Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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The most famous words of Franklin Roosevelt, America's longest-serving president, were, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." One wonders if any world leader would or could say that today. We live in the Age of Fear. All of my life, I thought love and hate were the two most powerful human emotions. But owing to recent events, I have changed my mind. I now understand that for most people, fear is the strongest emotion. In fact, I've come to realize that it is possible to get people to...
Under the guise of water conservation, the state Department of Ecology is once again moving to take water rights from farmers, ranchers and other private holders. Last month, the agency announced plans to fund creation of local “water banks,” in addition to the state “water bank” already in existence. The agency says the program helps municipalities buy water rights from private owners. It has set $14 million aside for the program. The goal, agency spokesman Jimmy Norris said, is to “preser...
Television news broadcasts rarely deviate from a low standard of journalism that provides the who, what, where, and how, but rarely the why. What is left out is the significance of our news events. Reporters sometimes pass along what “experts” say on the subject, but the experts are safeguarding institutional secrets and priorities at every turn, so the picture is incomplete. What we see day in and day out is the surface and the sensational, the “breaking news” blood and guts. What seems to be paramount is the attractiveness and stylishness of...
What would we see if we traveled into a green future? It might not look that different. Perhaps we’d notice things more by their absence: The sky is clear. No more open fires polluting the air we breathe, no more smoke burning our eyes and nostrils, no more haze dimming visibility. Instead, the roar of internal combustion engines has been replaced by whispering electric vehicles, a quiet that makes the green downtown more livable. The green future is different in one crucial area: power is clean, cheap, plentiful, and dependable. We’re fre...
Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell can help create a slaughter-free America, with all the good that entails, by increasing federal funding for cultivated-meat research. For readers who are unfamiliar with the term, cultivated meat is grown from cells, without killing. This new protein will reduce animal suffering, pandemic risk, and greenhouse-gas emissions. In a sign of progress, the world’s biggest meat company, JBS, recently purchased a cellular-agriculture firm, BioTech Foods. The deal includes $41 million to build a factory c...
November is Caregivers month. I was recently reminded of the importance of caregivers because a friend’s mom, a real sharp lady, fell and hit her head. This caused a brain bleed and other complications which have impaired her ability to care for herself. My friend’s wife has tried to find a 24-hour care center that has space and staff to help, but the shortage of caregivers has made that very difficult. So like many of us have had to do, my friend’s wife has been caring for her mother in the meantime and between her work and mom is reall...
Many of you have contacted my office expressing frustrations with the long-term care tax going into effect Jan. 1. I understand and share your concerns. When the Democrat majority in the Legislature passed HB 1087 back in 2019, many of us fought against this effort, pointing out the many flaws in the program: Lifetime benefit of $36,500 is much less than what may people will actually pay into the program over the course of their lives, and may only pay for a few months of services: • O...
The last 20 months have been exceedingly difficult for most Americans. Across the country there have been coronavirus mandates, riots, increasing taxes, job losses and more. The crime rate in many areas is skyrocketing. Many stores have empty shelves. And mental health problems are out of control. The stress we feel is exacerbated by television news and social media. But rather than dwell on the negatives we are bombarded with daily, take this week to focus on the positives. Remember, this...
Just want to report the most disrespectful thing I’ve ever seen in my life at the Steptoe Battlefield State Park located in Rosalia. On Nov. 2, just two days after Halloween, I started my morning walk up South Summit Avenue to the Steptoe Battlefield State Park and disturbingly found at the parking area near the battlefield monument that it was littered with beer cans, cigarette butts, and, of all things, toilet paper strung all over the native bunchgrass! Unbelievable to know how people can be so disrespectful of a sacred battlefield, where n...
It’s time to re-imagine the Washington State School Directors Association (WSSDA). In an excellent article titled “Stop diverting education money to WSSDA’s lobbying operation and fund music, art and athletic programs instead,” author Liv Finne makes a powerful case against the continued existence of the state agency. WSSDA is an agency that was created in 1983 by Chapter 28A.345 of the Revised Code of Washington. Chapter 28A.345 defines the agency’s duties, membership, and powers, and it wa...
In early 2020 I traveled to Vietnam and Cambodia. My trip began with uncertainty because of the proximity of my destinations to China where COVID19 began, and the first COVID19 cases were just being identified in the USA. While I was in Vietnam COVID19 disease was declared to be a pandemic (infection occurring worldwide). The Vietnamese were already being educated by their government to practice good hand hygiene and to wear masks, which was already common in Asia. When I returned to the USA a...
Lowering our flags to half-staff seems to be an all too familiar sight these days. It is a solemn act that recognizes our fallen heroes, whether they be men and women in our armed forces or a Vancouver police officer killed in the line of duty. It is a vivid reminder of the ultimate sacrifice made by those who serve us. Unfortunately, after those flags return to the top of the pole and time passes, we tend to forget that the suffering for the friends and families continues. The loneliness, financial stress, and emotional strain lives on. That...
I am very thankful to have been able to keep working through the pandemic and that my children are grown. What I do see for many with young children is there are no daycares. When mine were daycare age there were as many as eight licensed caregivers in Colfax. A few were large capacity. Only the grade school preschool is open now. Many families during the pandemic figured out if they really cut back they can make it on only one salary and are having one parent stay home with the children. In my opinion, they already have the best...
Who would have thought that school board members would be accosted by parents? Who would have imagined flight attendants taking self-defense classes? Who would have considered people would vote for a presidential candidate that mocked someone disabled? Who could believe that patriotic volunteer election officials and secretaries of state would receive death threats? Who would have thought that law enforcement officials would say the quiet part out loud – that they would not enforce the laws? And who would have considered that our competent d...
For years, Washington State masked its high business and regulatory costs with low priced, reliable electricity – lots of it. However, Tennessee packages low cost, reliable electricity along with a very favorable business climate to lure new billion dollar auto industry investments. Today, costs of electricity are more important than ever and investors want CO2-free electricity at their facilities. Hydropower fits that requirement. As an example, Ford and SKI Innovative just announced an $...
Thank you, veterans. It's that simple. Nov. 11 is Veterans Day and a time to thank everyone still alive for serving our country in a war. We will honor our dead soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines on Memorial Day, which is May 30 next year. The federal holiday began in November of 1919 as President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Armistice Day. The fighting in World War I, "the war to end all wars," stopped in the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month – Nov. 11. The war a...
Since we currently have school board elections on our ballots here in Washington state, let’s turn our attention to the Washington State School Directors Association (WSSDA). Every school board member in Washington State belongs to WSSDA. Like many associations, it is governed by a board elected by its members – the collective of elected school board directors. WSSDA also currently belongs to the now infamous National School Board Association, with an Issaquah board member seated on the NSB...
New research is showing vaccine hesitancy or opposition may not all be related to politics. Often it is related to fear, anxiety, and mistrust. Many of the unvaccinated frankly fear needles. The anxiety of submitting to the needle may bring on a panic attack because of injection phobia. Private rooms and an emotional support partner can help. Also, the media may need to tone down the daily video extravaganza showing people getting jabbed. These portrayals feel a little bit like public lynchings...
The silence of this general election is deafening. For years I have covered elections of officials to all levels of government from the smallest towns to the U.S. president. All year people talk, complain, and argue about politics. It picks up the month before the election. Not this time. It’s gone quiet. We can blame the pandemic for quieting down most of our lives. But I kept waiting for the candidates’ forum. I look forward to the gatherings where we witness debates from people seeking ele...
Why aren’t you working? I have read and heard enough from “experts.” I am hoping to hear from the people who are not returning to their jobs or trying to get one after being laid off. I have worked since I was 16 and will always have an urge to be productive and earn money. So I am baffled at why some people aren’t applying for jobs. Was it the extra unemployment money? Was it because you didn’t have to pay rent or bills during the pandemic? Are you waiting to be paid more? The Whitman C...
The National School Board Association, the Department of Justice, and the mainstream news media all confused free speech for violence and violence for free speech. In a carefully coordinated attempt, these entities orchestrated a media campaign designed to intimidate parents who dissent from the regime. First, in Senate testimony regarding mask mandates and other COVID-19 protocols, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said parents should not be the “primary stakeholder” in their children’s educat...
