Pleading The 5th...er..the 10th!

I'm not kidding here folks. It's really time for the administration to stop and smell the flowers! The public is becoming frightened by the power grab the Feds are pulling for the sake of what? Hope? I hope they stop soon! Change? That wasn't supposed to mean Federal intervention in every aspect of our lives whether or not it's wanted or needed.

Don't try to tell me the bailouts and stimulus programs are working. Yes, the market has been going up and there are other indicators that the worst might be over. For that to be true, it means things were on the way to turning around before Obama was even in office. The bulk of the money he has allocated to his various schemes has yet to be dispersed and the requirements for receiving same are being made up as they go along.

Fortunately, someone has taken notice and are beginning to leave the grease off the wheel. Actually the rumblings the states were feeling things were amiss at the Federal level began with Alaska's Sarah Palin spot lighting her state. Before that how many of us knew there were rumblings about secession way up north?

Just a week or so ago, during the tea party period, Texas Governor Rick Perry made similar noises and now the Oklahoma legislature is putting the Federal Government on notice with an effort to claim their sovereignty!

What's with all this discontent? Too much too soon and too many toes being stepped on. While it's nice we have an energetic young President who is determined to get things done, there's a bit too much stumbling going on. I watched Hillary Clinton sit with Afghanistan's Karzai and Pakistan's Zardari and apologize, one more time, for civilian deaths. It's war. Civilian's get killed. If they can do better then do so!

We've accepted a share of the blame for the drug wars in Mexico. We still can't decide what torture consists of and what's permissible. We're still being asked to pour additional billions into the auto companies and the banks. We're forcing banks who don't want it to take it and now are not allowed to pay it back. Why? The Feds would lose control where it isn't even needed! The same with the states.

And therein lies the problem. The states and that pesky 10th amendment which reads:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

For a man who is supposedly well versed in Constitutional Law, I'd like to know what sort of grades our President got in applicable courses.

Of course none of the states are going to secede. We are the "United" States for good reason. Like the constant noises Quebec makes about leaving Canada, it's fodder for leverage and little else. They need Canada. All our states need what the Federal Government has to offer too. Should we have another Katrina or if Mt. Redoubt really blows, the Feds are needed.

The states are merely letting the Feds know they're pushing the envelope. So did the people with something as simple as a tea party. The question is, will the Feds hear or do we need to supply them with an ear trumpet?

The Bill Doesn't Go Far Enough???

Why in the name of good sense should there be a "pharmacist conscience law"?

You're sick. You go to your doctor. You're given a prescription. Your pharmacist refuses to fill it because it goes against his or her conscience. It's all perfectly legal in the state of Idaho. I don't know what's worse. The fact that such a bill has been proposed or the fact that it isn't needed because there is no law requiring pharmacists to dispense prescriptions in the first place! Should there be one? I think yes!

There are times I wish I were a lobbyist because I sure would lobby against this insanity! Why should any legal prescription be denied anyone? A pharmacist has no right that I know of to endanger a life by refusing to fill a prescription. He/she has no way of knowing the need nor the circumstances. The lack of a law with such a requirement apparently, here, gives him/her that right and it borders on criminal. If a person should die because of not getting said prescription would the pharmacist be guilty of murder?

If that in itself isn't bad enough, the proposed bill would extend "conscience law" to cashiers and other workers. So. Even if the pharmacist will fill the prescription but the cashier objects, you'll be barred from buying it? What kind of insanity is this?

I remember going into a doctor's office awhile back, in miserable pain with a bad back. There was a sign above the receptionist's desk that read Be Nice or Leave . I no longer see that doctor. The point that anyone who is ill does not need the additional aggravation of getting static over a perfectly legal prescription.

If your job is to dispense medicine, do it. If your conscience gets in the way change careers. How dare you endanger others! As for the cashiers, don't work in a pharmacy.

As for the law makers, how dare you to allow the uninformed to deny another his or her well being. Where is your "conscience law"?

What Qualifies One For The Senate?

According to WCBS TV , a reporter following Caroline Kennedy on her upstate "listening tour" had this to ask, "But you've never held public office so what experience [do you have]?"

Maybe it's time to take a look at what qualifies an individual to serve in the U.S. Senate! Especially when you consider the bunch that's in there now and those aspiring to be. Consider the stellar character represented by Ted Stevens and Larry Craig for example. Hillary Clinton had never held public office before being elected to the Senate. Were they not all considered adequately "qualified" when elected?

The Senate is a pretty exclusive "club". There are only 100 Senators. Two from every state; not like the gazillion of Representatives from gerrymandered districts! To find two people from each state that have their state's interest, as well as the nation's, at heart should not be that difficult. Is there any reason to assume Caroline Kennedy does not?

Being educated, having character and ability seem far more important to me than whether or not one has previously held elective office. I know. That may actually mean Al Franken, better known as a comedian than a politician, is superbly qualified. After all he is a Harvard man. And that is the crux of the argument. I based my support for Obama on much the same criteria. Intellect, character and education. Caroline is also a Harvard grad plus a J.D. from Columbia Law. The worst thing I can say is, "Not another lawyer!"

Actually, the fact that she is not a career politician is a plus in my book. Yes. She has far different life experiences than many of us, but what we have in common is equally important. A view of the world and life from outside the beltway.

Who would ever have thought the Kennedy name would be a negative? Is that a reason for David Patterson to not appoint her? I should hope not.

Silence Is Not Always Golden!

Okay, the Blagojevich mess in Illinois isn't what Obama and his transition team need at the moment. What puzzles me is why Obama doesn't speed things up by clarifying who has talked with the governor and why. How long does an internal investigation of his inner circle take? It isn't that large! If someone lied to Obama, even if it's his designated chief of staff, he ought to be out of there immediately if not sooner!

I would expect, if it wasn't Obama himself, the filling of his Senate seat would have been talked about in some sense without it having any degree of impropriety. After all, the Governor is the only one with the power to fill it. This parsing of words on Obama's part and the stone walling by Rahm Emanuel makes it look like business as usual rather than the "change" Obama has been espousing!

The stories are full of conflict. It is reported that Obama and Blagojevich didn't like each other. It's a different story with Rahm Emanuel. One story has it that he may have been the one who tipped authorities. Others place him in a far more compromising position.

When he skips a news conference and refuses reporter's questions because he's being a "father" attending a concert in which his daughters were performing, it smacks.

If he was the informant I should think he would be applauded. If he merely had a conversation about who the candidates might be, what harm is there in that? If he tried to influence the decision and was held up for it, that's a whole different ball game. That isn't just Chicago nor Illinois politics. That's politics as usual.

If there is indeed an attempt to cover up someones involvement, mark my words it will come out. If Obama is trying to sweep this under the rug it won't work. As it stands now, if it isn't fully resolved by January 20 he will take the oath of office under a cloud that may never lift.

Politics as usual. What a sacrifice of promise that would be. Especially since it can all be saved with a moment of truth.

Politicians - The Gift that Keeps On Giving!

I was doing a stretch that needs to be held for several minutes when I heard Hub come into the house. He's usually very good about leaving me to myself while I'm going through my routine so I was somewhat surprised. He stood in the doorway and said, "You Democrats!" Knowing I'm not a Democrat, I knew he had something pithy to say. Well, that ended the serene stretch as I burst out in a belly laugh.

"The Governor of Illinois arrested for trying to "sell" Obama's Senate seat? The Governor?? "

As soon as I could I came out to the office and began reading. Where to begin? It's all over everything! A couple of things caught my attention right off the bat. Chicago based (don't you love it?) Patrick Fitzgerald, the U.S. Attorney that handled the Valerie Plame/Scooter Libby mess was in charge of the investigation that led to the arrest of Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff (sound familiar?). I mean, how dumb can you be Rod? This Fitzgerald guy is good! It's like deja vu all over again!

The second thing that caught my eye was his mop of hair. What is the correlation between male politicians with "big" hair and the sleaze factor? Read John Edwards. Maybe none. Eliot Spitzer had barely any hair!

The allegations against Blagojevich are more far ranging than merely trying to make a few bucks from selling a senate seat. The U.S. attorney's office released a 78 page criminal complaint to coincide with the arrest! Wow!

Just Sunday I wrote a post making light of some Australian politicians being threatened with breathalyzer tests before entering Parliament due to some indiscreet behavior at parties following meetings. I commented at the time, rather proudly, I was glad our politicians didn't really need anything more than an IQ test. It is not required, obviously.

Heck, Alaska's Ted Stevens, a Republican, was just defeated in his re-election bid after being found guilty of corruption charges. The same holds true for Louisiana's William Jefferson, Democrat, who was under indictment for similar charges. Don't these guys ever learn?

The comics have been mourning the loss of the Bush administration because it has been such a treasure trove of material. I don't think they need worry! Especially if Al Franken, the Democratic challenger for Norm Coleman's Minnesota senate seat keeps "finding" votes that had eluded election officials all this time.

My solution for the Australians was to nix the breathalyzer test in lieu of fewer post meeting parities. My solution for our politicians is to make the IQ test mandatory!

But then, what would the comedians do?

Why Must Evertyhing Be Racist?

In this morning's Spokesman Review there is an article headlined Gregoire calls campaign as untrue, racist. It speaks to an ad denouncing concessions she allegedly made to the Indian gambling concerns for which both her campaign and the Democratic Party received substantial contributions. How many other interest groups do the same thing when something happens in their favor? Is it better to hide such efforts with a lobbying firm where the negotiators may be of another ethnicity?

The article also talked about an ad against her opponent, an Italian American, in which the theme from the Sopranos was used. An Italian American group protested. Why is the theme from one of the most violent yet popular television series suddenly so distasteful? I know, it's politics and opposing sides pick up on everything and anything.

There was a time in Washington, when a state employee could not accept a gift for anything. I was assigned the task of getting "attraction" signage for a small zoo. It wasn't all that difficult once I found the correct channels to work through. Within a month the project was completed and the signs in place. As a thank you I offered the person I had been working with passes to the zoo. Thanks, but no thanks. Not allowed.

That might have prevented the Gregoire campaign criticism regarding tribal donations.

As for the Rossi ad, it could have been worse. But then I remember we can't refer to a female Indian as a squaw anymore or name a sports team after them.

I look at the national scene and Jon Stewart's biting analysis of the Obama, Hilton, Spears ad where a (OMG) a "black" man was posed between two white women! And what did the double mic on the podium in front of him insinuate? Ludicrous. And I don't mean lyrics from an entertainer!

Consider all the fuss about Obama being "black". Only half. Why does that keep getting lost? As a friend of mine says, "If you don't like the black half vote for the white half."

That's no solution either. How about voting for the man and his ideas! There is such debate about racism on the national level thanks to this campaign season, one would think we may have gotten past it on the local level.

Obviously we have not.

Is The Die Cast?

I figure by starting now maybe we can get more than 21.37% of the people to the polls in November though I have my doubts.

While the local results did not surprise me, it's always curious why more people don't bother to vote. It can't be the inconvenience factor. Absentee voting is becoming more and more popular. Those who are against vote by mail on the premise that "uninformed" voters may be more inclined to vote should look at the absentee numbers. What's the difference? It is voting by mail!

If it's not inconvenience, it must be a lack of interest. Well, no. That doesn't wash either if you're into the blogging community. The best coverage of yesterday's elections is on Huckleberries this morning. Especially since it includes reactions.

This go round I'm not going to denigrate either the candidates or the voters. The candidates did their part. They got involved and ran for office. With all the rights that have been taken from us lately, I applaud the voters who did their part. They exercised their right. It's one we still have and should exercise!! They've told those who did neither what they think, how they feel and who they want running things. They will have their way.

It will be interesting to see who prevails in November. My guess is it will be pretty much what the primaries are telling us now. If you're not happy with the results you can do something about it. If you voted and the results didn't go the way you'd have liked, well, that's democracy. If you didn't vote and you don't like the results, well, you know, everybody still can. In November!

Too Many Flags Passed

Staff Sgt. Chad Caldwell, 24, was laid to rest yesterday. He was killed by a roadside bomb April 30 on his third tour of duty in Iraq.

Sgt. Caldwell was a native of Cheney, WA, a town of around 10,000 a short 17 miles southwest of Spokane. We have one of those flags too, now that Hub's parents are gone. It was for his brother, a native of a small Montana town. He died in a head on with a semi hauling hay as he returned home from a reserve meeting. He served a tour in Vietnam and, too, was decorated.

Both men, I should think are equally missed and honored. Both were casualties of war, each in their own way. One died in battle. One survived the field combat only to become the victim of the indifference and scorn and all that accompanied it that greeted too many vets of a bygone war.

Much is being said in defense of continuing the war in Iraq so as to not diminish those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. I got to thinking about the continuing parade of these young men and women who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. And about those who have returned alive but hardly well.

I've gotten mighty weary of being scolded about how we must honor and support these men and women. I can't think of a civilian in this country who does not. I'd rather see the military and the administration take a good long look at themselves and their policies and remind them of their responsibilities to these men and women!

They can start by providing better equipment faster, providing the best health care possible, and passing a GI bill that will allow those soldiers who choose not to remain in the military a way of bettering themselves.

One thing the hometowns of these men and women can do, other than tie yellow ribbons around trees, is to elect people to Congress who feel the same. No one has to tell us we can be against the war and for the troops. We know that.

Extricating ourselves from this war is not going to be easy, regardless of what the politicians who also want to end it tell us. I think we are aware of that. But it is up to us to send that message loud and clear to those at the top that we expect them to do everything in their power to make it happen. It's an issue talked about a lot on the national level. Perhaps the best way to emphasize the point is hold our local candidates feet to the fire and make sure they are in agreement with the way we feel!

It's too late for Sgt. Caldwell. It's too late for my brother-in-law. How many more may it be too late for if we don't?

Breathe? Right!

A month or so ago there was an article in the Coeur d'Alene Press regarding pending legislation that would require vehicles of a certain type and age to undergo emissions testing. The intent being to reduce health problems caused by air pollution.

There was a huge hue and cry over why our county might be included since we were being lumped in with the Spokane area in determining the extent of the pollutants. How would our less affluent residents, many who drive basically junkers, be able to afford not only the test but the repairs the testing might bring about?

Today there was another article regarding the resumption of field burning. It had been stopped for a year due to law suits regarding health issues, but the farmers have been diligent in their resistance. For you not familiar with this story, it is an annual ritual that after the grass seed crop is harvested the chafe and stubble are burned to ready the fields for the next crop.

When we moved here, on prairie land that used to be grass farming territory, we were not advised that this was still the practice all around us. Each year I've written a rant complete with pictures of what we suffer through when a burn goes bad which always seems to happen. Like the wind shifting or a piece of equipment getting too hot and igniting the tinder by "accident". With a bad burn the smoke sucks the breath out of you, leaves particles, still smoldering, the size of match sticks and permeates every nook and cranny in your home even when closed up. Your fabric furniture, drapes, carpets and clothes reek for days. This is mild compared to what happens to the communities backed up against the mountains where the smoke gets stuck until it eventually settles or disapates.

Yet, it is likely to resume again this summer. Who says lobbyists aren't successful? Once again we'll be hacking and wheezing during the aggregious assault on "clean air"!

It's nice to know, however, that the residents of our fair capital city aren't without their own pollution and health problems. It seems they have a problem with smog. The Department of Environmental Quality is asking those locals to mow their lawns less often. Now that will clear up the air!

I guess, though, that may be the most practical solution since most everyone has a gas powered mower of some sort. They won't be able to afford to mow their lawns!

All we northern Idaho folk with asthma and heart problems can migrate south to escape our fouled air. I'm sure there will be a run on electric powered mowers. But no, the power plants to provide the electricity to power the mowers will pollute the air too! Arrrrgh!

Why Don't People Vote? Why Should They?

I wrote a post a few days ago, on an entirely different issue, about how I'm not too old to learn. It still holds true, especially regarding all things politic.

Many of us have been fuming for months now over the lack of substance, detail about the positions the candidates supposedly hold on issues important to the voters. Little stuff like the war and the economy and gas prices and health care. What are they going to do and more importantly, how are they going to pay for any of their ideas? Oh, yes, the plans are grandiose. Pay for them? Cut waste. Right. Been there. Heard that.

This morning's Couer d'Alene Press had an excellent editorial - Insist politicians share specifics . It told of how orchestrated obfuscation is within political campaigns. Project Vote Smart canvasses candidates to get their views on issues in an attempt to inform voters. The response to their queries is less than enthusiastic.

When party leaders tell candidates to purposely avoid specifics in preference to pushing values, they should be drummed out of the corp. Mike Wessler of Project Vote Smart had this to say about one unnamed campaign, "It's not our job to educate, it's our job to win."

In listening to all the petty bickering that's driving the campaigns at this point, it's easy to believe this is not only the philosophy but also the prevailing strategy.

As Vince Lombardi once said, " Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing." So be it for at least some of the candidates. But what about we voters?

Just what is it we're voting for anyway?

Welcome to Idaho

Interstate 90 travels through 73 miles of Idaho from the Washington/Idaho border to the Montana/Idaho border. We travelled it often when we were living in Seattle and visiting family in Montana.

The Idaho stretch has one rest stop in those 73 miles. You have several additional miles to travel either east or west before you find another. It is an ideal place to stop. We let the dogs stretch their legs along a nice stretch of the Centennial Trail that runs through the east bound side.

It also is home to one of the Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce's visitor centers, manned by friendly senior volunteers and chock full of tourist information for the whole tri-state area. Definitely something for everyone. Last year when our Senator was arrested in a Minneapolis airport for allegedly suspicious mens room behavior, it came out that this bucolic rest area was also a haven for those seeking a quickie.

Wow. Right here in our tourist destination want-to-be northern Idaho! A place where those wanting to visit would stop to gather information.

It's one of those news items that fade from memory when you live here and don't have reason to frequent the place. One would assume the authorities would be dealing with the problem.

But no. Apparently not. In today's Coeur d'Alene Press there was an update, if you will. It seems the restrooms have also become a haven for those who want to shoot up. The janitors are finding something like 30 discarded needles a week!

What the heck have the authorities been doing? The article tells us the rest rooms are vandalized routinely even with a crackdown on the lewd conduct. Some crackdown! What's even more disturbing is the information that tells of the State Police conducting a sting back in 1987. Let me see now. 1987, 1997, 2007 and there is still a problem. Twenty years?

Maybe we can get the officer from the Minneapolis airport that nabbed our Senator to join the ISP stakeout team. Twenty years of a problem in our only rest area is not only disgraceful, it's unacceptable.

Why FLDS Must Be Stopped Now

The handling of what's happening at the FLDS compound in Texas may seem a bit clumsy and the implications of the actions will be a legal quagmire but the time has come to put a stop to the activities of this cult.

I was thinking about a comment by a local blogger wondering about the hairstyles of the FLDS women. What would possess them to wear their hair in such a manner? Actually, what else can you do with it if you aren't permitted to cut it? To keep it tidy you braid it.

It's symbolic of a lot more, however. The hairstyles combined with the manner of dress is the stripping of the women's individual identity. They are no more than possessions of the men. Sure they worry about and miss their children. That's a "female thing". Nurturing your offspring. Yet I wonder how many of those women know who actually fathered any of their children. Even their comments of concern seemed rote, rehearsed. One could imagine one of the men standing out of camera range making sure they didn't stray from the script. It makes me queasy thinking about the life they lead.

We have always had segregated communities in this country. There are the nations within a nation of the American Indians. The Hispanic barrios; ghettos of all races and religions. How many cities have a "Little Italy" or a "China Town". "Little Havana" in Florida. They are all over. Places where people of the same race/religion come together because of their commonality.

FLDS and organizations like it are far worse. Anyone can visit China Town or Little Italy and leave again, as can those who reside within those areas. FLDS walls itself off. No one can enter or leave at will.

The worry comes as the community grows and the culture becomes embedded with each new generation that knows nothing else. Back when the Mormons had rag tag communities around the country and found themselves unpopular because of their beliefs they banded together and migrated to what is now Utah. Though the religion has changed considerably from that time many of their practices which seem out of step with our society as a whole remain a dominate part of the state today.

I would guess few have a problem with like minded people banding together because of race or religion, as long as they behave within the laws of the state and nation. Hiding behind fences and walls makes them suspect. Forbidding freedom of movement and of choice is pushing the envelope. Denying the female population the right to live life as human beings rather than as slaves to a self-proclaimed prophet and his like minded followers is a breech of human rights and dignity so egregious it's hard to believe it actually exists in this country.

If this is not brought to a halt now, if these cults are permitted to grown in numbers and power the next question asked won't be about hairstyles. Hair will be covered in something akin to a burka.

"Floating" Crap Game

Miss Ima Oldie strikes again! Last month I wrote a post regarding why seniors are so reluctant to give up their homes. I used information that came from a paid advertisement in the Coeur d'Alene Press written by Julie Tastad, an employee of Fairwinds-CDA, a local "retirement" facility.

I'm beginning to think the Press should run her columns as a public service rather than as an advertisement. She provides real heads up information.

This week she takes on the issue of "licensed" and "unlicensed" apartments within the same facility a step further. Previously she (and I, in turn) addressed how one had to be in a "licensed" apartment to receive certain services from the staff. Now, it seems, if you've finally made the move to the "home" even though you are still able to care for yourself, if a point in time comes when you cannot you have to move from one apartment to another within that facility! And back again if you mend!!

Please! She is suggesting Idaho take a page from Washington and have floating licenses to prevent this measure from being necessary. Is it me or is this bureaucracy run amok?

Realistically I would suppose one day to have to make such a move. Once done I would not want to have to do it again. Don't the blockheads who write these regulations know how traumatic such a move is in the first place? If I have to go, and manage to create some degree of comfort zone, leave me alone. Even if I can't have my cats!

Explain to me why all the apartments in a facility aren't of equal nature. If in Washington they can float a license I would assume all the apartments meet the same safety criteria that one expects no matter the degree of infirmity. Are the costs of these homes so high because of all these layers? Sheesh!

I'm going to move to England, meet 101 year old Buster Martin , join him for a pint or two and see if he can get me in shape for the London Marathon.

Enough of this nonsense!

Monsters In Our Midst

Imagine a society where men are allowed multiple wives, one in which women are required to dress in a specific manner; where women are forced into arranged marriages and are often horribly abused when they dare to question or refuse do a man's bidding. It sounds like some of the middle east cultures, doesn't it?

But no. It's right here in the United States. It is illegal. Full stop. It is illegal. Yet it exists. One has to wonder why.

I found interesting reading on How Polygamy Works at the howstuffworks site. For instance, I was unaware that monogamous practices, worldwide, are in the minority. Some critics of Western practices even suggest that our way of frequent divorce and remarrying is a form of "serial polygamy".

Early reasons for the practice included the decimation of male populations due to war. At various times it had been practiced in Vietnam, China, among many African tribes and many of our own Native American tribes. It fell out of favor with most long ago.

Even in many Islamic countries it is a perk for the affluent and is being considered "old fashioned" by many of the younger generation.

Yet we have our walled compounds enclosing cults that continue the practice of forced sexual servitude. They have found ways around the legalities by intimidating the women and separating one "marriage" from another by manipulating "church" and "civil" law.

The tragedy of the Fundamentalist Church of the Latter Day Saints drama we're watching play out in Texas is the children. No where in my reading did I find abuse of children condoned. Yet here we have three generations of women who have never experienced the world outside their compound.

What is to be done with them? The women who are free to return may well do so. It is all they know. It is their reality, their normal.

We pride ourselves on our freedom of religion but what differentiates a religion for the worship of one's God versus a cult in which to indulge one's most purient interests?

A walled and fenced compound might be a clue.

Why Seniors Won't Budge

We seniors are always facing a dilemma it seems. I read an article in the Coeur d'Alene Press that I found out to be a paid advertisement. However, if the information in it is accurate it explains to you young 'uns one more time why we old geezers fight so hard to remain independent.

Not so long ago I did a post on the increasing number of adult children encouraging their parents to invest in sophisticated monitoring devices. Some are so sophisticated you would be under 24 hour surveillance in your own house. The alternative is the dreaded "home"!

It seems Leisure Care purchased Fairwinds, CDA awhile back. They decided to install a wireless emergency call system for its residents. It also would seem there are different categories of apartments for these residents. Some are merely retirement apartments, others are for assisted living. The state of Idaho requires the apartments for assisted living be "licensed". Whatever that means!

Initially all residents were issued those dandy little pendants to wear and use "just in case". Unfortunately, some used them for purposes other than emergencies. The state prohibits the pendants being used for non-emergency assistance unless the apartments are the "licensed" ones. All those living in the "retirement" category had to give up their pendants.

The Bureau of Facility Standards will not allow staff to check on a resident in a "retirement" apartment if they don't answer their phone in a timely manner yet the staff is required to make sure the phone line is working properly! How do they think this stuff up??

I would love to be a fly on the wall when some of these bureaucrats reach the age or the circumstances when they have to give up their homes and are forced into a group facility and see how they react! Anyone can have an emergency situation at any time for crying out loud. Designated labels don't protect anyone!

I'm sure in time the staff would have been able to convince the residents that using the pendants for frivolous requests was not in their best interest. To deny them is insulting, demeaning and - dangerous.

It seems common place that the older we get the more we are patronized and treated like children. In fact it's those who are doing the patronizing that are behaving like children.

I applaud Julie Tastad from Fairwinds, CDA for bringing this to our attention. Thumbs down to the Bureau of Facility Standards for being bureaucratically bullheaded.

Oh, yes, take my name off the waiting list. I'm going to trust my luck at home for a good long while.

Time To Mend Those Fences

Boy, the Democratic hopefuls are in for a dose of culture shock! It looks like the June primaries, of which Montana is one, will play a role in the nomination process. Probably for the first time ever. So both are slated to make a swing through Montana for the Mansfield-Metcalf dinner, the annual Democratic party fundraiser, in April.

Can you imagine either Hillary or Obama resonating in Montana?

The dinner will be held in Butte, of all places. We were just there Friday night and had a superb dinner at the Uptown Cafe. We had read about it in the current Montana Magazine and had to give it a try. It's run by a couple of folks from Pittsburgh, PA, my old home town. Who'd have "thunk" it??

Gourmet dining in Butte is the antithesis of the what the city is all about. It had been dying for decades as the largest open pit copper mine in the world literally ate the city. It's most famous son is probably Eval Kneival. Yet it has clung to life with a tenacity that is indicative of the state. It will be interesting to see how both Clinton and Obama are received. Generally speaking Montana men are not chauvinistic. The women are strong. It is a predominantly white state except for the Indians.

There is some time for the candidates to get over this "she said something racist about me" and "she called me a monster" rhetoric and zero in on some specifics before they get there. And get over what acquaintances, current and prior, have said. Who among us hasn't had a friend say something that has made us cringe?? Whining isn't a part of a Montanans make up.

The state is a mixed bag. Though small in population, their issues run the gamut. You've got the environmentalists, wheat and cattle ranching and huge economic issues in the cities. It will be interesting to see how these candidates play.

Following is a little of what it's like there. We had gone over for the Charlie Russell Art Show and Auction in Great Falls. Being Montana, you drive a lot to get anywhere. We poked through snow showers to Missoula Thursday; had dinner at our favorite steakhouse that has a Wine Spectator rated wine list. Cowboy boots and fine wine.

Next morning it was on to Great Falls via Lincoln where the deer were converging on the town for breakfast and the snow was still up to the door handles of the van. Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, hid away there for years.

Across Rogers Pass and the snow disappeared. It was shirt sleeve weather in Great Falls. On our way earlier than expected we detoured to Bozeman, through more snow squalls, to visit a friend who has a gallery and listened to tales about the politics of the Russell. Yep. Even fundraisers for the museum are full of politics. You can't escape it. Politics.

Then on to Butte and the unexpected pleasure of the Uptown.  About halfway through dinner we looked out the window to see a full fledged blizzard had descended.  Spring time in the Rockies.

Fog and ice and 19 degree temperature greeted us in the morning but we were out of it and back to shirt sleeve weather by the time we were back to Missoula.

Such is the nature of Montana.  Mercurial, to say the least.  To say that the folks we chatted with about the upcoming visits were enthralled would be an overstatement. What they are concerned with are the issues that concern them.  Just like a lot of us.  And like a lot of us, they have little time for the petty bickering.  They want to know what the candidates want to do and how they intend to do it.

They care a lot about broken fences.  Many of their livelihoods depend on it. If the candidates want their votes they need to mend some fences. Lead, follow or get out of the way. Got work to do.

One More Wife With A Straying Husband

Eliot Spitzer, Governor of New York, tied to a high roller's prostitution ring. He has been indicted. Ouch. The story is just breaking.

Notice to the Clintons. The mighty do fall. Arrogance doesn't protect you any more than it becomes you. Remember Bill?

ZAP! Oops!

Sometimes I realize I live in a vacuum. I don't really mind. It's safer here.

I caught a tidbit on the noon news that "shocked" me to say the least. Idaho lawmakers are pushing two measures to restrict civilian use of stun guns. Wow! I didn't know civilians were even allowed to own one! Yep. They can. A taser can be purchesed for as little as $25! Now that's scary. It's bad enough you take your life in your hands when venturing across the state line to Spokane where it's well know the police with tasers are trigger happy, considerably less than accurate and indiscriminate in their use. Now I have to worry what the little old lady (not me) coming down the walk may have in her purse!

Okay. They want to require a carry permit. That means you don't need one now! Okay, they want to to outlaw the sale of them to minors. That means a minor can now own one!

The requirements to acquire a carry permit include instruction in use of the weapon. So far it only applies to guns. Where do you go to find an instructor well versed in the use of a taser? A police officer? Hmmm. Maybe not.

According to an article in the Idaho Statesman,ID lawmakers consider restrictions on stun guns there are more than 270 cases where individuals have died from being hit by police tasers! Some public saftey officials are even considering banning the use of them. Seven states ban citizens from owning them. Of course Idaho would not be one of them!

A couple of states allow "limited poseession" of them, whatever that means!

So here we are back in Idaho where one of the bill's supporters says "I would much rather have my wife carry a Taser than a firearm..." I have to wonder...what are they thinking?!

NIMBYism Will Always Exist

What happens when good people try to do good things but have to do an end around to accomplish what they want? They cause discord to say the very least.

The issue at hand appears in a story in today's Spokesman Review. It revolves around the establishment of group homes for troubled youth. The headline reads Neighbors complain about group homes.

We are no different than many other communities where problems need to be addressed but no one wants the solution near them. More troubling in this case, however, is that by skirting the spirit of the law, ire has been stirred. Several dwellings have been purchased for the purpose of housing what has been marketed as homes for "anxious, depressed and gentle kids". These kids range in age from 13 to 24. I'd be upset too. Kids thirteen to twenty four with anxiety and depression are often not gentle.

Under Idaho law these homes are perfectly legal because they house fewer than eight. What bothers me is that the doctor and his wife who have undertaken this venture tried to get a permit in another community to open a home for 36 then withdrew their request after there was a substantial community outcry. This is when they opted for the smaller homes already allowed by law.

It occurs to me the issue isn't so much how many residents will be housed in each of these homes, but the fact that the surrounding neighbors weren't notified before the properties were purchased. That they acted within the law may be true, but I think the "spirit" was ignored. Especially since they had faced public outcry previously.

Gads, we're back to the same old saw aren't we? Communication! Open and above board. If the homes are permitted to remain as such, those kids will be eyed with suspicion by the neighbors. That should help their anxiety and depression.

The people establishing those homes will be viewed with suspicion because they didn't communicate. If group homes are in the same category as residential, perhaps that should be readdressed.

The sheriff's department says they have received only six calls since July in reference to two of the homes. We don't place six calls in a decade in our neighborhood! Other than a suicide threat they were mostly minor matter, the article continues.

I don't know how the surrounding neighbors feel, but to me a child 13 to 24 threatening suicide has more problems than those described as having "failed in traditional schools and have social problems such as a lack of friends or eating disorders, or who have been bullied or teased."

I hope none of them have access to firearms just because it's legal under the Second Amendment!

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

As the Democratic campaign inches forward one hears the above comment used as a barometer of how each candidate is doing after an event. It would seem that society as a whole is following that lead.

The AP headline that read Australia to apologize to Aborigines caught my attention. One more nation offering official apologies to the oppressed. We've certainly done it often enough here. To the first peoples, to the Japanese internees, to slaves. I've always had a bit of trouble getting a grasp on why a current government should apologize for the behavior of what a preceding one did to preceding generations of oppressed. Especially when it comes to the point of paying retribution to ancestors who were in no way involved.

One rationale is that it's a recognition of a wrong and an implied pledge it won't happen again. That would be the step forward.

If apologies are due to the oppressed it should be those existing today. Maybe to the Iraqi people for the shambles we've made of their country.

Even more so, perhaps for the racist overtones from the Governor of Pennsylvania Ed Rendell. The Pennsylvania primary is upcoming and considered vital to the Clinton campaign. In supposed support of Hillary, Governor Rendell had this to say, "You've got conservative whites here, and I think there are some whites who are probably not ready to vote for an African-American candidate."

Talk about tarring conservative white voters! Conservative? Aren't they Republicans? Rendell is Democrat. Or are Pennsylvania Democrats considered conservative? What does that make Hillary? Just exactly what is he saying??

He did have this to say about Lynn Swann, his Republican opponent in the 2006 gubernatorial election, "...had Lynn Swann been the identical candidate that he was - well spoken, charismatic, good-looking - but white instead of black, instead of winning by 22 points, I would have won by 17 or so."

Wow. I don't know who most deserves an apology here, whites, blacks, conservatives, Democrats or Republicans or the citizens of Pennsylvania. How about all of them! Will this galvanize voters who have gotten beyond race?

Pennsylvania will be interesting to watch.