Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 76
The House has decided to make the closed door inquiry an official impeachment process. The headlines indicated that they had enough votes to unveil their activities. I heard rumors that some Democrats were going to vote against it, but CNN didn’t mention any. The radical left and CNN present a unanimous front. I have never witnessed such hatred. The radical Democrats with the support of a liberal national media have been trying to overthrow the 2016 election from day one. It began with the “Not My President” demonstrations before the inaug...
My kids caught me reading a book. An actual book, printed with ink on real paper. I was lectured about my abuse of the planet and was told how many trees went into making paper. Paper that would line the bottom of our bird cage and eventually be discarded. I argued that I own books I have treasured for many years. They ignored my nostalgic argument and went on to demonstrate how easy it is to dial up an electronic copy of whatever I wanted to read. Instead of a traditional newspaper, my kids get an abbreviated version of the daily news on...
There is a branch of our government that is independent of the three branches we study in school. This branch usually operates in the shadows overlooked by both the people and the legislature. It makes its own rules with the same force as law. It has the power to levy fines and seize property. No one in this branch is elected and, therefore, is generally unresponsive to public opinion. It is virtually independent to do whatever it pleases, and I have never known it to admit a mistake. This shadow government is made up of the various...
The United Auto Workers Union strike against General Motors has entered its second month with no end in sight. They are using tactics developed years ago when the big three automakers ruled the industry. Rather than strike across the board, the union would target only one of the three. That way they could keep 2/3 of their members employed while they brought one to heel. Then they would use the results to bargain with the other two. I’m not sure those tactics would work today. Times have changed. Big corporations are no longer allowed to run r...
Minimum wage is an artificial restriction of the free market, and all restrictions of the free market come with unintended consequences. When I talk to small business owners in Eastern Washington, they are unanimous in their condemnation of minimum wage. They hire less people because wages are beyond their capability. Thus, their growth is hindered, and in some cases, success is unobtainable. I got my first job off the farm when I was 13 years old. I was a bag-boy in the local grocery store and was paid 75 cents per hour. A few months later,...
I heard a news report last week proudly announce, “The economy improved last week fueled by consumer spending.” Consumer spending, or lack thereof may be an indicator of economic strength, but it doesn’t drive. It doesn’t fuel the economy. Military bases weren’t always welcome in some communities. When signs begin to appear saying, “Dogs and soldiers keep off the grass,” the Army would frequently pay their troops in two dollar bills. This flood of two dollar currency was supposed to demonstrate how vital the base was to the local economy. It w...
I had a wonderful opportunity in 2000. I was selected as part of Spokane’s sister city educational exchange, and taught English in the Japanese public school system. One of my students was considering applying to be an exchange student in America. She asked me several questions including how safe my country was. I assured her that the reports of violence were overblown by our free and open media. Although we were not as safe as Japan, we felt secure anywhere in our country. I couldn’t make that statement today. School shootings have rea...
I thought the court decisions against the makers of Roundup were over the top, but I was absolutely astounded at the recent ruling against Johnson & Johnson. These judgments are not only out of line, but tend to spawn even more outrageous claims in the hope that money will rain down on litigants and their lawyers. World health agencies have repeatedly stated Roundup is not a threat, with one lone exception that said the active ingredient in Roundup (Glyphosate) might contribute to cancer. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency emphatically...
To tweet to not to tweet, that is the question. I have found over my considerable years that when you have nothing to add, you should keep your mouth shut. Our president seems to have missed that lesson. When Congresswomen Tlaib and Omar were planning their trip to Israel, he had nothing to add, but he did anyway. He tweeted something silly about allowing the two congresswomen to visit Israel would be a sign of weakness. A sign of weakness for whom? The liberal press immediately condemned the president for picking on two “women of color” and in...
I’m still looking for an alternative for Donald Trump in 2020. I agree with almost everything negative that has been said of him. He is obnoxious, he makes unnecessary enemies, he is undiplomatic, he does not command loyalty, he generates hate, etc., etc., etc.… BUT, and it is a big but, many of his initiatives are spot on. We have allowed our friends to take advantage of us. China doesn’t play fair. Border security is both a matter of law and a matter of national interest. We must do what is best for America. We don’t need a new agenda;...
I realize every writer with a second hand computer will sit down at their keyboard this week and write about the shootings in El Paso and Dayton. I hope you read them all. Some will be emphatic that the only way to stop the shootings is to eliminate all guns in America. The other extreme will be just as emphatic, “Arm everyone so the people can protect themselves.” Others will be somewhat less fanatical, but you will find a near vacuum in the middle. Both sides are ready to fight for what they believe is right for America, but few are wil...
When our legs began to complain about the climb into the overhead bunk of our camper, my wife and I bought a year-round cabin on the Pend Oreille River. It has become our get away when the normal pressures of life need release. One such day last March we decided to go to the cabin and take a day trip to the Kalispel Swan Festival. The newspaper told us the ice was still on the lake where the swans normally stop. We were a little bummed, but decided to come anyway. To our delight, the swans had decided to settle on the open water across from...
A few years ago, I had occasion to examine potential threats to our democracy. The national debt, exportation of wealth, and our economic dependence on foreign countries headed my list of concerns. My list was unchanged until recently. I believe our national march toward Socialism is now more of a threat to our future than the debt. I cannot believe that anyone who has taken even a cursory look at world history would suggest we embrace socialistic ideals. At no time in the life of the known universe has it been successful. Yet, we have two lead...
My television viewing is normally limited to the news, Mariner’s baseball and Gonzaga basketball. Shut in by bad weather a few weeks ago, I found myself temporarily out of library books, so I was daydreaming while a drama series played on my TV. I’m not really sure what series it was, but an embedded story caught my attention. It seems that one of the characters rescued a dog and had no place to keep it. Her landlord did not allow pets and she couldn’t take it to work. A co-worker came to her rescue with a vest proclaiming the new pet a servi...
Deployments to Vietnam from Fairchild normally included an overnight stop in Pearl Harbor. Some of our crew had been there before and suggested we go out to the USS Arizona. We went to the pier and rode to the site in a small open boat operated by two US Navy sailors. There was nothing to see except the tops of the gun turrets, but it was our chance as American fighting men to pay homage to those who had gone before us. I made the pilgrimage each time I deployed to or from Southeast Asia. The now familiar, iconic monument had just been...
Congratulations graduates! It’s been a long time since I stood in your place. I remember being excited to finish a big phase in my life and apprehensive about starting a new one. I am sure you feel much the same. For the past twelve years, you have been a child in our public school system. Your graduation is the rite of passage from childhood into the world of adults. Well...almost. Our court system considers you an adult, so shoplifting is no longer a juvenile offense. You can serve in the military or get married without asking your parents p...
It was a pretty normal day at my house for old retirees. I was trying to decide whether to go to bed early or watch another nighttime drama series. Not wanting to rush a big decision, I closed one eye and leaned back in my recliner. Thus, I was only half watching the show as they portrayed an island nation being washed away due to global warming. I came fully awake when the show indicated America was solely responsible for the demise of this small, fictional principality. I ignored the rest of the show and focused on what I knew and had heard a...
Our court system is out of control. I was watching a Mariner’s game the other day when the network filled a break in the action with a half dozen commercials. My drink and chip bowl were both full, so I sat back in my recliner and day-dreamed. I came fully awake when a law firm announced they had won a $289 million settlement against the makers of Roundup and requested I call the number on the screen to see if I could share in the bounty. I have used Roundup in my garden for several years, so, after the ball game, I retired to my computer to r...
I was headed into the grocery store the other day for bread, eggs, and milk when I noticed a line outside the door. I thought it might be some free samples, so I went over to see what they had. It was a line to sign a petition for a ballot initiative to create Liberty State. I had heard a little about the proposal, and had dismissed it as the rumblings of anarchists and the ultra-right. I was more concerned with my bread, eggs, and milk, so I bypassed the gathering and proceeded to get my shopping cart. After securing my purchases and barely...
Twenty years ago, Washington State voters outlawed ethnic discrimination within our state. Initiative 200, passed by a decisive popular vote, specified that employers or those granting contracts, “shall not discriminate against nor grant preferable treatment … on the basis of race, sex, ethnicity, or national origin.” This past Sunday during their last minute session, our legislature struck down the people’s initiative. Ethnic background is now a required criteria for evaluating new employees and granting state contracts. Proponents base th...
On March 15, a small group of Aryan supremacists attacked a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 50 worshipers. Political and religious leaders throughout the world condemned the act and the terrorists. The six gunmen were rounded up and will be punished to the limit of New Zealand law. As far as we know, the motivation of the attack was more racial than religious. In retaliation, a group of Islamic terrorists sent seven suicide bombers to Christian targets in Sri Lanka last week. They inflicted 800 casualties, 300 of them fatal. Once...
I was tired of shoveling snow the other day and needed some comic relief, so I decided to read the most recent newsletters sent out by my state representative. Finding out what is happening at our state capitol is challenging. I usually start with the newsletters, then Google for more details. If you don’t get these newsletters, you should. Your representative’s office will gladly add you to their email list. Then you, too, will have something to break up the monotony of late winter. As our Governor has been reborn as the climate change can...
Homelessness has been cussed and discussed with no solution in sight. With no viable plan most officials wring their hands and hope the problem will go away. The latest suggestion is to pay them a living wage. Thus the unfortunate street people could afford the requisite training to find jobs. I guess this is possible. The evening news interviewed an ex-homeless lady who received money from a private charity and was eventually able to open a coffee shop, thus, becoming a local success story. We sometimes forget that other countries can have...
I didn’t think it was quite time for political season, but it seems to have started. I was just sitting down to dinner when my phone rang. If it had been thirty seconds later, I would have let the answering machine take it even though I was expecting a call from my agent. The caller asked for my wife, and being well trained, I asked if I could tell her who was calling. I guess talking to my wife wasn’t the caller’s highest priority because he went right into his spiel. He started by thanking me for past contributions I have either forgo...
I normally watch the news as I brew my morning cup of tea. As we were experiencing a significant winter storm, I was anxious to check school closures and road conditions. I was disappointed to find all news channels filled with Michael Cohen’s congressional testimony. I could either turn off the TV or watch the proceedings as I prepared my scrambled eggs with toast. I thought I could at least find out how Mr. Cohen got into so much trouble. After three cups of tea, I was left wondering why all the hype. I still don’t know what Cohen did wro...
