Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 2185 - 2209 of 3750
The rise of Donald Trump is, in part, a function of a vacuum. He is thriving in a Republican field that is large, talented and, so far, underwhelming. To paraphrase Bruce Springsteen, there's 17 candidates and nothing on. Except Donald Trump. Now, this has much to do with the media, and with Trump's unique qualities as a showman. He has the advantage of not caring about anything, apparently -- the facts, his reputation or, ultimately, winning the presidency. In consequence, he is a free man. Yet no speech, no policy proposal, no argument,...
To show you how clueless I am: I thought the term "anchor babies" was a harmless way of referring to the very young kids of TV news readers. Now I discover that it's a pejorative way to describe infants born to immigrant parents in the United States who automatically gain U.S. citizenship, a birthright guaranteed by the Constitution's 14th Amendment. There are some really good, fairly obvious reasons for birthright, having to do with slaves and fairness, but that hasn't dissuaded Donald Trump from pandering to the GOP hater base by turning it...
The image is disturbing. It is of a young boy, a mere toddler, face down at water’s edge. He is dead and alone. He and others in his family had drowned trying to escape the violence in Syria. This tragic little figure was just one of thousands who have died fleeing the Middle East. To escape the wars and violence, they face the dangers of a sea crossing, unscrupulous profiteers and even violence among the refugees themselves. Some of the refugees are seeking a new life in Europe. Others just hope for temporary sanctuary from the confused f... Full story
Donald Trump’s rise in the polls is inextricably linked to the issue of immigration. He probably wouldn’t have achieved liftoff without it, and now that his campaign has entered a new phase of semi-attempted seriousness, it is fitting that an immigration plan is the first policy proposal he has committed to paper. Amid the bar-stool bombast about deporting all illegal immigrants already here is the core of a program that is more sensible than the “comprehensive” solution offered by the political establishment. What Trump offers is an entirel... Full story
Is it premature to ask who Donald Trump will choose to be his vice-presidential running mate? Maybe. Maybe not. No matter what absurdity The Donald spouts, no matter how bigoted or simple-minded, he maintains his lead in the polls ranking the GOP candidates. There are at least a couple of reasons. First of all, the rest of the field is made up of ridiculous caricatures of regressive hatefulness or those who are mind-numbingly boring. On the second point, a few of them — Scott Walker and Jeb Bush — have announced to the world that, by gum, the... Full story
The Palouse Empire Fair kicks off next week. It is a tradition at the end of summer. It comes with the first days of the new school year, and the first whispers of fall-like weather. Usually, it is just on the heels of harvest. The Palouse Empire Fair is the largest gathering of people in rural county, and there is a reason for that. It is a good old-fashioned show, reflecting the long tradition of post harvest celebrations where old and new friends gather for some socializing and fun. The fair is not overwhelming in scale, but it offers everyt...
In China, the government has launched an "eat more potatoes" campaign – and Washington state could benefit as a result. China’s potato push is in part an environmental effort to provide more clean drinking water for its exploding urban population and offset its polluted water from factories and inadequate sewer treatment. Home to more than 1.3 billion people, China has until recently enjoyed a decades-long economic boom that raised more than 600 million people out of poverty, according to World Bank statistics. Urbanization is expected to con...
Congresswoman Rogers Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rogers sent me a form letter that contained a falsehood. She said, “Be assured that I will continue to promote the most effective techniques to keep our communities safe from harmful drugs.” The most effective program that I have found is reported to have cut the rate of new addictions by 92% (heroin, cocaine, and meth). She refused to look at it. The rest of her letter is dedicated to basically continuing the War on Drugs, which appears to have multiplied the rate of new addictions. It’s a har... Full story
Because our nation's creation is the result of revolting against a revolting king, we Americans are predisposed to being skeptical about political dynasties. True, we've elected some silver spoons, but still we're leery of those who try to float along their famous gene pool, or those who dive in by marriage. Fair or not, there's been a lot of grumbling about the prospect of a White House race between still another Bush and still another Clinton. In Jeb Bush's case, it is brother George W., the immediate ex-POTUS. It seems like wherever he...
The current drought has caused more than just truncated crop yields in the west. It has been a cause of numerous, large wildfires. In fact, the western United States is ablaze. Our area is no exception. Large, destructive fires surround Whitman County, and smaller ones have dotted the fields within the county. Smoke from the multitude of fires has covered the county in a haze. Air quality, as a result, has been classified as "unhealthy" and, in some cases, "hazardous." Outdoor activities have been cancelled, simply to avoid exposure to the...
Imagine rolling into Olympia in your travel trailer each year for the start of the legislative session knowing your district has the highest unemployment in the state and the lowest average annual wage. Folks in your sprawling rural 7th District earn between $15,000 and $20,000 less than the state average wage. Stevens, Pend Orielle, Ferry and Okanogan counties are rich in minerals and have abundant forests and natural public grazing lands, but over the years mining, logging and lumber mill jobs dried up, in large part due to government...
Rewarding I am glad to see that at least one citizen of Colfax has recently visited the Perkins House. It is certainly true that this historic building and its grounds are the pride of Colfax. Unfortunately only three Colfax residents stepped up to join the Whitman County Historical Society’s Perkins House Committee. The committee chairperson is from Oakesdale. The person that worked for four days to make sure the grounds were ready for the Ice Cream Social is from Thornton. The person that organized the social and coordinated all exhibits a...
Donald Trump is given to superlatives, so let's do him the honor of pronouncing him the most fabulous whiner in all of American politics. By Trump's own account, he's the baddest, smartest thing going, except if you ask him a challenging question, in which case he kicks and screams and demands to know how anyone could treat him so unfairly. Trump followed up his shaky-at-best performance at the first Republican candidate debate, hosted by Fox News, with days complaining that he hadn't been afforded the respect he deserves. According to Trump,...
If you want to start a vigorous discussion, ask this question: Do you think we are too politically correct in this country? Let's thank Donald Trump (I never thought I'd say those words) for raising the issue, which he did in the highly entertaining first Republican debate. Trump pushed our buttons with: "The big problem this country has is being politically correct. I've been challenged by so many people, and I don't frankly have time for total political correctness. And to be honest with you, this country doesn't have time either."... Full story
The City of Colfax has adjusted its late payment policy for water and sewer bills. Now instead of charging ridiculously large late-payment fees for payments not in city hall by the 15th, they will now only charge the ridiculously large late-payment fee for water/sewer bills not postmarked by the 15th. The adjustment isn’t very meaningful. The late penalty remains at $20. And, the city cut the response time for paying water/sewer bills. According to a Daily Bulletin story, 180 late charges were assessed in the current payment cycle. That is p...
Essential When the publisher of a rural newspaper in a largely conservative county writes his opinion that climate change is real and that our leaders must start to deal with the problem, then it is evident that those who deny climate change are wrong. It takes genuine bravery for someone who sells newspapers and ads in an agricultural county to write what he wrote. Yet, for any astute and observant people, the signs have been there. Unfortunately, many Americans have not been reading the signs. We are having earlier springs, hotter summers,... Full story
"Until the lion tells his side of the story, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter." -- African proverb On the ledger of global outrages, the killing of Cecil the lion outside of a Zimbabwe national park should barely register. What is the fate of one big cat compared with the civil wars and human-rights abuses that fill the headlines -- or should fill the headlines -- every day? Even in Zimbabwe alone, where grotesque misgovernance is the rule, the death of one lion should hardly be a blip. And yet the animal's shooting by a...
I think we all can agree that we wouldn't want to be Walter Palmer right now. He's that Minnesota dentist who's suddenly become the object of intense contempt for killing Cecil the lion. Palmer, whose hobby-sport is big-game hunting, shot and killed in a gruesome (and allegedly illegal) way the majestic black-maned lion Cecil, who had captured the hearts of the people in Zimbabwe and animal lovers around the world. Palmer pays big money to hunt down various exotic animals. He apparently displays their heads as trophies. But now his life is in...
When it was discovered that the Transportation Security Administration had hired some employees with terrorist ties for security at airports, the official response was that the government’s hiring policy was “generally effective.” It will be interesting to hear what the Environmental Protection Agency has to say about the pollution of the Animas River in Colorado. The EPA was attempting to stem a small leak in a long deserted gold mine. The repair crew accidentally breached a retaining wall. An estimated three million gallons of toxic sludg... Full story
The Obama Administration announced it will begin providing Pell grants to federal prisoners, effectively overturning a 1994 ban on the practice. While overturning the ban requires Congressional action, the administration is circumventing Congress by designating the plan a "pilot program." If allowed to stand, the administration’s unauthorized action would be costly to taxpayers. From 1972-95, before Congress issued the ban, inmates received $34.6 million a year in Pell grants. Under the new pilot, prisoners will receive up to $5,775 for t...
Mt. St. Helens Don Brunell’s column of 16 July prompted an online search of “Mt. St. Helens recovery” because of his claim: “Nowhere is the contrast between managed forests and barren forest land clearer than on Mount St. Helens.” That’s not what I found. Five years ago Scientific American (May 19, 2010) pointed out how well the unmanaged land has recovered: “…the devastating losses had made room for remarkable gains – in terms of both ecosystem productivity and scientific progress. “Plants and animals that never stood a chance under heavy...
It turns out that everything we've heard about the evils of states and localities defying federal law is wrong. So long as a jurisdiction is sticking its thumb in the eye of the federal government on behalf of illegal immigrants who have been arrested and jailed, defiance of federal authority is progressive and commendable. Through the years, the left has created dozens upon dozens of so-called sanctuary cities devoted to frustrating federal immigration enforcement. On this issue, they are little islands of secession. Somewhere John C. Calhoun... Full story
In political news, the cliche that somebody has "sucked all of the air out of the room," means, of course, that an individual has managed to distract from the many elements of a multifaceted story and put the entire focus on himself. That's what Donald Trump has been doing of late -- sucking all the stagnant air out of the campaign and replacing it with his foul breath. How's that for a tortured metaphor? But for those who have felt like they've been tortured by the All-Donald-All-The-Time coverage, take heart: He's very quickly becoming... Full story
The Blob is here. No, not the famous 1950’s sci-fi movie starring a young Steve McQueen, but an area of abnormally warm water off the Pacific Coast. This concentration of warm water was first called “the blob” in 2014. Much has yet to be learned of the phenomenon. Scientists, however, are convinced that it may be a symptom or even the cause of some very serious changes in the marine environment. Whales are starving, starfish are dying in unusual numbers as are some seabirds, and krill, a fundamental part of the food chain, are declining. The b...
If only President Barack Obama were as hard-nosed and clever in undermining our adversaries as he is in kneecapping the U.S. Congress, the country's strategic position might be transformed. The Iran deal just went to the United Nations Security Council, months before Congress will vote on it, and got unanimous approval. The U.N. vote doesn't bind Congress, but it boxes it in and minimizes it -- with malice aforethought. After the U.N. vote, President Obama urged Congress to get with the program: "There is broad international consensus around...
