We're #1

We are number 1. In both polls.Yes, I know. Not many of us attended Gonzaga or are even Catholic, but that doesn't matter. They are family to most sports fans in the Inland Northwest. Never, in the history of Gonzaga basketball have they been ranked this high. I'm not sure any mid-major school has.

The problem now though is the target on their backs. Every team the Zags play from here on out will be trying just a little harder to unseat the kings of the hill.We might as well celebrate now, because next year could be a disaster. The Zags with Olynyk having graduated already and even with another year of eligibility, could go pro. That along with Hart and Harris graduating could wipe out the entire front line leaving the outstanding back line to carry the freight.

Only Illinois was a legitimate loss, what with the freak ending at Butler. Some of the teams Gonzaga beat along the way, were West Virginia, Clemson, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, and Baylor, all basketball powers. Of course, in addition to that non-conference schedule, they went through the WCC like it wasn't even a challenge. Only Saint Marys was a close call.

The Dog Pound is empty now and quiet reigns, but for most of the year the gym was bulging with racous fans urging the team on. The next challenge is the league playoffs then the NCAA. It ain't over yet and the fat lady hasn't sung, but we will be there, rooting on our team.

School Board Election

I don't normally stick my nose into other venues, but this is a prime time to support an outstanding candidate for Coeur d'Alene School board, Christa Hazel. She is intelligent and not an idealoge. While I am an unabashed Republican, I do not favor partisanship in non-partisan elections.

Her opponent was recently severely criticized for an "Insensitive" joke which I felt was undeserved, but that isn't why I support Christa. She is simply the best person for the job. You go, Girl.

Last Chance Revisted

Well, for those of you folks that listened in to Sunday's broadcast of the Last Chance Band, you heard it first. Unfortunately the station didn't post the session on line until Tuesday am. So for those of you that missed it, here is the link:

http://www.1280kptq.com/player/?mid=22919077#.USyq4j1cT14.facebook

Last Chance is booked into the old Torch for the grand opening so stay tuned to Bayviews for the latest news.

For those that like to mix politics with country music, here's a fun link:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNj0T4uK3lE

On another note, the Captain's Wheel presents in honor of Sequestration, the band, Usual suspects, Saturday night, March 2. Following in St. Patrick's day weekend with the emerging phenom, Last Chance.

LAST CHANCE BAND

 

LAST CHANCE BAND, rockin'country.live has exploded upon the North Idaho and Spokane live music scene, capturing the attention of country music fans throughout the Inland NW. Band leader, Chance Long started his musical career playing solo shows until recently coming together with bandmates while playing at local music jams, the chemistry was apparent from the start.

In a season that doesn't normally sell well, the band has been playing to full venues and party crowds. Starting with the Captain's Wheel Resort in Bayview, they expanded to become the house band at the Moose Lounge in Coeur D' Alene, playing their Country Music Night every Monday.
 

The band features Chance Long and Clint Darnell as singer- song writers, along with Cody Reisenauer and Nick Halpin rounding out the group. Some of the Bands recent shows include The Slab Inn, Post Falls, Pastime Club in Athol, Silver Fox, Coeur d'Alene, as well as the Roadhouse in Spokane where over 500 revelers crowded into the house with many waiting outside to get in, both Friday and Saturday nights.
 

All of the above venues have rebooked them throughout the summer months. Some of the new future bookings include : Curley's, Hauser Lake, Club Rio, Newport, Big Al's in Stateline and the Iron Horse in Coeur d'Alene. Upcoming performances can be seen by checking the bands FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Last-Chance-Band/148872091932549?ref=hl
 

While playing crowd favorites, the group also specializes in fresh country music written by Chance and Clint. AM radio station KPTQ 1280, Classic Country will feature the band Sunday, February 24 at 12:00 noon during their weekly show, "Spokane Saloon" at http://www.1280kptq.com/pages/TheSpokaneSaloon.html for a live stream.

 

Free Trade Free?

According to Wall Street our recession ended in 2009. What they are really saying is that the stock market improved to an acceptable level in that year. Unfortunately, the recession for Main Street hasn't ended yet. What hasn't either occured to the market, or they don't care, is that the tax breaks plus lower production costs in the Orient produce better profits for corporations that manufacture overseas.

With inflation lurking just around the corner after the huge federal spending spree and unemployed still high our economy in general sucks. What is good for investors is not necessarily good for the nation. Profitable corporations do not feed families, at least the vast majority of them. Those jobs that are now off shore will not come back unless we demand products that are domestically produced.

Walmart, surprising everyone, diverted from a long time position of finding the cheapest product, has turned 180 degrees to now buying as much as possible in our country. Buy America isn't just being patriotic, it is basic survival. If our government were to re-examine our teriff rules to make it profitable to manufacture here, it would help. At the same time tariffs that just protect farmers from Brazilian methanol is flat stupid. the comnpitition for corn has doubled our meat prices in just three or four years.

The law of unintended consequences is raging out there and someone, somehow is going to have to use principle instead of selfish interest or regional votes. We have the congress we deserve. After all, we sent them there. Perhaps a reexamination of what we want our elected officials to accomplish would be in order. Please take an active part in governing ourselves by letting your senators and congressman know what you want from them.

HBO Blogfest #9

Mwa with Dan English

A large group of revelers attended the anniversary of Huckleberries on line, with Bent's Barbecue bringing the pulled pork and Steve Widmeyer furnishing the rest, all paid for by the Spokesman-Review.

Managing Editor, Gary Graham was there to write the check for what has turned out to be one of the more successful ventures the S/R has promoted in this age of the Internet.

Some of us were urged to start blogs for our selves which I participated in with mixed results.  My page views, starting in 2005 are at 223,000 as of this date. I have sometimes wrote news, sometimes humor and sometimes rants.

I turn 75 month and with that age comes curmugeonhood. This gives us oldsters the license to yield unsolicited opinions about pretty much everything. Of course that includes the horrendous social changes brought about by our young people, tossing out those principles we hold dear, but then it is their world now and they will have to learn about cause and effects.

Stickman, who has carved and gave away walking sticks to hundreds if not thousands of people, caught up to me during the week and showed up at blogfest with my very first walking stick. It is maple and hand sanded down to a glass like finish. Thanks, big guy.

Many old friends showed up along with some new ones, but we missed many that usually attend. Our master of cerimony, Dave Oliveria made a short speech thanking both the paper and us for making Huckleberries so successful.

  R-Duane Rassmussen aka Mr Republican, seated with his body guard, L-Sgt Christie Wood, CDAPD

photos by Don Sausseur

Still Eligible

I have decided to throw my hat into the football recruiting process. actually, I am not a four star football. player, but I came in first in several chug-a-lug contests which should make me eligible for fraternity membership.

Back in the day, I used to be a fantastic sand lot player. My favorite position is tackling dummy, for which I excel..Hopefully, attending classes will not be an issue, since being beat up for two hours of practice every day would preclude my having any energy left for class room antics.

I have struggled with the choice of busing tables at KFC or playing football for a major university. I've heard that college football pays better, so here I go. My requirements include a signing bonus as I don't have enough money to visit your campus, even ... shudder, the University of  Idaho in Moscow.

I hope my age won't be a factor since I turn 75 next month. But look at the bright side. I have all four years of eligibility left. I would however, suggest you don't red shirt me as I may not live out my commitment. I also have an encyclopedic knowledge of the game, having spent years cussing referees and idiot coaches. Come to think about it, perhaps it would be better if we skippped my playing career and just took over coaching your program.

I look forward to your positive response and our future years ... well, perhaps months together as a major power.

Seahawks Wuz Robbed

Looking back on the Washington Redskin game, it was apparent that the field conditions were atrocious. There were three injuries attributed to the clumps of dead grass and dirt the teams faced. One was Washington Quarterback RG111. The Seahawks lost Clemons their number one sack man and the place kicker.

The last one cost the Seahawks the NFC championship and possibly the Super Bowl. A retired kicker was brought in, one that han't kicked in a year and was out of shape. The last play that the Seahawks had possession was a kickoff. The ball didn't go through the end zone and as a result Washington had a good runback followed by a couple of pass plays and they kicked a winning field goal.

I don't believe any stadium in football has the awful playing surface the Redskins have. I'm surprised that none of the talking heads mentioned this. They all stressed whether the coaches should have let RG111 play hurt. I am also surprised that the players association hasn't demanded the playing surface be replaced. Field condition should never decide the outcome of a game. This one did.

More Insenitivity

The post that I published was picked up by Huckleberries on line Friday. The first 30 or so comments were negative, most from established left wing sources, but some not. Later, when those that are not used to checking Huckleberries out due to the incessant monopoly from the left, chimed in. Many  agreed with me that while the Task Force on Human Relations has been of great value to the area it overstepped itself this time, watering down their image by holding a press conference over a dumb joke that the liberal chorus cried, "Racist."

Well the task force went ahead with their press conference which I considered ill advised. Finally they admitted that the remarks by a Mr. Regan of the School Board wasn't racist after all. It was perhaps "insensitive." The more than forty comments on the item in Huckleberries had some interesting results. If they hadn't been eager for the spotlight, they could have just said, this doesn't rise to the level that we wish to pursue.

One comment named me as a Crank. Now that, considering that I am probably twice his age in years and perhaps much more in maturity, consisted as an insensitive remark.

Another, Was patronizing, suggesting that we should feel sorry for Herb for his misguided views. "Insensitive and judgmental."

Another hinted that in my advanced age, my opinions gather no weight, as everyone knows that people over fifty are ignorant and those of us with 70 or more years of life experience and gained knowledge are even more out of it.

I suggest first for those of you that are young and ignorant, you should listen to your betters, as we have spent many more years learning about life than you. How dare you defame me for my years of age, especially since you haven't a clue as to anything happening before you were at least a teen.. I rest my case.

Oh and for those of you that understood my position as not a philosophical one but one of principle, such as Brent, hmoffsuite and others, thank you for swimming against the screamers and surfacing with common sense. Something that is sorely lacking in these days of liberal uprisings. For you that want to continue with your rant, I suggest you find something other than political intolerance as a weapon.

"Insensitivity"

We have come a long way in the last 20 years fighting intolerance. Unfortunately, we may like most social issues, have let the pendulum sway to far.Recently, a Coeur d'Alene School Board member made a remark to his wife which he repeated in public as a joke. Regan is a Republican.

The joke was, as I understand it, is he was explaining to his wife the trouble with defining what was an assault weapon, as legally defined. He looked at the rifle He was holding and allegedly said, "well, it is black and dangerous." To which his wife allegedly said, "so is Obama."

Well, calling a person black is not racist. The news media constantly reminds us that our president is black. As to dangerous, many. almost 50% of the country feel that he is harming our country with his policies. Ergo, dangerous.

Another issue here is that there are different standards for people in politics or other public figures than you and I. It has never been inappropriate to brand these people with insults and/or insensitive remarks. This is the bedrock of our democracy. The first amendment is paramount here.

The local Task Force on Human Relations decided, probably due to not having any publicity lately, to chime in. They called a press conference. Somehow, common sense overruled their witch hunt tendencies.Rather than a charge of racism, they labelled the remarks as,"Insensitive."  I am going to assume at this point that every time a leftist says something publicly about Republicans, that the task force will call yet another press conference to label the "insensitive" remarks. Don't hold your breath.

I am almost 75 years old and have lived through the second world war, the real war on racism, the birth of jet aircraft, (imagine an air machine without a propeller.) The decline of the dollar, which is probably the worst thing that has happened in this country. When I was a teen driver, gas was 30 cents a gallon. Gas prices have not gone up appreciatively, but the dollar has declined. Same with gold, valued at above $1500 per ounce, a silver dollar now worth $40.00 Inflation, which starts with government spending sprees is the root cause. President Obama and his cohorts in the Senate have in just four short years, doubled our national debt.

To chastise anyone for being pissed off at the president, is not racism, as the left howls, any more than insulting remarks about George Bush is. The Difference is which political party each belongs to. This is the ultimate in double standards.We need objectivity, not witch hunts. So then, I have decided to say something insensitive. Our president is a spendthrift clown with no ability to govern other than to promote socialist agendas.   Call out the task force. I have been insensitive, as has our president been in mortgaging our country.

 At some point after the federal reserve can no longer hide the penalties which are rampant inflation,  interest rates will climb to historic highs. In the mean time, senior citizens that have scrimped and saved for their retirements, have seen their interest income plunge to near zero. That is the tragedy that has become endemic.Does anyone here remember stagflation of the early 1980's? Probably not. Most of you are too young and too full of what has happened in your lifetimes to care about what went on before.

So then I urge the task force along with their fellow travelers to stick there sensitivity where the sun doesn't shine I own my opinions.

Customer Appreciation Night

The Captain's Wheel Resort announced last week that Saturday, February 2 starting at 8:00 pm will be customer appreciation night. Fifty cent beer,drink specials and live music as well. Entertainment is by Steel Billy Cadillac.

Bring very little money and a designated driver. We'll all have a ball. I may be hobbling around since I had toe surgery the 30th, but I'll be there.

I'm Spoiled

Back when I was a teen, in the 1950's television news casters were trained in radio before they became anchors on TV. What that meant was they were selected for diction, voice, usually a baritone, and slow delivery. All of these traits were to facilitate the audience's ability to understand and to follow the conversation.

Baritones were mostly featured because hearing loss tends to be in the higher frequencies, such as with male tenors and women. Slow speech is necessary as well. Guys like Eric Sevaride, John Cameron Swazee and Walter Cronkite were stars in their time, not only for understandability but for objectivity.

All of that is gone. News anchors rattle on at warp speed, (Anderson Cooper) or talk strangely, (Greta Van Susteren) and others never bothered to learn broadcast quality speech. The were chosen for notoriety, (O.J. Simpson trial) and other social engineering purposes.

All you have to do is compare the rigid objectivity of the old school to the lack of trust in the above examples and many more.News and editorializing used to be clearly separated. Now they blend as the policies of the network slant the news which ever way they bend. Fox News and MSNBC are great examples of that, but even the conservative FOX features guests of opposing viewpoints. O'Reilly especially does this every show. MSNBC doesn't bother to even cover up their disdain for objectivity nor do they feature conservative foils to balance their shows.

Now days, liberals watch MSNBC applauding their intelligent insights and over at Fox, Conservatives lean forward in their seats smacking their lips with glee as the "Progressives" are shown to not be.

The news industry as a whole tends to be liberal almost to extreme.Newspapers are not immune. Here in our area we have the Spokesman-Review which features at least 95% left wing reporters and editors. Whether that is because of the professors in their educational progress or not, it is a large cause for business failure. When a news paper with left wing leanings spews out snarky ultra liberal positions to a moderate/conservative audience, well ... it doesn't take a magician to figure out why circulation is down. \\Advertising followers circulation which produces a large group of people who then are exposed to the advertisers products.

Unfortunately we have the cart pulling the horse. Business decisions are based on the supposition that more space is needed for ads leaving the reader with less content, which then loses readers which then loses advertisers. Why they don't learn? Because the bean counters rule instead of the news room. That applies also to television. Perhaps if there were any question as to why news in the paper or on nightly televison is failing and young people are going to their computers, maybe I have answered some of them.

For Music Lovers

http://www.youtube.com/embed/XlyCLbt3Thk?rel=0>

Party Time

The Captain's Wheel in Bayview is announcing a customer appreciation day, February 2. The festivities will begin about 8:00 pm with a draft beer special (selected brand) of fifty Cents. Hourly drink specials as well. Music will be provided by   Steel Billy Cadallac.
Come on down for a great party. Bringing a designated driver would be a good idea as well.

New Sheriff is Sworn In

 photo by Duane Rassmusson                                                                       

There's a new Sheriff in town. Ben Wolfinger, 30 year veteran of the Kootenai County Sheriff Department in an unusual gesture by the electorate, was voted in last November and sworn in yesterday. One of the lesser know effects of a new sheriff is that a new swearing in of deputies took place shortly thereafter. It turns out that if not re-sworn within three days, they all lose their authority.

This was followed this morning by rehiring the under sheriff as well as staff that was busy pulling cars our of ditches the snowy morning of the Swearing in ceremony.

One local citizen was heard to ask about the issue of Nepotism regarding the sheriff's son, Depjuty Brad Wolfinger. Sherriff Ben explained. There is a firewall between him and son, Brad. No activity involving his son whether positve or negative will ever cross his desk. Personnel items, promotions would come from way down the ladder in the patrol hierarchy. That and the desire of deputy Brad not to embarrass his father would see to an exemplary career.

No major changes are anticipated as of new. Since Major Wolfinger had his um ... finger on these issues in cooperation with Rocky Watson, it is probable that there are no frictions in the department.

A rumor developed last week of some interagency hijinks.Someone apparently fillied Rocky Watson's office from floor to ceiling with enpty boxes. Suspecting his soon to be successor, as the culprit he came in over the week-end and painted his office walls pink. Paybacks are indeed a ...expected.

Many did not know that Judge Marano is Ben's father-in-law. For that reason, he cannot preside over any trial involving either Sheriff Ben or son Brad as arresting officers. Since he is a judge emeritus, he probably wouldn't anyway.

Winter Has Arrived

Well, four inches of powder snow this morning in Bayview. Looks like winter is here and snowing at 19 degrees as well. Fortunately the storm went south before it changed to freezing rain in the Coeur d'Alene-Spokane corridor.

Currently it is 23 degrees with a promise of the cold hanging around for a while. Still it is nice to see it white out without the excesses of deep snow. To those of you that are wintering in Arizona, while you are gazing over sand brown rock and dirt we are looking across the bay at snow laden trees framing the beauty of Farragut State Park and the Blackwell peninsula.

Things are a little slow this time of year. (read quiet) Two cars went by this morning. One more than yesterday. Restaurants are open and humming along with Ralph's, Bay Cafe and the Wheel open this winter. Lately a small bird has been visiting mhy deck. It is either fat or has it's feathers fluffed out. I think the later. It doesn't seem to care about the snow, or maybe it just can't do anything about it. After all it is a winter bird, still the first what I would call song birds to appear. Prioor to that it was just ea Gulls and Ravens.

I may wander down to the Wheel later, or I might just crank the heat up a degree or two, pour a glass of wine and veg. Hang in there snowbirds. It will get better.

On the other hand, if you lived in Coeur d'Alene or Post Falls, you skated to work today.

Have Dish? See Seahawks

Do not despair. You can see the Seahawk game Sunday morning at the Captain's Wheel Resort in Bayview, Idaho starting at 10:00 am.  The restaurant/bar is opening two hours early to support football fans. Come on down, have brunch or lunch. Enjoy a huge Seahawk win as they bludgeon their way to the Superbowl.

Terminology Without Meaning

Below, I have listed weather terminology that to say the least is somewhat generalized.If anyone can match these with actual meaningful, usable information I would be greatful. I am sending a link to Mike Prager, Spokesman-Review weather guesser in hopes that he can cast some light on this matter.

Snow Showers

A bit of snow

Stray flurry

Snow much of the time

Snow

Occasional snow

Periods of Snow

Now these generalizations must mean something to the weather people, if they would just share it with us. Perhaps it is their way of never being quite wrong even if the can't be quite right either. In any event, Mike, Please respond.

The Old Barn

Right around 1925 or so, a new barn was erected on a hill next to a large hay meadow. It was built in the Finnish tradition with three floors. One on the bottom was for equipment or livestock. Above that was an apartment.The loft above for hay, put up loose as it was in those days.  For twenty years that barn sat serving the farmer well.

While not attending to his farm duties the owner poked around the surrounding hill side prospecting for Lead/Zinc which was the mineral most prevalent in that area, Northern Stevens County, Washington. Lacking an education past the eight grade, as was customary in farm country those days, the farmer read various magazines to further his knowledge. You see he was extraordinarily curious about many things, including the prospecting for minerals. One of those publications was Popular Science.

Reading in one issue he discovered the plans and specs for building a spectroscope. This along with a color chart was the poor man's way of assessing mineral content and type. By burning a substance between two carbon pencil like sticks which created an arc he was able to match the color of the arc to the large wall chart.

One afternoon he had an idea for using his new equipment. Hiking up the hill next to the barn he gridded off sections of the surface using string. After numbering the various sections the man picked up pine needles that had fallen to the ground. He then burned the pine needles in his spectroscope looking for color like a gold panner might look for  gold dust.

He noticed large concentrations of lead showing under the ground. You see, the roots of the pine trees had taken up lead just as they would any other element. He and his nephew, Lewis Love, staked a claim along with others in the surrounding area and proceeded to tunnel back into the hill. He learned blasting with dynamite by doing and pick and shovel which he already knew how to use.

After reaching the ore body it became obvious he had a marketable find. The farmer, turned miner leased out his farm on Deep Creek, the old Pat Grace homestead. Pat was the farmer/miner's step father. His new wife was an elementary teacher who first started at the one room school house in Lead Point. (Still standing) followed by stints at Aladdin, Onion Creek and Spirit School, all grades 1-8 one room schools. Between  1930 and 1937 her meager salary was the only cash they earned. Working farms in those days were self-sufficient in that gardens and livestock provided sustenance.

The farmer's wife had a brother who was a foreman at a foundry in Seattle who offered the man a job. Shortly after reaching Seattle,a  mining company, gearing up for war production bought the mine property and the meadow next to the old barn, which the farmer had purchased at tax sales.

The old barn was converted into offices and an apartment in the old loft. Around 1957 the ore began petering out plus some subsequent lessees  engaged in questionable business practices, skipped out on payroll and beat feet back to Seattle from whence they crawled out from beneath a rock somewhere.

The barn stood in solitary grandeur for many years overlooking a half mile or so of white tailings which still hold zinc, as most of the value was in the lead which was used during world war two for batteries. At the end of the line, the last superintendent who was Ron Nixon a mining engineer stayed on as guardian of the tunnel.

As the years rolled by windstorms would blow the hand cut shingles lovingly formed by the farmer/miner who had left for the coast so that he could feed his family. I was born in Seattle in the year 1938. Shortly thereafter, Dad who was that farmer, Amos E. Huseland, received the check for the mine.  He bought a brick house and five acres in what was then Kennydale, a suburb of Renton and is now part of that city.

Meanwhile, Ron Nixon, a noted Scupturer and Craftsman, started building things out of Dad's shingles. Outhouses, frontier town  models, etc. The barn fell down last year from snow load after ninety years of service as a barn an office and a home, and now just a source for Ron Nixon's models

Patience Abilgail Huseland

Yesterday, day four in Patience's life, I trekked over to Spokane to visit grandchild number 17. It occurred to me as I travelled toward my newest that of all my grandchildren this was the first born within commuting distance. I am new a proud Grandpa again, not that I was dissatisfied with the existing ones, but this was new.

The last time I held a new baby was Brian, the father of this one. Judging from the beauty and grace of Patience, the wait was worth it. As far as the possibility of this one, it beats cats by a long shot.
Human sacrifices will not be necessary but bowing toward North Spokane would be in order.

First my new Grand Baby now the Seahawks win as well. I'm definitely on a roll. Did I mention that Patience was born on January 1st? I have more family stuff but unrelated to this event so I'll do another post Monday or Tuesday.

Jim MacDnald, R.I.P

A Bayview Icon, Jim MacDonald passed away early this morning. Long time marina owner, he was once the mail boat postman, state legislator and community leader, and for many years owned and managed MacDonald's Resort now managed by his son, Gary.

During the 1950's and part of the 60's Jim ran the mail boat for 13 years, until the press of running the marina caused him to give up the job he loved.

Jim was opinionated and not everyone agreed with him all of the time, but everyone respected this gentleman of the old school. In recent years he was active to the extent that as of tomorrow, January as president of the Bayview Chamber, but he was perhaps most noted for lobbying the state to discontinue commercial harvests of Kokanee. He was one of the first to recognize that this landlocked salmon was being over fished and insisted the state do a study which resulted in the scaling down of the fishing. Unfortunately, too little, too late. Those of us that occasionally crossed swords with Jim did so with respect.

He did however, live to see the recovery of this valued specie to the extent that tomorrow, January first marks the reinstating of a limited fishery in Lake Pend Oreille after a closure of many years. After World War Two he served as the mailman for lake residents, greeting folks up the lake with his infectious grin.

During the last few years Jim was slowed way down but managed to put around in his golf cart when walking became too strenuous and kept up with the community up until the last. His retirement hobby was building bird houses in his wood working shop above the boat shop. There must be hundreds of these homes for wayward birds in the community as he never tired of producing them.

Regardless if you were a friend or not, Jim MacDonald was a giant in the community, fighting hard at times for the preservation of Scenic Bay and Lake Pend Oreille. He will be missed.

Spoiled No More

For the last seventeen years I have lived in Bayview, there have been two postmasters. Sue for most of those years retired last year. Eric who was her temporary during that period took over. Apparently he was not on the career track as a permanent postal employee and he was eliminated just prior to the Christmas rush. These two were not just postal employees. The were also friends and neighbors who knew everyone and cared about the community and those in it.

I will not mention names here, but I came down to earth with a thud when the new guy showed up. I had a malfunctioning lock on my regular mail box, so another adjacent one was assigned to me. The old box had a block on it which read deposit mail in XXX box. For months that worked quite well. ...Until the new guy arrived.

I get my medications from the Veterans Administration in Spokane, of which some are controlled substances requiring a signature. Such was the case when the VA sent a sorely needed medication December 19 which arrived at 07:28 am December 22. I had checked daily, including Christmas Eve for what should have arrived and didn't.

Finally, I called the pharmacy at the VA which had tracking numbers. They indicated that the post office received it at 07:58 am the 22nd and forwarded it later that morning. When I asked at the post office where they forwarded it they couldn't tell me. It was just out there in the ether somewhere in the system. The new guy failed to read the instructions that everyone else followed correctly. since there was mail in my box every day, one had to assume someone there knew how to do their job.

I got a call telling me that it would show up eventually. No apology, no, I'm sorry a mistake was made, just a mumbled, "I just followed policy." I had been spoiled for so long it took me a while to realize that a true bureaucrat is never wrong, and always has policy or regulations to blame for their own ineptitude. If he had owned the mistake that would have been the end of it. Some people just aren't able to man up and take responsibility for their actions. Nobody is perfect, but you are expected to express regret when you screw up.That he didn't indicates he probably doesn't belong in a small town post office.  

School Security Issue

I support the idea of having an armed, qualified person in every school. Having said that, arming teachers in the classroom is idiotic. Having a shootout inside the classroom would cause more injuries and fatalities having the kids in a crossfire. Perhaps the principal, if as a voluntary act and after training in weapons safety could be included.

The are two major issues regarding school safety. One is after an intruder attempts to enter, and the other preventative measures. Based on the entry used in Connecticut, windows next to locked entryways are alternative entries. Access through doors during school hours should be locked at all times with office control through televised entry ways. Any window accessible from ground level should be barred. Any classroom windows should, at the bottom be at least seven feet off the surface outside. If a terrorist want to shoot kids they can do so from outside shooting through windows.

As far as armed personnel, why not use reserve officers who have passed through the same training academies as serving officers. They could be hired by the respective school districts as school employees, but qualified and supervised jointly by the Sheriff Department and the schools, jointly.

These should be in civilian clothes so that they wouldn't be first targets as they would be in uniform. I am sure the schools could use these guards in other capacities than sitting by a door all day long waiting for something that may never happen.

From a law enforcement standpoint, sending patrol cars from school to school is not an efficient way to utilize manpower. Perhaps at the high school level and depending on local circumstances, school resource officers could  be assigned but probably not at the elementary level. 

That we must protect our kids is a given. Overreacting isn't. Budget be damned, this must happen even at the expense of cutting other programs. I urge our Sheriff-elect, Ben Wolfinger to enter into dialog with the various school superintendents within Kootenai County with other venues doing the same.

Athletic events, musical events and other gatherings are required to hire armed security guards. Aren't our schools, the teachers and students just as important as an athletic events?

Bayviews wishes everyone out there a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Tomorrow Is The Big Day

Do I expect the world to end tomorrow? Heck no. But at this time of year any excuse for getting out of the house is a good one.

We here in Bayview take a rather casual attitude about this and other so called earth changing or destroying episodes. It's an excuse for a party. Friday pm will will party indeed. The Captain's wheel is having an end of the earth party the evening of Friday the 21st. Featured will be DJ, Paul Celeri and end of the world draft beer. We don't know who brews it, but by the time we find out it will be over.

Obviously drinks will be priced as if it were the end of the world, as indeed it might be. For those staggering home after several hours of course, if a cop stops you, it may indeed be the end of your world. Find a designated driver, then party down. If you wake up the next morning, we'll have to think up other means of celebrating. Perhaps the beginning of the rest of your life.

We expect a good crowd. After all, if your significant other thinks this is her last chance at dinner out, resist at your own risk. Steaks and specials and wow, did I mention the real true cod dinners? Oh and fresh Salmon dinners as well.

I'll be spending much of the day in Spokane with my Son and Daughter In -Law who has promised me a grandchild within the next two or so weeks. But never fear. Herb is here for those lonely last chance ladies that show up with no prospects of a last whoopee. See you there.

Guns-- Symptoms, Not Cause

Banning any kid of gun in and of itself is a band aid. Guns, used in tragedies such as in Connecticut and Colorado are present by the thousands with more being sold every day as consumers fear they will disappear.

The real culprit is attitude. With movies, video games and many other genres promoting shoot em up blow em up plots, if that's what you want to call them, has desensitized young people about violent death.

I remember back a few years ago when a mother was looking at one of the worst ones, marked with warnings, I pointed out to her the age advisory. She went straight to an assistant manager who counseled me quickly. While I thought the corporation was sensitive regarding corrupting youth, instead I was told that I was there to sell stuff, not to moralize. (there's a moral of the story for you)

There are other causes, such as mental illness not treated, broken homes and single parenting the rule rather than the exception. I am 74 years old. During my youth in the 1940's and '50's, families stayed together.Generally the wife and mother stayed home with their kids.

Now we have working mothers, admittedly necessary in this day and age of inflation of costs without relative gains in wages, children being raised by other kids in the neighborhood.

These are the primary ills in our society, not guns. When I grew up most of our families including mine had guns. Parents taught their children not to touch them. We didn't. We didn't have the urge to grab one or more and go out to shoot up a school or shopping mall either. We considered death a tragedy, not fun.

Attitudes and training, or lack thereof are the root causes and until we correct those things that are correctable, this insanity will continue. 

Horror In Connecticut

As we try to process what happened in this pastoral residential community, One has to wonder what has happened to us as a society. At age 74, I go back a long way. Never during my childhood did anything like this ever happen. The 1940's, 1950's and 1960's. Nothing.

Now in just a few years we have had college campuses ravaged, schools in Colorado and now Connecticut. It can't be just the automatic weapons, as we understand it, two semi-automatic pistols were used systematically, reloading as needed to kill everyone in two classrooms.

For reasons undisclosed yet, the security system that had been installed didn't work. Either the killer was buzzed through routinely, or the front door wasn't locked. Twenty children didn't meet their parents that gathered at the local fire station to reunite. Finally, the Governor announced if you haven't reunited with your child, you aren't going to. All survivors are out of the school. In addition to the children, either seven or eight adults were also killed, some undoubtedly teachers trying to protect their students and paid with their own lives.

In the days to come stories will come out as to the grade levels that were affected and the other details involved. I would imagine that everyone in this country and beyond are wondering what happened in our society that has spawned multiple killings followed by suicides. Is it lack of mental health programs? Back in the 50's we had none to speak of and we got by. Is it lack of societal character? Has the turn away from churches toward the lack of moral values caused this? Single parented families undoubtedly contribute as the primary teachers of right and wrong, the parents are either divorced, or the economy forces both to work creating latch key kids. What? Something! We have to find out and correct what can be corrected.

I have sixteen grandchildren with another about to be born. What kind of world are we leaving them? Are we facing a total breakdown of polite society where lives are no longer sacred? No answers here, just questions.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT88jBAoVIM

Insulting Commercials, And Christmas Prostituted

Alright, I've had it. We have always had to put up with stupid holiday advertising. This year we have topped them all.

First, there is the Five hour Energy commercial where the children of the family gather around the tree to open presents. They are apparently thrilled with the prospect of having more energy, when the rest of us are trying to keep them from flying off into space with the excess energy they already have. The idea that children would be thrilled to receive this product that the government is still investigating as unhealthy is surreal. Perhaps in Washington and Colorado, They could have been rewarded by a lid or two.

Then there is Direct TV. In several commercials, whining ten year olds approach their consoling parent with the dismay at not being able to record more than three television  trash programs. What has happened to this, the electronic generation?

In my childhood, we celebrated KING TV, channel five in the Seattle area as the first station in black and white, the first blurry example of what was to come. 

I remember when toys were what we invented and used outside, with comic books available after dark. Hey, we even had books. Many an evening, causing sleepy classroom results the next day, I read books about poor boys succeeding through thrift, good behavior and religious lives, written by Horatio Alger, Jr. What my teachers didn't understand is that I became more of a writer, more as a communicator, by those under the covers reading sessions that sometimes lasted all night.

Enter the present. I still firmly believe that hard work and diligence will produce good results. As a result, late in life, I applied these principles. I used my God given voice to enter Talk Radio. Later, in Idaho, I had the opportunity to write an area column which created income I desperately needed at the time.

As I look back, many friends appear that I never recognized at the time. My high school years were not much fun. I was uninspired. Later, after four years in the Air Force in which I became a man, I remain a believer in Santa Claus. His name however is Jesus Christ, son of God.

Trot out those Christmas trees and statues. The US Constitution does not prohibit these things, only prohibits the government from establishing them. Somehow, someway, we have to overcome the new generation, which apparently is leaning heavily toward no belief system at all. They call that, Atheism. I feel badly for all of them. Firstly, they suffer in life having nothing to look forward too. It is sad, because they don't. I don't believe they will go to Hell, I hist think they will disappear, as their beliefs decree.

As too the companies that continue to thrust crap at us, blessed are those days after Christmas when presents and other non-religious crap is celebrated, and families and human vaues reappear.

Take All The Time You Need, Brother!

Or, Take Five. Or Blue Rondo Ala Turk. Much of the music presented in his lifetime was composed by his sax player, but hey, it WAS however, the Dave Brubeck Quartet, It was a strange group. There was the anonymous black guy on bass fiddle, The drummer that always wore dark glasses. ... Do all jazz drummers wear shades? Then there was Dave. When everyone else was doing 4 x4 time or 4 x 2 time he was doing 5/4 or 9/8. The guy was from a different planet, but oh how he could play that jazz piano.

Dave died the other day, at age 91. He died leaving a musical legacy that will probably never be forgotten. As Sachmo was the king of New Orleans Dixieland jazz, Dave will always be the father of off beat progressive jazz. He will be missed. Below is a link should you wish to see and hear the video of the original recording of, "Take Five..

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHdU5sHigYQ

Winters Upon Us- Activities

Starting tonight, winter weather season will begin. The forecast calls for 4-8 inches of snow, then off and on through the 14th. That will suit the town's folks just fine as winter activities kick off the 15th.

The annual motorized Christmas parade will start at 3rd and Fir Streets. Look for the bonfire and participants warming both their outsides and inner selves prior to setting out on the parade which will terminate at the community center, delivering Santa for the chamber Christmas party.It is expected that the parade will then wind it's way to the 'Wheel where the party will continue. Festivities will start at the bon fire about 2:00 pm with the decorated parade heading out about 5.:00 pm, carrying Santa to the community center where the kids party will begin. The end of the parade signals the adults it is time to head for the Wheel for adult beverages.It should be a snowy landscape followed by one day of clear cold weather.

December 21, Friday, brings the Mayan world ending party at the Captain's Wheel Resort. There will be a ton of fun as tongue in cheek revelers wait for the stroke of midnight bringing on many more years of political strife and of course joy to all that live life like there will be no end. More on that later.

Christmas, December 25 will see Bayview shut down as families and friends celebrate, each their own way. 

Joe South R.I.P

Joe South left us a ton of original hits mostly written by himself. He had a distinctly different sound. Kind of a nasal deep south accent. Joe died September 6 of this year. He was well known with hits life "The games People Play," and " walk a mile in my shoes" and many others. For us old fogies that were young when he was, he will be missed. 1940-2012

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6V1N6CffDc

Amazing Grace ... In Cherokee

I ran across this when playing around with You Tube. This, probably the worlds most beautiful song, sung in Cherokee, with Cherokee words. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_qFbNskjCI

How about Inuit?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdxnnpSoiY0

End Of The World Party

December 21, 2012 is the day the world ends according to anthropologists who study Aztec and Mayan calendars. Now we don't really know whether the world will end on that day or if the Ancients just got tired to extrapolating any further into the future. To take the gamble out of the situation, the Captain's Wheel Resort is holding an end of the world party, Friday, December 21.

Just think. You can order an expensive cocktail, or several, a nice dinner, pay for your friend's as well and put it all on your credit card. According to the experts, you will not receive a statement. We at Bayviews are not sure whether that is because of the world ending or the U.S. Postal Service going out of business, but hey, let it all hang out. Due to the unusual circumstances, there will be no bar tabs. Cash machines are available, so the kited check won't work.

There will be those that are unbelievers of course.They are welcome as well, even if just to heckle those that lean toward Aztec wisdom.  The honor of having the world end in our lifetimes is nothing to make fun of. Everyone will be encouraged to fess up about all of the rotten things they have done in their lives. You can of course address these confessions to a Supreme Being, (insert religious affiliation) or just to the person sitting next to you at the bar.

The matter of moral behavior has been studied as well, and the decision reached. For just this one day it will be legal to lust after your neighbor's wife. A cautionary word however. It is not very smart to do this in hearing of her husband, or vice-versa. Come to think about it, the ten commandments do not mention a woman lusting after her neighbor's husband. This may be the root of most of our marital stress, but forget that because there is no tomorrow.

So come on down, drink a responsible amount or have a designated driver. Make passes at good looking women/men. If you get here late, the picking may be slim and you will have to settle for either an ugly person, or even the one you brung with you. Details of special events, drink specials, etc. will be announced later, but you can depend on this being  the mother of all clearance sales.

After you leave, find a warm dry place and get nekked. After all, you can't take your clothes with you anyway, and if you got lucky at the bar, git 'R done before midnight lest the world end with you in an embarrassing position. Unattached ladies are welcome to look for Herb with naughty behavior in mind.

Politics And Other BS

This morning's paper announced proudly that 69% of Democrats and 39% Republicans favor additional taxes for those making over $250,000 per year. One has to wonder how many polled make less than that.

Someone once said that when the overachievers are outnumbered by the lazy, ignorant
or underachievers, the democracy as we know it will end. Another along the same lines is, "When the people find out that congress is promising to give back money that is the property of the people to begin with, democracy will end."

Aside from maintaining a safety  net for those that temporarily are in need or are disabled, redistribution of wealth is confiscating private property, not tax policy.

Yesterday a discussion panel on TV was discussing a "wealth" tax. Not based on income or dividends, but net worth. Now there is a good definition of redistributing wealth. A government employee, (one not making more than $250,000) comes to your door threatening to water board you if you don't completely list your assets and their value. If these things occur we will have lost what made this country great. The ability to go as high and as far as your vision will allow. A country that doesn't take your hard earned money and give it to someone that doesn't work as hard.

There will always be a majority of those people not in the upper income brackets. That should never be a right of those that are under that amount, to penalize you. It appears to me that democracy as we know it is on the table. Well, you folks voted for this government, now you will reap the rewards or not.

On an unrelated topic, You will notice that the ads are gone from this blog. For several years I have a,lowed AdSense, a property of Google, to place ads on my blog in return for earned income to me. Supposedly, when the commissions reach $100.00 a check will be issued. The last time I had access to the earnings I had somewhere around $97.00 earned. That was over a year ago. Now I can't access the records and they aren't paying me. The last straw was when I posted in favor of keeping the Farragut shooting Range of WW11 vintage closed. An ad popped up declaring for gun control. I immediately shut down the HTML that allowed them access. Hey, if you cheat me, I'm not going to do business with you. AdSense is history on this blog. I've never received any answers to my many requests for satisfaction. Beware out there if you are a blogger.

Beginning immediately, I will entertain accepting ads for this blog which will appear on the right margin. These should be sized with that in mind. $25.00 per month is the cost. I reserve the right to refuse content I dont like, as it would appear that since I published it, that I agreed with the content. Send them as a jpg picture by e-mail with your name and address plus phone number by e-mail to:bayviewherb@gmail.com. In the last 6 years I have had in excess of 204,000 page views and over 145,000 visits to the blog. A counter is displayed at the bottom of the blog for the curious.

Bull Pine, Rest In Peace

I have lived here about two hundred feet from and 100 feet above Scenic Bay for Seventeen years. During that time I have suffered tweakers, thieves, loud noise, oh and the occasional murderer. This pine tree in my front yard has seen it all. It just stood there, tall as can be, quietly, except when a storm came through when it would filter the wind, causing strange sounds to occur.

A Pine or Red Squirrel lived there for a while, too. Where it came from and where it went is a mystery. I made a pet out of it hand feeding peanuts as I gradually tamed it. Last Spring, during what was probably mating season it disappeared for a week or two, then came back. Later, it disappeared again.  I then assumed it was raising a litter. I never saw it again. A neighbor walking her dog early in the morning before she leaves for work told me the squirrel was still there, scolding that dog. Then that too went away. I still have a great supply of peanuts, but they grow stale as I wait for my little friend to return.

That old tree shaded my deck just fine, except it took the afternoon sun away from my tomatoes. Every winter, when the chilly winds came through it would shed tons of dead needles, coating my deck up to six inches deep with it's litter. As the needles piled up, they held moisture from the rain and snow that was held there and my deck rotted. I hated that damn tree.

Now it is gone. Today, at my request, Scenic Bay Marina sawed it down into three giant logs. Then they burned the limbs and litter. I don't know if I'll miss that old tree or not. My neighborhood has been improved immensely with all of the old wrecks of mobile homes were taken out, the last refuge of low lives that I experienced over the years.

That old tree just plain got in the way of the revitalizing of the mobile home park into mostly an RV park from whence it came years ago. Now it lays there in pieces waiting for someone that wants it for firewood, which would take a monster log splitter to convert. That old tree is just a stump now, just a memory of shaded hot days, mixed feelings, but now it is too late for sorrow. That old tree is gone.  Just a stump now.

Thanksgiving

Plan on reviewing in your mind what you have to be thankful for. There is always something. If you can walk past a grave yard instead of residing there, you can be thankful.

If you have food on your table Thursday, you have something to be thankful for.

If you have a roof over your head and it doesn't leak, you have something to be thankful for.

If you are of an age where you work and will be going to that place Monday, you have something to be thankful for.

If your candidate lost the presidential election, be thankful he doesn't have to solve the problems that the winner will face.

If you are a Christian in Egypt, Syria, Lebanon or other Islamic lands, and are alive, you have something to be thankful for.

If you have a relative or friend in the service and he/she has returned alive, you have something to be thankful for.

I'm going to show you a video of someone who is very thankful as is much worse off than you. http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=q6_Zzw3SPS4 Turn up your volume for this.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and count your blessings rather than the negative things that surround you.

Turkeys Donated

L-R Eric Foti   Future firefighter, Landon Brodin
 

Professional Firefighters Local 4483 donates 100 turkeys to the Athol Food Bank just in time for Thanksgiving. The 6 career Professional Firefighters serve the communities of Athol, Bayview, Little Black Tail Ranch and surrounding areas. All 100 turkeys were purchased through the Unions Benevolence fund by way of raffles and donations from local businesses. 

I'm told that the food bank has received many smaller donations from individuals as well.

A Quiet Week

Unless something earthshaking happens soon, this will be a typically very quiet week as we segue into Thanksgiving. Perhaps it is a good time to reflect upon all of those things that you are too busy to think about. Like for instance, too, to, two. Dontcha love English? Why couldn't we use also once in a while? Or how about More and Moor

It would be wonderful if it was a bright shining day out instead of a gray drippy day with more to come. But it is that time of year. Oh well, we will have wall-to-wall sports on television and my favorite down time hobby, reading. I have a library of several hundred paperback books. This dates back to when I had a used book store in Dalton Gardens

Probably the most futile use of this week is those that are determined to continue the argument over the elections. It is what it is. Get over it and move on.(no reference to the lefty "move on.") Doing repeated post mortems on elections wins or losses is noise pollution. I have only one comment to that subject. Every Democrat thinks they are main stream and every Republican thinks the same. Ain't head in the sand wonderful?

As we head toward the seventh year of the recession that Wall Street says ended in 2009, we have to wonder if they ever get out into the real world where stocks and bonds, a recovery doesn't make. Main Street is still mired in short hours, layoffs, a ton of people that have been unemployed for so long they no longer are in the statistics. Have you noticed that what they quote is new applications for unemployment? That's because they have no way of counting reality other than that. It is like when the financial page says, "home values have increased xx percent in this city." A worthless statistic that is meaningless. It doesn't mean that every house in the neighborhood went up in value, it is just an average that could have spiked due to a new tract of higher priced homes being built. Bottom line, stats suck when you can't put food on the table.

Well, now that I have rambled along with nothing to say, have a great Thanksgiving remembering all of the positive things in your life.

Leviticus 20:13

It all makes sense now. Gay marriage and Marijuana being legalized on the same day.

Leviticus 20:13. "If a man lays with another man, he should be stoned." Apparently we have been interpreting it wrong all these years.

Farragut Range Decision Overturned.

First, there are ranges available in the area that have rural settings and don't have built up populations. This firing range was part of a world war two training facility, which closed down with the closure of Farragut Naval Training Base.

At no time, did the Fish & Game people petition the county for a conditional use permit, after federal closure. They just started using it in a limited capacity without any zoning authority. The area at the time of 1942 was isolated and wartime exceptions were the rule. Prior to the original ruling, if a shooter wanted access to the old range, they needed to get the key from the park office. That doesn't sound open to me.

For those that aren't aware that World War two is over, I suggest going back to history 101. If Fish & Game wanted to use the closed range they should have approached the county for zoning to that effect. Perhaps it is time to test other world war two issues regarding the military use. Maybe the brig museum could be used to house state felons, rather than shipping prisoners out of state. Then there is the hospital site. Maybe if another facility is needed in Kootenai County, a hospital district could be formed to reinstate that medical facility. Perhaps a Service Club should be built for serving Military/naval groups.

Better yet, why not turn this whole thing into a public park where Idaho residents and guests from other areas could enjoy the great outdoors camping, fishing hiking, skiing and other compatible uses. Certainly there are state laws against firing a weapon in a state park. Why doesn't the state follow their own rules, or can I hunt deer with a rifle as long as the authorities don't care.

I suggest that the Supreme court just doesn't treat a state agency with the neutrality it does in other matters, if in fact they do..This use without appropriate zoning is not right and lacks common sense. The use is also incompatible with other family uses.

At this point, zoning has not been addressed. I suggest that it is now. If the Kootenai County Commissioners doesn't want the range then they would have the option of refusing a conditional use permit. Apparently, the Idaho Fish  Game Department is out of control or worse yet, controlled by others, such as the organizations that have donated funds for this project. What part of the citizens in this area does the Fish & Game people not understand.

Perhaps since the temporary injunction has been removed, Judge Mitchell could then make it permanent. Another unintended consequence of this unholy partnership between Fish and Game and Idaho Parks and Recreation, could be the mass exodus of campers when they hear shots fired. What part of incompatible don't they understand.

*****Please be advised that the ad for Obama showing below was auto added by adsense. You will note that I have removed adsense and all of the ads that I control. This one is still up but I will get rid of it asap.

Rocky Watson, Sheriff

January 1 will mark the end of Sheriff Rocky Watson's  law enforcement career. I personally think he was/is one of the real good ones. He started out in the US Marines in the 1960's  in which he survived those years. The USMC was an ideal training ground for public safety as a career. The first thing they learn is to keep their head down.

He started out in the Spokane Police Department. Then with the Post Falls Police Department where he served as assistant police chief from 1970-1977. At this time he ran successfully for the office of Kootenai County Sheriff. Rocky served until 1981 at which time he started up a private security company, called the Watson Security Agency. He successfully ran that firm for 20 years, then sold out after he was appointed Sheriff to take the place of the resigning sheriff, Pierce Clegg.

Rocky was subsequently re-elected in 2000, 2004 and 2008. While we will miss his steadfast dedication to public safety, we will also miss his sense of humor which was unsurpassed. Rocky could  depend on showing up at Bayview and Athol Daze, dragging a ball and chain wearing a striped  prisoner suit. He was always showing up at neighborhood events and active in the community.

After six years, the purchaser of the Watson Agency folded up to leave a vacuum in the private security business. When asked what he would do after his term as Sheriff, he replied,(paraphrased) I'm going back into the security business. Look for a rebirth of the Watson Agency.

While we are celebrating the ascension to Sheriff by a well deserved Ben Wolfinger, it is important to realize how much easier it is for Ben to inherit a well run department, of which he was no small part of that excellence. The community will miss Rocky as Ben Wolfinger, 29 year veteran of the department takes over.

Thanks for a great job., Rocky. Semper Fi.

Kokanee Fishing Returns to Pend Oreille

Last Thursday's Fish and Game meeting confirms what has been discussed for months. Kokanee or Blue Backs as we call them locally will be legal up to six fish per day. The good news is that the thinning of the schools have caused the fish to get much bigger than in the passed, as 12-14 inch 4 year fish are common.

As a result of the turn around in production, the $15.00 bounty on rainbows is eliminated, but still in place for Mackinaw. A limit of six rainbow per day is in effect also with only one over 20 inches allowed. This is an attempt to bring back the trophy fish in the lake. All of these regulations plus some other changes will be effective January 1, 2013. Get a regulations pamphlet for other changes.

I'm Angry, But At Who?

I'm angry, but I don't know who to be angry with. There are three players in this horror story. Marquess Wilson, all time leading receiver at Washington State University, Mike Leach, the discredited coach fired at Texas Tech for abusing his players or the Sports reporting staff and editor at the Spokesman-Review.

For starters, everyone knows that Wilson walked out of an evening practice. What part of the evening was it and why couldn't the reporters complete the story with salient facts. Was it 7:00 pm? Midnight? Was it just after dinner, or were the players jerked out of a sound sleep at midnight? So many questions that have answers but not reported in this paper. These student athletes needed their study time and sleep prior to attending class the next day. They don't need to put up with a Storm Trooper clone of Woody Hayes to play football. What do you want to bet that by week end next, other schools will be camped at Wilson's door, recruiting him. If WSU has any class at all, which definitely is in question, they should release him unconditionally and petition the NCAA to allow  a transfer to an equal school without giving up any eligibility.

Many of us have serious questions for all of these entities that I mentioned above. If in fact the alleged"cowards" on the football squad deserve the name, so do the reporters and editors that soften their stories, rather than baring their teeth and going for the story.You know, like real journalists used to when they weren't homers. Just once, the TV camera in the UCLA game, panned the stands. There might have been a few dozen frozen guests that paid full price for a cut rate program headed by a Narcissistic bully.

At this point it would appear that Leach is deliberately culling his team to open space for some Texas talent for the coming season. That Leach is known for abusing football players, accusing them of being "Zombies'" naming players as gutless underachievers and a whole slew of derogatory names.

I have several questions. First, how did Wilson, still in his junior year, become WSU's leading receiver if he didn';t give effort? Have the sports writers at the S/R forgot how to dig for the real story? Or is the sports editor sitting on them, fearful of the backlash from the WSU family of graduates that bleed crimson and gray.

With the number of players leaving the program, surely the beat reporters could have interviews a few ... just one? What this area needs is accurate information, not abbreviated muted criticism of someone, but they aren't sure who. I'm starting to lose faith in the journalistic integrity of the sports department.

I want facts. Where if not the Spokesman-Review, do I get them. If we have a gigantic cover up ala Penn State with out the sex, then find out and report it. Is Moos covering his ass not willing to admit a costly mistake? The university president, too? Wilson will either transfer to another school, having one year of eligibility left, thereby racking up yardage that will brand Leach as a, well ... Leech, or he will go pro, proving he isn't a loser after all. The school is. He apparently is aptly named.

Fans are leaving the Cougs in droves. Why they may even start rooting for the cross state rival, the UW. I predict the cougars will end the season without enough players to field both an offense and a defense. To be tough doesn't mean you have to give up your dignity, nor your self respect. Wilson's record speaks for itself. So does Leach's. I'd love to see the entire team get up and walk out. They can't suspend them all if the go on strike.

Captain's Wheel Entertains

Great stuff going on at the Captain's Wheel this week. Live music Saturday night and a new feature, Tuesday dart league for the ladies, 6:00 pm. Save your plans for new years eve 'cause the Wheel is going to be there for you.

 

 

Washington Scores A Hit

 

With the passage of initiative 502 legalizing Ganja not just for medical use, but classed the same as booze, this progressive state has formalized what most people have known for years. Prohibition doesn't work. A law that is not respected by the citizens is unenforceable. Those words were used back in the day of alcohol prohibition repeal.

In examining the state map by voter approval or disapproval, a hilarious occurrence happened. Stevens and Pend Oreille Counties, a rural haven for unlawful agricultural pursuits voted in the negative against initiative 502. It turns out the the pot farmers that are prolific in the rural areas of Northeast Washington, and probably Idaho as well, voted against legalizing marijuana. Apparently the new law will put many entrepreneurs out of work since they make a good living growing and distributing their own product. One wonders if they will qualify for unemployment and food stamps. Coincidentally, most of Washington's agricultural counties also voted against the measure. Either they were upstanding law abiding citizens or they also saw one more example of state socialism putting their product in jeopardy.

On the other side of the issue, let your mind's eye drift to a Washington State ...um, Herb outlet. (Not to be confused with this writer's fist name.) At the door are Washington State Patrolmen, batons at the ready, fending off Federal DEA agents attempting to shut down what is a federal crime. This may be the first time a majority liberal faction has stood firm for states rights. Now maybe they will understand the reason for other applications of what our US constitution originally meant. The rights not specifically granted to the federal government shall reside with the states and the people. This could get very interesting.

With the prediction of a year wait for implementation, I predict the feds will have Washington State in federal court quickly, and should the state ... farm out the production, a series of raids will occur. This will be a classic battle between the US and a state that hasn't been seen since the 1860's and the civil war, or as our southern friends called it, the war of liberation.

Guy walks into a state contract liquor store. "I'll have a bottle of Johnny Walker Gold and an ounce of BC Gold, plus I'd better get a new pipe too. The old one still has illegal residue in it."

This is going to do several things. One, Doug Clark will have a ton of material for the foreseeable future. Two, it may spawn a new television reality show as the battle is joined.

A warning to all of my friends. "If you are glassy eyed and are driving east on I-90 at 25 mph, expect a suspicious Idaho State Cop to pull you over, charging you with being gasp! A Washingtonian."

Expect more as my sense of humor matures into guffaws.

It's All Good

As the vote totals ascended during the night, democracy was speaking. Most of the races I backed didn't come in first, not even me. Of course I didn't run for any office, but I was hopeful that a deluge of write ins would have put me over the top. Alas, that didn't happen either. Still, the sun will come up from the east and go down in the west except those cloudy days that you aren't sure if the pattern is still being followed.

There are those that are gnashing their teeth, (bad for dentistry health) and others that are cheering, not realizing what a terribly foolish thing they did in getting caught up in the moment.  At best, the dollar will continue to decline in value, fuel prices will follow and at worst, China will stop loaning Obama the money to bribe the electorate.

This year, at age 74, I jumped over the traces and freed from my preconceived ideas of political philosophy, I chose to back some democrats in district two. I felt it was a classic race between whacked out ideologues and those that alas, were democrats, doomed to failure, I did this along with several candidates that really knew they had little chance of winning, but for the sake of democracy, felt they had to try. I salute them for the effort. In past years the Democrats didn't even bother to field candidates in many districts. That isn't healthy. A candidate must always give the electors a choice. Running uncontested is like kissing your sister. I'm proud of them as leading citizens failing not because they were found wanting, but because voters in our area cast their ballots for labels rather than people.

I salute the voters of Kootenai County for electing Ben Wolfinger as sheriff by a landslide. An example of a super qualified candidate that wasn't a far right republican, still piled up amazing vote totals considering he is a moderate Republican.

I have three things that I look at in a candidate. Are they qualified, is their political philosophy near my own, and does the candidate have good character. Oh, there is one more. The candidate must have complete control of their sanity. Some this year, did not pass the last one.

I am comfortable in criticizing others rather than running myself. One can only imagine the verbal gaffs that I would spout given the clear opportunity to make an ass out of myself. Actually, I sometimes do that anyway, without being a candidate, but then that's a story for another time.

For those of you that voted, congratulations on your contribution to the continuation of out Republic. Hopefully, you won't come to regret your decision. I personally think that when the Democrats nationally, run out of bribing (see Ohio) the electorate with their own money, we will return to sanity. Until then, hunker down and wait for the next check to arrive from the federal government, it's yours and you earned it. It is however, unfortunate that what they gifted to you was your own money, yet you praise their generosity.

Washington voters, lemming like, appear to be electing another democrat as governor, along with both houses of the legislature. They, like their namesakes,(see above) will be visiting bankruptcy courts in the near future, disbelieving that you have to have money before you can spend it.

It will be interesting to see the test in Washington State, where the liberals are fighting the federal government over states rights. Will wonders never cease. Of course this right turn was case sensitive. It was the legalization and taxation of Pot. May the entertainment begin.  This will be the first test of the will of the state versus the federal government regarding the legalization of pot for recreational purposes. That it should have never been listed with opiates in the first place is a direct result of hippidom during the '60s and '70s, where pot was equated with left wing war protesters and dropouts, Not medical expertise or scientific evidence. It's the only schedule A drug that is not addictive, yet alcoholic beverages which are, have been legal since prohibition was lifted. Perhaps this was the first shot fired in a new anti-prohibition war.

Swimming Against The Current

Whether or not you are a Republican or Democrat or any of those other more obscure titles, you have to hand it to the brave candidates from the Democratic Party that are pounding on the gates of legislative district 2 in northern Kootenai County, home of the Wackos.

Whether they beat the odds or not, running for election when all the cards are stacked against you is a daunting and expensive task, not only in money, but energy and emotional drain. Win, lose or draw, I admire those that have not surrendered automatically to the Republican/Constitutionalists without a fight. Give 'em hell, gang. Maybe, just maybe, enough voters are fed up with the embarrassment of those that shouldn't be representing the Republican Party. I'm a Republican, and have voted exclusively Republican since 1960, in partisan offices. I'd like to see more balance and voters that hold their candidates to higher standards.

Tomorrow I'm voting for the Democratic candidates in District 2. Better qualified and the pass the Wacko test, too. Here's a picture taken at Bayview Daze last Summer. Are they having fun, or what.

Dodged A Bullet

Since my bout with Bronchitis a couple of months ago, my sleep/wake schedule has turned upside down. When coughing etc is usually worse in the evening, it tends to calm down in the early hours of morning. This created a stay awake all night and sleep until noon habit. I was at my computer about midnight Thursday, when I suddenly woke up on the floor. In the next either few minutes or longer, I had no concept of time, I was in and out of consciousness a few times before I woke up completely. The first thought I had was get to my blood pressure machine, the second, a phone.

The only problem with that is that I couldn't stand up. Crawling into the living room, I reached both. After taking my blood pressure I was shocked at a reading somewhere  between  70 something and 50 something. For a few years now, I've been taking pills for high blood pressure, then measuring the results after a few hours to make sure it worked.Thursday, I didn't.

I called 911 and was visited by our excellent EMT's at Timberlake Fire District. They were concerned with my blood pressure being so low, but I resisted going to the hospital, since I've never had to stay in one since childhood when I had tonsils taken out, which in the 1940's and '50s was somewhat routine. I told them I would call back if I didn't feel better.

Subsequently, I became nauseous (I won't go into detail here) and decided to get to bed, from where at least I wouldn't fall .  About 4:00 am Friday, I finally came out of my groggy state long enough to realize I was probably in trouble. I called the VA Emergency Room in Spokane and talked to a nurse, explaining as near as I could the course of events. She ordered me to get the EMT's back and have them transport me to the closest hospital.

Driving sedately down the newly opened stretch of Hwy 95, we arrived at Kootenai Medical Center sometime around 6:30 am or so. It was a quiet ride, because I instructed 911 to tell the fire guys not to code, as I didn't wish to wake up the neighborhood. I doubt that anyone in Bayview even knew I had left.

This is where the adventure got interesting. my only experience with an emergency room was this one, plus I was sleep deprived, not having had any at all Thursday evening.At first I was taken into an examining room where I was poked, prodded and stuck with various needles for whatever purpose intended. During my overnight stay, I consumed 5 bags of saline solution, had so many blood samples taken I must have been anemic. After what seemed like about four hours, having been wheeled out into the hallway, I was taken to a third floor room where about every two hours or less, I was awoken for either a blood pressure check, more blood samples or whatever interruption from several departments seemed to them to be appropriate.

My blood pressure became higher as they substituted salt water for blood volume. I felt like a fish. Numerous tests were taken, even a sonogram of my heart. They apparently found one. By this time is was Friday night. By Saturday morning all I wanted was a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. I was wired to a heart monitoring machine, stuck numerous times with needles for what, I didn't care. Just let me sleep. It wasn't to be. Early Saturday morning it became apparent that I was alright and would be sent home Saturday around 11:00 am.

Not to be. They let me sleep finally and I woke up at 11:45 startled that I should have been home by then, but apparently, the sonogram test results had not been evaluated by the heart specialist, so I cooled my heels until after 1:00 pm. After I came home, courtesy of my youngest son Brian, who lives in Spokane, I found out that Skip Wilcox, another Bayview Idaho resident also came home about the time I left. Skip had his heart practically rebuilt, tuned up and he cheated death one more time. Welcome home, Skip. Glad you made it.

I learned two things from this experience. One, you don't get to sleep if you are in a hospital. I think the night shift figured if they had to stay awake so did I. The other thing is, don't assume that your blood pressure won't change, through diet and other causes, ergo, check it before you medicate. Had I done that, I would not have suffered through a week of being strangely angry all week, and of course would not have ended up in the hospital.

All said and done, I was treated very well by the staff. I don't think anyone could get better or more conscientious care than at Kootenai.  I woke up this morning after about twelve hours of make up sleep, refreshed and determined not to assist in any medical accidents anymore.  Actually, the nurses, both RN's and LPN's were friendly, gracious and of ourse humerous which fits me well.  

GOP Defined By Many

While Halloween can be weird and scary, an election year can even be worse. We in the GOP have our wackos just as the far left has theirs. For some reason, the far left types don't upset me as much as on the right. I suppose it's like a family member flipping out and embarrassing me.

Many of you that do not live in North Idaho and follow this blog, (and there are many) probably won't recognize some of the names that I will use in this post, so I'll attempt to explain.

Yesterday, Larry Spencer, a failed candidate and general all around political gadfly, announced unctuously, that he was going to vote for Dan English, Democrat instead of the Republican. His reason? the Republican, Morse in his mind is a "RINO," which is used by the wackos to claim that while they represent the center of the conservative movement, others are Republicans in name only, or RINOS. Translated, Morse beat Spencer's pal, Hart who was so totally discredited that several respected Republicans filed against him in the primary which he lost.

This could be construed as funny if it weren't a serious situation where political branding is very important. Spencer went on to say that while he wouldn't vote for a RINO, English, being a democrat wouldn't cause any harm in the Idaho State legislature, due to the small numbers of democrats in that body politic.

The funny part is that Larry Spencer and a few fellow travelers are so far right of center as to be on the outside looking in. As a matter of fact, many were members of the Constitution Party previously, or other stratospheric political groups. Perhaps I should have said group, since some are probably consisting of just one person.

To put this into perspective, in my view, which I do not claim any particular position in the curve grading system, Larry Spencer ranks somewhere between Genghis Khan and Attila the Hun.  For him to call anyone else a RINO is ridiculous, since he, himself is just that.

He and I do have something in common this year. While declaring his first ever vote for a democrat, and why, I am voting across party lines too. But I'm doing it because I felt that either the candidate running as a Republican was a member of the Wacko party, or that the democrat in the case of Dan English whose public service dates back years in public office and quite often in just humanitarian acts such as youth counseling and treatment.He was an original organizer of a home for disturbed or behavior challenged teens. (Anchor House) For the record, if anyone cares, it is my first vote in a partisan election for a democrat or I should say democrats, since I voted for the first time for John F. Kennedy. My reason then wasn't because he was a democrat, it was because I resented that the public perception was that a Catholic couldn't win since the Pope would then rule our country. For the record, I'm not Catholic either.

Well, he was elected, and while in his short period in office was somewhat flawed, the Pope didn't attend cabinet meetings. That is somewhat parallel to this year with Romney being LDS. Ironically, Reid of Nevada, the ultra liberal senator and majority leader and Senator Hatch, also an LDS member are about as far apart as one can get politically, proving that Salt Lake City will not become the new US capital. God love those who will vote for Obama, a black person that was raised in a Muslim world, but will not vote for Romney because of his religious beliefs. Another irony? Perhaps.

Former city council member and Kootenai County clerk, English rises so far above his opponent that Morse's only claim to fame is that he belongs to the so called Reagan Republicans.

I also have endorsed Cheryl  Stransky whose opponent, Barbieri of Dalton Gardens, urges people to remove their children from the Godless public Schools. As I pointed pout in a previous post, Yes schools are godless, but not against religion, they are simply religion neutral. We call that secular.   Those candidates that follow that far off trumpet still trying to knock down the walls of Jericho, will not get my vote, ever again. I guess by some standards I am being called a RINO, too. Well, one nice thing about our Republic is that we get to label ourselves rather than having a dictator do it for us.