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  • Wage disparity

    Betsy Russell reports on the new ITD director's pay. Brian Ness will make $165,000 per year. He was making $118,000 in Michigan. The person he replaced, Pam Lowe, was making $143,000 annually. A spokesman for the ITD, Jeff Stratton, said that after accounting for the higher cost of living in' [...]
    Posted: November 21, 2009, 11:07am EST
  • Mom must be so proud

    Meet the Poole sisters: Aubrey, 21, Rochelle, 20, and Tiffany, 18. The three were each recently arrested for Petite Theft. This gives a new meaning to the idea of family togetherness. And just in time for the holidays!


    [...]
    Posted: November 20, 2009, 3:26pm EST
  • Cronyism and good ol' boy politics

    The Statesman has a story about Lazy Y Ranch, LTD, settling a grazing dispute with the state of Idaho. Idaho's land board has refused to allow environmentalists to lease grazing lands, instead discriminating in favor of ranchers.

    Hailey architect Jon Marvel, who I believe used to act alone [...]
    Posted: November 20, 2009, 7:55am EST
  • Politicizing murder

    I heard Senator Risch on the radio today calling for the prosecutors in the Fort Hood shooting case to add one more count of murder, from 13 to 14.

    Apparently one of the victims was pregnant, and Risch wants a count for that. I don't know how far along' [...]
    Posted: November 19, 2009, 7:57am EST
  • Sparkling Sarah Palin

    In conjunction with her book release, Sarah Palin has been going on a book tour. And, Newsweek put her on the cover of its magazine.

    Newsweek chose the Runners World of Palin in running shorts for its cover, which is clearly a cheesecake type of photo. Oprah Winfrey [...]
    Posted: November 18, 2009, 8:09am EST
  • Preying on the elderly and incompetent

    Have a look at the "bill" I got in the mail today from Reader's Digest. As you can see, they're sending me my "FINAL NOTICE" giving me one last chance to "reinstate" the "terminated service" on my "lapsed account.

    This pisses me off, because it's so dishonest and unscrupulous.'" [...]
    Posted: November 07, 2009, 1:42pm EST
  • What's the real reason?

    Note the letter from a panel of economists that says the House health care bill will save money and reduce the deficit. Some discussion of it here.

    So, Mr. Minnick, really, what is the problem with it? Are you voting against it so you won't disappoint you' [...]
    Posted: November 07, 2009, 9:12am EST
  • Minnick should switch parties. Now!

    Congressman Walt Minnick has issued a press release saying that he will not vote for the House health care bill. You know, the one that the AMA and the AARP just announced that they support? The one that is still struggling to get the necessary 218 votes? [...]
    Posted: November 06, 2009, 5:45pm EST
  • Boehner's a bonehead

    I saw a clip of Rep Boehner speaking to the tea party rally today in Washington, D.C. He pulled out what appeared to be a copy of the US Constitution (it was the prop de jure, I saw others waving it around as well), he waved it around, and said [...]
    Posted: November 05, 2009, 6:32pm EST
  • What's that supposed to mean?

    The Boise Guardian has a post carping about the low turnout in the election, and tossed in this graf at the end.At the risk of being accused of a quantum leap in irony, we have to ponder how many “warriors” of the Idaho National Guard and their loved ones [...]
    Posted: November 04, 2009, 1:21pm EST
  • A new TAG

    The top military officer in a state is, with one or two exceptions, a two-star general (Major General, or MG) redundantly known as the TAG (The Adjutant General). Idaho's Tag has lately been MG Larry LaFrenz.

    MG LaFrenz just announced his retirement, so it is now up to Gov' [...]
    Posted: November 03, 2009, 7:55am EST
  • Sisyphus

    Hey. If you want some incisive commentary, and insightful thinking, read any comment that Sisyphus posts. And, check out his blog here. The guy's really smart, thoughtful, and manages to get all around the Idaho blogosphere.

    It seems to me that there is not really much blue' [...]
    Posted: November 02, 2009, 6:55pm EST
  • Obama's trip to Dover

    President Obama went to Dover, Delaware to honor soldiers (and DEA agents) killed in Afghanistan. It's really good to see that our President has first hand experience with the tragic effects of his decision to continue the war. It was also good to see that he clearly took the time' [...]
    Posted: October 30, 2009, 12:58pm EDT
  • A new party?

    I guess beginning with Barry Goldwater and speeding up with Saint Ronnie, the cultural ideologues in the Republican party ascended to commanding heights. It took 40+ years, but eventually they gained enough power and visibility that a backlash began. I'd say they peaked under George Bush, and the backlash began' [...]
    Posted: October 27, 2009, 4:14pm EDT
  • Bad press for Walt

    Statesman has an expose' here: When a House committee last week passed legislation to create a federal watchdog agency to oversee home loans and other consumer credit, Rep. Walt Minnick of Idaho was one of only two Democrats to vote against the beefed-up regulations sought by the White House.And' [...]
    Posted: October 26, 2009, 7:53am EDT
  • I wonder ...

    You've seen and heard any number of drug ads on TV, and they pretty much all have the lengthy description of side effects, like this ad. Some are in normal time, some are voiced by speed talkers. But either way, there is a laundry list of bad stuff than' [...]
    Posted: October 23, 2009, 6:49pm EDT
  • Walt, now what do you say?

    The Congressional Budget Office just "scored" the House plan with a robust public option, and found that it will cost $871 bil over 10 years, will cover 96% of people, is paid for, and, get this, will reduce the deficit.

    So Walt, will you vote for it now? [...]
    Posted: October 21, 2009, 4:58pm EDT
  • It's all shades of gray

    Adam calls for the alleged killer of Robert Manwill, whoever it might turn out to be, to be subject to the death penalty. He then addresses the paradox of a pro-lifer supporting the death penalty, and said it's all about respecting life. Many people ask me how I can' [...]
    Posted: October 20, 2009, 5:26pm EDT
  • Hard times require equal sacrifice

    Our state political leadership is struggling with the budget shortfalls, and issuing 1) dire warnings, 2) calls for boldness and innovation, and 3) political chestnuts such as, "you don't raise taxes in a recession."

    This is a difficult time, and it will be a struggle to get through it,' [...]
    Posted: October 20, 2009, 7:47am EDT
  • Why the free market doesn't work in health care

    I was chopping onions about a month ago, and managed to slice off a bit of the tip of little finger. About half a centimeter, which wasn't a lot but was enough to really bleed. I was alone and operating with only one hand, but I managed to stop the' [...]
    Posted: October 16, 2009, 4:17pm EDT
  • Hoffman misses the point

    Wayne Hoffman argues here that insurance companies ought to be able to sell across state lines without all the horrible regulations preventing them from doing so. He marshalls a couple arguments to try to establish it would be cheaper for insurance companies and for purchasers.

    But, he either [...]
    Posted: October 13, 2009, 12:06pm EDT
  • Opt Out

    The most recent permutation of the public option in health care reform is a beauty, and I hope it passes. Some senators are suggesting that the public option be put in the bill, with a provision for states to opt out. Genius!

    Man o man I hope that passes. [...]
    Posted: October 08, 2009, 5:15pm EDT
  • Troglodytes

    The Senate recently passed the Franken Amendment, which basically prevents a company who receives a federal contract from requiring mandatory arbitration of sexual assault cases.

    Senators Crapo and Risch voted against this amendment. I just checked their websites, and neither has an explanation of this vote. I cannot [...]
    Posted: October 08, 2009, 1:45pm EDT
  • Cigarettes and whiskey

    A Statesman story reports on a recent air quality study that found air in smoky bars is 36 times worse than outside air. A local group is trying to get smoking in bars outlawed. I'm perplexed as to why this has been so difficult.

    Washington, Oregon, California, locally' [...]
    Posted: October 07, 2009, 7:43am EDT
  • Another one rides the bus

    I was driving into work today on the "superslab," i.e., the downtown connector, and happened to be next to one of Boise's buses. For those of you not familiar with them, they are the standard city-type bus like the one below.



    Anyway, I' [...]
    Posted: October 02, 2009, 7:51am EDT
  • AG Lawrence Wasden

    Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden held a fund raiser at the Yen Ching restaurant in Boise. kicking off his reelection campaign. He spoke, briefly, and said that he'd been recruited by the "RNC," so I guess there was an effort to get him to run against Walt Minnick. (I can't [...]
    Posted: September 29, 2009, 7:37pm EDT
  • Lunch in Sandpoint Idaho

    Upon a recommendation of a waiter in a swanky Sandpoint restaurant, we went to Eichert's for lunch. On Cedar street, between 2nd and 3rd. Pretty unassuming place; here's what it looks like on the outside. It's pretty well hidden by that tree and the behemothmobile parked in front.

    [...]
    Posted: September 25, 2009, 8:06am EDT
  • Traveling

    My sparse posting schedule is partly because I'm doing some traveling. On Wednesday, I'll be in CdA, Sandpoint, and Spokane. It's nice up here this time of year. Looking forward to the drive between Sandpoint and Spokane.

    Get away from the computer, and various news sources, for a day' [...]
    Posted: September 23, 2009, 8:36am EDT
  • A pox on both your houses

    The Statesman has a story up about a lawsuit filed by Daniel Fuchs of Twin Falls. His allegation is that he was denied due process when he was removed from the waiting list for liquor licenses in several cities. The point of the suit is more probably to keep [...]

    Posted: September 15, 2009, 4:34pm EDT
  • Reaction to Obama's speech

    The front page of today's Statesman features quotes from our congressional delegation reacting to President Obama's speech last night.

    The three Republican members, of course, get in the "government" pejorative. "Government system." Government takeover."

    Walter-one-note Minnick says he was happy to hear it won't increase the deficit. So,'" [...]
    Posted: September 10, 2009, 7:58am EDT
  • Bieter's trolley

    Mayor Bieter has been promoting a trolley for downtown Boise and a means of mass transit. Apparently the City is going to try to get stimulus money to help get the project off the ground. He was on the radio this AM talking about starting it in 2011, and finishing [...]
    Posted: September 09, 2009, 7:56am EDT
  • Eagle Rib cook-off

    I went to the Eagle Rib Cook-off Sunday afternoon about 5 PM. I've seen some of those BBQ competitions on various cooking channels, and I though it would be pretty fun to check it out.

    I was wrong. I've got one word for the Eagle Rib Cook-off: lame.
    [...]
    Posted: September 07, 2009, 9:46am EDT
  • Embrace the crazy

    You've heard the wingers shout, and have seen them holding signs saying, Obamacare = socialism. I have, and I've got to admit that it's been bugging me. It kind of bugs me that an effort to provide health care to all Americans gets dismissed in a negative bumper sticker slogan. [...]
    Posted: September 04, 2009, 6:42pm EDT
  • One upside the head

    MountainGoat does an admirable job whacking Minnick over his flip-flopping on health care reform. Most excellent analysis, and way better than anything I've seen the tradmed come up with.

    Give it a read. MG deserves some kind of award for reporting and analysis of this quality.

    If' [...]
    Posted: September 03, 2009, 2:14pm EDT
  • Divided we fall.

    There's been a dust up over at 43rd State Blues. It started here with a post by Sisyphus, but got nasty when Binkyboy levied a personal insult against Julie Fanslow. Some soul searching by one of the site's owners here, and a long discussion of 43rd's philosophy and [...]
    Posted: August 31, 2009, 8:20am EDT
  • Helpful criminal

    Meet Michael Russo, of Meridian, who was arrested last night and charged with rape.



    In such crimes, identifying the perpetrator can be difficult. It's a horrific experience to suffer, it's traumatic, and it's often in less than ideal conditions. The victim probably isn't thinking [...]
    Posted: August 28, 2009, 7:55am EDT
  • Somebody call the secret service

    Rex Rammell was at some fundraiser criticizing Gov Otter for not getting a wolf tag, and some bigoted idiot hollered something about an "Obama tag." Rex joked along and said, The Obama tags? We'd buy some of those.Well, I gotta say that I hope the Secret Service has a' [...]
    Posted: August 27, 2009, 6:55pm EDT
  • Walt's tea party

    I went to the Boise Teabagger event tonight; the one at which Walt Minnick spoke. Here's my report. Not that much craziness, but, sadly, Walt disappoints. Daniel may have been going into the lion's den, but, a panderbear isn't at that much risk.


    [...]
    Posted: August 22, 2009, 9:43pm EDT
  • WTH?



    I think standards are slipping down at the Sheriff's office. What kind of a mug shot is this? What's next, a mug shot of a guy wearing a Nixon mask? [...]
    Posted: August 21, 2009, 8:02am EDT
  • Death panels

    I was meeting with a social worker this afternoon to discuss options for my sister. Sis is only 57, but is declining and headed for more and more intensive care. Anyway, at one point, the social worker was asking Sis about a living will and what choices she might make. [...]
    Posted: August 20, 2009, 8:15pm EDT
  • Epiphany

    Here's an accepted story about epiphany. A man (usually) wakes up in a gutter, hideously hung over, still somewhat drunk, disheveled, retching, filled with self loathing, and has an epiphany: "I must change before I kill myself."
    I like to joke that if I ever find myself watching golf' [...]
    Posted: August 20, 2009, 7:42pm EDT
  • Government is not a business

    It's common for a political candidate to run on the idea that he or she was in business, and that experience will apply to government. The politician asserts that government ought to be run like a business.

    This is a load of hooey. Gov Otter has tried to use [...]
    Posted: August 19, 2009, 7:54am EDT
  • Cash for clunkers by the numbers

    The US government is putting $3 billion into the Cash for Clunkers program, which has 4 stated goals: stimulate the economy, help the struggling auto industry, reduce air pollution, reduce defendence of foreign oil. Let's see how it stacks up.

    You can get between $3,500 and $4,500 per car [...]
    Posted: August 13, 2009, 1:09pm EDT
  • Fair and balanced

    I've been dogging Walt Minnick lately, mostly because I'm so disappointed in him. As I've said, I'm willing to give Walt's inner Republican plenty of space to operate, but I expect him to be there for us on the really important stuff, like health care.

    So that not [...]
    Posted: August 12, 2009, 11:21pm EDT
  • Sara takes a shot

    Sara takes a shot at Walt Minnick for his stand on health care. Money quote:Mr. Minnick, you're the congressman here - you have some kind of power to change things, and just saying "nope, not good enough" is a little half-assed in my mind. I thought the Democratic majority' [...]
    Posted: August 11, 2009, 7:15pm EDT
  • Savvy move

    The Obama Justice Dept released today a bunch of documents related to the U.S. attorney firings scandal, including transcripts of depositions of Karl Rove and Harriet Miers.

    That should knock the crazies attending town halls on health care off the air. Nice distraction move. Way to play the [...]
    Posted: August 11, 2009, 5:27pm EDT
  • Honesty and leadership

    I'd really like to see Idaho's politicians display these two virtues a bit more.

    Walt Minnick seems to feel the need to buck his party and help Republicans kill health insurance/care reform. Voting against it on the principle of holding the line against government spending is defensible, I guess,' [...]
    Posted: August 11, 2009, 8:29am EDT
  • The fallacy of bipartisanship

    Today I heard a radio interview of Walt Minnick, in which he said (I’m paraphrasing, but it’s close) “We need to govern from the center, and we need to govern in a bipartisan way, or we’ll lose the majority of the country.”

    I agree we should govern from the [...]
    Posted: August 10, 2009, 8:54am EDT
  • Boise Beer Fest

    I made it to the Boise Beer Fest on Saturday, arriving around 2:30 PM. It was wildly popular, or at least, extremely well attended, so much so that I think it would be more accurately name the Boise Drunk Fest. I'll explain that in a minute.

    We arrived, and' [...]
    Posted: August 09, 2009, 3:43pm EDT
  • DADT

    Gay and lesbian activists are unhappy with the Obama administration for not doing away with the military's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy. As you recall, the policy was implemented early in the Clinton administration as a way to protect gays in the military. The idea being, if you are gay [...]
    Posted: August 07, 2009, 4:15pm EDT
  • Health care

    Democrats are trying to enact health insurance (or health care) reform, and Republicans (and Lap Dog Democrats) are trying to kill it.

    I really don't understand why any thinking person would be against health care for all. It just seems so fundamental to being a productive citizen. The opposition' [...]
    Posted: August 06, 2009, 7:45am EDT
  • Diversity day

    The Idaho Army and Air Guard got together, which they do rarely, to have a joint celebration for Diversity Day, and also had a Family Day. So, lots of family activities, entertainment, and food. Below is your basic sumo wrestling deal. Since it was about 100 degrees that afternoon, so [...]
    Posted: August 02, 2009, 4:39pm EDT
  • A press release from Rep Rusche

    Here's a thoughtful article by Rep Rusche. I hope it resonates, but there's no "Obama's not a citizen he was born in Hawaii maybe or maybe not!!!!!!!" so I don't expect it to gain much traction with the run of the mill Idaho R voter.

    *********

    Gem State' [...]
    Posted: July 29, 2009, 6:34pm EDT
  • Surprise, surprise, surprise

    Well, I'm finally off the tenterhooks. The suspense was killing me, but now it's mercifully over. Senator Crapo (and Sen. Risch) after long and careful study, much research, and thoughtful consideration, has decided to vote against Sonia Sotomayor's appointment to the Supreme Court. Boy, I'll bet he just agonized over [...]
    Posted: July 28, 2009, 7:49am EDT
  • Scenes from a conference

    I've been at a conference this week. I was a bit amazed at the gargantuan light box, shown below. It was like a dinosaur version of the current projectors. It's kind of hard to tell without some scale, but this monster is about 3 feet long and a couple wide.[...]
    Posted: July 23, 2009, 6:29am EDT
  • Officer training

    I recently flew to South Dakota to observe some officer candidates in training. On the way, we flew directly over the Grand Teton Mountains, seen in the pic below.



    Part of the training was a water event designed to increase confidence, discipline and obdience. [...]
    Posted: July 23, 2009, 6:16am EDT
  • How true. But, why?

    Posted: July 20, 2009, 9:25pm EDT
  • Uh huh

    Posted: July 20, 2009, 9:24pm EDT
  • Idaho Brewing Company

    There's a new brewpub in Idaho Falls, the Idaho Brewing Company. The pic below is of their seven offerings, and Brewmaster Leon, who was happy to explain in detail how he crafted the brews.



    He explained the processes, the types of malts, hops, [...]
    Posted: July 17, 2009, 9:26am EDT
  • Here we go

    See this?


    That's Walt Minnick's signature on a letter from the House Blue Dog Coalition saying they don't like the current health care bill. One of the listed problems? It's not bipartisan.

    The letter says a reform to the bill must address' [...]
    Posted: July 10, 2009, 8:14am EDT
  • Time to change the Constitution?

    Our founding fathers set up a system of government that intentionally made it difficult to pass legislation. They feared the power of unfettered authority, and desired a structure that would protect individual rights, and would keep minorities safe from the tyranny of the majority. A wonderful system, and it has [...]
    Posted: July 10, 2009, 8:00am EDT
  • Join the Navy and see the world

    While driving home last night, I passed a small strip mall and saw a store front for a Navy recruiter. Perhaps you recall that their advertising/recruiting tag line was "Join the Navy and see the world." Two doors over in the same mall was an Army recruiting storefront.

    The [...]
    Posted: July 07, 2009, 7:49am EDT
  • Minnick and health care

    As I've written, I think it's reasonable to give Walt Minnick quite a bit of room to be the conservative Blue Dog he ran as. And that is how he's been voting.

    I was hoping that we could count on his vote for the big items, but so far' [...]
    Posted: July 04, 2009, 5:01pm EDT
  • Sanford saved again

    N.C. Governor's revelation about his affair was knocked from the headlines by the sudden death of Michael Jackson. He failed to capitalize on this, and gave another long statement, saying thing's like "she's my soul mate'" which put him back in the headlines. (And probably made it even more difficult' [...]
    Posted: July 04, 2009, 9:39am EDT
  • We need more Down's babies

    Yes, it appears that Sarah Palin is resigning as Governor of Alaska. In her - well, there's no other word for it - rambling speech, she said a number of crazy things. But one that jumped out at me was that "the world needs more Trigs, not less fewer of'" [...]
    Posted: July 03, 2009, 4:58pm EDT
  • It's near to becoming official

    Yes, it appears that Walt Minnick is close to joining the Party of No. He's pretty much a de facto member, given his voting record. He put out a press release citing various reasons why he's voting against the Waxman-Markey energy bill, and said:For all of those reasons, I [...]
    Posted: June 27, 2009, 10:07am EDT
  • Gov. Sanford

    Well, yet another moralizing politician laid low by personal peccadillo's. S.C. Gov Sanford, once considered presidential material, and having famously grandstanded about stimulus money, has been revealed to be cheating on his wife.

    I have some empathy for the guy, but no sympathy. He's human, and is thus subject' [...]
    Posted: June 25, 2009, 8:05am EDT
  • Crapo is undecided; riiiiight

    The Statesman reports that Senator Crapo claims to be undecided about how he'll vote regarding the appointment of Sonia Sotomayor to the US Supreme Court. Well, if he votes to confirm, you can color me "surprised" to say the least.

    He says he liked a couple of answers' [...]
    Posted: June 18, 2009, 7:59am EDT
  • Road trip, continued

    I returned to Vino Rosso, and scored these, one of each. The Arrogant Bastard on the left is the oaked version. I don't think I have a palette to really distinguish between an oaked and an unoaked version, but I'm sure it will be tasty. (Click to enlarge if you [...]
    Posted: June 12, 2009, 11:40am EDT
  • Road trip to Eastern Idaho

    Spending a couple of days in Eastern Idaho, so took the scenic route. Boy, it's green on the Camas Prarie.



    I guess I was taking the Sawtooth Scenic Byway.



    A remote farm nestled in' [...]
    Posted: June 10, 2009, 1:47pm EDT
  • Not bright


    At least, not mentally. This gal was arrested and charged with burglary. Gee, I wonder what attracted attention to her?

    I do like the way the hair and the outfit kind of clash. [...]
    Posted: June 09, 2009, 8:07am EDT
  • Vultures

    Angelo Mozilo, the head of Countrywide Financial, a mortgage lending company, has been charged with securities fraud. This brings up the sore subject of home mortgage lending abuses.

    If you've purchased a home, you'll probably recall all the fees tacked on the to basic mortgage obligation. Document preparation fees, [...]
    Posted: June 05, 2009, 7:50am EDT
  • Good news

    I have two items of good news to discuss. First, Walt Minnick voted with congressional Democrats to block an investigation into Nancy Pelosi regarding what she was told by the CIA about torture. It's good that the silly distraction was voted down, and it's good that Walt voted with [...]
    Posted: June 02, 2009, 12:15pm EDT
  • Start your watches

    Because it's only a matter of time until Bryan Fischer says something repulsive about Dr. George R. Tiller being murdered. Dr. Tiller provided abortion services in Kansas, and was gunned down in church. In church! Under Fischer's twisted logic, abortion providers, and their families, live under the constant threat [...]
    Posted: June 01, 2009, 7:53am EDT
  • Politics as usual

    Idaho's entire congressional delegation is united, again, against President Obama. This time they're against his cap and trade plan to reduce emissions and raise money to help pay for the national health insurance plan.

    Walt says that it's not good timing to raise taxes in the midst of' [...]
    Posted: May 26, 2009, 8:01am EDT
  • Politics as usual

    Idaho's entire congressional delegation is united, again, against President Obama. This time they're against his cap and trade plan to reduce emissions and raise money to help pay for the national health insurance plan.

    Walt says that it's not good timing to raise taxes in the midst of' [...]
    Posted: May 26, 2009, 8:01am EDT
  • Arugula

    Remember in the Presidential campaign when Barak Obama expressed a liking of arugula, and his opponents tried to use that against him, saying it made him an elitist. I'm not sure I've ever eaten arugula, but in honor of the President and by way of thumbing my nose at the [...]
    Posted: May 26, 2009, 7:56am EDT
  • It's come to this

    From fresh seafood in Virginia, to this feast, at a truckstop in Idaho..



    Yep, burger with bacon and a fried egg, side of mayo, oddly paired with my choice of clam chowder or chicken noodle soup. Is this how truck drivers eat? One [...]
    Posted: May 22, 2009, 1:17pm EDT
  • AWOL

    Sorry for the lack of posts and the unexplained absence the last week. I've been in Virginia at a military conference. Here's how I've been spending most of my days. Basically in a sensory deprivation tank.



    Ah, but the evenings have been making' [...]
    Posted: May 19, 2009, 8:37am EDT
  • Now what?

    In the AM, minutes and even seconds are precious to me as I get up and head off to work, so I don't read the newspaper in the morning. I usually read it at lunch. I do like to read the funnies before I leave the house. I think they're [...]
    Posted: May 12, 2009, 7:54am EDT
  • Two things that start with "C" that bug me

    Cialis commercials, and capri pants.

    Cialis has made as its "brand" two naked people in two old-style bathtubs next to each other. The commercials have placed those tubs out on a lawn, on a beach, at water's edge, in a Zion's National Park-like rock structure, and lately, floating in [...]
    Posted: May 08, 2009, 6:03pm EDT
  • Statesman's woes

    I heard on the radio today that the Statesman's circulation is up 1%, but it's important Sunday circulation is down 2%.

    If you get the Sunday Statesman, you know why fewer people are reading it; there's almost nothing there to read. In my home, the Sunday Statesman now is' [...]
    Posted: May 06, 2009, 7:41am EDT
  • Crying wolf

    It seems that the Swine Flu pandemic is waning, or at least concern about it is. Schools no longer have to close upon having a single child with flu symptoms. People, especially people in charge of such matters, are calming down.

    I see two chief upshots of this panic. [...]
    Posted: May 06, 2009, 7:34am EDT
  • Republican standoff

    In the tussle over Governor Otter's proposed gas tax, it's come to this. The Gov and the Senate are aligned against the House, in what has become a power struggle between the moderates and the wingers.

    Otter is legitimately trying to drum up an ongoing revenue source for road [...]
    Posted: May 05, 2009, 7:30am EDT
  • Does this seem odd to you?

    Governor Otter took his Capitol for a day to Midvale, and ended up fielding angry complaints about gas taxes, but even more so about sheep grazing. The meeting was dominated by questions about the decline of natural resource industries in a region including Washington County and its rural neighbors. [...]
    Posted: April 30, 2009, 7:55am EDT
  • Man down

    I walked into the restroom at work yesterday, and noticed our support services guy, just standing with his back to the sinks, looking at the stalls. I looked over, and there, lying on the floor in one of the stalls, was one of my co-workers.

    He was lying on [...]
    Posted: April 24, 2009, 9:47am EDT
  • The $68,000,000 question

    As much fun as it is to watch Gov Otter and the conservative House members scrap over road funding, it's good to bear in mind what hapened last year. You'll recall that the legislature offered to come up with $68 mil for roads, and Otter turned it down, saying it [...]
    Posted: April 24, 2009, 9:41am EDT
  • Time to play ball

    As much fun as it is to watch the Governor scrap with the wingers in the legislature, it's getting a bit ridiculous. I heard Otter vetoing legislation on KBSX today. He muttered "This one's the Human Rights Commission." Then, Wham! went the veto stamp. The stamp is amusingly large, and [...]
    Posted: April 22, 2009, 7:54am EDT
  • Short-sighted thinking

    The Statesman's Bill Rogers Roberts has a nicely written piece about foolish decision making by business leaders and Department of Labor Director Roger Madsen. A few years ago, businesses thought they found a way to reduce the unemployment tax they pay. Actually, they did find a way; they convinced' [...]
    Posted: April 19, 2009, 11:51am EDT
  • Danger Will Rogers

    I clicked over to Adam's site to see what whackyness the tea bag party inspired in Adam, and got this warning from my virus blocker;



    So, be warned. He had this problem a while back as well.

    Update: Adam says in the' [...]
    Posted: April 16, 2009, 6:55pm EDT
  • The mind of a wingnut

    Tara and MG have been documenting the craziness and hatred found associated with Zeb Bell and his radio broadcast, and they're beginning to have an effect on the Zebster. After complaining about bloggers, Zeb's now started his own blog. In his apparent first post (others were [...]
    Posted: April 10, 2009, 12:04pm EDT
  • Stand By Me

    I usually leave the video links up to other bloggers, but this one is particularly nice, so here it is.


    Stand By Me from David Johnson on Vimeo.

    h/t Andrew Sullivan. [...]
    Posted: April 10, 2009, 10:57am EDT
  • I was hoping for a change

    President Obama went to Iraq, and the soldiers seemed thrilled. Vice President Biden also visited troops, though I just saw a picture, and don't know where. Good on 'em.

    But again, why do they always have to line up soldiers (or whatever troops are available) behind them as a [...]
    Posted: April 09, 2009, 9:36am EDT
  • Cable TV

    Posted: April 06, 2009, 1:40pm EDT
  • Melinda Smyser

    The Statesman has an article about Sen. Melinda Smyser, who was appointed by Gov Otter to replace Brad Little when Little was appointed as Lt. Governor. This statement kind of jumped out at me: A long-time activist in Republican and Canyon County politics, Smyser subscribes to a simple political [...]
    Posted: April 05, 2009, 1:17pm EDT
  • BSU radio

    I'm probably not going to renew my subscription to KBSU. It has really been stinking up the place lately.

    They're letting sloooow talking George Prentice, who can deliver half the news in twice the time, have way too much air time, for one thing. For another, they've lately been' [...]
    Posted: March 31, 2009, 5:25pm EDT
  • Fischer's follies

    Or, more accurately, the folly of some high school teacher who may be well intentioned but probably doesn't realize what s/he's getting into here. Fischer's latest foray into public education. (Emphasis mine.)

    But vestiges of true academic freedom remain, some right here in the Treasure Valley.

    I’ll' [...]
    Posted: March 30, 2009, 12:27pm EDT
  • IVAs Supporters

    Geoff did some digging, and came up with the following info about who has been supporting Bryan Fischer and the Idaho Values Alliance. I still don't have any info as to who is donating to the IVA, but listed below are contributions in 2006 to an IVA PAC that' [...]
    Posted: March 29, 2009, 11:12am EDT
  • Fischer's Finances

    I took a look at IVA's most recent non-profit filing, which has info from 2007. I didn't have access to the info showing his donors, so I can't help there. But, here are a few tidbits. Nothing really surprising or notable, to my mind.

    First, here's the income and [...]
    Posted: March 27, 2009, 6:06pm EDT
  • Loathsome fool

    I've called Bryan Fischer that before in a moment of pique, departing from my usual effort not to use such language. But, his recent applause of the deaths of children has convinced me that this phrase, applied to Fischer, isn't pejorative, it's descriptive.

    Chris first brought attention to' [...]
    Posted: March 27, 2009, 7:49am EDT

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