Babs Christmas Bazaar

Babs is holding it's annual fund raiser at the Bayview Community center December 4, 11 am to 5 pm. No store bought food for this soiree. Homemade Soups and Breads, salads and a bake sale. These ladies put out baked goods like your grandmother used to make. Actually, many of them ARE grandmothers.

There will be an espresso bar. gift baskets, Babs cookbooks and a quilt raffle of which tickets are available. Cost? A pittance. Only $6 per adult (over 7 years old) and kids, $2.50.

Some in the community are not familiar with Babs. It is a ladies group that was formed at least 54 years ago. Babs stands for Bayview, Athol and Belmont, a community that has kind of disappeared east of Silverwood. Some, but certainly not all that this dedicated group has accomplished are as follows.

An annual scholarship sending a hyoung lady to NIC each year.

One young lady to Girl's State each year.

These are the ladies that clean garbage from the sides of hwy 54 for two miles between mp 13 and 15.

A substantial cash gift goes to the ABC food bank which serves Athol, Bayview and Careywood every year.

Donaltions to the local schools for books.

Gifts to 4-H and Hospice.

You can see that these active ladies are not just a bunch of pretty faces, though they are that, too. They quietly go about their business, letting actions speak rather than words. Please turn out for this and other events that this unselfish group holds. They just keep on giving. Oh and they just may know where you can obtain a walker if needed. They were featured in the Bayview Daze parade pictured above.

The First Terrorists

The first terrorists that hit this country were the Pilgrims. Think about it. They were extremist Calvinists that put people in stocks and threw garbage at their faces as they lay there helpless. Even worst were the times that personal grudges would be settled by turning the enemy neighbor in to the religious police. Many were burned as witches. Not because they toiled and boiled or put curses on anybody, but because they were different.

Our country was not always a haven for religious tolerance, nor anything even close. The state of Maryland was at one time, ceded to Lord Baltimore, as a haven for Catholics. After England's King was denied permission to remarry, he promptly outlawed the Catholic church.

We just finished our Thanksgiving holiday which dates back to when our pilgrims landed near Plymouth Rock. The latest rumour is that it will be renamed "Dodge Rock," since the demise of Plymouth. Thanksgiving is celebrated for the act of our pilgrims stealing all the food they could carry from the Indians, then violating the endangered species act by wiping out every turkey within miles of the settlement.

John Alden was hired to bring Priscilla together with his buddy. He was the first pimp known to the new world. Folks, these people were nut cakes. They punished everyone that didn't toe the line politically. (Sounds like our current political parties, doesn't it.) Cozying up to John, she said, "Hey big fella, how about we take a roll in the hay our selves. To hell with your friend." They did.

Bundling was in vogue at the time. This was, as we still do, a way around our regulations against unmarried sex. So they would date, (it was cold in new England winters)Lying next to each other, covered with many quilts, they had a bundling board between them, apparently to keep them from coupling. Unfortunately, many of the bundlers were carpenters that knew their way around boards.

The bottom line here, is be careful about the historical events that you celebrate. The cause might not be as just as you might think. But then nobody in schools these days study anything other than cutting out turkeys and weird hats. Black hats, if you didn't notice.

Many people are up in arms against Christopher Columbus because he took slaves. The pilgrims on the other hand, made slaves out of their own people, then spread false dogma amongst the brethren. It's just a wonderful thing that it wasn't all wasted. You see, turkey is pretty tasty.

Snowy, Cold Holidays

This morning, I wrote an energy check that I couldn't cash. Faced with foot deep snow on the north side of my house, (where my car is parked)and a three foot berm where the snow plow buried said car, I decided to just leave it. My back has been acting up and I guess the aging process is speeding up, while my body is slowing down. Then while shovelling snow off of my front porch so the snow wouldn't slide down inside my sorrels while fetching my daily dose of the spokesman-Review, my snow shovel broke.

I looked around for what to do during the holiday approaching. I was thinking I needed to go to town for a whole chicken for Thanksgivings dinner. (Turkeys are too damn big for one person. Then it hit me. Every time I go to town I buy more than I can use at the grocery. Also, I am a hoarder. With my deep freeze full to capacity, I thought, aha! I bet there is a whole chicken frozen in there somewhere. There were two. On the shelf was a miniature can of cranberry sauce, along with another desperately lonely can of yams.

It dawned upon me. I don't need to go anywhere. I had no previous plans to go out during the holidays, so why not just do it myself. There won't be a large family gathering around my table, but the bird along with all of the fixin's will be on the table and with football dominating the day, I'll be just fine. Someday I'll yell for help and dig my car out, but for now, I have heat, lights and a good book. My gas mileage is always good, but parked under a snowdrift, it's even better.

You all have a great T-Day and remember the important urgency of the day. If the weather is dangerous, stay home. Already several have died because the weather coupled with inexperience and the belief that they just had to be somewhere, killed them before they could enjoy that gathering they just HAD to be present for.

January In November?

Sometimes it gets cold and sometimes it gets wet. It is when both happen at the same time that it gets serious. Today, it is timed either real good or real bad depending on whether you ski or not. It is 9:15 am and snowing. It is 20 degrees out. So far I have about three inches of the white stuff and the winter storm warning doesn't expire until Tuesday am. 4-8 inches is the prediction, but then just yesterday, they predicted about 1.2 inches. They lie to us, folks. By 11:00 I have accumulated 6inches on the north side of the house and counting.

According to "They," we are in for a cold wet winter due to something called La Nina. Looking outside, it is cold snowy and I can only find one sorrel. Gloves disappeared sometime last spring in that jumble that occupies my car on a perennial basis. The ceremony of the broken and frozen pipes is about to begin. As the heavenly orchestra conductor raises his baton, here it is, folks. I wasn't through with summer yet, either.

I would call a few friends today, but if they weren't real tardy, most of them are long gone to Arizona. The only traffic so far this morning on Lime Kiln was Hans with his snow plow. It's always ominous when Hans plows at three inches. It usually means he expects very heavy snow and wants to get ahead of it. While the weather bureau only predicts 4-8 inches, he would have waited if he believed that.

So here I am, bootless, glove less and considering how skinny the paper is on Monday, wondering if wet feet is worth the stroll to the paper box. I may just forgo my morning ritual and get my news via the Internet and of course, Huckleberries on line. Meanwhile, it continues to come down, even a little heavier than when I started this. Perhaps I've offended the weather gods.

***Weather Bulletin: The weather guessers are now predicting 5 to 8 additional inches of snow for this afternoon and evening along with gale force winds which is of course, a blizzard. Lakeland School District is still playing their cards close to the vest and will not make a decision on tommorow's schedule until the wee hours of the am. You can check at: lakeland272.org for the latest.

Big Brother-Illlegal Search Seizure

If you are accosted by a police officer, a sheriff deputy, an FBI agent, you have certain constitutional rights. The right to silence, the right to not be required to give evidence against yourself, the right to not be subjected to unreasonable or unlawful search & seizure.

The one exception to that rule of law, is the U.S. Transportation Security Agency. TSA can xray you, force you to strip without probable cause to suspect any damn thing, and now in addition to auditioning for a job as a stripper, they can fondle your genitals. There are several problems with all of these topics but let us dwell upon the genitals for a moment.

Unless I'm on a hot date, I really don't want anyone fondling me anywhere. I do suppose though that there are weirdos out there that will go through the line numerous times for that forgettable pleasure. This has gone way past reasonable. Unfortunately, our government doesn't seem to care about strict enforcement of our constitutional rights. Like all big governments they will do what we let them get away with to protect us from Granny's, red headed, light complected, Arab terrorists, etc. Common sense needs to take hold here or the courts will.

The other down side is that where a traveller has choices, many are starting to drive or take a train, rather than suffer the long delays in line and ending with indignities. It is time for all citizens to rise up and let the TSA and their bosses that no solution is 100% safe, so stop taking our liberties from us to try. The politically correct notion that we cannot profile is ludicrous on it's surface. I'm not even sure there is a law against profiling, but just something the MSM has invented, then foisted upon the public. Profiling is the best tool law enforcement has. Taken away, we have to screen thousands of obviously innocents to attempt to catch one or two real threats. If any movement is a threat to the airline industry it is these jokers and their unconstitutional regulations.

Online Fraud

Today I had over 25 messages, all from my AOL address and were addressed apparently to everyone in my contact list. When you open the message, it is an advertisement from a Canadian pharmacy, advertising erectile dysfunction medications.

First, I doubt seriously that the firm is Canadian, or even a legitimate source for these drugs, since it is doubtful they would stoop to hacking people's e-mail. For the record, I did not send any of the messages. I have also received the same from others that are similarly affected. Since our Federal Bureau of Investigation doesn't seem to be interested in pursuing off shore law breakers, I don't know what to do about this scam.

If any of you have the expertese to stop this, or to punish them back, please do so. Here is the address on line:

> http://www.allprimed.com/useful_shop.html

Idaho-Boise State

Well it was, after all a foregone conclusion that one of the best teams in the nation would beat Idaho. That the score was 52-14 was actually a false indicator, as in the second half the Boise State coach had his 2nd and 3rd string players in the game. What wasn't a foregone conclusion, was how the Idaho defense and sometimes offense refused to quit.

I had mixed feelings about the game. I am not a native of Idaho, but a life long fan of the University of Washington.I have kind of degeneratively become a regional fan. When I was younger, USC and occasionally UCLA dominated the league. UI has not competed in any demonstrative way for a very long time. Historical notes reveal that the original league was disbanded, forming the pac-ten was for the most part to dump Idaho which had never been competitive.

What this boils down to is that I am a regional fan. The day that the SoCal teams dominated the league is over. For years, USC would sign over 150 players. Not to play them, but to keep them from other teams. The NCAA rulebook forcing teams to limit rosters cost the rich colleges big time.

Now I root for first, Washington,then the other NW teams. That brings me to the present situation. While I wanted on the one hand for Idaho to do well, I also wanted Boise State to stay in the race for national champs. Mixed emotions indeed. Well, the game came out about where I was predicted to be, with Boise State pulling their first string after the first half. That was classy.

The Mouth Riseth

Some weeks, especially after some real good hard news, not to mention the antics of our elected Buffoons, things just don't happen. This is one of them.I've run out of energy trying to convince people that honesty and integrity, while rare, is still a feature that voters should strive for. Bottom line as they say, is,"You deserve what you ask for."

As a result, I'm going to ramble a bit. OK so I do that a lot anyway, right? The weather has turned colder. Not blistering, frost bite cold, but after what seems to be just last week's summer, a change has occured, as it does every year. I'm too broke to follow the Arizona bound lemmings as they desert our mecca of delightful summer activities, and I'm too old/tired/lazy to shovel snow.

The weather guessers have forecast gloom and doom for this year, explaining as they do every year, the difference between El Nino and La Nina. Does anyone but me remember when the forecasters would just tell it like they thought it would happen, without studying their computer models to replace what used to be called fortune telling globes. How many times have you looked out the window and observed weather that is totally different than those weather gods are predicting from their windowless enclaves.

Alas, you may have already figured out that I have absolutely nothing worthwhile to say this time around. Hey, even the Bayview Chamber of Commerce (chuckle) held their monthly meeting without bloodshed.You need to go do something useful, not sit there reading my meaningless stuff.

A howdy to John Land and beautiful bride, Jan in merry old England. I wish you a very merry Christmas. ( I can hardly ask you to celebrate Thanksgiving, as it was in celebration of our original religious fanatics set forth upon out continent, escaping from the dastardly clutches of the Church of England.)

And to all of you snow birds that will not have to dig their cars out this winter, I would spit in your direction except it would freeze in mid-air.

New Neighbor Moves In

I just got a heads up from Chuck Murray about a rare find in his back yard. A Western Scrub Jay showed up October 24 and appears to be settling in for a long sty. Non-migratory, their habitat stretches from Southern Washington State to Texas, preferring the dry areas south of us. The last sighting of this specie in North Idaho was in 1977 around the Priest Lake area.

When Chuck notified the Audubon Society of this bird, requesting information on it, the society lit up like a Christmas tree with excitement over the find. Large numbers of bird watchers have descended on the Murray homestead, hoping for a peek at this rare bird. While they normally travel and feed in pairs, Chuck has only observed the one.

When the bird first arrived, Chuck didn't know what it was, so he took a picture of it and sent it to the Audubon people. About a week later, there were more bird watchers in his yard than birds.

Murray has been feeding birds at his home on Cape Horn Road for 20 years and has befriended a covey of California Quail that have lived in the area for a long time. Gradually they stopped spooking when the Murrays were around, until finally in the present time, they wait under a bush in his yard for the afternoon feeding around 3:30 pm. As far as the Jay is concerned, he hit pay dirt, since a hungry bird will find a smorgasbord at this location.

The Last Dance

The last surviving original Pacific coast League team is moving. The Portland Beavers was purchased by a group headed by Jeff Moorad of the San Diego Padres. According to a blurb in the spokesman-Review, the team will play in Tucson, Arizona next year.

The team has played continuously in Portland since 1902. The original teams prior to major league teams either moving to the coast, such as the former Brooklyn dodgers and the San Francisco Giants, from New York, and Oakland or expansion teams, i.e. San Diego,Anaheim and Seattle.

Original teams that existed until major league expansion or moves, were the Seattle Rainiers, Portland Beavers, Oakland Acorns, San Francisco Seals, Sacremento Solons, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels and the Hollywood Stars.

(From Portland's website)

"Beavers History
When Henry Harris, president of the San Francisco club of the outlaw California League, visited Portland in December 1902, it was the beginning of a chain of events that continue to this day. Harris convinced the Portland club to quit the Pacific Northwest League and jump to his fledgling Pacific Coast League. The two leagues went head-to-head in five West Coast cities, but the PCL won out and became a recognized league in 1904."

For us old farts, (we prefer traditionalists) it would appear that nothing in history is sacred. There is still a PCL, but none of the teams are from the coast. They range all over the west and southwest, even including Round Rock, Texas.

Thank God It's Over

It's all over except in some states such as Washington, where mail in ballot counting will go on for days. One wonders though that if Rossi overcomes the deficit now present, whether King county will mysteriously find additional ballots heretofore not counted.

Some folks are ecstatic over results while others walk away saddened with the realization that it wasn't their turn.Those who voted and are upset can at least hold their collective heads up high with the knowledge that they participated in democracy.For those that are disappointed and didn't vote, shut yur pie hole. You didn't participate and have absolutely no standing in this exercise. The Republic and it's subdivisions have spoken and as the saying goes, "It is what it is."

It is now time to put away the wrathful angry representations and misrepresentations and calm down. For the winners, the earth is not standing still and the challenges still exist. Challenges that in some cases, such as free international trade have not been adequately addressed, what with our balance of payments and industries owned by the Orient. Perhaps the conservative "free trade" mantra isn't the panacea that those disciples of that philosophy thought it was.

We will live with our choices and in many cases, perhaps most cases, good choices were made, directions were reversed and progress takes on many guises. As far as the Timberlake Fire Protection District goes, I don't think those issues are going to disappear any time soon. Long term solutions that the electorate can agree with are needed to keep the district from spinning off into oblivion. The key here is voter involvement without the appearance of dictatorial direction from the commissioners.

In any case, we have identified problems that will carry over to the next election cycle in some races that unfortunately were uncontested. Hart will probably find that this is the last election he will win by default. People are starting to become aware that honesty and integrity are more important than philosophical purity. That, hopefully will become a major issue next time around in many races.

Issues That Are Clearly Unclear

I've been watching election returns all afternoon and on through the evening. Before I reach overload, I thought it would be useful to express my thoughts. First, this election cycle reflects a massive NO to CHANGE! Now that alone isn't necessarily fatal to the democrats. It's just a massive rejection to an empty vessel. While an election might be won by slogans like, "CHANGE," and accusing the republicans as the party of,"NO, it is important to understand what this all means. Slogans are just that. Buzz words.

Essentially, it means nothing. The same demagogues from both parties will still spread crap and either distortions or outright lies to us. This is nothing new. The liberal revolution was a temporary victory as will the conservative be. ... Unless real change occurs. Nowhere in the last half century, perhaps with the exception of the Reagan years, has either party managed to govern with any degree of expertise. This isn't necessarily the fault of the candidates, since they rely on test marketing, polls and such. What is broken is the lack of intelligent participation from the voters, most of which are either rabid fanatics of one side or the other, or dropouts. Of course, being a dropout doesn't disqualify you from bitching, even though you didn't take a position, didn't vote, and didn't think your thoughts mattered. They do.

Just in the Lakeland School District election for a bond issue to establish a cooperative voc-ed campus for training for the trades and other skills requiring certification, such as health care, only won by 5 votes. Do not ever think your vote doesn't matter. It does, even if it's only a warning to the other candidate that they don't have an absolute mandate.

Until the moderate middle steps up to take charge of their various political parties, The extremes will rule. This occurs primarily through apathy. The extremists and fringe dropouts will always fight harder that the families that are comfortable in their existence. These, for the most part, are not reincarnations of Jefferson, but manifestations of their own failed, wasted lives, where they seek to justify their existence.

Anticipation

I don't know about you folks, but I'll be glued to my TV from about 6:00 pm to watch what is billed as a voter riot. It sure will be interesting, regardless of the outcome. Thankfully, people can return to as close to normal as they ever get. Meanwhile, I have to finish a column for the S/R, so later.

For election results in Kootenai county, go to:

http://www.kcgov.us/elections/results/