Friday, July 3, 2009
politics Palin Stepping Down, Ya Know
Posted by Deanna Darr on Fri, Jul 3, 2009 at 2:01 PM
Apparently, Alaska governor and former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has found the constant barrage of scandals a little too much.
News broke early this afternoon that Palin announced that not only will she not seek a second term as governor, but she will step down from the office by the end of the month.
Details are still sketchy, and no official reason has been given as of yet, but we can’t help but think that this raises some serious questions about her long-presumed run for the White House in 2012. Maybe there's more moose hunting in her future.
religion Pentagon Nixes Christian Festival Fly-over Request
Posted by Nathaniel Hoffman on Fri, Jul 3, 2009 at 12:27 PM
The Pentagon apparently denied Nampa Christian fundamentalists their traditional pre-Fourth of July military hardware hard-on, according to the Idaho Press-Tribune:
"Basically, we applied to have a military flyover," Director Patti Syme told the Idaho Press-Tribune Thursday. "We were given (Federal Aviation Administration) approval, and then had to apply through the Pentagon. When we applied they denied our request because, as the gentlemen stated, our Web site specifically stated that this is a Christian event."
We have a call in to Langley to confirm this and find out if it is a new policy. How ironic that our nation's military is finally becoming conscious of the danger of these types of events to society and yet local media continues to pander to them year after year.
The Press-Tribune gives the Nampa God and Country Festival soft coverage every year, including when I worked there and was assigned to cover the show. Though they do not dare explore the fundamentally bigoted basis of the festival—the widespread misconception that the United States is a Christian country—and it's weirdly erotic link to th e military industrial complex, at least the Press-Tribune has a sense of humor about it, a tradition I like to think I started.
When I covered the festival around the turn of the century, I tried to lead with the craziest folks I came across, the dude that talked to a reporter about Satanism, or something like that. This year, reporter Bryan Dooley went with the guy from Boise who was glad to be away from all the beer.
My fellow Americans, America is at least as much about beer as church.
Though he is not free to point it out in the story, Dooley also gives us a taste of the blatant contradiction of God and Country with his lead quote from Bryan Yeager of KTSY Radio: "There's too much division—political division, belief division—so much that pulls us apart," Yeager said. "This is just an opportunity to come together around the things that we share."
Yeager, you are the separatists in this particular case.
The Idaho Statesman, however, has no sense of humor about Christian Fundamentalist doing their separatist thing.
Reporter Aimee Niles, who we hear is an intern, confused patriotism and worship in the lead of her story, or the headline. (We're not sure which is which in the Statesman these days).
But the worst line is this one:
Actor Chuck Connors founded the festival, originally called the God and Country Rally, in the 1960s to honor the belief that America was founded on Christian principles and faith in God.
Note to journalism newbies: repeating a falsehood, just because a Web site says it, is not helpful to the public discourse.
Happy July 3!
blogging Coming Soon: Johnson Post
Posted by Nathaniel Hoffman on Fri, Jul 3, 2009 at 10:20 AM
Marc Johnson, president of Gallatin Public Affairs and long-time Democratic backroom guy cum lobbyist is planning a new blog launch, sources tell citydesk.
It will probably be called The Johnson Post and will focus on history, politics and public affairs. Unlike the similarly named Huffington Post, if will probably not have much Michael Jackson coverage, but who knows what Johnson is really into?
Johnson, a history wonk, is delivering an address entitled, Packing the Court — Franklin Roosevelt’s Biggest Political Blunder at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14 at the College of Idaho Langroise Center in Caldwell.
It's part of a larger symposium on the Supreme Court called Storm Center: The History of the Supreme Court for the Idaho Humanities Council’s summer teacher institute for Idaho educators.
Gay Rights Obama Vows Gays in Military Policy Shift
Posted by Nathaniel Hoffman on Fri, Jul 3, 2009 at 9:58 AM
Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, the Mountain Home Air Force Pilot who faces an honorable discharge for being gay, shook President Barack Obama's hand at a recent Gay Pride event at the White House.
Fehrehnbach told KTVB News in Boise:
"I sort of made a b-line to him and introduced myself and he had that look on his face like he knew who I was. I think there were people who told him I would be there. I introduced myself, I said I'm being discharged under 'don't ask/don't tell' and the situation for me was urgent and I need your help. And, he looked me directly in the eye and said, 'we're going to get this done'.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has indicated that soldiers like Fehrenbach may be allowed to continue to serve until the Administration works out a new policy to replace Dont' Ask Don't Tell, according to the Air Force Times. Gates said there could be exceptions to enforcing the policy if whomever outed the soldier had a chip on his shoulder.
“Do we need to be driven ... to take action on somebody, if we get that information from somebody who may have vengeance in mind or blackmail or somebody who has been jilted,” Gates said.
Air Force Times estimates that if unable to finish out his career, "Fehrenbach will lose $46,000 a year in retirement pay as well as medical benefits, according to pay charts. He would get a lump sum of about $80,000, half of standard involuntary separation pay for an officer of his years, the charts show."
Fehrenbach wore civvies to the White House Pride event, fearing disciplinary action for attending a "political" event with the Commander in Chief, AF Times reports.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
bicycles New Bike Info in Idaho Driver's Ed Manual
Posted by Nathaniel Hoffman on Thu, Jul 2, 2009 at 4:26 PM
UPDATE: ITD spokesman Steve Grant reports that this new info will NOT appear on the Idaho Driver's Test, just in the manual.
HONKING — Never honk when close to a bicyclist, it is startling.
That's one of the new recommendations that will appear in the new Idaho Driver's Manual to be published later this summer.
"Significant effort was placed in garnering input from bicycling advocates from around the state," stated Idaho Transportation Department's Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator Mark McNeese in a press release. "We appreciated the contribution from these individuals and the manual will be greatly improved because of their commitment to improving safety on Idaho's roadways."
Boise Sen. Elliot Werk and "statewide bike advocates" helped put together the info for new drivers about sharing the road with bikes.
Here is the important part:
Bicyclists are legally allowed to ride on all Idaho roadways, have the same rights as motorists, and are required to ride with the flow of traffic. They must ride as close to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway as safety allows, except when passing, turning left, avoiding an obstacle, or when the roadway does not allow a bicycle and motor vehicle to travel safely side by side.
We don't have time to look at it right now, but this ITD Web site on mobility might have some other good information on it.
media Is it Cool when the Guv Tweets your Shit?
Posted by Nathaniel Hoffman on Thu, Jul 2, 2009 at 4:26 PM
As @ButchOtter, the Twitter personality of Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter, gets used to microblogging, citydesk raises an interesting question: Is it cool if the Guv sends out a link to your story?
Otter just sent this out over Twitter:
In case you missed it, here’s what the Post Register said about our State government’s responsible fiscal management: http://bit.ly/CgEnv
Thankfully he linked to the state Web site's .pdf of the Post-Register editorial. Thankfully, because the Post-Register is behind a firewall.
In the story, reporter-turned-opinion writer Corey Taule gives props to Idaho's balanced budget, a Constitutional requirement that many other states have not met. But he also points out that "balanced" is a relative term.
"It took a contentious 117 days, but Idaho balanced its budget. Public schools took a hit. College tuition is going up. Unemployment is on the rise. And services for the needy have been slashed," Taule writes.
Earlier, @ButchOtter pumped the Times-News story about his recent desert trail ride. As to whether he was Twittering atop Snuff, it is not clear.
In case you missed it, here’s a good Times-News story on my land management trail ride along the Idaho-Nevada border: http://bit.ly/19EbGv
Note Otter links to his own site rather than the original. The story does not really raise any questions about comments from a rancher that slickspot peppergrass is a "bohemian" species that fell off a wagon along the Oregon Trail ... or that Otter's horsie is named Snuff.
Then you have Sen. @SenatorCameron, a prolific Twitterererer, pontificating on his own balanced budget, speaking to a rotary club and picking up his grandkids.
40 states ended their fiscal year June 30th. Only 10 were balanced. Idaho is one of those 10!
No link needed, as he is the head of the budget committee and an expert in these matters.
And then Idaho Public TV on Cameron, as his Tweet is a statement from a newsworthy figure, I suppose.
RT @SenatorCameron: 40 states ended their fiscal year June 30th. Only 10 were balanced. Idaho is one of those 10!
Which begs the question: When I put this post up on Twitter, where does the Twircle Jerk end?
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
health care Wal-Mart Backs Mandatory Health Bennies
Posted by Nathaniel Hoffman on Wed, Jul 1, 2009 at 10:58 AM
By the way, the Wall Street Journal online is free today, so you can read their story on Wal-Mart endorsing the idea of mandatory employer health coverage for large employers.
Read it now, because tomorrow it may be back behind a firewall :-(
Here's the best line from the story:
The National Retail Federation, the industry's main lobby, said it was "flabbergasted" by Wal-Mart's move. "We have been one of the foremost opponents to employer mandate," said Neil Trautwein, vice president with the Washington-based trade group. "We are surprised and disappointed by Wal-Mart's choice to embrace an employer mandate in exchange for a promise of cost savings."
We are kind of flabbergasted too, and want to know what the spin is all about. Like. now that Wal-Mart is Idaho's No. 2 largest employer, it would be huge if they offered decent health care to workers. Adam Cotterell at Boise State Radio did that story above and this one too, about Wal-Mart's "commitment" to Idaho, including purchasing local produce.
C'mon. The Department of Ag told Cotterell that Wally is the biggest buyer of Idaho produce, but then he can't find any at the Garden City store.
But back to health care, which Wal-Mart does not now provide, why back employer mandates?
As the White House and Congress began floating proposals, Wal-Mart felt it needed to shape the debate, said Leslie Dach, Wal-Mart's executive vice president of corporate affairs and government relations."As a company, we believe the present health-care system is unsustainable and making the country's businesses less competitive in the global economy," said Mr. Dach, who delivered the letter Tuesday to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. Mr. Dach is a former adviser to Democratic politicians.
So, they could cover their people cheaply, like they do everything else, and distract us from a real, national solution to health coverage by changing the debate.
Or maybe they should just sponsor the WSJ Web site to keep it free.
politics Obama Tried Trading Appointments for Cap Trade Vote
Posted by Nathaniel Hoffman on Wed, Jul 1, 2009 at 9:59 AM
Idaho Rep. Walt Minnick told the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce yesterday that he got a lot of attention in the lead up to last Friday's vote on Cap and Trade.
"I made the mistake of saying I was undecided ... and it must have been because I was lonely."
Thanks to Dan Popkey at the Idaho Statesman for taping that clip... thanks Dan! Minnick said that two people from the White House came down and told him they'd have a much easier time announcing his appointments for two federal positions if he'd back Cap and Trade. (Does that get caps now?)
Ironically, or not, two long-overdue appointments were announced on Tuesday, just a few days after Minnick's latest vote against the administration. As commenter Sysiphus says, "politics the old fashioned way."
bicycles Calling Out the Bikers
Posted by Nathaniel Hoffman on Wed, Jul 1, 2009 at 8:51 AM
In today's BW we call out Boise bicyclists for not demanding attention and rights. But perhaps we jumped the gun a little bit. Today we find out about two events that could start to shift the focus, though the first one starts out as a silent ride.
On July 6, bikers will gather at 5:30 pm on Smith Street south of Hill Road where Kevin Pavlis was killed, and ride in silence to Boise City Hall.
In a Ride of Silence cyclists take to the roads in a slow, silent procession to honor cyclists who have been killed while cycling on public roadways. The Ride of Silence is a free ride that asks its cyclists to ride no faster than 12 mph and remain silent during the ride. The ride will be escorted by the Boise Police Department.
At 6:00 there will be a rally for bike safety at City Hall including including family members of lost cyclists, Boise Mayor Dave Bieter, Roadway Safety Instructors and a chance for every cyclist to introduce himself to the community.
The Silent Ride and rally is organized by the SouthWest Idaho Cycling Association's Kurt Holzer, whom we spoke to for our story.
And via the Facebook, on July 16 at 7 p.m. at the Falcon Tavern, 705 West Bannock St., there will be a panel discussion on rules and rights of the road with:
Senator Elliot Werk — Idaho State Senator, District 17
Kristin Armstrong — ‘08 Olympic Gold Medalist, Women’s Time Trial
Sergeant Clair Walker — Bike Patrol, Boise Police Department
Officer Anthony Dotson — Boise Police Department
Thomas J. Lloyd III — Attorney, Johnson & Monteleone, L.L.P.
So the action continues... citydesk will bring you all the Boise biker news that's fit to blog.
legislature Task Force Should Fund Air Conditioning Project
Posted by Ben Wickham on Wed, Jul 1, 2009 at 6:57 AM
The task force searching for funding alternatives for Idaho State Police and the Department of Parks Recreation finished meeting ahead of schedule Tuesday, and survived the day despite the heat.
The Legislative task force adjourned its meeting nearly an hour and a half ahead of schedule. Everyone in the non-air conditioned room appeared happy to get out of their seats and out of the oven.
But because they were so far ahead of schedule, we missed most of the meeting. Luckily, Eye on Boise stuck it out the whole day.
The task force, which is looking to alleviate the budget cuts that Idaho State Police and the Parks will experience in a year when their dedicated gas tax funds are reallocated to the Transportation Department, agreed to consider other plans that do not involve tax increases.
Representative Raul Labrador of Eagle expressed the slim chance of any proposal including a tax increase passing the floor of the house. Senator Patti Anne Lodge suggested further research into the possibility of raising public user fees to offset the loss of the gas tax appropriations. The task force tentatively scheduled its next meeting for August 11 with followup meetings in September. Lawmakers anticipate winding up their proposal for the Legislature by October. Whether the task force chooses to call it a tax increase or a rise in user fees, it sounds like the public will foot the bill again for the Legislature’s shifting of funds around.
