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.