Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 1900 - 1924 of 3750
The Clintons aren't the only ones who give speeches. I do, too. The only difference is that my going rate, in case you're interested, ranges from a pittance to nothing. So I feel no obligation to flatter those in the audience. That would include attorney groups, bar-association functions and the like. I particularly enjoy sticking it to lawyers, because so many of them are so ... what's the word ... arrogant. I can always get a rise out of them when I suggest that, when it comes to charges against elected officials, the public's right to know...
Last month while touring Ireland, our guide proudly pointed out Irish whiskey is making a strong comeback and thanked us, Americans, for our hefty contribution to their sales and shipments. Irish whiskey, even though its volumes are less than scotch and bourbon, is the world’s fastest growing major spirit. Production shot up by 130 percent since 2005. Of course, the Irish are quick to point out, the United States’ prohibition laws between 1920 and 1933 were a big reason Ireland’s whiskey sales dried up in the first place. All friendly jousting...
Hillary Clinton may be the first candidate in American history to win a contest of personalities without having one. She has been content to make the election all about Donald Trump's character, and Trump has obliged because, really, what else would he consider as fascinating and important as himself? In a more normal year, Obamacare would be a byword for the failures of liberal technocrat rule. Insurers have been exiting the exchanges, and many of those that are staying are hiking premiums by 20 percent or more. Even a Democratic governor, Mar...
Saving the dams Washington is home to three resident pods of killer whales that spend the summer feeding in Puget Sound. This year, they seem to be having trouble finding food, and whale advocates blame the dams on the lower Snake River for causing a decrease in fish supply. As pressure mounts to tear out the dams, there will be a public hearing held in Spokane on Monday, Nov. 14, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the historic Davenport Hotel. Eastern Washingtonians have not had a chance to be heard on the issue. As multiple authorities – including NOAA ...
By now you probably have heard the story from Cardinal Timothy Dolan, telling of a moment before the Al Smith dinner in New York where Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump briefly met with him as they were about to enter. Dolan asked the two to pray with him, which they did, and then Trump, well ... why don't we let Cardinal Dolan tell it: "[He] turned to Clinton and said, 'You know, you are one tough and talented woman,'" adding, "This has been a good experience –– this whole campaign –– as tough as it's been." "Whatever happens, we need to work...
One former U.S. Representative said if Donald Trump loses the election he was going to get out his musket. In Oregon, a resident with his last name on personalized license plates was threatened on the highway. His last name was Trump. Joe Biden, vice-president, said that if he were still in high school he’d take Trump out behind the gym. Trump, in return, basically said bring it on. We have already seen violence at rallies, a fire bombing and other examples of politically inspired law breaking. The heated rhetoric, personal attacks and s...
It’s D-Day for American voters. With Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump carrying unusually low approval ratings and having a deep antipathy for one another, no matter which one ultimately is elected, the nation will be bitterly polarized. Hopefully, each has a plan to bring us back together after Nov. 8. America thrives on a peaceful transfer of power. It is one of the important traditions which has been handed down since John Adams succeeded George Washington on March 4, 1797. For guidance, Clinton and Trump ought to look to Gerald Ford. F...
Cleaner future path Milton Friedman, an economist and conservative icon, asserted years ago, “If you have a pollution problem, don’t regulate it, tax it.” Most economists now agree. Raising the price of something we don’t want, like pollution, is the best way to encourage consumers to switch to less-polluting choices and to reward innovation and investment in cleaner alternatives. Voters in Washington have a unique opportunity to embrace this market-based approach for mitigating risks from climate change and providing our children a brighte...
The website PolitiFact jumped all over Rudy Giuliani earlier this year when he said, "Hillary Clinton is for open borders." It spent about 700 words sifting through the evidence, and ended up rating the former New York City mayor's claim "false." Now we know that PolitiFact blew its call because it lacked access to the most important datum – Hillary Clinton's real view. For that, it would have had to be present at one of her paid speeches at a major financial institution, in this case the Brazilian bank Banco Itau. In May 2013, Clinton told her...
It's hard to believe, but Donald Trump's extraordinarily obnoxious quest to become president has deteriorated into something quite ordinary, your standard plain old campaign conniption fit. Like any other 70-year-old spoiled kid who isn't getting his way, he's throwing a temper tantrum. He's lashing out at anyone who crosses him, which is everybody but his staff members (some of them) and the craven politicians of his party who are afraid to drop him like a stone because doing so might offend the all-important Republican "deplorable" base. Now...
The four lower Snake River dams are in the spotlight again. The push to dismantle them continues. Reportedly, one of the new reasons for breaching them is global warming. The warming of the atmosphere is predicted to adversely affect migratory fish habitats. The Snake, it is said by dam-breaching advocates, is one of the few habitats most likely to resist the climate changes. So, the argument goes, they must be returned to their natural state. Countering this argument is the fact that the dams generate power without any carbon releases. They...
Uncoupling state timber sales revenue from public school construction funding doesn’t make sense. It is akin to killing the goose laying the golden eggs. That idea came up during this year’s campaign for public lands commissioner. Democrat Hilary Franz, a Seattle environmental attorney, and Republican Steve McLaughlin, a retired Navy Commander, are the finalists. Franz stated her position in a candidate questionnaire, according to the business publication, Lens. She wrote the state mandate to use revenue from timber sales on public lands to...
Backs Pakootas The ballots will shortly be in the mail, and kindly cast your vote for Joe Pakootas for the U.S. Congress, House of Representatives. Joe is a true leader. He managed the bankrupt Colville Confederated Tribes as a new CEO and created a $10,000,000 turnaround in a short time. Joe is not a poser as our currently “do Nothing but Pose” representative does. Joe Pakootas desires to rebuild our nation’s crumbling infrastructure and create greater opportunities for our agriculture industry. He will fight to strengthen Medicare and Veter...
Donald Trump has stated repeatedly that his brand is all-important. Well, if what he says in that infamous recorded open-mic conversation with Billy Bush in 2005 about grabbing women's crotches uninvited is true, then his brand should be his prison number. Unfortunately, the statute of limitations for sexual-assault charges in California, where he confessed to that crime, apparently has run out. He didn't help himself at the second presidential debate with Hillary Clinton, which was as down and dirty as it could be. How's that for...
Less than a month before the election, the Republican speaker of the House says he won't defend or campaign with his party's presidential nominee. The nominee has responded by slamming the speaker on Twitter, and his campaign manager is accusing some (unnamed) elected Republicans of sexual harassment against her. The Donald Trump campaign and the Republican Party show every sign of entering into an ugly death spiral. The revelation of the Trump "Access Hollywood" tape occasioned a historic rupture, with elected Republicans around the country...
This is not about politics. Yet, it is all about politics. We have had some rough and tumble presidential campaigns in the past. Dirty tricks, sly innuendos and dishonesty have marked previous races for the White House. This campaign has the same disagreeable elements, but it is also different. There is one thing missing in this election that may have defined some others. It is a simple thing. It is something that rarely takes the spotlight, and it is something that is not often discussed. This simple thing is common decency. Kurt Vonnegut,...
The cost to fight wildfires has risen so high that a pair of Montana’s senators suggest the U.S. Forest Service should be renamed “U.S. Fire Service.” Senators Jon Tester (D) and Steve Daines (R) told the Billings Gazette in late August the rising costs are crippling the agency’s essential non-fire related work. Fire suppression costs now consume more than half of the Forest Service budget compared to 16 percent 20 years ago. The lawmakers introduced legislation to appropriate $1.4 billion more to fight forest and range fires this year, b...
We are in the midst of an epic media freakout. It is a subset of a larger liberal panic over Donald Trump's strength in the general election. The mood of the center-left is, "America, how dare you?" The outraged incomprehension is seeping into and, increasingly, driving the coverage of the race. The freakout began a few weeks ago when Donald Trump started to close the polling gap with Hillary Clinton, and picked up intensity as the race essentially became a tie. The media is going to be in a perpetual state of high anxiety and dudgeon until...
Here’s what I’m wondering: Was it Alicia Machado’s really mild sex video that caused Donald Trump to wake up with a start about 3:00 the other morning? What was he thinking about as he fired off that “unhinged” tweet about her recorded activities under the sheets? And, yes, conscientious journalist that I am, I forced myself to see the tape of her romp. Talk about boring — unless you are amused by how unexciting it really was. But apparently Donny found it far more interesting. Something got him going, whatever he was thinking, or maybe fanta...
When the historians look back at the 2016 presidential race, will they even want to? So bad, so depressing, so damaging. Or was it? This was a year when an unknown senator and a non-politician went much farther than predicted, while spending much less money than was assumed to be necessary. Bernie Sanders, who spent more than Trump, raised it from regular people, without a Super-PAC, with a famous average donation of $27. Trump's unconventional campaign was cheap, by current presidential standards. Both Sanders and Trump proved that if you run...
Fresh Air We would just like to commend the teachers, administrators, board members and other support staff in the Colfax School District. According to the Gazette a couple of weeks ago, contract negotiations were not only successful, but positive and unifying. We found it a breath of fresh air to know you are successfully and happily working together to educate our children. Kirby and Liza Dailey, Colfax Kudos to deputy At a time in this country when the discussion about the police is primarily negative I want to write about a local deputy...
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce looked at the cost of regulations in America and found that excessive regulations are undercutting our economy and costing us jobs. Federal rules alone in the past few years have exploded and the Chamber finds it costs our nation $1.7 trillion. State labor and employment law resulted in the loss of 700,000 U.S. jobs. On the other hand, paring back state regulations which exceed federal standards alone would spawn 50,000 new businesses each year. The Chamber report is not an indictment on government regulations, per...
The Charlotte rioters didn't know whether the controversial police shooting of Keith Scott was justified or not, and didn't care. They worked their mayhem – trashing businesses and injuring cops, with one protester killed in the disorder – before anything meaningful could be ascertained about the case except that the cops said Scott had a gun and his family said he didn't. Charlotte is the latest episode in the evidence-free Black Lives Matter movement that periodically erupts in violence after officer-involved shootings. The movement is beh...
What were they thinking? Although, the real question should be: Were they thinking? What could have possessed the Clinton and Trump advisers even to consider visits to Charlotte, N.C., while the city was under siege and caught up in a violently volatile reaction to the shooting death of still another black man by police. The mere consideration of the idea that they'd drop by was wrong on so many levels. First of all, it is near-certain that their presence would fan the flames that threaten to consume Charlotte. Secondly, as the mayor pleaded...
In case you missed the noise, the general election is November 8. That is just a month away. The country will be choosing its next president. This campaign season has been described as one of the most unorthodox and contentious of any in recent history. The charges and countercharges are unremitting. Each candidate has hardcore supporters who remain unwavering. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, of course, are the two candidates from the two major parties. The third party candidates have gained little traction. Clinton and Trump are older than...
