Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 1945 - 1969 of 3750
The flurry of climate regulations coming out of federal agencies is an example of what to avoid. Whether those new rules are based on laws enacted by Congress is questionable. Case in point: American Highway Users Alliance, a diverse group of organizations representing transportation, vehicle manufacturers and energy trade associations, questioned the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) legal authority to impose greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction requirements on state transportation departments and metropolitan planning organizations. The A...
The influence that Colin Powell has over Hillary Clinton is something to behold. His word is her command. When he tells her to break the law and endanger the nation's secrets, she doesn't hesitate. She salutes smartly and does as she is told. Clinton has been desperate for the moral cover of Colin Powell for her email arrangement since the scandal first broke last year. Now we've learned that Clinton told the FBI that Powell advised her to use private email as secretary of state at a dinner in 2009. This escalates Clinton's email defense from...
Can we stop with the platitudes about celebrating the workers and face the reality of America? For starters, let's do something about the name of this three-day weekend. Instead of Labor Day, let's call it Plutocrat Day or maybe Oligarch Day. Let's face it, fellow beachgoers, what we're celebrating these days is fantasy. No longer can we expect that hard work will pay off, that those who profit from it will share their rewards with those who put their noses to the grindstone for them. Instead, they'll take away the grindstone when they merge...
Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49’er quarterback, does not stand when the Star Spangled Banner, our national anthem, is played before a game. He says he will continue to sit during the pre-game renditions of the anthem in protest of the injustices he claims exist in the the country. Specifically, he is protesting the state of race relations and the recurrence of police violence. His refusal to stand during the national anthem has caused some serious conversations. Many citizens object, saying he is disrespecting the country. He is even a...
Guess who was among the first to welcome our Olympic athletes back home from Rio? None other than the IRS. For U.S. athletes, winning an Olympic medal comes with pride, glory – and a hefty federal tax bill. According to TIME, Michael Phelps owes more than $55,000 in federal income taxes for his five gold and one silver medals earned at the recently concluded summer games. That’s a whopping amount even for someone whose net worth is $55 million. The U.S. is one of few countries which does not provide government funding for it Olympians. Mos...
Tim Pool is a fearless social-media reporter who specializes in getting close to the action. It almost doesn't qualify as a protest or a riot if Pool isn't live-streaming from the streets. But he is pulling out of Milwaukee because it is too dangerous for white people. In a carefully stated YouTube video, Pool described the verbal taunts and threats, as well as actual violence, directed at whites. After an 18-year-old male was shot in the neck and extracted by Milwaukee police in an armored vehicle -- Pool identifies the victim as white,...
I've always loved the story about Babe Ruth, negotiating his salary in 1930 as the Great Depression gripped the nation. When told he was being paid a higher amount than President Herbert Hoover, his response was: "I know, but I had a better year than Hoover." Fast-forward to now, when we have French President Francois Hollande declaring that Donald Trump makes him "want to retch." Well, Trump might be forgiven if he wanted to, uh, throw up a snarky response like this: "I had a better year than Hollande." That's a fact. As high as the Donald's...
The great flush of money that swamped Washington State University athletics has come to an end. The department is projected to have a continuing deficit of about $13 million a year. It's the old story of public programs overspending and running out of money. What is one to do? The state found an answer to part of its problem. It was to legalize marijuana. After years of ruined lives and criminal prosecutions, the state decided that perhaps the drug was not as evil as first thought. Besides, it was argued, if it was legalized the state could mak...
Recently, Bloomberg reported that investors in massive data centers are making water availability a critical measurement in their decisions–especially in drought-ridden California. Data centers, giant buildings packed with servers which power our virtual world, generate tremendous amounts of intolerable heat. Traditionally, the centers have large cooling systems which require millions of gallons of freshwater. That’s a big problem because water is increasingly in short supply. For the last five years, California has suffered through severe wat...
Purple Heart Donald Trump was given a Purple Heart medal by a veteran this past week, and I watched him on TV pull the medal out of his pocket and say, “I always wanted one of these, and this was a lot easier.” I do not know of any combat veteran who would say those words as they are out on patrol, in the middle of a firefight, while sitting in a foxhole, or in a bunker during a mortar attack. A soldier receives this medal if they are wounded in combat or your family receives the medal on your behalf if you made the ultimate sacrifice for you...
The Obama administration is entering its final months, but it's never too late to further diminish U.S. influence and discomfit our allies. President Barack Obama is considering adopting a policy of "no first use," i.e., declaring that the United States would never use nuclear weapons except after a nuclear attack on itself or its allies. From Obama's perspective, this change would have the dual advantage of being something he can legitimately do on his own and representing a radical departure in the country's nuclear doctrine. For 70 years,...
There's an interesting debate going on among some liberals, some "Never Trump" holdouts and even some other conservatives. It is a really fundamental question: Can they be personal friends with supporters of Donald Trump? They have decided that Trump stands for bigotry, misogyny and cruelty toward the handicapped – and, in fact, anyone who dares criticize him, even the parents of a Muslim soldier who died defending this country. They've concluded that his backers clearly must share those outlooks, which they abhor, or at least find them a...
This weekend, I had my first opportunity to travel to Steptoe Butte for some sightseeing. I have lived in Whitman County since 2008, but I had never made the trip. The sightseeing did not disappoint, and I could see why this is a popular spot for travelers, photographers, sightseers and others. It is incredible there! I am already looking forward to my next trip. The reason I went to Steptoe Butte with my friends is because it is currently one of my only recreational options for getting outside. I have a fractured ankle, and I am unable to...
The Great Depression was very hard on most Americans. People lost their savings, jobs and homes. Often families were separated because there simply were too many mouths to feed even when moms, dads and kids pooled their meager earnings from odd jobs. Businesses and factories closed and our government struggled to respond. Soup kitchens fed people waiting in long unemployment lines. It is against this setting that fascist Germany hosted the summer Olympics in 1936. It was an extravaganza that was unimaginable for Olympians traveling to Berlin...
Donald Trump got sound advice the other day. At a rally at Davenport, Iowa, he told the crowd that a prominent supporter had called and urged him not to sweat all the attacks at the Democratic National Convention. "Don't hit down," the supporter urged, according to Trump. "You have one person to beat. It's Hillary Rodham Clinton." By Trump's account, he conceded the good sense of this, although he noted how he always prefers hitting back – "it makes me feel good." If so, he must have enjoyed his weekend. He spent it attacking not just Khizr Kha...
To be honest, I never realized that Mike Pence had such a wild sense of humor. I pegged him as more the "earnest" extremist, not such a kidder. Well, the laugh's on me. Surely Pence was joking when he complained to conservative radio interviewer Hugh Hewitt about "name-calling." The GOP vice-presidential nominee chastised President Barack Obama for using the term "homegrown demagogues" in his convention speech: "I don't think name-calling has any place in public life, and I thought that was unfortunate that the president of the United States...
The region has been ravaged by serious wildfires. The Snake River Fire torched some 11,500 acres. The Palouse Falls Fire and the Fletcher Road Fire near Lyons Ferry burned thousands more. All these are out now. The fires were fought with resources from a variety of agencies. Rain Sunday and Tuesday finished off some of the hot spots. Our area is a tinder box. It is dry and has been hot. The Snake River Fire would have been serious in any event, but high winds exacerbated its danger and compounded the difficulty of fighting it. This fire...
Weeds, weeds, weeds As I drive north to Rosalia or south to Colfax, I see many different weeds growing along the edge of Highway 195. I would think the DOT would at least make an attempt to control some of the weeds, such as cat tails, vetch and Canadian thistle. However, I see no control. Good chemicals are easy to obtain. All that would be needed is some labor and some eyes to see the problem. Farmers around Cashup control weeds very well. They spend many dollars and many hours of labor to control any weeds. I would think the DOT could learn...
America must have a thoughtful and comprehensive national energy policy which focuses on supplies that are environmentally friendly, abundant and affordable. Our strategy needs to include all energy sources. It must have balance and we need to have the patience, persistence and wisdom to implement it. It should encourage innovation. Energy is our nation’s lifeline. As our technology improves and our population grows, our dependence on electricity and transportation fuels increases. An “All-of-the-Above Energy Policy” would include wind, solar,...
Hillary Clinton frequently will acknowledge that she's not really the kind of campaigner who gets the adrenaline pumping. Instead, her pitch uses words like "steady," "experienced" and "competent," as compared with that bigoted, simple-minded, fraudulent madman on the other side. The problem is that the bigoted, simple-minded, fraudulent madman she describes has already rolled over all the steady, experienced, competent Republican operatives and candidates. Donald Trump is the party's nominee to be president of the United States. Hillary's spie...
If only we could get to know the real Hillary Clinton. Unveiling the Hillary we supposedly don't know has been the perpetual, elusive goal of Clinton's handlers for decades, with the Democratic convention in Philadelphia the latest stab at it. Hillary has made more reintroductions than should be allowed for a person who has never gone away. Political writer Jonathan Rauch has a 14-year rule that posits no one is elected president more than 14 years after winning election as a governor or senator (the traditional jumping-off points for the...
Saturday, Luke Aikins, 42, stuntman, trainer and skydiver with nearly 20,000 jumps, wanted to find his limits. So, naturally, he jumped from a plane flying at 25,000 feet. He jumped without a parachute or wing suit. The idea was to then land, if that is the word, in a net. Other jumpers went with him for a while until they had to pop their chutes. One took Aikins’ oxygen mask when he reached an altitude at which he could breathe on his own. Aikins went the rest of the way alone. Then, as he plummeted closer and closer to earth, he had to try t...
Supports Pakootas For me, this 2016 primary election raises many questions and challenges with very few answers. Also, the fact that the two individuals who receive the most votes for each position, regardless of elected party affiliation, will advance to the fall election, adds to the problem. That said, I want to express my personal choice in one race – selecting a candidate to replace Cathy McMorris Rodgers to represent us in the U. S. House of Representatives. That person is Joe Pakootas. I first learned about Joe Pakootas when he ran a...
Between now and November, you will hear a lot about “How to Make America Great Again!” Much of our country’s greatness is because of our “entrepreneurial spirit.” It is our unique trait which makes us the envy of the world. America has been blessed with industrious leaders who are optimistic, forward looking and passionate. They are tireless men and women who take calculated risks and pull themselves together after failure. They have the drive to get things done no matter what the circumstances. Henry J. Kaiser, who dropped out of school at age...
In the past two weeks, the "war on police" has gone from a metaphor to a reality, with eight officers killed in targeted attacks in Dallas and Baton Rouge. The country hasn't seen anything like it since the early 1970s, when a lunatic fringe of the left undertook a violent campaign against law enforcement. Today's spate of anti-police violence isn't remotely as organizationally or ideologically coherent, but it is much more lethal. Vanity Fair writer Bryan Burrough recounts the history in his exceptional book "Days of Rage." As a radical...
