you Mother Nature for a warm and inviting first Farmer's Market of the season!

They Say It's Your Birthday....

2008-04-22T08:47:00.000-07:00

Ya, it is. There's an inch of snow of the ground and the sun is shining. Me and Mother Nature are tight! We have to be, after all, Earth Day falls on my birthday. And it's being celebrated around the world, including a thematic tribute by some of the most popular newspaper cartoon writers. How cool is that! And, you think you know/remember the first Earth Day celebration? Well, take the Earth Day Quiz and find out.

I actually had a great post written about the North Idaho Democratic Dinner, but the photos sent to me were piggy-backed by a bloody virus and it has been hell ever since. I'm still working on it but may have to succumb to an expensive overhaul.... What a drag! Now I get to spend my birthday attempting to get all needed data off the computer. I guess that will teach me to forget my camera. I don't know how Don did it (he must have a better anti-virus program), but he did post one of the photos over at Red State Rebels. When I get my problem solved, I may find time to post....

Well, back to work, but with an eye on the Pennsylvania primary. If Obama wins Pennsylvania today, that would be some cool birthday present!

Grant Withdraws From 1st CD Race

2008-04-10T20:23:00.001-07:00

Today a local hero threw in the hat and decided to support his opponent. Yes. Larry Grant withdrew from the Congressional District 1 race and indicated his support for his opponent Walt Minnick. A news release appeared at Red State Rebels shortly before a report appeared at the Idaho Statesman. 43rdStateBlues chimed in early in the morning as well as NewWest Boise, and by afternoon The Mountain Goat Report and redstateresident's dailykos diary also had full reports. In short, Larry Grant's statement reads:

"I'm standing here with Cecil Andrus and Walt Minnick. We have stood shoulder to shoulder on many Democratic campaigns. We will stand together on many more, including, most importantly, this one.

My campaign has never been about my personal ambition. I have spent the last three years on the campaign trail doing my very best to build the Idaho Democratic Party from the ground up. I'm proud of what I and my campaign team have achieved.

There isn't ten cents worth of difference between my view of the world and Walt Minnick's. That's why we need to be working together to beat Bill Sali, not spending valuable time and resources in a contentious primary.

For that reason, I am withdrawing from the race this morning.

Bill Sali is one of the most ineffective and embarrassing Congressmen we have ever had. Governor Andrus and I will be leaving here today with one objective in mind, to claim this seat for a responsible and respected voice for the people of Idaho, Walt Minnick."

Frankly, I'll always believe that there's more to this story than those simple yet noble statements, but we know that I'm always suspicious that way.... Anyway, I began with the description of Larry as "local hero" and I want to share how much he touched the people in Boundary County.

Tonight we had the Boundary Country Central Committee meeting and I learned first-hand how much Larry had connected with the people of this county over the past three years. Some felt shock, very similar to that moment in 2000 when we learned the Supreme Court's decision to make Bush president, or when, in 2004, John Kerry no longer felt the need "to make every vote count." Some were saddened and disappointed and just felt tired of politics. Some were angry with Andrus, with the Democratic Party and with politics in general. And a few, gals and guys, cried with grief when they heard the news. Several lost the urge to even vote in the next election.

I told them all that the greatest response I had read came from Red State Rebels when Julie commented, "Ouch. Ok. Onward." And even though many of us had aching hearts, we moved forward, concentrating on our wonderful local candidates, and focusing on how we could best support them both politically and financially. Because we all know in our hearts, that that's what Larry would want us to do.

Thanks for being such a terrific candidate, Larry! You know you have lots of friends here in the crown jewel of the north and you and Pam will always be the most welcome of guests.

And The IDP New Executive Director Is...

2008-04-03T06:53:00.000-07:00

The Idaho Democratic Party has a new Executive Director, Jim Hansen. Many of you already know Jim, especially those in Congressional District 2 where he was a candidate in the 2006 election cycle. Jim, a founding member/director of United Vision for Idaho, also brings much experience as an elected legislator, state campain manager, and all around energtic and knowledgeable activist to the IDP. How lucky can we get!

We now have a new IDP Chair, a new Executive Director, two tireless DNC employees working for our party, a good Communications Director, and a well-organized Adminstrative Director, plus a great County Chair organization (thanks to the efforts of Lin Laughy and all the other active chairs). I think it's about time to turn Idaho blue again!

I Pledge Allegiance...

2008-03-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

Well, several legislators in the Idaho House, as well as the the Idaho Values Alliance, certainly outdid themselves by whining and complaining that Press Corps. members who didn't recite the Pledge of Allegiance should not only have their loyalty questioned but were then advised to not be present while the pledge was recited. See more at Fort Boise "Calculated Malice", the Mountain Goat Report "Of Kerfuffles", and the unequivocal notion "Bryan Fischer's Readers". The first time through I missed Jill's post over at NewWest Boise (sorry Jill), contained within a general post appropriately called Harebrained Absurdities at the Idaho Legislature.

This gross display of ignorance about American history cannot be forgiven just because they recite the Pledge of Allegiance. I sure as hell would like to know where in the U.S. Constitution it says, according to Idaho Values Alliance Executive Director Bryan Fischer,

“This would have been news to the Founding Fathers...since they established the political foundation of our form of government on the concept that our rights are an inalienable gift to us from the Creator. The United States was founded on a religious concept, and the Pledge is a simple way of reaffirming today the original vision of Thomas Jefferson and the rest of the Founders.” (highlighting mine).

First of all, our founding fathers came from a European background of religious harassment and persecution. They deliberately left religion out of the Constitution and only added the first amendment later on. Thus, the only place in the U.S. Constitution that refers to religion is in Article VI which states:

"...no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."

So much for Fischer's knowledge of U.S. history.

The First Amendment states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." ostensibly because two of the original thirteen states still supported having an established religion. However, Connecticut did away with that idea in 1817 and Massachusetts in 1813.

The Pledge of Allegiance wasn't even written until 1892, and the author was a Christian socialist, Francis Bellamy, who was later thrown out of his church because of his socialist values. As chairman of superintendents for the National Education Association, he helped arrange for this pledge to be recited in all the public schools. In 1923 at the National Flag Conference, the words changed from "my flag" to the "flag of the United States," and in 1924 "of America" was added. Congress officially recognized the pledge in 1945, five years after the Supreme Court mandated it be said in public schools until 1943 when the Supreme Court decided it should no longer be compulsory. It was not until 1954, pushed by a campaign of the Knights of Columbus, that Congress officially added the words "under God."

Indeed, even today students in the state of Idaho are not "...compelled... to recite the Pledge of Allegiance nor sing the national anthem." So, Bryan Fischer and his Republican friends in the legislature would be better off working on the real problems faced by the citizens of Idaho rather than revealing their own ignorance and idiocy by questioning the constitutionally correct behavior of the Idaho Press Corps.

And We Have Candidates

2008-03-21T21:33:00.000-07:00

Idaho Legislative District 1 has Democratic candidates for several key positions as well as for local positions. For Idaho Legislative District 1, Steve Elgar will be challenging incumbent Eric Anderson, who must participate in a Republican primary run-off with Daniel Lawrence. Tom Hollingsworth will be challenging George Eskridge for the second Id Dist. 1 seat. Tom has already been knocking on doors, attending meetings, and working hard on his campaign. Boundary County also has candidates for six of its seven precincts.

In ID Leg District 2, we have Rep. Joyce Broadsword in a primary run-off with two other candidates, Bill Largen and James Stivers, with Democrat Rand Lewis as the sole Democratic candidate. You go, Rand! You have made us very happy! C. J. Rose, Democrat, will be running against Dick Harwood. And Mary Lou Shepherd will be running unopposed.

Locally in Boundary County, Jerry Pavia-D, commercial garden photographer and past president of the Idaho Conservation League Board of Directors will be running against incumbent Ron Smith-R for County Commissioner. And John O'Connor-D, owner of Bonner Books, will be running for the second district county commissioner position. Also in that district 2 commissioner race are two Republicans, including the incumbent, who will be facing a primary run-off for that position, and a newbie Independent. We now have several great candidates who will help lead the way into making north Idaho once again a Democratic stronghold through a grassroots effort based on Dean's 50-state strategy.

Boundary County thought that Bonner County had a Democratic candidate to run against Shawn Keough, but poof! the deadline passed and no name appeared. Other Bonner County highlights include a District 1 County Commissioner race with incumbent Todd Crossett-D, who will be running against the winner of a Republican primary run-off between Cornel Rasor-R and John T. Reuter-R. District 2 County Commissioner has a Democratic primary run-off between Brian Orr-D and Patty Palmer-D, with only one Republican challenger, Joseph Young-R. For Sheriff, one Democrat, Tony Lamanna, will be challenged by one of five Republican primary candidates: Rocky Jordan, Chip Roos, Geoff Rusho, Elaine Savage, and Daryl Wheeler.

Senator Larry Wide-Stance Craig Does Idaho Dirty

2008-03-16T05:11:00.000-07:00

Anyone reading the Times News this past Wednesday must now know that the citizens of Idaho, and of Mountain Home in particular, have become Larry Craig's latest targets. You see, Craig is just dying to see the U.S. Air Force build a nuclear reactor at their base in Mountain Home. As the paper reports, Dan Whiting, Craig's press secretary, said, "Sen. Craig would love to see a reactor at Mountain Home." Although relatively small at 5-10 megawatts, that means a new pile of nuclear waste in Idaho, something which will linger in the area for at least 10,000 years or so. Diana, at We Have Failed Our Duty, provides a succinct but impressive amount of information on why nuclear just isn't a good idea.

France claims that they can environmentally control the waste by enclosing it in glass and storing it underground in Normandy. But the environmental reports I've seen on Normandy suggest that this isn't such a safe bet. And that's ignoring the waste that they've shipped off to Siberia. But who cares about Siberia? That's like caring for Idaho.

I just wish Senator Craig would keep his dirty little activities in the bathroom. Idaho doesn't need, or want him, any more.

HB 516 And The War On Drugs

2008-03-12T22:57:00.000-07:00

Tara at The Political Game is beginning to feel like she's beating a dead horse for bringing up the same topic within a short time period. This topic, however, is so important, that every person in Idaho should be reading about it. Before the Idaho House is House Bill 516, a bill that, in Tara's words "...would give discretion to sitting judges to determine in which drug offense cases treatment is appropriate...." This bill is not only humane, economically good for the state as well as for its prisons and taxpayers, but also gives pause so that all of us may re-consider what we are actually doing with our drug laws.

In a prohibition movement that boggles the mind, the United States has moved far away from giving doctors and the medical profession the right to determine patient treatment based on their medical knowledge, to a government agency, created

"...to enforce the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States and bring to the criminal and civil justice system of the United States, or any other competent jurisdiction, those organizations and principal members of organizations, involved in the growing, manufacture, or distribution of controlled substances appearing in or destined for illicit traffic in the United States...."

What exactly does this mean? It means that under the Controlled Substance Act, the Attorney General can decide which substance is a drug, what kind of drug, the ability of a drug to create dependency, and how to criminally control that drug. Did anyone hear of the word physician mentioned here? True, the DEA and the Attorney General are supposed to read the scientific evidence. But lo and behold, or should I say, shock and awe, guess whose scientific articles they read and cite? You're right, Big Pharma, whose own research has been brought into question on any number of occasions. Check it out here and here and here and here and need I go on? I guess it's obvious whose research the DEA and the Attorney General read, if they read it at all.... It's more likely that they just take and take and take more and more money from the drug lobbyists.

HB 516 wants the Idaho courts to take into account the medical condition known as addiction, and thus, as The Political Game points out,

"The purpose of this legislation is to provide treatment focused alternative sentencing for certain mandatory minimum sentences. This legislation will allow judges, where appropriate, to sentence those whose crime was primarily the result of addiction, to a treatment focused track so as to more effectively rehabilitate offenders, reduce recidivism and slow growth in Idaho's non-violent offender population." (Highlighting is mine.)

And Senator Denton Darrington and Representative Jim Clark are leading the way to oppose this bill, no questions asked, no consideration given, no compassion shown, and, well, basically no rational thought given to the good this bill might do, not just for Idaho people, but for the state as well. See the excellent press release by Nicole LeFavour and more about the cost of ignoring treatment at The Mountain Goat Report.

The draconian drug laws of the United States have done more to create criminals, as this CATO report describes:

"The long federal experiment in prohibition of marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and other drugs has given us unprecedented crime and corruption combined with a manifest failure to stop the use of drugs or reduce their availability to children." by David Boaz, executive vice president of the Cato Institute.

Many scientists support this view as a google search will reveal yet our government, and the state of Idaho included, persists in destroying the lives and families of non-violent drug offenders. In other countries, novel approaches to drug dependency have taken a more compassionate approach, focusing on harm-reduction, treatment, and health professional training. Lower crime rates, less "needle-park" scenarios, employment and improved quality of life for addicts, and illegal drug activity reduction are just some of the benefits that countries like Switzerland and Holland now appreciate because of their sensible drug policies as noted here and here and here and here and here, and that's just for a start.

To end with a few more absurdities, it seems that while the International Narcotics Control Board has issued a press release (pdf) calling for Greater Access to Opioid Medicines in Developing World, a doctors group issued a memorandum warning doctors "...not to prescribe opiates for pain relief...." They further state that since the US government has lost the war on drugs, now they're starting a war on doctors.

I don't think you can say enough about this problem, Tara, so keep up the good work at The Political Game.

New Executive Director for the IDP

2008-03-12T06:59:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately Nicole's decision has changed due to other circumstances. Hopefully we'll have a new Executive Director soon. This time I'll make sure the person is IN THE OFFICE before reporting about it....

Keith Roark announced this morning that Nicole Goitiandia will be the new Executive Director for the Idaho Democratic Party. Those of you in Boise may know Nicole already as she was born and raised in Boise. Fluent in both Spanish and Basque, she also brings many management, as well as financial skills to the position. She has also served as director for the Utah State Democratic Party. We all welcome her presence with the Idaho Democrats!

Credit Card Man

2008-03-10T20:24:00.003-07:00

Credit Card Man

My friend, Glenda Guilmet, is an incredible artist who recently created "Credit Card Man." Extending the public appearance of her original work of art, Credit Card Man can now be viewed at youtube, by going here. Although I know very little about economics, friends like Glenda, with a background in economics and business administration (as well as art, now how well-rounded can you get?), make the current economic situation in the US somewhat understandable and certainly put things in perspective.

Glenda Guilmet

I've noticed that the economy has been in the news a lot lately, from reports on how rich the rich really are, to NPR reports on "super capitalism," to criminal investigations into Pentagon contracts with Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan, to America's addiction to debt, and finally, to an international fear of a dollar collapse, which brings us back around to Credit Card Man. I shake my head in disbelief. It's just spend, spend, spend. Everyone seems to own a snowmobile, ATV, gas-guzzling trucks, power boats, etc. in my neck of the woods (except my family and close friends, of course), even though most of them cannot afford it! What kind of madness is this?

I try to maintain a sense of sanity in the face of such economic upheaval by escaping into the worlds that books create. Keeping in mind such memorable lines like the opening of the novel Scaramouche, "He was born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad," I also turn to comedy (thank you John Stewart and Stephen Colbert). Besides dry wit, I love irony and satire. Which brings me back to Credit Card Man. Satire puts things in perspective.... Politics through art, I like that. Thank you, Glenda.

Pizza And Politics In Bonner County

2008-03-08T18:26:00.000-08:00

Last night we attended Pizza and Politics in Bonner County, held at the Sandpoint Community Hall. Wendy Jaquet and George Sayler each gave overviews of what's happening in the Idaho House. I liked Wendy's three main points of preserving the Idaho way of life, standing up for the middle class, and seeking transparency in government. Wendy spoke about residential sales price disclosure, working in an obstructionist legislature, financial disclosure, her work on the energy committee, and more. George also spoke about the obstructionist legislature, the failure to pass bills supporting licensing of day care centers, criminal checks on those who work with children, education and the future of Idaho's children. With an open question period, it soon became obvious that Wendy and George are very much in tune with Idaho voters, but constantly thwarted by wingnut Republicans and big business money and thus, despite their constant hard work, they can only move forward in small steps because, bottom line, we need more Democrats in the Idaho congress.

Several other local elected officials and candidates all showed up for the event, as described in no particular order: Larry Grant, candidate for national Congressional District 1 gave his usual thoughtful, articulate, and meaningful presentation of issues near and dear to the people of Idaho; Jeanne Buell, IDP Vice-Chair expressed how happy and proud she was to attend these north Idaho events and to see how involved and committed everyone is; Boundary County's candidate for Legislative District 1 seat, Tom Hollingsworth, gave a brief presentation of his reasons for running, emphasizing issues important to the people of this district; Todd Crossett, Bonner County Commissioner, spoke eloquently about his entrance into the political arena and thanked Larry Grant for his help and support; Shelley Landry, northern representative of the DNC in Idaho, spoke about the Neighborhood Leader program and received a positive reception in the number of people who then volunteered to be Neighborhood leaders; Marie Scott, Bonner County Clerk, spoke of the travails of being a clerk in a state that puts more and more monetary responsibilities and constraints on the county clerk's office. Many others also attended, including people from both Kootenai and Boundary counties, including state legislative district chairs, county Democratic central committee members, at least one high school student, and others. The evening was friendly, included much information, and gave the separate counties a chance to just hang out together.

Larry orates while Wendy and George look on in approval.

Watch these faces of potential candidates: Steve Elgar and Dan Sheckler with fiancée, Lisa.

Larry with Tamara Poelstra.

The far north contingency: Alice, Fred and Tom Hollingsworth.

The Numbers Game

2008-03-04T18:50:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm not surprised that before the weekend was over I'd hear a refrain I've heard before: in the Congressional District 1 race, the votes in north Idaho just aren't important. The only important votes are in Ada and Canyon counties. That really kind of irks me. Boundary County may not be statistically significant when compared to the Ada County or even Canyon county vote. But remember the words are "north Idaho." I guess one could argue over where north Idaho begins and ends, but I think you'd find that people in north Idaho are not so unaware.

So let's look at some numbers. In the last General Election in 2006, Larry Grant received 31,748 votes in Ada county and 16,459 votes in Canyon county, for a total of 48,207 votes. Now, let's put that against just the five northernmost counties: in Benewah, 1,131 votes; Bonner, 6,475 votes; Boundary, 1,276 votes; Kootenai, 15,874 votes; and Shoshone, 3,854 votes, for a total of 28,610 votes. Now that beats Canyon county and brings it close to Ada county. And if we add the other northern counties: Clearwater, 1,367; Idaho, 2,405; Latah, 7,087; and Nez Perce, 6,576, for a total of 17, 435 votes, and add that to the 28,610, we get 46,045 votes in north Idaho for Larry Grant. That is not a significant statistical difference from the 48,207 "important" votes that Ada and Canyon counties received.

It's true that many candidates find it difficult to travel all the way to Bonners Ferry, although they do manage to make it up to Sandpoint. We're kind of forgiving about that and we do make the almost one hour trek down to Sandpoint for those purposes. Heck, some of us even work in Bonner and Kootenai counties. But don't say that our vote doesn't count, because the numbers just don't add up.

Not only that, but we have had our own problems with growth and development over the past several years, especially since Sandoint was named, in several different prominent magazines, as one of the best places to live in the U.S. Couple that with property taxes, the second and out-of-state homes in our counties for which we receive no property taxes, and the 75% of federal and state owned land in Boundary County, and our problems are in many ways no different than the rest of the state. So our vote is just as important as that of the urban sprawl areas like Ada county!

Finally, if what this really happens to be about is who can sink the most money into this race, I think that the voters in District 1, like voters most everywhere in Idaho, are much more impressed with a personal knock on the door than an expense of money that most people do not have. Indeed, if money could buy a race, then Al Blinken would be a senator now. What I do know, however, is this: the north Idaho vote is important and we in the north know that. And that vote will be significant in the coming elections.

The Republican stronghold on north Idaho has lasted almost thirty years, but change is in the air. Indeed, today a Republican stopped by the business of our local Democratic co-chair and asked for an Obama bumper sticker. Oh yeah, do I feel good now!

2008 Frank Church Banquet

2008-03-03T20:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I arrived home from the 2008 Frank Church Banquet, the annual fundraiser for the Idaho Democratic Party. Accompanied by a round of IDP meetings, training, candidate introductions, and just a great time for seeing old friends and meeting new ones, the FCB has, for a second year, been a fun event for me. This year was especially great because the keynote speaker was Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, founder of the dailykos. And just as great, I met even more of my fellow bloggers, and, needless to say, I had a wonderful time. Serephin, from 43sb has all the evidence, taking at least 10,000 photos over the course of the weekend. Okay, maybe it was only 1,000.....

Arriving on Friday evening (I had to teach in the afternoon), I came in on the tail end of the Canyon County event at the Doubletree, the place where all meetings and festivities took place. Having only that evening free to see my friend, Joanna, I met her at the bar and numerous friends joined us. We had a great time with plenty of discussion, before retiring for a long Saturday.

Saturday began with meeting Keith Roark, the new IDP chair. He seems very well organized, efficient, politically capable and smart. I look forward to his presence as IDP chair. Next came some training for central committee members, followed by lunch. THEN, one of my favorite people, Parag Mehta of the DNC, gave a presentation. He is so smart, articulate, humorous, and engaging, I cannot imagine how anyone wouldn't be inspired by him. I was joined by some early-arriving bloggers, including Markos, mcjoan, and the Red State Rebels blogmother.

Finally, the evening began with a silent auction, no-host bars, and candidate host areas. Then into the banquet for lots of inspirational speeches, food, the keynote speaker, live auctions, and the after-parties. For an anthropologist like myself, it was great ceremony with all the essentials of ritual.

The banquet room was decorated with symbols of the party: photos of our great, past leader, Frank Church, for whom the banquet was named. The walls were adorned with photos of Frank Church, as were each of the tables, reminding us all of who we are as Democrats. In speeches we honored our past icons/heroes with descriptions of what they did and analogies and metaphors of how they affected our own lives (think of Amy's Little Red Wagon speech). One of our past/still living heroes even appeared in a candidate's video. Our recent chair, Richard Stallings, was honored in speech before being called to speak himself. He and Governor Andrus should thank God they live in the US instead of Africa where they might be considered members of the walking dead.... People took part in sharing ceremonies by recalling to mind past group memories, and bringing us to the present with the same shared food. We bestowed gifts upon each other in the terms of auctions, and the presentation of a large check from Quanah Spenser of the Coeur d'Alene tribe to the Idaho Democratic Party. Such "gifts" promote the community as a whole. Our place as parts of this whole community were defined not only by our own tales of perseverance, but through our guest, keynote speaker, Markos, as well. He reminded us that Idaho Democrats are like an endangered species in a swarm of Republican rulers and its our tenacity and desire to endure that has allowed us to survive, and now, even prosper. He also bought the symbolic, auction item: the dated Andrus jacket which allowed Markos to require all other members of this tribe to wear this symbolic jacket during their own presentations, thus invoking a shared symbolic past. This helped the numerous, Idaho Democratic communities to feel not like separate parts but members of a larger whole. Through this ceremonial occasion we become a community whose sum is greater than its individual parts. Finally, at the end of promoting this whole community of kindred Democratic spirits, we finally allowed the whole community to disperse into its separate parts until the next ceremonial occasion. We did this by separating into smaller groups who continued to celebrate the values of the larger whole, whether in the bar, on the dance floor, in small discussion groups, and so forth.

The only aspect of this occasion that seemed to be passed over was the celebrations of the youth and all that is new. Well, we had Markos as the keynote speaker but then nobody really mentioned our own Idaho bloggers..... But perhaps that wasn't so important because the bloggers have their own clear voice.

This blogging voice became apparent the next morning when we all met for coffee at the IDP headquarters. In a short discussion that mentioned blogging, who we all are, some of what we are about, questions we had for Markos, and finally, our appreciation of Markos's attendance at this event, we headed back to our own individual worlds to once again share ourselves with the blogging community.

How Lucky Can I Get....

2008-03-03T06:27:00.000-08:00

Some of the bloggers arrive in time to hear Parag Mehta's inspirational, interesting and humorous presentation at the Idaho State Democratic Party's Frank Church Banquet weekend. I'm pretty lucky to be included with this bunch, and pretty darn lucky to be able to hear Parag speak again (last year he was in Post Falls). Of course the best part of the whole weekend was hanging out with Markos from the dailykos.com and some of my fellow Idaho bloggers including 43sb guys, mcjoan, Red State Rebels, The Political Game, We Have Failed Our Duty, and IdaBlue.

I want to personally thank John Foster, our out-going Executive Director for this, because he was the one who came up with the idea of bringing Markos to be the keynote speaker in the evening at the Frank Church Banquet.

Thinking of Sara

2008-02-25T20:06:00.000-08:00

I just heard that Sara Anderson of f-words, has received some horrible news:

I found out today that I have a huge tumor-looking thing in my brain. Thoughts and prayers are appreciated.

Needless to say, friends and fellow bloggers have all sent her lots of love, good thoughts, prayers, and encouragement. I met Sara last year at the State Committee Meeting in Post Falls. She is a delight and I was so happy to meet a young person who is so involved in politics and feminist issues. It was also nice for both of us to meet a fellow "foodie" as well.

Sara's husband, Andy, will be fielding emails and "holding the keys" to her blog for a while. Leave a message for her at the blogsite. We all hope she's back in full swing soon.

Hollingsworth Announces House Bid

2008-02-23T09:31:00.000-08:00

Boundary County businessman and community volunteer Tom Hollingsworth on Thursday, December 20, announced his candidacy as state representative for District 1, saying it has been 20 years since Boundary County has had a local Representative in Boise.

Tom and his wife, Toni, moved to Boundary County 20 years ago and opened a retail garden center, Holly Gardens. Throughout his time here, he has been active in the community, serving for many years as a volunteer in the Sheriffs Office, as a member and past chairman of the county translator board, on the Neighborhood Watch program, in the North Bench Fire Association, and on the county Youth Advisory Board. He has served on the Boundary County Planning and Zoning Commission for several years and is currently its chairman, and he was recently appointed by County Commissioners to serve on the county Guardianship Board.

In announcing his bid for the State House, Hollingsworth said he would like to take his community service one step higher.

“Bonner and Boundary Counties need a voice in Boise that can be heard,” he said. “There are many important issues; transportation, quality jobs, law enforcement, an educated workforce, senior citizen concerns, primary care funding, elimination of the grocery tax, elimination of the business property tax, affordable housing, a cap on real estate assessments and more. I feel the State of Idaho has to step up to the plate and lend assistance to rural counties that have a low population base, and therefore a low tax base.”

For further information, write Tom at PO Box 212, Moyie Springs, ID 83845, or call (208) 267-2627.

Having known Tom and his wife, Toni, for many years now, I need to add how much both of them have given to our community in terms of volunteer work. Toni has been a major mover in getting more people active in the local Democratic party. She also just brought in much needed grant money for the Restorium. She has organized the twice yearly "Take-It-Or-Leave-It" days at the county landfill. And of course there's much more. Tom's volunteer activities have been vital to our community, a community in which volunteers are often stretched thin. And both of them take their volunteer activities very seriously.

Both Toni and Tom were active in sales before retiring to Bonners Ferry. That's if you can call opening a nursery retiring! With the nursery now closed, except for the beautiful cut flowers they make available all summer, most of their time is dedicated to the community.

Boundary and Bonner County Democrats are elated that Tom has stepped forward to become the Democratic candidate for Congressional District 1. He will be running for the seat that Republican, George Eskridge, has occupied for years. Known as a representative who does little for District 1, it seems high time for George's position to be filled by someone who truly represents both counties, especially someone with the willingness to be active. With a degree in business from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, as well as the respect he has from so many of the people he knows through his community involvement, Tom is, by far, the best candidate for the job.

Watch for him in his red suburban with the large signs on the car! He's always happy to stop and chat about District 1 concerns. From meetings to just filling up the car with gas to community activities, and even behind the bar in Clark Fork, say hello to Tom, voice your concerns, sign up for volunteer work, and let's put District 1, the crown jewel of Idaho, back on the congressional map!

Rand Lewis Withdraws From District 1 Race

2008-02-19T19:54:00.000-08:00

As just reported at Red State Rebels and a press release from the Larry Grant campaign, Rand Lewis has withdrawn from the race for Congressional District 1 and has endorsed fellow Democrat Larry Grant, stating,

“...[we] share a very high degree of agreement on the important issues such as veterans, national security and the military, the economy, health care and retired people and senior citizens. I like Larry, his sense of values, his honesty and his integrity. I’ll do what I can to help him both before the election and when he goes to Washington.”

Grant thanked Lewis for both his endorsement and his offer to act as an adviser on important issues such as veterans’ affairs and national security. Grant said,

“I’m extremely appreciative of Rand’s endorsement. We have had time to get to know each other during the campaign and have become friends. I have a great deal of respect for him and his background. His experience and service to our country are commendable. He has offered to advise me on matters that are important to him, such as veterans’ issues, and I’m glad that I and the people of the 1st District will have the benefit of his knowledge.”

I, personally, have found that Rand and his wife, Michelle, have been gracious and enthusiastic supporters of Democratic issues in the state of Idaho. It is an honor to Larry Grant that he has Rand's endorsement.

Here's The Deal....

2008-02-11T19:46:00.000-08:00

If I'm sporadic in the coming days, it's because I've taken on employment in Coeur d'Alene, a good two hour drive one way, and while I'm becoming adjusted to my new schedule, I don't have the time to devote to IdahoRocks. Too bad I couldn't just dictate my blogs to my computer while commuting.... Okay, don't tell me I can because it will be awhile before I'm ever that computer savvy. However, being the workaholic that I am, as well as someone who gets easily excited over favorite issues, you will hear from me occasionally. And I will be at the Frank Church Banquet. My second time in Boise. I'm looking forward to it.

Caucus O Caucus

2008-02-07T11:45:00.000-08:00

I invited some of the other northern counties to describe their caucus evenings. I think they're as exciting as elsewhere in Idaho. Please read what Shelley Landry from Bonner County and Bev Moss from Kootenai County have to say about their events.

As Bonner County Vice-Chair and the Caucus Chair for the 2008 Idaho Democratic Caucus in Bonner County, all I can say about Super Tuesday, Feb. 5th is: “What an unbelievable and exciting night it was!” We had 593 people attend our caucus which goes on record as the largest turn-out for a Democratic Caucus in our history.

We began planning this caucus several months ago. We were warned by the Idaho Democratic Party that we should expect a turn-out that was triple the size of our 2004 caucus. Many people laughed and scoffed at that prediction……oh how RIGHT the IDP was! We had an incredible team of volunteers that worked hard helping to prepare for anything: tables, computers, food, candidate materials, finding more volunteers, the list was endless. I can’t thank my team enough!

By the day of the caucus, we all knew that we were going to be getting a record crowd. I think many of us were grateful for the snow. Bonner County Democrats proved that no matter the weather they are ready to win and win big! People began flooding in at 5pm and by 615pm we had almost reached capacity at the Panida Theater. We somehow managed to squeeze everyone in.

One of my greatest moments of the evening was right at the beginning. I welcomed everyone, said the pledge and then asked the question, “who is ready to take back the White House?” The response was not a cheer it was roar! That roar set the tempo for the rest of the evening. Bonner County and clearly the rest of the state are ready for change!

Shelley Landry

"We are the ones we have been waiting for"

Last night Kootenai County Democrats filled the North Idaho College Gym literally to the rafters! We were pushing the fire code restrictions of 1250 with over 1300 in attendance. In order to get all the people into the gym, we delayed the actual caucusing until about 7:25, but we started right at 7:00 with the pledge and used that extra time to fire everyone up. It was great to be with so many other Democrats and friends who care about the direction and leadership of our country. Our 27 delegates were split 80% for Obama and 20% for Clinton. Although we were finished with the actual caucusing by 9:30 pm, the delegate elections for the Obama caucus took until 11:00. Even though we’ll need to spend the next few days sorting through boxes of supplies that were dropped by the headquarters late last night, we all agreed that we pulled off the biggest caucus Kootenai County has seen with a minimum of glitches. Congratulations to all of the counties throughout our state who went to great lengths to make sure Idaho voters’ voices were heard.

Bev Moss
Chair, Kootenai County Democrats

The Caucus in Boundary County

2008-02-05T22:54:00.001-08:00

This is the succinct edition: Boundary County had almost three times (145) as many in attendance as in the last caucus (55). Our caucus also occurred in the midst of a snowstorm, receiving about 6 in. of snow. Several Republicans turned out for Obama, as well as a number of Independents. Although most of the crowd was older, we had a small but significant number of high school and college students show up for the caucus. We began with a small group for Edwards (some of our older Edwards' supporters called to say that due to the weather they would not be able to attend), a slightly larger group for undecided, the next largest group for Clinton and the largest group for Obama. The final results ended up with all Edwards' supporters going to either Clinton and Obama. We had several die-hard uncommited. But we ended up with about 73% for Obama and 25% for Clinton. Representatives for each candidate gave great speeches. We also had two foreign (French) observers (with children) who wanted to see our political process in action. Not expecting quite this large a turnout in a room that turned out to have horrid accoustics, it was difficult to be heard (without yelling), but we succeeded in having our numbers carefully monitored. I think, and I want to personally thank, all the volunteers in Boundary County who put on a great chili feed, set up, kept a number count, greeted newcomers, collected names, represented their candidates, and came out in the middle of a snowstorm to participate in the caucus. All the Boundary County Democrats were very pleased, we have some new faces for the State Convention, and we'll be in the news again tomorrow. Go Democrats!

Caucus Eve

2008-02-04T20:24:00.000-08:00

It has been an interesting day. It began with people needing rides to the caucus. That was cheerful. Then it moved into information that our new Democratic Mayor and City Council (no website for the mayor or the city or the city council) wouldn't be coming to the caucus because they never changed (nor seemed inclined to change) the regular meeting date for city council meetings. I understand their predicament as newly elected officials, but I guess my obligations towards my voting responsibilities are just different than theirs. I mean, they are participating in our democracy, which is good, but they only seem to care about one small aspect of it. At least it's the grassroots, hometown aspect. But you know, the caucus is really the only vote that counts for Democrats in Idaho. And I'll bet the Democratic mayors in most other Idaho cities will be at their caucuses. Well, the the chair, vice-chair, and most precinct captains of the Boundary County Democratic Cental Committee would have changed the City Council meeting time, but obviously that is not our decision....Schade....

Then I heard that after a query phone call about the caucus to our local County Clerk's office, the woman was only told that "there is a primary in May." Well, I do not believe that an older female stranger, who needed a ride to the caucus, made this story up. I reported it the the IDP and heard that this was going on around the state. I urged the IDP to call our county clerk because she had run as a Democrat and at the first opportunity switched back to being a Republican. Our vice-chair also called them today, before I called just before 5pm. They said that they have been telling people the location is at the fairgrounds but they didn't know the time or anything else about it because we had not given them the information. EXCUSE ME, but the information has been (remarkably) in our local rag for the PAST THREE WEEKS! The clerk office employees know who the chair is and the phone number. How could they know nothing about the caucus but the place???? Which information, it seems, was not always given. Is this a boast of local ignorance? Do they never read the paper? Or, as Republicans, do they feel threatened by a display of Democratic popularity?

Finally I learned that the Spokesman Review reported that our caucus was at the city fire hall, even though we had changed the venue, as posted at the Idaho Democratic Party website, over a month ago, after finding out that the fire hall did not have wheelchair access. Ah, how to deal with such ignorance, such a lack of efficiency, such blatant and willful inattention to details. I guess that in exchange for all the physical beauty of Idaho's northernmost county, we have been given a balance in human inadequacy. Ah well, if the youth turn out for Obama at our caucus, perhaps all is not lost....

"This world demands the qualities of youth: not a time of life but a state of mind, a temper of the will, a quality of imagination, a predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease." - Robert Kennedy.

Edwards Dropping Out....

2008-01-30T07:07:00.000-08:00

As reported all over the TV news this morning, and already over at Red State Rebels, John Edwards is dropping out of the Democratic presidential race, ostensibly because of his poor showings lately. The official speech will be at 1pm EST in New Orleans, where his campaign began. Giuliani is expected to follow suit.

Well, that leaves the Democrats with Clinton and Obama which means it will be a very exciting campaign, especially since Clinton not only showed up in Florida afterwards to accept congratulations from her supporters there, but also said,

"I am thrilled to have had this vote of confidence that you have given me today. I promise you I will do everything I can to make sure not only are Florida's Democratic delegates seated, but Florida is in the winning column for the Democrats in 2008.''

So much for you Barack Obama.....

And I think it will get dirtier, not only because both candidates hunger for this position, but also because this is, in the background, a struggle between the DLC (Clinton's Democratic Leadership Council) and the DNC (the Democratic National Committee, now headed by Howard Dean). Dean of course has put money into all the states with his 50-state strategy, a strategy that considers the grassroots, the people, to be the foundation of the party. The DLC, on the other hand, seems to believe that money wins elections and goes about spending that money as if they were the Roviaters of the Democratic Party.

I've always liked John Edwards. As RedStateRebels suggested, it would be good to see him having a significant placement in the next administration. Only time will tell....

And now, I await February 5th.

Blogging

2008-01-28T15:43:00.000-08:00

I just received my latest copy of The New York Review of Books in the mail, and turned immediately to the article by Sarah Boxer with the simple title, Blogs. Once assigned to "create an anthology of blogs" for a book, she addresses that insurmountable task in the article. She also reviews several recent books about blogs. Aside from describing what a blog is, some of the legal rules concerning blogs, and the difference between blogs and journalistic and/or book writing, she finishes with a wonderful allegory of superheroes and bloggers, summing it up with the phrase, "They [bloggers] are what they write." I think that is true.

Speaking of blogging, the discussion amongst several Idaho bloggers over at RedStateRebels on the topic of videos versus live speakers at the Frank Church Banquet is interesting, important, and somewhat amusing. I think the idea of videos is great; however, I prefer live speakers (especially since I have to spend so much money and travel that far...I may as well live in Canada....). Of course, since the IDP has only posted partial information about the Frank Church Banquet, it's difficult to know exactly what the weekend's plans entail. Now I've heard that the candidates will not only have a chance to speak on Friday evening, but that they will all have hospitality rooms as well. If that's the case, then videos at the banquet no longer seem like such a bad idea.

I think that the problem here is that the IDP just doesn't release enough information at any given time. This tends to make their activities appear secretive, ill-planned, or just plain unorganized. Things seem to be getting better now that some re-organization of the website is going on, we have a new party chair, the Chair of County Chairs is a well-organized and diplomatic, and Shelley and Randy are around to keep everyone apprised of what they know. But the IDP still needs to do more to keep one step ahead of the bloggers..... if that's even possible.

Unfortunately for me, I am unable to get to Boise before about 8:30 Friday evening so I'll miss out on everything that day. Luckily for me, I am not afraid of speaking to candidates and asking them tough questions like how could you possibly support more nuclear energy in Idaho when there's nothing to do with the waste, it uses so much water and its costs to taxpayers are outrageous?; or how could you even think of mentioning pro-logging in Boundary County when not only is it the single most controversial wedge issue here, and, when Risch's roadless plan puts so much of Boundary County into the General Forest (read "protected by USFS whim") category; or what is your plan for withdrawal from Iraq; or what would you do in the US Congress to fight corporate monopolies; or how do you stand on the death penalty, on gay marriage, on the second amendment; and so forth.

Anyway, for the moment, I'm just trying to get enough money together to attend the Frank Church Banquet....

Back to blogging, which I think is a wonderful way for people to connect. It's great, creative, informative, occasionally malevolent, but usually positively purposeful (as in the "alternative" press), sometimes petty as well as brilliant, witty, idiotic, cathartic and blatantly over-personal, stream of consciousness as well as the well-researched academic article, and the adjectives go on and on.

I think that the Idaho bloggers have done quite well in bringing together diverse areas of this state so that suddenly it's not just north, south east and west, but Idaho as one entity. Not that regional differences don't exist and I, for one, make that obvious. But now I know what's going on in Boise, Pocatello, Idaho Falls or Moscow. I hear about energy plans around Idaho, the latest Bill Sali idiocies, what's happening in the ID Legislature, Larry Craig's latest presents to the IDP, environmental concerns around the state, as well as about food, restaurants, drink, local politics, and so forth. All thanks to Idaho's bloggers.

Indeed, meeting these bloggers at the Frank Church Banquet will probably be just as exciting, if not more so, than watching our candidates speak, uh, act, uh, whatever it is they'll be going (no offense intended, candidates, but blogging is just, well, just so interesting). Maybe it's just appreciation of the writing. As Anais Nin once wrote, "We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospection."

Welcome To Rural North Idaho

2008-01-17T19:39:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday, my ISP suffered a major disruption and I haven't had internet service since. This has been a real drag, especially since I just took on teaching at my local community college (only 90 miles away, giving new meaning to the word local....). Given the lack of internet access, it has not been an efficacious week in terms of completing necessary work....If I've had any success, it has been because of my dear friends, Fred and Alice, who have been more than generous in offering me the use Fred's computer while he's busy at work.

Julie at RedStateRebels, contributed to the Idaho Progressives list, an interesting thread from the dailykos about competition between the Democratic Leadership Council and Democratic National Committee. On the dailykos thread, the opinion is that if the DLC has its way in getting Hillary Clinton as the Democratic Party nominee, then Howard Dean is out and a new leader (probably Harold E. Ford) will be put in that position. This may, at first glance, may not mean much for insignificant little Idaho, but, as they say, looks are deceiving. Note that the President of the Democratic Leadership Council is none other but our very own north Idaho boy, Bruce Reed.

In full disclosure, I am a supporter of the Democratic National Committee under the leadership of Howard Dean. If the DLC believes that Idaho wants to have a Democratic Party that follows in their footsteps, then I think that the DLC may find that not every Democrat supports their efforts. Indeed, they may well find that the Progressive Caucus has many more members than they thought possible. At least, that is my perception and only time will tell....

Be all that as it may, it leads to an interesting perception regarding Hillary, Obama, the DLC and the DNC since the Obama campaign is so strong in Idaho, several presumed DLC members support Obama, and the Progressives (at least in the north) appear to be divided between Edwards and Obama....Hmm, very interesting.... I can't wait till the caucus....

And The Gifts Just Keep On Coming

2008-01-12T09:59:00.000-08:00

My first moment to post after learning Thursday evening that Markos Moulitsas Zúniga, publisher and founder of DailyKos, will be the guest speaker at the Idaho Democratic Party's annual Frank Church Banquet, happening this year in Boise on March 1. Several other Idaho bloggers have already reported this news since we were all in on the same conference call when the announcement was made. These include 43rdstateblues, the Mountain Goat Report, The Political Game, the unequivocal notion, and others. Over at New West Boise, Jill Kuraitis's terrific write-up prompted the mud-slinging to begin right there in the comments section. So, is Markos's guest speaker appearance at the Frank Church Banquet good or bad for Idaho Democrats?

I think it's great. With the DailyKos, Markos has given local grassroots politics a tremendous gift, demonstrating how the internet can be utilized to not just spread messages, report news, and provide educated opinion, but everything can be cross-checked for facts. Through the DailyKos, Markos has become aware of political trends around the nation, aware of politics from the local level to the top levels, and knowledgeable about both the strengths and weaknesses of the internet. I'm looking forward to what he has to say. I hope that he relates some of the content from his critically-acclaimed book, Crashing the Gate, specifically to Idaho, and generally to the west.

An issue that might be important here in Idaho has to do not only with a seemingly imploding Republican party, but wedge issues between top presidential candidates that are pertinent to our large Mormon and evangelical populations as well as to other issues including immigration, racism, and living wages. All this bodes well for the Idaho Democratic Party, especially after receiving weeks of wonderful gifts from Senator Larry Wide-Stance Craig, that just keeps on going.

And now those Republicans are doing it again! It must have been VP Cheney's hunting accident (sic) that taught them how to shoot themselves in the foot so well! So today in the Spokesman Review, we learn that the Republicans introduced legislation Friday that would close Idaho primaries. As reported by Betsy Z. Russell,

"The bill, with a price tag of at least $800,000, would allow only registered Republicans to vote in the Republican primary, only Democrats to vote in the Democratic primary, and wouldn't allow independents to vote in any primary. Nearly a third of Idahoans say they're not affiliated with any party."

Needless to say, the Democrats don't support this legislation, so now may be the time for Independents to join with the Democrats for the kind of changes we need in this state. No voter should be disenfranchised!

Okay, I'm saving my pennies for the long haul from Bonners Ferry to Boise and the Frank Church Banquet! Thanks, John Foster, for making it even more worthwhile!

Minnick in Boundary County

2008-01-09T19:45:00.000-08:00

Today Walt Minnick, candidate for Congressional District 1, visited Boundary County for a first time introduction to his congressional campaign. Staying for about 1 1/2 hours, he was plied with questions about a variety of topics including what he has to offer that Larry Grant does not, immigration, the war in Iraq, energy, the death penalty, gay marriage, health care, the war on drugs, nuclear, and so forth. Because of an appointment with the newspaper and an evening meeting in Sandpoint, the questions had to end but I'm sure there will be more during his next visit.

He does plan on visiting again with a strategy of four day "immersions" into counties around Ditrict 1. Besides talking to Democrats he also wants to speak with Republicans and Independents. It should be an interesting visit. We had a good turnout today, given that he came in the middle of a work day, probably around 10 people. I think that next time, if it's in the evening or on a weekend, many more people may show up.

Boundary County is proud to have candidates visit this crown jewel of the north. We're also expecting Rand Lewis in March, another visit by Minnick in March, and the Larry Grant campaign kick-off in March. It certainly seems like the Boundary County Dems will be quite busy in March.... and so be it! This is an election year and it's about time for some change!!

Go Democrats!!!

Draft Rule for Idaho's Roadless Areas

2008-01-08T16:06:00.000-08:00

I learned at a young age that when people become complacent others may make decisions that result in a rude awakening from that state of contentment. For me, that happened today with the Associated Press announcements that the Bush Administration had released on Monday its draft rule for managing the more than 9.3 million acres of Idaho roadless area. The Forest Service will hold a series of meetings across the state the and comment period ends April 7. The Federal Register released the information on Monday, January 7th.

Last year Risch wrote up a draft for Idaho's roadless areas that did not stray far from the Clinton Roadless rule. Not all environmentalist agreed with Risch's draft, but, all-in-all, they were willing to go along with it under the circumstances. Now the Forest Service has changed Risch's original draft and put in language that would provide the Forest Service with good excuses for building roads in designated roadless, allowing mining, taking out timber and so forth. For a more in-depth description of what is happening check out the report at the Environmental News Service. More information is available at the Lewiston Tribune, but only if you're a paid subscriber....

I just love the way the Bush Administration quietly released all this information while people were busy with the holiday season. Typical Bush present to the American public in general and the Idaho people in particular. I guess I was just enjoying the holiday season too much and had to have this change in Idaho's roadless rule language pointed out to me by someone else. It seems like we have to be on our toes all the time when it comes to politics....

The most irritating part about this whole business is that just when you think that everyone has come to an agreement that sits well with all parties, someone just ups and changes the stakes. It reminds me too much of how local Republican politicians have their hands in almost everything, and for the most part these people are not experts, not particularly well-educated, and not really interested in the opinions of those who are well-informed; rather their interests are usually selfish and greedy. And that certainly doesn't bode well for good government....

Well the comment period begins. Watch for statewide US Forest Service Roadless meetings dates which should be published locally; stay tuned to what's happening by reading the Idaho Conservation League website; and finally, I'll be reporting on this whenever something comes up.

"A civilization which destroys what little remains of the wild, the spare, the original, is cutting itself off from its origins and betraying the principle of civilization itself." Edward Abbey in Desert Solitaire

Go Democrats!!!

2008-01-04T21:12:00.000-08:00

Well, the big vote happened and I was surprised, very pleasantly surprised that Roark won 57 to 15 (you can check the exact figures but that's what I heard). My husband thinks the results indicate that other people also thought some sort of shenanigans were going on in Boise. I disagree. And I certainly don't think that it had anything to do with my blog; I don't write often enough for people to read it every day. Rather, I believe that Roark gave the most eloquent presentation. He appealed to the people who work on the ground, going door-to-door, trying to fill local positions, wanting the IDP to understand their needs rather than being told what they had to do. Our previous Idaho senator from Boundary County, Senator Tim Tucker, has said for years what Roark said tonight: we need to fill the courthouses with Democrats.

I also must commend Jerry Brady, who so thoughtfully explained his endorsement of Minnick. It made it all so clear; too bad it wasn't clear until tonight. As I said before, I do not doubt Brady's integrity, nor do I think he would be anything less than a great IDP Chair, I just didn't like what appeared to be going on in terms of full disclosure from the IDP offices in Boise.

But, be all that as it may. We had an election. It was overwhelming for Roark. I hope that the IDP will now move forward and after the Iowa Caucuses, I am really looking forward to our own Super Duper Tuesday.

There's Something Happening Here, Redux

2008-01-03T19:56:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, January 4th, the Idaho Democratic Party is having a State Central Committee meeting via conference calls at three locations. The initial reason for the meeting was for a discussion on amendments for caucus rules that made explicit the procedure for caucus absentee pledges. When Richard Stallings, our most recent IDP Chair stepped down on December 20th, the meeting suddenly morphed into voting for a new IDP Chair.

Well, that bothered me, and many others, it seemed, because of the urgency that surrounded it. Many central committee members (chairs and state committee men and women) work for a living but volunteer our time. December is usually a rather slow month, politically speaking, and many of us put aside our Democratic duties to tend to the holidays and family and so forth. So when the announcement came that we now had to elect a chair, a number of us felt that this was too soon, too quick and too hurried. We quickly received one nomination but no others were forthcoming. Nominations could be made on the floor, but there would be no physical floor for this meeting since it was via conference call.

So I started calling around to see if others felt like I did about the hurry and the single nomination and what was going on. Boy did I get an earful!

My first inkling that there may be more here than meets the eye came when I heard that our IDP in-group just wanted to appoint Jerry Brady as the Chair. Well, the by-laws don't allow that so that appointment, or even nomination, became "difficult" because Brady had already endorsed Walt Minnick over Larry Grant and Rand Lewis for the District 1 Congressional Seat. I questioned the word "difficult" suggesting "impossible" instead. After all, how can you have an IDP Chair who has already publicly endorsed a primary candidate??? That seems rather unethical to me.... but perhaps that is politics as usual and one shouldn't be worried about ethics.
But then I never received a notification about a nomination for Jerry Brady. I, and the other Central Committee members only received the nomination for Keith Roark, a man well-qualified for the position. Not only was he the Democratic nominee in 2002 for Attorney General, his resume indicates a life dedicated to service to his community. Just what we need for the IDP. And, I heard that he may actually work as hard, if not harder than our dynamite Vice-Chair, Jeanne Buell. Now I really like this guy.

In the meantime, word also comes through from others who just feel something fishy is up in Boise, that Cecil Andrus, whose recommendation of John Foster as Executive Director took precedent over the fact that he was least qualified for the job, perhaps wanted Brady to be Chair. I also heard that the strategy was for Foster's nominee to declare on the floor and not beforehand, and so Brady would be thought popular by name recognition alone.

And then I heard that it all has to do with money and fund-raising capabilities given that the IDP is running low, so to speak....

So now I'm wondering why Brady, who has always struck me as a man of integrity, would pursue the Chair position having already endorsed Minnick. And I wonder why, after the great united front at the last State Central Committee Meeting, John Foster would suddenly be pushing for a possibly dividing IDP Chair. I mean, how can a chair be said to be fair if he has already endorsed one candidate over another. Like what does he say, "Oh, I can be fair now and I'll put my endorsement aside." Give me a break! The damage has been done.

Finally, I've heard that the argument for electing Brady over Roark is we should really question whether we want our top three party leaders all from Blaine County. This includes House Minority Leader Wendy Jaquet and Senate Minority Leader Clint Stennett. Hey, these two were elected by the people, the public. If they both happen to be from Blaine County then perhaps that suggests that Blaine County has a lot of Democrats. Now Roark would like to be IDP Chair and he happens to be from Blaine. So what? That suggests to me that he not only has a great background in community service but great experience with Democrats as well. What better choice for an IDP Chair?

Actually this whole situation could be a lot worse, or possibly even better than I think. After all I had one person already figuring out what exactly happened and he surmised that Stallings knew that a core group wanted to have all their compatriots leading the party, so he stepped down early to thwart them. Now this is a complete conjecture but when secrecy is in the air, people try to figure out what's really going on. It's human behavior. It's why detective stories and mysteries sell so well. It's why we have conspiracy theories. But it's also why there are those who get so carried away with their power that they forget open government, due process, accountability, and honesty.

I'd like to know the truth. So many Idaho Democrats worked too hard in the last several years to nourish the grassroots of this party to now have their work ignored in a new top-down approach that thinks money is going to turn Idaho blue.

Happy New Year!

2007-12-31T17:08:00.000-08:00

Oh, how I look forward to the new year, 2008, the year of a presidential election, when we hopefully, finally rid ourselves of the neocon generation. The newspapers and television have been re-capping major events of the past year and I just don't want to see them because so much politics (and Republican at that) pervades their perspective. It's time for a new, refreshing, and spirited generation to seek to make the world a more beautiful place, and I'll help them all I can. It's time for peace.

Some of these re-caps haven't been all that bad; indeed, we have many things to be thankful for in 2007. We finally pushed global warming to the forefront. Al Gore not only won an Oscar for "An Inconvenient Truth," but also a Nobel Prize for all his work on global warming. Nancy Pelosi became the first female Speaker of the House (although I'm not wowed by her service). I refuse to comment on all the "celebrity" news that dominated prime time television because I don't consider that news. I am, however, happy about the final book in the Harry Potter series. Much of the news has been depressing, including physical disasters, natural disaster, war, death, disease and poverty. But I think the one event that made me, an Idaho Democrat the happiest, was the gift we received from Senator Larry Wide-Stance Craig. You gave us an unexpected boost and I don't care whether you're gay or not, your gift is greatly appreciated.

So, Happy New Year!

A State Too Great for Hate?

2007-12-16T07:32:00.000-08:00

Sweeping some of Idaho's racist problems under the carpet because it seems to belong to a small section of the populace, or because it's so nonsensical it appears unbelievable, allows the problem to persist and even grow. I believe that has happened with the racist letter that I wrote about in my previous blog (and thanks to Bubblehead for pointing out that it was eventually put on the Bonners Ferry Herald website). I was going to leave the following as a response to the other comments on the last blog, but it seemed more important to write about racism in Idaho again. I hope that many others chip in their two cents because if we want to understand Idaho, we need to understand its problems as well as appreciate its positive qualities.

Unfortunately for Idaho, although members of the Obama campaign thanked me for the information about the Herald letter, they seem to think that because the mis-information contained in this letter has been circulating for some time, and because it has been exposed and debunked elsewhere, it was not important to respond to the Herald, its publisher, and its owner. I think they missed the point, especially for Idaho if not elsewhere in the U.S. Many of the people who believe this nonsense are Republican members of fundamentalist churches who send their members in large numbers to the polls. I know for two reasons: living in a small rural town is like living in a glass house; and, I have been a poll watcher for several elections. For a newspaper to publish this kind of vitriol is encouragement for these people; thus, more fundamentalist Republicans will be at the polls voting the straight Republican ticket. But does our local newspaper, published by a Republican, and owned by a corporation whose owner and CEO is a Republican, do the citizens a service by publishing such blatant partisan letters? This paper has also published a number of opinion articles, news releases and so forth on behalf of Bill Sali. But do Democrats get their news releases published? You guessed that one. Rarely. Indeed, the publisher of this paper, in the last publication before the last election, printed an article that cast aspersions on a candidate who had a good chance of winning an Idaho Congressional seat. Did the article hurt the candidate? One cannot prove it but the candidate did lose. Not to mention the editor who supposedly was fired because he came out in favor of Jerry Brady for Governor....

But I digress... it is the blatant racism used here for political purposes that needs to be addressed. And, by the way, the Herald did not publish my response letter; instead the publisher wrote an opinion apologizing for "letting such a ill-informed, hate-filled letter run in our community newspaper." That was good. But what really puzzles me is that the letter, which wasn't on the Herald website on the printed day of publication, eventually made it there. This just provided more damaging grist against Obama and the Obama campaign. Oh, and the editor who allowed the letter to be published in the first place is still at her job....

It's bad enough that in a state "too great for hate," we do have this kind of racism. But what is really unfortunate is that we haven't addressed it strongly enough; indeed, Idaho Republicans' obsession with English as the "official language" is not only insulting to our immigrants but, I would suggest, racist as well. We do finally celebrate Martin Luther King Day in our schools, but what has occurred in the recent past with students who were educated in Boundary County (a girl thrown into a bonfire because her mother is a practicing Muslim) indicates, to me at least, that Boundary County needs more than Martin Luther King Day.... Although north Idaho has pretty much rid itself of large Aryan Nation groups, their brand of racism persists. And I believe that this occurs around the entire United States, not just north Idaho. And I think that one reason is because much of this racism comes from Republicans. A case in point: consider the action of the College Republicans at Boise State University who created anti-immigrant games and ran racist anti-immigrant ads. I have never heard nor read about a Democrat who has engaged in such racist acts. I think it's about time that the issue of racism be made a public debate, and if it takes having an Obama running for the presidency, then I, for one, am grateful he's running.

Idahoans, if you're not outraged at these acts of racism, then you aren't paying attention.

Racism in Rural America

2007-12-06T20:57:00.001-08:00

The following letter is not only racist, but it is filled with errors, confused information, and thinly disguised hatred. It was published today in the Bonners Ferry Herald, although you won't find it in the edited, online version. Many of you may find the mistakes so ridiculous that you laugh the letter off. Please do not do this. I live in this town, this county, and have for almost 20 yrs. I try to be tolerant and objective, and although I don't know the author of this Letter-to-the-Editor, I know others like her who, in other circumstances, would give you the shirt off their backs if they could help you....and if you were white. This kind of racism finds a home in some of the fundamentalist churches in this rural landscape (and there are plenty of them). This letter is not just pathetic in its ignorance but abhorrent in its racism. And what I find even more deplorable is that the Bonners Ferry Herald even decided to publish it! Have their standards sunk as low as those of the person who wrote this letter? I have copied this letter to my blog tonight (and you can all get an original copy by buying the Bonners Ferry Herald print edition) in the hopes that whoever reads it will take offence, call the Herald, write their own LTE to the Herald, and spread the word about this kind of racism in order to bring this problem to the fore and make it a topic of discussion that we cannot ignore.

The letter:

Don’t Elect a Muslim as next U.S. President?

Barak Hussein Obama, a Muslim wants to be our next president.
How can a good Muslim be a “good American,” much less the President of the United States of America?

Politically he can’t because he must submit to the mullah (political leader) who teach annihilation of Israel and destruction of the great satin they refer to as America. Death to all who are not Muslim.

Intellectually he cannot accept the American Constitution since it is based on Biblical principles and he believes as a Muslim that the Bible is corrupt.
Philosophically he cannot because Islam Mohammed and the Iran to not allow freedom of religion. Democracy and Islam cannot co-exist. Every Muslim government is either dictatorial or autocratic.

Spiritually he cannot because when we declare “One Nation Under God,” our Christian God is loving and kind while Allah is never referred to as a Heavenly Father nor is he ever called love in the Iran. Muslims cannot be both a good Muslim and a good American. Their personal preference and allegiance is to Allah and not our Constitution, nor our God.

A state of our nation has already elected a Muslim (Obama) to the House of Representatives.

He is in the current session of Congress 2007 and during his swearing in he used the Muslim Iran instead of our Bible.

How dare we not recognize this as the evil it will bring on our nation if we allow Obama to be our next president.

Also four Senators along with many others voted against English as our official American language, Senators Biden, Clinton, Dodd, Obama, Boxer, Kerry, Kennedy, Lieferman and many more. Where is the loyalty to America?

None of these people should be leaders of our “Great Nation.” In our country people are free to believe anything they want to as well as their religious preference. But they don’t qualify to be the President of the United States of America when they don’t support or believe in our Constitution. They are not loyal Americans and talk out of both sides of their mouth.

Please use your voting privilege to keep these people out of the White House. Please do not elect them to be the President of the United States of America. This may be the most serious election our country has ever faced. Our government isn’t perfect but it’s the best one in the whole world. Let’s help keep it that way. Our vote may be a matter of life or death and liberty for all.

Face the Music and Dance

2007-12-02T10:27:00.000-08:00

Oh boy, Larry Craig's Sunday is ruined. Front page of the Idaho Statesman. Front page of the Spokesman-Review (same Popkey article). Front page of the Times News (Magic Valley). Tucked into the Lewiston Tribune. Across the nation, from the Seattle Post Intelligencer (albeit without all the sordid details) to the Miami Herald (with the sordid details). Even the ubiquitous USA Today. The guys have kissed and now they're telling.... Not a good time to be a Republican in Idaho....not a good time to be a Republican....and so much for family values....

I believe that a person's private life should remain private, but it was the Senator, himself, who took it into public places and who lied and who is such the hypocrite. I have no problem with anyone being gay, but again, the lies and hypocrisies attached to Lewd-Conduct-Man have brought embarrassment to the state of Idaho, not to mention the Republican party....

Thank goodness Idaho also has some great Democratic candidates so that we can rid ourselves of the mess that the Republican party has laid at our feet. Larry LaRocco for Craig's seat and Larry Grant, Walt Minnick, and Rand Lewis for Bill Sali's seat. It can only get better!

The 2008 election is going to be very interesting, as well as great entertainment! I can't wait...

There's something happening here....

2007-11-14T18:36:00.000-08:00

I think I haven't been doing enough Sudoku or crossword puzzles lately because I'm feeling mentally challenged and I'm having trouble understanding things. Like I don't understand Walt Minnick's problem with Larry Grant. Now, I only met Minnick twice, briefly, and I've heard from very good friends that he is a great guy. But I'm still not sure why he's running against Grant.

Minnick announced last week that he would be running against Grant and Lewis for the District 1 Congressional seat. Actually, his announcement came to me first through the Idaho Democratic Party, and the next day I read the announcement by Jill Kuraitis at NewWest Boise. Jill pulled out the same-ole-same-ole talk that was made public by Popkey, i.e., that Grant ran a "lackluster" campaign. My guess is that lackluster means he lost to Sali.... OMG, in a Republican state!!!, which only ended up remaining red because the Republicans had to spend so much money here on Sali's campaign that they lost candidates in Ohio and some other east coast state. So said Parag Mehta at the IDP State Committee Meeting in Kootenai County. And Cheney came to visit twice! Once in Boise and once in Coeur d'Alene. Now what major candidate EVER comes to Coeur d'Alene??? What is lackluster about drawing that kind of attention? Even Cecil Andrus endorsed him during the 2006 election. Geez, do you think that maybe "lackluster" really had nothing to do with this loss??

Now this really makes me wonder. Andrus is held as the ideal candidate who gets votes by going door-to-door, you know, real grassroots, like Howard Dean promotes. And that's what Larry Grant did. Even in Bonners Ferry. So, what's the problem? No Clinton/DLC money slinging? No big buck luster? We do not have movie star big donor types in Boundary County, but we gave what we can. And we turned out more Democratic voters than we had in years. Is that a lack of luster?

Also, in the recent past, I've heard many Idaho Democrat advisers say a candidate has to try two or even three times before they win in this state. So, Larry Grant is on his second try, but now that's not good enough. Is a second try a bit lusterless? Does that mean two or three tries are good or are they not? Does this require a whole new way of thinking mathematically so that I can't even apply it to Sudoku???

Well, they still say, that is the Boys of Boise say, that Larry Grant lost due to lackluster. Hmm, maybe that's the answer. Minnick has luster! Will somebody please tell me what that is?

Still, I remain confused. Perusing the news articles on Minnick, I have read little about issues, but a lot about Minnick's past association with big timber, the Republican party, Nixon, G. Gordon Liddy, and, thank God for small miracles, the Idaho Conservation League. Of course, that makes me wonder how he feels about the NUCLEAR QUESTION?? I ask because even though he fought the dumping of nuclear waste in Idaho, I understand Senate Candidate,Larry LaRocco, is a very good friend of Minnick. And Larry LaRocco supports nuclear energy as clean energy. That leaves me a bit wary....and gives a whole new definition to the word "clean." It also makes me wonder, why didn't Minnick try once more for the Senate seat? Is it because he is friends with LaRocco? Or does he prefer that path that Grant already paved..... Ah, the machinations of human behavior....

Anyway, I'm curious as to how ALL the candidates will handle the "tough" questions that Bonner and Boundary counties handed to Larry Grant when he first arrived. Forget the bring troops home from Iraq, we want to know when and how. And how about gun control? Health care? Does the candidate have a plan or just rhetoric? And the Right to Work? Minimum wage? Big Business tax breaks? Corporations? Corporate crime? Agricultural subsidies? Immigration? The War on Drugs? The Impeachment Question. I look forward to hearing everyone's responses, if they ever make it to Boundary County. Geographically we are the crown jewel of Idaho; however, we're not exactly around the corner.... Democrats from the south find that a trip to Boundary County is about as far away as, well, let me provide a clearer picture of distances. Boise is 361 miles from Bonners Ferry; Portland, OR is closer to Boise at 345 miles; Reno, NV is closer to Boise at only 336 miles; and Salt Lake City is only 296 miles from Boise. Think of the reverse: Vancouver, CAN is only 295 miles from Bonners Ferry; Seattle, WA is but 274 miles from Bonners; Banff, ALB is 169 miles; and Missoula, MT only 180 miles. Bonners Ferry is 2 1/2 hrs. from the nearest airport in Spokane, WA. We do not share any radio or television stations with southern Idaho. We do not share a common newspaper with southern Idaho (Bonners Ferry major media is from Spokane, WA). I'm not convinced that we're exactly in the same state, except by name and politics. In sum, we are not exactly geographically desirable to visitors from the south, and, nor are they to us.

As for the political situation, Boundary County is filled with Republicans, disgruntled Republicans, and Independents. If someone wants their vote, they had better remember the myth of Sisyphus. Or better yet, read and understand Deer-Hunting With Jesus. We have been working hard to get more votes for Democrats in Boundary County. In the last election, the Boundary County Central Committee once again made it okay to be a Democrat by putting up a billboard at the only entrance to town which read, "Had Enough? Vote Democratic." When candidates like Larry Grant, Jerry Brady, and Steve Elgar took the time to go door-to-door in our town, they also made it okay to be Democratic again. In the 2006 campaign, these candidates took the time to leave a path of luster in Boundary County, a luster they could bank on for the next election. New candidates have their work cut out for them....

As for me, a Sudoku awaits. Maybe I'll feel less mentally challenged after it's completion....if I complete it.

The More We Get Together, Together, Together...

2007-10-05T20:21:00.000-07:00

Ah, we're so friendly in the north. Look at that, Red Lion Templin's Hotel welcoming the Idaho Democratic Party to their friendly neck of the north Idaho woods. How can you beat that?? It certainly warmed the cockles of my heart....

I just love state committee meetings. I love seeing old friends and meeting new people from places in Idaho that are as foreign to me as, well, as foreign lands and places. But when we're all in the same room together, it's like the manifestation of a whole party, one state united in common values, with other people who place a high value on democracy, and, more importantly, on people.

And, as usual, it was inspired. Our new Executive Director, John Foster, has already carved out his niche, including who he is and the direction in which he wants to lead the party. Taking his cue from the DNC, he sees clearly the much needed effort to unite all of Idaho at the grassroots level, in order to see good, old-fashioned Democratic values, Idaho values, once more take center stage in this state. He has spoken to many of us so many times it seems like he has been around for years, rather than months.

And of course, Stephanie Astorquia, our Treasurer, who is the only person I've ever met that can make money spending and accumulation make some sort of sense to me. I am in awe of her as can be seen in her impressive accounting skills and ability which leave me, big-mouth me, utterly speechless. At least once a week I give thanks for having her as our treasurer....

Always a ray of sunshine, and a person who allows no negativity to come near her, Shelley Landry, our north Idaho fieldworker, displayed her usual organizational skills and warmly greeted all of us who miss her whenever she is in the great unknown regions of District 1. Without her, I'm not sure that there could even be a united north Idaho Democratic Party.... And with Shelley, we're Democrats, we can make this work....

Chuck Oxley seemed to have a heads up on everything being said, took many photos, including the above one which he so kindly emailed to me before I even made it back to Bonners Ferry, and I'm sure he'll have plenty for us to read in his News Updates.

So many other familiar faces from around the state, including the tireless southern fieldworker, Randy Johnson, the other county chairs that work so hard for the IDP, the delightful and so very hard-working House Minority Leader, Wendy Jaquet, and I know I'm forgetting others after a long but wonderful day in Post Falls (still north Idaho but almost 2 hrs. from home).

Our illustrious leader, Richard Stallings, that very kind man with a tremendous sense of political acumen and a wonderful touch of dry wit and humor, always seems to find just the right things to say. I only wish that he could visit all the counties on a regular basis because he obviously has so much leadership to impart and share in a state so geographically divided.

And of course it is always a delight to see Larry Grant, who should be Congressman Larry Grant, which may be a wish fulfilled next year. How wonderful for DNC speaker, Parag Mehta, to thank Larry, and to say what I and others said after the last election, that even though he didn't win, he made Republicans spend so much money here that the money they lost in other states made them lose Republican seats! (Well, I didn't know about losing Republican seats because of that money but I know it was due to Larry Grant and Jerry Brady that Republicans took lots of money from elsewhere and spent it in Idaho; indeed, they even sent VP Cheney to Coeur d'Alene, ID. Now when was the last time someone that high up in the US gov. came to north Idaho????) So thank you Parag for bringing that statistic up. You go, Larry!

And I was delighted to see our Party VP, Jeanne Buell, one of the most compassionate people I know who also has the political heart strong enough to push the DNC to give us such wonderful people like Parag Mehta to speak. Jeanne provides so much soul to this party, as well as organizational skills with great foresight (thanks so much for the notecards....) that I always know I'll learn some important political and humanistic skill whenever we have the chance to meet.

Finally, I want to thank the DNC for sending us Parag Mehta. He may not be the VP like Cheney, but Cheney, if he had a mind and/or a heart, could learn loads from Parag. He entered the room and took the floor with the energy of Howard Dean, the political astuteness of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and the charisma of Bobby Kennedy. I loved what he said, his presentation, his humor, his intelligence, and "the plan." I've knocked on enough doors to know that the DNC 50 state strategy can work. My only disappointment is that he couldn't have spoke on Saturday when the attendance would have been much greater. As I told him, if the DNC doesn't give more energy to north Idaho, then not only will they lose north Idaho votes, but western Montana and eastern Washington votes as well. I'm sure Parag heard me...

Well, I must get up early in the morning for another political day of delight in north Idaho. Which reminds me, if not for the tremendous efforts of Bev Moss, Kootenai County Chair, Shelley Landry, Tamara Poelstra and others of whom I do not know, then this wonderful opportunity to have a state committe meeting in north Idaho would never have occurred. So a giant HURRAH for Bev and the Kootenai Democrats! And for all of you Kootenai Democrats and precinct captains who did not attend, well, you missed out on a great and inspirational opportunity.

After another state committee meeting, what can I say but IdahoRocks! You go, my blue Idaho!

Dragnet: Larry Craig, from Olbermann

2007-08-29T21:35:00.000-07:00

It's called "Dragnet: Larry Craig." I've had disagreements with Olbermann in the past, and I can vouch for the fact that a response from him can be very direct and biting. But in the past several months he has won a special place in my heart, so I hope he keeps on exposing the foibles of stardom, no matter how that comes about....

So Just What Is Craig's Political Stance?

2007-08-28T07:57:00.000-07:00

Well, the Idaho Statesman finally released the information about their investigation of Senator Craig's purported homosexuality. Following numerous leads, and often ending up without anything substantive, the Statesman basically leaves us with a "he says/he says," so anyone reading the article can believe either the speculators or Craig, but not both. Craig denies to this day that he ever engaged in any homosexual acts, although his objections sound a lot like that now famous line, "I never had sex with that woman!" I guess it's all a matter of what constitutes sex, or in this case, what constitutes homosexual sex. Too bad it's not Ken Starr going after Larry Craig, although Craig must thank his lucky stars every day that no Ken Starr has relentlessly pursued him. I guess that "down and dirty" stuff remains a peculiar Republican trait.

Accompanying the long and informative overview is the Stateman's request for some answers to some pointed questions about his behavior, his honesty, his trust and his responsibility towards the people of Idaho:

"...Idaho's senior senator must speak candidly with the people who have hired him for more than a quarter of a century. He owes this to voters — no matter how difficult that may be for him and for his family. And voters owe Craig a chance to explain himself."

The Statesman questions his rather feeble excuse for pleading guilty,

"Craig says, in hindsight, he should not have pleaded guilty and "should have had the advice of counsel in resolving this matter."

stating that as an "educated professional" and and elected one to boot, should have had the wherewithal to go directly to a lawyer. In other words, Craig's excuse sounds lame even to the Statesman.

They also suggest that Craig's handing his senatorial business card, and asking what the police think of that, is "...an inexcusable abuse of power," and I totally agree with them. This situation had nothing to do with the people of Idaho. It was personal and he should not have tried to weasel his way out by virtue of his being an elected official. Nobody is above the law.

The Statesman further finds that Craig's choice of remaining quiet about his little Minnesota escapade is "...an unacceptable breach of trust." Craig obviously hoped no one would hear of this episode. Then again, maybe he just didn't want to make the same error he made back in 1982 when he issued a statement saying he had no involvement in the page scandal involving homosexual sex, drugs, and abuse of power, before he was ever officially accused of such activity. After twenty-five years one would think that Craig had learned when to speak up and when not to. How difficult a lesson is that?

In ending, the Statesman states,

"Yes, we have pointed questions, as many Idahoans surely do. But there's a difference between asking hard questions and making snap judgments. We ask Idahoans to await the answers before passing judgment."

I agree with this position by the Statesman, but we do have not only statements by others about Craig's engagement with them in homosexual activity, but we have a police officer who was, himself, solicited by Craig. Now is the time for honesty... unfortunately I, for one, do not expect that from Senator Craig; however, it would be a very pleasant surprise, and I remain optimistic.

Lewd Conduct Man

2007-08-27T16:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I heard it hours ago but only just arrived home to my computer; however, the phone lines in Idaho have been burning! Ah, Republican family values... just can't get enough of them. So Senator Craig was arrested for lewd conduct in a Minneapolis airport men's room. Geez! The total lack of discretion is in itself obscene. And at his age! With a wife and kids! It doesn't get much worse (or better, as the case may be) than that.

The news is EVERYWHERE! From The Political Game to 43rd State Blues to The Mountain Goat Report to Red State Rebels, the Idaho bloggers are having a field day. There's just nothing like seeing a hypocrite get caught in the act. It must really be true that what goes around comes around....

And the national blogs are hot with the same topic. From Roll Call to Wonkette, from CNN to The Huggington Post, Craig's lewd conduct appears to be making more news than Gonzales' resignation. Well, at least Gonzales didn't give the excuse that he wanted to spend more time with his family. He came a long way but as they say, you're known by the company you keep...

So, just to summarize, according to Roll Call, who broke the story, Senator Larry Craig (R-Idaho) was arrested in June by a plainclothes police officer for lewd conduct in a men's public restroom at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport, and plead guilty on August 8th to misdemeanor disorderly conduct, with a prison sentence that was stayed, a $500 fee and one year's probation. That seems to be a pretty hefty sentence for a senior senator who did nothing but tap the other guy's foot.... Maybe I'm a bit naive and I'm missing something here....

Well, I can almost hear the remarks by the Idaho Republican community: it's just an accidental brush of the foot near someone else's so what's wrong with that? Well, something most certainly must be wrong if there is one year's probation. I await further discussion and revelation....

And now I think I know why Craig had not yet declared his candidacy for the 2008 election....

Musings On A Monday Evening

2007-07-09T21:18:00.001-07:00

I am so tired of what's happening politically and so tired of this heat wave (I grew up in the desert and never wanted to experience such heat again), that I find myself searching for some comforting topic. Certainly politics leaves much to be desired. We have the executive office of the United States stating their exclusion from any kind of oversight or accountability. Geez, how many euphemisms for a dictatorship do we have to hear before we finally understand what Bush et al are doing.

Then the nuclear issue keeps coming up, along with other very non-sustainable energy ideas. Let's face it, the world is in love with the production of waste. From computers to fashion to communication to food, we keep producing short-lived throw-away items. No wonder so many energy executives sit on both energy industry and waste industry Boards of Directors....

And of course the endless War on Drugs keeps ruining the lives of young people, minorities, and low income people, keeping many of them in prison much longer than murderers are kept, costing the taxpayers zillions of dollars, and invigorating crime and criminal regimes. I may as well beat my head against the wall for the same headache I get just thinking about this inane, self-serving, irresponsible, and not scientifically based policy on drugs. Does anyone really care that crime, taxes, and negative social stigmas would be greatly reduced, or even disappear, if we just got rid of the War on Drugs????

One of my happiest moments, and being, essentially, a positive person, came this week with the announcement by Jim McDermott, that he has added his name to H. Res. 333, calling for Articles of Impeachment against that ego-maniacal draft-dodging crook, VP Cheney. Thank you Senator McDermott: your insight, integrity, and responsibility to the American people is exemplary in a world gone mad.

So, all that being said, I found my comfort today in the banal, making Monday Lunch for my working friends as well as for myself. And it was a good lunch! Yummy, Scottish Highland Beef and homegrown spinach risotto with lots of garlic and onions and fennel and oregano. A basic green salad with Spanish sherry vinaigrette included tomatoes, cucumber and Bulgarian feta. I couldn't resist a rosemary and garlic foccacia to accompany this feast. And for dessert, cherry clafouti, the classic French, early summer dessert, that all French women have memorized, just like Americans with their burgers on the barbecue.

And following lunch delivery, I worked again (well, volunteered again) at our new International Visitor Center, which provides me with the opportunity to meet people who, passing through our beautiful neck of the woods, stop to ask about Boundary County, about our environs, and about traveling beyond our horizon. I love to tell them about this region that I love so much!

It's so wonderful that the small miracles and beauties of life are still there to be appreciated.

Idaho People, Idaho Values, Idaho Democrats

2007-07-02T18:49:00.000-07:00

I have been very remiss in not writing about the June 23rd, north Idaho Democratic Rally. The weather could not have been better. The bratwurst was delicious. And the company was wonderful. How could any Idaho Democrat not luxuriate in the company of other Idaho Democrats....

The gathering began at noon, but our very own Shelley Landry, as well as Cheryl Halverson, Benewah County Chair, were ready, willing and excited to be greeting our guests!

Our entertainment was an Elvis impersonator who, before the festivities really began, found the friendliest Democrat in the state!

Everyone took advantage of the new Executive Director, John Foster, and I'm sure he had more ideas about how to improve the Democrats' position in north Idaho than there were brats on the barbecue. We also welcomed Larry and Pam Grant, of course our own Jeanne Buell, and notice that "...oln County" sign in the background? Well that's Lincoln County, Washington! Yes indeed, Democrats from Spokane County, Lincoln County, and northernmost Stevens County all showed up to lend support, as well as share in Democratic values. See, eastern Washington isn't all Republican....

Rand Lewis, local resident and candidate for Idaho's first U.S. Congressional District, carries on a semi-serious discussion with Shoshone County's, Jerry White (Idaho Legislative District 2 Vice-Chair, as well as County Assessor), and Idaho Legislative District 1 Chair, Bob Marley.
Two long-term, hard-working, diligent and loyal Democrats from Boundary County, Elsie Hollenbeck (State Committeewoman) and former Senator Tim Tucker.
Again, Senator Tim Tucker getting his political fix with Boundary County Naples Precinct Captain, Lisa Robbe-Soults.
Not that I'm so biased, but the Boundary County Democrats, you know, Boundary County, Crown of Idaho, were well represented, along with Bonner County's Jim Ramsey (former Legislative District 1 Senatorial candidate). From left are Fred Hendrickson (Vice-Chair), Tim Tucker, Alice Hendrickson, Scott Soults, and loyal friend and mascot, Kia.

Don't think for a minute that Elvis would be hard-pressed to find his biggest fan, our own Jeanne Buell. Whatever he's singing obviously pleases Shelley as well.
And where would we be without some delicious food and hard-working cooks at this rally. A big thanks to Dave Larsen and Steve Foxx!
Well, finally, yours truly with her dear friend and Vice-Chair (I think of him as co-chair), the man who keeps track of the fund-raising, issues, and all the important stuff, Fred Hendrickson.

Idaho's U.S. Congressional District 1 candidate, Larry Grant, after reading a list two pages long of Bill Sali's latest idiocies as a congressional representative (check Red State Rebel's diary at the DailyKos), took a few moments to explain why an Elvis impersonator is important to Pam and himself. Wondering why? Well just ask him about the red Ford Mustang....
Finally, a special thanks goes to Kootenai County Chair, Bev Moss, pictured here with husband, Steve. Bev brings new life and new enthusiasm to north Idaho Democrats and helps to demonstrate what a viable and formidable group we have the potential to be.
I've probably thrown in way too many photos for most people, but this was an event that drew north Idahoans together in a way that hasn't been seen before the break up of the unions. North Idaho used to be a Democratic stronghold. When I go door-to-door talking to people, everyone's concerns turn out to be Democratic concerns, yet they're voting for the wrong party, or worse, no party at all. It's time for north Idaho to turn blue, again, and, for the rest of Idaho, if you're not blue already, please join in the movement to turn Idaho blue!

Idaho People, Idaho Values, Idaho Democrats! It's time to return home to the party that supports Idaho workers. Go Democrats!

Larry Grant Keeps The Turkeys Away

2007-06-25T19:49:00.001-07:00

For those of you who have read some of my previous blogs, you know full well how I feel about the wild turkeys that reek havoc in my yard and garden. Recently, two GIANT toms have been attempting to fight their own reflections in my sun room window. Well, the strategic positioning of my "Larry Grant for Congress" yard sign proves that Larry Grant does know how to keep the turkeys away! No more toms. Thank you, Larry!

Speaking of Larry Grant, I got my Walt Minnick poll call today. How convenient to be both a blogger and an anthropologist: not only am I familiar with why the person is asking what, but I get to write about it! However, I'm still not certain why Minnick would support Larry Grant and then take off on his own for a run at the same position. But what do I know? I live in north Idaho, and obviously a long history of disconnect is about the only connection between Boise and north Idaho. At least Betsy Russell over at the Spokesman makes some connections, but maybe that's because she's in an even odder position: reporting on north Idaho, based on politics and news in Boise, while residing in, and working for a major newspaper in eastern Washington. I certainly have a lot of respect for that gal!

So, back to Minnick. Is it the "old guard," seeing how exciting the new guard is, wanting to get back into politics? Is it denial that Larry Grant could have lost his initial race because Idaho is, in fact, a RED state? Is it greed? Is it bold, objective reasoning? I never knew who Walt was until I was down in Boise in the spring. So, I defer to my friend, Tim Tucker's observation, and assume that this is a really nice, savy guy. But I still don't understand his motive. And if the motive is something out of Popkey's diatribe, then I'll have to completely disagree.

Also, what is all this running for the big ticket slates when our counties are filled with Republicans? If we cannot fill our local offices, county commissioner seats, city councils, local health organizations, local civic organizations, and so forth, then how does anyone think that we'll be able to elect a big ticket Democrat into office?

Finally, a request to Howard Dean, the DNC, and the IDP. I don't think we're going to be successful in turning north Idaho blue if we cannot attract a major candidate to north Idaho, say, to Coeur d'Alene. I say this not because we need the popularity, but because we're so much the bastard step-child. And we are not alone. Democrats from western Montana and eastern Washington feel the same way. So who comes to town? why Dick Cheney! And the Republicans win north Idaho again. And what Democratic candidate comes here? What representative of the Democratic National Committee comes here? Hillary raises money for herself by visiting the big stars in Sun Valley. We have big stars in District 1 too, but do they ever do anything to help the state in which they own a home? And people wonder why Idaho is red.....

Whose Odds?

2007-06-17T17:24:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting and waiting for Popkey's grand exposure of Larry Craig, but so far it seems that instead, the best he can do, is to find another Larry to disparage, and that is Democrat Larry Grant. This seems to me to be a bit like beating a man when he's down. I guess like many others in gentrified southern Idaho, Popkey believes people expected Larry Grant to sell his soul to some hotshot political advisor, call in the big bucks from the big government that Idahoans love to hate, and shelve his intelligence for some quick sound bytes.

Well, when Larry first arrived in north Idaho, a number of us showed up to ask some serious questions. We already believed the war in Iraq should end immediately. We had daily upset stomachs over the Bush administration's progression towards stamping out civil liberties. And we took our role of Democratic candidate support very seriously. In spite of all these serious hesitations, Larry Grant won us over.

He did so because if he didn't have all the facts, he refused to give trite answers to our questions. Instead he went back to southern Idaho, thought about the issue, did some research, and then returned with a well-thought out and thorough answer.

His steadiness, his thoughtfulness, and his friendliness caused people to remember him, remember what he said, and really think about how well he would represent Idahoans and Idaho interests in the US Congress. I mean, how could any Idahoan not like this guy? He's from Fruitland, married to his high school sweetheart (which she is), has achieved great success, lived away from Idaho but maintains his roots here, and he's always persuasive while never being manic. Plus, he really wants to help the Idaho little guy, or everyman, or whatever you want to call him/her.

Perhaps his supporters may be faulted for liking him too much, thus blinding themselves to the possibility of a Sali win. Perhaps more money would have done the trick. But perhaps Larry Grant really did the best with all that he chose to do, and that the Republican right was still just a bit too afraid of change to vote for Larry.

As for some of Popkey's arguments, well, I, for one, am not so enamoured of the Democratic Congressional Caucus and I don't know that I would want to be indebted to them for services rendered. Secondly, I am also not enamoured of Dean Haagenson who has made his money off of real estate and growth, two areas that have left many a local complaining about property taxes, traffic, and unregulated growth. He may talk about the struggling economy of the 1980's in his defense of current growth, while conveniently forgetting about the Republican breakup of the unions thanks to an emphasis on privatization.

Popkey also criticizes Larry's campaign manager, who, based on my personal experience, was always on top of everything and available for any questions. Popkey conveniently never mentions Larry's blogger, Julie from Red State Rebels, who almost single-handedly catapulted Larry into national attention and brought interest to this race on the DailyKos. Also, I don't know which country fair, house party, or Rotary Club meeting Popkey attended while Larry Grant was present that caused him to quip about Grant's "discomfort with retail politics," but it obviously wasn't in Idaho's far north, where Larry always seemed at ease as well as having the ability to put others at ease as well.

Finally, I think that any Democrat who is "grieving and resentful" is more a figment of Popkey's imagination than any reality I know of. I may be in Idaho's far north, but I'm not stupid enough to fall for "the arrogance and political deafness" of some newspaper writer who decides to dump on a very viable, popular, and well-liked Democratic candidate.

Perhaps Popkey went after Larry Grant because his several month stint looking for the dirt on Larry Craig left him so bereft of the kind of political information he sought.... I just bet that Popkey's trying to distract attention from his failed mission....and in doing so he's not doing the Democrats any service.

Ah Ha! The Perfect Bread!

2007-06-08T06:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally found the recipe for a perfect loaf of bread. It seems it's all over the web: it's the No-Knead Bread adapted by Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery in New York, published in the New York Times thanks to Mark Bittman. And even better, you can even watch the YouTube video on how to do it, thanks to Bittman and Lahey.

I have to admit that I cheated, however. Instead of the yeast I use my sourdough starter. Works great! My friend, Rosemary, used the actual recipe but didn't have time to bake it for 48 hrs. It still came out great! I've added more flour and less flour and doubled the recipe as well (now I really appreciate all the cast-iron cookware that I have). I do prefer bran over semolina for keeping the dough from sticking to my kitchen towel, although I like the flavor of the semolina better.

I love the flavor, the hard crust, and the tender inside. I especially love the crumb! That crumb is exactly what I have been looking for! I've also discovered that even though the bread occasionally sticks to the towel, creating a pre-baking gash, this only prevents the bread from rising as high as usual, as well as cracking, but the flavor is still great and the texture is just a bit chewier, which is something I like as well.

Yummy! All those holes! Thank you Jim Lahey and Mark Bittman and all you other wonderful chefs on the web! Now I make this every 2-3 nights! Let it rise until early morning when my cats meow for breakfast, then 2 1/2 hrs. later, into the oven. By lunchtime I have my favorite bread.

This does not mean, however, that I have quit making my other breads. Every bread has it's place and sometimes I do like the tighter crumb. But just making this bread, the sourdough, and even my old fashioned rolls has taught me much about bread making. I've learned how the long rise can really help with the crumb I want. I've learned how to get those rolls to rise a bit more once they hit the oven. And I've learned how hot an oven really needs to be by cooking in cast-iron.

My husband loves this bread. I brought a "sunken" (stuck to the towel) double loaf to my girlfriends' birthday party and not a crumb remained. My Monday lunch customers love the bread. And since my dentist reads my blog, I even brought him a loaf.

So, if you haven't made this bread yet, now is the day to get started!

Nothing Says Summer Like A Farmer's Market

2007-06-02T07:17:00.000-07:00

I've been away, both to Seattle and into my garden. Actually the garden has taken the most time because weeds and dandelions were strangling its beauty. Fortunately, with a stiff back, sore hands, and several pairs of gloves later, most of the weeds have been plucked away. I also had a major setback when I put my seedlings outside too soon. Oh yes, horror of horrors, I lost all my celeriac, several tomatoes, all but two physalis, and most of my leeks. However, since I'm a true believer in global warming, I'm also convinced that we will have another long summer, so I'm starting again. Hopefully the sun, long days, and tons of fish fertilizer will do the trick. It doesn't matter if that's a pipe dream, it makes me happy.

In case it is a pipe dream, however, and wanting all that food, I'm off to the Farmer's Market this morning. Of course, I always arrive early, because I want the greatest choice before it's all gone. And the goods will disappear ever more quickly as the summer wears on. So at 7:30am (the market opens at 8am), I grab my basket and my money and drive into downtown Bonners Ferry, to the visitor center and city parking lot, and head determinedly into the midst of the market.

My first stop is always Marsha's Cottage Garden. Marsha has the BEST vegetables! Every fall I order pounds of onions, leeks and carrots to carry me through the winter. And her garlic braids are awesome! In springtime, she always has lettuce, mixed bags of spring greens, spinach, bok choy, Chinese cabbage, and many, many starts of veggies, herbs, and flowers.

Usually next door to Marsha is Judy, with a wonderful and huge variety of plants and flowers, all of which grow in our wonderful northern climate. Being quite creative, Judy also makes jellies, mustards, vinegars, and the most divine soaps and lotions. My favorite soap is "Northern Lights." I think this is an emotional sell for me because occasionally we can actually see the northern lights from Boundary County. How amazing is that!

And that's just the beginning of all the wonderful stalls to visit. I also like to stop by Sora's for a lemon cream scone, spanikopita (spinach filled Greek pastry), perhaps some organic bread (although I usually make my own bread), and occasionally, on a Farmer's Market special occasion day (with live entertainment, food contests, and other delights), some of the special lunches she brings like homemade soup. Gail always has flowers and other plants to buy, as well as mixed bags of lettuce and other vegetables. But it's her flower arrangements that really cause everyone's eyes to grow big!

That's not the end of our wonderful Farmer's Market. From Peggy's canned jams, jellies, and pickles to homemade cake donuts to the absolutely over-the-top, locally raised Yak meat, the Boundary County Farmer's Market has it all!

You would think that after all these stops, for purchases and for socializing, I would be on the road home. But there's one more important stop on Saturday mornings (on other mornings as well) and that's at Under the Sun in downtown Bonners Ferry. So I stroll from the Farmer's Market to the next block over, and stop by Under the Sun for my morning organic double latte. Yummy! But the coffee and the food are just the beginning of this wonderful, unique store, which just opened about a year ago by Shelly Yount, her very supportive husband, Jack, and their three gracious and delightful daughters.

Shelly and Kaylon order much of the unique gifts, cookware, baby, seasonal, and other items in the store. Kendall is primarily responsible for food, and most of it is DELICIOUS! From Greek salad to your choice of sandwich on homemade bread to a variety of soups, all organic!!! this place is a very popular stop for lunch. Kynsie is always on top of clothing, shoes and just everything that's fashionable, and that includes her own choice of clothes every day! The shelves are filled with old and new, all very tastefully coordinated, and although they have their areas of expertise, everyone in the family contributes to this store's delightful and attractive atmosphere. So check out the outside tables and wares, Kendall's and Kynsie's friendly greetings, and Shelly and Jack taking a brief respite in the dining area. And don't miss Under the Sun the next time you're in downtown Bonners Ferry!

Who's Busy in North Idaho?

2007-05-20T09:44:00.000-07:00

No, I haven't been on vacation or out of town; instead I've been in my garden planting all the food I need to sustain us during the winter. I've also been editing a friend's book, spending way too much time at the local auction, and perfecting my skills at making bread.

As for current events, I'm very happy to learn that Otter has told the DEQ to develop a greenhouse gas inventory, and, as quoted in The Statesman, it will "serve as the central point of contact for coordination and implementation of greenhouse gas reduction efforts." Both Red State Rebels and New West Boise applaud Otter's commitment, but I remain cautious about this pro-environment step by a historically anti-environment Representative, now Governor, and wolf-killer wanna-be.

I never used to be such a sceptic, and I try to remain positive, but daily doses of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, and books like Greg Palast's Armed Madhouse (an excellent review of which is at The Smirking Chimp), have led me to doubt many of the actions and motives of Republicans, as well as most of the mass media.

For more on current events in Idaho (and occasionally elsewhere), as well as other great Idaho activities and observations, nothing beats the weekly round-up as reported at 43rd State Blues.

Moving on to my other activities, I did find some interesting books at the auction. I was quite pleased at winning the bid for Tales Told in Holland, although it wasn't exactly a steal.... Even though its condition only rates a "Good," still, the color is great with no writing inside. I acquired it for the lovely illustrations by Maud and Miska Petersham. A real gem from the auction is Life's Picture History of World War II which is in "Very Good" condition although the slip case is not. The photos, illustrations, and text capture the everyday reality of that war and war in general. So many photos, one could spend hours perusing it, unless, like me, the images of war become too much. My final acquisition is one which is fun for me: a first printing of The Complete Scandinavian Cookbook by Alice Johnson. After my trip to Norway last year and Sweden some years back, I've fallen in love with Scandinavia. What better way to learn a culture than through its food?

I know you're all dying to hear about the bread. I do believe that I have the perfect recipe now, but weeds are calling me so that will have to come next time, hopefully with a photo.

A Thunderstorm in Boundary County

2007-05-12T21:48:00.000-07:00

If you have reached this blog through www.boundarycounty.net I do not know the person who owns the webiste, nor do I have any association with that person. I have asked that my blog link be removed from that website.

I've hesitated to write this blog because it's rather a blight spot on north Idaho. However, rotten apples are in every barrel and in the Boundary County public school system some rotten apples seem to be making the rest of the barrel smell rotten, which is not fair.

This has to do with the services being received, or not, as the case(s) may be, for students who qualify for Special Education services. Some of the Special Ed teachers attempt to provide exemplary service; unfortunately it's steadily beginning to look like their best efforts are being thwarted by both the head of Special Ed. and the Superintendent. This could be the result of chauvinistic bias, laziness, under budgeting, or just plain abuse of administrative positions. Let me provide the facts so that all readers may access the codes and laws and talk to these people themselves.

Turning to Partnerships for Inclusion, a north Idaho business that provides information, training, one-on-one teaching, and some advocacy, a number of parents reported, complained, and/or requested help in getting Boundary County Special Education to provide legally-mandated services for their children. A number of these children were spending less than two hours per day at school because the services were either so inadequate or just not being offered.

With another school levy rapidly approaching, the head of Partnerships for Inclusion asked the Superintendent to speak about the levy to approximately 13-15 parents who had concerns with Special Ed. services. The parents' disillusionment hit its acme when the superintendent said he felt that the head of Special Ed. was doing a good job because he consistently comes in under budget. So, money is more important than children. Good job, supe! With that kind of logic, you don't even need to wear a button that says, "I'm a Republican."

Because of the large number of complaints by parents, including several who actually moved out of the school district in order to get mandated services, CO-AD (Comprehensive Advocacy, Inc.), offered to provide an information and training class to the community on Saturday, May 5th. CO-AD's purpose is, as their website states, "Assisting people with disabilities to protect, promote, and advance their legal and human rights, through quality legal, individual, and system advocacy." About 40 people showed up for this event, including parents, teachers, and interested community members. It was, in many ways, a success for both the community and the parents.

But get this, the Boundary County Superintendent and head of Special Ed., refused to send out a mailer telling the parents of Special Ed. children that the meeting would take place! The Superintendent claimed that the statement on the flyer, "Do you have problems accessing a Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE) for your child?" was "misleading or questionable."
Say what?!

First, as an educator, an administrator for education, and a representative of public education, why would you not welcome extra education for your parents, teachers and community? Secondly, I would think that this visit by CO-AD was an opportunity to discover how well the school's Special Ed. program was working, identify problems, and find solutions. Third, sending out the mailer and attending the meeting would have been good PR for future levys. And finally, CO-AD was "...designated by the governor as the Protection and Advocacy System for the State of Idaho." Why would any educator deny information about this legal service, provided by the State for people with disabilities! I can think of only one reason: guilt.

The list of complaints is long and was discussed at length at the CO-AD meeting. Many of these complaints were specifically directed at the head of Special Education in Boundary County. Some of these included outright denial of services, shifting blame to the children and parents, and a chauvinistic stance towards women. Mothers have long been advised to bring their husbands with them when meeting with the head of Special Ed. Complaints have also been made about the high school principle. I know from personal experience that Special Ed. or not, the principal will sit in a student's classroom, day after day, and just stare at the student as a means of intimidation. More specific complaints were also offered. The more challenging the child, e.g., lower IQ, depression, ADHD, the more complaints heard. This is a difficult and terrible situation that includes inappropriate or ignorant behavior at best and human rights and ADA violations at worst.

However, a silver lining now exists under this cloud of problems, denial of legally-mandated services, and egregious behavior. The parents have learned how to organize in order to act as a team. They have learned about the avenue of utilizing the School Board. And they have seen the community support that surrounds them. Hopefully, the end result of all this will be a school district that in the future will be able to laud its Special Education program.

Killer Chocolate

2007-05-02T07:19:00.000-07:00

While reading the Seattle Times Editorials this morning, I was reminded of yet another egregious move on the part of the corporate food monster. So, still on the subject of food, I forgot to mention in my last blog that corporate candy industries, like Hershey's, have petitioned the FDA to allow them to reduce the amounts of cocoa butter and cocoa solids in chocolate in order to substitute cheaper ingredients! And what do they want to substitute? Partially hydrogenated oils, artificial sweeteners, and milk substitutes. Yuck!

And why? Economics, of course. As if they don't make enough money.... They've already acquired the California boutique chocolate maker, Scharffen Berger; San Francisco chocolatier, Joseph Schmidt Confections; and Ashland Oregon's Dagoba Organic Chocolate. Furthermore, companies like Hershey's and M&Ms/Mars, who dominate the $13 billion dollar chocolate industry, buy most of the Ivory Coast cocoa which uses large scale child slave labor on its plantations. These children live in dire poverty, are overworked, suffer tremendous amounts of pollution, and are part of an outlandish system of slavery. But I guess child slavery meets the economic demands of these corporate giants. As does the request to make chocolate, well, not chocolate.

Gary Guittard, President of Guittard Chocolate Co. is certainly outraged with these corporate recommendations, which he makes quite clear with his Don't Mess With Our Chocolate website. As the site explains, the comment period to the FDA has been extended to June 25th. They also describe what you'll see on the comment page, including the docket which reads: 2007P-0085 - Adopt Regulations of General Applicability to all
Food Standards that would Permit, within Stated Boundaries, Deviations from the
Requirements of the Individual Food Standards of Identity
Sounds pretty scary to me! Especially since we have recently learned about the benefits of the flavenoids and antioxidants that are present in chocolate! The addition of the trans fats would certainly cancel out any benefits. What are these people thinking of??? Oh yeah, economics.

That seems to be what it's all about these days: money. But don't get me started on money, debt, and economics, because that is certainly enough to cloud my day. Indeed, a rapid mood change is required: I think I'll have some chocolate....while it's still the chocolate that I know and love. Oh, and is good for me too!

Eating Locally

2007-04-28T06:35:00.000-07:00

Not everyone agrees with me, but I do think of North Idaho as a bit of food heaven. I know, having lived in both places, that cities like New York and Los Angeles offer a more vast and greater variety of food, some of it as organic as what I have in North Idaho. I guess the biggest difference here is that I'm so close to the origins of my food. Now, I certainly could not go long without spices, chocolate, cheeses, etc., from faraway places, unlike those mavericks of eating locally, Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon, who, having read that the ingredients of the North American's typical meal came from 1500 miles away, decided to eat only food grown within a 100 mile range of their home in Vancouver, Canada. I could do the occasional 100-mile dinner or 100-mile day, and I do try to eat locally produced food: Scottish Highland Beef, Yak, game, pigs and lambs raised by friends, eggs, fish, produce and veggies. So, at the height of spring planting, I think about local food, although lacking grain mills, exotic cheeses, and ocean fish, I still stretch beyond my 100 mile limit. But that may change....

Reading last week about all the problems we are currently experiencing with our global food supply, I have become even more concerned about what agribusiness is doing to the global food chain and more convinced than ever that a renewed emphasis on a local and sustainable food supply is not only necessary but attainable as well.

First we discover that the FDA knew for years about the possibility of, and complaints about e-coli in spinach and salmonella in peanut butter. Add that to the terrible situation with tainted pet foods: foods containing melamine which, until the pet food caused kidney failure in pets, was thought to be okay in low quantities. So much for the corporate quality of research for pet food. However, now it turns out that the FDA still thinks melamine in low quantities is not a contaminant for people....but oh, wait, it turns out that it may be, as 6,000 hogs, and perhaps some chickens from China have become "contaminated" by melamine and cyanuric acid. So the hogs will be killed but no word on the chickens....and especially no word on what consumption of these hogs and chickens would mean for people.

Hungry yet?

It turns out that China has been experiencing food contamination problems for some time, and the U.S. is just another case of what happens with poor quality control and product regulation. China's food problems should be worrisome to American consumers, especially those who shop at Wal-Mart, where one can now buy good old American, as well as organic food, imported from China. Thanks to overgrown, huge corporate monopolies, it appears that many of our food products may not only carry the potential to be contaminated, but are not even the product companies say they are! So much for organic!

Finally, I read about how bisphenol A (BPA) leaches from its polycarbonate baby bottle into the milk inside. The FDA knows this and has for years, but has not yet determined if that's bad for people. Right. We all now have BPA in us and many scientists have demonstrated that the chemicals leached from plastic disrupt our endocrine system, as so well-described and documented in first the book, and now the website, Our Stolen Future.

You know, eating locally is beginning to look more and more like something feasible and sensible. I hope that Idaho Democrats absolutely, and all other Idahoans as well, realize how valuable our natural resources, like our agriculture, water, air, forests and more, contribute to Idaho's ability to be a bit of heaven on earth.

Earth Day, My Birthday

2007-04-22T20:25:00.000-07:00

Most of my friends think it appropriate that I share my birthday with Earth Day. That's because they see me as someone with her feet firmly planted on the ground. And, of course, since this entire conservative town seems to know me as one of the token (that means I'm not afraid to speak up) environmentalists, that contributes to the appropriateness of sharing the day. I also have a good friend whose son has known me for nigh unto 30yrs., who, haven't not seen me for awhile, asked his mother if I was still an "earth mother." No, I don't walk around in long flowered skirts with graying child-flower hair, but I guess having brought him donuts on a regular basis when his mom and I were in graduate school together, somehow made me an earth mother. But the best part about sharing my birthday is that it imparts in me a sense of peacefulness that comes, I think, from my belief that the environment, or Mother Nature, if you will, always carries with it the cycle of life which endures in time. Of course the environment changes, and can change even more because of the human carbon footprint (I think that's a nice euphemism for obsession with economics), but I'm not sure that the result of human activity will destroy the earth; rather, it will destroy human life on earth. That's just a thought, and one which I'll put away for now because I rather enjoy my birthday and I don't allow negative karma to intrude on my day.

No blog for several days because we were at a book sale in Seattle. I think we should have stayed another day because even though the books in our area of specialization were not great, I did feel that I was honing in on the good ones and I could have filled my coffers even more with an extra day. Alas, our plans did not allow the extra day so we flew home yesterday, much to the happiness of our cats and kits.

I did come across a decent first edition of Gregory Bateson's Mind and Nature: A Necessary Unity. I think that Bateson was probably one of the most brilliant thinkers of this past century, and just hasn't been "found" yet by a greater public audience. Although known in some circles as the man who wooed Margaret Mead while she was in the field in with her husband, Reo Fortune, with the result of Mead leaving Fortune and marrying Bateson, his writings and his intellect are the true trademarks of a thoughtful, innovative and far-sighted career. I just love being able to sell his books.

I also found some other noteworthy firsts: Braudel's two volume set of The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II; Levi-Strauss' The Origin of Table Manners; Fawn Brodie's authorized biography of Tolkien (that's for my son); Lewis' The Ship Would Not Travel Due West (couldn't resist because of my years as a sailor); a Fine copy of Cornelisen's Women of the Shadows; and several others. And I bought up several copies of Kenneth Read's The High Valley, a classic as well as a beautifully well-written ethnography of New Guinea. All in all, a good book buying spree.

I finished off my birthday celebration with a delicious dinner: baby lettuce salad with feta cheese, avocado and a sherry vinaigrette; Scottish Highland chuck roast braised in a provencal sauce and served over roasted garlic mashed potatoes; and to accompany, a delicious Argentinian merlot from the Mendoza region. No dessert, however, because while in Seattle I ate way too much of the most ethereal lemon tart from 60th Street Desserts and Delicatessen.
It was so good, that I'm even making lemon/almond tartlets for Monday lunch tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Earth Day!

The Elusive, Perfect Bread Loaf

2007-04-17T08:49:00.000-07:00

Monday lunch was pretty good yesterday. I made Navy Bean soup with ham (yup, finally used up the end of the Easter ham), and I thought it was delicious, although I haven't heard back from any of my customers. I must be part Tuscan because I could eat beans almost everyday.... For the before, or after, depending on one's dining pleasure, I also made a green salad with cucumber, sweet onion, Blood Orange, feta cheese and a sherry vinaigrate. Then everyone received a wonderful bread, thanks to A Hunger Artist, made into individual rolls. And for dessert, after much deliberation (more like an incompetent Iron Chef wringing her hands while asking herself what should I make, oh what should I make?), a trifle with chocolate-orange pound cake, triple sec (on the cake), blood orange zabaglione, and whipped cream sweetened with blood orange zest. I could have eaten all that zabablione by myself in one sitting so I gave the extra away. What will power!

About the bread, however. It still didn't have the air pockets, holes, open crumb, or whatever you call it that I want in a bread. It was tasty. And one of my friends said she preferred the white rolls because this bread was a bit chewy. I took that as a great compliment because I've been trying to get some more "chew" in the bread. Everyone else seemed to like it fine, although one person said they couldn't tell the difference. Oh well, we all have our specialities. Anyway, I now have become a bit more obsessive about making the perfect loaf, well, a perfect loaf for my likes, so I turned to some of my cookbooks in an attempt to discover the "hole" problem.

Elizabeth David, one of my favorite food writers (even her cookbooks make delightful reading), proved disappointing only because I couldn't figure out the key word she used for "crumb, holes, or whatever she calls it." This key word bit frustrated me immensely. I must confess that I didn't re-read all of English Bread and Yeast Cookery in my search for air pockets so I imagine that the answer may be in there somewhere. Thus, I somewhat failed myself.

Turning to Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads, I found some descriptions that mentioned those unattainable holes, but, alas, I again found no specific direction. Finally, I picked up Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Bread Bible, and after finally figuring out that, to her anyway, my air holes are referred to as the "crumb," I did find some suggestions and information on why I didn't have the crumb I sought, and how to get it.

With appropriate bibliographic details (Beranbaum, Rose Levy. 2003. The Bread Bible. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. p. 303), I quote the information:

"One of the great challenges of making rustic loaves is producing the type that boasts big holes, such as the baguette, ciabatta, and pugliese. I have found that what produces this desirable crumb is:

> An acid dough (use of a dough starter and long cool rising)
> Underdeveloped gluten (from less mixing time)
> A high water percentage, to create a very wet dough
> A slow rise
> Gentle shaping
> An overnight rise of the shaped dough in the refrigerator."

Well, I have failed in the acid, mixing time, and gentle shaping categories. I think I can correct all of those, but the gentle shaping will be tough. For me, kneading bread dough is rather meditative. Oh well, sometimes change is good. I was especially encouraged by her suggestions when I read that it took her nine tries before she finally achieved the big holes necessary in ciabatta. Okay, I love to eat bread, so nine tries is actually promising....

The Bread Bible is a very good cookbook, but I will be the first to admit that I am daunted by recipes that go by weight. I don't have a great scale, and, I just cannot see those old Italian grandmothers actually weighing their ingredients. It's somehow anomalous to have to weigh ingredients for something that has been successfully made, without written recipes, for hundreds of years. But maybe, just maybe, since I don't have an old Italian grandmother standing over my shoulder, I'll just have to weigh in order to achieve the perfect loaf. I'll let you know what happens when I try again....

With Deepest Sympathy

2007-04-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

Today I am so devastated by the tragic massacre at Virginia Tech, that I can only begin by saying my thoughts, my sympathies, and my heart are with all those who tragically suffered, lost loved ones, and feel lost, themselves, in all attempts to try and come to grips with how, and why, this unbelievable massacre occurred.

I thought, of course, of Columbine, and I cried too after hearing the interview with the father who lost his son in the Columbine shooting, who said it felt like having his heart ripped out. I cried when I heard about a meeting tomorrow "in order to begin the healing process." I doubt that anyone really heals because every emotion returns when another tragedy occurs. I think of all the people looking for answers, and I know that there are both too few and too many lines of reasoning.

And I thought of the kind of world in which we live, where violence has become so pervasive that we stop thinking about it. I am sickened by the animal abuse reported today at The Mountain Goat Report. What kind of person would perform such a sick and evil act? I am sickened by our President, who, after lying in order to start the war in Iraq, called the bombing of one of the oldest cultures, city, and people, "shock and awe." That's right up there with Nazi's putting up the slogan "Arbeit macht frei" (work makes you free, or makes freedom), at the entrance to a number of concentration camps. Or the molestation, murder and kidnapping that occurred with the Groene family in Kootenai County. And the ruling that no flag-laden coffins of our fallen soldiers should be shown in any public place. And I could go on and on, and so could so many.

Today I wanted to write about a staple of life, my bread baking activities. Instead, I find myself writing about the loss of life, in a world, that at the moment, seems completely mad.

North Idaho Democracy Dinner

2007-04-15T08:44:00.000-07:00

Last night four Boundary County Democrats (that's me, too) attended the North Idaho Democracy Dinner, which is a yearly Kootenai County Democrat fundraiser. Held at the Coeur d'Alene Casino in Worley, it included a wonderful buffet dinner, an opportunity to chat with a variety of northern Idaho Democrats, and a chance to bid on baskets of treats, donated by individual northern counties with the proceeds going back to the respective county. Now how cool is that!

It was emceed by Councilman Mike Kennedy who brought some humor to the sad state of political affairs in the U.S. today. Mr. Cliffored SiJohn, of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe of Idaho, gave a warm, thoughtful, and inspirational Invocation. The wonderful friendship between the tribe and the Democrats should be an example for counties who do not share a similar relationship. Idaho Democratic Party Chair, Richard Stallings, provided an informative and personable introduction to the main speaker, Jim Hansen. Jim delivered a thought-provoking and motivational speech that spoke to the grassroots. Using his personal background and his recent campaign for Idaho's 2nd District Congressional race, he spoke about the necessity to form grassroots' relationships in every town in Idaho, with as many people as possible. His position, which also forms the philosophical foundation upon which United Vision for Idaho is built, bases itself not on big money hoopla and rich-folk donations, but on whatever it is that individuals can give in order to build a movement and a political way of thinking that begins with people, people at the grassroots. Of course money is also important, as Hillary Clinton has so blatantly pointed out. But I think the U.S. populace is changing, and individuals have become more important than money, just like they should be more important than corporations. Paul Wellstone and Howard Dean, and groups like Moveon, have made this abundantly clear. Grassroots Idaho will turn Idaho blue!

The evening ended with Kootenai Country Chair, Bev Moss, announcing the winners of the 2007 Art Manley Lifetime Achievement Award, Bob and Eileen Riddle, who have, without a doubt, given so much, so often, to the Idaho Democratic Party. Bev also announced the winners of the silent auction baskets. I enjoyed myself and it's always nice to be able to speak with the folks in the party, the potential and announced candidates for upcoming elections, and just other north Idaho Democrats. Given the driving distances amongst the counties, the price of gas, and just about everybody's work schedule, I think the regional communication that has begun amongst the counties will be a real asset for future elections.

I cannot finish without a special thank you to Shelley Landry, the Northern Field Organizer, whose creative thinking provides a new framework in which to voice our Democratic concerns (who else, upon learning that someone is a Republican, would then ask, "But are you a happy Republican?"), the energy enough to constantly touch base with all the counties in District 1 (which runs the length of the state), and, on top of that, get us to begin working not just as individuals, or individual counties, but as a cohesive whole. (Has she been teaching Jim or has he been teaching her????) You go, girl!

An Almost Perfect Bread

2007-04-10T08:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Monday Lunch day and I finally had the opportunity to make a terrific loaf of bread from a recipe I originally found at Michael Ruhlman's blog, as posted by guest chef Bob del Grosso. The original recipe, with photos, left me with some questions, so that's what my comments contained. Well, Bob was considerate enough to email me his response, and I'm so happy he did because the bread was very, very tasty. It's still not exactly like the artisan breads I can buy elsewhere, but I'm getting there. Now if I can only learn how to achieve those great air pockets inside the loaf, I'll be very happy.

Anyway, I used the bread to make sandwiches, yes, leftover Easter ham, Swiss cheese, homemade Dijon mayonnaise, and lettuce, served with one of my home-canned dill pickles. Oh, that wasn't the end of lunch. I also made winter squash soup with chipotle pepper. Actually it was a beautiful golden Hubbard squash, that I had bought last fall at the Farmer's Market from my friend, Marsha. I am very impressed that it kept so well, for this long, in my root cellar! I began with a mirepoix, added garlic and a chopped, canned chipotle in adobe sauce, mixed in some flour, then added homemade chicken stock and the pre-cooked squash. Before serving, I mixed in some creme fraiche. I loved it. I hope my customers did too.

Dessert this week was simple: some chewy oatmeal raisin cookies as well as some chocolate chippers. My son had come home from university for Easter and I had to make some of his favorites....

Soon it will be my birthday and I'm finally going to get a digital camera! Once that happens, perhaps I'll also be able to figure out how to add photos to this blog. In the meantime, if you want to see how the bread looks, you'll have to visit Bob's blog, A Hunger Artist. And if you love cooking like I do, check out Ruhlman's blog which receives numerous comments, hosts guests (like Bob del Grosso as well as Anthony Bourdain), and lists his books, all of which I highly recommend. For that matter, I like Bourdain's books as well.

As you can see, cooking is one of my favorite activities so I really like Monday Lunch day....

The Second Civil War

2007-04-07T18:40:00.000-07:00

Idaho is rocking with all sorts of political intrigue....

I absolutely cannot believe that after mentioning a RUMOR about a Vandersloot/Larry Craig/Wasden connection, that 43rd State Blues received a "take-down" order from Vandersloot (Melealeuca). Since when are bloggers not allowed to post rumors? What happened to the First Amendment? Does that mean we are not allowed to mention that most of Idaho government knows, and has known for years, about the rumor of Senator Craig's homosexuality? I know our governor has always opposed much, if not all, of the Patriot Act, but when did our first amendment rights disappear? Could someone from the ACLU give me a clue? This sounds more like a science fiction movie, or perhaps even an Orwell novel....

Then, it sounds as if Larry Craig might run, Larry Craig may not run, is some kind of Republican game. Well, it's true that one never knows what sort of mischief Karl Rove has in his Pandora's box.... First we learn over at The Mountain Goat Report that Larry Craig only has $270,000 cash at hand (information from Open Secrets) and that his primary opponent is Robert Vasquez. Other bloggers and news announcements also mention this in articles about former Congressman Larry LaRocco's announcement as a candidate in the upcoming senatorial race for Craig's seat. Then we learn that Craig may actually be considering running for re-election. And finally, we hear about his defense of a guestworker program even though Americans for Better Immigration give him a C- for his immigration voting record. His stance on immigration is more clearly described, vote-by-vote, here. So what will Larry Craig be doing about the 2008 election?

I think we can be more fully informed about Idaho, immigration, and perhaps even Craig's political role in all this, if we take a look at the prescient HBO movie, The Second Civil War. In order to appreciate even more the foresight of the movie, we must also remember the recent Idaho legislation making English Idaho's official language. So much for Idaho's Indian tribes who are having a difficult enough time as it is retaining their native tongues, and so much for our Hispanic communities, and so much for all the other immigrants we have brought into the state. But, as I said, HBO's movie is prescient. Although the plot summary doesn't exactly match current events, the behavior of the governor and the president seem especially apt, and Craig's yes/no stances on immigration fit right in with the movie's plot and its character motivation. Finally, the portrayal of the media couldn't be more appropriate. In short, the US president (Phil Hartman) announces that Pakistani orphans are going to live in Idaho. The Idaho governor (Beau Bridges) says no, and when the orphans arrive, Idaho declares war on the US. The News Media sensationalizes the entire ordeal. This is a comedy, and the writer, Martyn Burke, seemed (to me, anyway), to pick the right state as the setting for this satire. We all need a good laugh once in a while, and this will certainly get you laughing at Idaho's rocking politics....

How To Cook A Wolf

2007-04-05T08:57:00.000-07:00

I'm still catching up on work put aside for a week, but I just had to post a blog today in order to share the wonderful experience I had this morning watching the video posted at IdaBlue. For a good chuckle to lift the spirits, I strongly recommend checking it out.

Moving from one wingnut leader to another (have you watched the video yet?), we have Gov. Otter promising to bid for the first tag to shoot a wolf in Idaho since IDFG lowered the fee to less than $10.00, as well as vetoing a bill to provide any relief from the Idaho grocery tax. Maybe we should just eat wolves in Idaho instead of buying beef at the grocery store.... Desperate times call for desperate measures, and M.F.K. Fisher, writing in 1942 when war shortages were at their worst, took up this task by writing How To Cook A Wolf (also available in a collection titled The Art of Eating). Basically, she demonstrated how to get the most nutrition out of the least amount of food. Perhaps Otter could distribute that book around the state in order for those of us who do not live with his bank account, to at least be able to stretch the foods we can afford into really nutritious albeit scant meals.... Either that, or give us a break on the grocery tax! Indeed, since 29 states do not tax groceries, why not eliminate the grocery tax completely? Oh, perhaps if that happened Idaho would not have enough money to give IACI their regular big tax breaks, and with this administration (take your pick, national or state), big business rules and the individual pays taxes....

Actually, I should be more fair to the citizens of Idaho, because many of them are quite good about stretching their food dollars by supplementing with hunting and gardening. Indeed, I have a neighbor who only eats beef at restaurants: the rest of the year it's game meat. Frankly, I think the game meat is probably much healthier and overrides the worry about mad cow disease and the e coli in store-bought Spinach packages.

One of the many things I love about north Idaho, as those of you have heard several times in this blog, is the availability of great food here. I am impressed by how local people swarm the summer time Farmers' Markets, how much of their own food they raise, and how efficient they are with hunting their own food. In our little town, we only have two Fast Food places, and neither of them is a MacDonald's. I think that's impressive. Of course, I am a big fan of the Slow Food movement. But that's another blog....

Ending on a happier note than wolves and grocery tax slavery, I'd like to steer everyone over to Red State Rebels who observes that the Northwest Progressive Institute bestowed regional awards on our own Idaho bloggers: Grassroots for Grant, IdaBlue, and honorary mention 43rd State Blues. Good job and congratulations! My day will end on the same happy note with which it began!

America's Corporate Mercenaries

2007-04-02T06:22:00.000-07:00

Yes, the blog has been empty for the past week because my best friend of 40+ yrs. came to visit me and although I thought I would still write, the time with my friend was too precious to give away. She had never seen north Idaho, or the Canadian Rockies before, so you can imagine how difficult it was to pick and choose the places to visit and how the time was to be spent. In short, we had a fabulous time together and I showed her enough that she definitely wants to return. She also would like me to visit her in Arizona, but, I'm just not one of those desert people. Even in winter the heat would kill me. However, best friends aren't that if there's no reciprocity....

Before my break, my friend, Jo, in southern Idaho, asked that I print some comments she made after reading the previous blog entry on how Mike Simpson feels about supporting our troops. She reminded me that the US is actually supporting two sets of troops in Iraq: our military troops, and the privatized mercenaries working for big, government funded corporations like Blackwater.

Jo says, "One angle of this issue is: who are the troops we are supposed to support with our billions of taxpayer funds? I personally do not support these privatized actors in our Iraq war, and see them as a means for continuing the war. The Dems in Congress are now dealing with Bush's Iraq budget with nary a reservation about mercenaries. They should force Bush to provide an itemized budget instead of the vague junk he sends them that they are reviewing right now! In that case they could cut the funding for mercenaries and up the funding for the US military!"

Much of her information comes from a blog by GDAEman, who writes (and note, an article containing a bibliography just in case someone is in doubt) about these privatized mercenaries. It is an article well worth reading. Jo has highlighted some of the important points in the article and I'll include them here (but please read the article in whole).

GDAEman reports, "...Currently in Iraq, more than 40 percent of the total occupying force comprises private contractors. For President Bush and his political allies, war has become just another industry to be outsourced, with contractors providing a backdoor means of expanding the occupation through the deployment of private armies.In his State of the Union address in last month, Bush mentioned a major new initiative in the U.S. disaster response/reconstruction/war machine: a Civilian Reserve Corps. Bush said: 'Such a corps would function much like our military Reserve. It would ease the burden on the armed forces by allowing us to hire civilians with critical skills to serve on missions abroad when America needs them.' But this is precisely what the administration has already done, largely behind the backs of the American people and with little congressional input. Private contractors constitute the second-largest force in Iraq, about 100,000 strong, of which 48,000 work as private soldiers, according to a Government Accountability Office report.

...The problem is that firms such as Blackwater rely primarily on large, taxpayer-funded U.S. government contracts to stay in business, not on the business of private sector customers or clients. Blackwater has a $300-million, no-bid contract (from 2003) with the State Department to guard diplomats in Iraq. Thus, tax dollars are used first to pay to train the troops, then to pay them a lot more to do basically the same job with a private contracting firm, and finally to pay hefty profits to the contracting firm.

...Many of the 48,000 U.S.-funded mercenaries in Iraq are not Americans, and their deaths are not tracked by the Labor Department. Blackwater and other U.S.-based military contractors have created a private military melting pot by hiring not only Americans, but also mercenaries from Bosnia, Chile, Colombia, the Filipeans, and South Africa. Many of these soldiers-for-hire are veterans of repressive military regimes, including that of the former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and South Africa’s former apartheid government. Other recruits are impoverished former military personnel desperate for a paying job (Blackwater has a recruitment center in the Philippines)."

So, think about this. We have Rep. Simpson voting not to provide for our troops, yet he consistently votes the Republican party line when it comes to giving money to big corporations, like all those US corporations in Iraq with their private mercenaries. Now if that isn't an indication that something is very, very wrong with our government, then I don't know what is. And the most annoying part is that so many Democrats are in the pockets of those same corporations....so, let me now invite all Progressives to move to Idaho....

Simpson Fails Our Troops. Again.

2007-03-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

At the DailyKos, Kagro X calls them the troop killers, meaning the Republicans who repeatedly vote to send our young men and women of the American military into Iraq even though they may be unarmored, not trained, not rested, possibly wounded and not healed, and even mentally unstable. And which Republican in Idaho makes the list? It's Rep. Michael K. Simpson, 2nd District, Idaho. He says he supports our troops, but check out how our Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America rate not just Simpson, but many other members of our national Congress, including Sen. Craig and Sen. Crapo (D- and D, respectively).

Red State Rebels and We have failed... have already reported on this, and you may see it turn up on the other Idaho and national blogs today because we are all so sick and tired of the hypocrisy of Republicans who say one thing but do another. Check out the video at the Daily Kos, it's well worth 30 seconds of your time.

This lying and hypocrisy was recently exposed through the atrocious conditions and treatments offered so many of our troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Coming right on the heels of this exposure of egregious behavior and deploring conditions, Kagro X reports, "...the Republican members of the House Appropriations Committee unanimously opposed requiring that the troops sent to Iraq be properly prepared for their mission and protected with armor. Again."

Way to go Rep. Simpson....you who have never served in the military, you who say you support the troops but then want to send them into war without protection. Once again we have an elected official who does not represent the best interests of his communities, his state, and the troops he has sent to war. Shame on you.

Spring: Time to End All War

2007-03-18T07:51:00.000-07:00

Ah, springtime is here in my garden. Well, it's rather foggy this morning, a kind of Rivendell type of morning for you Tolkien fans, with the trees shrouded in the mists, deer wandering through the forest, birds awakening to light of day, and wild turkeys in the forest gobble-gobbling their terrorist plans for my garden today. I think I'll check on today's war protests, recognizing the date of our disgusting and violent assault upon the Iraqi people in an obvious attempt to control the not just the oil, but, along with the Saudis, and James Baker III, the oil prices in the Middle East.

If you want some national as well as international news about the weekend's protests to the war in Iraq, check out antiwar.com, who provides coverage from Bangkok to Spain to Los Angeles to Athens to Toronto to the Pentagon. But we all know that won't be enough for the Bush Administration. I just hope that it's enough for the Democrats. Perhaps the protest tomorrow, Monday, on March 19th at Nancy Pelosi's office will convince the Democrats that all is not well in Mudville.... For a list of today's protests taking place in Idaho, take a look at Red State Rebels, a blog that frequently tells you more than the Idaho Democratic Party does....

And just in case you think these people march in vain, as of today at least 655,000+ Iraqi civilians have died in this war, 3,211 U.S. military personnel have perished (official number), and the war now has cost $409,052,121,231.

I hate to end on such a tragic note, but perhaps it's the weekend we should all be either marching or holding candlelight vigils. The Bush administration is like a runaway train, and although the train may be falling apart, they just keep on going. I would urge people to contact Nancy Pelosi's office tomorrow and let her know you are there in spirit.

On that note, back to the spirit of springtime, a reminder of the cycle of life that we in four-season country fully appreciate. It's time to start our seeds, be they for the garden or for the rebirth of Idaho into a blue state. I hope you'll enjoy a sonnet I once wrote about the disappearcne of winter into spring:

Sonnet XIII

While tulips remain hidden underground
Under a thick white blanket, safe from cold,
Mysteries unfold there, without a sound,
A secret story waiting to be told.
Ten years ago the tulips seemed to hide,
But now I see them almost everywhere.
During each winter’s sleep they multiplied,
Now become common, when once so rare.
What happened during winter, I don’t know.
Do tulips do the things that people do?
What springtime preparations do they sow,
In full anticipation of the new.
I’m astonished by what I should have known:
During winter’s sleep, spring’s blossom was sown.

Another Week Flies By....

2007-03-17T16:36:00.000-07:00

Another week already about over and I still have one foot stuck in winter.... Well, as Red State Rebels noted for Boise, I will note for northern Idaho: we have crocus in bloom as well. And my tulips are coming up, the roses have buds, and I had to spray stinky red pepper, garlic, rotten egg spray on all of those today to keep the deer from eating them. The wild turkeys are another matter completely. They destroy my garden, eat my chives, eat my grape hyacinths, roost on my roof, and I hope the coyotes get them! I heard the coyotes two mornings in a row now and I found myself dreaming the absolute worst kind of dream: coyotes slurping up turkey eggs. You may think I'm vile for such thoughts but how would you like over 70 turkeys in your garden this spring? If I hunted, I would definitely be having wild turkey for Thanksgiving this year....

Politically it has also been an exciting week here in Idaho. Maria Weeg is leaving us for a better position in Arizona. She deserves this! But we will miss her. I only hope that her replacement is energetic, young, progressive, diplomatic and understands Idaho. With Idaho on the edge of becoming blue, the replacement will have a lot of weight on his or her shoulders. But that person will also have much support from various counties around the state. We're all in this together!

I became caught in a tangled discussion this week by one of the local Democrats who questions the reality of global warming. I finally reached the point where I had to declare an impasse. To me, global warming is as clear as An Inconvenient Truth made it out to be. Of course this person also believes that nuclear power is clean, a thought that tightens my throat just to type it. I think it mad to think that something whose waste products outlast their containers by 10,000 years is "clean." This kind of thinking is right up there with Otter wanting to kill the first wolf. Or the Idaho House passing a bill for needs-based Idaho scholarships, WITHOUT providing funding!

But I'm really upset about the House passing the Abortion Consent Bill which requires a minor to get parental consent before having an abortion. I think that more than anything the passing of this bill speaks volumes about the ignorance legislators have about abuse in families, the sexual mores and attitudes that young people have these days, the lack of appropriate education, and turning a blind eye to how people really behave. It really makes me wish that some of the under-30's crowd ran for these offices.

But such ignorance seems par for the course in this country. I'm almost finished reading Mike Gray's Drug Crazy: How We Got Into This Mess & How We Can Get Out, which details how misguided prohibitionists, lying presidents, political fanatics, and other equally irresponsible members of our government brought into being a drug policy based on fallacies, lies, government corruption, thievery, and chaos, and turned it into an industry that makes tons of money by feeding on itself. This book takes a look at a government policy that continues to be based on an out-dated, and misconstrued kind of Reefer Madness mentality.

And we are just experiencing this same kind of idiocy again in Boundary County, where the school district, which is predominantly Republican, wants money for a Supplemental Levy, all the while voting for the Republican Legislators who consistently vote money right out of Idaho public education. And our Superintendent, Don Bartling, is one of the worst! And to top it off, he just loves to throw about self-aggrandizing phrases like, "well, when Governor Otter was in my office last week...." Give me a break! Will the levy pass? The Democrats reminded the superintendent of the party that always supports public education, and of the party that obviously does not. Indeed, as noted by morialekafa on 3/9/07, one of our long-term local Democrats has resorted to feeling that the lack of money for schools is a Republican problem, so let the Republicans fix it....

So much corruption, so much to fix, I'm surprised that anyone would want to run for public office.... Well, I think I'll enjoy the first blossoms of spring, oh, dang, the bloody turkeys are back in my yard!!!

North Idaho Food Heaven

2007-03-10T18:07:00.000-08:00

I'm thinking I should start another blog, just for my food interests. Maybe it wouldn't go. But, then again, maybe it would. It just seems that talking about food here in the midst of grand (sic) political commentary, well, it just doesn't seem really complementary. However, given that I'm supposed to be writing about how Idaho rocks, maybe it is appropriate....

I'm on this line of thought because I've been reading Julie and Julia by Julie Powell. Her book is contemporary, witty, funny, insightful, informative, and inspiring. I came to IdahoRocks not knowing whether I should write about politics, books, or food. I decided that if it was positive about north Idaho, I could write about all three. Well, I'll give the food a second? third? try, and if it doesn't receive comments, I'll start a second blog. And then maybe a third one about books....

Anyway, Julie Powell did inspire me to cook this morning, an omelet to be precise. I thought that I had actually begun to master the pan-flipping technique so popular on food tv. Ha! I was certainly humbled this morning. I tried Julia Child's recipe for the perfect French omelet, flipping it so it folds over on itself with the one second jerk and 20 degree angle method. Unlike Julie, it didn't end up on the floor, but not only did it not fold without help from me, but the egg that ended up under the burner forced me to light my aroma oil candle just to get rid of the stench. I chose Cosmic Chi oil because it sounded like something that might cause me to have good karma. Needless to say, the perfect omelet did not slide out of the pan onto the plate, but it certainly tasted delicious. I did note that Julia Child's recipe did not require the milk or cream that Miss Betty Crocker had instructed me to use in my youth. It was just eggs (being north Idaho my local farmer friend, Helen, sells me her eggs), butter (unsalted, organic), sea salt and pepper. Yum!

Back to the karma. I needed to do something for good karma because first thing this morning I received a letter from my friend, Shaela, currently teaching English in Seoul, who, after recounting interesting personal and cultural events, proceeded to explain how, while riding her bike, she was hit by a taxi running a stoplight, and now has to spend 6-8 weeks in the hospital awaiting knee surgery, dying of the heat, and eating, well, let's just call it "hospital food." She certainly need much more good karma than I do at the moment, so, I encouraged her to write a blog....

Food does occupy a significant part of my thought every day. After spending time in Europe, my husband and I decided it was much better for our health to eat like many Europeans, i.e., a big meal in the early afternoon with a tapas-like snack in the evening. So, after defrosting something the night before, like the wild salmon my friend, Chris, catches in Alaska every summer, I begin to plan the next day's dinner. At various points in the evening or morning, I consider what kind of vegetables, starches, etc., I have in storage somewhere in my house, root cellar, freezer, or refrigerator, as accompaniments to the entree. This is, almost always, an extremely pleasurable and blood-pressure reducing process for me. I love cooking and most of the food in north Idaho is really natural, delicious, free of chemicals, growth hormones, etc., and a delight to prepare.

I should add here something about the abundance of good food we have here in north Idaho. My beef comes from my friends, Fred and Alice's, Scottish Highland cattle, which are hormone and antibiotic free, only eat the first cutting of alfalfa, and also receive a mixture of grains and apple peelings from the local apple juice seller, Will. My buffalo comes from our local buffalo ranchers, Spud and Bentley. My wild salmon and halibut are from a guy who fishes in Alaska every summer. Organic chicken and gourmet cheeses, as well as La Brea Bakery bread come from my friend, Julie, who owns our local health food/gourmet food store, Mountain Mike's. She also supplies me with organic Giusto flour (for my weekly bread-baking and European pastry specialities), Bob's Red Mill grains, real smoked, Spanish paprika, organic olive oil, Molinari sausage, organic and free trade coffee and chocolate, and the list goes on. At the Farmer's Market in summer I can buy a vast variety of organic produce, plus some speciality items like morel mushrooms in the spring, huckleberries in mid-to-late summer, and even Yak, from our neighbors in the Pack River area. What I cannot find in town, I can usually find not too far away. My squid, lox, octopus, and wurst (pork cold cuts) come from Canada (drat, we still cannot bring veal over the border). The best Hungarian sausage I ever tasted comes from the Russian deli in Spokane. At the Salzburg-native-owned Alpine Deli in Spokane I buy German goods, and at the Italian deli in Spokane I can even buy anchovies in salt! Now that is some Mario Batali excitement! Huckleberry's in Spokane is great for some game, organic specialities, and gourmet food as well. My local grocery store keeps me supplied with a Two-buck-Chuck style wine, although I have to go elsewhere for variety, like a really good Sancerre. And in Hayden Lake, I can actually buy decent calamari steaks and VEAL! For everything else, I wait until I visit my son in Seattle and then hit Salumi, Uwajimaya, and either the Capital Hill or the University Village QFC (Quality Food Center Grocery store). Finally, one of my favorite Seattle stops is Seattle's Finest Exotic Meats, where I can pick up anything from reindeer to rabbit to alligator, at a very competitive price. I'll tell you, after all that I cannot believe that every DEMOCRATIC foodie around wouldn't want to live here!

So much talk about food has left me sated. So, to finish the blog, and the evening, I'll sip a small bit of my homemade Rose Petal Liqueur, invite Democrats to move here, advise them to buy real estate from Century 21, Bonner Ferry, Mike Peterson, owner, and finish by saying Bon Appetit et Bon Soir!

How To Succeed in Business, IACI style

2007-03-09T19:34:00.000-08:00

I just love this. Eye on Boise does a great job reporting on IACI's bill on personal property tax. Yes, check out the possessive on that one. Anyway, the House passed the bill and now it goes to the Senate. Basically it puts into place a bill that will "... phase in a $100 million property tax break for businesses by eliminating the personal property tax on business equipment." So last year the Idaho Congress's homeowner exemption would now no longer help the individual homeowner; instead it would now go to business. Wow, if that's not a stab in the back, I'm not sure what is.

But what I love about this whole tax exemption for business owners is the rational provided by Republicans, somehow reminiscent of their stance on education, child care, and on down the line. Both Rep. Ken Roberts R-Donnelly and Rep. Scott Bedke R-Oakley argue that it is the service required by residential, rather than business like Ag and Mining and Timber, that is not paying their fair share of taxes. Excuse me, it's just individual residential citizens who need so many services? Who works for these businesses? Robots? And like what do they mean by services? Here in north Idaho, heavy trucks are not allowed on most county roads in springtime because they eat up the road so badly it has to be replaced. Think about this: if they tear up the county roads this badly, then who is primarily responsible for tearing up the highway? Cars or heavy trucks? Give me a break.....

And what other services are they talking about? Police? Hospitals? Fire? Utilities? Do we actually have Republicans in this legislature with an education?

On another, but similar note about the complete lack of comprehension on the part of Republicans, yesterday evening the local Superintendent came to our local Democratic Central Committee meeting to garner support for the Supplemental Maintenance Levy that we're to vote on this month. This guy is a Republican. He voted for Sen. Shawn Keough R-Sandpoint, Rep. George Eskridge R-Dover, and Rep. Eric Anderson R-Sandpoint, even though at a public community forum before the last election they all said they wouldn't support the 1% tax that educators and Democrats wanted for the schools. Excuse me, Superintendent Bartling, but just why are you voting for someone who works against your best interests??? Well, he had his 10 minutes of presentation and 10 minutes of questions, when I ended his visit with a reminder that Democrats support public education but that the Republican legislature, and Republicans in general, consistently vote against anything that would support our rural schools, and that even though Gov. Otter visited him in his office he hasn't been much of a leader for rural schools, and even though we have local Republicans that support education, they keep voting for the Republican wing nuts who do not support it. And for a last jab, I reminded him that Republicans supporting education have been completely ineffectual in this completely imbalanced Congress.

In full disclosure, even though I believe in public education, I have homeschooled my own child, as well as put him into the public schools. That is another story, based on the lack of choice in my small community, as well as the fact that obedience, complacence, and a short attention span seem to be more important in our local schools than the pursuit of knowledge. I do not intend to disparage the wonderful teachers we have in our community, but unfortunately we also have some really rotten apples, and in such a small community little choice is to be had.

My venture into homeschooling, however, also enlightened me a great deal. I know that Idaho has many homeschoolers, sometimes up to 30% of the community. I also know that a very distinct difference exists between homeschoolers and neglected children, who are sometimes called homeschooled. In Idaho many homeschoolers do so for religious purposes, although many of us do it without the religious influence or bias.

I disclose all this because Idaho now has a specific representative, Rep. Thayne R-Emmett, who takes quotes and ideas from homeschoolers, from writers critical of our particular system of education, and so forth, and twists them into his own idiosyncratic justification for not supporting education, and for his ideology that believes women belong in the home. I'm sure I'll have more to say on this in the future, as it irks me to have someone take solid research and then modify it for their own perverted beliefs.

I'll tell you, between Idaho public schools and the personal property tax, we have some genuine problems to tackle, and I just cannot see anything concrete being done until we put more Democrats into the Idaho Congress. Do I hear any potential candidates ready to take on this challenge? I hope I do....

Frank Church Banquet

2007-03-06T07:31:00.000-08:00

I'm back in north Idaho! Ya-hooie! The Frank Church Banquet and IDP state meeting were terrific! I learned so much, I was surrounded by Democrats, and I could feel that political change is in the air. It is never good when radicals take over government, but the Republican choice of people like Bill Sali, will, I believe, finally convince conventional Republican voters that it's no longer in their best interests to vote a straight party ticket.

Or course it's not just the idiotic things that these elected Republicans say, it's also what they do as elected officials. Idaho is the worst in the nation for child day-care regulations, so what did the Republicans in our legislature do? The killed a bill meant to provide a minimum of safety regulations and criminal history checks! Rep. Tom Loertscher R-Iona and Rep. Steven Thayne R-Emmett voted against the bill because they think that mothers should stay at home! Excuse me, but what does a single mom do? How about two working parents since our minimum wage is not enough upon which to make a living? How could these two representatives even be elected since they don't inhabit reality at all!? Just read all about it here and tell me that your jaw doesn't drop....

Oh, and the vote on the minimum wage? Well, as reported in the Spokesman Review, the Republicans in The House State Affairs Committee voted to tie Idaho's minimum wage to the federal minimum wage, and backed off the Democratic plan that would have given our workers an annual cost-of-living increase, as well as gradually phasing out the lower service wage for workers who receive tips. I wish all waiters and waitresses in this state would rebel against this slave labor....

So the Idaho populace voted for Republicans who, basically, do not have the people's best interests in mind. And I can't even begin to describe how the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry consistently lobbies for legislation which gives big businesses big tax breaks and guess who pays for these breaks? Why, duh, the working taxpayer, of course. George Bush's strategy exactly. And that leads me down the scary, horrific path to the monster Republicans call privatization. I think I'll return to the goodness that was the Frank Church Banquet.

I didn't see much of Boise except the downtown, and Boise businesses are probably happy that my friend, Toni, and I stopped by. As for the state party meeting, I just love Maria's number-crunching - it enables me to actually see purple in this state. Our party chair, Richard Stallings, was, in turns, serious, witty, emotional, and very informative. Obviously he's doing a great job: we voted him, and our vice-chair, Jeanne Buell, into office again. We're such a great group! Gary Allen made the Rules Committee almost seem like fun. And nobody can make money matters as interesting as our treasurer, Stephanie Astorquia. Shelley Landry, our District 1, DNC-funded Northern Field Organizer, has united our district in a way that hasn't been seen in years. Her 24/7 work has renewed, re-organized, and revitalized the northern counties. And, thanks to Alex Jones, the ex-Southern Field Organizer and now our new tech person (thank goodness), Toni and I have actually become Van administrators for our county, which means we will be formidable at the next GOTV. Finally, even though I was on the other side of the room, the slide show was terrific! Especially since Boundary County's infamous billboard began the third part! All around this wonderful state the Democrats are making a difference.

In closing, one of my favorite parts of the entire trip was the blogger's breakfast. Of course it didn't last long enough (unfortunately I had to be abruptly pulled out of my seat for the advanced VAN training) and it was very informative and very productive. A very BIG thanks to Red State Rebels, not only for organizing our early morning rendez-vous, but also for carting Toni and I back and forth to the Canyon County event. And I can't leave out that she has probably the most important political blog in Idaho. I was also pleasantly surprised and appreciative when New West Boise arrived with some interesting topics for Idaho bloggers. Working together, we can become a very strong and resolute force. Thank you. I loved meeting The Sniff Test, one of my favorite bloggers, because, like me, she sometimes diverts from the political track to talk about wonderful side topics like food....but don't think that I don't appreciate her excellent reporting skills as well. It was wonderful that We have failed our duty as citizens..., who keeps such a good eye on national political chatter, came all the way from Gooding in the wee hours of the morning. And last but not least, a big thank you to A Seattleite in Idaho because as a member of our youth, she is also our future. We need the youth to participate, challenge, and help change our country, and this Pocatello student is truly a leader of her generation.

Ah...Idaho is such a great place, now filled with Democrats who want to take back our state from the forces of evil.... We shall prevail!

Just in time, I found you just in time....

2007-03-03T04:19:00.000-08:00

Okay, I was there, I heard it with my own ears, IDP Chairman, Richard Stallings, did say that Al Gore had formed a presidential exploratory committee. How he knows this, I don't know. Maybe he was reading www.algore-08.com or www.draftgore.com or www.electgore08.com. Or, perhaps he, as party chair, knows something that the news media has not yet heard about. Whatever the reason, it certainly sent my weekend at the Frank Church Banquet and state committee meeting over the top!

Having never been to Boise before, I found myself initially making comparisons to Los Angeles, or more accurately, the San Fernando Valley area, in which I grew up. Things were different back then. The Valley still had many farms and ranches, nobody locked their doors, and children played safely in the streets. I used to walk several blocks home from school at lunch and walk freely around my neighborhood, sometimes taking my bicycle to the store for my mom. That area and lifestyle have completely disappeared. Filled with urban sprawl, tract homes, strip malls and huge corporate owned store chains, the San Fernando Valley is a traffic congestion zone, often covered in smog, and many places are not safe at all. I could see Boise heading in that direction.

Then, I walked around the downtown with a friend yesterday morning and discovered a wonderful, Idaho friendly Boise, with great, individually-owned stores and shops waiting to be discovered on every street. We had a delicious latte with brioche and croissant at La Vie En Rose, did serious buying damage at The Basque Market, and peered through the windows at Trip Taylor Bookseller (which I intend to visit today, being too early yesterday). I was also too early for the wine store (darn, I don't remember the name) near 8th St. in BoDo (the taxi driver informed me that this meant Boise Downtown), and, alas, arrived too late on Thursday to have a late supper and glass of wine at theCottonwood Grille, but maybe I can catch them for lunch today.

I just noticed the time, and I have to skedaddle off the hotel computer to get ready for the second annual Idaho Democrats blogger breakfast....

Why Idaho Doesn't Need Any Waste/Biomass Incinerator

2007-02-27T18:08:00.000-08:00

The following is in response to the Idaho House of Representatives House Concurrent Resolution No. 14 by the Environment, Energy, and Technology Committee.

Around the world and especially in the United States it has become government policy to use low income areas and indigenous land as sites for waste disposal (Beasly, 1990; Brook, 1998; Rees, 1992; Taliman, 1994; Angel, 1992; Bullard, 1994). This includes landfills, municipal waste incinerators, waste to energy plants and toxic/hazardous waste (Beasly, 1990; Rees, 1992; Greenberg, 1993).

“Because of their quasi-sovereign status, Native American reservations have become the ‘new’ targets of environmental threats, ranging from household garbage to hazardous and nuclear wastes.” Neal and Allen, 1996.

The State of Idaho contains many rural, low income, and indigenous communities. In recent years, several areas in Idaho have been approached by WTE, coal-fired, and other types of supposedly “renewable” energy companies. This past year, Magic Valley almost approved the building of a coal-fired plant, and several years ago the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho almost bought into the idea of building a WTE in Boundary County. Both places found their “alternative” energy ideas to be opposed by many local residents, and the disfavor and objection to these kinds of plants was loud, informed, and disapproving. Any county or city in Idaho that becomes convinced that the burning of coal, waste, and any other biomass is good for the community and, perhaps, good for the state, should examine the vast available evidence that shows these kinds of alternative are destructive to health, economics, and the environment.

All waste plants cause real estate values to fall dramatically, not only surrounding the plant but throughout the community. Real estate standards, policies and associations will all support this fact (Acks, 1995; Brion, 1988; Inhaber, 1992; Been, 1993). Property values all over this county will fall.

“The existence of nonhazardous waste products can also reduce the value of properties directly exposed to these wastes as well as surrounding properties. Similarly, proximity to properties involved with the disposal of non hazardous wastes including landfills, incinerators and sewage plants can cause property values to plunge….

Key outdoor pollutants are ozone, particulates, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide. Outdoor pollutants can reduce property values by nominal amounts, or up by as much as 50%….

Water related… factors which might influence property values include 1: the loss of clean drinking water; 2: elimination of recreational benefits (swimming, fishing, and boating) for properties near bodies of water….

Tax Assessors and real estate tax courts have begun to recognize the effects of environmental damages upon property values.” (Acks, 1995)

In almost every case in the U.S. where a waste incinerator of any kind has been built, it has ended up costing taxpayers lots of money mostly in the form of hidden costs not made known to the public (Connett, 1998). Very few jobs are created by this huge economic investment and most of the money invested in the plant leaves the community (Connett, 1998; Ewall, 2000).

“Nicholas P. Heymann, an analyst with NatWest Securities Corp., said Westinghouse’s waste incinerators are running at far less than capacity…The industry also is suffering from too many incinerators and too little trash, which is pushing down prices. And incinerators carry high fixed costs, making it easy for them to fall into the red when their operating rates decline, Mr. Heymann said.” Wall Street Journal, “Westinghouse Sees 3rd Quarter Profit Falling 50% on Cleanup Unit Weakness,” Sept. 20, 1993.

Three plants which used EPI’s (Energy Products of Idaho) fluidized bed technology closed down due to lack of garbage and/or the prices of energy and biomass. These were located in areas with large populations: Tacoma, WA, LaCrosse, WI, and Chowchilla, CA. Their economic expense has been incredible (West BioEnergy, undated; Connett, 1993; Ewall, 2000).

From August 11, 1993. Northern States Power, La Crosse, WI, says it “can’t fill half the capacity of an incinerator built there in 1988.” Wall Street Journal.

“Tacoma Steam Plant No. 2…on April 22, 1998…was placed into reserve shutdown….The supply of RDF, the demand for power, and prices available in the secondary energy market have determined operating levels at the plant. In 1997 and 1998, the price of electric energy in the Tacoma market was generally less than 1 cent/kWh. A biomass/waste-fueled plant cannot produce power at these low prices unless the fuels command substantial tipping fees.” West BioEnergy, undated.

“Originally four plants were developed by CAPCO Energy, started up in 1988 through 1990, were bought by the present owners in July 1992, and shut down in March 1995, after negotiating a buyout agreement with PG&E. Chowchilla I has been sold and dismantled. Chowchilla II, El Nido, and Madera remain in operable condition. The owners are soliciting offers for these plants, to be sold on an ‘as is, where is’ basis….During the early 1990s, natural gas prices collapsed, and biomass fuel prices doubled or tripled in California. The cost of power from biomass facilities was well above the market price of energy in the utilities systems. In October 1993, PG&E asked the owners to curtail operations. …on March 1, 1995 [the] plants were shut down and are being continuously maintained while being offered for sale. In the three years following April 1994, 16 biomass power plants in California, rated collectively at more than 200 MW, accepted buyout offers and shut down.” West BioEnergy, undated.

Often, the plants that have closed attempt to recoup losses by selling the basic incinerator structure to naïve communities who think they need a waste incinerator. This was the case in Boundary County.

In both rural and urban areas, the traffic itself will tear up the highways with a seemingly endless passage of trucks to the incinerator site. The plant, itself, will be noisy, it will smell, and usually you’ll be able to see the ugly stacks from the highway.

Someone’s beautiful backyard will become a garbage dump. Needless to say, this will not do much for tourism or growth. But that’s not all.

Although the U.S. has been negligent with its health studies in areas with waste to energy incinerators, the European Community and the World Health Organization have not. Every waste to energy incinerator has air emissions that escape, and these emissions contain dioxins (Connett, 1998; Ewall, 2000; Pope, 1999).

“All municipal waste burning incinerators are major contributors to airborne dioxin. These incinerators are the main source of human exposure to this cancer-causing toxin because the dioxin deposits on fields and moves up the food chain where it concentrates in dairy products and beef.” Barry Commoner, cited in the LaCrosse Tribune, April 3, 2001.

Dioxins are a known human carcinogen (World Health Organization, 1998; Ewall, 2000; Huang and Buekens, 1995).

“Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) constitute a group of persistent environmental chemicals. A number of dioxin or furan congeners, as well as some co-planar PCBs have been shown to exert a number of toxic responses similar to those of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), the most toxic dioxin. These effects include dermal toxicity, immunotoxicity, reproductive effects and teratogenicity, endocrine disruption and carcinogenicity.” Executive Summary, World Health Organization, 1998.

Even if the emissions meet EPA standards for daily emissions, that is not good enough because dioxins are accumulative: once in your body they never leave, they just build up over time. Not only do they stay in the human body, they also remain and build up in your alfalfa fields, your wheat fields, your dairy cows, your beef cattle, your pets, and your children.

“Dioxins are toxic, persistent in the environment and they are bioaccumulative, i.e., they build up in the tissues of animals and humans alike.” Allsopp, Costner, and Johnson, 2001.

“…studies have shown that high levels of dioxins are present in soils near to some incinerators. In many instances, they have also shown that the level of dioxin found in soil and vegetation is dependent upon the distance from the incinerator, a phenomenon which implicates incinerators as a primary source of the contamination.” Allsopp, Costner and Johnson, 2001.

“Cattle that graze in areas subject to air deposition of pollutants, such as dioxins, can ingest the pollutants that have been deposited on vegetation and soils. Dioxins can subsequently be passed to their milk, and hence, ultimately to humans. This is because elimination via milk is a major route of excretion of dioxins in cow’s milk (Baldassarri et al. 1994). Research conducted in several countries during the 1990’s has demonstrated elevated levels of dioxins in cow’s milk from farms near to incinerators.” Allsopp, Costner, and Johnson, 2001.

And they produce hideous cancers, birth defects, and mutations (World Health Organization, 1998; Allsopp, Costner and Johnson, 2001; Connett, 1998). In Europe, dairy and other farms have been closed down because of the buildup of dioxins (Connett, 1998). The people affected most directly by dioxins in waste incinerators are the employees themselves:

Incinerator operators and maintenance workers, and those involved in the collection, transport, and disposal of fly ash and emission control equipment residues, have the potential to be most exposed to toxic substances associated with incineration….incinerator workers have been exposed to high concentrations of dioxins and toxic metals, particularly lead, cadmium, and mercury” (National Resource Council, 2000).

Although most of this information pertains to waste-to-energy plants, all of this should be taken into consideration when the offer of a biomass plant comes to an Idaho community. First of all, just the term “biomass” itself can mean a number of different materials from sewer sludge to wood to landfill materials. The U.S. Department of Energy Biomass Power Glossary defines biomass:

Organic matter available on a renewable basis. Biomass includes forest and mill residues, agricultural crops and wastes, wood and wood wastes, animal wastes, livestock operation residues, aquatic plants, fast-growing trees and plants, and municipal and industrial wastes.

Secondly, each of these materials included in the definition contains its own set of problems, for example, burning wood is not very efficient on a large scale level, therefore these plants often depend upon other sources such as natural gas, as at the Kettle Falls, WA 50 megawatt wood-burning incinerator (Personal Communication, Kettle Falls Plant Manager). In applying for FERC permits, many companies go for the permit which also allows the burning of other kinds of waste, including tires, landfill waste, etc., because these burn at higher and more constant temperatures, thus making the energy producing plant more efficient (Ewell, 2000). Needless to say, it also makes the plant that much more polluting, unhealthy, and economically bad for local communities.

Other sources of biomass incineration also have problems. Much wood waste also contains paints, glues, plastic laminating materials, preservatives, formaldehyde, and other toxin producing substances (Ewell, 2000). Fast growing trees and plants are better off tilled into the soil, that is, if they haven’t been used at toxic sites in order to suck the toxins from the earth as a method of cleaning up those sites. The problems go on and on and without a thorough examination of the potential plant, ignorance and naiveté could very well destroy what we all value so much in the state of Idaho: clean air, clean water, forests, wildlife, and wilderness.

Finally, alternatives exist to incineration. In all honesty, I had never even considered anything as idealistic as “zero waste,” until an expert, Dr. Paul Connett, spoke to our small rural community. No, he wasn’t a highly paid, U of I guest: he came here at the request of those hundreds of people who didn’t want a WTE in this small, rural community. Staying with local people, he charged only for his airfare and one meal, because he is a committed activist in waste management. Dr. Connett’s presentations on incineration, and its alternative, zero waste, have been given in 49 states, 5 Canadian provinces, and over 44 countries. As a professor of chemistry at St. Lawrence University, he has written many articles on dioxins, toxic waste, and waste management. He has also followed closely communities around the world that have committed to becoming zero-waste communities, including Halifax, Nova Scotia, Nelson, British Columbia, Alameda, California, Kamikatsu, Japan, several cities in the Philippines, and over 50% of the cities in New Zealand. Zero waste, and the reduction of global warming, are real possibilities. But they need an informed electorate and populace in order to become a reality.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Acks, Kenneth. 1995. “Valuation of environmental damages to real estate.”

Allsopp, Michelle, Pat Costner and Paul Johnson. 2001 “Incineration and human health.” Greenpeace Research Laboratories, University of Exeter, UK.

Angel, Bradley. 1992. “The toxic threat to Indian lands: a Greenpeace report.” 17pp.

Baldassarri, L., A. Bocca, A. di Domenico, A. Fulgenzi, and N. Lacovella. 1994. “GC-MS isomer-specific determination of PCBs and some chlorinated pesticides in milk and cheese samples.” Organophalogen Compounds, 20: 221-224.

Beasly, Conger. 1990. “Of pollution and poverty: deadly threat on native lands.” Buzzworm, 2 (5): 39-45.

Been, Vicki. 1993. “What’s fairness go to do with it? Environmental justice and the siting of locally undesirable land uses.” Cornell University Law Review, v. 78: 1001-1085.

Brion, Denis J. 1988. “An essay on LULU, NIMBY, and the problem of distributive justice.“ Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review, vol.15, n. 3-4 (Spring 1988): 437-503.

Brook, Daniel. 1998. “Environmental genocide: Native Americans and toxic waste.” American Journal of Economics and Sociology (AES), January, 1998: 105-113.

Bullard, Robert D. 1994. Dumping in Dixie: race, class and environmental quality. 2nd edition. Boulder: Westview Press.

Connett, Paul. 1998. “Municipal waste incineration: a poor solution for the twenty first century.” Paper presented at the 4th Annual International management Conference Waste-To-Energy.

Ewall, Mike. 2000. “The burning issues with Biomass.” Green Energy.

Greenberg, Michael R. 1993. “Proving environmental inequity in siting locally unwanted land uses.” Risk Issues In Health & Safety, 4: 235-252.

Huang, H. and A. Buekens. 1995. On the mechanisms of dioxin formation in combustion processes.” Chemosphere, 31 (9): 4099-4117.

Inhaber, Herbert. 1992. “Of LULU’s, NIMBY’s and NIMTOO’s.” Public Interest, n. 107: 52.

La Crosse Tribune. 2001. “News Release: Environmental group announces law suit against NSP incinerator for pollution violations.” La Crosse Tribune, April 3, 2001.

National Resource Council. 2000. “Waste incineration and public health.” Washington, D.C., National Academy Press.

Neal, Ruth and April Allen. 1998. “Environmental justice: an annotated bibliography.” Report Series, EJRC/CAU-1-96.

Pope, Kent. 1999. “Waste-to-energy: Europe’s landfill alternative.” Adams Business Media, Inc.

Rees, Matthew. 1992. “Black and green: race and environmentalism.” New Republic, 206 (9): 15-16.

Taliman, Valerie. 1994. “Saving native lands: one woman’s crusade against environmental racism.” Ms. Magazine, 4 (4): 28-29.

U.S. Department of Energy Biomass Power Glossary. http://bioenergy.ornl.gov/faqs/glossary.html.

Wall Street Journal. 1993. “Westinghouse sees 3rd quarter profit falling 50% on cleanup unit Weakness.” Wall Street Journal.

West BioEnergy. Undated. “Tacoma Steam Plant No. 2, Tacoma, Washington.”
---------- Undated. “San Joaquin Valley Energy Partners, Chowchilla, El Nido, and Madera, California.

World Health Organization. 1998. “Summary of the health of dioxins: re-evaluation of the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI).” World Health Organization Executive Summary. May 25-29, 1998, Geneva, Switzerland, WHO European Centre for Environment and Health, International Programme on Chemical Safety.

Information From The Front: State Legislators Visit North Idaho

2007-02-24T13:49:00.000-08:00

I attended Sandpoint's "Pizza and Politics" last night. It was an interesting meeting with good questions, great input from Marie Scott, the Bonner County Clerk, and wonderful guests from around the state. Unfortunately pizza did not make an appearance, and the deep fried mozzarella sticks didn't come close.... Bonner Democrats, what were you thinking?

Our visiting state legislators included Wendy Jaquet (Rep. LD 25 AND House Minority Leader, George Saylor (Rep. LD 4 AND Assist. House Minority Leader), John Rusche (Rep. LD 7 AND House Minority Caucus Chair), Les Bock (Rep. LD 16), and Nicole LeFavour (Rep. LD 19). Speaking on various issues including transportation, mail-in voting, the grocery tax (wait until tonight for my husband's blog on this one....), property taxes, local politics, possible candidates for the 2008 election, and other issues as well, we about covered everyone's questions and concerns, and hopefully some of us walked away with empathy for a minority party in a red state with a bright red legislature. THIS HAS GOT TO CHANGE!

On that note, we also appreciated the presence and time of the IDP Chair, Richard Stallings, and his lovely wife, Renae. Richard addressed various issues, including possible candidates for various potential openings in 2008, positions that Democrats might be able to take from the Republicans, and national politics in terms of its relation to Idaho. He voiced great appreciation for Howard Dean and his 50-state strategy for which I'm grateful. I believe this strategy pushed us toward a beautiful shade of purple, and I'm still holding out for BLUE!

If the northern Idaho counties were blue, this would truly be a paradise. Locally, the Boundary County Dems are busy at work with our contribution basket for the Frank Church Banquet auction. Our basket represents some of the greatest aspects of our little neck of the woods. Several local artists contributed handmade cards, framed photos of the area, homemade jams, jellies, salsas, chutneys, cookies, all from locally grown or handpicked foods, a hand made picture frame, decorative moose, signed books about this area of Idaho, and the basket by renowned basket weaver, Diana Tombleson. All of these items depict part of the bounty of north Idaho: our huckleberries and other wild foods, locally farmed food, a variety of artists and photographers, local wildlife, history and more. Like I said, if we were BLUE we would be in paradise....

Okay, I've gone on long enough, but I have to relate how I made up for the lack of pizza, or any other delicious food, from last night. Today for dinner (1pm!) I made venison steaks, rubbed with thyme, garlic, salt and pepper, annointed with olive oil, and then set in the refrigerator for the morning. Later, I cooked up a wild rice/brown rice mix with dried chestnuts, cooked in homemade chicken broth. I threw together a salad of baby greens, Maytag blue cheese, and sliced blood oranges, then tossed it with locally made chive vinegar, olive oil and herbs. Finally, when everything else was ready, I sauteed the steaks in one of my trusty old cast-iron pans, three minutes per side for a nice pinky-red inside, then deglazed the pan with the delicious cabernet that accompanied the meal.

I tell ya, I'm talking a little bit of paradise in north Idaho!

All we are saying is give peace a chance

2007-02-13T09:38:00.000-08:00

I read in The Independent that Hillary Clinton is being "dogged by criticism of war stance." Hillary's response to questions about why she voted for the Iraq War often contain the answer that she voted based on the best intelligence at that time, or, if she had known then what she knows now she wouldn't have voted for going to war. Then she puts blame on Bush as a way of taking it off her. Excuse me, but how stupid does Hillary think that the American populace is? Or the world, for that matter.

Hundreds of thousands of people marched in protest of going to war, on several occasions, before she even voted. Wikipedia, which I don't normally utilize, has an article about this filled with references, in particular individual news reports. Link here. Further summaries of the protests, especially the largest one on February 15, 2003 can be found at a number of sites, from CNN to Aljazeera. Remember, approximately 36 million people marched in protest of going to war with Iraq. Doesn't public opinion matter? Hillary's excuses are an insult to everyone who marched, and then some.

Furthermore, the internet was pretty much on fire with reports, news, opinions, and so forth, from individuals, other countries, soldier blogs, and even intelligence experts that all demonstrated to thousands of people around the world that Hussein did not have WMDs. Scott Ritter reported on numerous occasions that Hussein did not; Hussein, himself, invited US inspections in order to avoid an invasion; and even Joseph Wilson found the Bush administration's information flawed, seriously enough that someone in the Bush administration, with the help of prominent journalists, outed his wife as a CIA operative.

And Hillary repeatedly gives the lame excuse that she operated with the best intelligence at the time? This beggars the imagination!

At least John Edwards says that he made a mistake in voting for the Iraq War. Barack Obama has been against the war from the start. Kucinich actually took a stand and voted against it. Indeed, 23 senators voted against a war with Iraq. Did they have more intelligence than Hillary?

I am very tired of being treated like an idiot by politicians. My husband believes that "the corporations" have already picked Hillary as THE Democratic Candidate, but I disagree because I think that the grassroots of America have more power than the corporations. That might be very naive, but everywhere I hear complaints about corporations that are reminiscent of those that used to be leveled against big government. The corporations are so big and so corrupt that they will eventually have to implode, having lost every iota of moral responsibility towards the populace that allowed their growth in the first place.

I don't know who will be the Democratic candidate in 2008. I'd like Al Gore, but he seems to be caught up in a loftier pursuit. I think John Edwards is charismatic and appealing to both Democrats and Republicans, but I'm not sure how far he'll get because of the Democrats' puppy love for Barack Obama. Dennis Kucinich is steadfast, decent, smart, and unafraid of standing up for the truth, no matter the extent to which the mass media tries to portray him as the opposite. I'm not a fan of Chris Dodd or Joe Biden, and I don't know enough about Vilsack or Richardson to take a stand. I do hope, however, that Al Sharpton runs, because we need someone who can clean the air once in a while.

In the end, I'd love to see a woman elected as president even though I don't believe the country is ready for that. If it were, I'd rather have Barbara Boxer, the only person with the moral integrity and strength to stand up and contest the 2004 election results. I know what I, and many others, including Republicans, do not want: we do not want to choose between the lesser of two evils. Being put in such a position would set us back years. This election requires deep, reflective thought, an educated public, and a reformed mass media. The grassroots demands it.

Am I blue?

2007-02-06T17:25:00.000-08:00

Oh, I cannot believe that even more Republicans will be in north Idaho in June, 2008! Yes, how unfortunate that the "jewel of the north," our own "town of the arts," Sandoint, is playing host to the Idaho GOP state convention. Excuse me while I wring my hands! Local Sandpoint realtor, Dan Young, put it together and obviously it was slick enough to get Butchy-boy jumping in his tight jeans. So, over 400 Republicans from around the state will be crossing the Long Bridge to bring their greedy, big business, Wal-Mart corporate politics to north Idaho. I wonder if Gov Arnie will be visiting his Bonner County property during the big event. Maybe Dan will even be able to get him as a guest speaker. Of course if Larry Craig attends, perhaps he can find fellowship with all those local Republicans who also do not believe in global warming. Wait until it's 100 degrees that day.... Maybe he'll even take the Long Bridge plunge....

And the traffic on Hwy. 95 that day, whew, I may have to escape to Canada for a few days. Oh, it just dawned on me, they may not be able to fit all those people into hotels in Sandpoint which means, oh my God, that they may come up to Bonners Ferry. Horror of horrors! Then again, they may come anyway to see the biggest flag in Idaho. Yup, our county of various small income groups: the unemployed, retirees, independent small businesses, farmers, educators, and so forth, raised $50,000 for a flag that dwarfs everything in sight rather than putting it back into the social and economic infrastructure of a town which desperately needs that kind of money. Oh, but the Republicans will love the flag because it represents all the best of misplaced Republican patriotism and entertainment values, and none of the most important parts of people's lives like a working wage, family values, tolerance, universal health care and peace. Where oh where is the Democratic candidate who can save me from all this???

Maybe I'll be lucky enough to be at the Democratic Convention on those days. But I don't have an inkling about when or where that will be. I seem to know a lot more about the GOP and their events than any Democratic news since Republican news is published in our local papers while news sent from the IDP in Boise never seems to make it into the newspaper. Maybe that's why we democrats just haven't been able to quite push the Republicans off the political ledge. Of course, it's difficult when so many of the north Idaho papers are owned by Republicans, and that the only state newspaper we get is the Spokesman Review from Washington! So there we go... WANTED: DEMOCRATIC NEWSPAPER MOGUL to start or revive a true liberal left newspaper of record here in north Idaho. I'll subscribe!

Then to top it off, Red State Rebels, while checking up on recent news at Ridenbaugh Press, reports that a recent Gallup Poll Study shows that Idaho is the second most Republican state in the union. Horror of horrors, wring my hands, and gag me with a spoon (yes, I'm a Valley Girl), why should I even be surprised about this? Well, I'll tell you. In the last election, we Idaho Democrats made the Republicans spend $3 million in Idaho, Cheney had to visit twice, and given events like Al Gore's giant success in Boise, I think that many people in this state are ready for change. And change means electing Democrats. So, even though the poll statistics initially depress me, I'm more than ever determined to help Democratic candidates get elected.

Now if only Al Gore would present An Inconvenient Truth at the Panida Theater in Sandpoint during the Idaho GOP convention there in June 2008, I would be one truly happy camper, er, north Idaho Democrat. Or better yet, maybe he would visit north Idaho as part of a Presidential run. Oh, how sweet would that be... And I would be able to answer my own question: yes, I am Idaho Blue!

PS Mea culpa for the first posting as "this June," and thanks, John, for pointing that out to me.

Shades of Gray

2007-01-31T16:58:00.000-08:00

I've seen so many shades of gray, black and white this winter that I'm beginning to feel dizzy. Tonight is another cold one so the wood stove gets another workout. Actually, and this may be my imagination, I think the snow is beginning to melt, at least along the edges or even underneath. Or, perhaps the wild turkeys have just left too much of themselves in my yard.... I'm really beginning to hate them. They're huge, they destroy the garden, they make it unsafe to walk anywhere, they roam around my rooftop, and given that I have seven hens here every day, I dread the idea that I may have around 70+ wild turkeys hanging out in the spring. My neighbor said they had cougar tracks there within the past week, but I don't think either the cougar or the coyotes are doing their jobs because the turkey population hasn't decreased at all. Maybe it's time to call Idaho Fish and Game....or buy the entire neighborhood turkey tags.

I've been so busy working on my book business that I haven't had time to write. I had an interesting book the other day: Twenty-Five by Beverley Nichols, in Good condition (spine-cocked, unfortunately), but the interesting parts were the inscription and bookplates. Mr. Nichols inscribed the book to John Drinkman, and the endpaper included Mr. Drinkman's gold stamped bookplate, as well as an intersting one for Ray Baker Harris. I think this is the author/librarian Ray Baker Harris, but I'm not sure. The book plate seems Art Deco to me, in black and white of a man leaning against a lamp post gazing at the stars. I don't know much about bookplates, so on the advise of Sarah's Books - Used & Rare, I sent an email to the Bookplate Junkie but I haven't heard anything. I just love investigating used and rare books. It's so interesting to discover who owned them before, what sort of value they have, and to read about all the wonderful topics people have dedicated so much of their time to writing. I guess I'm just a true bibliophile because, alas, reading is just not enough. I have to touch the books, smell them, collect them, have them around me. As Nicholas Basbanes has written, I must be one of the "gently mad."

Several wonderful, Democratic events are coming up and I'm looking forward to them. On Groundhog Day, 2/2, the Boundary County Democrats are having their mid-winter, cabin-fever, chili feed and auction at the American Legion Hall, above the Last Chance Saloon, at 6pm. The timing couldn't be more appropriate and I've heard that several of the auction items shouldn't be missed. Fly-fishing anyone? On February 21st, 7pm, at Slate's Restaurant in Ponderay, the Bonner County Democrats are hosting "Pizza and Politics," with several state legislators attending, including Wendy Jaquet.

Then, on March 2-4, the annual Frank Church Banquet to benefit the IDP will be in Boise and I will be attending. I'm rather jazzed about this because, drumroll, big confession, I have never been to Boise. Yes, it may seem difficult to believe seeing that I've been to Fruitland several times, but somehow Boise eluded me. I'm looking forward to putting faces to the names I recognize from the southern part of the state and perhaps running into those wonderful people in the south who have managed to travel to the top of Idaho. I'm also looking forward to the meetings, talks, workshops and social events that come with attending. Perhaps I'll even see a wee bit of Boise....

Returning to shades of gray, my spirits have been slightly uplifted in the past week because of some of the information coming to light at the trial of Scooter Libby. Hearing that some corporations are taking Global Warming to heart, and that some Democrats are actually hoping to stop the escalation of troops in Iraq, and that the Democratic Party actually has some exciting candidates for the 2008 election, has all helped to put sunshine in my life, if not in my backyard. It's only a matter of time....

I'm still blue in red Idaho....

2007-01-14T09:03:00.000-08:00

Another absence....but I have a good excuse. I succombed to the cold/flu germs that entered my space. And I have been sick for two weeks. Now, after a major investment in echinacea, vitamin C, and lots of tea, I'm beginning to feel better. Unfortunately my husband was complaining about a very sore throat last night and lives in fear that he'll suffer like I did. We'll hope for the best.

Recently, several of the Idaho blogs have mentioned Bill Sali's stand against raising the minimum wage. Now this is one of the things I don't understand about Idaho. The people who voted for him are the same people who sign petitions trying to repeal the Right to Work policy in Idaho, and who believe in increasing the minimum wage. How do they reconcile this? Our north Idaho representatives, Sen. Keough, Rep. Eskridge and Rep. Anderson, all stated at a public meeting that they opposed raising the minimum wage, yet District 1 voted them into office. How bizarre is that? I had always thought that as an anthropologist I would develop deep insight into this kind of phenomenom, but it remains, for the most part, a mystery that I'm still trying to solve; thus my involvement in politics....

I've also been absolutely amazed by the pundits and bloggers who are all over Bush for being deranged, at best, for his position on sending more troops to Iraq. Have they just realized this? Where have they been for the past six years? Not only is Bush a puppet of a very evil group of people, and not only does he have to be "wired up" (in more ways than one) in order to give a speech, but the guy's speech patterns show the same manifestations as someone who is mildly retarded. He can't stay on topic; he has trouble with direct questions; he pauses mid phrase; he has trouble keeping formulaic language correct; and he doesn't know when to stop his babbling. I can understand how "the masses" might be led astray and vote for this guy, but the Supreme Court's decision to give him the presidency will be another one of those mysteries I may never be able to solve.

So, I caught the flu, political mysteries leave me speechless, and the weather is below zero, but I still love it here! We do have a rather frozen winter wonderland at the moment, the driveway is pure ice, and my cats and kittens have a severe case of cabin fever. However, the wood stove keeps us toasty warm; I'm feeling better; lately Keith Olbermann has been awesome; my friend, Elizabeth, gave me some delicious "county fair" lamb; my local potato farmer and friend, David Ronniger, is dropping off 20 lbs. of potatoes for me next week; my friends in Norway sent me the latest Sissel CD; I'm reading a great book, Wine and War: The French, the Nazis & the Battle for France's Greatest Treasure available at abebooks.com; and, I think I may be able to attend the Frank Church Banquet/IDP Central Committee Meeting, March 2-4. Now, how cool is all that!

Mama

2006-12-31T08:05:00.000-08:00

A poem by me, published in a former life....

Mama

Mama
you samba so well
that your sensuality infuses all
who come close.
The whole room moves to
the sway of your hips,
beats to the pulse of your dance,
and blazes from the radiance of your body.

Oh, come to me
Mama!
Take my hands and
guide them with your rhythm
so that I, too,
can learn how to shake an entire room.

My Christmas

2006-12-28T08:25:00.000-08:00

So, it's official. John Edwards has announced his candidacy for presidency in 2008. It was only a matter of time. And, I support him. He's not my ideal candidate, but that's the point, an ideal candidate doesn't exist. But I think he's good. I've been receiving email from his website since the last presidential run and I respect the guy. I believe that he is not afraid of expressing his opinion. I agree with him on many issues, from bringing respect back to our country from nations around the world to the necessity of ridding ourselves, as best we can, of the division of America into two Americas: the wealthy and the poor.

Of course, my truly ideal ticket would be Gore for President and Edwards for Vice-President, but again, that's the ideal....

Anyway, this announcement is a wonderful Christmas present! Thank you John Edwards.

Speaking of Christmas, mine was wonderful! A winter wonderland enveloped us in our warm home, filled with the sounds and smells of Christmas. Well, stretch that out by a day or two and we were enveloped by football games, the two, new terrorist kittens, wrapping paper, the spindly Christmas tree taken from our yard, and whatever culinary fancy struck me.

Locally, one of the two grocery stores has Christmas trees for sale at the beginning of December and they're usually gone in a week. For reasons unknown, some years entrepreneurs show up with Christmas trees and some years they don't. This year they didn't so we trudged off into the snow, seeking out the best looking fir on our land in the country. Since we're surrounded by Ponderosa pine, not many young fir trees can be found that are suitable for putting into the living room, by we managed to find one that seemed to work. Unfortunately, it was bare enough that it made climbing an enviable source of great sport for the two kittens. Luckily, the water squirt bottle deterred them from completely making a shambles of ornaments collected over many years.

Under our tree were the presents we most like to receive: books, books, and more books. I was delighted to find that my presents consisted of books about food and books about books. From Nicholas Basbanes' Every Books Its Reader to Michael Ruhlman and Bryan Polcyn's Charcuterie, I was delighted with the thoughtful gifts and happy and thankful to be with my warm and loving family. The day was crowned with a wonderful dinner, that wasn't the usual reindeer, but still tasted exquisite.

Yes, it's true, reindeer has become our traditional Christmas dinner, well, except for my vegetarian son. Unfortunately, the place where we buy the reindeer, Seattle's Finest Exotic Meats, was not open the weekend we were there because of a power outage from the windstorm. So, we settled on a venison roast that we had in the freezer. I followed a recipe for venison goulash from Mario Batali's book, Molto Italian: 327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home. Instead of cutting up the roast, I left it whole and cooked it in the oven for about 1 1/2 hrs. The interesting part about the recipe is that it wasn't like any goulash I had ever tasted, i.e., it didn't include tomatoes, paprika or peppers. However, it did include cinnamon and cloves for an interesting flavor. I served it with pasta in the braising sauce and homemade canned green beans sauteed with onion in walnut oil. It was heavenly.

So, all in all, my favorite holiday as been kind to me and John Edwards' candidacy was just icing on the cake.....

Had Enough?

2006-12-15T06:20:00.000-08:00

Too much has been happening.

I cannot believe, well, yes I can believe, that Lawrence Denney, the REPUBLICAN Speaker of the House (ID Legislature), not only has no respect for math, but blatantly disregarded additional Democratic caucus numbers and disregarded any respect for Idaho State Legislature tradition by appointing only two Democrats to JFAC (the joint budget committee). The full story can be found here at New West Boise where Jill Kuraitis pursues more answers from a Speaker so arrogant that he obviously takes his cue from Resident Bush.

I'm very sorry to report that racism and hate crimes still exist in north Idaho. In Bonners Ferry, a young man at a party overheard a teenage girl tell her friend that although her father is Catholic, her mother is a practicing Muslim. The young man decided that combination meant she was a Jew and let her know that Jews are burned here (sic) and dropped her into the bonfire. She suffered second degree burns. The case went to trial and the prosecuting attorney brokered a deal with the judge who decided that this was a case of misdemeanor battery rather than a hate crime. The Bonners Ferry Herald has a statement about the case from the Prosecuting Attorney here, but the latest paper edition of the Herald has an excellent letter from Grace Siler, a friend, and long time member of the Bonners Ferry Human Rights Task Force, who makes very good points about why this should have been considered a hate crime.

So tell me, when is it not a hate crime, based on racism, to call someone a Jew and then drop them into a bonfire? Like what more did the judge want? Did the girl have to be tied to a stake and thrown into the fire? Did she need pictures? Did more teenagers have to corroborate the story to make her consider it a hate crime? Why do kids who go through the Boundary County school system still believe that black athletes have an "extra muscle" in their legs, or that it's okay to call an Arab a "towel-head," or that nothing more than "misdemeanor battery" is the only charge you'll get for telling someone that "we burn Jews" and then dropping her into a bonfire? I guess it's because racism exists here in some of its more hideous forms. This is not to say that all the people in Boundary County are racists, many are not, some actively fight this kind of racism, and the Boundary County Human Rights Task Force is terrific. But the actions and remarks of this one young man and the actions and remarks of the court reveal a telling picture of racism and hatred that simmers beneath the surface of some citizens in north Idaho. Having lived in New York, New Jersey, and California as well as traveling throughout the U.S., I believe that this kind of racism is pervasive throughout the country and is one of those topics about which we dare not speak.

Finally, in my "had enough" week, I read this excellent investigative report by Mountain Goat on the $63,800 that EnergySolutions spent on Butch Otter's recent election campaign. Mountain Goat's research allows for the obvious conclusion that not just nuclear energy, but possibly the reprocessing of nuclear waste in our great state is behind this corporate purchase of our next Idaho governor. Never hear of EnergySolutions? Well, if you're a fan of the Utah Jazz, then you'll have noticed that they no longer play at Delta Center, they play in the EnergySolutions arena. Catalyst Magazine also has a long article on EnergySolutions' owner, Steve Creamer, who happens to own a site for nuclear waste just outside of Salt Lake City. Everyone wants to get rid of their nuclear waste, privately-owned EnergySolutions has one place for all that disposal, so the profits should be phenomenal.... Hmm, what is that large contribution to Otter's campaign going to buy? A place for re-processing or perhaps another disposal site. Any other ideas?

As I said, too much has been happening....so all non-nuke, non-racist democrats, please move here in droves.

Nuclear Energy and Zero Waste

2006-12-10T07:59:00.000-08:00

I've decided to stay out of the long discussion about nuclear energy going on over at Red State Rebels because to me nuclear is not an option. My main objection is the waste. I'm also concerned about the health, environmental, and economic effects of a nuclear energy plant, but we're such a garbage, or waste, society, that I think we have to begin thinking about how to reduce waste.

Waste does not occur naturally in the sense that all waste is recycled in the environment. Humans, however, seem to be much more in the market of creating waste. From the packaging of goods, to the turnover rate for fashion, tech-gadgets, etc., we have multiple industries that create waste without thinking about how to get rid of waste. So we must also have huge industries devoted solely to waste disposal. And most of these disposal methods are not only bad for human health, they're bad for the environment as well.

But what if we adopted goals for zero waste? For a sustainable way of living? Recycling is one objective, and in places like Europe we find much recycling going on, from egg cartons to glass. In this sense, waste has become a kind of resource. This idea of waste as a resource requires a different way of thinking about what we produce and what our resources are. Just think if all manufacturers of goods actually had to figure out what has to happen to those goods when they're no longer useful. If they could come up with a way to make that wasted product a resource of some sort, we would greatly reduce the pile-up of waste, thus promoting sustainability, efficiency, and pollution prevention.

This is not a crazy idea. Communities around the world are adopting zero waste goals and have achieved many successes. Over 50% of the cities in New Zealand have adopted zero waste goals. Just north of Idaho, in the Kootenay Region of southeast British Columbia, including the town of Nelson, zero waste principles and goals have been put in place. Halifax, Nova Scotia has been implementing zero waste ideas and objectives for some time. In the U.S., many communities have also put zero waste objectives into place including Boulder County, CO, Seattle, WA, and many communities in California, especially in the San Francisco area. Even some corporations have adopted zero waste practices including Xerox in Rochester, NY, Hewlet Packard in Roseland, CA, Epson Portland Inc. in Hillsboro, OR, as well as several others.
For information about these communities and businesses, one only need google the term "zero waste."

As part of fighting the proposal for building a Waste-to-Energy plant in Boundary County, the citizens group invited a speaker, Paul Connett, to talk about the problems with incineration. As part of the presentation, he ended with the goal of zero waste. To me this had seemed like an ideal that really couldn't become reality. But Dr. Connett (a professor of Chemistry at St. Lawrence University) demonstrated how this ideal was actually being implemented around the world. He has given this lecture all around the world and the U.S. for over twenty-five years. He has visited zero waste communities and spent time with businesses and corporations who have adopted zero waste practices.

For me, nuclear energy, and its resultant waste, is just not an option. And think about the fact that nuclear waste is stored in containers and buried in the ground for a longer time period than the containers' existence. To me, that's not only bad planning, but crazy as well! The proposal to build a nuclear energy plant near Bruneau, ID, is something I would always oppose because I think that Idaho's goals should be towards promoting zero waste communities. Furthermore, I don't see why Idaho should be building a nuclear energy plant when the energy isn't even targeted for Idaho!

Idaho is a very beautiful state, from Idaho Falls to Fruitland to Bonners Ferry. And like every beautiful and wondrous place, Idaho needs to think about its future not just twenty or fifty years from now, but for seven more generations and beyond. So I say cut the nuclear and think about sustainability.

The 2008 Presidency

2006-12-06T06:42:00.000-08:00

I've been reading about the potential presidential candidates for the Democratic ticket in 2008. For the most part, I am not impressed. I think that Hillary would be a disaster, not for any personal reasons, but because I don't think the U.S. is ready for a woman president yet. Maybe living in rural north Idaho has disconnected me from eastern big city life, but my New Jersey relatives also wouldn't vote for her, so I don't know.

I know that Obama has been a real crowd pleaser lately, but I think that's his problem: he tries to please everyone. I've heard more than one person say this about Obama and, I'm not entirely up on everything he does and says, so I could be wrong. Unfortunately, and I hesitate saying this, but I think that Idaho, at least many of the people in the north, would not vote for a black President. Many of us in the north have been fighting racism and the white Aryan image we have, but let's face it, we're mostly white up here. And I know that there is an undercurrent of racism throughout north Idaho, if not the country, that causes people to say, "They're (Black, Asian, American Indian, Jew, Arab, etc.) okay, but I wouldn't want my child to marry one." I say this from personal experience.

So who else is there? I seriously think that Al Gore could win again. Yeah, people in north Idaho think he single-handedly destroyed the timber industry (how disconnected is that?), but he won once, and if he can keep the DLC monkey off his back, then I think he can win again. After all, he is the most qualified candidate. And with a good VP selection, like John Edwards, the vote may be so overwhelming that not even the Vote Stealers could rob him again. I suggest Edwards as the VP because I think that his charisma, southern charm, and intellectual brilliance would offset all that the press loves to hate about Gore. Also, Edwards does admit his senate voting mistakes about the Iraq war and Patriot Act. I don't think he'll make those mistakes again because I think the timbre of the Democratic National Party is changing, and the influence of Howard Dean is beginning to shine through. Finally, through my son, a UW student, who attended a John Edwards book signing recently, I know that many young people are supportive of Edwards. And it's about time that we drew in that younger vote in way that hasn't been seen since the sixties.

Of course, all above opinions could be moot, given how people in north Idaho vote. I just read in the Idaho Statesman that people in Coeur d'Alene, and indeed, all of north Idaho and the west in general, are being priced out of their homes because their wages don't meet the required amount for buying an average-priced home. And yet these same residents of north Idaho voted for Idaho Legislative candidates who oppose raising the minimum wage and who are satisfied with the Idaho Right-to-Work program, as it is. Again, how disconnected is that? I think the blame does not reside entirely on the voters either. I think that the media, as well as the partisan controlled, Republican legislature, should bear their full share of the responsibility.

So, I am left wondering who the next president of this wonderful country will be. But I have no time to wonder about the color of Idaho because I am determined to see it once again become a state of the people and turn blue!

A Winter Wonderland

2006-11-30T17:29:00.000-08:00

I'm doing real well - I start a blog, then I let a week go by before writing again.... Truth is, I've been overwhelmed, and haven't known quite what to say on any given day. But today, it was such a beautiful day, that I'm inspired to write about this winter wonderland. We have about two feet of snow and it's beautiful! I love all the shades of white and gray. I never knew how many different shades there could be. We didn't have much sun today, but the sunny days of winter are special as well: with white snow everywhere and then a bright sun, clear blue skies, and a glistening wherever one looks. Ah, north Idaho in the winter is very beautiful!

I spent the morning reading the Idaho Statesman in order to keep up with what occurs around the state. In north Idaho, we read most of our news in the Spokesman-Review (out of Spokane, WA), with occasional local news in the Hagadone owned papers of Coeur d'Alene, Sandoint, and Bonners Ferry. All of these papers have a Republican bias, but at least in the Idaho Statesman one can receive news about all of Idaho, including what's happening in the state legislature.

I love the latest report about Risch and his ideas for Idaho roadless areas and wilderness. It seems the Idaho Conversation League seems to think that, so far, his ideas are okay, but with Republicans, it's hard to say what underlying plan they may have. I presume there's underlying plans because next I read about Senator Craig's interference with two bills for wilderness that have come about through much hard work and bi-partisan understanding between the ICL and Senator Crapo, and the ICL and Representative Simpson. Leave it to Craig to interfere, saying he'll only give his support if they change the bills to suit his Rovian requests, thus stalling their passage. In a state where natural resources are the main wedge issue, Craig proves once again that in spite of his fellow Republicans' best efforts, Republicans are, in the end, not to be trusted. That is an unfortunate situation, but from Reagan to Bush I believe that Democrats, and many other US citizens, have learned that in the long run, Republicans just cannot be trusted.

I thought about this today, because I have Republican friends here, and I know that despite being Republican, many of them are honest, decent, caring, responsible and compassionate people. And just to clarify, I know that Democrats are not perfect.... But what I continually do not understand, is not only how the Republicans can get people to vote against their own best interests, but also how they can get votes in spite of their crass, irresponsible, egregious, and dishonest behavior. That's something to work on....

I do think that the media is largely responsible for this promotion of wedge issues between Republicans and Democrats. It makes for great reading, but it's also not very responsible reporting. It's sensational, but not necessarily important. And it's not what I, or many others, think of as news, which is probably why so many people get their news from alternative news sites on the internet.

So, in north Idaho at least, we could use with some good, liberal, progressive reporting. If you fit any of those adjectives, and you've always wanted to own a newspaper, this is the place to start. As the recent election shows, many people here are tired of Republican partisan politics, as well as the wingnuts they run for office. Indeed, north Idaho is ripe for a new newspaper with fair and accurate reporting. So, gather up your democratic friends and family and move here. Who knows, you may find yourself inspired to write about the beauty of our north Idaho winter wonderland.

Op Ed by Ken Larson

2006-11-24T18:18:00.000-08:00

The following OpEd was provided by Ken Larson, a fellow Democrat residing in north Idaho. In this piece Ken expresses so well many of the same thoughts that I, and it seems many others, have about why north Idaho remains Republican. He very clearly points out the disconnect between the actions of the Republican Party and the negative effects these actions have on the people voting for Republican candidates.

I hope you enjoy the first of invited critical opinions and articles.

OpEd, by Ken Larson

Are we disconnected from rest of the U.S.? Bob Wynhausen raised this question in a letter published on November 19, 2006. I would suggest that the disconnect between Idahoans and the rest of the country may be greater than previously thought, since current polls show President Bush's rating around 31 % and Congress at less than 20 %. Yet, Idaho elected Republicans at a rate far above the national average.If the Republican Party were the traditional conservative party it used to be, this trend would be understandable, even admirable, because it would reflect true conservative values. Idaho is, after all, known for its independent-minded, freedom-loving people who support each other in time of need and defend their liberties at all cost. But, clearly, the evidence shows that the current Republican Party is no longer steeped in conservative principles. It has changed, but Idaho does not seem to recognize that change. Facts show without a doubt that Republicans over the past six years or so supported big business above the individual family, they grew the largest government we have ever seen and they spent money so recklessly that our current federal administration has borrowed more money from foreign governments (like China, Mexico and Saudi Arabia) than all of the previous administrations in our history combined. Even on a state level we saw the Republican controlled Idaho legislature increase taxes on working people to pay for tax breaks for wealthy land owners and out-of-state investors. These are not traditional conservative values. Curiously, fiercely independent Idahoans supported the political party that has done more to weaken our civil rights than any other in our history. The current Republican Party is the one who brought us these programs, and more: Free Speech Zones, which limit our ability to express ourselves in public; National Security Letters which allow warrant -less searches of all kinds of personal records at the discretion of a single FBI officer; warrant-less phone, internet and e-mail surveillance; active monitoring and maintaining files on non-violent organizations (including church groups); and, even developed programs for local agencies to use unmanned aircraft with cameras to spy on us. These are not conservative values and go beyond the scope needed for security. These, I would think, are contrary to the values of Idahoans.Even though Democratic candidates without exception said they would work for the betterment of the average working person, including holding tax burdens down and getting us health care, the people voted against their own interests by supporting candidates who are funded and committed to big business and special interests. The problem with this type of vote is that it forces all of us to live with the consequences, facing higher taxes, more restrictions on our freedoms and stagnated financial improvement for the working people of Idaho, a large number of whom are sliding into the poverty level.How does this disconnect occur? Why is our state so different than the majority? The answer to that is obviously very complex, but certainly must have it roots in the flow of information. In North Idaho, we appear to have limited sources of information compared to larger markets in the country. All of North Idaho's five main newspapers are owned and operated by the same person. We have limited radio coverage, mostly involving programming such as Rush Limbaugh who publicly said that he broadcasts untrue things just to get people to vote Republican--he lied to get your vote and he admitted on the air doing so. We also know that fundamentalist religious stations promoted candidates based on single issues, such as abortion, gays and stem cell research, even though those same candidates would raise your taxes and limit your Constitutional freedoms.Fact and opinion have become blurred by the cable network entertainment programs. There is no liberal media; rather, it has all become corporate media, promoting limited agenda and making money. This is true of CNN with Glen Beck, MSNBC with Tucker and Scarborough. But, nowhere is this more evident than on FOX News Channel. This network trailed CNN, MSNBC and the others in viewer ratings until 2001, when Bush took office. As Bush's rating are now falling, so are the viewer ratings of FOX News. Since 2001, FOX has had access to the White House and Congress beyond any other network. FOX's fortune is closely tied to Bush's presidency. As such, it became a propaganda tool of the Republican Party, using what CBC News in their documentary "Fifth Estate" clearly showed as numerous examples of false reporting and out-right lies. A University of Maryland study showed conclusively that of people who said their primary source of news was FOX News, 80 % were very misinformed about current events related to the invasion of Iraq. The main reason shown for this was the "stenographic" reporting by FOX News, where information from the National Republican Party, the White House and Republican strategists (such as Karl Rove) was read on the air verbatim, without investigation or editing. Opinions were promoted as fact. The losers in the propaganda pursuit are the American people, especially those of us who want the lives of the Middle Class to improve and who wish above all else to save our hard-won personal liberties. The solution, I think, is that we need a wider variety of information sources, we need to demand truth and fact over opinion and we should stand together, insisting that the interests of working Idahoans once again become the focus of our government. Only we the people of Idaho can make this happen. And, it will only happen, if we stand together and forget the political party labels, seeking only those programs and policies that help the common people. We all share more in common than we differ. Our state and our nation with thrive as the working people thrive. Forget that concept and we all will be victims of the corporate media, national corporations and the politicians they prop up.