Chasing Votes

With apologies to the late Al Capp, this illustration reminded me of Hillary in West Virginia chasing votes.

She is expected to win both West Virginia and Kentucky. They are Clinton strongholds. Largely white and working class. Miners. Hard scrabble work. Good people. Older. That's the key word. The young who can, leave.

Even with a lopsided victory tomorrow, it will do little to help Clinton's effort. The party elite figure as long as she does nothing to hurt Obama's chances, she can go where ever and do what ever she wants. Okay. I'll buy into that.

However, an article in today's Financial Times adds a disturbing dimension to the story. It quotes a retired coal miner, a life long Democrat, who vowed to vote for McCain if Obama is the nominee. Why? "I heard that Obama is a Muslim and his wife's an atheist."

This, after all the Jeremiah Wright flap. Do these folks live in a vacuum? Well they do have the lowest college graduation rate in the country, mainly because they can't afford to send the young to college.

Then again, a school administrator had this to say, "If he is the nominee, the Democrats have no chance of winning West Virginia. He doesn't understand ordinary Americans." Whew! Like I said. A vacuum.

Even one of the younger set had this to say, "I want someone who is a full blooded American as President."

Are the campaigning Clintons doing anything to correct this misthinking? Oh, I don't think so. Not when Bill tells them Hillary represents "people like you, in places like this", to send a message to the "higher type people " who are trying to force her out of the race.

This from a Rhodes Scholar, graduate of Georgetown University and Yale Law School about his Wellesley/Yale Law educated wife. Yep. Just ordinary folks.

If ignoring false impressions and creating false impressions aren't a way of doing harm to Obama's chances I don't know what would be.

Then too, I had to read the Financial Times to find this. The London Financial Times.

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.

War Of The Wordsmiths

I've written about Rathdrum on occasion, both the good and bad. It's the small town whose zip code we share. It is an old town, a relatively poor town with a rich history that is little know beyond the locals. Once the county seat and a main stop on the pony express route, it has long been little more than run down buildings and a Main Street difficult to find.

This past week a fellow blogger who writes Get Out North Idaho , a local travel and restaurant review column for the Spokesman Review visited the town apparently for the first time and reported his findings. Hub and I laughed heartily as we read the column. "He's going to get letters," Hub chuckled. And indeed he did.

He also go a tongue lashing from a fellow reporter who writes a compilation of Rathdrum news for the same paper.

Come on Rathdrum. Be honest. You have tons of potential and you've come a long way since I first discovered you seven years ago. But you have a long way to go. Vic Holmes is the first pro active forward looking mayor you've had since Tawnda Bromley left office under duress two mayors ago.

You've got some great people trying to pull you into the current century but many of the old timers are still resisting everything that looks like progress. True, Main Street has come a long way. When I first saw it the only two buildings that had any semblance of what the town could be was the Chamber Building and City Hall. Now new facades are being added and the buildings are being occupied by viable businesses. You've got the Rathdrum Star in one and the Salsa Factory in another. You've got the skate board park and an insurance office, hair salon and what else?. The new book store/ coffee stand. Let's face it, really, One Eye's, the biker bar, while a downtown fixture, is not a place most would choose to pop into for a quick refreshment. And the Westwood is hardly known for fine dining.

This does not a destination make.

While the reporter mentioned several places Mr. Jacobs missed, she did not mention O'Malleys or the Route 53 Diner, two eating establishments right across the highway from Burger Heaven! A person happening onto Main Street and following the route Mr. Jacobs took would be sure to have a similar reaction to the surroundings. There wasn't anything self serving nor mean spirited about his assessment of what he saw but rather an accurate description. At least he didn't talk about the railroad traffic that rattles the town almost constantly.

If he returns per your invitation and actually gets out of his car what will greet him? The devastation vandals did to the renovation of the historic old jail? What, maybe three blocks at most from the police station? That's a fine how-do-you do!

When you look in a mirror you see the exact opposite of what really is. Put the mirror away for a bit longer. Really! Enjoy the publicity Mr. Jacobs gave you; people may actually seek out Burger Heaven then have a look around to see if his description was accurate. They wouldn't be coming for any other reason. They wouldn't be expecting to see Johnny Depp clearing snow off your roof as you had previously claimed.

Talk about a snow job! Which assessment of Rathdrum is the most accurate? Remember, we're looking to newspapers for factual information!

Fuss (over the) Budget

Ah, the annual prioritizing of budget monies. Everyone has their hand out. The police need more officers, the fire department needs more firefighters, should a dog park take priority over a neighborhood park. All need addressed to be sure.

One area where there was a differing of opinions between council members, however, seemed to be about the library needing additional staff. Our spanking new library with it's views of Tubbs Hill and the lake is apparently quite the hit. According to an article in the Coeur d'Alene Press the new facility is having difficulty meeting public service demands. Okay, I can buy into that. I'm all for people patronizing the library.

Here, however, is the rub. They want to be able to staff a "young adult" room and expand activities to attract teens. On the surface that may sound all fine and dandy. One councilman even feels libraries are more than just books, they're a big community gathering place.

Another is more pragmatic when he states libraries are about books. I'm in agreement with this point of view. We've just dropped a ton of tax payers dollars, not to mention hundreds of thousands of dollars in private donations, to bring the Kroc Center to our community. Shouldn't this be the grand gathering place for the community? Especially teens? Or are the membership costs going to be prohibitive for the very people for whom this facility is intended?

The community gathering place has been covered. Kroc Center. If it doesn't supply the need why is it being built? The library has been covered. If anything is increased, shouldn't it be the material for which it is intended? Books?

LCDC Redux

I had lunch today with an old friend; a former mayor of Rathdrum. We spoke of "the good old days" when she had been mayor and how encouraged she is with the direction the town seems to be headed under the leadership of new mayor Vic Holmes.

We talked about the issues facing all the local communities and commented on how some of the smaller towns seem to be learning from the mistakes made by their larger neighbors rather than falling into lock step behind them.

What brought this to mind was a short article in today's Couer d'ALene Press entitled Spirit Lake Urban Renewal Agency soliciting participants, input. Spirit Lake is a sleepy little community at the head of one of the area's smaller lakes. It has a colorful mayor and more bars than businesses but as is named the lake, it is a community with spirit.

The downtown is in need of renewal, that is for sure. Over the years, though, we've seen one business after another getting a face lift. If all continues it will be a "must see" stop. I think it will happen. They have formed the urban renewal agency to develop community assets and have asked for input from all of the community be they residents or businesses.

They recognize input from everyone is vital in identifying the assets that will contribute to the potential of the community. Their meetings are open to the public and at an hour most can attend, between 5 and 6; at a place easy to find - the library. Monday nights in case anyone is interested. Sorry I can't post a link to the article but it's not in the online version of the Press.

Hooray for the movers and shakers of Spirit Lake. I can think of a few urban renewal agencies around here that would do well to copy a page from your book!

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.

Paw Pads In The Park!

What wonderful headlines in both the Press, Cd'a, county going to the dogs and the Spokesman, Pets at heart of two-part plan. It goes to show good things come to those who wait...and watch.

Awhile back I had a question about why the Humane Society was not getting press about their needs in conjunction with the controversy over how the county and the towns within were handling their animal control problems. I've long been an advocate of all the communities working together to create a regional facility to serve everyones needs. I picked up the phone and called Humane Society Director Phil Morgan and we had a nice long chat about such goals and his philosophy on how best to accomplish them. It was educational.

Knowing I was a blogger, he was unexpectedly candid and left me free to write what I would. I chose not to write anything. I was willing to give it some time. That wait has paid off handsomely for those who have been clamoring for an off leash park where the their dogs can run free and a state of the art animal welfare facility.

There will no doubt be a hue and cry from the usual group of folks scrutinizing everything that happens in this town as to how the land acquisition is to work and all the ins and outs of funding. I know little about the intricacies of such things; I know too that this is good for the community and our furry friends.

When living in Rochester, NY several years back my vet and Bacchus's trainer told me of such a park. Though it was unofficial at the time, everyone who wanted to run their dogs went there. At their encouragement I took my 6 month old fuzz ball to socialize him. He had a blast. He loved everyone and everyone loved him. Especially the labs who played fetch in the river.

Oh yeah. The memories of that! A lab can come dripping out of the water, shake a few times and be virtually dry. Not so a 6 month old Saint Bernard! My doggie remained soggy for the better part of the day. But it was fun never-the-less. I laughed a lot, met some super great people and had a companion thoroughly drained of his destructive puppy energy by the time play time ended.

So to the city, the county and the Humane Society - good for you! It heartens me to see that government entities and the private sector can work together for the greater good - in this case those who have no voice of their own.

Thanks!

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?!

It Isn't Always The Cops, But...

Spokesman Review front page headline: Spokane schools challenged over girls' police interrogation.

Right. Two twelve year old middle school girls are pulled from class and interrogated by police. Both were considered suspects of a malicious mischief incident. It was not until after the fact that the parents of the girls were notified. The parents were furious but the police were perfectly within their rights. Students over twelve, according to state law, are old enough to know right from wrong and take responsibility for their actions.

The schools cannot prevent the prevent the questioning but they can call the parents if it's going to take place in the school. They did not do so in this case. A lot of huffing and puffing trying to justify actions followed.

Of most concern to me is the fact that at least one of the girls did not know what an attorney was after having been read her rights. Both ended up waiving them.

There is no need for me to go into the point of law. I'd rather, one more time, look at judgement on the part of the officers. If a child, and yes, 12 year olds are still children, doesn't know what an attorney is, why would you expect they understood anything that was happening to them? I'd say, knowing the history of the Spokane police, the girls may consider themselves lucky they weren't tasered in order to get the information wanted.

I'd agree with the parents they have a right to know. I'd question the judgement of the police. I'd look at the law.

If I were the school and knew actions such as these were possible I'd sure as heck have it understood by the parents and the students. They also need to understand the vocabulary that goes with it. As for the parents, you might want to add that to the list of things you teach your kids, like don't get in a stranger's car, don't take drugs or smoke. Know your rights in case you get in a scrape.

Here they are:

You have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions. Do you understand?
Anything you do say may be used against you in a court of law. Do you understand?
You have the right to consult an attorney before speaking to the police and to have an attorney present during questioning now or in the future. Do you understand?
If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you before any questioning if you wish. Do you understand?
If you decide to answer questions now without an attorney present you will still have the right to stop answering at any time until you talk to an attorney. Do you understand?
Knowing and understanding your rights as I have explained them to you, are you willing to answer my questions without an attorney present?

Police. Uniformed and armed to the hilt. They want to talk to me? I'm twelve years old. I'm in school in front of all my friends and teachers. Wow! What did he just say???

Score One For The College Kids!

I have a young friend whose spouse is an instructor at NIC. When we have a chance to visit I'm filled in on all the intrigue and like any organization there is plenty to go around. Just like the city in which it resides, Coeur d'Alene, it's city government and its urban renewal agency.

Like the city, the college has a newspaper. It is called Week'sWorth. Leave it to a smart staff and a savvy administrator to come up a way to quell rumors and misinformation. It seems said administrator wants to improve communication by creating a column called "Rumor of the Month". She would invite submissions, choose one and respond to it on a monthly basis.

Ah, college. Where one goes to learn. Is the City and LCDC paying any attention to this? Are the local papers? The Coeur d'Alene Press gave space to a former member of the planning commission to spell out her concerns. Where the effort fell short was that it was an opinion piece only. No accommodation for response or rebuttal. That format could change. Even the time frame. One week someone from the city could step up to the plate and spell out the city's side of a question or misconception. The next week someone from LCDC could do the same.

What a public service that would be. What an opening of communication! Why didn't any of the warring factions or the papers come up with such an idea? Any takers?

If not, perhaps the Week'sWorth would like to have a crack at it. I'd subscribe!

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!

Clueless Blues

Have you ever watched The Daily Show with Jon Stewart where he shows a politician denying he said something then shows the tape immediately following showing the politician saying it? The thing that always comes to mind is don't they realize video is everywhere? Just look at You Tube!

The point was brough home once again with another of this morning's stories in the Spokesman Review. Video contradicts police version of search in casino parking lot.

The headline is pretty self explanatory. The story goes on to tell how the alleged offender was not read his Miranda rights and other illegalities that took place during the incident.

The story to me however, is the cavalier attitude the offending officer's supervisor had when questioned about the dismissal of the case due to the discrepancies. He wasn't the least bit concerned. "You win some, you lose some," he was quoted as saying. That's comforting.

Eastern Washington's law enforcement entities always seem to be making headlines for questionable, if not criminal, behavior. That's not comforting.

On the other side of the state line we have our own problems with our law enforcement officers, especially our Sheriff's Department. They are understaffed because they are under paid. That they come under criticism is a given. But for nothing nearly as egregious as our neighbors to the west.

I've a had a few minor dealings with the Sheriff's department. Whacked mail boxes, loose dogs, nothing major. I've found the personnel from the dispatchers to the deputies to be as timely as possible, unfailingly polite and helpful.

When Bacchus and I are out for our walk and one cruises by I wave. It is always returned. I'd like to keep our guys around. Hear that all you who would run for County Commissioner?

Currie-ing Favor

The Saturday papers are getting to be as much fun for me as the Sunday funnies!

Okay. Election season is upon us once again and the action is finally coming to my turf. The County. Two, including the chairman, of our commissioners are running for re-election. What does any politician worth his salt do? Loosen the purse strings.

The jail is cramped, the Sheriff's Department understaffed and underpaid, Senior Centers are crying for help while programs are being forced to shut down, and our commissioners are doing right well with the handsome pay raise they voted for themselves.

What really irks me, however, is the budgeting process. The head commish is proud that he has overseen the increase in the foregone tax balance from $700,000 to over $2 million. Let me see if I can explain foregone taxes. If property taxes can be raised a maximum of, say 3% and are raised only 2%, the difference is the foregone tax that can still be collected.

When a commissioner is quoted in the Coeur d'Alene Press as saying, "I am going to keep protecting that balance," I am going to look closely at every potential opponent that comes forward. Taxes are a given. The County has an obligation to serve and protect its citizens. Help the Senior Centers provide services to those who need them and for heaven's sake, pay the deputies who are here to protect us a living wage so they stick around!

If to do so you have to collect some of the foregone taxes then do it. You could even consider cutting your salaries and hire a professional administrator!

Foot In Mouth Disease

There has been an ongoing criticism of LCDC, our local urban renewal agency, and today's paper points out one more reason why.

We have the potential of creating what the City is fondly calling the "education corridor" which will enlarge the exisiting County funded North Idaho College campus and incorporate expanded facilities for two other institutes of higher education that have satellites here.

A local developer now holds the option on a key piece of property that has a price tag of 10 million dollars. That's a hefty chunk of change for a town the size of Coeur d'Alene.

The City and LCDC are quite often accused of stonewalling the public. At times it does seem they are covering their tracks rather than laying out what they are considering and why before decisions are made. To make matters even more complicated, it at times seems to be more a battle of personalities than issues. This is brought about by the people in the positions and their political savvy - or lack thereof.

The following goes to the issue of savvy. An article in this morning's Spokesman Review reads Officials mum on DeArmond site purchase. This smacks of obfuscation. The front person is Tony Berns, executive director of LCDC, not the mayor. Mr. Berns is known for using a poor choice of words. On being asked how they will come up with the $10 million, he is quoted as saying ,"It's something we're still working on and can't share."

Excuse me. You're looking for ways to generate $10 million to aquire tax generating land for a non tax generating project and you can't share? And if Tony Berns is involved, how much LCDC money (read Coeur d'Alene Taxpayers money) is being considered as a part of the mix? Providing there is a mix.

The way this reads to me is they are looking at options. As well they should be. But why can't those options be shared? Or are they going to look at the options, choose one and tell the community that is their decision based on the information available only to them.

Sometimes I get the feeling that they think the "public" is too dumb to understand a complicated process. That they alone have the wisdom to sort through the options and come up with what's in the best interest of the community.

Whether intended or not it's perception. This does nothing to discourage their reputation for being less than transparent.

Circus Circus - Not

Sometimes I yearn for the "good old days" my folks so often spoke of in their later years. As I'm entering my own I understand where those those wistful moments were coming from.

Like the anticipation of the circus coming to town. The clowns, the acrobats and trapeze artists, balloons and music. The ring master in top hat and tails. The lion tamer, the elephants, silly little dogs dressed in tutus doing silly little tricks The midway with the Ferris wheel and games galore, hot pretzels and cotton candy. People being lured into the fortune teller's tent or to see the bearded lady. Little boys dreamed of running away to join the circus and sometimes did.

Wow. It was so exciting. Even as an adult I can remember going to watch the parade from the circus trucks or trains to the arenas. The excitement I felt one time when we had seats in the very front row and the clowns would tease us and the animal trainer would let us give a loaf of bread to an elephant. I was a kid all over again. Ah, what memories. Those were the "good old days".

Too bad the local kids won't be so fortunate. Carson and Barnes , a travelling circus that has been around for 70 years wanted to bring their show to Hayden. Claiming to be "G" rated - no gambling nor booze wasn't good enough for Hayden's city fathers. Nor was the promise to clean up it's own garbage and pay for it's own electricity and water.

Nope. Not good enough. According to the city council member, as reported in the CDA Press, Anson Gable, "They're not good quality people; they're carnival people!"

Wow. This in a city that had a neo Nazi win 5% of the vote while sitting in jail just a few years ago. Life on the road is not an easy one. Sure there may some undesirables running from whatever now and then but they're not moving in next door. They come to town, set up, do a few shows, take it down and move on to the next small town thirsting for some good wholesome entertainment.

For the kids here, go to the web site and watch the video. It may be as close as you'll ever get to actually witnessing a piece of Americana.

That the chamber too declined to partner with them? Have they paid off the fiasco of their air show yet? They couldn't have partnered if they had wanted to!

So your mayor says. "I don't think we're interested." Maybe you did you're homework. Did you? I visited the web site, as can you by following the link. They've been around for a good long while and have some pretty interesting tie-ins - all of which I'm sure are verifiable. Did you check?

Or is it because they're "carnival" people. Just like the ones who are at the County Fair just down Government a ways - every year. Maybe if the circus had looked into Hayden they too would have had a change of heart - after all - it's home to all those neo-Nazi types. Don't like that analogy?

Why?

Fourth Grade History

I was talking with a friend this morning and was asked if I had seen a post on a local blog regarding the ongoing controversy about how our local URD does its business. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I read it. I think I probably laughed so hard I cried. This can be found on OpenCDA , a blog created, I believe, for discussions about the inner workings of the Coeur d'Alene city government. To the best of my knowledge no elected official nor employee is available at this site for providing clarification nor assuring the accuracy of the assumptions. That might be something to consider.

February 24, 2008
LCDC–Lesson from Founding Fathers?
Filed under: General — mary @ 4:51 pm
When the White House was being planned, back in 1792, they needed an architectural design for the building but wanted to be completely open with their bid process to insure that the architect was chosen solely on the merits of their design, not favoritism. So Thomas Jefferson placed an ad in the newspaper, soliciting architectural designs. The winning plan would be chosen by President Abraham Lincoln. Jefferson himself submitted a design, under an assumed name, “Mr. AZ”, but did not win. Now that’s a fair, transparent bid process! Perhaps our LCDC should take a lesson from history?

Hub was a Political Science/History major before undertaking his law studies and he remembers everything so I trotted out to his office and asked him how Lincoln figured into this. He arched a disdainful eyebrow at me, his "I don't believe you asked that" look. Aha!

When I had a few minutes to hit the computer I did a little refreshing of my own memory - fact checking so-to-speak. There are many web sites devoted to the history of the White House but I settled on The White House Historical Association Classroom site because it is geared to grades 4 to 8, about the level of understanding journalists are taught to target.

You can read the bulk for yourself, but I would like to comment on a few points. Jefferson did ask for plans - as part of a contest. The prize was to be $500 or a medal of equal value. I'd call that a design competition, not a bid process.

The White House was burned by the British in the War of 1812 but the exterior was found to be structurally sound and it was rebuilt. The original builder did the work and the house was ready for our 5th President, James Monroe in 1817.

Lincoln was our 16th President elected in 1860.

"Perhaps our LCDC should take a lesson from history?" Perhaps a history lesson should be given.

Better yet, take to heart a popular mantra from the 1960s. "Question everything." Especially if it's unsourced on a blog!